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¶ The former treatise I have made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

until the day in which, having given commandments by the Holy Spirit unto the apostles whom he had chosen, he was received on high;

unto whom he also showed himself alive, after he had suffered, by many infallible proofs, appearing unto them for forty days and speaking to them of the kingdom of God;

and gathering them together, he commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, Which, he said, ye have heard of me.

For John truly baptized in water, but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.

¶ Then those that were come together asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put under his authority only.

But ye shall receive the virtue of the Holy Spirit which shall come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judaea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,

11 who also said, Ye men of Galilee, what do ye stand gazing at up into heaven? This same Jesus, who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

12 ¶ Then they returned unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey.

13 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where Peter and James and John and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James were.

14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

15 ¶ And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples and said (the number of names together were about one hundred and twenty),

16 Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit by the mouth of David spoke before concerning Judas, who was guide to those that took Jesus.

17 For he was numbered with us, and had obtained a lot or inheritance of this ministry.

18 He, therefore, purchased a field with the reward of his iniquity; and hanging himself, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.

19 And it was known unto all the dwellers of Jerusalem, in such a manner that the field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.

20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no one dwell therein, and let another take his office.

21 It behooves, therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

22 beginning from the baptism of John unto that same day that he was received on high from among us, that one must be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.

23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.

24 And they prayed and said, Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of everyone, show which of these two thou hast chosen,

25 that he may take the lot or inheritance of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas rebelled that he might go to his own place.

26 And they gave forth their lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Jesus Taken Up Into Heaven

In my former book,(A) Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach(B) until the day he was taken up to heaven,(C) after giving instructions(D) through the Holy Spirit to the apostles(E) he had chosen.(F) After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them(G) over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.(H) On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait(I) for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.(J) For John baptized with[a] water,(K) but in a few days you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit.”(L)

Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore(M) the kingdom to Israel?”

He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.(N) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;(O) and you will be my witnesses(P) in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,(Q) and to the ends of the earth.”(R)

After he said this, he was taken up(S) before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white(T) stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,”(U) they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back(V) in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas

12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem(W) from the hill called the Mount of Olives,(X) a Sabbath day’s walk[c] from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room(Y) where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.(Z) 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer,(AA) along with the women(AB) and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.(AC)

15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16 and said, “Brothers and sisters,[d](AD) the Scripture had to be fulfilled(AE) in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas,(AF) who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 He was one of our number(AG) and shared in our ministry.”(AH)

18 (With the payment(AI) he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field;(AJ) there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. 19 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language(AK) Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

20 “For,” said Peter, “it is written in the Book of Psalms:

“‘May his place be deserted;
    let there be no one to dwell in it,’[e](AL)

and,

“‘May another take his place of leadership.’[f](AM)

21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 beginning from John’s baptism(AN) to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness(AO) with us of his resurrection.”

23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed,(AP) “Lord, you know everyone’s heart.(AQ) Show us(AR) which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.(AS)

Footnotes

  1. Acts 1:5 Or in
  2. Acts 1:5 Or in
  3. Acts 1:12 That is, about 5/8 mile or about 1 kilometer
  4. Acts 1:16 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 6:3; 11:29; 12:17; 16:40; 18:18, 27; 21:7, 17; 28:14, 15.
  5. Acts 1:20 Psalm 69:25
  6. Acts 1:20 Psalm 109:8