Acts 4:1–19

¹While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, ²greatly disturbed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. ³They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in custody until the next day. ⁴But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.

⁵The next day the rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, ⁶along with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and many others from the high priest’s family. ⁷They had Peter and John brought in and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”

⁸Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people! ⁹If we are being examined today about a kind service to a man who was lame, to determine how he was healed, ¹⁰then let this be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. ¹¹This Jesus is

‘the stone you builders rejected,

which has become the cornerstone.’^a

¹²Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

¹³When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marveled and took note that these men had been with Jesus. ¹⁴And seeing the man who had been healed standing there with them, they had nothing to say in response. ¹⁵So they ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin^b and then conferred together.

¹⁶“What shall we do with these men?” they asked. “It is clear to everyone living in Jerusalem that a remarkable miracle has occurred through them, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷But to keep this message from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in this name.”

¹⁸Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than God.