Acts of the Apostles - The New Testament

¹ Once, when Peter and John were going up to the Temple for the prayers at the ninth hour,

² it happened that there was a man being carried along. He was a cripple from birth; and they used to put him down every day near the Temple entrance called the Beautiful Gate so that he could beg from the people going in.

³ When this man saw Peter and John on their way into the Temple he begged from them.

⁴ Peter, and John too, looked straight at him and said, 'Look at us.'

⁵ He turned to them expectantly, hoping to get something from them,

⁶ but Peter said, 'I have neither silver nor gold, but I will give you what I have: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!'

⁷ Then he took him by the right hand and helped him to stand up. Instantly his feet and ankles became firm,

⁸ he jumped up, stood, and began to walk, and he went with them into the Temple, walking and jumping and praising God.

⁹ Everyone could see him walking and praising God,

¹⁰ and they recognised him as the man who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple. They were all astonished and perplexed at what had happened to him.

¹¹ Everyone came running towards them in great excitement, to the Portico of Solomon, as it is called, where the man was still clinging to Peter and John.

¹² When Peter saw the people he addressed them, 'Men of Israel, why are you so surprised at this? Why are you staring at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or holiness?

¹³ It is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, who has glorified his servant Jesus whom you handed over and then disowned in the presence of Pilate after he had given his verdict to release him.

¹⁴ It was you who accused the Holy and Upright One, you who demanded that a murderer should be released to you

¹⁵ while you killed the prince of life. God, however, raised him from the dead, and to that fact we are witnesses;

¹⁶ and it is the name of Jesus which, through faith in him, has brought back the strength of this man whom you see here and who is well known to you. It is faith in him that has restored this man to health, as you can all see.

¹⁷ 'Now I know, brothers, that neither you nor your leaders had any idea what you were really doing;

¹⁸ but this was the way God carried out what he had foretold, when he said through all his prophets that his Christ would suffer.

¹⁹ Now you must repent and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out,

²⁰ and so that the Lord may send the time of comfort. Then he will send you the Christ he has predestined, that is Jesus,

²¹ whom heaven must keep till the universal restoration comes which God proclaimed, speaking through his holy prophets.

²² Moses, for example, said, "From among your brothers the Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me; you will listen to whatever he tells you.

²³ Anyone who refuses to listen to that prophet shall be cut off from the people."

²⁴ In fact, all the prophets that have ever spoken, from Samuel onwards, have predicted these days.

²⁵ 'You are the heirs of the prophets, the heirs of the covenant God made with your ancestors when he told Abraham, "All the nations of the earth will be blessed in your descendants".

²⁶ It was for you in the first place that God raised up his servant and sent him to bless you as every one of you turns from his wicked ways.'