14. But they could not deny what had happened. The man who had been healed was standing there with the apostles.
15. The officials commanded them to leave the council room. Then the officials said to each other,
16. “What can we do with these men? Everyone in Jerusalem knows about this miracle, and we cannot say it didn't happen.
17. But to keep this thing from spreading, we will warn them never again to speak to anyone about the name of Jesus.”
18. So they called the two apostles back in and told them that they must never, for any reason, teach anything about the name of Jesus.
19. Peter and John answered, “Do you think God wants us to obey you or to obey him?
20. We cannot keep quiet about what we have seen and heard.”
21-22. The officials could not find any reason to punish Peter and John. So they threatened them and let them go. The man who was healed by this miracle was more than forty years old, and everyone was praising God for what had happened.
23. As soon as Peter and John had been set free, they went back and told the others everything that the chief priests and the leaders had said to them.