Acts 1

1Theophilus, the first book I composed told of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, 2until the day he was taken up. Before that, through the Holy Spirit, he had given orders to the apostles he had chosen. 3To them as well he had shown himself alive after he suffered, with many clear proofs, as for forty days he let them see him and told them about the kingdom of God. 4As he shared a meal with them, he charged them not to go away from Jerusalem but to wait there for what the Father had promised: “the promise you heard about from me. 5For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit before many days have passed.”

6When they had gathered, they kept asking him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7He answered them, “Times and seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority are not yours to know. 8But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive power, and you will bear witness to me in Jerusalem, through all Judea and Samaria, and out to the farthest end of the earth.” 9With these words said, he was lifted up as they watched, and a cloud received him, so that their eyes could no longer see him. 10As he went, they kept their eyes fixed on the sky, and all at once two men dressed in white were there beside them. 11“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why stand there gazing up at the sky? This Jesus has been taken up from you into heaven, and he will come in the very way you saw him leave for heaven.”

12Then they went back to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives. It lies close to the city, about half a mile away. 13Back in the city, they climbed to the upstairs room where they had been lodging. Peter was there, with John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14All of these were devoted to prayer and of one mind in it. With them were the women, Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

15In those days Peter rose to speak among the brothers and sisters, a crowd of about 120 people gathered in one place. 16“Brothers and sisters, what the Holy Spirit foretold in Scripture by the mouth of David had to come true. He spoke about Judas, who led the way for those who seized Jesus. 17Judas was counted as one of us, and this ministry was given to him as his portion.

18(This man came to own a field, paid for with what he earned by his crime. Falling headfirst, he split open in the middle, and all his bowels gushed out. 19This became common knowledge among all who lived in Jerusalem, and so that piece of land came to be known in their own language as Hakeldama, which means Field of Blood.) 20For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘May his home become a ruin, with no one living in it,’ and, ‘Let someone else take over his post.’ 21So we need one of the men who kept company with us all through the time the Lord Jesus came and went among us, 22from the day John baptized up to the day he was taken from us. One of these must join us as a witness to his resurrection.” 23They proposed two men, Joseph who was called Barsabbas and was also known as Justus, and Matthias. 24And they prayed, “Lord, you who know the hearts of all people, make plain which one of these two is your choice 25to fill the place in this ministry and apostleship that Judas deserted to go to his own place.” 26They drew lots for the two, the lot fell on Matthias, and from then on he was counted with the eleven apostles.