Many Signs and Wonders Done

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 ^eadded 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 ^fshadow 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 ^ghealed.

The Apostles Arrested and Freed

17 But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with ^hjealousy 18 they arrested the apostles and put them in the public ⁱprison. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord ^jopened 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 ^kLife.”

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, ^lwondering 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, ^m“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 ⁿblood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must ^oobey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a ^ptree. 31 God ^qexalted him ^rat his right hand as ^sLeader and ^tSavior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are ^uwitnesses to these things, ^vand so is the Holy Spirit, ^wwhom God has given to those who obey him.”

Praise the Name of the Lord

Greeting to the Seven Churches

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from him ^gwho is and who was and who is to come, and from ^hthe seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the ⁱfaithful witness, ^jthe firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

To him who ^kloves us ^land has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, ^mpriests to his God and Father, ⁿto him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 ^oBehold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who ^ppierced him, and ^qall tribes of the earth will wail¹ on account of him. Even so. Amen.

8 ^r“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Vision of the Son of Man

9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was ^sin the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice ^tlike a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and ^usend it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw ^vseven golden ^wlampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands ^xone like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and ^ywith a golden sash around his chest. 14 ^zThe hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. ^aHis eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like ^bburnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was ^clike the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, ^dfrom his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and ^ehis face was like the sun shining in full strength.

17 When I saw him, I ^ffell at his feet as though dead. ^gBut he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, ^hI am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have ⁱthe keys ^jof Death and Hades.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

19 ^vOn the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were ^wfor fear of the Jews,¹ Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ^x“Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he ^yshowed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples ^zwere glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. ^aAs the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ^b“Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 ^cIf you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

Jesus and Thomas

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the ^dTwin,² was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” ^eBut he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will ^fnever believe.”

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, ^g“Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, ^h“My Lord and ⁱmy God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have ^jseen me? Blessed are those who have ^knot seen and yet have believed.”

The Purpose of This Book

30 ^lNow Jesus did many other ^msigns in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written ⁿso that you may believe that ^oJesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that ^pby believing you may have life in his name.