Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹² Then they went back to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, which is close to Jerusalem, about the distance you could travel on a sabbath. ¹³ They then entered the city (“they” here means Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the zealot, and Judas the son of James) and went to the upstairs room where they were staying. ¹⁴ They all gave themselves single-heartedly to prayer, with the women, including Mary, Jesus’ mother, and his brothers.

Restoring the Twelve

¹⁵ Around that time Peter stood up in the middle of the gathering, which by this stage numbered about a hundred and twenty.

¹⁶ “My dear family,” he said, “the holy spirit spoke long ago, through the mouth of David, about Judas, who became a guide to the people who arrested Jesus. There it is in the Bible, and it had to come true. ¹⁷ He was counted along with us, and he had his own share in the work we’ve been given.”

²¹ “So this is what has to be done. There are plenty of people who have gone about with us all the time that our master Jesus was coming and going among us, ²² starting from John’s baptism until the day he was taken from us. Let one of them be chosen to be alongside us as a special witness of his resurrection.”

²³ So they chose two: Joseph who was called Barsabbas, with the surname Justus, and Matthias.

²⁴ “Lord,” they prayed, “you know the hearts of all people. Show us which one of these two you have chosen ²⁵ to receive this particular place of service and apostleship, from which Judas went away to go to his own place.”

²⁶ So they cast lots for them. The lot fell on Matthias, and he was enrolled along with the eleven apostles.