1 And a certain man, Ananias by name, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, 2 and did keep back of the price — his wife also knowing — and having brought a certain part, at the feet of the apostles he laid [it]. 3 And Peter said, 'Ananias, wherefore did the Adversary fill thy heart, for thee to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back of the price of the place? 4 while it remained, did it not remain thine? and having been sold, in thy authority was it not? why [is] it that thou didst put in thy heart this thing? thou didst not lie to men, but to God;' 5 and Ananias hearing these words, having fallen down, did expire, and great fear came upon all who heard these things, 6 and having risen, the younger men wound him up, and having carried forth, they buried [him]. 7 And it came to pass, about three hours after, that his wife, not knowing what hath happened, came in, 8 and Peter answered her, 'Tell me if for so much ye sold the place;' and she said, 'Yes, for so much.' 9 And Peter said unto her, 'How was it agreed by you, to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? lo, the feet of those who did bury thy husband [are] at the door, and they shall carry thee forth;' 10 and she fell down presently at his feet, and expired, and the young men having come in, found her dead, and having carried forth, they buried [her] by her husband; 11 and great fear came upon all the assembly, and upon all who heard these things. 12 And through the hands of the apostles came many signs and wonders among the people, and they were with one accord all in the porch of Solomon; 13 and of the rest no one was daring to join himself to them, but the people were magnifying them, 14 (and the more were believers added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women,) 15 so as into the broad places to bring forth the ailing, and to lay [them] upon couches and mats, that at the coming of Peter, even [his] shadow might overshadow some one of them; 16 and there were coming together also the people of the cities round about to Jerusalem, bearing ailing persons, and those harassed by unclean spirits — who were all healed. 17 And having risen, the chief priest, and all those with him — being the sect of the Sadducees — were filled with zeal, 18 and laid their hands upon the apostles, and did put them in a public prison; 19 and a messenger of the Lord through the night opened the doors of the prison, having also brought them forth, he said, 20 'Go on, and standing, speak in the temple to the people all the sayings of this life;' 21 and having heard, they did enter at the dawn into the temple, and were teaching. And the chief priest having come, and those with him, they called together the sanhedrim and all the senate of the sons of Israel, and they sent to the prison to have them brought, 22 and the officers having come, did not find them in the prison, and having turned back, they told, 23 saying — 'The prison indeed we found shut in all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors, and having opened — within we found no one.' 24 And as the priest, and the magistrate of the temple, and the chief priests, heard these words, they were doubting concerning them to what this would come; 25 and coming near, a certain one told them, saying — 'Lo, the men whom ye did put in the prison are in the temple standing and teaching the people;' 26 then the magistrate having gone away with officers, brought them without violence, for they were fearing the people, lest they should be stoned; 27 and having brought them, they set [them] in the sanhedrim, and the chief priest questioned them, 28 saying, 'Did not we strictly command you not to teach in this name? and lo, ye have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and ye intend to bring upon us the blood of this man.' 29 And Peter and the apostles answering, said, 'To obey God it behoveth, rather than men; 30 and the God of our fathers did raise up Jesus, whom ye slew, having hanged upon a tree; 31 this one God, a Prince and a Saviour, hath exalted with His right hand, to give reformation to Israel, and forgiveness of sins; 32 and we are His witnesses of these sayings, and the Holy Spirit also, whom God gave to those obeying him.' 33 And they having heard, were cut [to the heart], and were taking counsel to slay them, 34 but a certain one, having risen up in the sanhedrim — a Pharisee, by name Gamaliel, a teacher of law honoured by all the people — commanded to put the apostles forth a little, 35 and said unto them, 'Men, Israelites, take heed to yourselves about these men, what ye are about to do, 36 for before these days rose up Theudas, saying, that himself was some one, to whom a number of men did join themselves, as it were four hundred, who was slain, and all, as many as were obeying him, were scattered, and came to nought. 37 'After this one rose up, Judas the Galilean, in the days of the enrolment, and drew away much people after him, and that one perished, and all, as many as were obeying him, were scattered; 38 and now I say to you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone, because if this counsel or this work may be of men, it will be overthrown, 39 and if it be of God, ye are not able to overthrow it, lest perhaps also ye be found fighting against God.' 40 And to him they agreed, and having called near the apostles, having beaten [them], they commanded [them] not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go; 41 they, indeed, then, departed from the presence of the sanhedrim, rejoicing that for his name they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour, 42 every day also in the temple, and in every house, they were not ceasing teaching and proclaiming good news — Jesus the Christ.
Acts · Young's Literal Translation
Acts 5 Young's Literal Translation
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Ananias
Sold a piece of property and secretly kept back part of the price while claiming to give it all; he fell dead when Peter confronted him.
Cited in the guide: Acts 5:1; Acts 5:3; Acts 5:5
Gamaliel
A respected Pharisee on the Sanhedrin who counseled leaving the apostles alone; Paul later said he had been educated at his feet.
Cited in the guide: Acts 5:34; Acts 22:3
Judas the Galilean
Mentioned by Gamaliel as one who led a revolt in the days of the census; he perished and his followers were scattered.
Cited in the guide: Acts 5:37
Sapphira
Ananias's wife, who agreed to the false report about the price of the land and fell dead when Peter questioned her.
Cited in the guide: Acts 5:1
Theudas
Mentioned by Gamaliel as a man who claimed to be somebody, gathered about 400 followers, and was killed, his movement scattered.
Cited in the guide: Acts 5:36
Cross references (39)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Leviticus 10:1–3; 2 Timothy 2:20; Matthew 13:47–48; John 6:37
- 2 Acts 4:37; 2 Peter 2:14–15; Acts 4:34–35; Joshua 7:11–12; Acts 5:3
- 3 Jeremiah 23:24; Isaiah 29:15; John 13:27; John 13:2; Acts 5:9
- 4 Acts 5:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:8; 1 Chronicles 29:3; 2 Kings 5:25–27; Joshua 7:25–26
- 5 Acts 5:10–11; Acts 2:43; Numbers 16:26–34; Revelation 11:5; Revelation 11:13
- 6 John 19:40; Leviticus 10:4–6; 2 Samuel 18:17; Deuteronomy 21:23
- 8 Acts 5:2
- 9 1 Corinthians 10:9; Acts 5:3–4; Psalm 95:8–11; Psalm 78:56; Acts 15:10
- 10 Acts 5:5
- 11 Acts 5:5; 1 Corinthians 10:11–12; Acts 19:17; Hebrews 4:1; Philippians 2:12
- 12 Acts 19:11; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Hebrews 2:4; Acts 14:3; Romans 15:19
- 13 Acts 2:47; Acts 4:21; Acts 19:17; John 19:38; John 12:42
- 14 Acts 2:47; Isaiah 55:11–13; Acts 4:4; Acts 2:41; Ezra 10:1
- 15 Acts 19:11–12; Matthew 14:36; John 14:12; Matthew 9:21
- 16 Mark 16:17–18; Mark 2:3–4; James 5:16; Mark 6:54–56; Matthew 8:16
- 17 Acts 13:45; Acts 7:9; Acts 17:5; 1 Peter 2:1; John 12:10
- 18 Acts 4:3; Luke 21:12; 2 Corinthians 11:23; Hebrews 11:36; Acts 16:23–27
- 19 Acts 16:26; Psalm 34:7; Acts 12:7–11; Acts 8:26; Psalm 105:17–20
- 20 John 6:63; John 6:68; 1 John 5:11–12; 1 John 1:1–3; Matthew 21:23
- 21 John 8:2; Acts 12:18–19; Luke 21:37–38; Acts 22:2–3; John 18:35
- 23 Psalm 33:10; Psalm 2:4; Lamentations 3:55–58; Lamentations 3:37; Daniel 3:11–25
- 24 Acts 5:26; Acts 4:1; John 11:47–48; Mark 4:30–32; Acts 4:21
- 26 Acts 5:13; Acts 4:21; Luke 20:19; Matthew 21:26; Luke 20:6
- 27 Matthew 5:22; Acts 6:12; Acts 22:30–23:1; Acts 4:7; Luke 22:66
- 28 Matthew 27:25; Acts 7:52; Acts 4:18–21; Acts 4:10–11; Jeremiah 26:15
- 29 Acts 4:19; 1 Samuel 15:24; Mark 7:7–9; Genesis 3:17; Revelation 14:8–12
- 30 Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 2:24; Acts 10:39; Acts 13:28–29; Acts 4:10–11
- 31 Luke 24:47; Acts 2:33; Hebrews 2:10; Acts 11:18; Luke 2:11
- 32 John 15:26–27; Hebrews 2:3–4; Acts 1:8; Luke 24:47–48; Acts 13:31
- 33 Acts 7:54; Luke 4:28–29; Acts 2:37; John 16:2; Matthew 24:9
- 34 Acts 22:3; Luke 2:46; Luke 5:17; Psalm 76:10; John 7:50–53
- 35 Jeremiah 26:19; Matthew 27:19; Acts 19:36; Acts 22:26
- 36 Acts 8:9; 2 Peter 2:2; Revelation 17:3; Jude 16; Revelation 17:5
- 37 Luke 2:1–2; Luke 13:1–2; Job 20:5–9; Matthew 26:52; Psalm 7:14–15
- 38 Matthew 15:13; Lamentations 3:37; Isaiah 8:9–10; Job 5:12–14; Isaiah 7:5–7
- 39 Proverbs 21:30; Isaiah 46:10; Matthew 16:18; 1 Corinthians 1:25; Acts 7:51
- 40 Matthew 10:17; 2 Corinthians 11:24; Acts 4:17–21; John 19:1–4; Mark 13:9
- 41 James 1:2; 1 Peter 4:13–16; Luke 6:22; Philippians 1:29; John 15:21
- 42 Acts 2:46; Acts 20:20; Luke 21:37; Acts 8:35; Acts 9:20
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
"Having risen up," that is, being roused, being excited at the things taking place, the high-priest and they which were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees) were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the Apostles:" they now assault them more vigorously: "and put them in the common prison;" but did not forthwith bring them to …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 11 (1889)
… are in this witnesses of these words; as also is the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that believe in Him." "And daily," it is said, "in the temple, and from house to house, they ceased not to teach and preach Christ Jesus," the Son of God.
Was it night when, as the disciples were passing by, the sick were laid in couches, that they might be touched at least by their shadow as they passed? Yet, when the Lord was here, there was no one made whole by His shadow as He passed; but He Himself had said to the disciples, "Greater things than these shall …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 7 (1888)
As when they said, "Did not we straitly command you, that ye should not speak in this name?" although able to work any number of miracles, they neither said nor did anything harsh, but answered for themselves with all meekness, saying, "Whether it be right to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye." Hast thou seen the harmlessness …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
… the blessed Paul is one, having been a little while His enemy, but for a long time His servant: the Twelve Apostles are His witnesses, having preached the truth not only in words, but also by their own torments and deaths: the shadow of Peter bears witness, having healed the sick in the name of Christ.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)