Acts 2 — Pentecost and Peter’s proclamation — Greek text and reception
Each card preserves the Greek reading and its textual and reception notes. This source provides a Greek study edition; Hebrew counterparts and Hebrew–Greek classifications are not supplied.
Acts 2 — Pentecost and Peter’s proclamation
The coming of the Holy Spirit
Verse 2:1
Greek–English Translation
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in the same place.
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: The source names Pentecost and says all were together; it does not identify the building here.
Verse 2:2
Greek–English Translation
Suddenly a sound came from heaven like a violent wind rushing along, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: Like preserves the comparison: the stated phenomenon is a sound, compared to a forcefully driven wind.
Verse 2:3
Greek–English Translation
Tongues like fire appeared to them, separating and settling on each one of them.
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: The tongues are like fire. The Greek moves from plural tongues appearing and dividing to singular settled upon each person; the English preserves the individual distribution.
Verse 2:4
Greek–English Translation
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: Glōssai can denote tongues or languages. Verses 6–11 explicitly describe hearers recognizing their own languages; no modern technical classification is inserted. Saints: Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture 17.14–16, understands Pentecost as the Spirit’s inward and outward filling, with languages learned through divine power. [CYR-17]
Verse 2:5
Greek–English Translation
Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven.
Textual and Reception Notes
Verse 2:6
Greek–English Translation
When this sound occurred, the crowd came together and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
Textual and Reception Notes
Saints: Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture 17.17, contrasts Babel’s divided purposes with the restored unity of Pentecost. This is typological interpretation. [CYR-17]
Verse 2:7
Greek–English Translation
They were astonished and amazed, saying, “Look, are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?
Textual and Reception Notes
Verse 2:8
Greek–English Translation
How is it, then, that each of us hears in our own native language?
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: Literally, the language in which we were born; native language expresses the idiom.
Verse 2:9
Greek–English Translation
Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; those living in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: Judea is retained as printed. Asia is the ancient regional name, not a substitution of the modern continent’s extent.
Verse 2:10
Greek–English Translation
Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya around Cyrene; visitors from Rome,
Textual and Reception Notes
Verse 2:11
Greek–English Translation
both Jews and converts; Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues about the mighty deeds of God.”
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: Prosēlytoi denotes converts to Judaism in this list. The sentence’s different resident, visitor, and ethnic designations are retained.
Verse 2:12
Greek–English Translation
They were all astonished and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”
Textual and Reception Notes
Verse 2:13
Greek–English Translation
But others mocked them and said, “They are full of sweet wine.”
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: Gleukos is sweet wine; the accusation of intoxication is the mockers’ explanation, not the narrator’s.
Peter explains the gift of the Spirit
Verse 2:14
Greek–English Translation
Peter stood with the eleven, raised his voice, and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen closely to my words.
Textual and Reception Notes
Verse 2:15
Greek–English Translation
These people are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is the third hour of the day.
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: The ancient third hour is retained without replacing it with a modern clock time.
Verse 2:16
Greek–English Translation
Rather, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: The following quotation is translated from Acts’ actual Greek wording; no separate Hebrew or Septuagint passage is silently substituted.
Verse 2:17
Greek–English Translation
‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy; your young men will see visions, and your elders will dream dreams.
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: All flesh preserves the inclusive human image. Sons and daughters, young men and elders remain distinct groups. The Greek says pour out from My Spirit, an idiom represented by pour out My Spirit without defining a divisible quantity.
Verse 2:18
Greek–English Translation
Even upon My male slaves and My female slaves in those days I will pour out My Spirit, and they will prophesy.
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: Douloi and doulai name male and female slaves. Their social designation and the repeated My are retained rather than dissolved into a generic everyone.
Verse 2:19
Greek–English Translation
I will give wonders in heaven above and signs on the earth below: blood and fire and a cloud of smoke.
Textual and Reception Notes
Verse 2:20
Greek–English Translation
The sun will be changed into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and manifest day of the Lord comes.
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: Epiphanēs describes the day as conspicuous or manifest. The source’s adjective is retained without importing a different adjective from another form of Joel.
Verse 2:21
Greek–English Translation
And everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Textual and Reception Notes
Jesus raised and exalted
Verse 2:22
Greek–English Translation
Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus the Nazarene was a man attested to you by God through mighty works, wonders, and signs that God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves know.
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: God’s action through Jesus and the audience’s knowledge are both explicit.
Verse 2:23
Greek–English Translation
This man, handed over according to God’s determined purpose and foreknowledge, you nailed up and killed through the hands of lawless men.
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: God’s purpose, the handing over, the audience’s agency, and the lawless intermediaries are all retained. The Greek’s nailing-up verb does not name the instrument here; the crucifixion is explicit at 2:36.
Verse 2:24
Greek–English Translation
God raised Him, releasing Him from the pangs of death, because it was impossible for Him to be held by it.
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: Ōdines ordinarily denotes birth pangs; the striking pangs-of-death image is retained rather than replaced with an unmarked reconstruction of a different underlying idiom.
Verse 2:25
Greek–English Translation
For David says concerning Him, ‘I kept the Lord before me always, for He is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken.
Textual and Reception Notes
Verse 2:26
Greek–English Translation
Therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue exulted; moreover, my flesh will dwell in hope,
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: Tongue and flesh are the nouns printed in Acts’ quotation. Neither is harmonized to a different psalm presentation.
Verse 2:27
Greek–English Translation
because You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor allow Your Holy One to see decay.
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: Hades is retained as the Greek designation of the realm of the dead. Hosios is rendered Holy One; the contextual argument about flesh explains decay without changing the quoted noun.
Verse 2:28
Greek–English Translation
You have made known to me the paths of life; You will fill me with gladness in Your presence.’
Textual and Reception Notes
Verse 2:29
Greek–English Translation
Men, brothers, I may speak openly to you about the patriarch David: he both died and was buried, and his tomb is among us to this day.
Textual and Reception Notes
Verse 2:30
Greek–English Translation
Since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him to seat one of his descendants upon his throne,
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: One of his descendants renders from the fruit of his loins. The selected source does not add the longer explicit Christ-and-flesh clause found in some textual traditions. Evidence: The additional clause about raising the Christ according to the flesh is assigned to RP in SBL-ACTS-APP, 2:30.
Verse 2:31
Greek–English Translation
he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ: He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh see decay.
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: The source has He was not abandoned, without repeating His soul. Christ is the anointed title in Peter’s argument. Evidence: The added His soul belongs to RP in SBL-ACTS-APP, 2:31.
Verse 2:32
Greek–English Translation
God raised this Jesus, and all of us are witnesses of it.
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: The relative of whom/of which can point to Jesus or to His resurrection. Witnesses of it takes the immediately asserted raising as the testimony’s content; the ambiguity does not alter who was raised.
Verse 2:33
Greek–English Translation
Therefore, exalted to God’s right hand and having received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, He has poured out this which you see and hear.
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: The dative at God’s right hand may also be read instrumentally, by God’s right hand; the following enthronement quotation supports the positional rendering. Promised Holy Spirit renders promise of the Holy Spirit as the promised gift, without denying the source’s promise language.
Verse 2:34
Greek–English Translation
For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: The quotation’s two occurrences of Lord remain distinct by their grammatical relationship; no Hebrew divine-name spelling is inserted into this Greek translation.
Verse 2:35
Greek–English Translation
until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”’
Textual and Reception Notes
Verse 2:36
Greek–English Translation
Therefore let the whole house of Israel know with certainty that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: Made both Lord and Christ retains the verb and both predicates. The translation does not rewrite made as created or add a doctrinal explanation; its force is considered within the resurrection and exaltation argument.
Repentance, baptism, and the common life
Verse 2:37
Greek–English Translation
When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Men, brothers, what should we do?”
Textual and Reception Notes
Verse 2:38
Greek–English Translation
Peter said to them, “Repent, and let each one of you be baptized upon the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: Epi with the name is rendered upon the name, preserving this passage’s formulation. Eis aphesin is for the forgiveness; the stated connection is retained without replacing it with a denominational explanation. The plural command repent is followed by the individualizing each one. Saints: John Chrysostom, Homily 7 on Acts, on 2:38–39, connects baptism with forgiveness and the promised Spirit; he also stresses Peter’s gentle manner toward his hearers. [CHR-ACTS-7]
Verse 2:39
Greek–English Translation
For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away—as many as the Lord our God calls to Himself.”
Textual and Reception Notes
Verse 2:40
Greek–English Translation
With many other words he bore solemn witness and urged them, saying, “Be saved from this crooked generation.”
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: The passive command be saved is retained, as is the description of the generation as crooked.
Verse 2:41
Greek–English Translation
So those who welcomed his word were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added that day.
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: About remains explicit; psychai counts persons here rather than disembodied souls.
Verse 2:42
Greek–English Translation
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: Koinōnia is fellowship or sharing. The breaking of bread and the prayers remain the named practices; their later liturgical development is not inserted into the running sentence.
Verse 2:43
Greek–English Translation
Awe came upon everyone, and many wonders and signs took place through the apostles.
Textual and Reception Notes
Verse 2:44
Greek–English Translation
All who believed were together and held everything in common.
Textual and Reception Notes
Verse 2:45
Greek–English Translation
They would sell their properties and possessions and distribute the proceeds to all, according as anyone had need.
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: The imperfect verbs describe their ongoing practice. Proceeds supplies the natural English object of distributing what was sold; distribution is governed by actual need. Saints: John Chrysostom, Homily 7 on Acts, on 2:42–45, understands fellowship to include shared material care; the distribution according to need shows wealth put to good use. [CHR-ACTS-7]
Verse 2:46
Greek–English Translation
Day by day they devoted themselves with one accord to gathering in the temple, and breaking bread in their homes, they shared food with gladness and simplicity of heart,
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: Kat’ oikon can indicate at home or from house to house. In their homes retains the domestic distribution without defining one exclusive meeting arrangement.
Verse 2:47
Greek–English Translation
praising God and enjoying favor with all the people. And day by day the Lord added those who were being saved to their gathering.
Textual and Reception Notes
Text: The selected ending is epi to auto, to the same place/together; it does not print to the Church. Their gathering expresses the idiom while preserving the ongoing passive being saved. Evidence: SBL-ACTS-APP, 2:47 assigns the Church wording to RP; WH, Treg and NA28 have epi to auto.