Acts 1

The first account I made, O Theophilus, concerning all that Jesus began both to do and to teach

until the day he was taken up, after he, through the holy spirit, had given commandments to the apostles whom he had chosen.

After his suffering he also showed himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of 40 days and speaking of the things concerning the Kingdom of God.

And being assembled together with them, he commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard about from me,

because John baptized with water, but you will be baptized in holy spirit not many days from now.”

Now when they had come together, they asked him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time you are going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

And he said to them, “It is not for you to know times or dates that the Father has set within His own authority.

But you will receive power when the holy spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth.”

And when he had said these things, while they were watching, he was taken up and a cloud received him out of their sight.

And while they were looking into heaven as he was going, Look! Two men stood by them in white apparel,

who said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him going into heaven.”

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem (a Sabbath day’s journey away).

And when they had entered Jerusalem, they went up into the room upstairs, where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.

These all with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers and said (and there was a large number of names, about 120 people together at that one place),

“Men and brothers, it was necessary that the Scripture be fulfilled that the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who took Jesus,

because he had been counted as one of us and received a portion in this ministry.

(Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his iniquity, and falling down prone, he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out.

And this became known to all those who were living in Jerusalem, so that in their language that field was called Akeldama, that is, the field of blood.)

For it is written in the scroll of Psalms, Let his dwelling place become desolate and let no one live in it, and, Let another take his place of leadership.

Therefore, of the men who have accompanied us the entire time that the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us,

beginning from the baptism of John to the day that he was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”

And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, (who was also called Justus), and Matthias.

And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen

to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”

And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.