Bible in 90 Days

The World Hates God’s Own

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before you. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But you are not of the world, since I have chosen you out of the world; therefore the world hates you.

²⁰ “Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’^[a] If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

²¹ “But all these things they will do to you for the sake of My name, because they do not know the One who sent Me. ²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin.

²³ “He who hates Me also hates My Father. ²⁴ If I had not done works among them that no one else did, they would have no sin. But now they have seen and have hated both Me and My Father. ²⁵ So is fulfilled the word written in their Scripture,^[b] ‘They hated Me for no reason.’^[c]

²⁶ “When the Helper comes—whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—He will testify about Me. ²⁷ And you also testify, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”

16 “I have spoken these things to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. ² They will throw you out of the synagogues. Yes, an hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. ³ They will do these things because they have never known the Father or Me. ⁴ But I have spoken these things to you so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. I did not tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you.”

The Ruach Reveals Truth

⁵ “But now I am going to the One who sent Me, and not one of you is asking Me, ‘Where are you going?’ ⁶ Because I have spoken these things to you, grief has filled your heart. ⁷ But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away! For if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

⁸ “When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: ⁹ concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰ concerning righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me; ¹¹ and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

¹² “I still have much more to tell you, but you cannot handle it just now. ¹³ But when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; but whatever He hears, He will tell you. And He will declare to you the things that are to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify Me, because He will take from what is Mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ Everything that the Father has is Mine. For this reason I said the Ruach will take from what is Mine and declare it to you.”

Death and Resurrection Foretold

¹⁶ “A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again in a little while, you will see Me.”

¹⁷ Then some of His disciples said to one another, “What does He mean by telling us, ‘A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again in a little while, you will see Me’? And, ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”

¹⁸ They kept on saying, “What’s this He’s saying, ‘A little while’? We don’t know what He’s talking about!”

¹⁹ Yeshua knew that they wanted to question Him, so He said to them, “Are you asking each other about this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again in a little while, you will see Me’? ²⁰ Amen, amen I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will celebrate. You will be filled with sorrow, but your sorrow will turn to joy!

²¹ “When a woman is in labor, she has pain because her hour has come.^[d] But when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, because of the joy that a human being has been born into the world. ²² So also you have sorrow now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you!

²³ “In that day, you will ask Me nothing. Amen, amen I tell you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. ²⁴ Up to now, you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be full.

²⁵ “These things I have spoken to you in metaphors. An hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in metaphors, but will tell you plainly about the Father. ²⁶ In that day, you will ask in My name—and I’m not telling you that I will ask the Father on your behalf. ²⁷ For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from God. ²⁸ I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

²⁹ His disciples say, “See, now You’re speaking plainly and not in metaphors. ³⁰ Now we know that You know everything and have no need to be asked anything. By this we believe that You came forth from God.”

³¹ Yeshua answered them, “Do you now believe? ³² Look, the hour is coming—indeed has come—when you will be scattered, each to his own, and you will abandon Me. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. ³³ These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have shalom. In the world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world!”

The Son Glorifies the Father

17 Yeshua spoke these things; then, lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, so the Son may glorify You. ² Even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, so may He give eternal life to all those You have given Him. ³ And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Yeshua the Messiah, the One You sent. ⁴ I glorified You on earth by finishing the work that You have given Me to do. ⁵ Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world came to be.”

Yeshua Prays for His Disciples

⁶ “I have made Your name known to the men of this world that You gave Me. They were Yours; You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. ⁷ Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You. ⁸ The words, which You gave Me, I have given to them. They received them and truly understood that I came from You, and they believed that You sent Me. ⁹ I ask on their behalf. Not on behalf of the world do I ask, but on behalf of those You have given Me, for they are Yours. ¹⁰ All Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. ¹¹ I am no longer in the world; but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name that You have given Me, so that they may be one just as We are. ¹² While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name that You have given Me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the son of destruction,^[e] so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.

¹³ “But now I am coming to You. I say these words while I am still in the world, so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. ¹⁴ I have given them Your word; and the world hated them, because they are not of the world just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵ I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

¹⁷ “Make them holy in the truth. Your word is truth. ¹⁸ Just as You sent Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ And for their sakes I make Myself holy, so that they also may be made holy in truth.”

Interceding for All Believers

²⁰ “I pray not on behalf of these only, but also for those who believe in Me through their message, ²¹ that they all may be one. Just as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You, so also may they be one in Us, so the world may believe that You sent Me. ²² The glory that You have given to Me I have given to them, that they may be one just as We are one— ²³ I in them and You in Me—that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them as You loved Me.

²⁴ “Father, I also want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory—the glory You gave Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵ Righteous Father, the world did not know You, but I knew You; and these knew that You sent Me. ²⁶ I made your Name known to them, and will continue to make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

Betrayed and Arrested

18 When Yeshua had said these things, He went out with His disciples across the Kidron Valley,^[f] where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered. ² Now Judah, who was betraying Him, also knew the place, because Yeshua had often met there with His disciples. ³ So Judah, having taken a band of soldiers and some officers from the ruling kohanim and Pharisees, comes there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. ⁴ Then Yeshua, knowing all the things coming upon Him, went forward. He said to them, “Who are you looking for?”

⁵ “Yeshua ha-Natzrati,” they answered Him.

Yeshua tells them, “I am.” Now Judah, the one betraying Him, was also standing with them. ⁶ So when Yeshua said to them, “I am,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

⁷ So again He asked them, “Who are you looking for?”

And they said, “Yeshua ha-Natzrati.”

⁸ Yeshua answered, “I told you, I am! If you’re looking for Me, let these men go their way.” ⁹ This was so the word would be fulfilled that He spoke: “I did not lose one of those You have given Me.”^[g]

¹⁰ Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the servant of the kohen gadol, and cut off his right ear. Now the servant’s name was Malchus. ¹¹ So Yeshua said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath! The cup the Father has given Me—shall I never drink it?”

Interrogated and Tried

¹² Then the band of soldiers, with the captain and the officers of the Judeans, seized Yeshua and tied Him up. ¹³ They led Him first to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the kohen gadol that year. ¹⁴ Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Judean leaders that it was better for one man to die on behalf of the people.

¹⁵ Simon Peter was following Yeshua with another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the kohen gadol, so he went with Yeshua into the court of the kohen gadol. ¹⁶ But Peter was left standing outside by the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the kohen gadol, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper and brought Peter in.

¹⁷ The maidservant at the door says to Peter, “Aren’t you one of this Man’s disciples too?”

He says, “No, I’m not.” ¹⁸ The servants and officers were standing around a fire they had made, because it was cold and they were warming themselves. And Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself.

¹⁹ The kohen gadol then questioned Yeshua about His disciples and His teaching. ²⁰ “I have spoken openly to the world,” Yeshua answered him. “I always taught in the synagogues and the Temple, where all the Jewish people come together. I spoke nothing in secret. ²¹ Why question Me? Ask those who have heard what I spoke to them. Look, they know what I said.”

²² When He had said this, one of the officers standing nearby gave Yeshua a slap, saying, “Is that the way you answer the kohen gadol?”

²³ Yeshua answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, give evidence of the wrong; but if rightly, why hit Me?” ²⁴ Then Annas sent Him, still tied up, to Caiaphas, the kohen gadol.

²⁵ Now Simon Peter was standing outside and warming himself. So they said to him, “Aren’t you one of His disciples too?”

He denied it and said, “No, I’m not!”

²⁶ One of the servants of the kohen gadol, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Didn’t I see you in the garden with Him?”

²⁷ Again Peter denied it, and immediately a rooster crowed.

²⁸ Then they led Yeshua from Caiaphas to the Praetorium.^[h] It was early. They themselves did not enter the Praetorium, so they would not become unclean but might eat the Passover. ²⁹ Therefore Pilate came out to them and said, “What charge do you bring against this man?”

³⁰ They answered, “If He weren’t an evildoer, we wouldn’t have handed Him over to you.”

³¹ Then Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and judge Him by your Torah!”

The Judean leaders responded, “We are not authorized to put anyone to death.” ³² This happened so that the word Yeshua spoke would be fulfilled, signifying what kind of death He was about to die.

³³ So Pilate went back into the Praetorium, called for Yeshua, and asked Him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

³⁴ “Are you saying this on your own,” Yeshua answered, “or did others tell you about Me?”

³⁵ Pilate answered, “I’m not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and ruling kohanim handed You over to me! What have You done?”

³⁶ Yeshua answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Judean leaders. But as it is, My kingdom is not from here.”

³⁷ So Pilate said to Him, “Are you a king, then?”

Yeshua answered, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world, so that I might testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

³⁸ Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” After he said this, he went out again to the Judean leaders. He said to them, “I find no case against Him. ³⁹ But it’s your custom that I release someone for you at Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

⁴⁰ They shouted back, “Not this One, but Bar-Abba!” Now Bar-Abba^[i] was a revolutionary.

Bound and Sentenced

19 Then Pilate took Yeshua and had Him scourged. ² The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and dressed Him in a purple robe. ³ They kept coming up to Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and slapping Him over and over.

⁴ Pilate came out again. He said to them, “Look, I’m bringing Him out to you, to let you know that I find no case against Him.” ⁵ So Yeshua came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. “Behold, the Man!” Pilate said to them.

⁶ When the ruling kohanim and officers saw Him, they yelled out, “Execute Him! Execute Him!”^[j]

Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and execute Him! For I don’t find a case against Him.”

⁷ The Judean leaders answered him, “We have a law,^[k] and according to the Torah He must die, because He claimed to be Ben-Elohim!”

⁸ When Pilate heard this word, he became even more fearful. ⁹ He went into the Praetorium again and said to Yeshua, “Where are You from?” But Yeshua gave him no answer. ¹⁰ So Pilate said to Him, “You aren’t speaking to me? Don’t You know that I have the authority to release You, and I have the authority to crucify You?”

¹¹ Yeshua answered, “You would have no authority over Me if it hadn’t been given to you from above. For this reason, the one who handed Me over to you has the greater sin.”

¹² Pilate tried to let Him go after this; but the Judean leaders cried out, saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar!”

¹³ So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Yeshua out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place called the Stone Pavement (but in Aramaic,^[l] Gabbatha). ¹⁴ It was the Day of Preparation for Passover, about the sixth hour.^[m] And Pilate said to the Judean leaders, “Behold, your king!”

¹⁵ They shouted back, “Take Him away! Take Him away! Execute Him!”

Pilate said to them, “Should I execute your king?”

The ruling kohanim answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”

¹⁶ Finally, Pilate handed Yeshua over to be crucified.

A Sacrificial Death

¹⁷ Then they took Yeshua. He went out, carrying His own crossbar, to the Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic^[n] is called Golgotha. ¹⁸ There they crucified Him, and with Him two others, one on each side and Yeshua in between.

¹⁹ Pilate also wrote a sign and put it on the execution stake. It was written, “YESHUA HA-NATZRATI, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” ²⁰ Many Judeans read this sign, because the place where Yeshua was executed was near the city; it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.

²¹ The ruling kohanim of the Judeans were saying to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.’”

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

²³ So the soldiers, when they executed Yeshua, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part for each soldier. They took His tunic also, but it was seamless, woven top to bottom in one piece. ²⁴ So they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be.” This was so the Scripture would be fulfilled,

²⁵ Standing near the execution stake of Yeshua were His mother, His mother’s sister, Miriam the wife of Clopas, and Miriam from Magdala. ²⁶ Yeshua saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby. He tells His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” ²⁷ Then He tells the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that very hour, the disciple took her into his own home.

²⁸ After this, when Yeshua knew that all things were now completed, to fulfill the Scripture He said, “I am thirsty.” ^{[p] 29} A jar full of sour wine was sitting there, so they put a sponge soaked with the sour wine on a hyssop branch and brought it to His mouth. ³⁰ When Yeshua tasted the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

³¹ It was the Day of Preparation, and the next day was a festival Shabbat. So that the bodies should not remain on the execution stake during Shabbat, the Judean leaders asked Pilate to have the legs broken and to have the bodies taken away.

³² So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then the other who had been executed with Yeshua. ³³ Now when they came to Yeshua and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. ³⁴ But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. ³⁵ He who has seen it has testified, and his testimony is true. He knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe. ³⁶ These things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, “Not a bone of His shall be broken.” ^{[q] 37} And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they have pierced.”^[r]

Buried in a Rich Man’s Tomb

³⁸ After these things, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate if he could take Yeshua’s body away. Joseph was a disciple of Yeshua, but secretly for fear of the Judean leaders. Pilate gave permission, so Joseph came and took the body away. ³⁹ Nicodemus, who had first visited Yeshua at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. ^{[s] 40} Then they took the body of Yeshua and wrapped it in linen with the spices, as is the Jewish burial custom.

⁴¹ Now in the place where He was executed, there was a garden. In the garden was a new tomb^[t] where no one had yet been buried. ⁴² Because it was the Jewish Day of Preparation and the tomb was nearby, they laid Yeshua there.

The Lamb of God is Resurrected

20 Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it is still dark, Miriam from Magdala comes to the tomb. She sees that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb. ² So she comes running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Yeshua loved. She tells them, “They’ve taken the Master out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put Him!”

³ Then Peter and the other disciple set out, going to the tomb. ⁴ The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and arrived at the tomb first. ⁵ Leaning in, he sees the linen strips lying there. But he didn’t go in.

⁶ Then Simon Peter comes following him, and he entered the tomb. He looks upon the linen strips lying there, ⁷ and the face cloth that had been on His head. It was not lying with the linen strips, but was rolled up in a place by itself. ⁸ So then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also entered. He saw and believed. ⁹ For they did not yet understand from Scripture that Yeshua must rise from the dead. ^{[u] 10} So the disciples went back to their own homes.

Yeshua Appears to Miriam

¹¹ But Miriam stood outside the tomb weeping. As she was weeping, she bent down to look into the tomb. ¹² She sees two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where Yeshua’s body had been lying.

¹³ “Woman, why are you crying?” they say to her.

She says to them, “Because they took away my Master, and I don’t know where they’ve put Him.” ¹⁴ After she said these things, she turned around. And she sees Yeshua standing there. Yet she didn’t know that it was Yeshua.

¹⁵ Yeshua says to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?”

Thinking He’s the gardener, she says to Him, “Sir, if You’ve carried Him away, tell me where You’ve put Him, and I will take Him away.”

¹⁶ Yeshua says to her, “Miriam!”

Turning around, she says to Him in Aramaic,^[v] “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).

¹⁷ Yeshua says to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet gone up to the Father. Go to My brothers and tell them, ‘I am going up to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’”

¹⁸ Miriam from Magdala comes, announcing to the disciples, “I’ve seen the Lord,” and what He had said to her.

Yeshua Appears to the Disciples

¹⁹ It was evening on that day, the first of the week. When the doors were locked where the disciples were, for fear of the Judean leaders, Yeshua came and stood in their midst! And He said to them, “Shalom aleichem!” ²⁰ After He said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Yeshua said to them again, “Shalom aleichem! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

²² And after He said this, He breathed on them. And He said to them, “Receive the Ruach ha-Kodesh! ²³ If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; but if you hold back, they are held back.”

²⁴ One of the Twelve, Thomas called the Twin, was not with them when Yeshua came. ²⁵ The other disciples were saying to him, “We’ve seen the Lord!”

But he replied to them, “Unless I see the nail prints in His hands, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand in His side, I will never believe!”

²⁶ Eight days later the disciples were again inside, and Thomas was with them. Yeshua comes, despite the locked doors. He stood in their midst and said, “Shalom aleichem!” ²⁷ Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe!”

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

²⁹ Yeshua said to Him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed? Blessed are the ones who have not seen and yet have believed!”

The Reason for Signs and Wonders

³⁰ Yeshua performed many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book. ³¹ But these things have been written so that you may believe that Yeshua is Mashiach Ben-Elohim, and that by believing you may have life in His name.

Fish for Breakfast with the Risen One

21 After these things, Yeshua revealed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. Now here is how He appeared. ² Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in the Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two of the other disciples were together.

³ Simon Peter said to them, “I’m going fishing.”

“We’re coming with you too,” they said. They went out and got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.

⁴ At dawn, Yeshua stood on the beach; but the disciples didn’t know that it was Yeshua. ⁵ So Yeshua said to them, “Boys, you don’t happen to have any fish, do you?”

“No,” they answered Him.

⁶ He said to them, “Throw the net off the right side of the boat, and you’ll find some.” So they threw the net, and they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.

⁷ Therefore the disciple whom Yeshua loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tied his outer garment around himself—for he was stripped down for work—and threw himself into the sea. ⁸ But the other disciples came in the boat from about two hundred cubits^[w] offshore, dragging the net full of fish.

⁹ So when they got out onto the land, they saw a charcoal fire with fish placed on it, and bread. ¹⁰ Yeshua said to them, “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught.” ¹¹ Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net to shore. There were 153 fish, many of them big; but the net was not broken. ¹² Yeshua said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing it was the Lord. ¹³ Yeshua comes and takes the bread and gives it to them, and likewise the fish. ¹⁴ This was now the third time that Yeshua was revealed to the disciples after He was raised from the dead.

Love Restores Peter

¹⁵ When they had finished breakfast, Yeshua said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said to Him, “You know that I love you.”

He said to him, “Feed My lambs!”

¹⁶ He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “You know that I love You.”

He said to him, “Take care of My sheep!”

¹⁷ He said to him a third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”

Peter was grieved because He said to him for a third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know everything! You know that I love You!”

Yeshua said to him, “Feed My sheep!”^[x]

¹⁸ “Amen, amen I tell you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ Now this He said to indicate by what kind of death Peter was going to glorify God. And after this, Yeshua said to him, “Follow Me!”

²⁰ Peter, turning around, sees the disciple following. This was the one whom Yeshua loved, who also had reclined against Yeshua’s chest at the seder meal and said, “Master, who is the one who is betraying You?” ²¹ Seeing him, Peter said to Yeshua, “Lord, what about him?”

²² Yeshua said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” ²³ Therefore this saying went out among the brothers and sisters, that this disciple would not die. Yet Yeshua did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”

John’s Witness

²⁴ This is the disciple who is an eyewitness of these things and wrote these things. We know that his testimony is true. ²⁵ There are also many other things that Yeshua did. If all of them were to be written one by one, I suppose that not even the world itself will have room for the books being written!

When Will Yeshua Restore the Kingdom?

1 I wrote the first volume, Theophilus, about all that Yeshua began to do and teach— ² up to the day He was taken up, after He had given orders by the Ruach ha-Kodesh to the emissaries He had chosen. ³ To them He showed Himself to be alive after His suffering through many convincing proofs, appearing to them for forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

⁴ Now while staying with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father promised—which, He said, “you heard from Me. ⁵ For John immersed with water, but you will be immersed in the Ruach ha-Kodesh not many days from now.”

⁶ So when they gathered together, they asked Him, “Lord, are You restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?”

⁷ He said to them, “It is not your place to know the times or seasons which the Father has placed under His own control. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Ruach ha-Kodesh has come upon you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and through all Judah, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

⁹ After saying all this—while they were watching—He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. ¹⁰ While they were staring into heaven as He went up, suddenly two men stood with them in white clothing. ¹¹ They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you keep standing here staring into heaven? This Yeshua, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.”

Appointing a New Emissary

¹² Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives^[y] (which is near Jerusalem, a Shabbat day’s journey^[z]). ¹³ When they had entered, they went up to the upper room where they were staying—Peter and John and Jacob and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; Jacob son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judah son of Jacob. ¹⁴ All these with one mind were continuing together in prayer—along with the women and Miriam, Yeshua’s mother, and His brothers.

¹⁵ In those days, Peter stood up among the brothers and sisters (the number of names all together was about a hundred and twenty) and said, ¹⁶ “Brothers,^[aa] the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Ruach ha-Kodesh foretold by the mouth of David, concerning Judah—who became a guide to those who seized Yeshua. ¹⁷ For he was counted among us and received his share of this office.” ¹⁸ (Now this man Judah bought a field with the reward of his wickedness. Falling headfirst, he burst open in the middle and his intestines splattered out. ¹⁹ And it became known to all those living in Jerusalem, so in their own language that field was called Akeldama^[ab]—that is, ‘Field of Blood.’) ²⁰ For it is written in the Book of Psalms,

²¹ “Therefore one of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Yeshua went in and out among us— ²² beginning with His immersion by John until the day He was taken up from us—must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

²³ So they nominated two—Joseph, called Barsabbas (also called Justus), and Matthias. ²⁴ And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who knows the hearts of all men, show us which of these two You have chosen ²⁵ to take the position in this office as emissary, from which Judah turned aside to go to his own place.” ²⁶ Then they cast lots for them, and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was added to the eleven emissaries.

The Ruach Fills the Disciples

2 When the day of Shavuot^[ae] had come, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ And tongues like fire spreading out appeared to them and settled on each one of them. ⁴ They were all filled with the Ruach ha-Kodesh and began to speak in other tongues as the Ruach enabled them to speak out.

⁵ Now Jewish people were staying in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. ⁶ And when this sound came, the crowd gathered. They were bewildered, because each was hearing them speaking in his own language. ⁷ And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “All these who are speaking—aren’t they Galileans? ⁸ How is it that we each hear our own birth language? ⁹ Parthians and Medes and Elamites and those living in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ^{[af] 10} Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and parts of Libya toward Cyrene, and visitors from Rome ¹¹ (both Jewish people and proselytes), Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring in our own tongues the mighty deeds of God!” ¹² And they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to each other, “What does this mean?”

¹³ Others, poking fun, were saying, “They are full of sweet new wine!”

Peter Speaks to the Shavuot Crowd

¹⁴ But Peter, standing with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: “Fellow Judeans and all who are staying in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and pay attention to my words. ¹⁵ These men are not drunk, as you suppose—for it’s only the third hour of the day! ^{[ag] 16} But this is what was spoken about through the prophet Joel:

²² “Men of Israel, hear these words! Yeshua ha-Natzrati—a Man authenticated to you by God with mighty deeds and wonders and signs God performed through Him in your midst, as you yourselves know— ²³ this Yeshua, given over by God’s predetermined plan and foreknowledge, nailed to the cross by the hand of lawless men, you killed. ²⁴ But God raised Him up, releasing Him from the pains of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held by it. ²⁵ For David says about Him,

²⁹ “Brothers, I can confidently tell you that the patriarch David died and was buried—his tomb is with us to this day. ³⁰ So because he was a prophet and knew God had sworn with an oath to him to seat one of his descendants on his throne, ^{[aj] 31} David saw beforehand and spoke of Messiah’s resurrection—that He was not abandoned to Sheol, and His body did not see decay.^[ak]

³² “This Yeshua God raised up—we all are witnesses! ³³ Therefore, being exalted to the right hand of God and receiving from the Father the promise of the Ruach ha-Kodesh, He poured out this—what you now see and hear. ³⁴ For David did not ascend into the heavens; yet he himself says,

³⁶ “Therefore let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him—this Yeshua whom you had crucified—both Lord and Messiah!”

Teshuvah—Thousands Immersed

³⁷ Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the emissaries, “Fellow brethren, what shall we do?”

³⁸ Peter said to them, “Repent, and let each of you be immersed in the name of Messiah Yeshua for the removal of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Ruach ha-Kodesh. ³⁹ For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far away—as many as Adonai our God calls to Himself.”

⁴⁰ With many other words he warned them and kept urging them, saying, “Save yourselves from this twisted generation!” ^{[am] 41} So those who received his message were immersed, and that day about three thousand souls were added.

New Covenant Community Begins

⁴² They were devoting themselves to the teaching of the emissaries and to fellowship, to breaking bread and to prayers. ⁴³ Fear lay upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were happening through the emissaries. ⁴⁴ And all who believed were together, having everything in common. ⁴⁵ They began selling their property and possessions and sharing them with all, as any had need. ⁴⁶ Day by day they continued with one mind, spending time at the Temple and breaking bread from house to house. They were sharing meals with gladness and sincerity of heart, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And every day the Lord was adding to their number^[an] those being saved.

A Lame Beggar Walks

3 Now Peter and John were going up to the Temple at the ninth hour,^[ao] the time of prayer. ² A man lame from birth was being carried—every day they used to put him at the Temple gate called Beautiful, so he could beg for tzedakah from those entering the Temple. ³ When he saw Peter and John about to go into the Temple, he began asking to receive tzedakah.

⁴ But Peter, along with John, looked straight at him and said, “Look at us!” ⁵ So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. ⁶ But Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give to you—in the name of Yeshua ha-Mashiach ha-Natzrati, get up and walk!” ⁷ Then grabbing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately the man’s feet and ankles were made strong. ⁸ Jumping up, he stood and began walking; and he went with them into the Temple, walking and leaping and praising God!

⁹ Now all the people saw him walking and praising God. ¹⁰ They began to realize he was the one who used to sit begging for tzedakah at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, and they were filled with wonder and astonishment over what had happened to him.

Peter Speaks at the Temple

¹¹ While he was clinging to Peter and John, all the people together came running toward them in the place called Solomon’s Portico. ¹² But when Peter saw, he responded to the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Why do you stare at us—as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? ¹³ The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His Servant^[ap] Yeshua—the One you handed over and disowned before Pilate, though he had decided to release Him. ¹⁴ But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you. ¹⁵ You killed the Author of life—the One God raised from the dead! We are witnesses of it. ¹⁶ Now through faith in the name of Yeshua, His name has strengthened this man whom you see and know. Indeed, the faith through Yeshua has given this man perfect health in front of you all.

¹⁷ “Now brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your leaders did. ¹⁸ But what God foretold through the mouth of all His prophets—that His Messiah was to suffer—so He has fulfilled. ¹⁹ Repent, therefore, and return—so your sins might be blotted out, ²⁰ so times of relief might come from the presence of Adonai and He might send Yeshua, the Messiah appointed for you. ²¹ Heaven must receive Him, until the time of the restoration of all the things that God spoke about long ago through the mouth of His holy prophets. ²² Moses said, ‘Adonai your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your brothers. Hear and obey Him in all that He shall say to you. ²³ And it shall be that every soul that will not listen to that Prophet shall be completely cut off from the people.’ ^{[aq] 24} Indeed, all the prophets who have spoken from Samuel on have announced these days. ²⁵ You are the sons of the prophets and also of the covenant that God cut with your fathers,^[ar] saying to Abraham, ‘In your seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ ^{[as] 26} God raised up His Servant and sent Him first to you, to bless you all by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

Standing Before the Sanhedrin

4 As Peter and John were speaking to the people, the kohanim and the captain of the Temple and the Sadducees came up to them. ² They were indignant because Peter and John were teaching the people and announcing in Yeshua the resurrection of the dead. ³ So they grabbed them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening. ⁴ But many who heard the message believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.

⁵ On the next day, the rulers and elders and Torah scholars were gathered together in Jerusalem. ⁶ Annas the kohen gadol was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all those who were of high-priestly descent. ⁷ When they had placed Peter and John in their midst, they began to inquire, “By what power or in what name did you do this?”

⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Ruach ha-Kodesh, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people! ⁹ If we are on trial today for a mitzvah done for a sick man, as to how this fellow was healed, ¹⁰ let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Yeshua ha-Mashiach ha-Natzrati—whom you had crucified, whom God raised from the dead—this one stands before you whole. ¹¹ This Yeshua is ‘the stone—rejected by you, the builders—that has become the chief cornerstone.’ ^{[at] 12} There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved!”

¹³ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and figured out they were laymen without training, they were amazed. They began to realize that these men had been with Yeshua. ¹⁴ But seeing the healed man standing with them, they had nothing to say in response. ¹⁵ When they had ordered Peter and John to go out of the council chamber, they began to confer with one another, ¹⁶ saying, “What shall we do with these men? For indeed, it’s obvious to everyone living in Jerusalem that a remarkable miracle has happened through them, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷ But so it won’t spread any further among the people, let’s warn them not to speak anymore to anyone in this name.”

¹⁸ So they called them in and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Yeshua. ¹⁹ But Peter and John replied, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you decide. ²⁰ For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

²¹ After threatening them again, they let them go—finding no way they could punish them on account of the people, because they all were glorifying God for what had happened. ²² For the man in whom this miracle of healing had happened was more than forty years old.

Prayer for Courage

²³ As soon as they were released, Peter and John went to their own people and reported all that the ruling kohanim and elders had said to them. ²⁴ When they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “O Sovereign Master, ‘You made heaven and earth and the sea, and everything in them.’ ^{[au] 25} You said by the Ruach ha-Kodesh, through the mouth of our father David Your servant,

²⁷ “For truly both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, were gathered together in this city against Your holy Servant Yeshua, whom You anointed. ²⁸ They did whatever Your hand and Your purpose predetermined to happen. ²⁹ And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant Your servants to speak Your word with utmost courage— ³⁰ while You stretch out Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy Servant Yeshua.”

³¹ When they had prayed, the place where they were gathered was shaken. And they were all filled with the Ruach ha-Kodesh and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

Ruach-Filled Community Life

³² Now the whole group of those who believed was one in heart and mind. No one would say anything he owned was his own, but they had everything in common. ³³ With great power the emissaries were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Yeshua, and abundant favor was upon them all. ³⁴ No one among them was needy, for all who were owners of lands or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds ³⁵ and set them at the feet of the emissaries. And the proceeds were distributed according to the need each one had.

³⁶ Now Joseph, also called Barnabas by the emissaries (which is translated Son of Encouragement), was a Levite and native of Cyprus. ³⁷ He sold a field that he owned and brought the money and laid it at the feet of the emissaries.

Ananias and Sapphira Lie to the Ruach

5 On the other hand, a man named Ananias together with his wife, Sapphira, sold a property. ² He kept back some of the proceeds, with his wife’s full knowledge, and brought part of it and set it at the feet of the emissaries.

³ But Peter said, “Ananias, why has satan filled your heart to lie to the Ruach ha-Kodesh and keep back part of the proceeds of the land? ⁴ While it remained unsold, it was your own, wasn’t it? And after it was sold, wasn’t it at your disposal? How did this deed get into your heart? You haven’t lied to men but to God.”

⁵ As soon as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and died. Great fear came upon all who heard about it. ⁶ The young men got up and wrapped him in a shroud, then carried him out and buried him.

⁷ After an interval of about three hours, his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. ⁸ Peter responded to her, “Tell me if you sold the land for this much.”

She said, “Yes, for that much.”

⁹ Then Peter said to her, “How did you agree to test the Ruach Adonai? Look, the feet of those who buried your husband are at the door—they will carry you out, too!”

¹⁰ Immediately she fell down at his feet and died. When the young men came back in, they found her dead and carried her out and buried her beside her husband. ¹¹ And great fear came over the whole community and all who heard these things.

Signs and Wonders, Angelic Jailbreak, and Bold Witness

¹² Meanwhile, through the hands of the emissaries many signs and wonders were happening among the people. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. ¹³ But no one else dared to join them, though the people continued to think highly of them. ¹⁴ Yet more than ever those trusting in the Lord were added—large numbers of men and women. ¹⁵ They even carried the sick into the streets and laid them on stretchers and cots, so that when Peter passed by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. ¹⁶ Crowds were also gathering from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing those who were sick or tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.

¹⁷ But the kohen gadol rose up, and all those with him (that is, the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy. ¹⁸ They grabbed the emissaries and put them in a public jail. ¹⁹ But during the night an angel of Adonai opened the prison doors, and leading them out he said, ²⁰ “Go, stand in the Temple and speak to the people the whole message about this Life.” ²¹ Now when they heard that, they entered the Temple at daybreak and began teaching.

When the kohen gadol and those with him arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin, even the council of elders of Bnei-Yisrael, and sent to the prison to have the prisoners brought in. ²² But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison. So they returned and reported, ²³ saying, “We found the prison locked with maximum security and the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened up, we found no one inside.”

²⁴ When the captain of the Temple and the ruling kohanim heard these words, they were perplexed about them, wondering where this would lead. ²⁵ But someone came and reported to them, “The men you put in prison are standing in the Temple and teaching the people!” ²⁶ Then the captain went off with the officers and brought the emissaries—but not with force, because they feared they might be stoned by the people.

²⁷ When they had brought them, they placed them before the Sanhedrin. The kohen gadol questioned them, ²⁸ saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name—and look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring on us the blood of this Man!”

²⁹ Peter and the emissaries replied, “We must obey God rather than men. ³⁰ The God of our fathers raised up Yeshua, whom you seized and had crucified. ^{[aw] 31} This One God exalted at His right hand as Leader and Savior,^[ax] to give repentance to Israel and removal of sins. ³² And we are witnesses of these events—as is the Ruach ha-Kodesh, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

³³ Now when they heard this, they became enraged and wanted to kill them. ³⁴ But a certain Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Torah respected by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. ³⁵ Then he said to them, “Men of Israel, be careful what you are about to do with these men. ³⁶ For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody; and a number of men, maybe four hundred, joined up with him. He was killed, and all who followed him were scattered and came to nothing. ³⁷ After this fellow, Judah the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and got people to follow him. He also perished, and all who followed him were scattered. ³⁸ So now I tell you, stay away from these men and leave them alone. For if this plan or undertaking is of men, it will come to an end; ³⁹ but if it is of God, you will not be able to stop them. You might even be found fighting against God.” They took his advice, ⁴⁰ called in the emissaries, flogged them, ordered them not to continue speaking in the name of Yeshua, and let them go.

⁴¹ So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were considered worthy to be dishonored on account of His name. ^{[ay] 42} And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming Yeshua as the Messiah.

Appointed for Service

6 Now in those days, when the disciples were multiplying, grumbling arose^[az] among the Hellenists against the Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily support. ² So the Twelve called together the whole group of the disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. ³ So, brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this duty. ⁴ But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the Word.”

⁵ The statement pleased the whole group; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Ruach ha-Kodesh, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. ⁶ They placed these men before the emissaries; and after praying, they laid hands on them.^[ba]

⁷ The word of God kept on spreading, and the number of disciples in Jerusalem greatly multiplied; even a great number of the kohanim were becoming obedient to the faith.