1 I have made the former treatise, O Theophilus, of al that Jesus began to doe and teach, 2 Vntill the day that hee was taken vp, after that hee through the holy Ghost, had giuen commandements vnto the Apostles, whome hee had chosen: 3 To whome also he presented himselfe aliue after that he had suffered, by many infallible tokens, being seene of them by the space of fourtie daies, and speaking of those thinges which appertaine to the kingdome of God. 4 And when he had gathered them together, he commanded them, that they should not depart from Hierusalem, but to waite for the promise of the Father, which sayde hee, yee haue heard of me. 5 For Iohn in deede baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the holy Ghost within these fewe daies. 6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore the kingdome to Israel? 7 And hee saide vnto them, It is not for you to know the times, or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his owne power, 8 But yee shall receiue power of the holy Ghost, when he shall come on you: and ye shalbe witnesses vnto me both in Hierusalem and in all Iudea, and in Samaria, and vnto the vttermost part of the earth. 9 And when he had spoken these things, while they behelde, he was taken vp: for a cloude tooke him vp out of their sight. 10 And while they looked stedfastly towarde heauen, as hee went, beholde, two men stoode by them in white apparell, 11 Which also sayde, Yee men of Galile, why stande yee gasing into heauen? This Iesus which is taken vp from you into heauen, shall so come, as yee haue seene him goe into heauen. 12 Then returned they vnto Hierusalem from the mount that is called the mount of Oliues, which is neere to Hierusalem, being from it a Sabbath daies iourney. 13 And when they were come in, they went vp into an vpper chamber, where abode both Peter and Iames, and Iohn, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartlemew, and Matthewe, Iames the sonne of Alpheus, and Simon Zelotes, and Iudas Iames brother. 14 These all continued with one accorde in prayer and supplication with the women, and Marie the mother of Iesus, and with his brethren. 15 And in those dayes Peter stoode vp in the middes of the disciples, and sayde (nowe the nomber of names that were in one place were about an hundreth and twentie.) 16 Yee men and brethren, this scripture must needes haue beene fulfilled, which the holy Ghost by the mouth of Dauid spake before of Iudas, which was guide to them that tooke Iesus. 17 For hee was nombred with vs, and had obteined fellowship in this ministration. 18 He therefore hath purchased a field with the reward of iniquitie: and when he had throwen downe himselfe headlong, hee brast asunder in the middes, and all his bowels gushed out. 19 And it is knowen vnto all the inhabitants of Hierusalem, in so much, that that field is called in their owne language, Aceldama, That is, the field of blood. 20 For it is written in the booke of Psalmes, Let his habitation be void, and let no man dwel therein: also, Let another take his charge. 21 Wherefore of these men which haue companied with vs, all the time that the Lord Iesus was conuersant among vs, 22 Beginning from the baptisme of Iohn vnto the day that hee was taken vp from vs, must one of them bee made a witnesse with vs of his resurrection. 23 And they presented two, Ioseph called Barsabas, whose surname was Iustus, and Matthias. 24 And they praied, saying, Thou Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shewe whether of these two thou hast chosen, 25 That he may take the roume of this ministration and Apostleship, from which Iudas hath gone astray, to goe to his owne place. 26 Then they gaue foorth their lottes: and the lotte fell on Matthias, and hee was by a common consent counted with the eleuen Apostles.
1 Dear Theophilus:
In my first book I wrote about all the things that Jesus did and taught from the time he began his work 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven. Before he was taken up, he gave instructions by the power of the Holy Spirit to the men he had chosen as his apostles. 3 For forty days after his death he appeared to them many times in ways that proved beyond doubt that he was alive. They saw him, and he talked with them about the Kingdom of God. 4 And when they came together, he gave them this order: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift I told you about, the gift my Father promised. 5 John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus Is Taken Up to Heaven
6 When the apostles met together with Jesus, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time give the Kingdom back to Israel?”
7 Jesus said to them, “The times and occasions are set by my Father's own authority, and it is not for you to know when they will be. 8 But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 After saying this, he was taken up to heaven as they watched him, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They still had their eyes fixed on the sky as he went away, when two men dressed in white suddenly stood beside them 11 and said, “Galileans, why are you standing there looking up at the sky? This Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way that you saw him go to heaven.”
Judas' Successor
12 Then the apostles went back to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is about half a mile away from the city. 13 They entered the city and went up to the room where they were staying: Peter, John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Patriot, and Judas son of James. 14 They gathered frequently to pray as a group, together with the women and with Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers.
15 A few days later there was a meeting of the believers, about a hundred and twenty in all, and Peter stood up to speak. 16 “My friends,” he said, “the scripture had to come true in which the Holy Spirit, speaking through David, made a prediction about Judas, who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 Judas was a member of our group, for he had been chosen to have a part in our work.”
( 18 With the money that Judas got for his evil act he bought a field, where he fell to his death; he burst open and all his insides spilled out. 19 All the people living in Jerusalem heard about it, and so in their own language they call that field Akeldama, which means “Field of Blood.”)
20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms,
‘May his house become empty;
may no one live in it.’
It is also written,
‘May someone else take his place of service.’
21-22 “So then, someone must join us as a witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. He must be one of the men who were in our group during the whole time that the Lord Jesus traveled about with us, beginning from the time John preached his message of baptism until the day Jesus was taken up from us to heaven.”
23 So they proposed two men: Joseph, who was called Barsabbas (also known as Justus), and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know the thoughts of everyone, so show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to serve as an apostle in the place of Judas, who left to go to the place where he belongs.” 26 Then they drew lots to choose between the two men, and the one chosen was Matthias, who was added to the group of eleven apostles.