Night Watch Devotion

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.
¹ O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath.
² Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled.
³ My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD—how long?
⁴ Turn, O LORD, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
⁵ For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?
⁶ I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.
⁷ My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes.
⁸ Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.
⁹ The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer.
¹⁰ All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment. (ESV)

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
¹ O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
² So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.
³ Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
⁴ So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.
⁵ My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
⁶ when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
⁷ for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
⁸ My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
⁹ But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth;
¹⁰ they shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals.
¹¹ But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped. (ESV)

¹ O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth!
² Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve!
³ O LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult?
⁴ They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast.
⁵ They crush your people, O LORD, and afflict your heritage.
⁶ They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless;
⁷ and they say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.”
⁸ Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise?
⁹ He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?
¹⁰ He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke? He who teaches man knowledge—
¹¹ the LORD—knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath.
¹² Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law,
¹³ to give him rest from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked.
¹⁴ For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage;
¹⁵ for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
¹⁶ Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers?
¹⁷ If the LORD had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
¹⁸ When I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.
¹⁹ When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.
²⁰ Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who frame injustice by statute?
²¹ They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.
²² But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.
²³ He will bring back on them their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the LORD our God will wipe them out.

¹ Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
² Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
³ For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
⁴ In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.
⁵ The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
⁶ Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
⁷ For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice,
⁸ do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
⁹ when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
¹⁰ For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.”
¹¹ Therefore I swore in my wrath, “They shall not enter my rest.”

¹ Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!
² Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.
³ Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!
⁴ For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.
⁵ For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
⁶ Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
⁷ Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!
⁸ Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!
⁹ Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!
¹⁰ Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.”
¹¹ Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
¹² let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
¹³ before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness. (ESV)

¹ Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.
² For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
³ While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
⁴ But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.
⁵ For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.
⁶ So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.
⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. (ESV)

¹ After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
² He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
³ So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
⁴ On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.
⁵ Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”
⁶ And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together.
⁷ And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
⁸ Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
⁹ When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
¹⁰ Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.
¹¹ But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
¹² He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”
¹³ And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.
¹⁴ So Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”
¹⁵ And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven
¹⁶ and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,
¹⁷ I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,
¹⁸ and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
¹⁹ So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba. (ESV)

¹ Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem,
² they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed.
³ (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders,
⁴ and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.)
⁵ And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?”
⁶ And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;
⁷ in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
⁸ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”
⁹ And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!
¹⁰ For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’
¹¹ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)—
¹² then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother,
¹³ thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”
¹⁴ And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand:
¹⁵ There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”
¹⁷ And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable.
¹⁸ And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him,
¹⁹ since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.)
²⁰ And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.
²¹ For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,
²² coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.
²³ All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (ESV)

¹ And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them,
² “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, These are the living things that you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth.
³ Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat.
⁴ Nevertheless, among those that chew the cud or part the hoof, you shall not eat these: The camel, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you.
⁵ And the rock badger, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you.
⁶ And the hare, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you.
⁷ And the pig, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.
⁸ You shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.
⁹ “These you may eat, of all that are in the waters. Everything in the waters that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat.
¹⁰ But anything in the seas or the rivers that does not have fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the waters and of the living creatures that are in the waters, is detestable to you.
¹¹ You shall regard them as detestable; you shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall detest their carcasses.
¹² Everything in the waters that does not have fins and scales is detestable to you.
¹³ “And these you shall detest among the birds; they shall not be eaten; they are detestable: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture,
¹⁴ the kite, the falcon of any kind,
¹⁵ every raven of any kind,
¹⁶ the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the hawk of any kind,
¹⁷ the little owl, the cormorant, the short-eared owl,
¹⁸ the barn owl, the tawny owl, the carrion vulture,
¹⁹ the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.
²⁰ “All winged insects that go on all fours are detestable to you.
²¹ Yet among the winged insects that go on all fours you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet, with which to hop on the ground.
²² Of them you may eat: the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, and the grasshopper of any kind.
²³ But all other winged insects that have four feet are detestable to you.
²⁴ “And by these you shall become unclean. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening,
²⁵ and whoever carries any part of their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening.
²⁶ Every animal that parts the hoof but is not cloven-footed or does not chew the cud is unclean to you. Everyone who touches them shall be unclean.
²⁷ And all that walk on their paws, among the animals that go on all fours, are unclean to you. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening,
²⁸ and he who carries their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you.
²⁹ “And these are unclean to you among the swarming things that swarm on the ground: the mole rat, the mouse, the great lizard of any kind,
³⁰ the gecko, the monitor lizard, the lizard, the sand lizard, and the chameleon.
³¹ These are unclean to you among all that swarm. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until the evening.
³² And anything on which any of them falls when they are dead shall be unclean, whether it is an article of wood or a garment or a skin or a sack, any article that is used for any purpose. It must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the evening; then it shall be clean.
³³ And if any of them falls into any earthenware vessel, all that is in it shall be unclean, and you shall break it.
³⁴ Any food in it that could be eaten, on which water comes, shall be unclean. And all drink that could be drunk from every such vessel shall be unclean.
³⁵ And everything on which any part of their carcass falls shall be unclean. Whether oven or stove, it shall be broken in pieces. They are unclean and shall remain unclean for you.
³⁶ Nevertheless, a spring or a cistern holding water shall be clean, but whoever touches a carcass in them shall be unclean.
³⁷ And if any part of their carcass falls upon any seed grain that is to be sown, it is clean,
³⁸ but if water is put on the seed and any part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.
³⁹ “And if any animal which you may eat dies, whoever touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening,
⁴⁰ and whoever eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. And whoever carries the carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening.
⁴¹ “Every swarming thing that swarms on the ground is detestable; it shall not be eaten.
⁴² Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet, any swarming thing that swarms on the ground, you shall not eat, for they are detestable.
⁴³ You shall not make yourselves detestable with any swarming thing that swarms, and you shall not defile yourselves with them, and become unclean through them.
⁴⁴ For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground.
⁴⁵ For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”
⁴⁶ This is the law about beast and bird and every living creature that moves through the waters and every creature that swarms on the ground,
⁴⁷ to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean and between the living creature that may be eaten and the living creature that may not be eaten.

¹ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
² “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If a woman conceives and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days. As at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean.
³ And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
⁴ Then she shall continue for thirty-three days in the blood of her purifying. She shall not touch anything holy, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed.
⁵ But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation. And she shall continue in the blood of her purifying for sixty-six days.
⁶ “And when the days of her purifying are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb a year old for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering,
⁷ and he shall offer it before the LORD and make atonement for her. Then she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, either male or female.
⁸ And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.” (ESV)

¹³ And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk.
¹⁴ And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?”
¹⁵ But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.”
¹⁶ And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.”
¹⁷ Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.
¹⁸ And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying,
¹⁹ “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.
²⁰ There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring.
²¹ And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise.
²² And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died.
²³ In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”
²⁴ Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?
²⁵ For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
²⁶ And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?
²⁷ He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.” (ESV)

A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of the temple.
¹ I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
² O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.
³ O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.
⁴ Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.
⁵ For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
⁶ As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.”
⁷ By your favor, O LORD, you made my mountain stand strong; you hid your face; I was dismayed. (ESV)

¹ When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.
² And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
³ And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.
⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
⁵ Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.
⁶ And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.
⁷ And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?
⁸ And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?
⁹ Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome,
¹¹ both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”
¹² And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”
¹³ But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
¹⁴ But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.
¹⁵ For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.
¹⁶ But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
¹⁷ “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;
¹⁸ even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
¹⁹ And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
²⁰ the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
²¹ And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
²² “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—
²³ this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
²⁴ God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
²⁵ For David says concerning him, “‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
²⁶ therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope.
²⁷ For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption.
²⁸ You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
²⁹ “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
³⁰ Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne,
³¹ he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.
³² This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.
³³ Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.
³⁴ For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand,
³⁵ until I make your enemies your footstool.”’
³⁶ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
³⁷ Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
³⁸ And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
³⁹ For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
⁴⁰ And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”
⁴¹ So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
⁴² And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
⁴³ And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

¹ Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
² And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple.
³ Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms.
⁴ And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.”
⁵ And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.
⁶ But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”
⁷ And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.
⁸ And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
⁹ And all the people saw him walking and praising God,
¹⁰ and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
¹¹ While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s.
¹² And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?
¹³ The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.
¹⁴ But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,
¹⁵ and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.
¹⁶ And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
¹⁷ “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.
¹⁸ But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled.
¹⁹ Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,
²⁰ that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,
²¹ whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.
²² Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you.
²³ And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’
²⁴ And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days.
²⁵ You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’
²⁶ God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

¹ And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them,
² greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
³ And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.
⁴ But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
⁵ On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem,
⁶ with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family.
⁷ And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”
⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders,
⁹ if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed,
¹⁰ let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.
¹¹ This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.
¹² And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
¹³ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
¹⁴ But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.
¹⁵ But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another,
¹⁶ saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.
¹⁷ But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.”
¹⁸ So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
¹⁹ But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge,
²⁰ for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
²¹ And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened.
²² For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.
²³ When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them.
²⁴ And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them,
²⁵ who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain?
²⁶ The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’—
²⁷ for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
²⁸ to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.
²⁹ And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness,
³⁰ while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
³¹ And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
³² Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.
³³ And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
³⁴ There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold
³⁵ and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
³⁶ Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus,
³⁷ sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

¹ But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,
² and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
³ But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?
⁴ While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.”
⁵ When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.
⁶ The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.
⁷ After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
⁸ And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.”
⁹ But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”
¹⁰ Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
¹¹ And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.
¹² Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico.
¹³ None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem.
¹⁴ And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,
¹⁵ so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them.
¹⁶ The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.
¹⁷ But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy
¹⁸ they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison.
¹⁹ But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said,
²⁰ “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.”
²¹ And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach. Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.
²² But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported,
²³ “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.”
²⁴ Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to.
²⁵ And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.”
²⁶ Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.
²⁷ And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them,
²⁸ saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
²⁹ But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.
³⁰ The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.
³¹ God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
³² And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
³³ When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.
³⁴ But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while.
³⁵ And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men.
³⁶ For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.
³⁷ After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered.
³⁸ So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail;
³⁹ but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice,
⁴⁰ and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
⁴¹ Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.
⁴² And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus. (ESV)