Acts 5:1-11

Now, a man named Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, likewise sold their farm. They conspired to secretly keep back for themselves a portion of the proceeds. So when Ananias brought the money to the apostles, it was only a portion of the entire sale. God revealed their secret to Peter, so he said to him, “Ananias, why did you let Satan fill your heart and make you think you could lie to the Holy Spirit? You only pretended to give it all, yet you hid back part of the proceeds from the sale of your property to keep for yourselves. Before you sold it, wasn’t it yours to sell or to keep? And after you sold it, wasn’t the money entirely at your disposal? How could you plot such a thing in your heart? You haven’t lied to people; you’ve lied to God!” The moment Ananias heard those words, he fell over dead. Everyone was terrified when they heard what had happened. Some young men came in and removed the body and buried him. Three hours later, his wife came into the room, with no clue what had happened to her husband. Peter said to her, “Tell me, were the two of you paid this amount for the sale of your land?” Sapphira said, “Yes, that’s how much it was.” Peter told her, “Why have you agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? I hear the footsteps of those who buried your husband at the door—they’re coming here to bury you too!” At that moment she dropped dead at Peter’s feet. When the young men came in, she was already dead, so they carried her out and buried her next to her husband. The entire church was seized with a powerful sense of the fear of God, which came over all who heard what had happened.