Acts 1

¹The former treatise I made, O Theophilus, concerning all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, ²until the day in which he was received up, after that he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit unto the apostles whom he had chosen: ³to whom he also showed himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing unto them by the space of forty days, and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God: ⁴and, being assembled together with them, he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, said he, ye heard from me: ⁵For John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days hence.

⁶They therefore, when they were come together, asked him, saying, Lord, dost thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? ⁷And he said unto them, It is not for you to know times or seasons, which the Father hath set within his own authority. ⁸But ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. ⁹And when he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. ¹⁰And while they were looking stedfastly into heaven as he went, behold two men stood by them in white apparel; ¹¹who also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven? this Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye beheld him going into heaven.

¹²Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is nigh unto Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey off. ¹³And when they were come in, they went up into the upper chamber, where they were abiding; both Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphæus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. ¹⁴These all with one accord continued stedfastly in prayer, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

¹⁵And in these days Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren, and said (and there was a multitude of persons gathered together, about a hundred and twenty), ¹⁶Brethren, it was needful that the scripture should be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spake before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was guide to them that took Jesus. ¹⁷For he was numbered among us, and received his portion in this ministry. ¹⁸(Now this man obtained a field with the reward of his iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. ¹⁹And it became known to all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch that in their language that field was called Akeldama, that is, The field of blood.) ²⁰For it is written in the book of Psalms,

Let his habitation be made desolate,

And let no man dwell therein:

and,

His office let another take.