1ONE DAY at three in the afternoon, the hour of prayer, Peter and John were on their way up to the temple. 2Now a man who had been a cripple from birth used to be carried there and laid every day by the gate of the temple called 'Beautiful Gate', to beg from people as they went in. 3When he saw Peter and John on their way into the temple he asked for charity. 4But Peter fixed his eyes on him, as John did also, and said, 'Look at us.' 5Expecting a gift from them, the man was all attention. 6And Peter said, 'I have no silver or gold; but what I have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.' 7Then he grasped him by the right hand and pulled him up; and at once his feet and ankles grew strong; 8he sprang up, stood on his feet, and started to walk. He entered the temple with them, leaping and praising God as he went. 9Everyone saw him walking and praising God, 10and when they recognized him as the man who used to sit begging at Beautiful Gate, they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
11And as he was clutching Peter and John all the people came running in astonishment towards them in Solomon's Portico, as it is called. 12Peter saw them coming and met them with these words: 'Men of Israel, why be surprised at this? Why stare at us as if we had made this man walk by some power or godliness of our own? 13 [ Ex.3.6, Is.52.13, Is.53.11. ] The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has given the highest honour to his servant Jesus, whom you committed for trial and repudiated in Pilate's court— 14repudiated the one who was holy and righteous when Pilate had decided to release him. You begged as a favour the release of a murderer, 15and killed him who has led the way to life. But God raised him from the dead; of that we are witnesses. 16And the name of Jesus, by awakening faith, has strengthened this man, whom you see and know, and this faith has made him completely well, as you can all see for yourselves.
17'And now, my friends, I know quite well that you acted in ignorance, and so did your rulers; 18but this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold in the utterances of all the prophets: that his Messiah should suffer. 19Repent then and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out. Then the Lord may grant you a time of recovery 20and send you the Messiah he has already appointed, that is, Jesus. 21He must be received into heaven until the time of universal restoration comes, of which God spoke by his holy prophets. 22 [ Dt.18.15-19. ] Moses said, "The Lord God will raise up a prophet for you from among yourselves as he raised me; you shall listen to everything he says to you, 23 [ Lv.23.29. ] and anyone who refuses to listen to that prophet must be extirpated from Israel." 24And so said all the prophets, from Samuel onwards; with one voice they all predicted this present time.
25 [ Gn.12.3, Gn.22.18. ] 'You are the heirs of the prophets; you are within the covenant which God made with your fathers, when he said to Abraham, "And in your offspring all the families on earth shall find blessing." 26When God raised up his Servant, he sent him to you first, to bring you blessing by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.'
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