Acts 3

3 ¹Peter and John were going up to the temple at around three in the afternoon, the hour of prayer. ²A man lame from birth was carried and placed daily at the temple gate called Beautiful, to beg from those entering the temple. ³Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for money. ⁴And Peter, gazing at him with John, said, "Look at us." ⁵And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. ⁶Peter said, "I own no silver or gold, but I give you what I have: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise and walk." ⁷Taking his right hand, he raised him up; instantly his feet and ankles grew strong. ⁸Jumping up, he stood, began walking, and entered the temple with them, walking, jumping, and praising our Father. ⁹And all the people saw him walking and praising our Father. ¹⁰They recognized him as the beggar who sat at the temple's Beautiful Gate, and were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Peter Proclaims the Father's Servant

¹¹As he held on to Peter and John, all the people ran to them at the portico called Solomon's, utterly astonished. ¹²Seeing this, Peter said to the people, "Israelites, why does this amaze you? Why stare at us, as if by our own power or godliness we made him walk? ¹³The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and denied before Pilate, when Pilate decided to release him. ¹⁴But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, asking that a murderer be given to you. ¹⁵You killed the Author of life; our Father raised him from the dead. To this we are witnesses. ¹⁶His name, through faith in his name, has made this man strong—the very man you see and know. And faith in Jesus has given him this complete health right before your eyes.

¹⁷"And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. ¹⁸But our Father fulfilled what he predicted through all the prophets: his Christ would suffer. ¹⁹Repent, then, and turn back, so your sins are wiped out, ²⁰that times of refreshing may come from our Father's presence, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, ²¹whom heaven must receive until all things are restored, about which our Father spoke through his holy prophets long ago. ²²Moses said, 'Your Father will raise up a prophet like me for you, from your brothers. Listen to him in everything he tells you.' ²³Anyone who does not listen to that prophet will be utterly destroyed from among the people.' ²⁴All the prophets who spoke, from Samuel onward, also announced these days. ²⁵You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant our Father made with your fathers, telling Abraham, 'By your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.' ²⁶Our Father raised up his servant and sent him to you first, to bless you by turning each of you from your evil."