When the crowd asked what to do, Peter said to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:37–38). He also said they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).
In Acts 2:37–41, the crowd is shaken by Peter’s message and asks what they should do. Peter gives a clear set of actions and promises: turn around, be baptized in Jesus’ name, receive forgiveness and the Holy Spirit. He frames this as a “promise” that reaches beyond the immediate listeners. This scene comes at the end of Peter’s Pentecost address, where he interprets the strange signs of the Spirit and connects Jesus’ death and exaltation to Israel’s Scriptures and to what the crowd has witnessed (see Acts 2:14–36).
Acts 2:37–41 presents a strong cause-and-response moment.
A careful answer keeps the immediate passage, the book's argument, and the whole-Bible storyline together, so the question is answered in context instead of as a detached idea.
Start with Acts 2:37-38, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
37Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what will we do?"
38Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.