Many Signs and Wonders Done
12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people
1by the hands of the apostles. And they were all
2together in
3Solomon's Portico.
13
None of the rest dared join them, but
4the people held them in high esteem.
14
And
5more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,
15
6so that they even
7carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by
8at least his shadow might fall on some of them.
16
The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem,
9bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.
The Apostles Arrested and Freed
17 But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of
10the Sadducees), and filled with
11jealousy
18
they arrested the apostles and
12put them in the public prison.
19
But during the night
13an angel of the Lord
14opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said,
20
"Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all
15the words of
16this
17Life."
21
And when they heard this,
18they entered the temple
19at daybreak and began to teach. Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council and all the senate of the people of Israel and sent to the prison to have them brought.
22
But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so 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
Now when
20the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to.
25
And someone came and told them, "Look! The men whom you put in prison
21are standing in the temple and teaching the people."
26
Then
22the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for
23they were afraid of being stoned by the people.
27
And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them,
28
saying,
24"We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you
25intend to bring this man's blood upon us."
29
But Peter and the apostles answered,
26"We must obey God rather than men.
30
27The God of our fathers
28raised Jesus,
29whom you killed by hanging him on
30a tree.
31
God exalted
31him at his right hand as
32Leader and
33Savior,
34to give
35repentance to Israel and
36forgiveness of sins.
32
And
37we are witnesses to these things, and
38so is the Holy Spirit,
39whom God has given to those who obey him."
33
When they heard this, they
40were enraged and wanted to kill them.
34
But a Pharisee in the council named
41Gamaliel,
42a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while.
35
And he said to them, "Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men.
36
For
43before these days Theudas rose up,
44claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.
37
After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of
45the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered.
38
So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for
46if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail;
39
but
47if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You
48might even be found opposing God!" So they took his advice,
40
and
49when they had called in the apostles,
50they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41
Then they left the presence of the council,
51rejoicing that they were counted worthy
52to suffer dishonor for
53the name.
42
And every day,
54in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and
55preaching
56Jesus as the Christ.