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.”

Thanksgiving and Prayer

¹⁵ For this reason, ^(A)because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love^[a] toward all the saints, ¹⁶ I ^(B)do not cease to give thanks for you, ^(C)remembering you in my prayers, ¹⁷ that ^(D)the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, ^(E)may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, ^18 (F)having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is ^(G)the hope to which he has called you, what are ^(H)the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, ^(I)according to the working of ^(J)his great might ²⁰ that he worked in Christ ^(K)when he raised him from the dead and ^(L)seated him at his right hand ^(M)in the heavenly places, ^21 (N)far above ^(O)all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above ^(P)every name that is named, not only in ^(Q)this age but also in the one to come. ²² And ^(R)he put all things under his feet and gave him as ^(S)head over all things to the church, ^23 (T)which is his body, ^(U)the fullness of him ^(V)who fills ^(W)all in all.

The High Priestly Prayer

17 When Jesus had spoken these words, ^(A)he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, ^(B)the hour has come; ^(C)glorify your Son that the Son may ^(D)glorify you, ² since ^(E)you have given him authority over all flesh, ^(F)to give eternal life to all ^(G)whom you have given him. ^3 (H)And this is eternal life, ^(I)that they know you, ^(J)the only ^(K)true God, and ^(L)Jesus Christ whom you have sent. ⁴ I ^(M)glorified you on earth, ^(N)having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. ⁵ And now, Father, ^(O)glorify me in your own presence with the glory ^(P)that I had with you ^(Q)before the world existed.

^6 (R)“I have manifested your name to the people ^(S)whom you gave me out of the world. ^(T)Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. ⁷ Now they know that everything ^(U)that you have given me is from you. ⁸ For I have given them ^(V)the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that ^(W)I came from you; and ^(X)they have believed that you sent me. ⁹ I am praying for them. ^(Y)I am not praying for the world but for those ^(Z)whom you have given me, for ^(AA)they are yours. ^10 (AB)All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and ^(AC)I am glorified in them. ¹¹ And I am no longer in the world, but ^(AD)they are in the world, and ^(AE)I am coming to you. ^(AF)Holy Father, ^(AG)keep them in your name, ^(AH)which you have given me, ^(AI)that they may be one, ^(AJ)even as we are one.