1 Mas um homem chamado Ananias, com sua mulher Safira, vendeu uma propriedade,2 e reteve parte do preço, sabendo-o também sua mulher; e, levando uma parte, depositou-a aos pés dos apóstolos.3 Pedro disse-lhe: Ananias, por que encheu Satanás o teu coração, para que mentisses ao Espírito Santo, e retivesses parte do preço do terreno?4 Porventura se não o vendesses, não seria ele teu; e vendido, não estava o preço no teu poder? Como formaste este desígnio no teu coração? Não mentiste aos homens, mas a Deus.5 Ananias, ao ouvir estas palavras, caiu e expirou; e sobreveio grande temor a todos os ouvintes.6 Levantando-se os moços, amortalharam-no e, levando-o para fora, sepultaram-no.7 Depois de um intervalo de cerca de três horas entrou sua mulher, não sabendo o que tinha sucedido.8 Pedro perguntou-lhe: Dize-me se vendestes por tanto o terreno? Ela respondeu: Sim, por tanto.9 Mas Pedro disse-lhe: Por que é que vós combinastes provar o Espírito do Senhor? eis à porta os pés dos que sepultaram teu marido, e eles te levarão a ti para fora.10 Imediatamente caiu aos pés dele e expirou. Entrando os mancebos, acharam-na morta e, levando-a para fora, sepultaram-na junto a seu marido.11 Sobreveio grande temor a toda a igreja e a todos os que ouviram estas coisas.12 Faziam-se muitos milagres e prodígios entre o povo pelas mãos dos apóstolos. Todos estavam de comum acordo no pórtico de Salomão;13 dos outros, porém, nenhum ousava ajuntar-se a eles, mas o povo os engrandecia.14 Cada vez mais se agregavam crentes ao Senhor, homens e mulheres em grande número,15 a ponto de levarem os enfermos até pelas ruas e os porem em leitos e enxergões, para que, ao passar Pedro, ao menos a sua sombra cobrisse algum deles.16 Também das cidades circunvizinhas de Jerusalém afluía uma multidão, trazendo enfermos e atormentados de espíritos imundos, os quais eram todos curados.17 Levantando-se, porém, o sumo sacerdote e todos os que estavam com ele (que eram da seita dos saduceus), encheram-se de inveja,18 prenderam os apóstolos e os recolheram à prisão pública.19 Mas um anjo do Senhor abriu de noite as portas do cárcere e, conduzindo-os para fora, disse-lhes:20 Ide e, no templo, postos em pé, falai ao povo todas as palavras desta vida.21 Tendo ouvido isto, entraram ao amanhecer no templo e ensinavam. Mas comparecendo o sumo sacerdote e os que estavam com ele, convocaram o sinédrio e todo o senado dos filhos de Israel, e enviaram os oficiais ao cárcere para trazê-los.22 Mas os oficiais que lá foram, não os acharam no cárcere; e tendo voltado, relataram:23 Achamos o cárcere fechado com toda a segurança e os guardas às portas, mas, abrindo-as, a ninguém achamos dentro.24 Quando o capitão do templo e os principais sacerdotes ouviram estas palavras, ficaram perplexos a respeito deles e do que viria a ser isto.25 Chegou alguém e anunciou-lhes: Eis que os homens, que metestes no cárcere, estão no templo, postos em pé, e ensinando o povo.26 Nisto foi o capitão com os oficiais e os trouxe sem violência, porque eles temiam ser apedrejados pelo povo.27 Tendo-os trazido, os apresentaram no sinédrio. O sumo sacerdote interrogou-os,28 dizendo: Expressamente vos admoestamos que não ensinásseis nesse nome, e eis que tendes enchido Jerusalém com o vosso ensino, e quereis trazer sobre nós o sangue desse homem.29 Mas Pedro e os apóstolos responderam: Importa antes obedecer a Deus que aos homens.30 O Deus de nossos pais ressuscitou a Jesus, que vós matastes, pendurando-o num madeiro;31 a este elevou Deus com a sua destra a Príncipe e Salvador, para dar arrependimento a Israel e remissão de pecados.32 Nós somos testemunhas destas coisas, e bem assim o Espírito Santo, que Deus deu aos que lhe obedecem.33 Mas eles, quando ouviram isto, se enfureceram, e queriam matá-los.34 Levantando-se, porém, no sinédrio um fariseu chamado Gamaliel, doutor da lei, acatado por todo o povo, mandou retirar os apóstolos por um pouco,35 e disse: Israelitas, atentai bem para o que ides fazer a estes homens.36 Pois faz já algum tempo que Teudas se levantou, dizendo ser alguma coisa, ao qual se ajuntaram uns quatrocentos homens; ele foi morto, e todos quantos lhe obedeciam, foram dissolvidos e reduzidos a nada.37 Depois deste levantou-se Judas, o galileu, nos dias do alistamento e levou muitos consigo; esse também pereceu, e todos quantos lhe obedeciam, foram dispersos.38 Agora vos digo: Não vos metais com esses homens, mas deixai-os; porque se este conselho ou esta obra for de homens, se desfará;39 mas se é de Deus, não podereis desfazê-la, para que não sejais, porventura, achados até pelejando contra Deus.40 Concordaram com ele; e tendo chamado os apóstolos, açoitaram-nos e ordenaram-lhes que não falassem em o nome de Jesus, e soltaram-nos.41 Eles, pois, saíram do sinédrio, regozijando-se por terem sido achados dignos de sofrer afrontas pelo nome de Jesus;42 e todos os dias no templo e em casa não cessavam de ensinar e pregar a Jesus, o Cristo.

1 But a man named Ananias, with the consent of his wife Sapphira, sold some property.2 With his wife's full knowledge he kept back some of the money for himself and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet.3 Peter asked, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart so that you should lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back some of the money you got for the land?4 As long as it remained unsold, wasn't it your own? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? So how could you have conceived such a thing in your heart? You did not lie to men but to God!"5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. And great fear seized everyone who heard about it.6 The young men got up, wrapped him up, carried him outside, and buried him.7 After an interval of about three hours, his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.8 So Peter asked her, "Tell me, did you sell the land for that price?"She answered, "Yes, that was the price."9 Then Peter said to her, "How could you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you outside as well."10 She instantly fell down at his feet and died. When the young men came in, they found her dead. So they carried her out and buried her next to her husband.11 And great fear seized the whole church and everyone else who heard about this.12 Now many signs and wonders were continuously being performed by the apostles among the people. And they were all together in Solomon's Colonnade.13 None of the other people dared to join them, although the people continued to hold them in high regard.14 Nevertheless, still more believers, a vast number of both men and women, were being added to the Lord.15 As a result, people kept carrying their sick into the streets and placing them on stretchers and cots so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he went by.16 Even from the towns around Jerusalem crowds continued coming in to bring their sick and those who were troubled by unclean spirits, and all of them were healed.17 Then the high priest and all those from the sect of the Sadducees who were with him were filled with jealousy. So they went out,18 arrested the apostles, and put them in the city jail.19 But at night the angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and led them out. He told them,20 "Go and stand in the temple and keep on telling the people the whole message about this life."21 After they heard this, they went into the temple at daybreak and began to teach. The high priest and those who were with him arrived, called the Council and all the elders of Israel together, and sent word to the prison to have the men brought in.22 When the temple police got there, they did not find them in the prison. They came back 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 When the commander of the temple guards and the high priests heard these words, they were utterly at a loss as to what could have happened to them.25 Then someone came and told them, "Look! The men you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!"26 So the commander of the temple guards went with his men to bring them back without force, because they were afraid of being stoned to death by the people.27 When they brought them back, they made them stand before the Council, and the high priest began to question them.28 He said, "We gave you strict orders not to teach in his name, didn't we? Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to bring this man's blood on us!"29 But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men.30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus to life after you hung him on a tree and killed him.31 God has exalted to his right hand this very man as our Leader and Savior in order to give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who keep on obeying him."33 When they heard this, they became furious and wanted to kill them.34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and ordered the men to be taken outside for a little while.35 Then he said to them, "Fellow Israelites, consider carefully what you propose to do to these men.36 For in days gone by Theudas appeared, claiming that he was important, and about 400 men joined him. He was killed, and all his followers were dispersed and disappeared.37 After that man, at the time of the census, Judas the Galilean appeared and got people to follow him. He, too, died, and all his followers were scattered.38 "I'm telling you to keep away from these men for now. Leave them alone, because if this plan or movement is of human origin, it will fail.39 However, if it is from God, you won't be able to stop them, and you may even discover that you are fighting against God!" So they were convinced by him.40 After calling in the apostles and beating them, they ordered them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus and let them go.41 They left the Council, rejoicing to have been considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the Name.42 Every day in the temple and from house to house they kept teaching and proclaiming that Jesus is the Christ.