Acts 5:11-41

¹¹Then great fear came on all the church and on all who had knowledge of these things.

¹²Now a number of signs and wonders were done among the people by the hands of the Apostles; and they were all together in Solomon's covered way.

¹³The others, in fear, kept back from joining them: but the people made much of them;

¹⁴And a great number of men and women had faith, and were joined to the Lord;

¹⁵And they even took into the streets people who were ill, and put them on beds, so that when Peter went by, some of them might be in his shade.

¹⁶And numbers of people came together from the towns round about Jerusalem, with those who were ill and those who were troubled with unclean spirits: and they were all made well.

¹⁷But the high priest and those who were with him (the Sadducees) were full of envy,

¹⁸And they took the Apostles and put them in the common prison.

¹⁹But in the night an angel of the Lord, opening the doors of the prison, took them out and said,

²⁰Go, take your place in the Temple and give the people all the teaching about this Life.

²¹And hearing this, they went into the Temple at dawn, and were teaching. But the high priest and those who were with him got together the Sanhedrin and the representatives of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to get them.

²²But the men who were sent saw that they were not in the prison, and came back with the news,

²³Saying, The doors of the prison were safely shut, and the keepers were at the doors, but when they were open, there was nobody inside.

²⁴Now, at these words, the captain of the Temple and the chief priests were greatly troubled about what might be the end of this business.

²⁵And someone came and said to them, The men, whom you put in prison, are in the Temple teaching the people.

²⁶Then the captain and some of the police went and took them, but not violently, for fear that they might be stoned by the people.

²⁷And they took them into the Sanhedrin, and the high priest said to them,

²⁸We gave you very clear orders not to give teaching in this name: and now Jerusalem is full of your teaching, and you are attempting to make us responsible for this man's death.

²⁹But Peter and the Apostles, answering, said, We have to do the orders of God, not of man.

³⁰The God of our fathers gave Jesus back to life, whom you had put to death, hanging him on a tree.

³¹Him God has put on high at his right hand, as a Ruler and a Saviour, to give to Israel a change of heart and forgiveness of sins.

³²And we are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who keep his laws.

³³But when these words came to their ears, they were cut to the heart, and had a mind to put them to death.

³⁴But one of the Sanhedrin, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a man of learning in the law, of whom all the people had a high opinion, got up and made a suggestion for the men to be put outside for a little time.

³⁵And he said to them, Men of Israel, take care what you do about these men.

³⁶For before this there was Theudas, who said he was someone important, to whom about four hundred men gave their support: he was put to death, and his band was broken up and came to nothing.

³⁷After this man, there was Judas of Galilee, at the time of the numbering, and some of the people went after him: he was put to death, and all his supporters were put to flight.

³⁸And now I say to you, Do nothing to these men, but let them be: for if this teaching or this work is of men, it will come to nothing:

³⁹But if it is of God, you will not be able to overcome them, and you are in danger of fighting against God.

⁴⁰And he seemed to them to be right: and they sent for the Apostles, and, after having them whipped and giving them orders to give no teaching in the name of Jesus, they let them go.

⁴¹So they went away from the Sanhedrin, happy to undergo shame for the Name.