Moffatt(i)
1 But a man called Ananias, who with his wife Sapphira had sold some property,
2 appropriated some of the purchase-money with the connivance of his wife; he only brought part of it to lay before the feet of the apostles.
3 "Ananias," said Peter, "why has Satan filled your heart and made you cheat the holy Spirit by appropriating some of the money paid for the land?
4 When it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And even after the sale, was the money not yours to do as you pleased about it? How could you think of doing a thing like this? You have not defrauded men but God."
5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and expired. (Great awe came over all who heard of it.)
6 And the younger men rose, wrapped the body up and carried it away to be buried.
7 After an interval of about three hours his wife happened to come in, quite unconscious of what had occurred.
8 "Tell me," said Peter, "did you only sell the land for such and such a sum?" "Yes," she said, "that was all we sold it for."
9 Peter said to her, "How could you arrange to put the Lord's Spirit to the proof? Listen, there are the footsteps of the men who have buried your husband! They are at the door, and they will carry you out as well."
10 Instantly she fell down at their feet and expired. The younger men came in to find her dead; they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
11 Great awe came over the whole church and over all who heard about this.
12 [Move first half of vs to start of vs 15] Many miracles and wonders were performed among the people by the apostles. Now they all without exception met in the portico of Solomon.
13 Though the people extolled them, not a soul from the outside dared to join them.
14 On the other hand, crowds of men and women who believed in the Lord were brought in.
15 In fact, invalids were actually carried into the streets and laid on beds and mattresses, so that, when Peter passed, his shadow at anyrate might fall on one or other of them.
16 Crowds gathered even from the towns round Jerusalem, bringing invalids and people troubled with unclean spirits, all of whom were healed.
17 This filled the high priest Annas and his allies, the Sadducean party, with bitter jealousy;
18 they laid hands on the apostles and put them into the public prison,
19 but an angel of the Lord opened the prison-doors during the night and brought them out, saying,
20 "Go and stand in the temple, telling the people all about this Life."
21 With these orders they went into the temple about dawn and proceeded to teach. Meantime the high priest and his allies met, called the Sanhedrin together and the council of seniors belonging to the sons of Israel, and then sent to prison for the men.
22 But as the attendants did not find them when they got to the prison, they came back to report,
23 "We found the prison safely locked up with the sentries posted at the doors, but on opening the doors we found no one inside!"
24 On hearing this the commander of the temple and the high priests were quite at a loss to know what to make of it.
25 However, someone came and reported to them, "Here are the very men you put in prison, standing in the temple and teaching the people!"
26 At this the commander went off with the attendants and fetched them — but without using violence, for fear that the people would pelt them with stones.
27 They conducted them before the Sanhedrin, and the high priest asked them,
28 "We strictly forbade you to teach about this Name, did we not? And here you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine! You want to make us responsible for this man's death!"
29 Peter and the apostles answered, "One must obey God rather than men.
30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus whom you murdered by hanging him on a gibbet.
31 God lifted him up to his right hand as our pioneer and saviour, in order to grant repentance and remission of sins to Israel.
32 To these facts we bear witness, with the holy Spirit which God has given to those who obey him."
33 When they heard this, they were so furious that they determined to make away with the apostles.
34 But a Pharisee in the Sanhedrin called Gamaliel, a doctor of the Law who was highly respected by all the people, got up and ordered the apostles to be removed for a few moments.
35 Then he said, "Men of Israel, take care what you do about these men.
36 In days gone by Theudas started up, claiming to be a person of importance; a number of men, about four hundred of them, rallied to him, but he was slain, and all his followers were dispersed and wiped out.
37 After him Judas the Galilean started up at the time of the census, and got people to desert to him; but he perished too, and all his followers were scattered.
38 So I advise you to-day to leave these men to themselves. Let them alone. If this project or enterprise springs from men, it will collapse;
39 whereas, if it really springs from God, you will be unable to put them down. You may even find yourselves fighting God!"
40 They gave in to him, and after summoning the apostles and giving them a flogging, they released them with instructions that they were not to speak about the name of Jesus.
41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy of suffering dishonour for the sake of the Name;
42 not for a single day did they cease to teach and preach the gospel of Jesus the Christ in the temple and at home.