Acts 2
2
The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost
1On the day of Pentecost, all the believers were gathered in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like a strong wind blowing came from heaven. It filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw something that looked like fire in the shape of tongues. The flames moved apart and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in languages they’d never learned. The Spirit gave them the ability to do this.
5Godly Jews from every country in the world were living in Jerusalem. 6A crowd gathered at the sound of the believers speaking this way. Each person in the crowd heard their own language, and they couldn’t figure out how this was happening. 7They were amazed and asked, “Aren’t all these people who are speaking Galileans? 8Then why do we each hear them speaking in our own native language? 9Some of us are Parthians, Medes, or Elamites. Others come from near the Euphrates River, or from Judea or Cappadocia. Some are from Pontus, Asia, 10Phrygia, or Pamphylia. Some of us are from Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene. Still others are visitors from Rome. 11Some of us were Jewish by birth, while others have converted to the Jewish faith. There are even Cretans and Arabs here. We all hear these people speaking about God’s wonders in our own languages!” 12They were amazed and didn’t understand how this could be. They asked one another, “What does this mean?”
13But some people in the crowd made fun of the believers. They said, “They’ve had too much wine!”
Peter Speaks to the Crowd
14Then Peter stood up with the 11 apostles and spoke to the crowd in a loud voice. “My fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem,” he said, “let me explain what’s happening. Listen carefully to what I say. 15You may think these people are drunk, but they aren’t. It’s only nine o’clock in the morning! 16No, instead, the words of the prophet Joel are coming true. 17He said:
“ ‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Holy Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
and your old men will have dreams.
18In those days, I will pour out my Spirit on my servants,
both men and women,
and when I do, they will prophesy.
19I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below.
There will be blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
20The sun will become dark,
and the moon will turn red like blood.
All this will happen before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
22“Fellow Israelites, listen to this! God showed his approval of the man Jesus of Nazareth by doing miracles, wonders, and signs among you through him. You all know this well. 23Long ago God planned that Jesus would be handed over to you. With the help of those who didn’t know God’s law, and under the plan God spoke long ago, you put him to death by nailing him to a cross. 24But God raised him from the dead. He freed him from the agony of death, because death wasn’t able to keep hold of him. 25David spoke about him when he said,
“ ‘I know that the Lord is always with me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will always be secure.
26So my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices.
My whole body will rest in hope.
27You will not leave me in the place of the dead.
You will not let your holy one decay.
28You always show me the path that leads to life,
and you will fill me with joy when I come to be with you.’
29“Fellow Israelites, I assure you that King David died and was buried. His tomb is still here today. 30But David was a prophet. He knew that God had made a promise to him that someone in his family line would be king after him. 31David saw what was coming, and so he spoke about the Messiah rising from the dead. He meant that the Messiah wouldn’t be left in the place of the dead. His body wouldn’t decay in the ground. 32God has raised this same Jesus back to life. We are all witnesses of that. 33Jesus has been given a place of honor at the right hand of God, and he has received the promised Holy Spirit from the Father. It is Jesus who has poured out what you now see and hear. 34David did not go up to heaven, but he said,
“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand
35until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.” ’
36“So be sure of this, all you Israelites. God has made Jesus, the one you nailed to the cross, both Lord and Messiah.”
37When the people heard this, it struck them deeply in their hearts. They said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
38Peter replied, “Turn away from your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then your sins will be forgiven, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far away—for everyone the Lord our God will call.”
40Peter said many other things to warn them. He begged them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about 3,000 people became believers that day.
The Believers Share Their Lives Together
42The believers listened carefully to the apostles’ teaching. They shared their lives with one another, and they ate and prayed together. 43Everyone was amazed by the many wonders and signs the apostles performed. 44All the believers stayed together and shared everything they had. 45They sold houses and land and other things they owned so that they could give to anyone who needed anything. 46Every day they met together in the temple courtyard. They ate meals together in their homes with glad and sincere hearts, 47God. All the people thought well of them. Every day the Lord added to their group more people who were being saved.
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