001:001 My former narrative, Theophilus, dealt with all that Jesus
did and taught as a beginning, down to the day on which,
001:002 after giving instruction through the Holy Spirit to the Apostles
whom He had chosen, He was taken up to Heaven.
001:003 He had also, after He suffered, shown Himself alive to them
with many sure proofs, appearing to them at intervals during
forty days, and speaking of the Kingdom of God.
001:004 And while in their company He charged them not to leave
Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father's promised gift.
"This you have heard of," He said, "from me.
001:005 For John indeed baptized with water, but before many days
have passed you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
001:006 Once when they were with Him, they asked Him, "Master, is this
the time at which you are about to restore the kingdom of Israel?"
001:007 "It is not for you," He replied, "to know times or epochs
which the Father has reserved within His own authority;
001:008 and yet you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come
upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all
Judaea and Samaria and to the remotest parts of the earth."
001:009 When He had said this, and while they were looking
at Him, He was carried up, and a cloud closing beneath Him
hid Him from their sight.
001:010 But, while they stood intently gazing into the sky as He went,
suddenly there were two men in white garments standing by them,
001:011 who said, "Galilaeans, why stand looking into the sky?
This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into Heaven
will come in just the same way as you have seen Him
going into Heaven."
001:012 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called
the Oliveyard, which is near Jerusalem, about a mile off.
001:013 They entered the city, and they went up to the upper room which
was now their fixed place for meeting. Their names were Peter
and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew
and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot,
and Judas the brother of James.
001:014 All of these with one mind continued earnest in prayer,
together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus,
and His brothers.
001:015 It was on one of these days that Peter stood up in the midst
of the brethren--the entire number of persons present being
about 120--and said,
001:016 "Brethren, it was necessary that the Scripture should be fulfilled--
the prediction, I mean, which the Holy Spirit uttered by
the lips of David, about Judas, who acted as guide to those
who arrested Jesus.
001:017 For Judas was reckoned as one of our number, and a share
in this ministry was allotted to him."
001:018 (Now having bought a piece of ground with the money paid for his
wickedness he fell there with his face downwards, and, his body
bursting open, he became disembowelled.
001:019 This fact became widely known to the people of Jerusalem,
so that the place received the name, in their language,
of Achel-damach, which means `The Field of Blood.')
001:020 "For it is written in the Book of Psalms, "`Let his encampment
be desolate: let there be no one to dwell there'; and "`His
work let another take up.'
001:021 "It is necessary, therefore, that of the men who have been with us
all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us--
001:022 beginning from His baptism by John down to the day on which He
was taken up again from us into Heaven--one should be appointed
to become a witness with us as to His resurrection."
001:023 So two names were proposed, Joseph called Bar-sabbas--
and surnamed Justus--and Matthias.
001:024 And the brethren prayed, saying, "Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts
of all, show clearly which of these two Thou hast chosen
001:025 to occupy the place in this ministry and Apostleship from
which Judas through transgression fell, in order to go
to his own place."
001:026 Then they drew lots between them. The lot fell on Matthias,
and a place among the eleven Apostles was voted to him.
002:001 At length, on the day of the Harvest Festival, they had all met
in one place;
002:002 when suddenly there came from the sky a sound as of a strong
rushing blast of wind. This filled the whole house where
they were sitting;
002:003 and they saw tongues of what looked like fire distributing
themselves over the assembly, and on the head of each person
a tongue alighted.
002:004 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak
in foreign languages according as the Spirit gave them
words to utter.
002:005 Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, devout men from every
part of the world.
002:006 So when this noise was heard, they came crowding together,
and were amazed because everyone heard his own language spoken.
002:007 They were beside themselves with wonder, and exclaimed,
"Are not all these speakers Galilaeans?
002:008 How then does each of us hear his own native language
spoken by them?
002:009 Some of us are Parthians, Medes, Elamites. Some are inhabitants
of Mesopotamia, of Judaea or Cappadocia, of Pontus or the
Asian Province, of Phrygia or Pamphylia,
002:010 of Egypt or of the parts of Africa towards Cyrene.
Others are visitors from Rome--being either Jews or converts
from heathenism--and others are Cretans or Arabians.
002:011 Yet we all alike hear these Galilaeans speaking in our own
language about the wonderful things which God has done."
002:012 They were all astounded and bewildered, and asked one another,
"What can this mean?"
002:013 But others, scornfully jeering, said, "They are brim-full
of sweet wine."
002:014 Peter however, together with the Eleven, stood up and addressed
them in a loud voice. "Men of Judaea, and all you inhabitants
of Jerusalem," he said, "be in no uncertainty about this
matter but pay attention to what I say.
002:015 For this is not intoxication, as you suppose, it being only
the third hour of the day.
002:016 But that which was predicted through the Prophet Joel has happened:
002:017 "And it shall come to pass in the last days, God says,
that I will pour out My Spirit upon all mankind; and your sons
and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall
see visions, and your old men shall have dreams;
002:018 and even upon My bondservants, both men and women, at that time,
I will pour out My Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
002:019 I will display marvels in the sky above, and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire, and pillars of smoke.
002:020 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood,
to usher in the day of the Lord--that great and illustrious day;