Acts of the Apostles 1

¹ In my earlier work, Theophilus, I dealt with everything Jesus had done and taught from the beginning

² until the day he gave his instructions to the apostles he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and wastaken up to heaven.

³ He had shown himself alive to them after his Passion by many demonstrations: for forty days he hadcontinued to appear to them and tel them about the kingdom of God.

⁴ While at table with them, he had told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for what the Fatherhad promised. 'It is', he had said, 'what you have heard me speak about:

⁵ John baptised with water but, not many days from now, you are going to be baptised with the HolySpirit.'

⁶ Now having met together, they asked him, 'Lord, has the time come for you to restore the kingdom toIsrael?'

⁷ He replied, 'It is not for you to know times or dates that the Father has decided by his own authority,

⁸ but you wil receive the power of the Holy Spirit which wil come on you, and then you will be mywitnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to earth's remotest end.'

⁹ As he said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight.

¹⁰ They were stil staring into the sky as he went, when suddenly two men in white were standing besidethem,

¹¹ and they said, 'Why are you Galileans standing here looking into the sky? This Jesus who has beentaken up from you into heaven wil come back in the same way as you have seen him go to heaven.'

¹² So from the Mount of Olives, as it is cal ed, they went back to Jerusalem, a short distance away, nomore than a Sabbath walk;

¹³ and when they reached the city they went to the upper room where they were staying; there were Peterand John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus andSimon the Zealot, and Jude son of James.

¹⁴ With one heart al these joined constantly in prayer, together with some women, including Mary themother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

¹⁵ One day Peter stood up to speak to the brothers -- there were about a hundred and twenty people inthe congregation,

¹⁶ 'Brothers,' he said, 'the passage of scripture had to be fulfil ed in which the Holy Spirit, speaking through David, foretel s the fate of Judas, who acted as guide to the men who arrested Jesus-

¹⁷ after being one of our number and sharing our ministry.

¹⁸ As you know, he bought a plot of land with the money he was paid for his crime. He fell headlong andburst open, and al his entrails poured out.

¹⁹ Everybody in Jerusalem heard about it and the plot came to be cal ed "Bloody Acre", in their languageHakeldama.

²⁰ Now in the Book of Psalms it says: Reduce his encampment to ruin and leave his tent unoccupied. Andagain: Let someone else take over his office.

²¹ 'Out of the men who have been with us the whole time that the Lord Jesus was living with us,

²² from the time when John was baptising until the day when he was taken up from us, one must beappointed to serve with us as a witness to his resurrection.'

²³ Having nominated two candidates, Joseph known as Barsabbas, whose surname was Justus, andMatthias,

²⁴ they prayed, 'Lord, you can read everyone's heart; show us therefore which of these two you havechosen

²⁵ to take over this ministry and apostolate, which Judas abandoned to go to his proper place.'

²⁶ They then drew lots for them, and as the lot fel to Matthias, he was listed as one of the twelveapostles.