Pentecost

Pentecost is the Feast of Weeks, the harvest festival held fifty days after Passover. On the day of Pentecost after Jesus' ascension the Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples, Peter preached, and about three thousand were baptized.

The Feast of Weeks

• Leviticus 23:15-21
  ¹⁵And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you are to count off seven full weeks. ¹⁶Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord.You shall count off fifty days until the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD. ¹⁷Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the Lord.Bring two loaves of bread from your dwellings as a wave offering, each made from two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with leaven, as the firstfruits to the LORD. ¹⁸And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the Lord, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the Lord.Along with the bread you are to present seven unblemished male lambs a year old, one young bull, and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the LORD, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings—an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. ¹⁹Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings.You shall also prepare one male goat as a sin offering and two male lambs a year old as a peace offering. ²⁰And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the Lord for the priest.The priest is to wave the lambs as a wave offering before the LORD, together with the bread of the firstfruits. The bread and the two lambs shall be holy to the LORD for the priest. ²¹And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly, and you must not do any regular work. This is to be a permanent statute wherever you live for the generations to come.
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• Deuteronomy 16:9-12
  ⁹Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn.You are to count off seven weeks from the time you first put the sickle to the standing grain. ¹⁰And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the Lord thy God, according as the Lord thy God hath blessed thee:And you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God with a freewill offering that you give in proportion to how the LORD your God has blessed you, ¹¹And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to place his name there.and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God in the place He will choose as a dwelling for His Name—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite within your gates, as well as the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widows among you. ¹²And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes.Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and carefully follow these statutes.
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• Exodus 34:22
  And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end.And you are to celebrate the Feast of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.
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The promise of the Spirit

• Joel 2:28-29
  ²⁸And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. ²⁹And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.Even on My menservants and maidservants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
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• John 14:16-17
  ¹⁶And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— ¹⁷Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.
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• Acts 1:4-5
  ⁴And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.And while they were gathered together, He commanded them: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift the Father promised, which you have heard Me discuss. ⁵For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
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• Acts 1:8
  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
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The Spirit poured out

• Acts 2:1-4
  ¹And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ²And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
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• Acts 2:5-11
  ⁵And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.And when this sound rang out, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking his own language. ⁷And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans?Astounded and amazed, they asked, “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? ⁸And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?How is it then that each of us hears them in his own native language? ⁹Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome, ¹¹Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.both Jews and converts to Judaism; Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”
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Peter's sermon

• Acts 2:14-21
  ¹⁴But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, lifted up his voice, and addressed the crowd: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen carefully to my words. ¹⁵For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It is only the third hour of the day! ¹⁶But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ¹⁷And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. ¹⁸And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:Even on My menservants and maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. ¹⁹And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. ²⁰The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and glorious Day of the Lord. ²¹And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
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• Acts 2:32-33
  ³²This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.God has raised this Jesus to life, to which we are all witnesses. ³³Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.Exalted, then, to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
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• Acts 2:36-39
  ³⁶Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.Therefore let all Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ!” ³⁷Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” ³⁸Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
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The first church

• Acts 2:41
  Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.Those who embraced his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to the believers that day.
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• Acts 2:42-47
  ⁴²And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.A sense of awe came over everyone, and the apostles performed many wonders and signs. ⁴⁴And all that believed were together, and had all things common;All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.Selling their possessions and goods, they shared with anyone who was in need. ⁴⁶And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart, ⁴⁷Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
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See also

• Holy Spirit
• Speaking in tongues
• Church
• Peter
• Ascension of Jesus

Notes

1. Verses are quoted in the translation chosen in the Translation menu at the top of the page. See Translations for sources and copyright notices.
2. Each reference links to the full chapter so the verse can be read in context.