Book of Common Prayer

1 I made the first account about everything, O Theophilus, which Jesus began both to do and teach ² until which day He was taken-up [after] having given-commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He chose— ³ to whom He indeed presented Himself alive after His suffering by many convincing-proofs, appearing^[a] to them during forty days, and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God.

Jesus Ascends After Directing His Apostles To Be His Witnesses By The Spirit’s Power

⁴ And being assembled-with^[b] them, He ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait-for the promise of the Father “which you heard from Me. ⁵ Because John baptized with^[c] water, but you will be baptized with^[d] the Holy Spirit after these not many days!” ⁶ So indeed the ones having come together were asking Him, saying “Lord, are You restoring^[e] the kingdom to Israel at this time?”. ⁷ And He said to them, “It is not yours to know the times or seasons which the Father appointed^[f] by His own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power, the Holy Spirit having come upon you. And you will be My witnesses— both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and as far as the last place of the earth”. ⁹ And having said these things, while they were looking He was lifted-up. And a cloud received^[g] Him from their eyes. ¹⁰ And as they were looking-intently into heaven, while He was going— and behold, two men in white clothing were standing near them, ¹¹ who also said, “Galilean men, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus having been taken-up from you into heaven will come in this manner— the way you saw Him going into heaven”.

The Apostles Return to Jerusalem And Await The Holy Spirit In Prayer

¹² Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain being called ‘of Olives’, which is near Jerusalem (having a Sabbath’s day journey^[h]). ¹³ And when they went in the city, they went up to the upper-room where they were staying— both Peter and John, and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. ¹⁴ These all were devoting-themselves with-one-accord to prayer, along with women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and His brothers.

You Priests Are Like Farmers Who Killed The Owner’s Messengers And His Son

⁹ And He began to tell this parable to the people: “A certain man planted a vineyard and rented it to farmers, and went-on-a-journey for considerable periods-of-time. ¹⁰ And at harvest time, he sent-forth a slave to the farmers so that they would give to him from the fruit of the vineyard. But the farmers sent him out empty-handed, having beaten him. ¹¹ And he proceeded to send another slave. But the ones, having beaten and dishonored that one also, sent him out empty-handed. ¹² And he proceeded to send a third. But the ones also threw out this one, having wounded him. ¹³ And the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Perhaps they will have-regard-for this one’. ¹⁴ But having seen him, the farmers were reasoning with one another, saying, ‘This one is the heir. Let us kill him in order that the inheritance may become ours’. ¹⁵ And having thrown him outside of the vineyard, they killed him. Therefore, what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and destroy these farmers, and give the vineyard to others”. And having heard it, they said, “May it never be!”

But As It Is Written, The Stone The Builders Rejected Became The Cornerstone

¹⁷ But the One, having looked-at them, said, “Then what is this having been written [in Ps 118:22]: ‘The stone which the ones building rejected, this became the head^[a] of the corner’? ¹⁸ Everyone having fallen upon that stone will be broken-to-pieces. And^[b] upon whomever it may fall, it will crush^[c] him”. ¹⁹ And the scribes and the chief priests sought to put their hands on Him at the very hour. And^[d] they feared the people. For they^[e] knew that He spoke this parable against them.