1 [ref]Dear Theophilus, I wrote my first account about all the things that Yeshua began to do and to teach 2 until the day when he was taken up[ref] into the sky after, with the help of the holy spirit, having commanded the missionaries that he had chosen.

3 After the time of his suffering, Yeshua presented himself to them in ways that were infallible proofs that he was alive again—appearing to them and telling them about God’s kingdom. 4 [ref]Once when they were together, he told them, “Don’t leave Yerusalem, but wait there for what was promised by the father, as you all have already heard me say. 5 [ref]Yohan immersed people in water, but you all will be immersed in the holy spirit in just a few days.”

6 So when they were next gathered together, they asked him, “Master, is this now the time when you’ll be restoring the kingdom to Israel?”[fn]

7 But Yeshua responded to them, “You don’t need to know the times or seasons when future events will happen—it’s the father who decides all that. 8 [ref]However, you all will be receiving power when the holy spirit lands on you. Then you’ll tell people about me in Yerusalem and all across the provinces of Yudea and Samaria, and all the way to the furtherest parts of the planet.” 9 [ref]After he’d said that and while they were still looking at him, he was lifted up into the sky until they could no longer see him because of the clouds.

10 As they stood there staring into the sky after he’d gone, suddenly two men in white clothes were standing beside them 11 and said, “You men from Galilee! Why are you still standing there looking up at the sky? This Yeshua who has been taken up away from you into heaven will come back in the same way that you saw him go up into heaven.”

12 Then they walked down the Mount of Olives and returned to Yerusalem which was less than a kilometre away. 13 [ref]They went into the upstairs room where they were staying—Peter and Yohan, Yacob and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, Yacob (son of Alpheus), Simon (the Zealot member), and Yudas (son of Yacob). 14 They were united in their ongoing prayers, along with Maria the mother of Yeshua, and his brothers.

15 Then one day, Peter stood up in the meeting of the believers (about 120 of them) and said, 16 “Brothers, it was necessary for the scripture to be fulfilled, where the holy spirit had spoken previously through David about Yudas, the one who guided those that arrested Yeshua 17 because Yudas was one of us and took his part in our work.

18 [ref](Yudas had bought a field with the money he had received for his treachery, and when he had fallen down in that field, his stomach had burst open and his intestines had slid out on the ground. 19 So everyone in Yerusalem started calling that place ‘The field of blood’.)

20 [ref]Now it was written in the scroll of songs:

‘Let his place become deserted with no one living there,’

and

‘Let another person take his position.’

21 So now it’s appropriate for one of the men that has been with us for the whole time that the master Yeshua was interacting with us, 22 [ref]from Yeshua’s immersion by Yohan until the day that he was lifted up from us into the clouds—a witness of the resurrection—to fill this position.

23 So they selected two men: Yosef Barsabbas (nicknamed Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they requested, “Master, you know everyone’s inner thoughts, so reveal to us which of these two that you have chosen 25 to take this position of service and being an missionary—the position that Yudas deserted to go to his own place.” 26 So they drew straws and Matthias was marked so he was chosen to join the eleven missionaries.

2 [ref]When the Day of Pentecost actually arrived, the believers met together in the same room. 2 Suddenly there was a noise in the sky that sounded like a strong wind, then it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what looked like tongues of fire that kept dividing[fn] and then settling down on each one of them. 4 In this way they were all filled with the holy spirit and began speaking in other languages as the spirit enabled them.

5 At the time, there were godly Jews staying in Yerusalem that had come from other countries all around the world. 6 When they heard this noise, lots of people came to investigate but they were confused because they heard the believers talking in their own languages from around the world. 7 They were astounded and marvelled, asking, “Wow, aren’t these people talking all Galileans? 8 So how come we’re hearing them speak the languages of the countries where we were born? 9 There’s people here from Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia, Yudea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia Minor, 10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Libya (near Cyrene), and visitors from Rome, 11 Crete, and Arabia. Some are Jews and some are non-Jews who’ve converted to Judaism. And we can hear them talking about God in our languages.” 12 Everyone was amazed and totally puzzled, asking each other, “What’s going on here?” 13 But others scoffed and said, “Ha, they’ve just had too much to drink.”

14 So the twelve stood up and Peter told the crowd in a loud voice, “People of Yudea and everyone staying in Yerusalem. Listen to me so that I can explain this to you. 15 This group is not drunk like you’re all thinking, because it’s still mid-morning, 16 but you’re seeing what the prophet Yoel wrote about:

17 [ref]God said, ‘In the last days I will pour out my spirit on all humanity—your children will tell of future events, your young men will see visions, and your old men will have dreams from God. 18 I will pour my spirit out on my male and female slaves and they will tell of future events. 19 I will do unusual things with the stars and planets, and also down on the earth below: blood, fire, and clouds of smoke. 20 I’ll make the sun go dark and the moon go blood red. This will happen before the great victorious day of the coming of the master. 21 Then everyone who relies on the name and authority of the master will be saved.’

22 “Fellow Israelis, listen to this account: You yourselves know that God did miracles through Yeshua from Nazareth, and he fulfilled signs from the scriptures—in fact God did this right in front of you. 23 [ref]Then as part of God’s plan and foreknowledge, this Yeshua was taken to the authorities by those who didn’t follow their own laws, and you all killed him by having him executed on a pole. 24 [ref]But God released him from the agonies of death and brought him back to life—death couldn’t restrain him. 25 [ref]As David wrote,

‘I foresaw the master always being in front of me. I refuse to be afraid because he’s there on my right.

26 Because of that, I was happy and spoke out my praises. My whole body lives in anticipation 27 because you will never abandon my soul in Hades, nor will you allow the godly one to decay. 28 You showed me the roads to life. You fill me with gladness because of your presence.’

29 “Fellow Israelis, we can tell you all with confidence that our patriarch David both died and was buried, and his tomb is still here with us today. 30 [ref]So because he was a prophet, and knowing that God has promised him to seat one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he was foretelling the resurrection of the messiah who was neither ‘abandoned in Hades nor did his body decay.’ 32 Then God raised this Yeshua back to life and we’re all witnesses of that. 33 Now he’s sitting at God’s right hand, and having received the promise of the holy spirit from the father, he poured this out which you are all seeing and hearing today. 34 [ref]You see, David never went up to the heavens, but he himself said,

‘The master said to my master: Sit down at my right

35 until I defeat your enemies.’

36 “So let all Israel know that this Yeshua that you executed on a pole, God made him both the master and the messiah.”

37 When the people heard that, they were deeply troubled and asked Peter and the other missionaries, “What should we do then, brothers?”

38 Peter responded, “Turn away from your sins and each one of you needs to be immersed by the authority of Yeshua the messiah. Then your sins will be forgiven and you all will receive the gift of the holy spirit, 39 because that promise is to you all and your children and to their descendants—to anyone who will call out to the master, our God.”

40 Then Peter shared further teaching with them and encouraged them to save themselves out from this corrupt generation. 41 Because of that, those who welcomed his teaching were immersed and about three thousand people were added to their numbers that day. 42 They continued listening to the teaching of the missionaries, and in building their relationships with each other, and in breaking bread and praying together.

43 They were serious in their learning about God, and the missionaries did many miracles and signs of God’s power in Yerusalem and all the people wanted to be right with God. 44 [ref]All those who did believe were united in purpose and had shared use of many things. 45 Some sold their properties and possessions and divided them among the group so that everyone had everything they needed. 46 Each day they worshipped together at the temple and also went to various homes to break bread together. They talked about Yeshua at their mealtimes without sophistication, 47 praising God and being popular with the people, and every day the master was adding more that were being saved.

3 One afternoon around 3pm, Peter and Yohan were going to the prayer meeting in the temple. 2 Now there was a man who had been lame from birth, and every day he was placed beside a door into the temple—an entry named ‘Beautiful Door’. From there he could beg from the people entering the temple. 3 He saw Peter and Yohan about to enter into the temple, so he asked them for a donation, 4 but Peter and Yohan, looking closely at him said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man grabbed onto them, expecting to get given something by them. 6 But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold, but I’ll give you what I do have. With the authority of Yeshua the messiah from Nazareth, I command you to walk.” 7 Then Peter grabbed the man by the right hand and pulled him upwards. Immediately the man’s feet and ankles were strengthened 8 and he jumped up and stood and started walking and went into the temple with them, walking and skipping and praising God. 9 All the people there saw him walking and praising God, 10 and recognising that he was the man who usually sat outside begging at the ‘Beautiful Door’ of the temple, they were astonished and astounded at what had happened to him.

11 As the man clung onto Peter and Yohan, all the people ran to see them in Solomon’s Porch and they were really astounded. 12 But when Peter saw the crowd, he answered their thoughts, “Fellow Israelis, why are you all puzzled about this, and why are you staring at us as if this man is walking because of our power or closeness to God.” 13 [ref]The god of Abraham, Isaac, and Yacob—the god of our fathers—gave honour to his servant, Yeshua, who you handed over to be killed and then you rejected him when Pilate had judged him and wanted to release him. 14 [ref]You disowned this man who was innocent and sinless, and instead you requested that a murderer be released to you. 15 However in doing so, you killed the creator of life, who God then raised from the dead as we can attest. 16 Now it’s our faith in the authority of Yeshua that has strengthened the legs of this man that you have seen and that you already knew—this authority and faith that comes from Yeshua completely healed this man right in front of you all.

17 So now, friends, I know that you did all that in ignorance, just like your leaders, 18 but actually God was fulfilling what he had had written by the prophets, that the messiah should suffer. 19 Because of that, you all need to repent and turn back to God so that your sins can be erased, 20 and then times of refreshing will come from the presence of the master, and so that he may send Yeshua the messiah who has been appointed, back to save you. 21 For now it is appropriate for heaven to receive him, until the times of restoration of everything, which again God has had written by the faithful prophets. 22 [ref]Indeed Moses said, ‘The master, our God will raise up a prophet for you that’s like one of your own brothers. You must listen to everything he says—whatever he tells you. 23 [ref]Everyone who doesn’t listen to that prophet will end up totally destroyed and not part of God’s people.’ 24 Similarly, the prophets from Samuel onwards spoke in turn, and when they spoke they foretold these current days. 25 [ref]And you are the descendants of those prophets, and part of the agreement between God and your ancestors, when he told Abraham, ‘All the families in the world will be blessed by one of your descendants.’ 26 God had raised up his servant and sent him to you Jews first, to bless you by turning each of you away from your own wicked behaviour.”

4 While Peter and Yohan were still talking to the people, the chief priests and a temple officer and some people from the Sadducee sect approached them 2 because they were very upset about what they had been teaching the people, including preaching that Yeshua could give life to the dead. 3 So they arrested the two, and as it was already evening, they put them in jail overnight. 4 Despite this, many people who had heard their message trusted in Yeshua and the number of families who were believers grew to around 5,000.

5 Then the next day, the religious leaders and the elders and the religious teachers gathered together in Yerusalem 6 along with those descended from high priests, including Annas the current high priest and Caiaphas and Yohan and Alexander. 7 After having Peter and Yohan brought in and standing them in the middle, they began to ask, “Under what authority did you do this?”

8 Then Peter, having been filled with the holy spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we’re being questioned today about a good deed done to a man who couldn’t walk and which resulted in his healing, 10 then you all need to know, and the people of Israel should also know, that it was done under the authority and name of Yeshua the messiah. He was the man from Nazareth that you executed on a pole, but who God brought back to life. It was because of his authority that this man can now stand before you without deformity. 11 [ref]This Yeshua is:

‘the stone which was rejected by you builders,

has now become the vital cornerstone.’

12 We can’t be saved by anyone else, because there’s no other name or authority that’s been given in the entire world under which people can be saved.

13 The assembled leaders were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and Yohan who they knew to be illiterate, working-class men Then they recognised that they had been with Yeshua, 14 but since the man who was no longer deformed was standing there with them, there was nothing that they could really accuse them of. 15 So they had them removed from the room, and they asked each other, 16 “What should we do with these fellows? By now everyone in Yerusalem has heard about the miracle they did, and we have no way to rebuff it. 17 However, we have to stop it spreading even further, so maybe we should ban them from speaking about this name to anyone.” 18 So they called them back in and decreed that they weren’t allowed to preach or teach under the name of Yeshua anymore.

19 But Peter and Yohan answered, “You judge for yourselves whether it’s right in God’s eyes to listen to you rather than to him? 20 As for us, we’re not able to be silent about what we saw and heard.” 21 So after making some further threats, the leaders sent them off. They hadn’t been able to find anything to punish them for, because the people were all praising God for what had happened 22 and because the man who had miraculously recovered was over forty years old.

23 After Peter and Yohan had been released, they went to their own group and told them what the chief priests and elders had said. 24 [ref]When they all heard this, they began to pray out loud to God, saying, “Master, you created heaven and earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25 [ref]You spoke long ago by the holy spirit through our ancestor who was your servant, David, when you said,

‘Why are the other nations angry and why have their peoples tried new ideas?”

26 The earthly kings and rulers stood and worked together against the master and against his messiah.’

27 [ref]And indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met with the pagan Romans and the peoples of Israel to conspire against your holy servant Yeshua who you chose. 28 Then they did exactly what your power and plan had already decided would happen. 29 So now, master, see their threats and help us, your slaves, to be able to proclaim your message with boldness. 30 Let us experience your power to heal and do miracles and things that confirm the scriptures by means of the name and authority of your holy servant, Yeshua.”

31 As they finished their requests, the place where they had met was shaken and all of them were filled with the holy spirit, and they went out and boldly proclaimed God’s message.

32 [ref]And so the group of believers were united in their will and attitude. No one claimed anything to be their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 The missionaries of the master, Yeshua, experienced great power and proclaimed the truth about how he came back to life, and God’s favour was with them. 34 None of them were lacking anything, because any of them who owned properties or houses would sell them and donate the proceeds. 35 They would lay them down in front of the missionaries, and from there it was distributed around according to what needs each person had.

36 Yosef (a Levite born in Cyprus who was nicknamed by the missionaries as ‘Barnabas’, meaning ‘Encourager’) was one who 37 owned a field which he sold, and brought the money and put it down in front of the missionaries.

5 But in contrast, a couple named Ananias and Sapphira sold a property 2 but agreed together to hide some of the proceeds. So Ananias brought a smaller amount and put it down in front of the missionaries. 3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your mind such that you would lie to the holy spirit and keep aside some of the proceeds of the property? 4 Wasn’t it yours before it was sold? And even when it was sold, the money was still yours. Why did you decide to handle it like this? It wasn’t people that you’re lying to, but God.” 5 When Ananias heard that, he fell down and stopped breathing. Everyone who heard about it felt very afraid, 6 and the young men there stood up and covered his body, carried it out, and buried him.

7 Three hours later, Ananias’ wife came in, not knowing anything about what had happened. 8 Peter checked, “Is it true that you guys sold the property for such-and-such an amount?”

“Yes, for that amount,” she replied.

9 But Peter said to her, “Why did the two of you agree to test the spirit of the master? The guys who just buried your husband are just out the door, and they’ll carry you out as well.” 10 Sapphira immediately fell down in front of him and stopped breathing. Then the young men came in and found her dead, so they took her body out and buried her with her husband. 11 So the entire assembly of believers became very afraid, along with every else who heard about these events.

12 The missionaries went on to do many miracles and amazing things, and all the people who gathered in Solomon’s Porch had a united vision, 13 but no one else dared to join them. However, the people were talking positively about them 14 and more were becoming believers in the master—big numbers of both men and women. 15 Some would even bring those who were sick out to the side of the road, lying them on beds and mats waiting for Peter to come past so that even his shadow might touch them. 16 More crowds were coming from the towns around Yerusalem, bringing those who were sick and those tormented by demons, and they were all getting healed.

17 But the chief priest and his colleagues who were members of the sect of Sadducees were filled with jealousy and took action 18 by having the missionaries arrested and thrown into the public jail. 19 But one of the master’s messengers opened the prison doors during the night and led them out again, saying, 20 “Now go and stand in the temple and keep telling the people all the teaching about new life.” 21 So at dawn, having taken notice of the messenger, they went into the temple and started teaching the people there again.