Acts 4
4
1And as they are speaking unto the people, there came to them the priests, and the magistrate of the temple, and the Sadducees —
2being grieved because of their teaching the people, and preaching in Jesus the rising again out of the dead —
3and they laid hands upon them, and did put them in custody unto the morrow, for it was evening already;
4and many of those hearing the word did believe, and the number of the men became, as it were, five thousand.
5And it came to pass upon the morrow, there were gathered together of them the rulers, and elders, and scribes, to Jerusalem,
6and Annas the chief priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the chief priest,
7and having set them in the midst, they were inquiring, ‘In what power, or in what name did ye do this?’
8Then Peter, having been filled with the Holy Spirit, said unto them: ‘Rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,
9if we to-day are examined concerning the good deed to the ailing man, by whom he hath been saved,
10be it known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye did crucify, whom God did raise out of the dead, in him hath this one stood by before you whole.
11‘This is the stone that was set at nought by you — the builders, that became head of a corner;
12and there is not salvation in any other, for there is no other name under the heaven that hath been given among men, in which it behoveth us to be saved.’
13And beholding the openness of Peter and John, and having perceived that they are men unlettered and plebeian, they were wondering — they were taking knowledge also of them that with Jesus they had been —
14and seeing the man standing with them who hath been healed, they had nothing to say against [it],
15and having commanded them to go away out of the sanhedrim, they took counsel with one another,
16saying, ‘What shall we do to these men? because that, indeed, a notable sign hath been done through them, to all those dwelling in Jerusalem [is] manifest, and we are not able to deny [it];
17but that it may spread no further toward the people, let us strictly threaten them no more to speak in this name to any man.’
18And having called them, they charged them not to speak at all, nor to teach, in the name of Jesus,
19and Peter and John answering unto them said, ‘Whether it is righteous before God to hearken to you rather than to God, judge ye;
20for we cannot but speak what we did see and hear.’
21And they having further threatened [them], let them go, finding nothing how they may punish them, because of the people, because all were glorifying God for that which hath been done,
22for above forty years of age was the man upon whom had been done this sign of the healing.
23And being let go, they went unto their own friends, and declared whatever the chief priests and the elders said unto them,
24and they having heard, with one accord did lift up the voice unto God, and said, ‘Lord, thou [art] God, who didst make the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and all that [are] in them,
25who, through the mouth of David thy servant, did say, Why did nations rage, and peoples meditate vain things?
26the kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ;
27for gathered together of a truth against Thy holy child Jesus, whom Thou didst anoint, were both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with nations and peoples of Israel,
28to do whatever Thy hand and Thy counsel did determine before to come to pass.
29‘And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings, and grant to Thy servants with all freedom to speak Thy word,
30in the stretching forth of Thy hand, for healing, and signs, and wonders, to come to pass through the name of Thy holy child Jesus.’
31And they having prayed, the place was shaken in which they were gathered together, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and were speaking the word of God with freedom,
32and of the multitude of those who did believe the heart and the soul was one, and not one was saying that anything of the things he had was his own, but all things were to them in common.
33And with great power were the apostles giving the testimony to the rising again of the Lord Jesus, great grace also was on them all,
34for there was not any one among them who did lack, for as many as were possessors of fields, or houses, selling [them], were bringing the prices of the thing sold,
35and were laying them at the feet of the apostles, and distribution was being made to each according as any one had need.
36And Joses, who was surnamed by the apostles Barnabas — which is, having been interpreted, Son of Comfort — a Levite, of Cyprus by birth,
37a field being his, having sold [it], brought the money and laid [it] at the feet of the apostles.
Currently Selected:
Acts 4: YLT98
Highlight
Share
Copy
![None](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2F58%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fweb-assets.youversion.com%2Fapp-icons%2Fen.png&w=128&q=75)
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society
Acts 4
4
The Apostles and the Jewish High Council
1While Peter and John were speaking to the people, some Jewish leaders came up to them. There were some priests, the captain of the soldiers that guarded the Temple, and some Sadducees. 2They were upset because of what Peter and John were teaching the people. By telling people about Jesus, the apostles were teaching that people will rise from death. 3The Jewish leaders arrested Peter and John and put them in jail. It was already night, so they kept them in jail until the next day. 4But many of the people who heard the apostles believed what they said. There were now about 5000 men in the group of believers.
5The next day the Jewish rulers, the older Jewish leaders, and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. 6Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander were there. Everyone from the high priest’s family was there. 7They made Peter and John stand before all the people. They asked them over and over, “How did you make this crippled man well? What power did you use? By whose authority did you do this?”
8Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them, “Rulers of the people and you older leaders, 9are you questioning us today about what we did to help this crippled man? Are you asking us what made him well? 10We want all of you and all the people of Israel to know that this man was made well by the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth. You nailed Jesus to a cross, but God raised him from death. This man was crippled, but he is now well. He is able to stand here before you because of the power of Jesus! 11Jesus is
‘the stone#4:11 stone A picture or symbol meaning Jesus. that you builders thought was not important.
But this stone has become the cornerstone.’ Psalm 118:22
12Jesus is the only one who can save people. His name is the only power in the world that has been given to save anyone. We must be saved through him!”
13The Jewish leaders understood that Peter and John had no special training or education. But they also saw that they were not afraid to speak. So the leaders were amazed. They also realized that Peter and John had been with Jesus. 14They saw the crippled man standing there beside the apostles. They saw that he was healed, so they could say nothing against the apostles.
15The Jewish leaders told them to leave the council meeting. Then the leaders talked to each other about what they should do. 16They said, “What shall we do with these men? Everyone in Jerusalem knows about the miracle they did as a sign from God. It’s too obvious. We can’t say it didn’t happen. 17But we must make them afraid to talk to anyone again using that name.#4:17 that name That is, Jesus’ name. The Jewish leaders avoided saying his name. See Lk. 15:2. Then this problem will not spread among the people.”
18So the Jewish leaders called Peter and John in again. They told the apostles not to say anything or to teach anything in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John answered them, “What do you think is right? What would God want? Should we obey you or God? 20We cannot be quiet. We must tell people about what we have seen and heard.”
21-22The Jewish leaders could not find a way to punish the apostles, because all the people were praising God for what had been done. This miracle was a sign from God. The man who was healed was more than 40 years old. So the Jewish leaders warned the apostles again and let them go free.
Peter and John Return to the Believers
23Peter and John left the meeting of Jewish leaders and went to their own group. They told the group everything that the leading priests and the older Jewish leaders had said to them. 24When the believers heard this, they all prayed to God with one purpose. They said, “Master, you are the one who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in the world. 25Our ancestor David was your servant. With the help of the Holy Spirit he wrote these words:
‘Why are the nations shouting?
Why are the people planning such useless things?
26‘The kings of the earth prepare themselves to fight,
and the rulers all come together against the Lord and against his Messiah.’ Psalm 2:1-2
27That’s what actually happened when Herod, Pontius Pilate, the other nations, and the people of Israel all came together against Jesus here in Jerusalem. He is your holy Servant, the one you made to be the Messiah. 28These people who came together against Jesus made your plan happen. It was done because of your power and your will. 29And now, Lord, listen to what they are saying. They are trying to make us afraid. We are your servants. Help us to say what you want us to say without fear. 30Help us to be brave by showing us your power. Make sick people well. Cause miraculous signs and wonders to happen by the authority#4:30 authority Literally, “name.” of Jesus, your holy servant.”
31After the believers prayed, the place where they were meeting shook. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they continued to speak God’s message without fear.
The Believers Share
32The whole group of believers was united in their thinking and in what they wanted. None of them said that the things they had were their own. Instead, they shared everything. 33With great power the apostles were making it known to everyone that the Lord Jesus was raised from death. And God blessed all the believers very much. 34None of them could say they needed anything. Everyone who owned fields or houses sold them. They brought the money they got 35and gave it to the apostles. Then everyone was given whatever they needed.
36One of the believers was named Joseph. The apostles called him Barnabas, a name that means “one who encourages others.” He was a Levite born in Cyprus. 37Joseph sold a field he owned. He brought the money and gave it to the apostles.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
![None](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2F58%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fweb-assets.youversion.com%2Fapp-icons%2Fen.png&w=128&q=75)
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 1987, 2004 Bible League International