Lesson 12 English Fluency Exercise

Lesson Text 5:22-42 (Acts)

Read the Lesson Text aloud. Read the entire section until you can pronounce each word correctly, reading each paragraph without pausing. Practice until you can read the entire Lesson Text with good English pronunciation.

The High Priest and his companions called together all the Jewish elders for a full meeting of the Council; then they sent orders to the prison to have the apostles brought before them. But when the officials arrived, they did not find the apostles in prison, so they returned to the Council and reported, “When we arrived at the jail, we found it locked up tight and all the guards on watch at the gates; but when we opened the gates, we found no one inside.” When the chief priests and the officer in charge of the Temple guards heard this, they wondered what had happened to the apostles. Then a man came in and said to them, “Listen. The men you put in prison are in the Temple teaching the people.” So the officer went off with his men and brought the apostles back. They did not use force, however, because they were afraid that the people might stone them.

They brought the apostles in, made them stand before the Council, and the High Priest questioned them. “We gave you strict orders not to teach in the name of this man,” he said; “but see what you have done. You have spread your teaching all over Jerusalem, and you want to make us responsible for his death.”

Peter and the other apostles answered, “We must obey God, not men. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from death, after you had killed him by nailing him to a cross. God raised him to his right side as Leader and Savior, to give the people of Israel the opportunity to repent and have their sins forgiven. We are witnesses to these things—we and the Holy Spirit, who is God’s gift to those who obey him.”

When the members of the Council heard this, they were so furious that they wanted to have the apostles put to death. But one of them who was a teacher of the Law and was highly respected by all the people, stood up in the Council. He ordered the apostles to be taken out for a while, and then he said to the Council, “Fellow Israelites, be careful what you do to these men. You remember that a man appeared some time ago, claiming to be somebody great, and about four hundred men joined him. But he was killed, all his followers were scattered, and his movement died out. After that, another man appeared during the time of the census; he drew a crowd after him, but he also was killed, and all his followers were scattered. And so in this case, I tell you, do not take any action against these men. Leave them alone. If what they have planned and done is of human origin, it will disappear, but if it comes from God, you cannot possibly defeat them. You could find yourselves fighting against God.”

The Council followed his advice. They called the apostles in, had them whipped, and ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus; and then they set them free.

As the apostles left the Council, they were happy, because God had considered them worthy to suffer disgrace for the sake of Jesus. And every day in the Temple and in people’s homes they continued to teach and preach the Good News about Jesus the Messiah.

Lesson Text: Today’s English Version, Copyright ©1992 by the ABS.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.