1  Meanwhile, in the temple courtyard, there were some priests, the officer who was in charge of the temple police, and also some [SYN] Sadducee sect members. These men came to Peter and John while the two of them were speaking to the people. 2 These men were very angry, because the two apostles were teaching the people about Jesus. What they were telling them was that because ◄ God caused Jesus to become alive again/God raised Jesus from the dead►, God would cause other people who had died to become alive again. 3 So those officials seized Peter and John. Then they put them in jail. They had to wait until the next day to question Peter and John, because it was already evening and it was contrary to their Jewish law to question people at night. 4 However, many people who had heard the message from Peter believed in Jesus. (OR, But many people had already believed in Jesus, because they had heard the message from Peter.) So the number of men who believed in Jesus increased to about five thousand.

5 The next day the high priest summoned the other chief priests, the teachers of the Jewish laws, and the other members of the Jewish Council, and they gathered together in one place in Jerusalem. 6 Annas, the former high priest, Caiaphas who was the new high priest, two other former high priests whose names were John and Alexander, and other men who were related to the high priest were there. 7 They commanded guards to bring Peter and John into the courtroom [MTY] and have them stand in front of them. Then one of the leaders questioned the two of them, saying, “Who do you two claim gave you the power to heal this man? And who authorized [MTY] you to do this [DOU]?”

8 So as the Holy Spirit completely controlled Peter, he said to them, “You fellow-Israelites who rule us and all of you other elders, listen! 9 Today you are questioning us concerning our performing a good deed for a man who was crippled, and you asked us how he became healed. 10 So we(exc) want you and all of our other fellow-Israelites to know this: It is because Jesus the Messiah [MTY] from Nazareth healed him that this man is able to stand before you. God considers that it was you who nailed Jesus to a cross, but God caused him to become alive again. 11  In the Psalms this was written about the Messiah:

Jesus is that stone, and you are those builders who threw away the stone that was the most important one. 12 So he alone can save us [MTY]. God has sent only one person [MTY] into the world who can save us from the guilt of our sins, and that person is Jesus!”

13 The Jewish leaders realized that Peter and John ◄were not afraid of them/spoke boldly►. They also learned that the two men were ordinary people who had not studied in schools. So the leaders were amazed, and they realized that these men had associated with Jesus. 14 They also saw the man who had been healed standing there with the two of them, so they were not able to say anything to oppose Peter and John.

15 So the Jewish leaders commanded guards to take Peter, John, and the man outside of the room where those leaders were meeting. After they did so, the leaders talked with each other about Peter and John. 16  Being frustrated, one after another, said, “◄There is really nothing that we can do to punish these two men!/How can we (inc) do anything to punish these two men?► [RHQ] Almost everyone [HYP] who is living in Jerusalem knows that they have done an amazing miracle, so we cannot tell people that it did not happen! 17 However, we must not allow other people to hear about this miracle. So we must tell these men that we will punish them if they continue to tell other people about this [MTY] man who they say gave them the power to do it.” 18 So the Jewish leaders commanded guards to bring the two apostles into that room again. After they did so, they commanded them both that they should never speak about Jesus, and they should not teach anyone about him [MTY] again.

19 But Peter and John replied, “Would God think that it is right for us two to obey you and not to obey him? We(exc) will let you decide what you think is proper. 20  But as for us, we cannot obey you. We will not stop telling people about the things that we (exc) have seen Jesus do and what we have heard him teach.”

21-22 Then the Jewish leaders again told Peter and John not to disobey them. But all the people there were praising God about what had happened to the lame man. They leaders knew that only God could have enabled Peter and John to miraculously heal the man, because the man was more than forty years old and he was lame when his mother bore him. They also knew that the people would become angry if they punished the two apostles. So, because they could not decide how to punish Peter and John, they finally let them go.

23 After Peter and John had been released, they went to the other believers and reported all that the chief priests and other Jewish elders had said to them. 24 When they heard that, they all agreed as they prayed to God, and one of them prayed, “O Lord! You (sg) made the sky, the earth and the oceans, and everything in them. 25 The Holy Spirit caused our ancestor, King David [MTY], who served you, to write these words:

27  We know that what you(sg) said long ago was true, because King Herod and the governor, Pontius Pilate, and many other people, both non-Jews and Israelites, assembled together here in this city. They planned to kill Jesus, who devotedly served you and whom you appointed [MTY] to be the Messiah. 28  Because you (sg) are all-powerful, those people did only what you [SYN] allowed them to do. It was what you decided long ago would happen.”

29 “So now, Lord, listen to what they are saying about punishing us! Help us who serve you (sg) to very boldly speak messages from you (sg) about Jesus! 30  Also, by your power [MTY] miraculously heal sick people and do other amazing miracles [SYN] that show people your power! Ask Jesus, who always serves you, to give us the authority [MTY] to do such miracles!”

31 When the believers had finished praying, the place where they were meeting shook. All of them were ◄completely controlled/empowered► by the Holy Spirit {the Holy Spirit ◄completely controlled/empowered► all of them}, with the result that they began to speak boldly the words that God told them to speak.

32 The group of people who had believed in Jesus were completely agreed about what they thought and what they wanted/desired. Not one of them claimed that he alone owned anything. Instead, they shared with one another everything that they had. 33 The apostles continued to tell others, very powerfully, that God had ◄caused the Lord Jesus to become alive again/raised the Lord Jesus from the dead►. People knew that God was graciously helping all the believers. 34  Some of the believers who owned land or houses would occasionally sell some of their property. Then they would bring the money for what they sold 35 and they would present it to the apostles [MTY]. Then the apostles would give money to any believer who needed it. So no one among the believers was lacking anything.

36  For example, there was Joseph. He was a descendant of Levi and he was born on Cyprus Island. The apostles called him Barnabas; in the Jewish language that name means a person who [IDM] always encourages others. 37 He sold one of his fields, and brought the money to the apostles for them to distribute to other believers.