The first ¹account I made, ^aTheophilus, was a continuous report about all the things that Jesus ^bbegan to do and to ²teach Luke 1:1-4 2 until the day when He ^aascended to heaven, after He ^bhad by the Holy Spirit given instruction to ^cthe apostles (special messengers) whom He had ^dchosen. 3 To these men ^aHe also showed Himself alive after His suffering in Gethsemane and on the cross, by a series of many infallible proofs and unquestionable demonstrations, appearing to them over a period of forty days and talking to them about ^bthe things concerning the kingdom of God. 4 While being together and eating with them, He commanded them ^anot to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for ^bwhat the Father had promised, “Of which,” He said, “you have heard Me speak. John 14:16, 26; 15:26 5 For ^aJohn baptized with water, but you will be baptized and empowered and united with the Holy Spirit, ^bnot long from now.”

6 So when they had come together, they asked Him repeatedly, “Lord, are You ^aat this time reestablishing the kingdom and restoring it to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or epochs which ^athe Father has fixed by His own authority. 8 But you will receive power and ability ^awhen the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be ^bMy witnesses to tell people about Me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and ^cSamaria, and even to ^dthe ends of the earth.”

9 And after He said these things, ^aHe was caught up as they looked on, and a cloud took Him up out of their sight. 10 While they were looking intently into the sky as He was going, ^atwo men in white clothing suddenly stood beside them, 11 who said, “^aMen of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who ^bhas been taken up from you into heaven, will ^creturn in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

12 Then the disciples ^areturned to Jerusalem from the ^bmount called Olivet (Olive Grove) , which is near Jerusalem, only a Sabbath day’s journey (less than one mile) away. 13 When they had entered the city, they went upstairs to ^athe upper room where they were staying indefinitely; ^bthat is, Peter, and John and his brother James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew (Nathanael) and Matthew, ¹James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and ^cJudas (Thaddaeus) the son of James. 14 All these with one mind and one purpose were ^acontinually devoting themselves to prayer, waiting together along with ^bthe women, and Mary the ^cmother of Jesus, and with His ^dbrothers.

15 Now on one of these days Peter stood up among ^athe brothers and sisters (a gathering of about a hundred and twenty believers was there) and he said, 16 “Brothers and sisters, it was necessary that ^athe Scripture be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the lips of David king of Israel about Judas Iscariot, ^bwho acted as guide to those who arrested Jesus. 17 For he (Judas) was ^acounted among us and received his share by divine allotment in ^bthis ministry.” 18 (Now Judas Iscariot ^1aacquired a piece of land indirectly with ^bthe money paid him as a reward for his treachery, and falling headlong, his body burst open in the middle and all his intestines poured out. 19 All the people in Jerusalem learned about this, so in ^atheir own dialect—Aramaic—they called the piece of land Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 “For in the book of Psalms it is written,‘^aLET HIS PLACE OF RESIDENCE BECOME DESOLATE,AND LET THERE BE NO ONE TO LIVE IN IT’;and again,‘^bLET ANOTHER TAKE HIS POSITION AS OVERSEER.’ Ps 69:25; 109:8 21 So of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that ^athe Lord Jesus spent with us, 22 ^abeginning with the baptism by John at the outset of Jesus’ ministry until the day when He ^bwas taken up from us—one of these men must become a ^cwitness with us to testify of His resurrection.” 23 And they put forward two men, Joseph, the one called Barsabbas (who was surnamed Justus), and ^aMatthias. 24 They ^aprayed and said, “You, Lord, ^bwho know all hearts their thoughts, motives, desires, show us which one of these two You have chosen 25 to occupy ^athis ministry and ^bapostleship which Judas left to go to his own place of evil.” 26 And they ^1acast lots for them, and the lot fell to ^bMatthias; and he was added to ^cthe eleven apostles.