Many Signs and Wonders Done

12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people ^hby the hands of the apostles. And they were all ⁱtogether in ^jSolomon’s Portico. 13 None of the rest dared join them, but ^kthe people held them in high esteem. 14 And ^lmore than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 ^mso that they even ⁿcarried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by ^oat least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, ^pbringing 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 ^qthe Sadducees), and filled with ^rjealousy 18 they arrested the apostles and ^sput them in the public prison. 19 But during the night ^tan angel of the Lord ^uopened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all ^vthe words of ^wthis ^xLife.”

21 And when they heard this, ^ythey entered the temple ^zat daybreak and began to teach.

Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, 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 ^athe 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 ^bare standing in the temple and teaching the people.” 26 Then ^cthe captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for ^dthey 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, ^e“We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you ^fintend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, ^g“We must obey God rather than men. 30 ^hThe God of our fathers ⁱraised Jesus, ^jwhom you killed by hanging him on ^ka tree. 31 God exalted ^lhim at his right hand as ^mLeader and ⁿSavior, ^oto give ^prepentance to Israel and ^oforgiveness of sins. 32 And ^qwe are witnesses to these things, and ^rso is the Holy Spirit, ^swhom God has given to those who obey him.”

Praise the Name of the Lord

Greeting to the Seven Churches

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from ⁱhim ^jwho is and ^kwho was and who is to come, and from ^lthe seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ ^mthe faithful witness, ⁿthe firstborn of the dead, and ^othe ruler of kings on earth.

To ^phim who loves us and ^qhas freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us ^ra kingdom, ^rpriests to ^shis God and Father, to him be ^tglory and ^udominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, ^vhe is coming with the clouds, and ^wevery eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail¹ on account of him. Even so. Amen.

8 ^x“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, ^y“who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Vision of the Son of Man

9 I, John, your brother and ^zpartner in ^athe tribulation and ^bthe kingdom and ^cthe patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos ^don account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 ^eI was in the Spirit ^fon the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice ^glike a trumpet 11 saying, ^h“Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw ⁱseven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands ^jone like ^ka son of man, ^lclothed with a long robe and ^mwith a golden sash around his chest. 14 ⁿThe hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. ^oHis eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 ^phis feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and ^qhis voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 ^rIn his right hand he held seven stars, ^sfrom his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and ^this face was like the sun shining ^uin full strength.

17 ^vWhen I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But ^vhe laid his right hand on me, ^wsaying, “Fear not, ^xI am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. ^yI died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and ^zI have the keys of Death and Hades.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

19 ^cOn the evening ^dof that day, the first day of the week, ^ethe doors being locked where the disciples were ^ffor fear of the Jews,¹ Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ^g“Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, ^hhe showed them his hands and his side. Then ⁱthe disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As ^jthe Father has sent me, ^keven so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he ^lbreathed on them and said to them, ^m“Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 ⁿIf you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

Jesus and Thomas

24 Now ^oThomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin,² was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, ^p“Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. ^qAlthough the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ^q“Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, ^r“Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, ^s“My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? ^tBlessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The Purpose of This Book

30 ^uNow Jesus did many other signs ^vin the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 ^wbut these are written so that you may ^xbelieve that Jesus is the Christ, ^ythe Son of God, and that by believing ^zyou may have life ^ain his name.