Acts 4:1–37

¹Now while the [two] were speaking to the people, the chief priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them,²being annoyed because they were teaching the people and were plainly declaring the resurrection from the dead in the case of Jesus;³and they laid their hands upon them and put them in custody till the next day, for it was already evening.⁴However, many of those who had listened to the speech believed, and the number of the men became about five thousand.

⁵The next day there took place in Jerusalem the gathering together of their rulers and older men and scribes⁶(also An′nas the chief priest and Ca′ia‧phas and John and Alexander and as many as were of the chief priest’s kinsfolk),⁷and they stood them in their midst and began to inquire: “By what power or in whose name did ​YOU​ do this?”⁸Then Peter, filled with holy spirit, said to them:

“Rulers of the people and older men,⁹if we are this day being examined, on the basis of a good deed to an ailing man, as to by whom this man has been made well,¹⁰let it be known to all of ​YOU​ and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ the Naz‧a‧rene′, whom ​YOU​ impaled but whom God raised up from the dead, by this one does this man stand here sound in front of ​YOU.¹¹This is ‘the stone that was treated by ​YOU​ builders as of no account that has become the head of the corner.’¹²Furthermore, there is no salvation in anyone else, for there is not another name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get saved.”

¹³Now when they beheld the outspokenness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were men unlettered and ordinary, they got to wondering. And they began to recognize about them that they used to be with Jesus;¹⁴and as they were looking at the man that had been cured standing with them, they had nothing to say in rebuttal.¹⁵So they commanded them to go outside the San′he‧drin hall, and they began consulting with one another,¹⁶saying: “What shall we do with these men? Because, for a fact, a noteworthy sign has occurred through them, one manifest to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it.¹⁷Nevertheless, in order that it may not be spread abroad further among the people, let us tell them with threats not to speak anymore upon the basis of this name to any man at all.”

¹⁸With that they called them and charged them, nowhere to make any utterance or to teach upon the basis of the name of Jesus.¹⁹But in reply Peter and John said to them: “Whether it is righteous in the sight of God to listen to ​YOU​ rather than to God, judge for yourselves.²⁰But as for us, we cannot stop speaking about the things we have seen and heard.”²¹So, when they had further threatened them, they released them, since they did not find any ground on which to punish them and on account of the people, because they were all glorifying God over what had occurred;²²for the man upon whom this sign of healing had occurred was more than forty years old.

²³After being released they went to their own people and reported what things the chief priests and the older men had said to them.²⁴Upon hearing this they with one accord raised their voices to God and said:

“Sovereign Lord, you are the One who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all the things in them,²⁵and who through holy spirit said by the mouth of our forefather David, your servant, ‘Why did nations become tumultuous and peoples meditate upon empty things?²⁶The kings of the earth took their stand and the rulers massed together as one against Jehovah and against his anointed one.’²⁷Even so, both Herod and Pontius Pilate with [men of] nations and with peoples of Israel were in actuality gathered together in this city against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed,²⁸in order to do what things your hand and counsel had foreordained to occur.²⁹And now, Jehovah, give attention to their threats, and grant your slaves to keep speaking your word with all boldness,³⁰while you stretch out your hand for healing and while signs and portents occur through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

³¹And when they had made supplication, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were one and all filled with the holy spirit and were speaking the word of God with boldness.

³²Moreover, the multitude of those who had believed had one heart and soul, and not even one would say that any of the things he possessed was his own; but they had all things in common.³³Also, with great power the apostles continued giving forth the witness concerning the resurrection of the Lord Jesus; and undeserved kindness in large measure was upon them all.³⁴In fact, there was not one in need among them; for all those who were possessors of fields or houses would sell them and bring the values of the things sold³⁵and they would deposit them at the feet of the apostles. In turn distribution would be made to each one, just as he would have the need.³⁶So Joseph, who was surnamed Bar′na‧bas by the apostles, which means, when translated, Son of Comfort, a Levite, a native of Cy′prus,³⁷possessing a piece of land, sold it and brought the money and deposited it at the feet of the apostles.