Pentecost
Wind and Fire

The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

2 When the day of Pentecost^t came, they were all together^u in one place. ²Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.^v ³They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit^w and began to speak in other tongues^a ^x as the Spirit enabled them.

⁵Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing^y Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. ⁷Utterly amazed,^z they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?^a ⁸Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,^b Pontus^c and Asia,^b ^d ¹⁰Phrygia^e and Pamphylia,^f Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene;^g visitors from Rome ¹¹(both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” ¹²Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

¹³Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”^h

Peter Addresses the Crowd

¹⁴Then 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. ¹⁵These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!ⁱ ¹⁶No, 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.^j

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,^k

your young men will see visions,

your old men will dream dreams.

¹⁸Even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days,

and they will prophesy.^l

¹⁹I will show wonders in the heavens above

and signs on the earth below,^m

blood and fire and billows of smoke.

²⁰The sun will be turned to darkness