Shǐtúxíngzhuàn 4

1 Shǐtú duì bǎixìng shuōhuà de shíhou , jìsī men hé shǒu diàn guān , bìng Sādūgāi rén , hūrán lái le .

2 Yīn tāmen jiàoxun bǎixìng , bĕn zhè Yēsū , chuánshuō sǐ rén fùhuó , jiù hĕn fán nǎo .

3 Yúshì xià shǒu ná zhù tāmen . yīnwei tiān yǐjing wǎn le , jiù bǎ tāmen yē dào dì èr tiān .

4 Dàn tīng dào zhī rén , yǒu xǔduō xìn de , nán dīng shùmù , yuē yǒu wǔ qiā .

5 Dì èr tiān , guānfǔ , zhǎnglǎo , hé Wénshì , zaì Yēlùsǎlĕng jùhuì .

6 Yòu yǒu Dàjìsī Yànà , hé Gāiyàfǎ , Yuēhàn , yà lì shān dà , bìng Dàjìsī de qīnzú dōu zaì nàli .

7 Jiào shǐtú zhàn zaì dāngzhōng , jiù wèn tāmen shuō , nǐmen yòng shénme nénglì , fèng shuí de míng , zuò zhè shì ne .

8 Nàshí , Bǐdé beì Shènglíng chōngmǎn , duì tāmen shuō ,

9 Zhì mín de guānfǔ , hé zhǎnglǎo a , tǎngruò jīnrì , yīnwei zaì cánji rénshēn shàng suǒ xíng de shàn shì , cháwèn wǒmen tā shì zĕnyàng dé le quányù .

10 Nǐmen zhòngrén , hé Yǐsèliè bǎixìng , dōu dàng zhīdào , zhàn zaì nǐmen miànqián de zhè rén dé quányù , shì yīn nǐmen suǒ dìng shízìjià , shén jiào tā cōng sǐ lǐ fùhuó de , Násǎlè rén Yēsū Jīdū de míng .

11 Tā shì nǐmen jiàngrén suǒ qì de shítou , yǐjing chéng le fáng jiǎo de tóu kuaì shítou .

12 Chú tā yǐwaì , bié wú zhĕngjiù . yīnwei zaì tiān xià rénjiān , méiyǒu cì xià biéde míng , wǒmen kĕyǐ kào zhe déjiù .

13 Tāmen jiàn Bǐdé Yuēhàn de dǎnliàng , yòu kàn chū tāmen yuán shì méiyǒu xuéwen de xiǎo mín , jiù xīqí , rèn míng tāmen shì gēn guò Yēsū de .

14 Yòu kànjian nà zhì hǎo le de rén , hé tāmen yītóng zhàn zhe , jiù wú huà kè bó .

15 Yúshì fēnfu tāmen cōng gōnghuì chū qù , jiù bǐcǐ shāngyì shuō ,

16 Wǒmen dàng zĕnyàng bàn zhè liǎng gèrén ne , yīnwei tāmen chéngrán xíng le yī jiàn míngxiǎn de shénjī , fán zhù Yēlùsǎlĕng de rén dōu zhīdào , wǒmen yĕ bùnéng shuō méiyǒu .

17 Wéikǎng zhè shì yuè chuán yáng zaì mínjiān , wǒmen bìxū kǒng hè tāmen , jiào tāmen bù zaì fèng zhè míng duì rén jiǎnglùn .

18 Yúshì jiào le tāmen , jìnzhǐ tāmen , zǒng bùkĕ fèng Yēsū de míng jiǎnglùn jiàoxun rén .

19 Bǐdé Yuēhàn shuō , tīng cōng nǐmen , bù tīng cōng shén , zhè zaì shén miànqián hélǐ bù hélǐ , nǐmen zìjǐ zhuóliàng bā .

20 Wǒmen suǒ kànjian suǒ tīngjian de , bùnéng bù shuō .

21 Guān zhǎng wéi bǎixìng de yuángù , xiǎng bú chū fǎzi xíngfá tāmen , yòu kǒng hè yī fān , bǎ tāmen shìfàng le . zhè shì yīn zhòngrén wéi suǒ xíng de qí shì , dōu guī róngyào yǔ shén .

22 Yuánlái jiè zhe shénjī yī hǎo de nà rén , yǒu sì shí duō suì le .

23 Èr rén jì beì shìfàng , jiù dào huì yǒu nàli qù , bǎ Jìsīzhǎng hé zhǎnglǎo suǒ shuō de huà , dōu gàosu tāmen .

24 Tāmen tīngjian le , jiù tóngxīn héyì de , gāo shēng xiàng shén shuō , Zhǔ a , nǐ shì zào tiān , dì , hǎi , hé qízhōng wànwù de .

25 Nǐ céng jiè zhe Shènglíng , tuō nǐ púrén wǒmen zǔzong Dàwèi de kǒu , shuō , waì bāng wèishénme zhēng nào , wàn mín wèishénme móu suàn xūwàng de shì .

26 Shìshang de jūnwáng yī qí qǐlai , chénzǎi yĕ jùjí , yào dídǎng zhǔ , bìng zhǔ de shòu gāo zhĕ . ( huò zuò Jīdū )

27 Xīlǜ hé Bĕndiūbǐlāduō , waìbāngrén hé Yǐsèliè mín , guǒrán zaì zhè chéng lǐ jùjí , yào gōngdǎ nǐ suǒ gāo de shèng pú Yēsū , ( pū/2 huò zuò zǐ ) .

28 Chéngjiù nǐ shǒu hé nǐ yìzhǐ suǒ yùdéng bì yǒude shì .

29 Tāmen kǒng hè wǒmen , xiànzaì qiú zhǔ jiàn chá .

30 Yī miàn jiào nǐ púrén dà fàngdǎn liàng , jiǎng nǐde dào , yī miàn shēn chū nǐde shǒu lái , yīzhì jíbìng , bìngqiĕ shǐ shénjī qí shì , yīn zhe nǐ shèng pú Yēsū de míng xíng chūlai . pú huò zuò zǐ

31 Dǎogào wán le , jùhuì de dìfang zhèndòng , tāmen jiù dōu beì Shènglíng chōngmǎn , fàngdǎn jiǎnglùn shén de dào .

32 Nà xǔduō xìn de rén , dōu shì yī xīn yī yì de , méiyǒu yī rén shuō , tāde dōngxi yǒu yíyàng shì zìjǐ de , dōu shì dàjiā gōng yòng .

33 Shǐtú dà yǒu nénglì , jiànzhèng zhǔ Yēsū fùhuó . zhòngrén yĕ dōu méng dà ēn .

34 Neì zhòng yĕ méiyǒu yī gè quē fá de , yīnwei rénrén jiāng tián chǎn fángwū dōu maì le , bǎ suǒ maì de jià yín ná lái , fàng zaì shǐtú jiǎo qián .

35 Zhào gèrén suǒ xū yòng de , fèn gĕi gèrén .

36 Yǒu yī gè Lìwèi rén , shēng zaì jū bǐ lù , míng jiào Yūesè , shǐtú chèng tā wéi Bāná bā . ( Bāná bā fān chūlai , jiù shì quànwèi zǐ ) .

37 Tā yǒu tiándì , yĕ maì le , bǎ jià yín ná lái , fàng zaì shǐtú jiǎo qián .

Shǐtúxíngzhuàn 4 Commentary

Chapter 4

Peter and John imprisoned. (1-4) The apostles boldly testify to Christ. (5-14) Peter and John refuse to be silenced. (15-22) The believers unite in prayer and praise. (23-31) The holy charity of the Christians. (32-37)

Verses 1-4 The apostles preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. It includes all the happiness of the future state; this they preached through Jesus Christ, to be had through him only. Miserable is their case, to whom the glory of Christ's kingdom is a grief; for since the glory of that kingdom is everlasting, their grief will be everlasting also. The harmless and useful servants of Christ, like the apostles, have often been troubled for their work of faith and labour of love, when wicked men have escaped. And to this day instances are not wanting, in which reading the Scriptures, social prayer, and religious conversation meet with frowns and checks. But if we obey the precepts of Christ, he will support us.

Verses 5-14 Peter being filled with the Holy Ghost, would have all to understand, that the miracle had been wrought by the name, or power, of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, whom they had crucified; and this confirmed their testimony to his resurrection from the dead, which proved him to be the Messiah. These rulers must either be saved by that Jesus whom they had crucified, or they must perish for ever. The name of Jesus is given to men of every age and nation, as that whereby alone believers are saved from the wrath to come. But when covetousness, pride, or any corrupt passion, rules within, men shut their eyes, and close their hearts, in enmity against the light; considering all as ignorant and unlearned, who desire to know nothing in comparison with Christ crucified. And the followers of Christ should act so that all who converse with them, may take knowledge that they have been with Jesus. That makes them holy, heavenly, spiritual, and cheerful, and raises them above this world.

Verses 15-22 All the care of the rulers is, that the doctrine of Christ spread not among the people, yet they cannot say it is false or dangerous, or of any ill tendency; and they are ashamed to own the true reason; that it testifies against their hypocrisy, wickedness, and tyranny. Those who know how to put a just value upon Christ's promises, know how to put just contempt upon the world's threatenings. The apostles look with concern on perishing souls, and know they cannot escape eternal ruin but by Jesus Christ, therefore they are faithful in warning, and showing the right way. None will enjoy peace of mind, nor act uprightly, till they have learned to guide their conduct by the fixed standard of truth, and not by the shifting opinions and fancies of men. Especially beware of a vain attempt to serve two masters, God and the world; the end will be, you can serve neither fully.

Verses 23-31 Christ's followers do best in company, provided it is their own company. It encourages God's servants, both in doing work, and suffering work, that they serve the God who made all things, and therefore has the disposal of all events; and the Scriptures must be fulfilled. Jesus was anointed to be a Saviour, therefore it was determined he should be a sacrifice, to make atonement for sin. But sin is not the less evil for God's bringing good out of it. In threatening times, our care should not be so much that troubles may be prevented, as that we may go on with cheerfulness and courage in our work and duty. They do not pray, Lord let us go away from our work, now that it is become dangerous, but, Lord, give us thy grace to go on stedfastly in our work, and not to fear the face of man. Those who desire Divine aid and encouragement, may depend upon having them, and they ought to go forth, and go on, in the strength of the Lord God. God gave a sign of acceptance of their prayers. The place was shaken, that their faith might be established and unshaken. God gave them greater degrees of his Spirit; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, more than ever; by which they were not only encouraged, but enabled to speak the word of God with boldness. When they find the Lord God help them by his Spirit, they know they shall not be confounded, ( Isaiah 1.7 ) .

Verses 32-37 The disciples loved one another. This was the blessed fruit of Christ's dying precept to his disciples, and his dying prayer for them. Thus it was then, and it will be so again, when the Spirit shall be poured upon us from on high. The doctrine preached was the resurrection of Christ; a matter of fact, which being duly explained, was a summary of all the duties, privileges, and comforts of Christians. There were evident fruits of Christ's grace in all they said and did. They were dead to this world. This was a great evidence of the grace of God in them. They did not take away others' property, but they were indifferent to it. They did not call it their own; because they had, in affection, forsaken all for Christ, and were expecting to be stripped of all for cleaving to him. No marvel that they were of one heart and soul, when they sat so loose to the wealth of this world. In effect, they had all things common; for there was not any among them who lacked, care was taken for their supply. The money was laid at the apostles' feet. Great care ought to be taken in the distribution of public charity, that it be given to such as have need, such as are not able to procure a maintenance for themselves; those who are reduced to want for well-doing, and for the testimony of a good conscience, ought to be provided for. Here is one in particular mentioned, remarkable for this generous charity; it was Barnabas. As one designed to be a preacher of the gospel, he disentangled himself from the affairs of this life. When such dispositions prevail, and are exercised according to the circumstances of the times, the testimony will have very great power upon others.