Acts 3

Healing The Lame Beggar

1Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.), 2and a man who had been unable to walk from birth was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at that gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, so that he could beg alms from those entering the temple. 3So when he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking [them] for coins. 4But Peter, along with John, stared at him intently and said, “Look at us!” 5And the man began to pay attention to them, eagerly expecting to receive something from them. 6But Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have; but what I do have I give to you: In the name (authority, power) of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—[begin now to] walk and go on walking!” 7Then he seized the man’s right hand with a firm grip and raised him up. And at once his feet and ankles became strong and steady, 8and with a leap he stood up and began to walk; and he went into the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9All the people saw him walking and praising God; 10and they recognized him as the very man who usually sat begging for coins at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement and were mystified at what had happened to him.

Peter’s Second Sermon 11Now while he was still holding on to Peter and John, all the people, utterly amazed, ran together and crowded around them at the covered porch called Solomon’s portico. 12And Peter, seeing this, said to the people, “You men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Why are you staring at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His Servant and Son Jesus [doing Him this honor], the One whom you handed over and disowned and rejected before Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. 14But you disowned and denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked for [the pardon of] a murderer to be granted to you. 15But you killed the Prince (Author, Originator, Source) of life, whom God raised [bodily] from the dead. To this [fact] we are witnesses [for we have seen the risen Christ]. 16And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health and complete wholeness in your presence.

17“Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance [not fully aware of what you were doing], just as your rulers did also. 18And so God has fulfilled what He foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ (Messiah, Anointed) would suffer. 19So repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins] and return [to God—seek His purpose for your life], so that your sins may be wiped away [blotted out, completely erased], so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day]; 20and that He may send [to you] Jesus, the Christ, who has been appointed for you, 21whom heaven must keep until the time for the [complete] restoration of all things about which God promised through the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. 22Moses said, ‘THE LORD GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR COUNTRYMEN; YOU SHALL LISTEN TO HIM and OBEY everything He tells you. 23‘And it will be that every person that does not listen to and heed that Prophet will be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ 24Indeed, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also announced these days. 25You are the sons (descendants) of the prophets and [heirs] of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘AND IN YOUR SEED (descendant) ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED.’ 26“It was for you first of all that God raised up His Servant and Son [Jesus], and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”