Book of Common Prayer

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.

¹⁹ The scribes and the chief priests wanted to catch Jesus right then but they feared the people. They understood that he had told this story against them.

²⁰ So they watched for a chance to catch him. And they sent men to spy on him. These men acted as if they were good men. They did this because they wanted to catch him in something that he said. They wanted to give him over to the ruler who would judge and punish him.

²¹ So they asked Jesus, `Teacher, we know that you talk and teach what is right. You do not fear any person. But you teach the true way of God.

²² Is it right to pay money as taxes to Caesar or is it not?'

²³ He knew they were trying to get him into trouble.

²⁴ So he said, `Show me a piece of money. Whose picture and name are on it?' They said, `Caesar's'

²⁵ Then he said to them, `So give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.'

²⁶ They were not able to catch him in anything he said in front of the people. They were surprised at his answer and they could not say anything.