Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of
prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being
carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is
called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple.
Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to
receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and
said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting
to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver
and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus
Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right
hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were
made strong. And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and
entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized
him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking
for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what
had happened to him.
While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly
astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's.
And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why
do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our
own power or piety we have made him walk? The God of Abraham, the
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers,
glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in
the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you
denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be
granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised
from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And his name—by faith in
his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the
faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health
in the presence of you all.
“And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did
also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the
prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent
therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that
times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and
that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven
must receive until the time for restoring all the things about
which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. Moses
said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from
your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you.
And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet
shall be destroyed from the people.’ And all the prophets who have
spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed
these days. You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant
that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your
offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ God,
having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you
by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”
