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Acts 5 — Ananias and Sapphira; the apostles’ continuing witness — Greek text and reception

Saints Translation: Acts 1–28 [V2]

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 5 — Ananias and Sapphira; the apostles’ continuing witness

Ananias and Sapphira

Verse 5:1

Greek–English Translation

A man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, sold a property.

Textual and Reception Notes

Verse 5:2

Greek–English Translation

He secretly kept back part of the price, with his wife also knowing about it, and brought a portion and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Textual and Reception Notes

Text: Nosphizomai conveys appropriating or withholding for oneself, here coupled with the concealed agreement exposed in the following verses.

Verse 5:3

Greek–English Translation

Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart, so that you lied to the Holy Spirit and secretly kept back part of the price of the land?

Textual and Reception Notes

Verse 5:4

Greek–English Translation

While it remained unsold, did it not remain yours? And after it was sold, was it not under your authority? Why have you put this deed in your heart? You have not lied to human beings but to God.”

Textual and Reception Notes

Text: The two questions explicitly affirm the owner’s control before and after sale. The accusation concerns the false dealing, not a stated obligation to sell every possession.

Verse 5:5

Greek–English Translation

When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. Great fear came upon all who heard.

Textual and Reception Notes

Text: The narrative states the death after hearing Peter; it does not add a physical action by Peter causing it.

Verse 5:6

Greek–English Translation

The younger men rose, wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him.

Textual and Reception Notes

Verse 5:7

Greek–English Translation

About three hours later, his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.

Textual and Reception Notes

Verse 5:8

Greek–English Translation

Peter said to her, “Tell me, did you sell the land for this amount?” She said, “Yes, for that amount.”

Textual and Reception Notes

Text: The sale question is plural, addressed to the wife about their joint transaction; no numerical price is supplied.

Verse 5:9

Greek–English Translation

Peter said to her, “Why did you agree together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

Textual and Reception Notes

Verse 5:10

Greek–English Translation

At once she fell at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in, they found her dead; they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

Textual and Reception Notes

Verse 5:11

Greek–English Translation

Great fear came upon the whole Church and upon all who heard these things.

Textual and Reception Notes

Text: Ekklēsia here explicitly denotes the gathered Christian community; Church is warranted by the context. It was not inserted into 2:47, where this source lacks the noun.

Signs and healings among the people

Verse 5:12

Greek–English Translation

Many signs and wonders were taking place among the people through the apostles’ hands. They were all together with one accord in Solomon’s Portico.

Textual and Reception Notes

Verse 5:13

Greek–English Translation

None of the rest dared to join them, but the people held them in high esteem.

Textual and Reception Notes

Text: The rest is left as the source’s relative designation; the sentence does not specify a named class or erase its tension with the continuing growth in 5:14.

Verse 5:14

Greek–English Translation

More and more believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,

Textual and Reception Notes

Text: To the Lord may be attached to added or to believing. The rendering takes it with added while preserving the believers’ relation to the Lord.

Verse 5:15

Greek–English Translation

so that they even carried the sick into the streets and laid them on small beds and mats, so that as Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall upon one of them.

Textual and Reception Notes

Text: The clause states the people’s purpose or hope concerning Peter’s shadow. It is not expanded into a separate claim about every shadow-contact healing.

Verse 5:16

Greek–English Translation

The crowd also came together from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

Textual and Reception Notes

Freed from prison and summoned again

Verse 5:17

Greek–English Translation

The high priest and all who were with him—the party of the Sadducees—rose up, filled with jealousy.

Textual and Reception Notes

Text: Hairesis is a party or school here, not automatically the later theological sense heresy.

Verse 5:18

Greek–English Translation

They laid hands on the apostles and placed them in the public prison.

Textual and Reception Notes

Verse 5:19

Greek–English Translation

But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors, led them out, and said,

Textual and Reception Notes

Verse 5:20

Greek–English Translation

“Go, stand in the temple, and speak to the people all the words of this life.”

Textual and Reception Notes

Text: This life preserves the demonstrative and noun rather than substituting a later summary title for the message.

Verse 5:21

Greek–English Translation

When they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began teaching. The high priest and those with him arrived, called together the council and the whole assembly of elders of the sons of Israel, and sent to the jail to have them brought in.

Textual and Reception Notes

Text: The council and assembly of elders are both named. No reconstruction of their exact institutional overlap is inserted.

Verse 5:22

Greek–English Translation

But when the officers arrived, they did not find them in the prison. They returned and reported,

Textual and Reception Notes

Verse 5:23

Greek–English Translation

“We found the jail securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened it, we found no one inside.”

Textual and Reception Notes

Verse 5:24

Greek–English Translation

When the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to.

Textual and Reception Notes

Text: The selected subject names the captain and chief priests without an additional singular priest.

Verse 5:25

Greek–English Translation

Then someone came and reported to them, “Look, the men you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.”

Textual and Reception Notes

Verse 5:26

Greek–English Translation

The captain then went with the officers and brought them, without force, for they feared the people might stone them.

Textual and Reception Notes

Obeying God and Gamaliel’s counsel

Verse 5:27

Greek–English Translation

They brought them and made them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them,

Textual and Reception Notes

Verse 5:28

Greek–English Translation

saying, “We strictly commanded you not to teach in this name, yet look—you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”

Textual and Reception Notes

Text: The selected wording is an assertion, not an opening did we not question. Bringing blood upon someone expresses the allegation of responsibility for the death. Evidence: SBL-ACTS-APP, 5:28 lists the opening negative ou with RP/NA28; WH/Treg/NIV omit it.

NA28: [οὐ] παραγγελίᾳ παρηγγείλαμεν, a question, "Did we not strictly command you…?" (SBLGNT has no οὐ); the rendering above follows SBLGNT; NA28 would read as a question.

Verse 5:29

Greek–English Translation

Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than human beings.

Textual and Reception Notes

Verse 5:30

Greek–English Translation

The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging Him on a tree.

Textual and Reception Notes

Text: Xylon is tree or wood; the source’s tree image is retained in the description of execution.

Verse 5:31

Greek–English Translation

God exalted Him to His right hand as Leader and Savior, to grant repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

Textual and Reception Notes

Text: Archēgos is Leader in this pairing; see Author of life at 3:15. The dative right hand can also be instrumental, by His right hand. Both repentance and forgiveness are the stated gifts.

Verse 5:32

Greek–English Translation

We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

Textual and Reception Notes

Text: The Holy Spirit is a co-witness in the sentence. God is the natural referent of the final Him; the wording preserves the obedience language.

Verse 5:33

Greek–English Translation

When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.

Textual and Reception Notes

Text: Dieprionto is an intense being-sawn-through image used of rage. It does not describe a literal wound here.

Verse 5:34

Greek–English Translation

But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law honored by all the people, stood in the council and ordered the men to be taken outside briefly.

Textual and Reception Notes

Verse 5:35

Greek–English Translation

He said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do to these men.

Textual and Reception Notes

Verse 5:36

Greek–English Translation

For before these days Theudas arose, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.

Textual and Reception Notes

Text: The source’s sequence, name, approximate number, and claim are retained. No historical harmonization or identification with another account of Theudas has been imposed.

Verse 5:37

Greek–English Translation

After him Judas the Galilean arose in the days of the registration and drew people away after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered.

Textual and Reception Notes

Text: Registration renders apographē; no calendar date is added. After him remains explicit.

Verse 5:38

Greek–English Translation

And now I tell you, keep away from these men and leave them alone. For if this plan or this work is of human origin, it will be overthrown;

Textual and Reception Notes

Verse 5:39

Greek–English Translation

but if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found fighting against God.” They were persuaded by him.

Textual and Reception Notes

Text: The selected text has overthrow them, referring to the men, after this plan or work in 5:38. The pronoun is not harmonized to it.

Verse 5:40

Greek–English Translation

They summoned the apostles, beat them, ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and released them.

Textual and Reception Notes

Verse 5:41

Greek–English Translation

So they left the council rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name.

Textual and Reception Notes

Text: The selected source prints the Name without an additional His or Jesus. Its referent is clear from 5:40, but no name is inserted.

Verse 5:42

Greek–English Translation

Every day, in the temple and in their homes, they never ceased teaching and proclaiming the good news of Jesus the Christ.

Textual and Reception Notes

Text: Ton christon Iēsoun can be expressed as Jesus the Christ or, with its propositional force, Jesus as the Christ. This rendering preserves both title and name without making good news a separate unexpressed topic.