Acts 2
The full text of Acts 2 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Greek. Free to read.
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
2 Suddenly a sound like a violent rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3 They saw what looked like tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were godly Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem.
6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.
7 Utterly amazed, they asked, "Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans?
8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our own native language?
9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome
11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs — we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own languages!"
12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"
13 But others made fun of them and said, "They have had too much new wine."
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.
15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning!
16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below: blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
22 "People of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.
23 This man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of lawless men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.
24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
25 David said about him: 'I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope,
27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your holy one see decay.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.'
29 "Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.
30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.
31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay.
32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.
33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, 'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand
35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."'
36 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah."
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call."
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."
41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.
44 All the believers were together and had everything in common.
45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.
46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Translation notes (13)
- Acts 2:4a Greek heterais glossais (ἑτέραις γλώσσαις), 'other tongues', denotes here intelligible human languages, since the hearers in the following verses recognize their own native speech. The verb apophthengesthai, 'to declare solemnly', suggests inspired but articulate utterance; Luke uses it again of Peter's preaching in Acts 2:14 and Paul's defense in Acts 26:25.
- Acts 2:9a The catalogue moves broadly from east to west, beginning with peoples of the Parthian empire, and recalls the Table of Nations in Genesis 10, presenting Pentecost as a reversal of the scattering at Babel. Here "Asia" designates the Roman province in western Asia Minor, not the continent; Greek katoikountes, 'residents', marks those settled in Jerusalem rather than pilgrims merely visiting.
- Acts 2:13a The mockers' word is gleukos (γλεῦκος), 'sweet new wine', found only here in the New Testament. Since Pentecost falls months before the grape harvest, this cannot mean freshly pressed juice; ancient methods preserved sweet, still-fermenting wine year-round, and its high sugar content made it notably intoxicating. The verb diachleuazontes, 'jeering', marks the charge as scornful mockery.
- Acts 2:15a Greek hōra tritē tēs hēmeras (ὥρα τρίτη τῆς ἡμέρας), literally 'the third hour of the day', is rendered here as 'nine in the morning'. Hours were reckoned from sunrise, so the third hour fell at roughly nine o'clock. Peter's point is that so early an hour makes drunkenness implausible.
- Acts 2:17a Peter's quotation opens with en tais eschatais hēmerais, 'in the last days', where both the Hebrew of Joel (acharei-chen, 'afterward') and the Septuagint read simply 'after these things'. The change interprets Joel's promise as fulfilled at Pentecost. The Greek continues epi pasan sarka, literally 'on all flesh', rendered here as 'on all people'.
- Acts 2:20a Peter's quotation follows the Septuagint of Joel 2:31, whose epiphane (ἐπιφανῆ), 'manifest' or 'glorious', stands where the Hebrew has nora', 'dreadful'. The Greek translators evidently derived the word from ra'ah, 'to see', rather than yare', 'to fear', so the day of the Lord appears here as glorious rather than terrifying.
- Acts 2:23a The phrase anomon (ἀνόμων), 'lawless men', literally means 'those without the law' and was a standard Jewish designation for Gentiles, who stood outside the Torah. Peter thereby points to the Roman executioners who carried out the crucifixion, while still charging his hearers in Jerusalem with handing Jesus over to them.
- Acts 2:24a The phrase rendered 'the agony of death' is Greek tas ōdinas tou thanatou, literally 'the birth pangs of death'. The wording echoes the Septuagint of Psalm 18:4 and Psalm 116:3, where Hebrew chevel, 'cord', was translated by the Greek word for birth pangs, the two senses sharing one Hebrew form. Death's grip is thus pictured as labor pains that could not hold him.
- Acts 2:27a Peter quotes Psalm 16:10 following the Septuagint, where Greek hades, 'the realm of the dead', translates Hebrew sheol. The phrase ton hosion sou, 'your holy one', corresponds to Hebrew chasid, one bound to God in covenant loyalty; Peter argues in the following verses that David spoke here not of himself but of the Messiah's resurrection.
- Acts 2:30a The phrase rendered "one of his descendants" is literally ek karpou tes osphyos autou (ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς ὀσφύος αὐτοῦ), 'from the fruit of his loins', echoing the wording of Psalm 132:11. Peter thus invokes the covenant oath of 2 Samuel 7:12-13, in which God swore to establish the throne of David's offspring forever.
- Acts 2:34a Peter quotes Psalm 110:1 following the Septuagint, where kyrios (κύριος), 'Lord', renders two distinct Hebrew words: the divine name and adoni, 'my lord'. The argument turns on the second figure: since David himself did not ascend, the one seated at God's right hand must be another, whom Peter identifies as the risen Messiah.
- Acts 2:38a This can also be translated as 'so that your sins may be forgiven,' or 'because your sins are forgiven.' The Greek preposition eis is genuinely ambiguous and has been theologically debated.
- Acts 2:47a Some manuscripts add 'to the church' (Greek te ekklesia); the closing phrase 'together' (Greek epi to auto) is placed differently across various ancient copies of the text.
About this translation
The Trinity Bible Version (TBV) is Trinity Bible's own modern English translation, worked directly from the original Greek and honest to the earliest manuscripts. It was completed in 2026 — the most modern English Bible translation — and is exclusive to Trinity Bible. Every chapter, including all of Acts, is free to read here on the web.
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