< Acts 1 >
1 My first account, O Theophilus, dealt with all that Jesus began doing and teaching from the beginning down to the day when,
2 after giving instructions through the Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen, he was taken up to heaven.
3 After his sufferings he had also shown himself alive to them in many convincing manifestations, revealing himself to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God.
4 And once when he was eating with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father. "Of this," he said, "you have heard from me.
5 "For John indeed baptized in water, but you shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days hence."
6 So, when they came together, they began to ask him, "Master, are you at this time about to restore the kingdom of Israel?"
7 He answered. "It is not for you to know times and occasions which the Father has fixed in his own authority;
8 "yet you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you are to be my witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the very ends of the earth."
9 When he had said this, and while they were looking at him, he was lifted up, and a cloud received him up out of their sight.
10 While they were gazing into the sky as he was going up, suddenly there were two men in white garments standing by them,
11 and they said. "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into the sky will come back in just the same way as you have seen him going into the sky."
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, about a Sabbath Day’s journey distant.
13 On entering the city they went to the upper room where they were accustomed to meet. They were Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James, son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.
14 These all with one mind gave their constant attention to prayer, together with some women, and with Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
15 It was during these days that Peter stood up among the brothers - the whole number of persons present was about one hundred and twenty - and said.
16 "Men and brothers, it was necessary for the Scripture to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit uttered beforehand by the lips of David in regard to Judas who acted as guide to those who arrested Jesus.
17 "For he was numbered among us, and he did get his allotted share of this ministry.
18 "Now this man bought a plot of ground with the price of his treachery, and falling there headlong he burst asunder and all his bowels gushed out.
19 "This fact became known to the people of Jerusalem so that the place was called in their language, Acheldamach, The Field of Blood.
20 "For it is written in the Book of Psalms, Let his dwelling-place be desolate; Let no man dwell there, also, Let another take his work.
21 "It is necessary then that, of the men who have been associated with us during the whole time in which the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 from his baptism by John down to the day on which he was taken up from us, one should join us a witness to his resurrection."
23 So they placed two in nomination, Joseph called Bar-Sabbas (surnamed Justas) and Matthias;
24 and they prayed, saying. "Thou, O Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show clearly which of these two men thou hast chosen to fill the place
25 "in this ministry of this apostles from which Judas went out to go to his own place."
26 Then they cast lots for them, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
