Acts 5:1–42

¹However, a certain man, An‧a‧ni′as by name, together with Sap‧phi′ra his wife, sold a possession²and secretly held back some of the price, his wife also knowing about it, and he brought just a part and deposited it at the feet of the apostles.³But Peter said: “An‧a‧ni′as, why has Satan emboldened you to play false to the holy spirit and to hold back secretly some of the price of the field?⁴As long as it remained with you did it not remain yours, and after it was sold did it not continue in your control? Why was it that you purposed such a deed as this in your heart? You have played false, not to men, but to God.”⁵On hearing these words An‧a‧ni′as fell down and expired. And great fear came over all those hearing of it.⁶But the younger men rose, wrapped him in cloths, and carried him out and buried him.

⁷Now after an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.⁸Peter said to her: “Tell me, did ​YOU​ [two] sell the field for so much?” She said: “Yes, for so much.”⁹So Peter said to her: “Why was it agreed upon between ​YOU​ [two] to make a test of the spirit of Jehovah? Look! The feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”¹⁰Instantly she fell down at his feet and expired. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her alongside her husband.¹¹Consequently great fear came over the whole congregation and over all those hearing about these things.

¹²Moreover, through the hands of the apostles many signs and portents continued to occur among the people; and they were all with one accord in Sol′o‧mon’s colonnade.¹³True, not a one of the others had the courage to join himself to them; nevertheless, the people were extolling them.¹⁴More than that, believers in the Lord kept on being added, multitudes both of men and of women;¹⁵so that they brought the sick out even into the broad ways and laid them there upon little beds and cots, in order that, as Peter would go by, at least his shadow might fall upon some one of them.¹⁶Also, the multitude from the cities around Jerusalem kept coming together, bearing sick people and those troubled with unclean spirits, and they would one and all be cured.

¹⁷But the high priest and all those with him, the then existing sect of the Sadducees, rose and became filled with jealousy,¹⁸and they laid hands upon the apostles and put them in the public place of custody.¹⁹But during the night Jehovah’s angel opened the doors of the prison, brought them out and said:²⁰“Be on ​YOUR​ way, and, having taken a stand in the temple, keep on speaking to the people all the sayings about this life.”²¹After hearing this, they entered into the temple at daybreak and began to teach.

Now when the high priest and those with him arrived, they called together the San′he‧drin and all the assembly of older men of the sons of Israel, and they sent out to the jail to have them brought.²²But when the officers got there they did not find them in the prison. So they returned and made report,²³saying: “The jail we found locked with all security and the guards standing at the doors, but on opening up we found no one inside.”²⁴Well, when both the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they fell into a quandary over these matters as to what this would come to.²⁵But a certain man arrived and reported to them: “Look! The men ​YOU​ put in the prison are in the temple, standing and teaching the people.”²⁶Then the captain went off with his officers and proceeded to bring them, but without violence, as they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

²⁷So they brought them and stood them in the San′he‧drin hall. And the high priest questioned them²⁸and said: “We positively ordered ​YOU​ not to keep teaching upon the basis of this name, and yet, look! ​YOU​ have filled Jerusalem with ​YOUR​ teaching, and ​YOU​ are determined to bring the blood of this man upon us.”²⁹In answer Peter and the [other] apostles said: “We must obey God as ruler rather than men.³⁰The God of our forefathers raised up Jesus, whom ​YOU​ slew, hanging him upon a stake.³¹God exalted this one as Chief Agent and Savior to his right hand, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.³²And we are witnesses of these matters, and so is the holy spirit, which God has given to those obeying him as ruler.”

³³When they heard this, they felt deeply cut and were wanting to do away with them.³⁴But a certain man rose in the San′he‧drin, a Pharisee named Ga‧ma′li‧el, a Law teacher esteemed by all the people, and gave the command to put the men outside for a little while.³⁵And he said to them: “Men of Israel, pay attention to yourselves as to what ​YOU​ intend to do respecting these men.³⁶For instance, before these days Theu′das rose, saying he himself was somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined his party. But he was done away with, and all those who were obeying him were dispersed and came to nothing.³⁷After him Judas the Gal‧i‧le′an rose in the days of the registration, and he drew off people after him. And yet that man perished, and all those who were obeying him were scattered abroad.³⁸And so, under the present circumstances, I say to ​YOU, Do not meddle with these men, but let them alone; (because, if this scheme or this work is from men, it will be overthrown;³⁹but if it is from God, ​YOU​ will not be able to overthrow them;) otherwise, ​YOU​ may perhaps be found fighters actually against God.”⁴⁰At this they gave heed to him, and they summoned the apostles, flogged them, and ordered them to stop speaking upon the basis of Jesus’ name, and let them go.

⁴¹These, therefore, went their way from before the San′he‧drin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy to be dishonored in behalf of his name.⁴²And every day in the temple and from house to house they continued without letup teaching and declaring the good news about the Christ, Jesus.