7. They brought in Peter and John and made them stand in the middle while they questioned them. They asked, “By what power and in whose name have you done this?”
8. Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and told the nation's leaders and the elders:
9. You are questioning us today about a kind deed in which a crippled man was healed.
10. But there is something we must tell you and everyone else in Israel. This man is standing here completely well because of the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth. You put Jesus to death on a cross, but God raised him to life.
11. He is the stone that you builders thought was worthless, and now he is the most important stone of all.
12. Only Jesus has the power to save! His name is the only one in all the world that can save anyone.
13. The officials were amazed to see how brave Peter and John were, and they knew that these two apostles were only ordinary men and not well educated. The officials were certain that these men had been with Jesus.
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.”