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my first narrative, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day He was taken up, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen. 3 After His suffering, He also presented Himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the Kingdom of God.
4 On one occasion when He was meeting with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father, “This,” He said, “is what you have heard from Me; 5 for John baptised with water, but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit in a few days.”
6 So when they had come together, they asked Him, “Lord, are You going to restore the kingdom to Israel at this time?”
7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you; and will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 After He had said this, He was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
10 While He was going, they were gazing into heaven as He went up, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen Him go into heaven.”
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey on foot. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying: Peter, John, James, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all were constantly united in prayer, along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as His brothers.
15 During those days Peter stood up among the believers (the number of which was about a hundred and twenty people), and said, 16 “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 For he was one of our number and he was allotted his share in this ministry.
18 “Now this man purchased a field with the reward he got for his wickedness; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his bowels spilled out. 19 This became known to all the residents of Jerusalem, so they called that field in their own language Hakeldama, which means, Field of Blood.
20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
‘Let his dwelling become desolate,
and let no one live in it’,
and,
‘Let another take his position of leadership’.
21 “Therefore, one of the men who has been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us— 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when Jesus was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection.”
23 So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, You know the hearts of all people, show us which of these two You have chosen 25 to take the place in this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias. So he was numbered with the eleven apostles.