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Acts 5
New English Translation

The Judgment on Ananias and Sapphira

5 Now a man named Ananias, together with Sapphira his wife, sold a piece of property. 2 He[a] kept back for himself part of the proceeds with his wife’s knowledge; he brought[b] only part of it and placed it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled[c] your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back for yourself part of the proceeds from the sale of[d] the land? 4 Before it was sold,[e] did it not[f] belong to you? And when it was sold, was the money[g] not at your disposal? How have you thought up this deed in your heart?[h] You have not lied to people[i] but to God!”

5 When Ananias heard these words he collapsed and died, and great fear gripped[j] all who heard about it. 6 So the young men came,[k] wrapped him up,[l] carried him out, and buried[m] him. 7 After an interval of about three hours,[n] his wife came in, but she did not know[o] what had happened. 8 Peter said to her, “Tell me, were the two of you[p] paid this amount[q] for the land?” Sapphira[r] said, “Yes, that much.” 9 Peter then told her, “Why have you agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out!” 10 At once[s] she collapsed at his feet and died. So when the young men came in, they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great[t] fear gripped[u] the whole church[v] and all who heard about these things.

The Apostles Perform Miraculous Signs and Wonders

12 Now many miraculous signs[w] and wonders came about among the people through the hands of the apostles. By[x] common consent[y] they were all meeting together in Solomon’s Portico.[z] 13 None of the rest dared to join them,[aa] but the people held them in high honor.[ab] 14 More and more believers in the Lord were added to their number,[ac] crowds of both men and women. 15 Thus[ad] they even carried the sick out into the streets, and put them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow would fall on some of them. 16 A crowd of people from the towns around Jerusalem also came together, bringing the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits.[ae] They[af] were all[ag] being healed.

Further Trouble for the Apostles

17 Now the high priest rose up, and all those with him (that is, the religious party of the Sadducees[ah]),[ai] and they were filled with jealousy.[aj] 18 They[ak] laid hands on[al] the apostles and put them in a public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord[am] opened[an] the doors of the prison,[ao] led them out,[ap] and said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple courts[aq] and proclaim[ar] to the people all the words of this life.” 21 When they heard this, they entered the temple courts[as] at daybreak and began teaching.[at]

Now when the high priest and those who were with him arrived, they summoned the Sanhedrin[au]—that is, the whole high council[av] of the Israelites[aw]—and sent to the jail to have the apostles[ax] brought before them.[ay] 22 But the officers[az] who came for them[ba] did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported,[bb] 23 “We found the jail locked securely and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them,[bc] we found no one inside.” 24 Now when the commander[bd] of the temple guard[be] and the chief priests heard this report,[bf] they were greatly puzzled concerning it,[bg] wondering what this could[bh] be. 25 But someone came and reported to them, “Look! The men you put in prison are standing in the temple courts[bi] and teaching[bj] the people!” 26 Then the commander[bk] of the temple guard[bl] went with the officers[bm] and brought the apostles[bn] without the use of force[bo] (for they were afraid of being stoned by the people).[bp]

27 When they had brought them, they stood them before the council,[bq] and the high priest questioned[br] them, 28 saying, “We gave[bs] you strict orders[bt] not to teach in this name.[bu] Look,[bv] you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood[bw] on us!” 29 But Peter and the apostles replied,[bx] “We must obey[by] God rather than people.[bz] 30 The God of our forefathers[ca] raised up Jesus, whom you seized and killed by hanging him on a tree.[cb] 31 God exalted him[cc] to his right hand as Leader[cd] and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.[ce] 32 And we are witnesses of these events,[cf] and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey[cg] him.”

33 Now when they heard this, they became furious[ch] and wanted to execute them.[ci] 34 But a Pharisee[cj] whose name was Gamaliel,[ck] a teacher of the law who was respected by all the people, stood up[cl] in the council[cm] and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time. 35 Then he said to the council,[cn] “Men of Israel,[co] pay close attention to[cp] what you are about to do to these men. 36 For some time ago[cq] Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and about 400 men joined him. He[cr] was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and nothing came of it.[cs] 37 After him Judas the Galilean arose in the days of the census,[ct] and incited people to follow him in revolt.[cu] He too was killed, and all who followed him were scattered. 38 So in this case I say to you, stay away from these men and leave them alone, because if this plan or this undertaking originates with people,[cv] it will come to nothing,[cw] 39 but if[cx] it is from God, you will not be able to stop them, or you may even be found[cy] fighting against God.” He convinced them,[cz] 40 and they summoned the apostles and had them beaten.[da] Then[db] they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them. 41 So they left the council rejoicing because they had been considered worthy[dc] to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.[dd] 42 And every day both in the temple courts[de] and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news[df] that Jesus was the Christ.[dg]

Footnotes

  1. Acts 5:2 tn Grk “And he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
  2. Acts 5:2 tn The participle ἐνέγκας (enenkas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  3. Acts 5:3 sn This is a good example of the Greek verb fill (πληρόω, plēroō) meaning “to exercise control over someone’s thought and action” (cf. Eph 5:18).
  4. Acts 5:3 tn The words “from the sale of” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to clarify the meaning, since the phrase “proceeds from the land” could possibly be understood as crops rather than money from the sale.
  5. Acts 5:4 tn Grk “Remaining to you.”
  6. Acts 5:4 tn The negative interrogative particle οὐχί (ouchi) expects a positive reply to this question and the following one (“And when it was sold, was it not at your disposal?”).
  7. Acts 5:4 tn Grk “it”; the referent of the pronoun (the money generated from the sale of the land) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  8. Acts 5:4 tn Grk “How is it that you have [or Why have you] placed this deed in your heart?” Both of these literal translations differ from the normal way of expressing the thought in English.
  9. Acts 5:4 tn Grk “to men.” If Peter’s remark refers only to the apostles, the translation “to men” would be appropriate. But if (as is likely) the action was taken to impress the entire congregation (who would presumably have witnessed the donation or been aware of it) then the more general “to people” is more appropriate, since the audience would have included both men and women.
  10. Acts 5:5 tn Or “fear came on,” “fear seized”; Grk “fear happened to.”
  11. Acts 5:6 tn Or “arose.”
  12. Acts 5:6 tn The translation “wrapped up” for συνέστειλαν (sunesteilan) is suggested by L&N 79.119, but another interpretation is possible. The same verb could also be translated “removed” (see L&N 15.200), although that sense appears somewhat redundant and out of sequence with the following verb and participle (“carried him out and buried him”).
  13. Acts 5:6 sn Buried. Same day burial was a custom in the Jewish world of the first century (cf. also Deut 21:23).
  14. Acts 5:7 tn Grk “It happened that after an interval of about three hours.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
  15. Acts 5:7 tn Grk “came in, not knowing.” The participle has been translated with concessive or adversative force: “although she did not know.” In English, the adversative conjunction (“but”) conveys this nuance more smoothly.
  16. Acts 5:8 tn The words “the two of” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied to indicate that the verb (ἀπέδοσθε, apedosthe) is plural and thus refers to both Ananias and Sapphira.
  17. Acts 5:8 tn Grk “so much,” “as much as this.”
  18. Acts 5:8 tn Grk “She”; the referent (Sapphira) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  19. Acts 5:10 tn Grk “And at once.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
  20. Acts 5:11 tn Grk “And great.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
  21. Acts 5:11 tn Or “fear came on,” “fear seized”; Grk “fear happened to.”
  22. Acts 5:11 sn This is the first occurrence of the term church (ἐκκλησία, ekklēsia) in Acts. It refers to an assembly of people.
  23. Acts 5:12 tn The miraculous nature of these signs is implied in the context.
  24. Acts 5:12 tn Grk “And by.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
  25. Acts 5:12 tn Or “With one mind.”
  26. Acts 5:12 tn Or “colonnade”; Grk “stoa.”sn Solomon’s Portico was a covered walkway formed by rows of columns supporting a roof and open on the inner side facing the center of the temple complex. Located beside the Court of the Gentiles, it was a very public area.
  27. Acts 5:13 tn Or “to associate with them.” The group was beginning to have a controversial separate identity. People were cautious about joining them. The next verse suggests that the phrase “none of the rest” in this verse is rhetorical hyperbole.
  28. Acts 5:13 tn Or “the people thought very highly of them.”
  29. Acts 5:14 tn Or “More and more believers were added to the Lord.”
  30. Acts 5:15 tn This is a continuation of the preceding sentence in Greek, but because this would produce an awkward sentence in English, a new sentence was begun here in the translation.
  31. Acts 5:16 sn Unclean spirits refers to evil spirits.
  32. Acts 5:16 tn Literally a relative pronoun, “who.” In English, however, a relative clause (“bringing the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits, who were all being healed”) could be understood to refer only to the second group (meaning only those troubled by unclean spirits were being healed) or even that the unclean spirits were being healed. To avoid this ambiguity the pronoun “they” was used to begin a new English sentence.
  33. Acts 5:16 sn They were all being healed. Note how the healings that the apostles provided were comprehensive in their consistency.
  34. Acts 5:17 sn See the note on Sadducees in 4:1.
  35. Acts 5:17 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
  36. Acts 5:17 sn Filled with jealousy. In Acts, the term “jealousy” (ζήλος, zēlos) occurs only here and in Acts 13:45. It is a key term in Judaism for religiously motivated rage (1 Macc 2:24; 1QH 14:13-15; m. Sanhedrin 9:5). It was a zeal motivated by a desire to maintain the purity of the faith.
  37. Acts 5:18 tn Grk “jealousy, and they.” In the Greek text this is a continuation of the previous sentence, but a new sentence has been started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  38. Acts 5:18 tn Or “they arrested.”
  39. Acts 5:19 tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” Linguistically, “angel of the Lord” is the same in both testaments (and thus, he is either “an angel of the Lord” or “the angel of the Lord” in both testaments). For arguments and implications, see ExSyn 252; M. J. Davidson, “Angels,” DJG, 9; W. G. MacDonald argues for “an angel” in both testaments: “Christology and ‘The Angel of the Lord’,” Current Issues in Biblical and Patristic Interpretation, 324-35.
  40. Acts 5:19 tn Grk “opening the doors of the prison.” The participle ἀνοίξας (anoixas) has been translated as a finite verb due to the requirements of contemporary English style.
  41. Acts 5:19 tn Greek φυλακῆς (phulakēs), a different word from the one in v. 18 (τήρησις, tērēsis, “jail”).
  42. Acts 5:19 tn Or “brought them out.” Grk “and leading them out, said.” The participle ἐξαγαγών (exagagōn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.sn Led them out. The action by God served to vindicate the apostles. It showed that whatever court the Jewish leaders represented, they did not represent God.
  43. Acts 5:20 tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.
  44. Acts 5:20 tn Or “speak.”
  45. Acts 5:21 tn Grk “the temple.” See the note on the same phrase in the preceding verse.
  46. Acts 5:21 tn The imperfect verb ἐδίδασκον (edidaskon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
  47. Acts 5:21 tn Or “the council” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
  48. Acts 5:21 tn A hendiadys (two different terms referring to a single thing) is likely here (a reference to a single legislative body rather than two separate ones) because the term γερουσίαν (gerousian) is used in both 1 Macc 12:6 and Josephus, Ant. 13.5.8 (13.166) to refer to the Sanhedrin.
  49. Acts 5:21 tn Grk “sons of Israel.”
  50. Acts 5:21 tn Grk “have them”; the referent (the apostles) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  51. Acts 5:21 tn The words “before them” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
  52. Acts 5:22 tn The Greek term ὑπηρέτης (hupēretēs) generally means “servant,” but in the NT is used for many different types of servants, like attendants to a king, the officers of the Sanhedrin (as here), assistants to magistrates, and (especially in the Gospel of John) Jewish guards in the Jerusalem temple (see L&N 35.20).
  53. Acts 5:22 tn The words “for them” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
  54. Acts 5:22 tn Grk “reported, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
  55. Acts 5:23 tn The word “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
  56. Acts 5:24 tn Or “captain.”
  57. Acts 5:24 tn Grk “the official of the temple,” a title for the commander of the Jewish soldiers guarding the temple (thus the translation, “the commander of the temple guard”). See L&N 37.91.
  58. Acts 5:24 tn Grk “heard these words.”
  59. Acts 5:24 tn Grk “concerning them,” agreeing with the plural antecedent “these words.” Since the phrase “these words” was translated as the singular “this report,” the singular “concerning it” is used here.
  60. Acts 5:24 tn The optative verb here expresses confused uncertainty.
  61. Acts 5:25 tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.
  62. Acts 5:25 sn Obeying God (see v. 29), the apostles were teaching again (4:18-20; 5:20). They did so despite the risk.
  63. Acts 5:26 tn Or “captain.”
  64. Acts 5:26 tn Grk “the official [of the temple],” a title for the commander of the Jewish soldiers guarding the temple (thus the translation, “the commander of the temple guard”). See L&N 37.91.
  65. Acts 5:26 tn The Greek term ὑπηρέτης (hupēretēs) generally means “servant,” but in the NT is used for many different types of servants. See the note on the word “officers” in v. 22.
  66. Acts 5:26 tn Grk “brought them”; the referent (the apostles) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  67. Acts 5:26 tn Or “without violence.” It is clear, as well, that the apostles did not resist arrest.
  68. Acts 5:26 tn Grk “for they feared lest they be stoned by the people.” The translation uses a less awkward English equivalent. This is an explanatory note by the author.
  69. Acts 5:27 tn Or “the Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
  70. Acts 5:27 tn Or “interrogated,” “asked.”
  71. Acts 5:28 tc ‡ The majority of mss, including a few significant witnesses (א2 D E [Ψ] 1739 M sy sa), have the negative particle οὐ (ou) here, effectively turning the high priest’s words into a question: “Did we not give you strict orders not to teach in this name?” But the earliest and most significant mss, along with some others (P74 א* A B 1175 lat bo), lack the particle, making this a strong statement rather than a question. Scribes may have been tempted to omit the particle to strengthen the contrast between official Judaism and the new faith, but the fact that v. 27 introduces the quotation with ἐπηρώτησεν (epērōtēsen, “he questioned”) may well have prompted scribes to add οὐ to convert the rebuke into a question. Further, that excellent witnesses affirm the shorter reading is sufficient ground for accepting it as most probably authentic. NA28 includes the particle in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.
  72. Acts 5:28 tn Grk “We commanded you with a commandment” (a Semitic idiom that is emphatic).
  73. Acts 5:28 sn The name (i.e., person) of Jesus is the constant issue of debate.
  74. Acts 5:28 tn Grk “And behold.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
  75. Acts 5:28 sn To bring this man’s blood on us is an idiom meaning “you intend to make us guilty of this man’s death.”
  76. Acts 5:29 tn Grk “apostles answered and said.”
  77. Acts 5:29 sn Obey. See 4:19. This response has Jewish roots (Dan 3:16-18; 2 Macc 7:2; Josephus, Ant. 17.6.3 [17.159]).
  78. Acts 5:29 tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anthrōpois) has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).
  79. Acts 5:30 tn Or “ancestors”; Grk “fathers.”
  80. Acts 5:30 tn Or “by crucifying him” (“hang on a tree” is by the time of the first century an idiom for crucifixion). The allusion is to the judgment against Jesus as a rebellious figure, appealing to the language of Deut 21:23. The Jewish leadership has badly “misjudged” Jesus.
  81. Acts 5:31 tn Grk “This one God exalted” (emphatic).
  82. Acts 5:31 tn Or “Founder” (of a movement).
  83. Acts 5:31 tn Or “to give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.”
  84. Acts 5:32 tn Or “things.” They are preaching these things even to the hostile leadership.
  85. Acts 5:32 sn Those who obey. The implication, of course, is that the leadership is disobeying God.
  86. Acts 5:33 sn The only other use of this verb for anger (furious) is Acts 7:54 after Stephen’s speech.
  87. Acts 5:33 sn Wanted to execute them. The charge would surely be capital insubordination (Exod 22:28).
  88. Acts 5:34 sn A Pharisee was a member of one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees (according to Josephus, Ant. 17.2.4 [17.42] there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time). Pharisees differed with Sadducees on certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. The Pharisees were strict and zealous adherents to the laws of the OT and to numerous additional traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection.
  89. Acts 5:34 sn Gamaliel was a famous Jewish scholar and teacher mentioned here in v. 34 and in Acts 22:3. He had a grandson of the same name and is referred to as “Gamaliel the Elder” to avoid confusion. He is quoted a number of times in the Mishnah, was given the highest possible title for Jewish teachers, Rabba (cf. John 20:16), and was highly regarded in later rabbinic tradition.
  90. Acts 5:34 tn Grk “standing up in the council, ordered.” The participle ἀναστάς (anastas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  91. Acts 5:34 tn Or “the Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
  92. Acts 5:35 tn Grk “said to them”; the referent (the council) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  93. Acts 5:35 tn Or “Israelite men,” although this is less natural English. The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anēr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context, it is highly unlikely that this is a generic usage, since Gamaliel was addressing the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high council, which would have been exclusively male.
  94. Acts 5:35 tn Or “men, be careful.”
  95. Acts 5:36 tn Grk “For before these days.”
  96. Acts 5:36 tn Grk “who.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “he,” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point.
  97. Acts 5:36 tn Grk “and they came to nothing.” Gamaliel’s argument is that these two insurrectionists were taken care of by natural events.
  98. Acts 5:37 tn Or “registration.”
  99. Acts 5:37 tn The verb ἀφίστημι (aphistēmi) as a transitive means “cause to revolt” as used in Josephus, Ant. 8.7.5 (8.198), 20.5.2 (20.102); see BDAG 157 s.v. 1.
  100. Acts 5:38 tn Here ἀνθρώπων (anthrōpōn) has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).
  101. Acts 5:38 tn Or “it will be put to an end.”
  102. Acts 5:39 tn This is expressed in a first class condition, in contrast to the condition in v. 38b, which is third class. As such, v. 39 is rhetorically presented as the more likely option.
  103. Acts 5:39 tn According to L&N 39.32, the verb εὑρεθῆτε (heurethēte, an aorist passive subjunctive) may also be translated “find yourselves”—“lest you find yourselves fighting against God.” The Jewish leader Gamaliel is shown contemplating the other possible alternative about what is occurring.
  104. Acts 5:39 tn Grk “They were convinced by him.” This passive construction was converted to an active one (“He convinced them”) in keeping with contemporary English style. The phrase “He convinced them” is traditionally placed in Acts 5:40 by most English translations; the standard Greek critical text (represented by NA28 and UBS5) places it at the end of v. 39.
  105. Acts 5:40 sn Had them beaten. The punishment was the “forty lashes minus one,” see also Acts 22:19; 2 Cor 11:24; Mark 13:9. The apostles had disobeyed the religious authorities and took their punishment for their “disobedience” (Deut 25:2-3; m. Makkot 3:10-14). In Acts 4:18 they were warned. Now they are beaten. The hostility is rising as the narrative unfolds.
  106. Acts 5:40 tn The word “Then” is supplied as the beginning of a new sentence in the translation. The construction in Greek has so many clauses (most of them made up of participles) that a continuous English sentence would be very awkward.
  107. Acts 5:41 sn That is, considered worthy by God. They “gloried in their shame” of honoring Jesus with their testimony (Luke 6:22-23; 2 Macc 6:30).
  108. Acts 5:41 sn The name refers to the name of Jesus (cf. 3 John 7).
  109. Acts 5:42 tn Grk “temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper and has been translated accordingly.
  110. Acts 5:42 tn Grk “teaching and evangelizing.” They were still obeying God, not men (see 4:18-20; 5:29).
  111. Acts 5:42 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”sn See the note on Christ in 2:31.
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Acts 5
EasyEnglish Bible

Ananias and Sapphira

5 But there was a man called Ananias among the group of believers. His wife was called Sapphira. Together they sold one of their fields. 2 Ananias gave part of the money that he received to the apostles. But he kept part of the money for himself. Sapphira knew all about what Ananias had done.[a]

3 Peter said to Ananias, ‘Ananias, Satan wanted you to tell a lie and you have obeyed him. You have told a lie to the Holy Spirit. That is a bad thing to do! You sold your field, but you did not give us all the money. You kept part of it for yourselves.[b] 4 Before you sold the field, it belonged to you. And after you sold the field, the money was yours. You could choose what to do with it. But you chose to do a very bad thing. You did not only tell a lie to us men. You have told a lie to God.’

5 As soon as he heard Peter say this, Ananias fell down and he died. When people heard what had happened, they were all very afraid. 6 Some young men came into the room. They put cloths around Ananias's dead body and they carried it outside. Then they buried it.

7 About three hours later, Ananias's wife, Sapphira, came into the room. She did not know what had happened to her husband. 8 Peter asked Sapphira, ‘Was this all the money that you and your husband received for your field?’ ‘Yes,’ Sapphira answered. ‘That was all the money that we received.’

9 Peter said to her, ‘It was wrong for you and your husband to do this bad thing. You agreed together to tell a lie to the Holy Spirit of the Lord God. Listen! The men who have just buried your husband are at the door again now. They will carry your body out too.’

10 Immediately, Sapphira fell down in front of Peter and she died. Then the young men came into the room. They saw that Sapphira was dead. So they carried her outside and they buried her body next to her husband. 11 The whole group of believers, and many other people, heard about what had happened to Ananias and Sapphira. They were all very afraid.

The apostles do some powerful things for the people to see

12 At that time, the apostles were doing many miracles that showed God's power among the people. All the believers often met together in the yard of the temple in a place called Solomon's porch. 13 The other people were afraid to meet with the group of believers. But people respected the believers very much. 14 More and more people became believers and they joined the group. So now many men and women believed in the Lord Jesus.

15 As a result, people carried their sick friends into the streets and put them on beds and mats. They hoped that Peter would pass that way and make their sick friends well again. They just wanted Peter's shadow to touch them.[c] 16 Many people also came into Jerusalem from the small towns near the city. They brought their sick friends with them. Some of those sick people had bad spirits that gave them trouble. God caused all these sick people to become well again.

The most important priest puts the apostles in prison

17 People liked the apostles very much. So the most important priest and his friends who belonged to the Sadducees' group were very jealous. 18 These important men took hold of the apostles and they put them in the city's prison. 19 But during the night, one of the Lord God's angels came and he opened the prison gates. He led the apostles out of the prison. 20 The angel said to them, ‘Go and stand in the yard of the temple. Tell the people everything about this new life that God gives.’

21 The apostles did what the angel told them to do. At dawn they went into the yard of the temple. They began to teach the people there.

Then the most important priest and his friends arrived. They told the group of Jewish leaders to meet with them. All the most important people in Israel were in that group. Then they sent their police to the prison to bring the apostles to the meeting place. 22 But when the police arrived at the prison, they did not find the apostles there. So the police returned to the Jewish leaders and they told them the news. 23 They said, ‘We arrived at the prison. We saw that the soldiers had locked the gates. They were standing at the gates and they were watching carefully. But when we opened the gates of the prison, we did not find anyone there!’[d]

24 The leader of the police of the temple and the leaders of the priests heard the news. They could not understand what had happened. They were afraid of what might happen next.

25 Then a man came to the leaders. He said to them, ‘Listen! Those men that you put in the prison are now standing in the yard of the temple. They are teaching the people there.’ 26 So the leader of the police took his men with him to find the apostles. They took hold of the apostles to take them back to the Jewish leaders. But they did not hurt them because they were afraid of the people. They thought that the people might be angry. They might throw stones at them to kill them.

27 The police brought the apostles into the meeting room. They made them stand in front of the group of Jewish leaders. The most important priest said to the apostles, 28 ‘We told you that you must not teach people any more with the authority of Jesus. But now look at what you have done! Now people everywhere in Jerusalem have heard your teaching. You also want people to think that we are guilty for the death of Jesus.’

29 Peter and the other apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than obey people. 30 You fixed Jesus to a cross so that he died. But then the God of our ancestors caused him to become alive again. 31 God raised Jesus and he put him in the most important place at his right side. Jesus is now the one who leads us and the one who saves us. He has made a way for the people of Israel to turn back to God. He wants us to stop doing wrong things. Then God will forgive us for our sins. 32 We tell people about what happened to Jesus. We ourselves saw these things. Now God has given his Holy Spirit to people who obey him. The Holy Spirit also shows that these things are true.’

33 The group of Jewish leaders heard what the apostles said to them. They were so angry that they wanted to kill the apostles. 34 But one man did not agree. He was called Gamaliel and he was a Pharisee, a teacher of the Law. All the people agreed that he was a good man. Gamaliel stood up in front of the group of Jewish leaders. He told the police to take the apostles out of the room. 35 When they had gone, Gamaliel spoke to the group of leaders: ‘Men of Israel! Think carefully about what you want to do to these men. 36 Remember what happened to Theudas a few years ago. That man told everyone, “I am a very important leader.” As a result, about 400 men joined his group. But then somebody killed him, and all his men went away. Nobody heard any more about them. 37 Later, Judas from Galilee appeared at the time when the Romans were making a list of everyone's names.[e] Many people also came to help him fight against the Romans. But somebody killed him. His men also ran away and nothing more happened.[f]

38 Now think about what is happening with these men. I tell you it would be better to leave them alone. Let them go free. If their message only comes from human ideas, all their work will fail. 39 But perhaps what they are doing really does come from God himself. If that is true, then you cannot stop them. You might even find that you are fighting against God!’

40 The Jewish leaders agreed with Gamaliel. They told the apostles to come back into the room. They told the police to hit them with whips. Then they said to the apostles, ‘You must not use the authority of Jesus to teach the people.’ After that, they let the apostles go free.[g]

41 The apostles went away from the meeting of the Jewish leaders. They were very happy because they thought to themselves, ‘These leaders have done bad things to us because we obey Jesus. That shows that God accepts us as his people.’

42 Every day the apostles continued to teach people about Jesus. They spoke in people's homes and in the yard of the temple. All the time, they told people the good news that Jesus is God's Messiah.

Footnotes

  1. 5:2 Ananias gave his money to the apostles. Then they would give it to other believers who needed it. Ananias told the apostles that he had given them all the money. But this was not true. He had only given them part of it.
  2. 5:3 The Holy Spirit had told Peter what Ananias had done. Ananias did not need to tell him.
  3. 5:15 God's Holy Spirit caused the apostles to be powerful. They could cause sick people to become well again. In those days, people thought that shadows were powerful. And they thought that Peter's shadow would cause sick people to become well again.
  4. 5:23 The soldiers at the gates of the prison did not know that the apostles were not inside.
  5. 5:37 The Romans were making a list of all the people at the time when Jesus was born.
  6. 5:37 Judas from Galilee would not pay money to the Roman government. People joined Judas's group and they helped him. They fought the Roman soldiers. These people were called Zealots. This Judas was not the same man that Jesus chose to follow him.
  7. 5:40 Rulers used a whip to punish people who did not obey the law.
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