Acts 1
Worldwide English (New Testament)
1 Theophilus, in the first book I wrote to you, I wrote about all the things Jesus began to do and to teach.
2 He did those things until the day he was taken up to heaven. Before he went up, he gave orders by the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.
3 In many ways he proved to them that he was living again after his terrible death. For forty days they often saw him. Then he told them things about God's kingdom.
4 One day when he was eating with them, he told them not to leave Jerusalem. He said, `Wait here for what the Father promised you. I have told you about that promise already.
5 John baptised with water. But you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit when a few days have passed.'
6 When they had come together, the apostles asked Jesus, `Lord, are you now going to set up the kingdom of Israel?'
7 He answered them, `You will not know the days or the months which the Father has chosen.
8 But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive power. You will speak of me in Jerusalem and all around in Judea and Samaria and everywhere in the world.'
9 When Jesus had said this, he went up. They watched him going. Then a cloud hid him, and they did not see him any more.
10 While they were looking at the sky as he went up, two men stood by them in white clothes.
11 They said, `You men from Galilee, why do you stand there looking at the sky? Jesus has gone up into heaven. In the same way that you saw him go up, he will come again.'
12 Then they left the hill called the Mount of Olives. They went back to Jerusalem which was not far away. (It was how far the law said people may walk on the Sabbath day.)
13 When they reached Jerusalem, they went to a room up in a house. Here lived Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon the freedom fighter, and Judas the son of James.
14 All of these people were talking to God. The women, Jesus' mother Mary, and Jesus' brothers were there talking to God also.
15 About one hundred and twenty people were gathered together. Peter stood up among them to speak to them.
16 He said, `My friends and brothers, Judas showed the people where Jesus was so they could take him. The Holy Spirit spoke through king David long ago about Judas before he did it. What was written about him has now happened.
17 Judas was one of us. He had his part of the work to do.' (
18 Judas received money for the wrong thing he did. He bought a field with the money and fell on his face. His belly burst open and all his insides came out.
19 All the people who live in Jerusalem know about this. In their language they named the field Akeldama, which means The Field of Blood.)
20 `The book of Psalms says, "His house must be empty. No one may live in it." And it also says, "Someone else must do his work."
21 `Here are men who have been with us all the time that the Lord Jesus was with us.
22 They were with us from the time John baptised people until the day Jesus was taken up from us. One of these men must help us tell people that Jesus was raised from death.'
23 They took two men. One was Joseph, named Barsabbas, who had another name Justus. The other man was Matthias.
24-25 Then the people talked to God. They said, `Lord, you know what is in everybody's heart. Show us which of these two men you have chosen to have a part in this work and to be an apostle. For Judas left this work and went to the place where he belonged.'
26 Then they picked out the name of Matthias. He was chosen to be with the eleven apostles.
Acts 1
Names of God Bible
Introduction
1 In my first book, Theophilus, I wrote about what Yeshua began to do and teach. This included everything from the beginning of his life 2 until the day he was taken to heaven. Before he was taken to heaven, he gave instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles, whom he had chosen.
Jesus Ascends to Heaven
3 After his death Yeshua showed the apostles a lot of convincing evidence that he was alive. For 40 days he appeared to them and talked with them about the kingdom of God.
4 Once, while he was meeting with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait there for what the Father had promised. Yeshua said to them, “I’ve told you what the Father promises: 5 John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
6 So when the apostles came together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you’re going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 Yeshua told them, “You don’t need to know about times or periods that the Father has determined by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes to you. Then you will be my witnesses to testify about me in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 After he had said this, he was taken to heaven. A cloud hid him so that they could no longer see him.
10 They were staring into the sky as he departed. Suddenly, two men in white clothes stood near them. 11 They asked, “Why are you men from Galilee standing here looking at the sky? Yeshua, who was taken from you to heaven, will come back in the same way that you saw him go to heaven.”
A New Apostle Takes Judas’ Place
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called the Mount of Olives. It is near Jerusalem, about half a mile away.
13 When they came into the city, Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon the Zealot, and Judas (son of James) went to the second-story room where they were staying.
14 The apostles had a single purpose as they devoted themselves to prayer. They were joined by some women, including Mary (the mother of Yeshua), and they were joined by his brothers.
15 At a time when about 120 disciples had gathered together, Peter got up and spoke to them.
He said, 16 “Brothers, what the Holy Spirit predicted through David in Scripture about Judas had to come true. Judas led the men to arrest Yeshua. 17 He had been one of us and had been given an active role in this ministry. 18 With the money he received from the wrong he had done, he bought a piece of land where he fell headfirst to his death. His body split open, and all his internal organs came out. 19 Everyone living in Jerusalem knows about this. They even call that piece of land Akeldama, which means ‘Field of Blood’ in their dialect. 20 You’ve read in Psalms, ‘Let his home be deserted, and let no one live there,’ and ‘Let someone else take his position.’”
“Therefore, someone must be added to our number to serve with us as a witness that Yeshua came back to life. 21 He must be one of the men who accompanied Yeshua with us the entire time that the Lord Yeshua was among us. 22 This person must have been with us from the time that John was baptizing people to the day that Yeshua was taken from us.”[a]
23 The disciples determined that two men were qualified. These men were Joseph (who was called Barsabbas and was also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s thoughts. Show us which of these two you have chosen. 25 Show us who is to take the place of Judas as an apostle, since Judas abandoned his position to go to the place where he belongs.”
26 They drew names to choose an apostle. Matthias was chosen and joined the eleven apostles.
Footnotes
- Acts 1:22 Verses 21–22 have been rearranged to express the complex Greek sentence structure more clearly in English.
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The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.