Acts 2

King James Version

Full text for Acts Chapter 2

1¶ And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

4And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5¶ And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

6Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

7And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?

8And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

9Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,

10Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,

11Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

12And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

13Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

14¶ But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all [ye] that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

15For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is [but] the third hour of the day.

16But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

17And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

18And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

19And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:

20The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:

21And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

22Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

23Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

24Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

25For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:

26Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:

27Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

28Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

29Men [and] brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.

30Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

31He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

32This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

33Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

34For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

35Until I make thy foes thy footstool.

36Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

37¶ Now when they heard [this], they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men [and] brethren, what shall we do?

38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

39For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, [even] as many as the Lord our God shall call.

40And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

41Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added [unto them] about three thousand souls.

42¶ And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

43And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

44And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

45And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all [men], as every man had need.

46And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

47Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

On the day of Pentecost, the disciples were filled with the Holy Ghost, speaking in diverse tongues, which amazed a multitude of devout Jews from many nations. Peter then preached, explaining that this event fulfilled Joel's prophecy and proclaiming Jesus as the crucified and resurrected Lord and Christ. This sermon led about three thousand people to repent, be baptized, and join the nascent church, which then devoted itself to apostolic teaching, fellowship, and communal living.

Medium Summary

On the day of Pentecost, the apostles were gathered when a sound like a mighty rushing wind filled the house, and cloven tongues like fire sat upon each of them, filling them with the Holy Ghost. They began to speak in other tongues, which was heard by a multitude of devout Jews from various nations, each in their own language, causing great astonishment and some mockery. Peter, standing with the eleven, addressed the crowd, refuting the charge of drunkenness and declaring that the event was the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy concerning the outpouring of God's Spirit in the last days. He then powerfully proclaimed Jesus of Nazareth, whom they had crucified, as the one God had raised from the dead, citing David's prophecies to establish Jesus as both Lord and Christ. Pricked in their hearts, the people asked what to do, and Peter exhorted them to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins and to receive the Holy Ghost. Approximately three thousand souls were added to their number that day, and the new believers devoted themselves to the apostles' doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers, sharing their possessions as needed.

Long Summary

On the day of Pentecost, as the disciples were gathered with one accord, a sudden sound like a mighty rushing wind filled the house, and cloven tongues resembling fire appeared, resting upon each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit enabled them. A multitude of devout Jews from every nation under heaven, dwelling in Jerusalem, heard this phenomenon and were confounded, as each man heard the apostles speaking in his own native language the wonderful works of God. Some were amazed and questioned the meaning, while others mocked, suggesting the men were filled with new wine. Peter, standing with the other eleven apostles, addressed the crowd, refuting the accusation of drunkenness by noting the early hour. He declared that this event was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel, foretelling that in the last days, God would pour out His Spirit upon all flesh, leading to prophecy, visions, and dreams, and that whosoever called on the name of the Lord would be saved. Peter then presented Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God through miracles and wonders, whom the people had crucified by wicked hands according to God's determinate counsel. He proclaimed that God had raised Jesus from the dead, having loosed the pains of death, as it was impossible for Him to be held by it. Citing King David's prophecy from Psalm 16, Peter argued that David spoke not of himself, but of Christ's resurrection, whose soul was not left in hell nor His flesh allowed to see corruption. He affirmed that this same Jesus, whom they had crucified, God had made both Lord and Christ, exalted to His right hand, and from whom the promised Holy Ghost was shed forth. Deeply affected by Peter's words, the people asked what they should do. Peter responded by calling them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, promising them the gift of the Holy Ghost. About three thousand souls gladly received his word and were baptized that day, being added to the company of believers. The nascent church continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. They shared all things in common, selling possessions to distribute to those in need, and daily gathered in the temple and in homes, eating with gladness and praising God, as the Lord continued to add to their number.

Core Concepts

  • Outpouring of the Holy GhostOn the day of Pentecost, the disciples were supernaturally filled with the Holy Ghost, manifested by a sound like a rushing wind and cloven tongues of fire, enabling them to speak in diverse languages. This event marked the fulfillment of a divine promise, empowering the early believers.
  • Speaking in TonguesThe apostles, filled with the Holy Ghost, began to speak in various languages previously unknown to them, allowing devout Jews from many nations to hear the "wonderful works of God" in their native tongues. This miraculous communication served as a sign to the diverse multitude gathered in Jerusalem.
  • Peter's Pentecost SermonPeter delivered a pivotal sermon, refuting accusations of drunkenness, explaining the miraculous events as a fulfillment of Joel's prophecy, and proclaiming Jesus of Nazareth as the crucified, resurrected, and exalted Lord and Christ. His message centered on God's plan for salvation through Jesus.
  • Fulfillment of ProphecyPeter explicitly linked the outpouring of the Holy Ghost to the prophecy of Joel, and Jesus' resurrection and exaltation to prophecies of King David, demonstrating that these events were part of God's predetermined plan. This emphasized the continuity of God's work through the ages.
  • Repentance and BaptismIn response to Peter's sermon, those "pricked in their heart" were exhorted to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. This marked the initial steps for entry into the Christian community.
  • Early Church CommunityFollowing the conversions, the new believers formed a devoted community, steadfastly adhering to the apostles' doctrine, engaging in fellowship, breaking bread, and prayers. They also practiced communal sharing, selling possessions to meet the needs of all members.
  • Jesus as Lord and ChristPeter's sermon culminated in the declaration that God had made Jesus, whom the Jews had crucified, both Lord and Christ, signifying His divine authority and messianic identity. This central theological assertion was foundational to the early Christian message.