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ACTS 6
page 985
her, “Was this the price you and your husband
received for your land?”
“Yes,” she replied, “that was the price.”
9 And Peter said, “How could the two of you
even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the
Lord like this? The young men who buried your
husband are just outside the door, and they will
carry you out, too.”
10 Instantly, she fell to the floor and died.
When the young men came in and saw that she
was dead, they carried her out and buried her
beside her husband. 11 Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what
had happened.
The Apostles Heal Many
12 The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And
all the believers were meeting regularly at the
Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 But no one else dared to join them,
even though all the people had high regard for
them. 14 Yet more and more people believed and
were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men
and women. 15 As a result of the apostles’ work,
sick people were brought out into the streets on
beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall
across some of them as he went by. 16 Crowds
came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil* spirits, and they were all healed.
The Apostles Meet Opposition
17 The high priest and his officials, who were
Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public
jail. 19 But an angel of the Lord came at night,
opened the gates of the jail, and brought them
out. Then he told them, 20 “Go to the Temple and
give the people this message of life!”
21 So at daybreak the apostles entered the
Temple, as they were told, and immediately
began teaching.
When the high priest and his officials arrived, they convened the high council*—the full
assembly of the elders of Israel. Then they sent
for the apostles to be brought from the jail for
trial. 22 But when the Temple guards went to the
jail, the men were gone. So they returned to the
council and reported, 23 “The jail was securely
locked, with the guards standing outside, but
when we opened the gates, no one was there!”
24 When the captain of the Temple guard
and the leading priests heard this, they were
perplexed, wondering where it would all end.
25 Then someone arrived with startling news:
“The men you put in jail are standing in the
Temple, teaching the people!”
26 The captain went with his Temple guards
5:16 Greek unclean. 5:21 Greek Sanhedrin; also in 5:27, 41.
5:30 Greek on a tree. 5:41 Greek for the name. 6:1 Greek
disciples; also in 6:2, 7.
and arrested the apostles, but without violence, for they were afraid the people would
stone them. 27 Then they brought the apostles
before the high council, where the high priest
confronted them. 28 “We gave you strict orders
never again to teach in this man’s name!” he
said. “Instead, you have filled all Jerusalem
with your teaching about him, and you want to
make us responsible for his death!”
29 But Peter and the apostles replied, “We
must obey God rather than any human authority. 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from
the dead after you killed him by hanging him
on a cross.* 31 Then God put him in the place of
honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior. He
did this so the people of Israel would repent of
their sins and be forgiven. 32 We are witnesses
of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is
given by God to those who obey him.”
33 When they heard this, the high council
was furious and decided to kill them. 34 But
one member, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, who
was an expert in religious law and respected by
all the people, stood up and ordered that the
men be sent outside the council chamber for a
while. 35 Then he said to his colleagues, “Men
of Israel, take care what you are planning to do
to these men! 36 Some time ago there was that
fellow Theudas, who pretended to be someone
great. About 400 others joined him, but he was
killed, and all his followers went their various
ways. The whole movement came to nothing.
37 After him, at the time of the census, there was
Judas of Galilee. He got people to follow him,
but he was killed, too, and all his followers were
scattered.
38 “So my advice is, leave these men alone.
Let them go. If they are planning and doing
these things merely on their own, it will soon
be overthrown. 39 But if it is from God, you will
not be able to overthrow them. You may even
find yourselves fighting against God!”
40 The others accepted his advice. They called
in the apostles and had them flogged. Then they
ordered them never again to speak in the name
of Jesus, and they let them go.
41 The apostles left the high council rejoicing
that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus.* 42 And every day,
in the Temple and from house to house, they
continued to teach and preach this message:
“Jesus is the Messiah.”
Seven Men Chosen to Serve
But as the believers* rapidly multiplied,
there were rumblings of discontent. The
Greek-speaking believers complained about
the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that
their widows were being discriminated against
in the daily distribution of food.
2 So the Twelve called a meeting of all the
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