Bible Society of South Africa

Easter: Day of Pentecost

First reading

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

1When the day of Pentecost came, all the believers were gathered together in one place. 2Suddenly there was a noise from the sky which sounded like a strong wind blowing, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire which spread out and touched each person there. 4They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.

5There were Jews living in Jerusalem, religious people who had come from every country in the world. 6When they heard this noise, a large crowd gathered. They were all excited, because each one of them heard the believers speaking in his or her own language. 7In amazement and wonder they exclaimed, “These people who are talking like this are Galileans! 8How is it, then, that all of us hear them speaking in our own native languages? 9We are from Parthia, Media, and Elam; from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia; from Pontus and Asia, 10from Phrygia and Pamphylia, from Egypt and the regions of Libya near Cyrene. Some of us are from Rome, 11both Jews and Gentiles converted to Judaism, and some of us are from Crete and Arabia — yet all of us hear them speaking in our own languages about the great things that God has done!” 12Amazed and confused, they kept asking each other, “What does this mean?”

13But others made fun of the believers, saying, “These people are drunk!”

Peter's Message

14Then Peter stood up with the other eleven apostles and in a loud voice began to speak to the crowd: “Fellow-Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, listen to me and let me tell you what this means. 15These people are not drunk, as you suppose; it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16Instead, this is what the prophet Joel spoke about:

17‘This is what I will do in the last days, God says:

I will pour out my Spirit on everyone.

Your sons and daughters will proclaim my message;

your young men will see visions,

and your old men will have dreams.

18Yes, even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days,

and they will proclaim my message.

19I will perform miracles in the sky above

and wonders on the earth below.

There will be blood, fire, and thick smoke;

20the sun will be darkened,

and the moon will turn red as blood,

before the great and glorious Day of the Lord comes.

21And then, whoever calls out to the Lord for help will be saved.’

Acts 2:1-21GNBOpen in Bible reader

24So Moses went out and told the people what the LORD had said. He assembled seventy of the leaders and placed them round the Tent. 25Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him. He took some of the spirit he had given to Moses and gave it to the seventy leaders. When the spirit came on them, they began to shout like prophets, but not for long.

26Two of the seventy leaders, Eldad and Medad, had stayed in the camp and had not gone out to the Tent. There in the camp the spirit came on them, and they too began to shout like prophets. 27A young man ran out to tell Moses what Eldad and Medad were doing.

28Then Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses' helper since he was a young man, spoke up and said to Moses, “Stop them, sir!”

29Moses answered, “Are you concerned about my interests? I wish that the LORD would give his Spirit to all his people and make all of them shout like prophets!” 30Then Moses and the seventy leaders of Israel went back to camp.

Numbers 11:24-30GNBOpen in Bible reader
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