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, 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 on account of me, because they do not 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 Whoever hates me also hates my Father. ²⁴ I did works among them that no one else has ever done. If I had not done these works, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen what I have done, 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 those who kill you will think they are 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 that 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, 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 that sin is not believing in me. ¹⁰ He will prove to them that being right with God comes from my going to the Father and not being seen anymore. ¹¹ And the Helper will prove to them that judgment happened when the ruler of this world was 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, but he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is to come. ¹⁴ The Spirit of truth will bring glory to me, because 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 he said to them, “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, 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 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy will be the fullest possible joy.

Victory over the World

²⁵ “I have told you these things indirectly in stories. But the time will come when I will not use stories 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 mean, I will not need to ask the Father for you. ²⁷ The Father himself loves you. He loves you because you loved me and 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 and are not using stories that are hard to understand. ³⁰ We can see now that you know all things. You can answer a person’s question even before it is asked. This makes us believe 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 to your own home. That time is now here. You will leave me alone, but I am never really alone, 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 and 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 you gave him. ³ And this is eternal life: that people know you, the only true God, and that they know Jesus Christ, the One you sent. ⁴ Having 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 “I showed what you are like to those you gave me from the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have obeyed your teaching. ⁷ Now they know that everything you gave me comes from you. ⁸ I gave them the teachings you gave me, and they accepted them. They knew that I truly came from you, and they believed that you sent me. ⁹ I am praying for them. I am not praying for people in the world but for those 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 them. ¹¹ I am coming to you; I will not stay in the world any longer. But they are still in the world. Holy Father, keep them safe by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they will be one, just as you and I are one. ¹² While I was with them, 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 worthy of destruction, was lost so that the Scripture would come true.

¹³ “I am coming to you now. But I pray these things while I am still in the world so that these followers can have all of my joy in them. ¹⁴ I have given them your teaching. And the world has hated them, because they don’t belong to the world, just as I don’t belong to the world. ¹⁵ I am not asking you to take them out of the world but to keep them safe from the Evil One. ¹⁶ They don’t belong to the world, just 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, just as you sent me into the world. ¹⁹ For their sake, I am making myself ready to serve so that they can be ready for their service of the truth.

²⁰ “I pray for these followers, but I am also praying for all those who will believe in me because of their teaching. ²¹ Father, I pray that they can be one. As you are in me and I am in you, I pray that they can also be one in us. Then the world will believe that you sent me. ²² I have given these people the glory that you gave me so that they can be one, just as you and I are one. ²³ I will be in them and you will be in me so that they will be completely one. Then the world will know that you sent me and that you loved them just as much as you loved me.

²⁴ “Father, I want these people that you gave me to be with me where I am. I want them to see my glory, which 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 you sent me. ²⁶ I showed them what you are like, and I will show them again. 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 went with his followers across the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and Jesus and his followers went into it.

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 came there with a group of soldiers and some guards from the leading priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns, and weapons.

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

⁵ They answered, “Jesus from Nazareth.”

“I am he,” Jesus said. (Judas, the one who turned against Jesus, was standing there with them.) ⁶ When Jesus said, “I am he,” they 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 “I told you that I am he,” Jesus said. “So if you are looking for me, let the others go.” ⁹ This happened so that the words Jesus said before would come true: “I have not lost any of the ones you gave me.”

¹⁰ Simon Peter, who had a sword, pulled it out 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. Shouldn’t I drink the cup^[d] the Father gave me?”

Jesus Is Brought Before Annas

¹² Then the soldiers with their commander and the guards arrested Jesus. They tied him ¹³ and led him first to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. ¹⁴ Caiaphas was the one who 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, 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 and were standing around it, warming themselves. Peter also 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 show what it was. But if what I said is true, why do you hit me?”

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

Peter Says Again He Doesn’t Know Jesus

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

Peter said it was not true; he 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. At once a rooster crowed.

Jesus Is Brought Before Pilate

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

³⁰ They answered, “If he were not a criminal, we wouldn’t have brought him to you.”

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

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

³³ Then Pilate went back inside the palace and 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 one of you. It was your own people and their leading priests who handed you over to me. What have you done wrong?”

³⁶ Jesus answered, “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 are the one saying I am a king. This is why I was born and came into the world: to tell people the truth. 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 crowd again and said to them, “I find nothing against this man. ³⁹ But it is your custom that I free one prisoner to you at Passover time. Do you want me to free the ‘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 made a crown from some thorny branches and put it on Jesus’ head and put a purple robe around him. ³ Then they came to him many times and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and hit him 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 against him.” ⁵ So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”

⁶ When the leading priests and the guards saw Jesus, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

But Pilate answered, “Crucify him yourselves, because I find nothing against him.”

⁷ The leaders 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 do you come from?” But Jesus did not answer him. ¹⁰ Pilate said, “You refuse to speak to me? Don’t you know I have power to set you free and power to have you crucified?”

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

¹² After this, Pilate tried to let Jesus go. But some in the crowd cried out, “Anyone who makes himself king is against Caesar. If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar.”

¹³ When Pilate heard what they were saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at the place called The Stone Pavement. (In the Hebrew language^[f] the name is Gabbatha.) ¹⁴ It was about noon on Preparation Day of Passover week. Pilate said to the crowd, “Here is your king!”

¹⁵ They shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”

Pilate asked them, “Do you want me to crucify your king?”

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

¹⁶ So Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be crucified.

Jesus Is Crucified

The soldiers took charge of Jesus. ¹⁷ Carrying his own cross, Jesus went out to a place called The Place of the Skull, which in the Hebrew language^[g] is called Golgotha. ¹⁸ There they crucified Jesus. They also crucified two other men, one on each side, 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 Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Many of the people read the sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city. ²¹ The leading 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 crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, with each soldier getting one part. They also took his long shirt, which 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. Let’s throw lots to see who will get it.” This happened so that this Scripture would come true:

So the soldiers did this.

²⁵ Standing near his cross were Jesus’ mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother and the follower he loved standing nearby, 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, the follower took her to live in his home.

Jesus Dies

²⁸ After this, Jesus knew that everything had been done. So that the Scripture would 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, put the sponge on a branch of a hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ mouth. ³⁰ When Jesus tasted the vinegar, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and died.

³¹ This day was Preparation Day, and the next day was a special Sabbath day. Since the religious leaders did not want the bodies to stay on the cross on the Sabbath day, 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 and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴ But one of the soldiers stuck his spear into Jesus’ side, and at once blood and water came out. ³⁵ (The one who saw this happen is the one who told us this, and whatever he says is true. And he knows that he tells the truth, and he tells it so that you might believe.) ³⁶ These things happened to make the Scripture come true: “Not one of his bones will be broken.”^{[j] 37} And another Scripture says, “They will look at the one they stabbed.”^[k]

Jesus Is Buried

³⁸ Later, 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 some of the leaders.) Pilate gave his permission, so Joseph came and took Jesus’ body away. ³⁹ Nicodemus, who earlier had come to Jesus at night, went with Joseph. He brought about seventy-five pounds of myrrh and aloes. ⁴⁰ These two men took Jesus’ body and wrapped it with the spices in pieces of linen cloth, which is how they bury the dead. ⁴¹ In the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden. In the garden was a new tomb that had never been used before. ⁴² The men laid Jesus in that tomb because it was nearby, and they 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 while it was still dark. When she saw that the large stone had been moved away from the tomb, ² she ran to Simon Peter and the follower whom Jesus loved. Mary said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and 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 and reached the tomb first. ⁵ He bent down and looked in and saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, but he did not go in. ⁶ Then following him, Simon Peter arrived and went into the tomb and saw the strips of linen lying there. ⁷ He also saw the cloth that had been around Jesus’ head, which 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 (They did not yet understand from the Scriptures that Jesus must rise from the dead.)

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

¹⁰ Then the followers went back home. ¹¹ But Mary stood outside the tomb, crying. As she was crying, she bent down and looked inside the tomb. ¹² She saw two angels dressed in white, 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, and 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 it was Jesus.

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

Thinking he was the gardener, 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 Hebrew language,^[l] “Rabboni.” (This means “Teacher.”)

¹⁷ Jesus said to her, “Don’t hold on to me, because I have not yet gone up to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going back to my Father and your Father, 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 When it was evening on the first day of the week, Jesus’ followers were together. The doors were locked, because they were afraid of the elders. Then Jesus came and stood right in the middle of them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. His followers were thrilled 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), who was one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ The other followers kept telling Thomas, “We saw the Lord.”

But Thomas said, “I will not believe it until I see the nail marks in his hands and 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, and Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but Jesus came in and stood right in the middle of them. He said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand here in my side. Stop being an unbeliever 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 blessed.”

Why John Wrote This Book

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

Jesus Appears to Seven Followers

21 Later, Jesus showed himself to his followers again—this time at Lake Galilee.^[m] This is how he showed himself: ² Some of the followers were together: 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 others 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 it was Jesus. ⁵ Then he said to them, “Friends, did you catch any fish?”

They answered, “No.”

⁶ He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they did, and they caught so many fish 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 a hundred 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 you just caught.”

¹¹ Simon Peter went into the boat and pulled the net to the shore. It was full of big fish, one hundred fifty-three in all, but 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?” because they knew it was the Lord. ¹³ Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, along with the fish.

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

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, “Feed 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, “Feed 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 you and 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, “If I want him to live until I come back, that is not your business. You follow me.”

²³ So a story spread among the followers that this one would not die. But Jesus did not say he would not die. He only said, “If I want him to live until I come back, that is not your business.”

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

²⁵ There are many other things Jesus did. If every one of them were written down, I suppose 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 Jesus began to do and teach ² until the day he was taken up into heaven. Before this, with the help of the Holy Spirit, Jesus told the apostles he had chosen 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 forty days after he was raised from the dead, and 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, “Wait here to receive the promise from the Father which I told you about. 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 When the apostles were all together, they asked Jesus, “Lord, are you now 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 when the Holy Spirit comes to you, 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, and 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? Jesus, whom you saw taken up from you into heaven, 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 with some women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and Jesus’ brothers.

¹⁵ During this time there was a meeting of the believers (about one hundred twenty of them). Peter stood up and said, ^16-17 “Brothers and sisters, in the Scriptures the Holy Spirit said through David something that must happen involving Judas. He was one of our own group and served together with us. He led those who arrested Jesus.” ¹⁸ (Judas bought a field with the money he got for his evil act. But he fell to his death, his body burst open, and all his intestines poured out. ¹⁹ Everyone in Jerusalem learned about this so they named this place Akeldama. In their language Akeldama means “Field of Blood.”) ²⁰ “In the Book of Psalms,” Peter said, “this is written:

And it is also written:

^21-22 “So now a man must become a witness with us of Jesus’ being raised from the dead. He must be one of the men who were part of our group during all the time the Lord Jesus was among us—from the time John was baptizing people until the day 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 thoughts of everyone. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to do this work. Show us who should be an apostle in place of Judas, who turned away and went where he belongs.” 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 eleven.

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

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

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 people that we hear speaking from Galilee? ⁸ Then how is it possible that we each hear them in our own languages? 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 them telling in our own languages about the great things God has done!” ¹² They were all amazed and confused, asking 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 eleven apostles, and 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 people 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 “People 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 he did through Jesus. You all know this, because it happened right here among you. ²³ Jesus was given to you, and with the help of those who don’t know the law, you put him to death by nailing him to a cross. But this was God’s plan which he had made long ago; he knew all this would happen. ²⁴ God raised Jesus from the dead and set him free from the pain of death, because death could not hold him. ²⁵ For David said this about him:

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

³² So Jesus is the One whom God raised from the dead. 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 Jesus has poured out that Spirit, and this is what you now 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—the man you nailed to the cross—both Lord and Christ.”

³⁷ When the people heard this, they felt guilty and 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, 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 three thousand people were added to the number of believers that day. ⁴² They spent their time learning the apostles’ teaching, sharing, breaking bread,^[q] and praying together.

The Believers Share

⁴³ The apostles were doing many miracles and signs, and everyone felt great respect for God. ⁴⁴ All the believers were together and shared everything. ⁴⁵ They would sell their land and the things they owned and then divide the money and give it to anyone who needed it. ⁴⁶ The believers met together in the Temple every day. They ate together in their homes, happy to share their food with joyful hearts. ⁴⁷ They praised God and were liked by all the people. Every day the Lord added those who were being saved to the group of believers.

Peter Heals a Crippled Man

3 One day Peter and John went to the Temple at three o’clock, the time set each day for the afternoon 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 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, thinking 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 as the crippled man who always sat by the Beautiful Gate begging for money. Now they saw this same man walking and praising God, and they were amazed. They wondered how this could happen.

Peter Speaks to the People

¹¹ While the man was holding on to Peter and John, all the people were amazed and ran to them at Solomon’s Porch. ¹² When Peter saw this, he said to them, “People of Israel, why are you surprised? You are looking at us as if it were our own power or goodness that made this man walk. ¹³ The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, gave glory to Jesus, his servant. But you handed him over to be killed. Pilate decided to let him go free, but you told Pilate you did not want Jesus. ¹⁴ You did not want the One who is holy and good but asked Pilate to give you a murderer^[r] instead. ¹⁵ And so you killed the One who gives life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses to this. ¹⁶ It was faith in Jesus that made this crippled man well. You can see this man, and you know him. He was made completely well because of trust in Jesus, and you all saw it happen!

¹⁷ “Brothers and sisters, I know you did those things to Jesus because neither you nor your leaders understood what you were doing. ¹⁸ God 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. Then the Lord will send the time of rest. ²⁰ And he will send 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, who is one of your own people. You must listen to everything he tells you. ²³ Anyone who does not listen to that prophet will die, cut off 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 are descendants of the prophets. 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 Jesus and sent him to you first to bless you by turning each of you away from doing evil.”

Peter and John at the Council

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

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

⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, 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 people to know that this man was made well by the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth. You crucified him, but God raised him from the dead. 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 leaders saw that Peter and John were not afraid to speak, and 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 Because they saw the healed man standing there beside the two apostles, they could say nothing against them. ¹⁵ After the leaders ordered them to leave the meeting, they began to talk to each other. ¹⁶ They said, “What shall we do with these men? Everyone in Jerusalem knows they have done a great miracle, and we cannot say it is not true. ¹⁷ But to keep it from spreading among the people, we must warn them not to talk to people anymore using that name.”

¹⁸ So they called Peter and John in again and told them not to speak or to teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John answered them, “You decide what God would want. Should we obey you or God? ²⁰ We cannot keep quiet. We must speak about what we have seen and heard.” ²¹ The leaders warned the apostles again and let them go free. They could not find a way to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had been done. ²² The man who received the miracle of healing was more than forty years old.

The Believers Pray

²³ After Peter and John left the meeting of leaders, they went to their own group and told them everything the leading priests and the elders had said to them. ²⁴ When the believers heard this, they prayed to God together, “Lord, you are the One who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. ²⁵ By the Holy Spirit, through our father David your servant, you said:

²⁷ These things really happened when Herod, Pontius Pilate, and some Jews and non-Jews all came together against Jesus here in Jerusalem. Jesus is your holy servant, the One you made to be the Christ. ²⁸ These people made your plan happen because of your power and your will. ²⁹ And now, Lord, listen to their threats. Lord, help us, your servants, to speak your word without fear. ³⁰ Show us your power to heal. 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 united in their hearts and spirit. All those in the group acted as though their private property belonged to everyone in the group. In fact, they shared everything. ³³ With great power the apostles were telling people that the Lord Jesus was truly raised from the dead. And God blessed all the believers very much. ³⁴ There were no needy people among them. From time to time those who owned fields or houses sold them, brought the money, ³⁵ and gave it to the apostles. Then the money was given to anyone who needed it.

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

Ananias and Sapphira Die

5 But a man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold some land. ² He kept back part of the money for himself; his wife knew about this and agreed to it. But he brought the rest of the money and gave it to the apostles. ³ Peter said, “Ananias, why did you let Satan rule your thoughts to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep for yourself part of the money you received for the land? 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 us!” ^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, but she did not know what had happened. ⁸ Peter said to her, “Tell me, was the money you got for your field 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, and they will carry you out.” ¹⁰ At that moment Sapphira fell down by his feet and died. When 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.

The Apostles Heal Many

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 join them, but all the people respected them. ¹⁴ More and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to the group of believers. ¹⁵ The people placed their sick on beds and mats in the streets, hoping that when Peter passed by at least his shadow might fall on them. ¹⁶ Crowds came from all the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those who were bothered by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.

Leaders Try to Stop the Apostles

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 and led the apostles outside. The angel said, ²⁰ “Go stand in the Temple and tell the people everything about this new life.” ²¹ When the apostles heard this, they obeyed and went into the Temple early in the morning and continued teaching.

When the high priest and his friends arrived, they called a meeting of the leaders and all the important elders. They sent some men to the jail to bring the apostles to them. ²² But, upon arriving, the officers could not find the apostles. So they went back and reported to the leaders. ²³ They said, “The jail was closed and locked, and 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 and wondered what was happening.

²⁵ Then someone came and told them, “Listen! The men you put in jail are standing in the Temple 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 the people would stone them to death.

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

²⁹ Peter and the other apostles answered, “We must obey God, not human authority! ³⁰ You killed Jesus by hanging him on a cross. But God, the God of our ancestors, raised Jesus up from the dead! ³¹ Jesus is the One whom God raised to be on his right side, as Leader and Savior. Through him, all people could change their hearts and lives and have their sins forgiven. ³² We saw all these things happen. The Holy Spirit, whom God has given to all who obey him, also proves these things are true.”

³³ When the leaders heard this, they became angry and wanted to kill them. ³⁴ But 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, “People of Israel, be careful what you are planning to do to these men. ³⁶ Remember when Theudas appeared? He said he was a great man, and about four hundred 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 also led a group of followers and was killed, and all his followers were scattered. ³⁸ And so now I tell you: Stay away from these men, and leave them alone. If their plan comes from human authority, 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 leaders agreed with what Gamaliel said. ⁴⁰ They called the apostles in, beat them, 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 Every day in the Temple and in people’s homes they continued teaching the people and telling the Good News—that Jesus is the Christ.

Seven Leaders Are Chosen

6 The number of followers was growing. But during this same time, the Greek-speaking followers had an argument with the other followers. The Greek-speaking widows were not getting their share of the food that was given out every day. ² The twelve apostles called the whole group of followers together and said, “It is not right for us to stop our work of teaching God’s word in order to serve tables. ³ So, brothers and sisters, choose seven of your own men who are good, full of the Spirit and full of wisdom. We will put them in charge of this work. ⁴ Then we can continue 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 follower of the Jewish religion). ⁶ Then they put these men before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands^[x] on them.

⁷ The word of God was continuing to spread. The group of followers in Jerusalem increased, and a great number of the Jewish priests believed and obeyed.