The Acts 4
4
1AND as they were speaking to the people, the priests, and the officer of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,
2Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead:
3And they laid hands upon them, and put them in hold till the next day; for it was now evening.
4But many of them who had heard the word, believed; and the number of the men was made five thousand.
5And it came to pass on the morrow, that their princes, and ancients, and scribes, were gathered together in Jerusalem;
6And Annas the high priest, and Caiphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest.
7And setting them in the midst, they asked: By what power, or by what name, have you done this?
8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said to them: Ye princes of the people, and ancients, hear:
9If we this day are examined concerning the good deed done to the infirm man, by what means he hath been made whole:
10Be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God hath raised from the dead, even by him this man standeth here before you whole.
11This is the stone which was rejected by you the builders, which is become the head of the corner.
12Neither is there salvation in any other. For there is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved.
13Now seeing the constancy of Peter and of John, understanding that they were illiterate and ignorant men, they wondered; and they knew them that they had been with Jesus.
14Seeing the man also who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.
15But they commanded them to go aside out of the council; and they conferred among themselves,
16Saying: What shall we do to these men? for indeed a known miracle hath been done by them, to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem: it is manifest, and we cannot deny it.
17But that it may be no farther spread among the people, let us threaten them that they speak no more in this name to any man.
18And calling them, they charged them not to speak at all, nor teach in the name of Jesus.
19But Peter and John answering, said to them: If it be just in the sight of God, to hear you rather than God, judge ye.
20For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
21But they threatening, sent them away, not finding how they might punish them, because of the people; for all men glorified what had been done, in that which had come to pass.
22For the man was above forty years old, in whom that miraculous cure had been wrought.
23And being let go, they came to their own company, and related all that the chief priests and ancients had said to them.
24Who having heard it, with one accord lifted up their voice to God, and said: Lord, thou art he that didst make heaven and earth, the sea, and all things that are in them.
25Who, by the Holy Ghost, by the mouth of our father David, thy servant, hast said: Why did the Gentiles rage, and the people meditate vain things?
26The kings of the earth stood up, and the princes assembled together against the Lord and his Christ.
27For of a truth there assembled together in this city against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel,
28To do what thy hand and thy counsel decreed to be done.
29And now, Lord, behold their threatenings, and grant unto thy servants, that with all confidence they may speak thy word,
30By stretching forth thy hand to cures, and signs, and wonders to be done by the name of thy holy Son Jesus.
31And when they had prayed, the place was moved wherein they were assembled; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spoke the word of God with confidence.
32And the multitude of believers had but one heart and one soul: neither did any one say that aught of the things which he possessed, was his own; but all things were common unto them.
33And with great power did the apostles give testimony of the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord; and great grace was in them all.
34For neither was there any one needy among them. For as many as were owners of lands or houses, sold them, and brought the price of the things they sold,
35And laid it down before the feet of the apostles. And distribution was made to every one, according as he had need.
36And Joseph, who, by the apostles, was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, by interpretation, The son of consolation,) a Levite, a Cyprian born,
37Having land, sold it, and brought the price, and laid it at the feet of the apostles.
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The Acts 4: DRC1752
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Acts 4
4
Peter and John Are Taken to the Sanhedrin
1Peter and John were speaking to the people. The priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees came up to the apostles. 2They were very upset by what the apostles were teaching the people. The apostles were saying that people can be raised from the dead. They said this can happen because Jesus rose from the dead. 3So the temple authorities arrested Peter and John. It was already evening, so they put them in prison until the next day. 4But many who heard the message believed. The number of men who believed grew to about 5,000.
5The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. 6Annas, the high priest, was there. So were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and other people in the high priest’s family. 7They had Peter and John brought to them. They wanted to question them. “By what power did you do this?” they asked. “And through whose name?”
8Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit. He said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people! 9Are you asking us to explain our actions today? Do you want to know why we were kind to a man who couldn’t walk? Are you asking how he was healed? 10Then listen to this, you and all the people of Israel! You nailed Jesus Christ of Nazareth to the cross. But God raised him from the dead. It is through Jesus’ name that this man stands healed in front of you. 11Scripture says that Jesus is
“ ‘the stone you builders did not accept.
But it has become the most important stone of all.’ (Psalm 118:22)
12You can’t be saved by believing in anyone else. God has given people no other name under heaven that will save them.”
13The leaders saw how bold Peter and John were. They also realized that Peter and John were ordinary men with no training. This surprised the leaders. They realized that these men had been with Jesus. 14The leaders could see the man who had been healed. He was standing there with them. So there was nothing they could say. 15They ordered Peter and John to leave the Sanhedrin. Then they talked things over. 16“What can we do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed an unusual miracle. We can’t say it didn’t happen. 17We have to stop this thing. It must not spread any further among the people. We have to warn these men. They must never speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.”
18Once again the leaders called in Peter and John. They commanded them not to speak or teach at all in Jesus’ name. 19But Peter and John replied, “Which is right from God’s point of view? Should we listen to you? Or should we listen to God? You be the judges! 20There’s nothing else we can do. We have to speak about the things we’ve seen and heard.”
21The leaders warned them again. Then they let them go. They couldn’t decide how to punish Peter and John. They knew that all the people were praising God for what had happened. 22The man who had been healed by the miracle was over 40 years old.
The Believers Pray
23Peter and John were allowed to leave. They went back to their own people. They reported everything the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24The believers heard this. Then they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Lord and King,” they said, “you made the heavens, the earth and the sea. You made everything in them. 25Long ago you spoke by the Holy Spirit. You spoke through the mouth of our father David, who served you. You said,
“ ‘Why are the nations angry?
Why do the people make useless plans?
26The kings of the earth rise up.
The rulers of the earth gather together
against the Lord
and against his anointed king.’ (Psalm 2:1,2)
27In fact, Herod and Pontius Pilate met with the Gentiles in this city. They also met with the people of Israel. All of them made plans against your holy servant Jesus. He is the one you anointed. 28They did what your power and purpose had already decided should happen. 29Now, Lord, consider the bad things they say they are going to do. Help us to be very bold when we speak your word. 30Stretch out your hand to heal. Do signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
31After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit. They were bold when they spoke God’s word.
The Believers Share What They Own
32All the believers were agreed in heart and mind. They didn’t claim that anything they had was their own. Instead, they shared everything they owned. 33With great power the apostles continued their teaching. They were telling people that the Lord Jesus had risen from the dead. And God’s grace was working powerfully in all of them. 34So there were no needy persons among them. From time to time, those who owned land or houses sold them. They brought the money from the sales. 35They put it down at the apostles’ feet. It was then given out to anyone who needed it.
36Joseph was a Levite from Cyprus. The apostles called him Barnabas. The name Barnabas means Son of Help. 37Barnabas sold a field he owned. He brought the money from the sale. He put it down at the apostles’ feet.
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