1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife’s knowledge ^vhe kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and ^wlaid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has ^xSatan filled your heart to lie ^yto the Holy Spirit and ^zto keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but ^ato God.” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he ^bfell down and breathed his last. And ^cgreat fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and ^dwrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.

7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you¹ sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together ^eto test ^fthe Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And ^ggreat fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

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.

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.”

33 When they heard this, they ^twere enraged and wanted to kill them. 34 But a Pharisee in the council named ^uGamaliel, ^va 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 ^wbefore these days Theudas rose up, ^xclaiming 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 ^ythe 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 ^zif this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; 39 but ^aif it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You ^bmight even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice, 40 and ^cwhen they had called in the apostles, ^dthey 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, ^erejoicing that they were counted worthy ^fto suffer dishonor for ^gthe name. 42 And every day, ^hin the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and ⁱpreaching ^jthat the Christ is Jesus.

1 In the first book, O ^aTheophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began ^bto do and teach, 2 until the day when ^che was taken up, after he ^dhad given commands ^ethrough the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 ^fHe presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

4 And while staying¹ with them ^ghe ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for ^hJohn baptized with water, ^hbut you will be baptized ⁱwith² the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, ^jwill you at this time ^krestore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, ^l“It is not for you to know ^mtimes or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive ⁿpower ^owhen the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and ^pyou will be ^qmy witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and ^rSamaria, and ^sto the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, ^the was lifted up, and ^ua cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, ^vtwo ^wmen stood by them in ^xwhite robes, 11 and said, ^y“Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, ^zwill ^acome in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

12 Then ^bthey returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13 And when they had entered, they went up to ^cthe upper room, where they were staying, ^dPeter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon ^ethe Zealot and Judas the son of James. 14 All these ^fwith one accord ^gwere devoting themselves to prayer, together with ^hthe women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and ⁱhis brothers.³

15 In those days Peter stood up among ^jthe brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, 16 “Brothers, ^kthe Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, ^lwho became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. 17 For ^mhe was numbered among us and was allotted his share in ⁿthis ministry.” 18 (Now this man ^oacquired a field with ^pthe reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong⁴ he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. 19 And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called ^qin their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms,

and

21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during ^tall the time that the Lord Jesus ^uwent in and out among us, 22 ^vbeginning from the baptism of John until the day when ^whe was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us ^xa witness to his resurrection.” 23 And they put forward two, Joseph called ^yBarsabbas, who was also called ^zJustus, and ^aMatthias. 24 And ^bthey prayed and said, “You, Lord, ^cwho know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in ^dthis ministry and ^eapostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.