Bible in 90 Days

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, you know that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, for that very reason the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the saying I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too. If they held on to my word, they will hold on to yours as well. ²¹ But they will do all these things to you on account 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 The one who hates me also hates my Father. ²⁴ If I had not done the works among them that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. ²⁵ This was to fulfill the word which is written in their Law: ‘They hated me for no reason.’^[a]

²⁶ “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father—he will testify about me. ²⁷ And you also are going to testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.”

No Greater Love—in Joy

16 “I have told you these things so that you will not fall away. ² They will put you out of the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who murders you will think he is offering a service to God. ³ They will do these things because they have not known the Father or me. ⁴ But I have told you these things so that when their^[b] time comes, you may remember that I told them to you. I did not tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you.

⁵ “But now I am going away to him who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ ⁶ Yet because I have told you these things, sorrow has filled your heart. ⁷ Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth: It is good for you that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Counselor 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, about righteousness, and about judgment: ⁹ about sin, because they do not believe in me; ¹⁰ about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; ¹¹ about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

¹² “I still have many things to tell you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into^[c] all truth. For he will not speak on his own, but whatever he hears he will speak. He will also declare to you what is to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ Everything the Father has is mine. This is why I said that he takes from what is mine and will declare it to you.

¹⁶ “In a little while you are not going to see me anymore, and again in a little while you will see me, because I am going away to the Father.”^[d]

¹⁷ Therefore some of his disciples asked one another, “What does he mean when he tells us, ‘In a little while you are not going to see me, and again in a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going away to the Father’?” ¹⁸ So they kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he’s saying.”

¹⁹ Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you trying to determine with one another what I meant by saying, ‘In a little while you are not going to see me, and again in a little while you will see me’? ²⁰ Amen, Amen, I tell you: You will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. ²¹ A woman giving birth has pain, because her time has come. But when she has delivered the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, because of her joy that a person has been born into the world.

²² “So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. ²³ In that day you will not ask me anything. Amen, Amen, I tell you: Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. ²⁴ Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask, and you will receive, so that your joy may be made complete.

²⁵ “I have told you these things using figurative language. A time is coming when I will no longer speak to you using figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. ²⁶ In that day you will ask in my name, and I am not telling you that I will make requests of the Father on your behalf. ²⁷ For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. ²⁸ I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am going to leave the world and go to the Father.”

²⁹ “Yes!” his disciples said. “Now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative language. ³⁰ Now we know that you know everything and do not need to have anyone ask you anything. For this reason we believe that you came from God.”

³¹ Jesus answered them, “Now do you believe? ³² Listen, a time is coming, in fact it is here, when you will be scattered, everyone to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not going to be alone, because the Father is with me. ³³ I have told you these things, so that you may have peace in me. In this world you are going to have trouble. But be courageous! I have overcome the world.”

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer

17 After Jesus had spoken these things, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son so that your Son may glorify you. ² For you gave him authority over all flesh, so that he may give eternal life to all those you have given him. ³ This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent. ⁴ I have glorified you on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. ⁵ Now, Father, glorify me at your own side with the glory I had at your side before the world existed.

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer

⁶ “I revealed your name to the men you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me, and they have held on to your word. ⁷ Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. ⁸ For I gave them the words you gave me, and they received them. They learned the truth that I came from you. They believed that you sent me.

⁹ “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, because they are yours. ¹⁰ All that is mine is yours, and what is yours is mine. And I am glorified in them. ¹¹ I am no longer going to be in the world, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by your name, which you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. ¹² While I was with them, I kept those you gave me safe in your name.^[e] I protected them and not one of them was destroyed, except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

¹³ “But now I am coming to you, and I am saying these things in the world, so that they may be filled with my joy. ¹⁴ I have given them your word. 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 protect them from the Evil One. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

¹⁷ “Sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth. ¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, I also sent them into the world. ¹⁹ I sanctify myself for them, so they also may be sanctified by the truth.

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer

²⁰ “I am praying not only for them, but also for those who believe in me through their message. ²¹ May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be one^[f] in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. ²² I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one: ²³ I in them, and you in me. May they become completely one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

²⁴ “Father, I 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 because you loved me before the world’s foundation. ²⁵ Righteous Father, the world did not know you, but I knew you, and these men knew that you sent me. ²⁶ I made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love you have for me may be in them and that I may be in them.”

The Arrest

18 After saying these things, Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley,^[g] where there was a garden. He and his disciples went into it.

² Now Judas, who was betraying him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. ³ So Judas took the company of soldiers and some guards from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.

⁴ Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who are you looking for?”

⁵ “Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied.

“I am he,” Jesus told them.

Judas, the betrayer, was standing with them. ⁶ When Jesus told them, “I am he,” they backed away and fell to the ground.

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

“Jesus the Nazarene,” they said.

⁸ “I told you that I am he,” Jesus replied. “So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” ⁹ This was to fulfill the statement he had spoken: “I did not lose any of those you have given me.”

¹⁰ Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.

¹¹ So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath. Shall I not drink the cup my Father has given me?”

¹² Then the company of soldiers, their commander, and the Jewish guards arrested Jesus and bound him. ¹³ First they led him to Annas, because he was father-in-law to Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year. ¹⁴ Now it was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews, “It is better that one man die for the people.”

Peter Denies Jesus

¹⁵ Simon Peter and another disciple kept following Jesus. That disciple was known to the high priest, so he went into the high priest’s courtyard with Jesus. ¹⁶ But Peter stood outside by the door. So the other disciple, the one known to the high priest, went out and talked to the girl watching the door and brought Peter in.

¹⁷ “You are not one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” the girl at the door asked Peter.

“I am not!” he said.

¹⁸ The servants and guards were standing around a fire of coals that they had made because it was cold. While they warmed themselves, Peter was standing with them, warming himself too.

Jesus Before Annas

¹⁹ The high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.

²⁰ Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I always taught in a synagogue or at the temple, where all the Jews gather. I said nothing in secret. ²¹ Why are you questioning me? Ask those who heard what I told them. Look, they know what I said.”

²² When he said this, one of the guards standing there hit Jesus in the face. “Is that how you answer the high priest?” he demanded.

²³ “If I said something wrong,” Jesus answered, “testify about what was wrong. But if I was right, why did you hit me?”

²⁴ Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Peter Denies Again

²⁵ Simon Peter continued to stand there warming himself. So they said to him, “You are not one of his disciples too, are you?”

He denied it, saying, “I am not!”

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

²⁷ Peter denied it again, and just then a rooster crowed.

Jesus Before Pilate

²⁸ Early in the morning, the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium. They did not enter the Praetorium themselves, so that they would not become ceremonially unclean. (They wanted to be able to eat the Passover meal.) ²⁹ So Pilate went out to them and said, “What charge do you bring against this man?”

³⁰ They answered him, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.”

³¹ Pilate told them, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.”

The Jews said, “It’s not legal for us to put anyone to death.” ³² This happened so that the statement Jesus had spoken indicating what kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled.

³³ Pilate went back into the Praetorium and summoned Jesus. He asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

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

³⁵ Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?”

³⁶ Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here.”

³⁷ “You are a king then?” Pilate asked.

Jesus answered, “I am, as you say, a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

³⁸ “What is truth?” Pilate said to him.

After he said this, he went out again to the Jews and told them, “I find no basis for a charge against him. ³⁹ But you have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at the Passover. So do you want me to release the King of the Jews for you?”

⁴⁰ Then they shouted back, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” (Now Barabbas was a rebel.)

“Behold the Man!”

19 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. ² The soldiers also twisted together a crown of thorns and placed it on his head. Then they threw a purple robe around him. ³ They kept coming to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they kept hitting him in the face.

⁴ Pilate went outside again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.”

⁵ So Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!”

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

Pilate told them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no basis for a charge against him.”

⁷ The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”

⁸ When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. ⁹ He went back inside the palace again and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?”

But Jesus gave him no answer.

¹⁰ So Pilate asked him, “Are you not talking to me? Don’t you know that I have the authority to release you or to crucify you?”

¹¹ Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over me at all if it had not been given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”

¹² From then on Pilate tried to release Jesus. But the Jews shouted, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar! Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar!”

¹³ When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside. He sat down on the judge’s seat at a place called the Stone Pavement, or Gabbatha in Aramaic. ¹⁴ It was about the sixth hour^[h] on the Preparation Day for the Passover. Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your king!”

¹⁵ They shouted, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!”

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

“We have no king but Caesar!” the chief priests answered.

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

“They Crucified Him”

So they took Jesus away. ¹⁷ Carrying his own cross, he went out to what is called the Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. ¹⁸ There they crucified him with two others, one on each side, and Jesus in the middle.

¹⁹ Pilate also had a notice written and fastened on the cross. It read, “Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews.”

²⁰ Many of the Jews read this notice, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek.

²¹ So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that ‘this man said, “I am the King of the Jews.”’”

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

²³ When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier. They also took his tunic, which was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. ²⁴ So they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it. Instead, let’s cast lots to see who gets it.” This was so that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says:

So the soldiers did these things.

Jesus’ Compassion for His Mother

²⁵ Jesus’ mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene were standing near the cross.

²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son!” ²⁷ Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother!” And from that time this disciple took her into his own home.

Jesus Gives Up His Life

²⁸ After this, knowing that everything had now been finished, and to fulfill the Scripture, Jesus said, “I thirst.”

²⁹ A jar full of sour wine was sitting there. So they put a sponge soaked in sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.

³⁰ When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished!” Then, bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.

The Piercing of Jesus’ Side

³¹ Since it was the Preparation Day, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses over the Sabbath (because that Sabbath was a particularly important day). They asked Pilate to have the men’s legs broken and the bodies taken away. ³² So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who was crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other man.

³³ But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴ Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear. Immediately blood and water came out. ³⁵ The one who saw it has testified, and his testimony is true. He knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe. ³⁶ Indeed, these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, “Not one of his bones will be broken.”^{[j] 37} Again another Scripture says, “They will look at the one they pierced.”^[k]

Jesus’ Burial

³⁸ After this, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him remove Jesus’ body. When Pilate gave him permission, he came and took Jesus’ body away. ³⁹ Nicodemus, who earlier had come to Jesus at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-two pounds.^[l]

⁴⁰ They took Jesus’ body and bound it with linen strips along with the spices, in accord with Jewish burial customs.

⁴¹ There was a garden at the place where Jesus was crucified. And in the garden was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. ⁴² So they laid Jesus there, because it was the Jewish Preparation Day, and the tomb was near.

The Resurrection

20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. ² So she left and ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,” she told them, “and we don’t know where they put him!”

³ So Peter and the other disciple went out, heading for the tomb. ⁴ The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and got to the tomb first. ⁵ Bending over, he saw the linen cloths lying there, yet he did not go in.

⁶ Then Simon Peter, who was following him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there. ⁷ The cloth that had been on Jesus’ head was not lying with the linen cloths, but was folded up in a separate place by itself. ⁸ Then the other disciple, who arrived at the tomb first, also entered. He saw and believed. ⁹ (They still did not yet understand the Scripture that he must rise from the dead.)

¹⁰ Then the disciples went back to their homes.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

¹¹ But Mary stood outside facing the tomb, weeping. As she wept, she bent over, looking into the tomb. ¹² She saw two angels in white clothes sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and one at the feet. ¹³ They asked her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”

She told them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they have laid him.”

¹⁴ After she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not know it was Jesus.

¹⁵ Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?”

Supposing he was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you carried him off, tell me where you laid him, and I will get him.”

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned and replied in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means, “Teacher”).

¹⁷ Jesus told her, “Do not continue to cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father—to my God and your God.’”

¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” She also told them the things he said to her.

Behind Locked Doors

¹⁹ On the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were together behind locked doors because of their fear of the Jews. Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be with you!” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

²¹ Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you! Just as the Father has sent me, I am also sending you.” ²² After saying this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ Whenever you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven. Whenever you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Thomas Finally Believes

²⁴ But Thomas, one of the Twelve, the one called the Twin,^[m] was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples kept telling him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

²⁶ After eight days, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands. Take your hand and put it into my side. Do not continue to doubt, but believe.”

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

²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The Purpose of John’s Gospel Account

³⁰ Jesus, in the presence of his disciples, did many other miraculous signs that are not written in this book. ³¹ But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Breakfast With the Lord Jesus

21 After this, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. This is how he showed himself: ² Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. ³ Simon Peter said to them, “I’m going fishing.”

They replied, “We’ll go with you.”

They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. ⁴ Early in the morning, Jesus was standing on the shore, but the disciples did not know it was Jesus.

⁵ Jesus called to them, “Boys, don’t you have any fish?”

“No!” they answered.

⁶ He told them, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” So they cast the net out. Then they were not able to haul it in because of the large number of fish.

⁷ The disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard, “It is the Lord!” he tied his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the sea. ⁸ But the other disciples came in the little boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about one hundred yards. ⁹ When they stepped out on land, they saw some bread and a charcoal fire with fish on it. ¹⁰ Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”

¹¹ So Simon Peter climbed aboard and hauled the net to land, full of large fish, 153 of them. Yet even with so many, the net was not torn.

¹² Jesus said to them, “Come, eat breakfast.”

None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord.

¹³ Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them, and also the fish. ¹⁴ This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

“Do You Love Me?”

¹⁵ When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love^[n] me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I care about^[o] you.”

Jesus told him, “Feed my lambs.”

¹⁶ A second time Jesus asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

He said, “Yes, Lord, you know that I care about you.”

Jesus told him, “Be a shepherd for my sheep.”

¹⁷ He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you care about me?”

Peter was grieved because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you care about me?” He answered, “Lord, you know all things. You know that I care about you.”

“Feed my sheep,” Jesus said. ¹⁸ “Amen, Amen, I tell you: When you were young, you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will tie you and carry you where you do not want to go.”

¹⁹ Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. After saying this, he told him, “Follow me.”

²⁰ Peter turned and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them. This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is going to betray you?” ²¹ When Peter saw him, he asked Jesus, “Lord, what about him?”

²² “If I want him to remain until I come,” Jesus answered, “what is that to you? You follow me.” ²³ And so it was said among the brothers that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say that he would not die, but, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”

²⁴ This is the disciple who is testifying about these things and who wrote these things. We know that his testimony is true.

Much More

²⁵ Jesus also did many other things. If every one of them were written down, I suppose the world itself would not have room for the books that would be written.

Introduction and Theme

1 I wrote my first book, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began doing and teaching ² until the day he was taken up, after he had given instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. ³ After he had suffered, he presented himself alive to the apostles with many convincing proofs. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and told them things about the kingdom of God.

⁴ Once, when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for what the Father promised, which you heard from me. ⁵ For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

⁶ So when they were together with him, they asked, “Lord, is this the time when you are going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

⁷ He said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Jesus Ascends to Heaven

⁹ After he said these things, he was taken up while they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight. ¹⁰ They were looking intently into the sky as he went away. Suddenly, two men in white clothes stood beside them. ¹¹ They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing here looking up into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

¹² Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.^[p]

Matthias Is Chosen

¹³ When they entered the city, they went to the upstairs room where they were staying. Peter and John were there, also James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. ¹⁴ All of them kept praying together with one mind, along with the women, with Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

¹⁵ In those days, when the group there numbered about 120 people, Peter stood up among the brothers^[q] and said, ¹⁶ “Gentlemen,^[r] brothers, the Scripture^[s] had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David about Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus. ¹⁷ Judas was counted as one of us and was given a share in this ministry.

¹⁸ “Now this man acquired a field with what he was paid for his wicked act. When he fell headfirst, his middle burst open, and all his intestines spilled out. ¹⁹ This became known to all the residents of Jerusalem, and so in their own language that field was called Akeldema, which means Field of Blood. ²⁰ Indeed, it is written in the book of Psalms:

And,

²¹ “Therefore it is necessary that one of the men who accompanied us during the entire time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, ²² beginning from his baptism by John until the day Jesus was taken up from us, become a witness with us of his resurrection.”

²³ They proposed two: Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus) and Matthias. ²⁴ Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen ²⁵ to take the place in this apostolic ministry from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.”^[v]

²⁶ Then they assigned lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias. So he was counted with the eleven apostles.^[w]

The Holy Spirit Comes on Pentecost

2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the rushing of a violent wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw divided tongues that were like fire resting on each one of them. ⁴ They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, since the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak fluently.

⁵ Now there were godly Jewish men from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶ When this sound was heard, a crowd came together and was confused, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. ⁷ They were completely baffled and said to each other,^[x] “Look, are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ Then how is it that each of us hears them speaking in his own native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, and of Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt, and the parts of Libya around Cyrene; visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes; ¹¹ Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring in our own languages the wonderful works of God.” ¹² They were all amazed and perplexed. They kept saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³ But others mocked them and said, “They are full of new wine.”

Peter’s Pentecost Message

¹⁴ Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and spoke loudly and clearly to them: “Men of Judea, and all you residents of Jerusalem, understand this, and listen closely to my words. ¹⁵ These men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day.^{[y] 16} On the contrary, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

²² “Men of Israel, hear these words! Jesus the Nazarene was a man recommended to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know. ²³ This man, who was handed over by God’s set plan and foreknowledge, you^[aa] killed by having lawless men nail him to a cross. ²⁴ He is the one God raised up by freeing him from the agony of death, because death was not able to hold him in its grip.

²⁵ “Indeed, David says concerning him:

²⁹ “Gentlemen, brothers, I can speak confidently to you about the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. ³⁰ Since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath that he would seat one of his descendants^[ad] on his throne,^{[ae] 31} he saw what was coming and spoke about the resurrection of Christ, saying that he^[af] was neither abandoned to the grave nor did his flesh see decay.^[ag]

³² “This Jesus is the one God has raised up. We are all witnesses of that. ³³ So, after he was exalted to the right hand of God and after he received the promised Holy Spirit from the Father, he poured out what you are now seeing and hearing.

³⁴ “For David did not ascend into heaven, and yet he says:

³⁶ “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

³⁷ Now when the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Gentlemen, brothers, what should we do?”

³⁸ Peter answered them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your^[ai] sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

⁴⁰ He testified solemnly with many other words and was appealing to them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”

⁴¹ Those who^[aj] accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added.

The Christians Lived in Unity

⁴² They continued to hold firmly to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of the bread, and to the prayers. ⁴³ Awe came over every soul,^[ak] and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. ⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ They were selling their possessions and property and were distributing the proceeds according to what anyone needed.

⁴⁶ Day after day, with one mind, they were devoted to meeting in the temple area, as they continued to break bread in their homes. They shared their food with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ as they continued praising God and being viewed favorably by all the people. Day after day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Peter Heals a Lame Man

3 Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour,^[al] an hour of prayer. ² A certain man who was lame from birth was carried there every day and placed at the temple gate, which is called Beautiful, so that he could beg for donations from those entering the temple. ³ When he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple, he asked them for a donation.

⁴ Peter looked directly at him, as did John. Peter said, “Look at us.” ⁵ So the man paid close attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.

⁶ But Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I will give you. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” ⁷ Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately the man’s feet and ankles were made strong. ⁸ Jumping up, he stood and began to walk. He entered the temple courts with them, walking, jumping, and praising God.

⁹ All the people saw him walking and praising God. ¹⁰ They recognized him as the one who used to sit begging for money at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. ¹¹ While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people came running toward them in utter amazement in the area called Solomon’s Colonnade.

¹² When Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Why are you staring at us, as if by our own power or godliness we have made this man walk? ¹³ The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,^[am] the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and disowned in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. ¹⁴ You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you. ¹⁵ You killed the Author^[an] of Life, whom God raised from the dead. We are witnesses of this. ¹⁶ And on the basis of faith in his name, it is the name of Jesus that has strengthened this man, whom you see and know. This faith that comes through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.

¹⁷ “Now brothers,^[ao] I know that you acted in ignorance, just like your leaders. ¹⁸ But in this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through the mouth of all the prophets: that his Christ would suffer. ¹⁹ Therefore repent and return to have your sins wiped out, ²⁰ so that refreshing times may come from the presence of the Lord and that he may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you. ²¹ He must receive heaven^[ap] until the times when everything will be restored, as God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.

²² “Moses said to the fathers:^[aq]

The Lord your^[ar] God will raise up for you a Prophet from your brothers who is like me. Listen to everything he tells you. ²³ And this is what will happen: Every person who does not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from the people.^[as]

²⁴ “Also, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have talked about these days. ²⁵ You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with our^[at] fathers when he said to Abraham:

In your seed^[au] all the families of the earth will be blessed.^[av]

²⁶ “God raised up his Servant and sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you away from your wicked ways.”

On Trial for an Act of Kindness

4 As Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the commander of the temple guard, and the Sadducees approached them. ² They were very upset because Peter and John were teaching the people and proclaiming the resurrection from the dead in connection with Jesus. ³ They arrested them and put them in jail until the next day because it was already evening.

⁴ But many of those who had heard the message believed, and the number of the men increased to about five thousand.

⁵ The next day, the rulers, the elders, and the experts in the law assembled in Jerusalem ⁶ with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all the rest of the high priest’s family. ⁷ After they made Peter and John stand in front of them, they began to question them: “By what power or by what name did you do this?”

⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel,^{[aw] 9} if we are being questioned today for a kind act that was done for the lame man, as to how this man has been healed, ¹⁰ let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that it was by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead! By him this man stands before you healed. ¹¹ This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone.^[ax]

¹² “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”

¹³ When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and found out that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were astonished and took note of the fact that these men had been with Jesus.

¹⁴ But since they saw the man who had been healed standing there with them, they could not say anything in reply. ¹⁵ After they had ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin, they discussed the matter among themselves. ¹⁶ They asked, “What should we do with these men? To be sure, it is evident to all who live in Jerusalem that a miraculous sign has been done through them, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷ However, in order that this may spread no further among the people, let us give them a strict^[ay] warning not to speak any longer to anyone in this name.”

¹⁸ Then they summoned them and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

¹⁹ But Peter and John answered them, “Decide whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God. ²⁰ For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

²¹ After they had threatened them further, they let them go. They found no way to punish them because all of the people were praising God for what had happened. ²² For the man on whom this miraculous sign of healing was performed was over forty years old.

The Church Speaks God’s Word Boldly

²³ After Peter and John were released, they went to their own friends and reported everything the high priests and the elders had said. ²⁴ When they heard this, with one mind they raised their voices to God and said, “Master, you are the God who^[az] made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. ²⁵ By the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David, your servant, you said:

²⁷ “For certainly, in this city both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and people of Israel, were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. ²⁸ They did whatever your hand and your plan had decided beforehand should happen.

²⁹ “Now Lord, look at their threats and give to your servants the ability to keep on speaking your word with all boldness ³⁰ as you stretch out your hand to heal and as signs and wonders take place through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

³¹ After they prayed, the place where they were gathered was shaken. Also, everyone was filled with the Holy Spirit, and they continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

The Believers Shared Everything

³² The whole group of believers was one in heart and soul. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they held everything in common. ³³ The apostles continued to testify about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ^[bc] with great power, and abundant grace was on all of them. ³⁴ There was not a needy person among them. For from time to time those who were owners of lands or houses sold them, brought the proceeds received from what was sold, ³⁵ and laid it at the apostles’ feet. It was distributed to each one according to what anyone needed.

³⁶ Joseph, who was called Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated “son of encouragement”), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, ³⁷ sold a field that belonged to him. He brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Ananias and Sapphira

5 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. ² With his wife’s knowledge, he kept back part of the proceeds for himself. Then he brought a portion of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

³ But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? ⁴ Was it not yours before it was sold? And after it was sold, was not the money at your disposal? How could you plan such a thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”

⁵ When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. Great fear gripped everyone who heard about it. ⁶ The young men got up and wrapped up his body. Then they carried him out and buried him.

⁷ About three hours later, his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. ⁸ Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this how much you got for the land?”

“Yes,” she said, “that was the price.”

⁹ Then Peter said to her, “How could you two agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of those who buried your husband are standing at the door, and they will carry you out too!”

¹⁰ Instantly she fell down at his feet and died. When the young men came in, they found her dead. Then they carried her outside and buried her beside her husband. ¹¹ Great fear gripped the whole church and all who heard about these things.

Many Miracles

¹² Many signs and wonders were done among the people through the hands of the apostles. With one mind, they all continued meeting in Solomon’s Colonnade. ¹³ No one else dared to join them, but the people held them in high regard. ¹⁴ More and more believers in the Lord were added to their group, large numbers of both men and women. ¹⁵ As a result, people were even carrying the sick into the streets and laying them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them. ¹⁶ Crowds also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem,^[bd] bringing the sick and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and all of them were healed.

On Trial Before the Sanhedrin

¹⁷ The high priest rose up, along with his associates (that is, the party of the Sadducees), because they were filled with envy. ¹⁸ They arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. ¹⁹ But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, brought them out, and said, ²⁰ “Go, stand in the temple and keep on telling the people the whole message about this life.” ²¹ After they heard this, they entered the temple courts at daybreak and began to teach.

When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin (that is, the whole council of elders of the people of Israel). Then they sent orders to the jail to have the apostles brought in. ²² But when the officers arrived, they did not find them in the prison. They returned and reported, ²³ “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside!” ²⁴ When the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were puzzled about them, wondering what could have happened.

²⁵ Then someone came and reported to them, “Look! The men you put in prison are standing in the temple courts and teaching the people.”

²⁶ Then the captain went with the officers and brought the apostles in without force, because they were afraid that the people might stone them. ²⁷ After they brought them in, they had them stand before the Sanhedrin. The high priest asked them, ²⁸ “Did we not give you strict orders not to teach in this name?^[be] Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you are determined to bring this man’s blood down on us!”

²⁹ But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men. ³⁰ The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you arrested and killed by hanging him on a cross. ³¹ God exalted him to his right hand as Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and the forgiveness of sins. ³² We are witnesses^[bf] of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

³³ When they heard this, they were furious and began making a plan to put them to death.^{[bg] 34} But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was highly respected by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men^[bh] be put outside for a little while.

³⁵ Then he said to them, “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you are about to do with these men. ³⁶ Some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, all his followers were scattered, and it all came to nothing.

³⁷ “After him, Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and led many^[bi] people in a revolt. He also was killed, and all his followers were scattered.

³⁸ “So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and leave them alone! For if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail. ³⁹ But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them.^[bj] Perhaps you might even be found to be fighting against God!”

⁴⁰ They were convinced by him. They summoned the apostles, beat them, ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

⁴¹ The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were considered worthy to suffer shame for the Name.^{[bk] 42} Every day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.

Choosing the Seven

6 In those days, as the number of disciples was increasing, a complaint arose from the Greek-speaking Jews against the Hebrew-speaking Jews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.

² So the Twelve called together the whole group of disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. ³ Brothers, carefully select from among you seven men with good reputations, who are full of the Holy^[bl] Spirit and wisdom. We will put them in charge of this service. ⁴ But we will devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

⁵ This proposal pleased the entire group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas, a proselyte from Antioch.

⁶ They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

⁷ The word of God kept on spreading, and the number of disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly. Also a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.