Acts 4

¹Now while Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests and the commander of the temple guard and the Sadducees came upon them,

²deeply disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

³And they laid hands on them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.

⁴But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

⁵And on the next day their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem,

⁶with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent.

⁷And when they had placed them in the middle, they began to inquire: "By what power or by what name did you do this?"

⁸Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders,

⁹if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a sick man -- by what means this man has been healed --

¹⁰let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead -- in this one this man stands before you in good health.

¹¹This one is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.

¹²And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved."

¹³Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and had grasped that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were astonished, and they recognized them as having been with Jesus.

¹⁴And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply.

¹⁵And when they had commanded them to withdraw outside the council, they began to confer with one another,

¹⁶saying, "What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.

¹⁷But so that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them with threats to speak no more to anyone in this name."

¹⁸And when they had called them, they charged them not to speak at all or to teach in the name of Jesus.

¹⁹But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right before God to obey you rather than God, you judge;

²⁰for we are not able to keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard."

²¹And when they had threatened them further, they released them, finding no way to punish them, on account of the people, because all were glorifying God for what had happened.

²²For the man was more than forty years old upon whom this sign of healing had taken place.

²³And having been released, they came to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.

²⁴And when they heard, they lifted their voice to God with one accord and said: Master, you are God who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them,

²⁵who through the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David your servant, said: Why did the nations rage, and the peoples devise vain things?

²⁶The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.

²⁷For truly in this city they were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,

²⁸to do whatever your hand and your purpose had predestined to come about.

²⁹And now, Lord, look upon their threats, and grant to your slaves to speak your word with all boldness,

³⁰while you stretch out your hand for healing, and signs and wonders come about through the name of your holy servant Jesus.

³¹And when they had prayed, the place in which they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

³²Now the whole company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and not one of them was claiming that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common to them.

³³And with great power the apostles were rendering their testimony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon all of them.

³⁴For there was not even a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses, selling them, were bringing the proceeds of what was sold

³⁵and were laying them at the feet of the apostles, and distribution was made to each as anyone had need.

³⁶Now Joseph, who was called Barnabas by the apostles � which is translated Son of Encouragement � a Levite, a Cypriot by birth,

³⁷having a field belonging to him, he sold it and brought the money and laid it at the feet of the apostles.