Acts 2

1 And when the day of Pentecost was now accomplishing, [a] they were all together in one place.
2 And there came suddenly a sound out of heaven as of a violent impetuous blowing, [b] and filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared to them parted tongues, as of fire, and it sat upon each one of them.
4 And they were all filled with [the] Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave to them to speak forth.
5 Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, pious men, from every nation of those under heaven.
6 But the rumour of this having spread, [c] the multitude came together and were confounded, because each one heard them speaking in his own dialect.
7 And all were amazed and wondered, saying, Behold, are not all these who are speaking Galilaeans?
8 and how do *we* hear [them] each in our own dialect in which we have been born,
9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and those who inhabit Mesopotamia, and Judaea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
10 both Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt, and the parts of Libya which adjoin Cyrene, and the Romans sojourning [here], both Jews and proselytes,
11 Cretans and Arabians, we hear them speaking in our own tongues the great things of God?
12 And they were all amazed and in perplexity, saying one to another, What would this mean?
13 But others mocking said, They are full of new wine.
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and spoke forth to them, Men of Judaea, and all ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give heed to my words:
15 for these are not full of wine, as *ye* suppose, for it is the third hour of the day;
16 but this is that which was spoken through the prophet Joel, [d]
17 And it shall be in the last days, saith God, [that] I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your elders shall dream with dreams;
18 yea, even upon my bondmen and upon my bondwomen in those days will I pour out of my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will give wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
20 the sun shall be changed to darkness and the moon to blood, before the great and gloriously appearing [e] day of [the] Lord come.
21 And it shall be that whosoever shall call upon the name of [the] Lord [f] shall be saved.
22 Men of Israel, [g] hear these words: Jesus the Nazaraean, a man borne witness to by God to you by works of power and wonders and signs, which God wrought by him in your midst, as yourselves know
23 -- him, given up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye, by [the] hand of lawless [men], have crucified and slain.
24 Whom God has raised up, having loosed the pains of death, inasmuch as it was not possible that he should be held by its power;
25 for David says as to him, I foresaw the Lord continually before me, because he is at my right hand that I may not be moved.
26 Therefore has my heart rejoiced and my tongue exulted; yea more, my flesh also shall dwell in hope,
27 for thou wilt not leave my soul in hades, nor wilt thou give thy gracious one to see corruption.
28 Thou hast made known to me [the] paths of life, thou wilt fill me with joy with thy countenance.
29 Brethren, let it be allowed to speak with freedom to you concerning the patriarch David, that he has both died and been buried, and his monument is amongst us unto this day.
30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn to him with an oath, of the fruit of his loins to set upon his throne;
31 he, seeing [it] before, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that neither has he been left in hades nor his flesh seen corruption.
32 This Jesus has God raised up, whereof all *we* are witnesses.
33 Having therefore been exalted by the right hand of God, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which *ye* behold and hear.
34 For David has not ascended into the heavens, but he says himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit at my right hand
35 until I have put thine enemies [to be] the footstool of thy feet.
36 Let the whole house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him, this Jesus whom *ye* have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
37 And having heard [it] they were pricked in heart, and said to Peter and the other apostles, What shall we do, brethren?
38 And Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptised, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for remission of sins, and ye will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 For to you is the promise and to your children, and to all who [are] afar off, as many as [the] Lord our God may call.
40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, Be saved from this perverse generation.
41 Those then who had accepted his word were baptised; and there were added in that day about three thousand souls.
42 And they persevered in the teaching and fellowship of the apostles, in breaking of bread and prayers.
43 And fear was upon every soul, and many wonders and signs took place through the apostles' means.
44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common,
45 and sold their possessions and substance, and distributed them to all, according as any one might have need.
46 And every day, being constantly in the temple with one accord, and breaking bread in [the] house, they received their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,
47 praising God, and having favour with all the people; and the Lord added [to the assembly] daily those that were to be saved.

Images for Acts 2

Footnotes 18

  • [a]. It was come and running its course of fulfilment as a feast.
  • [b]. It is not 'wind,' but they heard blowing, as of hard breathing, for which the Greek is used. 'Blast' is too sudden and passing.
  • [c]. Or 'this voice having taken place ' but I believe what is in the text to be the sense. It was what happened at the place which brought the crowd there: it was not the mighty rushing wind being heard everywhere. The end of the verse goes to confirm this. What struck those who came was hearing their own tongues: Gen. 45.16 and Jer. 50.46 are examples. The rumours of Jacob's coming spread to Pharaoh's house.
  • [d]. See Joel 2.28.
  • [e]. Though used for 'illustrious,' 'glorious,' the Greek word has in it the sense of 'manifestation, appearing, displaying itself:' see Titus 2.11,13.
  • [f]. 'Jehovah;' so ver 39.
  • [g]. Lit. 'Men, Israelites,' as elsewhere, cf. ch. 1.16.
  • [h]. 'Borne witness to, to you,' is not agreeable English; but 'approved,' in the modern use at any rate, is not the sense, and 'among you is feeble. The manifestation or demonstration was to the Jews. The witness was borne to them objectively, to Jesus as its subject.
  • [i]. See Ps. 16.8.
  • [j]. Lit. 'and more also.'
  • [k]. Or 'holy,' hosios. It corresponds to the Hebrew chasid = merciful, gracious: see Note f, ch. 13.34,35; 2Chron. 6.42; and Heb. 7.26.
  • [l]. 'in' (eis) hades: see Note, Matt. 11.23.
  • [m]. Or, 'of Christ. '
  • [n]. See Ps. 110.1.
  • [o]. It means, 'to receive in full,' or 'with satisfaction;' or, as to an opinion or teaching, 'to accept and receive it as true:' see Note, Luke 8.40.
  • [p]. As ch. 13.12; 1Cor. 14.26.
  • [q]. See Note g, ch. 3.1.
  • [r]. The remnant of Israel whom God was sparing. The Lord now added these to the Christian assembly. The present participle as here gives the character instead of the fact; as I might say, 'the being spared ones;' it is the class of persons God was then saving. It is not a doubt as to their being saved, nor a state, but a class: see Luke 13.23.

Acts 2 Commentaries

The Darby Translation is in the public domain.