Good News Translation (GNT)

1 Dear Theophilus:

In my first book I wrote about all the things that Jesus did and taught from the time he began his work

2 until the day he was taken up to heaven. Before he was taken up, he gave instructions by the power of the Holy Spirit to the men he had chosen as his apostles.

3 For forty days after his death he appeared to them many times in ways that proved beyond doubt that he was alive. They saw him, and he talked with them about the Kingdom of God.

4 And when they came together,he gave them this order: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift I told you about, the gift my Father promised.

5 John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus Is Taken Up to Heaven

6 When the apostles met together with Jesus, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time give the Kingdom back to Israel?”

7 Jesus said to them, “The times and occasions are set by my Father’s own authority, and it is not for you to know when they will be.

8 But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

9 After saying this, he was taken up to heaven as they watched him, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

10 They still had their eyes fixed on the sky as he went away, when two men dressed in white suddenly stood beside them

11 and said, “Galileans, why are you standing there looking up at the sky? This Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way that you saw him go to heaven.”

Judas’ Successor

12 Then the apostles went back to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is about half a mile away from the city.

13 They entered the city and went up to the room where they were staying: Peter, John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Patriot, and Judas son of James.

14 They gathered frequently to pray as a group, together with the women and with Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers.

15 A few days later there was a meeting of the believers, about a hundred and twenty in all, and Peter stood up to speak.

16 “My friends,” he said, “the scripture had to come true in which the Holy Spirit, speaking through David, made a prediction about Judas, who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.

17 Judas was a member of our group, for he had been chosen to have a part in our work.”

(

18 With the money that Judas got for his evil act he bought a field, where he fell to his death; he burst open and all his insides spilled out.

19 All the people living in Jerusalem heard about it, and so in their own language they call that field Akeldama, which means “Field of Blood.”)

20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms,

‘May his house become empty;

may no one live in it.’

It is also written,

‘May someone else take his place of service.’

21-22 “So then, someone must join us as a witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. He must be one of the men who were in our group during the whole time that the Lord Jesus traveled about with us, beginning from the time John preached his message of baptismuntil the day Jesus was taken up from us to heaven.”

23 So they proposed two men: Joseph, who was called Barsabbas (also known as Justus), and Matthias.

24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know the thoughts of everyone, so show us which of these two you have chosen

25 to serve as an apostle in the place of Judas, who left to go to the place where he belongs.”

26 Then they drew lots to choose between the two men, and the one chosen was Matthias, who was added to the group of eleven apostles.

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/ACT/1-07474577fc41640fbeef819dd244aa43.mp3?version_id=68—

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

1 When the day of Pentecost came, all the believers were gathered together in one place.

2 Suddenly there was a noise from the sky which sounded like a strong wind blowing, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

3 Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire which spread out and touched each person there.

4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.

5 There were Jews living in Jerusalem, religious people who had come from every country in the world.

6 When they heard this noise, a large crowd gathered. They were all excited, because all of them heard the believers talking in their own languages.

7 In amazement and wonder they exclaimed, “These people who are talking like this are Galileans!

8 How is it, then, that all of us hear them speaking in our own native languages?

9 We are from Parthia, Media, and Elam; from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia; from Pontus and Asia,

10 from Phrygia and Pamphylia, from Egypt and the regions of Libya near Cyrene. Some of us are from Rome,

11 both Jews and Gentiles converted to Judaism, and some of us are from Crete and Arabia—yet all of us hear them speaking in our own languages about the great things that God has done!”

12 Amazed and confused, they kept asking each other, “What does this mean?”

13 But others made fun of the believers, saying, “These people are drunk!”

Peter’s Message

14 Then Peter stood up with the other eleven apostles and in a loud voice began to speak to the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, listen to me and let me tell you what this means.

15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose; it is only nine o’clock in the morning.

16 Instead, this is what the prophet Joel spoke about:

17 ‘This is what I will do in the last days, God says:

I will pour out my Spirit on everyone.

Your sons and daughters will proclaim my message;

your young men will see visions,

and your old men will have dreams.

18 Yes, even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days,

and they will proclaim my message.

19 I will perform miracles in the sky above

and wonders on the earth below.

There will be blood, fire, and thick smoke;

20 the sun will be darkened,

and the moon will turn red as blood,

before the great and glorious Day of the Lord comes.

21 And then, whoever calls out to the Lord for help will be saved.’

22 “Listen to these words, fellow Israelites! Jesus of Nazareth was a man whose divine authority was clearly proven to you by all the miracles and wonders which God performed through him. You yourselves know this, for it happened here among you.

23 In accordance with his own plan God had already decided that Jesus would be handed over to you; and you killed him by letting sinful men crucify him.

24 But God raised him from death, setting him free from its power, because it was impossible that death should hold him prisoner.

25 For David said about him,

‘I saw the Lord before me at all times;

he is near me, and I will not be troubled.

26 And so I am filled with gladness,

and my words are full of joy.

And I, mortal though I am,

will rest assured in hope,

27 because you will not abandon me in the world of the dead;

you will not allow your faithful servant to rot in the grave.

28 You have shown me the paths that lead to life,

and your presence will fill me with joy.’

29 “My friends, I must speak to you plainly about our famous ancestor King David. He died and was buried, and his grave is here with us to this very day.

30 He was a prophet, and he knew what God had promised him: God had made a vow that he would make one of David’s descendants a king, just as David was.

31 David saw what God was going to do in the future, and so he spoke about the resurrection of the Messiah when he said,

‘He was not abandoned in the world of the dead;

his body did not rot in the grave.’

32 God has raised this very Jesus from death, and we are all witnesses to this fact.

33 He has been raised to the right side of God, his Father, and has received from him the Holy Spirit, as he had promised. What you now see and hear is his gift that he has poured out on us.

34 For it was not David who went up into heaven; rather he said,

‘The Lord said to my Lord:

Sit here at my right side

35 until I put your enemies as a footstool under your feet.’

36 “All the people of Israel, then, are to know for sure that this Jesus, whom you crucified, is the one that God has made Lord and Messiah!”

37 When the people heard this, they were deeply troubled and said to Peter and the other apostles, “What shall we do, brothers?”

38 Peter said to them, “Each one of you must turn away from your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven; and you will receive God’s gift, the Holy Spirit.

39 For God’s promise was made to you and your children, and to all who are far away—all whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

40 Peter made his appeal to them and with many other words he urged them, saying, “Save yourselves from the punishment coming on this wicked people!”

41 Many of them believed his message and were baptized, and about three thousand people were added to the group that day.

42 They spent their time in learning from the apostles, taking part in the fellowship, and sharing in the fellowship meals and the prayers.

Life among the Believers

43 Many miracles and wonders were being done through the apostles, and everyone was filled with awe.

44 All the believers continued together in close fellowship and shared their belongings with one another.

45 They would sell their property and possessions, and distribute the money among all, according to what each one needed.

46 Day after day they met as a group in the Temple, and they had their meals together in their homes, eating with glad and humble hearts,

47 praising God, and enjoying the good will of all the people. And every day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/ACT/2-2c9b24fb13a948a668ffdaf9e015d401.mp3?version_id=68—

A Lame Beggar Is Healed

1 One day Peter and John went to the Temple at three o’clock in the afternoon, the hour for prayer.

2 There at the Beautiful Gate, as it was called, was a man who had been lame all his life. Every day he was carried to the gate to beg for money from the people who were going into the Temple.

3 When he saw Peter and John going in, he begged them to give him something.

4 They looked straight at him, and Peter said, “Look at us!”

5 So he looked at them, expecting to get something from them.

6 But Peter said to him, “I have no money at all, but I give you what I have: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth I order you to get up and walk!”

7 Then he took him by his right hand and helped him up. At once the man’s feet and ankles became strong;

8 he jumped up, stood on his feet, and started walking around. Then he went into the Temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God.

9 The people there saw him walking and praising God,

10 and when they recognized him as the beggar who had sat at the Beautiful Gate, they were all surprised and amazed at what had happened to him.

Peter’s Message in the Temple

11 As the man held on to Peter and John in Solomon’s Porch, as it was called, the people were amazed and ran to them.

12 When Peter saw the people, he said to them, “Fellow Israelites, why are you surprised at this, and why do you stare at us? Do you think that it was by means of our own power or godliness that we made this man walk?

13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has given divine glory to his Servant Jesus. But you handed him over to the authorities, and you rejected him in Pilate’s presence, even after Pilate had decided to set him free.

14 He was holy and good, but you rejected him, and instead you asked Pilate to do you the favor of turning loose a murderer.

15 You killed the one who leads to life, but God raised him from death—and we are witnesses to this.

16 It was the power of his name that gave strength to this lame man. What you see and know was done by faith in his name; it was faith in Jesus that has made him well, as you can all see.

17 “And now, my friends, I know that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was due to your ignorance.

18 God announced long ago through all the prophets that his Messiah had to suffer; and he made it come true in this way.

19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that he will forgive your sins. If you do,

20 times of spiritual strength will come from the Lord, and he will send Jesus, who is the Messiah he has already chosen for you.

21 He must remain in heaven until the time comes for all things to be made new, as God announced through his holy prophets of long ago.

22 For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will send you a prophet, just as he sent me,and he will be one of your own people. You are to obey everything that he tells you to do.

23 Anyone who does not obey that prophet shall be separated from God’s people and destroyed.’

24 And all the prophets who had a message, including Samuel and those who came after him, also announced what has been happening these days.

25 The promises of God through his prophets are for you, and you share in the covenant which God made with your ancestors. As he said to Abraham, ‘Through your descendants I will bless all the people on earth.’

26 And so God chose his Servant and sent him to you first, to bless you by making every one of you turn away from your wicked ways.”

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/ACT/3-1c9b2698eb7aa300bb2b939754c0209f.mp3?version_id=68—

Peter and John before the Council

1 Peter and John were still speaking to the people when some priests,the officer in charge of the Temple guards, and some Sadducees arrived.

2 They were annoyed because the two apostles were teaching the people that Jesus had risen from death, which proved that the dead will rise to life.

3 So they arrested them and put them in jail until the next day, since it was already late.

4 But many who heard the message believed; and the number grew to about five thousand.

5 The next day the Jewish leaders, the elders, and the teachers of the Law gathered in Jerusalem.

6 They met with the High Priest Annas and with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and the others who belonged to the High Priest’s family.

7 They made the apostles stand before them and asked them, “How did you do this? What power do you have or whose name did you use?”

8 Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, answered them, “Leaders of the people and elders:

9 if we are being questioned today about the good deed done to the lame man and how he was healed,

10 then you should all know, and all the people of Israel should know, that this man stands here before you completely well through the power of the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth—whom you crucified and whom God raised from death.

11 Jesus is the one of whom the scripture says,

‘The stone that you the builders despised

turned out to be the most important of all.’

12 Salvation is to be found through him alone; in all the world there is no one else whom God has given who can save us.”

13 The members of the Council were amazed to see how bold Peter and John were and to learn that they were ordinary men of no education. They realized then that they had been companions of Jesus.

14 But there was nothing that they could say, because they saw the man who had been healed standing there with Peter and John.

15 So they told them to leave the Council room, and then they started discussing among themselves.

16 “What shall we do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone in Jerusalem knows that this extraordinary miracle has been performed by them, and we cannot deny it.

17 But to keep this matter from spreading any further among the people, let us warn these men never again to speak to anyone in the name of Jesus.”

18 So they called them back in and told them that under no condition were they to speak or to teach in the name of Jesus.

19 But Peter and John answered them, “You yourselves judge which is right in God’s sight—to obey you or to obey God.

20 For we cannot stop speaking of what we ourselves have seen and heard.”

21 So the Council warned them even more strongly and then set them free. They saw that it was impossible to punish them, because the people were all praising God for what had happened.

22 The man on whom this miracle of healing had been performed was over forty years old.

The Believers Pray for Boldness

23 As soon as Peter and John were set free, they returned to their group and told them what the chief priests and the elders had said.

24 When the believers heard it, they all joined together in prayer to God: “Master and Creator of heaven, earth, and sea, and all that is in them!

25 By means of the Holy Spirit you spoke through our ancestor David, your servant, when he said,

‘Why were the Gentiles furious;

why did people make their useless plots?

26 The kings of the earth prepared themselves,

and the rulers met together

against the Lord and his Messiah.’

27 For indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together in this city with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Jesus, your holy Servant, whom you made Messiah.

28 They gathered to do everything that you by your power and will had already decided would happen.

29 And now, Lord, take notice of the threats they have made, and allow us, your servants, to speak your message with all boldness.

30 Reach out your hand to heal, and grant that wonders and miracles may be performed through the name of your holy Servant Jesus.”

31 When they finished praying, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim God’s message with boldness.

The Believers Share Their Possessions

32 The group of believers was one in mind and heart. None of them said that any of their belongings were their own, but they all shared with one another everything they had.

33 With great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God poured rich blessings on them all.

34 There was no one in the group who was in need. Those who owned fields or houses would sell them, bring the money received from the sale,

35 and turn it over to the apostles; and the money was distributed according to the needs of the people.

36 And so it was that Joseph, a Levite born in Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “One who Encourages”),

37 sold a field he owned, brought the money, and turned it over to the apostles.

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/ACT/4-084a5629cd30fc5701c3d482f62f0fcc.mp3?version_id=68—

Ananias and Sapphira

1 But there was a man named Ananias, who with his wife Sapphira sold some property that belonged to them.

2 But with his wife’s agreement he kept part of the money for himself and turned the rest over to the apostles.

3 Peter said to him, “Ananias, why did you let Satan take control of you and make you lie to the Holy Spirit by keeping part of the money you received for the property?

4 Before you sold the property, it belonged to you; and after you sold it, the money was yours. Why, then, did you decide to do such a thing? You have not lied to people—you have lied to God!”

5 As soon as Ananias heard this, he fell down dead; and all who heard about it were terrified.

6 The young men came in, wrapped up his body, carried him out, and buried him.

7 About three hours later his wife, not knowing what had happened, came in.

8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, was this the full amount you and your husband received for your property?”

“Yes,” she answered, “the full amount.”

9 So Peter said to her, “Why did you and your husband decide to put the Lord’s Spirit to the test? The men who buried your husband are at the door right now, and they will carry you out too!”

10 At once she fell down at his feet and died. The young men came in and saw that she was dead, so they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

11 The whole church and all the others who heard of this were terrified.

Miracles and Wonders

12 Many miracles and wonders were being performed among the people by the apostles. All the believers met together in Solomon’s Porch.

13 Nobody outside the group dared join them, even though the people spoke highly of them.

14 But more and more people were added to the group—a crowd of men and women who believed in the Lord.

15 As a result of what the apostles were doing, sick people were carried out into the streets and placed on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.

16 And crowds of people came in from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing those who were sick or who had evil spirits in them; and they were all healed.

The Apostles Are Persecuted

17 Then the High Priest and all his companions, members of the local party of the Sadducees, became extremely jealous of the apostles; so they decided to take action.

18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.

19 But that night an angel of the Lord opened the prison gates, led the apostles out, and said to them,

20 “Go and stand in the Temple, and tell the people all about this new life.”

21 The apostles obeyed, and at dawn they entered the Temple and started teaching.

The High Priest and his companions called together all the Jewish elders for a full meeting of the Council; then they sent orders to the prison to have the apostles brought before them.

22 But when the officials arrived, they did not find the apostles in prison, so they returned to the Council and reported,

23 “When we arrived at the jail, we found it locked up tight and all the guards on watch at the gates; but when we opened the gates, we found no one inside!”

24 When the chief priests and the officer in charge of the Temple guards heard this, they wondered what had happened to the apostles.

25 Then a man came in and said to them, “Listen! The men you put in prison are in the Temple teaching the people!”

26 So the officer went off with his men and brought the apostles back. They did not use force, however, because they were afraid that the people might stone them.

27 They brought the apostles in, made them stand before the Council, and the High Priest questioned them.

28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in the name of this man,” he said; “but see what you have done! You have spread your teaching all over Jerusalem, and you want to make us responsible for his death!”

29 Peter and the other apostles answered, “We must obey God, not men.

30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from death, after you had killed him by nailing him to a cross.

31 God raised him to his right side as Leader and Savior, to give the people of Israel the opportunity to repent and have their sins forgiven.

32 We are witnesses to these things—we and the Holy Spirit, who is God’s gift to those who obey him.”

33 When the members of the Council heard this, they were so furious that they wanted to have the apostles put to death.

34 But one of them, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, who was a teacher of the Law and was highly respected by all the people, stood up in the Council. He ordered the apostles to be taken out for a while,

35 and then he said to the Council, “Fellow Israelites, be careful what you do to these men.

36 You remember that Theudas appeared some time ago, claiming to be somebody great, and about four hundred men joined him. But he was killed, all his followers were scattered, and his movement died out.

37 After that, Judas the Galilean appeared during the time of the census; he drew a crowd after him, but he also was killed, and all his followers were scattered.

38 And so in this case, I tell you, do not take any action against these men. Leave them alone! If what they have planned and done is of human origin, it will disappear,

39 but if it comes from God, you cannot possibly defeat them. You could find yourselves fighting against God!”

The Council followed Gamaliel’s advice.

40 They called the apostles in, had them whipped, and ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus; and then they set them free.

41 As the apostles left the Council, they were happy, because God had considered them worthy to suffer disgrace for the sake of Jesus.

42 And every day in the Temple and in people’s homes they continued to teach and preach the Good News about Jesus the Messiah.

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/ACT/5-af782a6f279ff83436001a00dd263b63.mp3?version_id=68—

The Seven Helpers

1 Some time later, as the number of disciples kept growing, there was a quarrel between the Greek-speaking Jews and the native Jews. The Greek-speaking Jews claimed that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of funds.

2 So the twelve apostles called the whole group of believers together and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the preaching of God’s word in order to handle finances.

3 So then, friends, choose seven men among you who are known to be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and we will put them in charge of this matter.

4 We ourselves, then, will give our full time to prayer and the work of preaching.”

5 The whole group was pleased with the apostles’ proposal, so they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a Gentile from Antioch who had earlier been converted to Judaism.

6 The group presented them to the apostles, who prayed and placed their hands on them.

7 And so the word of God continued to spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem grew larger and larger, and a great number of priests accepted the faith.

The Arrest of Stephen

8 Stephen, a man richly blessed by God and full of power, performed great miracles and wonders among the people.

9 But he was opposed by some men who were members of the synagogue of the Freedmen(as it was called), which had Jews from Cyrene and Alexandria. They and other Jews from the provinces of Cilicia and Asia started arguing with Stephen.

10 But the Spirit gave Stephen such wisdom that when he spoke, they could not refute him.

11 So they bribed some men to say, “We heard him speaking against Moses and against God!”

12 In this way they stirred up the people, the elders, and the teachers of the Law. They seized Stephen and took him before the Council.

13 Then they brought in some men to tell lies about him. “This man,” they said, “is always talking against our sacred Temple and the Law of Moses.

14 We heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will tear down the Temple and change all the customs which have come down to us from Moses!”

15 All those sitting in the Council fixed their eyes on Stephen and saw that his face looked like the face of an angel.

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/ACT/6-cc8b691ad9e6e4a7d65ba3df13c5056d.mp3?version_id=68—