Bible in 90 Days

Jesus Warns His Followers

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, then it would love you as it loves its own. But I have chosen you out of the world. So you don’t belong to it. That is why the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember what I told you: A servant is not greater than his master. If people did wrong to me, they will do wrong to you, too. And if they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours, too. ²¹ They will do all this to you because of me. They don’t know the One who sent me. ²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³ He who hates me also hates my Father. ²⁴ I did works among them that no one else has ever done. If I had not done those works, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen what I did, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. ²⁵ But this happened so that what is written in their law would be true: ‘They hated me for no reason.’^[a]

²⁶ “I will send you the Helper^[b] from the Father. He is the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father. When he comes, he will tell about me. ²⁷ And you also must tell people about me because you have been with me from the beginning.

16 “I have told you these things to keep you from giving up. ² People will put you out of their synagogues. Yes, the time is coming when whoever kills you will think that he is offering service to God. ³ They will do this because they have not known the Father and they have not known me. ⁴ I have told you these things now. So when the time comes, you will remember that I warned you.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

“I did not tell you these things at the beginning, because I was with you then. ⁵ Now I am going back to the One who sent me. But none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ ⁶ Your hearts are filled with sadness because I have told you these things. ⁷ But I tell you the truth. It is better for you that I go away. When I go away I will send the Helper^[c] to you. If I do not go away, then the Helper will not come. ⁸ When the Helper comes, he will prove to the people of the world the truth about sin, about being right with God, and about judgment. ⁹ He will prove to them about sin, because they don’t believe in me. ¹⁰ He will prove to them that I am right with God, because I am going to the Father. You will not see me anymore. ¹¹ And the Helper will prove to them the truth about judgment, because the ruler of this world is already judged.

¹² “I have many more things to say to you, but they are too much for you now. ¹³ But when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you into all truth. He will not speak his own words. He will speak only what he hears and will tell you what is to come. ¹⁴ The Spirit of truth will bring glory to me. He will take what I have to say and tell it to you. ¹⁵ All that the Father has is mine. That is why I said that the Spirit will take what I have to say and tell it to you.

Sadness Will Become Happiness

¹⁶ “After a little while you will not see me. And then after a little while you will see me again.”

¹⁷ Some of the followers said to each other, “What does Jesus mean when he says, ‘After a little while you will not see me, and then after a little while you will see me again’? And what does he mean when he says, ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” ¹⁸ They also asked, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

¹⁹ Jesus saw that the followers wanted to ask him about this. So Jesus said to the followers, “Are you asking each other what I meant when I said, ‘After a little while you will not see me. And then after a little while you will see me again’? ²⁰ I tell you the truth. You will cry and be sad, but the world will be happy. You will be sad, but your sadness will become joy. ²¹ When a woman gives birth to a baby, she has pain, because her time has come. But when her baby is born, she forgets the pain. She forgets because she is so happy that a child has been born into the world. ²² It is the same with you. Now you are sad. But I will see you again and you will be happy. And no one will take away your joy. ²³ In that day you will not ask me for anything. I tell you the truth. My Father will give you anything you ask for in my name. ²⁴ You have never asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive. And your joy will be the fullest joy.

Victory over the World

²⁵ “I have told you these things, using words that hide the meaning. But the time will come when I will not use words like that to tell you things. I will speak to you in plain words about the Father. ²⁶ In that day you will ask the Father for things in my name. I am saying that I will not need to ask the Father for you. ²⁷ No! The Father himself loves you. He loves you because you have loved me. And he loves you because you have believed that I came from God. ²⁸ I came from the Father into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

²⁹ Then the followers of Jesus said, “You are speaking clearly to us now. You are not using words that are hard to understand. ³⁰ We can see now that you know all things. You can answer a person’s question even before he asks it. This makes us believe that you came from God.”

³¹ Jesus answered, “So now you believe? ³² Listen to me. A time is coming when you will be scattered. Each of you will be scattered to your own home. That time is now here. You will leave me. I will be alone. But I am never really alone. Why? Because the Father is with me.

³³ “I told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have trouble. But be brave! I have defeated the world!”

Jesus Prays for His Followers

17 After Jesus said these things he looked toward heaven. Jesus prayed, “Father, the time has come. Give glory to your Son so that the Son can give glory to you. ² You gave the Son power over all people so that the Son could give eternal life to all those people you have given to him. ³ And this is eternal life: that men can know you, the only true God, and that men can know Jesus Christ, the One you sent. ⁴ I finished the work you gave me to do. I brought you glory on earth. ⁵ And now, Father, give me glory with you. Give me the glory I had with you before the world was made.

⁶ “You gave me some men from the world. I have shown them what you are like. Those men belonged to you, and you gave them to me. They have obeyed your teaching. ⁷ Now they know that everything you gave me comes from you. ⁸ I gave these men the teachings that you gave me. They accepted those teachings. They know that I truly came from you. ⁹ I pray for them now. I am not praying for the people in the world. But I am praying for those men you gave me, because they are yours. ¹⁰ All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And my glory is shown through these men. ¹¹ Now I am coming to you. I will not stay in the world now. But these men are still in the world. Holy Father, keep them safe. Keep them safe by the power of your name (the name you gave me), so that they will be one, the same as you and I are one. ¹² While I was with them, I kept them safe. I kept them safe by the power of your name—the name you gave me. I protected them. And only one of them, the one who is going to hell, was lost. He was lost so that what was said in the Scripture would happen.

¹³ “I am coming to you now. But I pray these things while I am still in the world. I say these things so that these men can have my joy. I want them to have all of my joy. ¹⁴ I have given them your teaching. And the world has hated them. The world hated these men, because they don’t belong to the world, the same as I don’t belong to the world. ¹⁵ I am not asking you to take them out of the world. But I am asking that you keep them safe from the Evil One. ¹⁶ They don’t belong to the world, the same as I don’t belong to the world. ¹⁷ Make them ready for your service through your truth. Your teaching is truth. ¹⁸ I have sent them into the world, the same as you sent me into the world. ¹⁹ I am making myself ready to serve. I do this for them so that they can truly be ready for your service.

²⁰ “I pray for these men. But I am also praying for all people who will believe in me because of the teaching of these men. ²¹ Father, I pray that all people who believe in me can be one. You are in me and I am in you. I pray that these people can also be one in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me. ²² I have given these people the glory that you gave me. I gave them this glory so that they can be one, the same as you and I are one. ²³ I will be in them and you will be in me. So they will be completely one. Then the world will know that you sent me. And the world will know that you loved these people the same as you loved me.

²⁴ “Father, I want these people that you have given me to be with me in every place I am. I want them to see my glory. This is the glory you gave me because you loved me before the world was made. ²⁵ Father, you are the One who is good. The world does not know you, but I know you. And these people know that you sent me. ²⁶ I showed them what you are like. And again I will show them what you are like. Then they will have the same love that you have for me. And I will live in them.”

Jesus Is Arrested

18 When Jesus finished praying, he left with his followers. They went across the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden of olive trees. Jesus and his followers went there.

² Judas knew where this place was, because Jesus met there often with his followers. Judas was the one who turned against Jesus. ³ So Judas led a group of soldiers to the garden. Judas also brought some guards from the leading priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns, and weapons.

⁴ Jesus knew everything that would happen to him. Jesus went out and asked, “Who is it you are looking for?”

⁵ The men answered, “Jesus from Nazareth.”

Jesus said, “I am Jesus.” (Judas, the one who turned against Jesus, was standing there with them.) ⁶ When Jesus said, “I am Jesus,” the men moved back and fell to the ground.

⁷ Jesus asked them again, “Who is it you are looking for?”

They said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”

⁸ Jesus said, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, then let these other men go.” ⁹ This happened so that the words Jesus said before might come true: “I have not lost any of the men you gave me.”

¹⁰ Simon Peter had a sword. He took out the sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) ¹¹ Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back. Shall I not drink of the cup^[d] the Father has given me?”

Jesus Is Brought Before Annas

¹² Then the soldiers with their commander and the Jewish guards arrested Jesus. They tied him ¹³ and led him first to Annas. Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. ¹⁴ Caiaphas was the one who had told the Jews that it would be better if one man died for all the people.

Peter Says He Doesn’t Know Jesus

¹⁵ Simon Peter and another one of Jesus’ followers went along after Jesus. This follower knew the high priest. So he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard. ¹⁶ But Peter waited outside near the door. The follower who knew the high priest came back outside. He spoke to the girl at the door and brought Peter inside. ¹⁷ The girl at the door said to Peter, “Aren’t you also one of that man’s followers?”

Peter answered, “No, I am not!”

¹⁸ It was cold, so the servants and guards had built a fire. They were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter was standing with them, warming himself.

The High Priest Questions Jesus

¹⁹ The high priest asked Jesus questions about his followers and his teaching. ²⁰ Jesus answered, “I have spoken openly to everyone. I have always taught in synagogues and in the Temple, where all the Jews come together. I never said anything in secret. ²¹ So why do you question me? Ask the people who heard my teaching. They know what I said.”

²² When Jesus said this, one of the guards standing there hit him. The guard said, “Is that the way you answer the high priest?”

²³ Jesus answered him, “If I said something wrong, then say what was wrong. But if what I said is true, why do you hit me?”

²⁴ Then Annas sent Jesus to Caiaphas, the high priest. Jesus was still tied.

Peter Says Again He Doesn’t Know Jesus

²⁵ Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to him, “Aren’t you one of that man’s followers?”

Peter denied it and said, “No, I am not.”

²⁶ One of the servants of the high priest was there. This servant was a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off. The servant said, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?”

²⁷ Again Peter said it wasn’t true. Just then a rooster crowed.

Jesus Is Brought Before Pilate

²⁸ Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas’ house to the Roman governor’s palace. It was early in the morning. The Jews would not go inside the palace. They did not want to make themselves unclean,^[e] because they wanted to eat the Passover meal. ²⁹ So Pilate went outside to them. He asked, “What charges do you bring against this man?”

³⁰ They answered, “He is a criminal. That is why we brought him to you.”

³¹ Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”

They answered, “But we are not allowed to put anyone to death.” ³² (This happened so that what Jesus had said about how he would die would come true.)

³³ Then Pilate went back inside the palace. He called Jesus to him and asked, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

³⁴ Jesus said, “Is that your own question, or did others tell you about me?”

³⁵ Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew. It was your own people and their leading priests who brought you before me. What have you done wrong?”

³⁶ Jesus said, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If it belonged to this world, my servants would have fought to keep me from being given over to the Jewish leaders. But my kingdom is from another place.”

³⁷ Pilate said, “So you are a king!”

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. That is true. I was born for this: to tell people about the truth. That is why I came into the world. And everyone who belongs to the truth listens to me.”

³⁸ Pilate said, “What is truth?” After he said this, he went out to the Jews again. He said to them, “I can find nothing to charge against this man. ³⁹ But it is your custom that I free one prisoner to you at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to free this ‘king of the Jews’?”

⁴⁰ They shouted back, “No, not him! Let Barabbas go free!” (Barabbas was a robber.)

19 Then Pilate ordered that Jesus be taken away and whipped. ² The soldiers used some thorny branches to make a crown. They put this crown on Jesus’ head and put a purple robe around him. ³ Then they came to Jesus many times and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They hit Jesus in the face.

⁴ Again Pilate came out and said to them, “Look! I am bringing Jesus out to you. I want you to know that I find nothing I can charge against him.” ⁵ Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is the man!”

⁶ When the leading priests and the guards saw Jesus they shouted, “Kill him on a cross! Kill him on a cross!”

But Pilate answered, “Take him and nail him to a cross yourselves. I find nothing I can charge against him.”

⁷ The Jews answered, “We have a law that says he should die, because he said he is the Son of God.”

⁸ When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid. ⁹ He went back inside the palace and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus did not answer him. ¹⁰ Pilate said, “You refuse to speak to me? Don’t you know that I have power to set you free and power to have you killed on a cross?”

¹¹ Jesus answered, “The only power you have over me is the power given to you by God. The man who gave me to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

¹² After this, Pilate tried to let Jesus go free. But the Jews cried out, “Anyone who makes himself king is against Caesar. If you let this man go free, you are not Caesar’s friend.”

¹³ Pilate heard what the Jews were saying. So he brought Jesus out to the place called The Stone Pavement. (In the Jewish language^[f] the name is Gabbatha.) Pilate sat down on the judge’s seat there. ¹⁴ It was about six o’clock in the morning on Preparation Day of Passover week. Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your king!”

¹⁵ They shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Kill him on a cross!”

Pilate asked them, “Do you want me to kill your king on a cross?”

The leading priests answered, “The only king we have is Caesar!”

¹⁶ So Pilate gave Jesus to them to be killed on a cross.

Jesus Is Killed on a Cross

The soldiers took charge of Jesus. ¹⁷ Carrying his own cross, Jesus went out to a place called The Place of the Skull. (In the Jewish language^[g] this place is called Golgotha.) ¹⁸ There they nailed Jesus to the cross. They also put two other men on crosses, one on each side of Jesus with Jesus in the middle. ¹⁹ Pilate wrote a sign and put it on the cross. It read: “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” ²⁰ The sign was written in the Jewish language, in Latin, and in Greek. Many of the Jews read the sign, because this place where Jesus was killed was near the city. ²¹ The leading Jewish priests said to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews.’ But write, ‘This man said, I am the King of the Jews.’”

²² Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written!”

²³ After the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross, they took his clothes. They divided them into four parts. Each soldier got one part. They also took his long shirt. It was all one piece of cloth, woven from top to bottom. ²⁴ So the soldiers said to each other, “We should not tear this into parts. We should throw lots to see who will get it.” This happened to give full meaning to the Scripture:

So the soldiers did this.

²⁵ Jesus’ mother stood near his cross. His mother’s sister was also standing there, with Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶ Jesus saw his mother. He also saw the follower he loved standing there. He said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son.” ²⁷ Then he said to the follower, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this follower took her to live in his home.

Jesus Dies

²⁸ After this, Jesus knew that everything had been done. To make the Scripture come true, he said, “I am thirsty.”^{[h] 29} There was a jar full of vinegar there, so the soldiers soaked a sponge in it. Then they put the sponge on a branch of a hyssop plant and lifted it to Jesus’ mouth. ³⁰ Jesus tasted the vinegar. Then he said, “It is finished.” He bowed his head and died.

³¹ This day was Preparation Day. The next day was a special Sabbath day. The Jews did not want the bodies to stay on the cross on the Sabbath day. So they asked Pilate to order that the legs of the men be broken^[i] and the bodies be taken away. ³² So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man on the cross beside Jesus. Then they broke the legs of the man on the other cross beside Jesus. ³³ But when the soldiers came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead. So they did not break his legs. ³⁴ But one of the soldiers stuck his spear into Jesus’ side. At once blood and water came out. ³⁵ (The one who saw this happen has told about it. The things he says are true. He knows that he tells the truth. He told about it so that you also can believe.) ³⁶ These things happened to make the Scripture come true: “Not one of his bones will be broken.”^{[j] 37} And another Scripture said, “They will look at the one they have stabbed.”^[k]

Jesus Is Buried

³⁸ Later, a man named Joseph from Arimathea asked Pilate if he could take the body of Jesus. (Joseph was a secret follower of Jesus, because he was afraid of the Jews.) Pilate gave his permission. So Joseph came and took Jesus’ body away. ³⁹ Nicodemus went with Joseph. Nicodemus was the man who earlier had come to Jesus at night. He brought about 75 pounds of spices. This was a mixture of myrrh and aloes. ⁴⁰ These two men took Jesus’ body and wrapped it with the spices in pieces of linen cloth. (This is how the Jews bury people.) ⁴¹ In the place where Jesus was killed, there was a garden. In the garden was a new tomb where no one had ever been buried. ⁴² The men laid Jesus in that tomb because it was near, and the Jews were preparing to start their Sabbath day.

Jesus’ Tomb Is Empty

20 Early on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. It was still dark. Mary saw that the large stone had been moved away from the tomb. ² So Mary ran to Simon Peter and the other follower (the one Jesus loved). Mary said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb. We don’t know where they have put him.”

³ So Peter and the other follower started for the tomb. ⁴ They were both running, but the other follower ran faster than Peter. So the other follower reached the tomb first. ⁵ He bent down and looked in. He saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, but he did not go in. ⁶ Then following him came Simon Peter. He went into the tomb and saw the strips of linen lying there. ⁷ He also saw the cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up and laid in a different place from the strips of linen. ⁸ Then the other follower, who had reached the tomb first, also went in. He saw and believed. ⁹ (These followers did not yet understand from the Scriptures that Jesus must rise from death.)

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

¹⁰ Then the followers went back home. ¹¹ But Mary stood outside the tomb, crying. While she was still crying, she bent down and looked inside the tomb. ¹² She saw two angels dressed in white. They were sitting where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and one at the feet.

¹³ They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

She answered, “They have taken away my Lord. I don’t know where they have put him.” ¹⁴ When Mary said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But she did not know that it was Jesus.

¹⁵ Jesus asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Whom are you looking for?”

Mary thought he was the gardener. So she said to him, “Did you take him away, sir? Tell me where you put him, and I will get him.”

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

Mary turned toward Jesus and said in the Jewish language,^[l] “Rabboni.” (This means Teacher.)

¹⁷ Jesus said to her, “Don’t hold me. I have not yet gone up to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them this: ‘I am going back to my Father and your Father. I am going back to my God and your God.’”

¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went and said to the followers, “I saw the Lord!” And she told them what Jesus had said to her.

Jesus Appears to His Followers

¹⁹ It was the first day of the week. That evening Jesus’ followers were together. The doors were locked, because they were afraid of the Jews. Then Jesus came and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. His followers were very happy when they saw the Lord.

²¹ Then Jesus said again, “Peace be with you! As the Father sent me, I now send you.” ²² After he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven. If you don’t forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Jesus Appears to Thomas

²⁴ Thomas (called Didymus) was not with the followers when Jesus came. Thomas was 1 of the 12. ²⁵ The other followers told Thomas, “We saw the Lord.”

But Thomas said, “I will not believe it until I see the nail marks in his hands. And I will not believe until I put my finger where the nails were and put my hand into his side.”

²⁶ A week later the followers were in the house again. Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but Jesus came in and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here. Look at my hands. Put your hand here in my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

²⁸ Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

²⁹ Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you see me. Those who believe without seeing me will be truly happy.”

Why John Wrote This Book

³⁰ Jesus did many other miracles before his followers that are not written in this book. ³¹ But these are written so that you can believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Then, by believing, you can have life through his name.

Jesus Appears to Seven Followers

21 Later, Jesus showed himself to his followers by Lake Galilee.^[m] This is how it happened: ² Some of the followers were together. They were Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the two sons of Zebedee, and two other followers. ³ Simon Peter said, “I am going out to fish.”

The other followers said, “We will go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat. They fished that night but caught nothing.

⁴ Early the next morning Jesus stood on the shore. But the followers did not know that it was Jesus. ⁵ Then he said to them, “Friends, have you caught any fish?”

They answered, “No.”

⁶ He said, “Throw your net into the water on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they did this. They caught so many fish that they could not pull the net back into the boat.

⁷ The follower whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Peter heard him say this, he wrapped his coat around himself. (Peter had taken his clothes off.) Then he jumped into the water. ⁸ The other followers went to shore in the boat, dragging the net full of fish. They were not very far from shore, only about 100 yards. ⁹ When the followers stepped out of the boat and onto the shore, they saw a fire of hot coals. There were fish on the fire, and there was bread.

¹⁰ Then Jesus said, “Bring some of the fish that you caught.”

¹¹ Simon Peter went into the boat and pulled the net to the shore. It was full of big fish. There were 153. Even though there were so many, the net did not tear. ¹² Jesus said to them, “Come and eat.” None of the followers dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. ¹³ Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them. He also gave them the fish.

¹⁴ This was now the third time Jesus showed himself to his followers after he was raised from death.

Jesus Talks to Peter

¹⁵ When they finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John do you love me more than these?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my lambs.”

¹⁶ Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

¹⁷ A third time he said, “Simon son of John do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” Peter said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you!”

He said to him, “Take care of my sheep. ¹⁸ I tell you the truth. When you were younger, you tied your own belt and went where you wanted. But when you are old, you will put out your hands and someone else will tie them. They will take you where you don’t want to go.” ¹⁹ (Jesus said this to show how Peter would die to give glory to God.) Then Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me!”

²⁰ Peter turned and saw that the follower Jesus loved was walking behind them. (This was the follower who had leaned against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who will turn against you?”) ²¹ When Peter saw him behind them he asked Jesus, “Lord, what about him?”

²² Jesus answered, “Perhaps I want him to live until I come back. That should not be important to you. You follow me!”

²³ So a story spread among the brothers that this follower would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die. He only said, “Perhaps I want him to live until I come back. That should not be important to you.”

²⁴ That follower is the one who is telling these things. He is the one who has now written them down. We know that what he says is true.

²⁵ There are many other things that Jesus did. If every one of them were written down, I think the whole world would not be big enough for all the books that would be written.

Luke Writes Another Book

1 To Theophilus,

The first book I wrote was about everything that Jesus did and taught. ² I wrote about the whole life of Jesus, from the beginning until the day he was taken up into heaven. Before this, Jesus talked to the apostles he had chosen. With the help of the Holy Spirit, Jesus told them what they should do. ³ After his death, he showed himself to them and proved in many ways that he was alive. The apostles saw Jesus during the 40 days after he was raised from death. He spoke to them about the kingdom of God. ⁴ Once when he was eating with them, he told them not to leave Jerusalem. He said, “The Father has made you a promise which I told you about before. Wait here to receive this promise. ⁵ John baptized people with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus Is Taken Up into Heaven

⁶ The apostles were all together. They asked Jesus, “Lord, are you at this time going to give the kingdom back to Israel?”

⁷ Jesus said to them, “The Father is the only One who has the authority to decide dates and times. These things are not for you to know. ⁸ But the Holy Spirit will come to you. Then you will receive power. You will be my witnesses—in Jerusalem, in all of Judea, in Samaria, and in every part of the world.”

⁹ After he said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up. A cloud hid him from their sight. ¹⁰ As he was going, they were looking into the sky. Suddenly, two men wearing white clothes stood beside them. ¹¹ They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing here looking into the sky? You saw Jesus taken away from you into heaven. He will come back in the same way you saw him go.”

A New Apostle Is Chosen

¹² Then they went back to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. (This mountain is about half a mile from Jerusalem.) ¹³ When they entered the city, they went to the upstairs room where they were staying. Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon (known as the Zealot), and Judas son of James were there. ¹⁴ They all continued praying together. Some women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and Jesus’ brothers were also there with the apostles.

¹⁵ During this time there was a meeting of the believers. (There were about 120 of them.) Peter stood up and said, ^16-17 “Brothers, in the Scriptures the Holy Spirit said through David that something must happen. The Spirit was talking about Judas, one of our own group, who served together with us. The Spirit said that Judas would lead men to arrest Jesus. ¹⁸ (Judas bought a field with the money he got for his evil act. But Judas fell to his death, his body burst open, and all his intestines poured out.) ¹⁹ Everyone in Jerusalem learned about this. This is why they named the field Akeldama. In their language Akeldama means “field of blood.”) ²⁰ In the book of Psalms, this is written:

And it is also written:

^21-22 “So now a man must join us and become a witness of Jesus’ being raised from death. He must be one of the men who were part of our group during all the time the Lord Jesus was with us. He must have been with us from the time John began to baptize people until the day when Jesus was taken up from us to heaven.”

²³ They put the names of two men before the group. One was Joseph Barsabbas, who was also called Justus. The other was Matthias. ^24-25 The apostles prayed, “Lord, you know the minds of everyone. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to do this work. Judas turned away from it and went where he belongs. Lord, show us which one should take his place as an apostle!” ²⁶ Then they used lots to choose between them, and the lots showed that Matthias was the one. So he became an apostle with the other 11.

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a noise came from heaven. It sounded like a strong wind blowing. This noise filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw something that looked like flames of fire. The flames were separated and stood over each person there. ⁴ They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak different languages. The Holy Spirit was giving them the power to speak these languages.

⁵ There were some religious Jews staying in Jerusalem who were from every country in the world. ⁶ When they heard this noise, a crowd came together. They were all surprised, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. ⁷ They were completely amazed at this. They said, “Look! Aren’t all these men that we hear speaking from Galilee?^{[n] 8} But each of us hears them in his own language. How is this possible? We are from different places: ⁹ Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the areas of Libya near Cyrene, Rome ¹¹ (both Jews and those who had become Jews), Crete and Arabia. But we hear these men telling in our own languages about the great things God has done!” ¹² They were all amazed and confused. They asked each other, “What does this mean?”

¹³ But others were making fun of them, saying, “They have had too much wine.”

Peter Speaks to the People

¹⁴ But Peter stood up with the 11 apostles. In a loud voice he spoke to the crowd: “My fellow Jews, and all of you who are in Jerusalem, listen to me. Pay attention to what I have to say. ¹⁵ These men are not drunk, as you think; it is only nine o’clock in the morning! ¹⁶ But Joel the prophet wrote about what is happening here today:

²² “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus from Nazareth was a very special man. God clearly showed this to you by the miracles, wonders, and signs God did through him. You all know this, because it happened right here among you. ²³ Jesus was given to you, and you killed him. With the help of evil men you nailed him to a cross. But God knew all this would happen. This was God’s plan which he had made long ago. ²⁴ God raised Jesus from death. God set him free from the pain of death. Death could not hold him. ²⁵ For David said this about him:

²⁹ “Brothers, I can tell you truly about David, our ancestor. He died and was buried. His grave is still here with us today. ³⁰ David was a prophet and knew what God had said. God had promised David that he would make a person from David’s family a king just as he was.^{[o] 31} David knew this before it happened. That is why he said:

David was talking about the Christ rising from death. ³² So Jesus is the One who God raised from death! And we are all witnesses to this. ³³ Jesus was lifted up to heaven and is now at God’s right side. The Father has given the Holy Spirit to Jesus as he promised. So now Jesus has poured out that Spirit. This is what you see and hear. ³⁴ David was not the one who was lifted up to heaven. But he said:

³⁶ “So, all the people of Israel should know this truly: God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ. He is the man you nailed to the cross!”

³⁷ When the people heard this, they were sick at heart. They asked Peter and the other apostles, “What shall we do?”

³⁸ Peter said to them, “Change your hearts and lives and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ This promise is for you. It is also for your children and for all who are far away. It is for everyone the Lord our God calls to himself.”

⁴⁰ Peter warned them with many other words. He begged them, “Save yourselves from the evil of today’s people!” ⁴¹ Then those people who accepted what Peter said were baptized. About 3,000 people were added to the number of believers that day. ⁴² They spent their time learning the apostles’ teaching. And they continued to share, to break bread,^[q] and to pray together.

The Believers Share

⁴³ The apostles were doing many miracles and signs. And everyone felt great respect for God. ⁴⁴ All the believers stayed together. They shared everything. ⁴⁵ They sold their land and the things they owned. Then they divided the money and gave it to those people who needed it. ⁴⁶ The believers met together in the Temple every day. They all had the same purpose. They broke bread in their homes, happy to share their food with joyful hearts. ⁴⁷ They praised God, and all the people liked them. More and more people were being saved every day; the Lord was adding those people to the group of believers.

Peter Heals a Crippled Man

3 One day Peter and John went to the Temple. It was three o’clock in the afternoon. This was the time for the daily prayer service. ² There, at the Temple gate called Beautiful Gate, was a man who had been crippled all his life. Every day he was carried to this gate to beg. He would ask for money from the people going into the Temple. ³ The man saw Peter and John going into the Temple and asked them for money. ⁴ Peter and John looked straight at him and said, “Look at us!” ⁵ The man looked at them; he thought they were going to give him some money. ⁶ But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold, but I do have something else I can give you: By the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth—stand up and walk!” ⁷ Then Peter took the man’s right hand and lifted him up. Immediately the man’s feet and ankles became strong. ⁸ He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk. He went into the Temple with them, walking and jumping, and praising God. ^9-10 All the people recognized him. They knew he was the crippled man who always sat by the Beautiful Gate begging for money. Now they saw this same man walking and praising God. The people were amazed. They could not understand how this could happen.

Peter Speaks to the People

¹¹ The man was holding on to Peter and John. All the people were amazed and ran to Peter and John at Solomon’s Porch. ¹² When Peter saw this, he said to them, “Men of Israel, why are you surprised? You are looking at us as if it were our own power that made this man walk. Do you think this happened because we are good? No! ¹³ The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, gave glory to Jesus, his servant. But you gave him up to be killed. Pilate decided to let him go free. But you told Pilate you did not want Jesus. ¹⁴ He was pure and good, but you said you did not want him. You told Pilate to give you a murderer^[r] instead of Jesus. ¹⁵ And so you killed the One who gives life! But God raised him from death. We are witnesses to this. ¹⁶ It was the power of Jesus that made this crippled man well. This happened because we trusted in the power of Jesus. You can see this man, and you know him. He was made completely well because of trust in Jesus. You all saw it happen!

¹⁷ “Brothers, I know you did those things to Jesus because you did not understand what you were doing. Your leaders did not understand either. ¹⁸ God said this would happen. He said through the prophets that his Christ would suffer and die. And now God has made these things come true in this way. ¹⁹ So you must change your hearts and lives! Come back to God, and he will forgive your sins. ²⁰ Then the Lord will give you times of spiritual rest. He will give you Jesus, the One he chose to be the Christ. ²¹ But Jesus must stay in heaven until the time comes when all things will be made right again. God told about this time long ago when he spoke through his holy prophets. ²² Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will give you a prophet like me. He will be one of your own people. You must obey everything he tells you. ²³ Anyone who does not obey him will die, separated from God’s people.’^{[s] 24} Samuel, and all the other prophets who spoke for God after Samuel, told about this time now. ²⁵ You have received what the prophets talked about. You have received the agreement God made with your ancestors. He said to your father Abraham, ‘Through your descendants all the nations on the earth will be blessed.’^{[t] 26} God has raised up his servant and sent him to you first. He sent Jesus to bless you by turning each of you away from doing evil things.”

Peter and John at the Council

4 While Peter and John were speaking to the people, a group of men came up to them. There were Jewish priests, the captain of the soldiers that guarded the Temple, and some Sadducees. ² They were upset because the two apostles were teaching the people. Peter and John were preaching that people will rise from death through the power of Jesus. ³ The Jewish leaders grabbed Peter and John and put them in jail. It was already night, so they kept them in jail until the next day. ⁴ But many of those who heard Peter and John preach believed the things they said. There were now about 5,000 men in the group of believers.

⁵ The next day the Jewish rulers, the Jewish elders, and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. ⁶ Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander were there. Everyone from the high priest’s family was there. ⁷ They made Peter and John stand before them. The Jewish leaders asked them: “By what power or authority did you do this?”

⁸ Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit. He said to them, “Rulers of the people and you elders, ⁹ are you questioning us about a good thing that was done to a crippled man? Are you asking us who made him well? ¹⁰ We want all of you and all the Jewish people to know that this man was made well by the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth! You nailed him to a cross, but God raised him from death. This man was crippled, but he is now well and able to stand here before you because of the power of Jesus! ¹¹ Jesus is

¹² Jesus is the only One who can save people. No one else in the world is able to save us.”

¹³ The Jewish leaders saw that Peter and John were not afraid to speak. They understood that these men had no special training or education. So they were amazed. Then they realized that Peter and John had been with Jesus. ¹⁴ They saw the crippled man standing there beside the two apostles. They saw that the man was healed. So they could say nothing against them. ¹⁵ The Jewish leaders told them to leave the meeting. Then the leaders talked to each other about what they should do. ¹⁶ They said, “What shall we do with these men? Everyone in Jerusalem knows that they have done a great miracle! We cannot say it is not true. ¹⁷ But we must warn them not to talk to people anymore using that name. Then this thing will not spread among the people.”

¹⁸ So they called Peter and John in again. They told them not to speak or to teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John answered them, “What do you think is right? What would God want? Should we obey you or God? ²⁰ We cannot keep quiet. We must speak about what we have seen and heard.” ^21-22 The Jewish leaders could not find a way to punish them because all the people were praising God for what had been done. (This miracle was a proof 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.

The Believers’ Prayer

²³ Peter and John left the meeting of Jewish leaders and went to their own group. They told them everything that the leading priests and the Jewish elders had said to them. ²⁴ When the believers heard this, they prayed to God with one purpose. They prayed, “Lord, you are the One who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in the world. ²⁵ Our father David was your servant. With the help of the Holy Spirit he said:

²⁷ These things really happened when Herod, Pontius Pilate, the non-Jewish people, and the Jewish people all came together against Jesus here in Jerusalem. Jesus is your holy Servant. He is the One you made to be the Christ. ²⁸ These people made your plan happen; it happened because of your power and your will. ²⁹ And now, Lord, listen to what they are saying. They are trying to make us afraid! Lord, we are your servants. Help us to speak your word without fear. ³⁰ Help us to be brave by showing us your power; make sick people well, give proofs, and make miracles happen by the power of Jesus, your holy servant.”

³¹ After they had prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke God’s word without fear.

The Believers Share

³² The group of believers were joined in their hearts, and they had the same spirit. No person in the group said that the things he had were his own. Instead, they shared everything. ³³ With great power the apostles were telling people that the Lord Jesus was truly raised from death. And God blessed all the believers very much. ³⁴ They all received the things they needed. Everyone that owned fields or houses sold them. They brought the money ³⁵ and gave it to the apostles. Then each person was given the things he needed.

³⁶ One of the believers was named Joseph. The apostles called him Barnabas. (This name means “one who encourages.”) He was a Levite, born in Cyprus. ³⁷ Joseph owned a field. He sold it, brought the money, and gave it to the apostles.

Ananias and Sapphira

5 A man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold some land. ² But he gave only part of the money to the apostles. He secretly kept some of it for himself. His wife knew about this, and she agreed to it. ³ Peter said, “Ananias, why did you let Satan rule your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit. Why did you keep part of the money you received for the land for yourself? ⁴ Before you sold the land, it belonged to you. And even after you sold it, you could have used the money any way you wanted. Why did you think of doing this? You lied to God, not to men!” ^5-6 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. Some young men came in, wrapped up his body, carried it out, and buried it. And everyone who heard about this was filled with fear.

⁷ About three hours later his wife came in. She did not know what had happened. ⁸ Peter said to her, “Tell me how much money you got for your field. Was it this much?”

Sapphira answered, “Yes, that was the price.”

⁹ Peter said to her, “Why did you and your husband agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The men who buried your husband are at the door! They will carry you out.” ¹⁰ At that moment Sapphira fell down by his feet and died. The young men came in and saw that she was dead. They carried her out and buried her beside her husband. ¹¹ The whole church and all the others who heard about these things were filled with fear.

Proofs from God

¹² The apostles did many signs and miracles among the people. And they would all meet together on Solomon’s Porch. ¹³ None of the others dared to stand with them. All the people were saying good things about them. ¹⁴ More and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to the group of believers. ¹⁵ As Peter was passing by, the people brought their sick into the streets. They put their sick on beds and mats so at least Peter’s shadow might fall on them. ¹⁶ Crowds came from all the towns around Jerusalem. They brought their sick and those who were bothered by evil spirits. All of them were healed.

The Apostles Obey God

¹⁷ The high priest and all his friends (a group called the Sadducees) became very jealous. ¹⁸ They took the apostles and put them in jail. ¹⁹ But during the night, an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail. He led the apostles outside and said, ²⁰ “Go and stand in the Temple. Tell the people everything about this new life.” ²¹ When the apostles heard this, they obeyed and went into the Temple. It was early in the morning, and they began to teach.

The high priest and his friends arrived. They called a meeting of the Jewish leaders and all the important older men of the Jews. They sent some men to the jail to bring the apostles to them. ²² When the men went to the jail, they could not find the apostles. So they went back and told the Jewish leaders about this. ²³ They said, “The jail was closed and locked. The guards were standing at the doors. But when we opened the doors, the jail was empty!” ²⁴ Hearing this, the captain of the Temple guards and the leading priests were confused. They wondered, “What will happen because of this?”

²⁵ Then someone came and told them, “Listen! The men you put in jail are standing in the Temple. They are teaching the people!” ²⁶ Then the captain and his men went out and brought the apostles back. But the soldiers did not use force, because they were afraid that the people would kill them with stones.

²⁷ The soldiers brought the apostles to the meeting and made them stand before the Jewish leaders. The high priest questioned them. ²⁸ He said, “We gave you strict orders not to go on teaching in that name. But look what you have done! You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching. You are trying to make us responsible for this man’s death.”

²⁹ Peter and the other apostles answered, “We must obey God, not men! ³⁰ You killed Jesus. You hung him on a cross. But God, the same God our ancestors had, raised Jesus up from death! ³¹ Jesus is the One whom God raised to be on his right side. God made Jesus our Leader and Savior. God did this so that the people of Israel could change their hearts and lives and have their sins forgiven. ³² We saw all these things happen. The Holy Spirit also proves that these things are true. God has given the Spirit to all who obey him.”

³³ When the Jewish leaders heard this, they became very angry and wanted to kill them. ³⁴ A Pharisee named Gamaliel stood up in the meeting. He was a teacher of the law, and all the people respected him. He ordered the apostles to leave the meeting for a little while. ³⁵ Then he said to them, “Men of Israel, be careful of what you are planning to do to these men! ³⁶ Remember when Theudas appeared? He said that he was a great man, and about 400 men joined him. But he was killed. And all his followers were scattered. They were able to do nothing. ³⁷ Later, a man named Judas came from Galilee at the time of the registration.^[v] He led a group of followers, too. He was also killed, and all his followers were scattered. ³⁸ And so now I tell you: Stay away from these men. Leave them alone. If their plan comes from men, it will fail. ³⁹ But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You might even be fighting against God himself!”

The Jewish leaders agreed with what Gamaliel said. ⁴⁰ They called the apostles in again. They beat the apostles and told them not to speak in the name of Jesus again. Then they let them go free. ⁴¹ The apostles left the meeting full of joy because they were given the honor of suffering disgrace for Jesus. ⁴² The apostles did not stop teaching people. Every day in the Temple and in people’s homes they continued to tell the Good News—that Jesus is the Christ.

Seven Men Are Chosen

6 More and more people were becoming followers of Jesus. But during this same time, the Greek-speaking followers had an argument with the other Jewish followers. The Greek-speaking Jews said that their widows were not getting their share of the food that was given out every day. ² The 12 apostles called the whole group of followers together. They said, “It is not right for us to stop our work of teaching God’s word in order to serve tables. ³ So, brothers, choose seven of your own men. They must be men who are good. They must be full of wisdom and full of the Spirit. We will put them in charge of this work. ⁴ Then we can use all our time to pray and to teach the word of God.”

⁵ The whole group liked the idea. So they chose these seven men: Stephen (a man with great faith and full of the Holy Spirit), Philip,^[w] Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas (a man from Antioch who had become a Jew). ⁶ Then they put these men before the apostles. The apostles prayed and laid their hands on^[x] the men.

⁷ The word of God was reaching more and more people. The group of followers in Jerusalem became larger and larger. A great number of the Jewish priests believed and obeyed.