The Promise of the Holy Spirit

1 In the first book, O ^(A)Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began ^(B)to do and teach, ² until the day when ^(C)he was taken up, after he ^(D)had given commands ^(E)through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. ^3 (F)He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

⁴ And while staying^[a] with them ^(G)he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; ⁵ for ^(H)John baptized with water, ^(I)but you will be baptized ^(J)with^[b] the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

The Ascension

⁶ So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, ^(K)will you at this time ^(L)restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ He said to them, ^(M)“It is not for you to know ^(N)times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive ^(O)power ^(P)when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and ^(Q)you will be ^(R)my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and ^(S)Samaria, and ^(T)to the end of the earth.” ⁹ And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, ^(U)he was lifted up, and ^(V)a cloud took him out of their sight. ¹⁰ And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, ^(W)two ^(X)men stood by them in ^(Y)white robes, ¹¹ and said, ^(Z)“Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, ^(AA)will ^(AB)come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

¹⁴ For the body does not consist of one member but of many. ¹⁵ If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? ¹⁸ But as it is, ^(A)God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, ^(B)as he chose. ¹⁹ If all were a single member, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts,^[a] yet one body.

²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” ²² On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, ²⁴ which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, ²⁵ that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. ²⁶ If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, ^(C)all rejoice together.