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Acts 5

1But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold some property 2and kept back part of the price, with his wife's knowledge. He brought a portion and laid it at the apostles' feet. 3Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the field? 4While it remained unsold, did it not remain yours? And after it was sold, was it not under your authority? Why have you put this deed in your heart? You have not lied to people but to God.” 5Hearing these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last, and great fear came upon all who heard. 6The younger men got up, wrapped him, carried him out, and buried him.

7About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8Peter said to her, “Tell me, did you sell the field for this amount?” She said, “Yes, for that amount.” 9Peter said to her, “Why did you agree together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10Immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last. The young men came in and found her dead; they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11Great fear came upon the whole assembly and upon all who heard these things.

12Many signs and wonders were taking place among the people through the hands of the apostles. They were all together with one accord in Solomon's Portico. 13None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high regard. 14More and more believers in the Lord were added, multitudes of both men and women, 15so that they even carried the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, so that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16The multitude from the towns around Jerusalem also gathered, bringing the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

17The high priest and all who were with him—the party of the Sadducees—rose up, filled with jealousy. 18They laid hands on the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19But an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors during the night, brought them out, and said, 20“Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.” 21Hearing this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach. The high priest and those with him arrived, called together the council and the whole body of elders of the sons of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22But the officers who arrived did not find them in the prison. They returned and reported, 23“We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened it, we found no one inside.” 24When the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. 25Someone arrived and reported to them, “Look, the men you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” 26Then the captain went with the officers and brought them, but without force, for they feared being stoned by the people.

27They brought them and stood them before the council. The high priest questioned them, 28saying, “We strictly commanded you not to teach in this name, and look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you want to bring this man's blood upon us.” 29Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than people. 30The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31God exalted him to his right hand as leader and Savior, to give Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins. 32We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God gave to those who obey him.”

33Hearing this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. 34But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law honored by all the people, stood up in the council and ordered that the men be put outside briefly. 35He said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do to these men. 36For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men joined him. He was killed, and all who were persuaded by him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the registration and drew people away after him. He too perished, and all who were persuaded by him were scattered. 38So now I tell you, keep away from these men and leave them alone; for if this plan or this work is of human origin, it will be overthrown. 39But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even be found fighting against God.” They were persuaded by him. 40They called in the apostles, beat them, commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and released them. 41So they left the council rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to be dishonored for the name. 42Every day, in the temple and in homes, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news of Jesus as the Messiah.

Translation notes 5

5:1–11 — Property and fear. Peter explicitly says the property and its proceeds were under Ananias's authority. The accusation is deception, not simply failure to sell or to give everything. The deaths are reported without a medical explanation. “Assembly” names the community, not a building.

5:12–16 — Join and believe. The contrast between people afraid to join and further believers being added remains; the text does not identify “the rest” with a precisely named group. The shadow sentence describes what those carrying the sick hoped would happen; it does not explicitly describe an individual shadow healing.

5:20, 28–32 — Life, blood, and tree. “This life” retains the compact expression for the life being proclaimed. Blood language concerns responsibility for Jesus' death. “Tree” translates the wood/tree term used of the cross and preserves the scriptural association. “Leader” translates the same word rendered “founder” at 3:15. “To his right hand” also permits “by his right hand.”

5:36–39 — Gamaliel's examples. The order is Theudas, then Judas, as Acts states it. Historical questions about identifying Theudas are not solved by changing the names or sequence. “Registration” is also used in Luke 2; the wording alone does not identify the same episode.

5:41–42 — Name and Messiah. The base says simply “the name,” without adding Jesus there. The final phrase can be read as proclaiming “the Messiah Jesus” or “Jesus as the Messiah”; the latter makes the title's force explicit.