Acts 5

Williams^{(i) 1} But a man named Ananias, in partnership with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, ² and, with his wife's full knowledge of it, kept back for themselves a part of the money and brought only a part of it and put it at the disposal of the apostles. ³ And Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan so completely possessed your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and kept back for yourselves a part of the money received for the land? ⁴ As long as it was unsold, was it not yours, and when it was sold, was not the money at your disposal? How could you have the heart to do such a thing! You did not lie to men but to God!" ⁵ When Ananias heard these words, he fell dead, and a strange awe seized everybody who heard it. ⁶ The younger men, however, got up, wrapped up his body, carried it out, and buried it. ⁷ About three hours later, his wife came in, without having learned what had taken place. ⁸ Peter said to her, "Tell me, did you sell the land for such and such a sum?" She answered, "Yes, that is it." ⁹ Peter said to her, "How could both of you agree in such a way to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door; they will carry you out, too." ¹⁰ She instantly fell dead at his feet. When the young men came in, they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. ¹¹ So a strange awe seized the whole church and everybody who heard it. ¹² Many signs and wonders were continuously performed by the apostles among the people. And by common consent they all used to meet in Solomon's portico. ¹³ Not one of those on the outside dared to associate with them, although the people continued to hold them in high regard, ¹⁴ but still a vast number of people, both men and women, who believed in the Lord, continued to join them, ¹⁵ so that they kept bringing out into the streets their sick ones and putting them on little couches or pallets, that at least the shadow of Peter, as he went by, might fall on some of them. ¹⁶ Even from the towns around Jerusalem crowds continued coming in to bring their sick ones and those troubled with foul spirits, and they were all cured. ¹⁷ Now the high priest took a stand, and all his friends, the party of the Sadducees; and being filled with jealousy, ¹⁸ they had the apostles arrested and put into the common jail. ¹⁹ But in the night the angel of the Lord threw open the jail doors and let them out, and said to them, ²⁰ "Go and take your stand in the temple square and continue to tell the people the message of this new life." ²¹ So they obeyed, and about the break of day they went into the temple square and began to teach. The high priest and his party arrived and called a meeting of the council and the whole senate of the sons of Israel, and sent to the prison to have the men brought in. ²² But the attendants who went for them could not find them in the jail, and so came back and ²³ reported, "We found the prison safely locked and the keepers on duty at the doors, but on opening the doors we found no one on the inside." ²⁴ When the military commander of the temple square and the high priest heard this, they were utterly at a loss to know how this might turn out. ²⁵ But somebody came by and reported to them, "The men that you put in jail are standing right here in the temple square, teaching the people." ²⁶ Then the military commander went with his attendants and brought them back, but without any violence, for they were afraid of being pelted with stones by the people. ²⁷ So they brought them and had them stand before the council. And the high priest asked them, ²⁸ "Did we not positively forbid you to teach anymore on this authority, and yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and now want to bring on us the people's vengeance for this man's death!" ²⁹ Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men. ³⁰ The God of our forefathers raised Jesus to life after you had hanged Him on a cross and killed Him. ³¹ God has exalted to His right hand this very One as our Leader and Saviour, in order to give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. ³² We and the Holy Spirit that God has given to those who practice obedience to Him are witnesses to these things." ³³ When they heard this, they were furious, and wanted to kill them. ³⁴ But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, highly respected by all the people, got up in the council and gave orders to put the men out of the council a little while; ³⁵ then he said to them: "Fellow Israelites, take care as to what you are about to do to these men. ³⁶ For in the days gone by Theudas appeared, claiming that he was a man of importance, and a considerable number of men, about four hundred, espoused his cause, but he was slain and all his followers were dispersed and as a party annihilated. ³⁷ After him, at the time of the enrollment for the Roman tax, Judas the Galilean appeared and influenced people to desert and follow him, but he too perished and all his followers were scattered. ³⁸ So in the present case, I warn you, stay away from these men, let them alone. For, if this program or movement has its origin in men, it will go to pieces, ³⁹ but if it has its origin in God, you can never stop it. It is to be feared that you may find yourselves fighting God." ⁴⁰ They were convinced by him, and after calling the apostles in and having them flogged, they charged them to stop speaking on the authority of Jesus, and then turned them loose. ⁴¹ So they went out from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer disgrace for Jesus' name; ⁴² and not for a single day did they stop teaching in the temple square and in private houses the good news of Jesus the Christ.