Acts 2:1-30 ▼

1 At length, on the day of the Harvest Festival, they had all met in one place;

2 when suddenly there came from the sky a sound as of a strong rushing blast of wind. This filled the whole house where they were sitting;

3 and they saw tongues of what looked like fire distributing themselves over the assembly, and on the head of each person a tongue alighted.

4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in foreign languages according as the Spirit gave them words to utter.

5 Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, devout men from every part of the world.

6 So when this noise was heard, they came crowding together, and were amazed because everyone heard his own language spoken.

7 They were beside themselves with wonder, and exclaimed, "Are not all these speakers Galilaeans?

8 How then does each of us hear his own native language spoken by them?

9 Some of us are Parthians, Medes, Elamites. Some are inhabitants of Mesopotamia, of Judaea or Cappadocia, of Pontus or the Asian Province, of Phrygia or Pamphylia,

10 of Egypt or of the parts of Africa towards Cyrene. Others are visitors from Rome--being either Jews or converts from heathenism--and others are Cretans or Arabians.

11 Yet we all alike hear these Galilaeans speaking in our own language about the wonderful things which God has done."

12 They were all astounded and bewildered, and asked one another, "What can this mean?"

13 But others, scornfully jeering, said, "They are brim-full of sweet wine."

14 Peter however, together with the Eleven, stood up and addressed them in a loud voice. "Men of Judaea, and all you inhabitants of Jerusalem," he said, "be in no uncertainty about this matter but pay attention to what I say.

15 For this is not intoxication, as you suppose, it being only the third hour of the day.

16 But that which was predicted through the Prophet Joel has happened:

17 "And it shall come to pass in the last days, God says, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall have dreams;

18 and even upon My bondservants, both men and women, at that time, I will pour out My Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

19 I will display marvels in the sky above, and signs on the earth below, blood and fire, and pillars of smoke.

20 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, to usher in the day of the Lord-- that great and illustrious day;

21 and every one who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'

22 "Listen, Israelites, to what I say. Jesus, the Nazarene, a man accredited to you from God by miracles and marvels and signs which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know, Him--

23 delivered up through God's settled purpose and foreknowledge--you by the hands of Gentiles have nailed to a cross and have put to death.

24 But God has raised Him to life, having terminated the throes of death, for in fact it was not possible for Him to be held fast by death.

25 For David says in reference to Him, "'I constantly fixed my eyes upon the Lord, because He is at my right hand in order that I may continue unshaken.

26 For this reason my heart is glad and my tongue exults. My body also shall rest in hope.

27 For Thou wilt not leave me in the Unseen World forsaken, nor give up Thy holy One to undergo decay.

28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of Life: Thou wilt fill me with gladness in Thy presence.'

29 "As to the patriarch David, I need hardly remind you, brethren, that he died and was buried, and that we still have his tomb among us.

30 Being a Prophet, however, and knowing that God had solemnly sworn to him to seat a descendant of his upon his throne,