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¹ The former treatise have I composed, O Theophilus, of all things which Jesus began both to do and to teach,² Until the day he was taken up, after having thro' the Holy Ghost given commandment to the apostles, whom he had chosen:³ To whom also he presented himself alive after his passion, by many infallible proofs, being seen by them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.⁴ And having assembled them together, he commanded them, not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard from me.⁵ For John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence.

⁶ And when they were come together, they asked him, saying, Lord, dost thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?⁷ But he said to them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.⁸ But ye shall receive power, the Holy Ghost being come upon you, and shall be witnesses to me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth.⁹ And having spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him from their sight.¹⁰ And while they were stedfastly looking up to heaven, as he went up,¹¹ behold two men, in white apparel, stood by them, Who also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing into heaven? This Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come, as ye have seen him going into heaven.

¹² Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath-day's journey.¹³ And when they were come in, they went up into the upper-room, where both Peter and James, and John and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon Zelotes, and Jude the brother of James tarried.¹⁴ These all continued unanimously in prayer and supplication with the women, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his brethren.

¹⁵ And in these days, Peter standing up in the midst of the disciples, (the number of persons together was about an hundred and twenty) said,¹⁶ Men, brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost spake before by the mouth of David, concerning Judas, who was guide to them that took Jesus.¹⁷ For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.¹⁸ Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity, and falling down on his face, he burst asunder in the middle, and all his bowels gushed out.¹⁹ And it was known to all that dwell at Jerusalem, so that that field is called, in their own tongue, Akeldama, that is, The field of blood.²⁰ For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and, His office let another take.²¹ Wherefore of these men who have been with us all the time that the Lord Jesus was going in and out over us,²² Beginning from the baptism of John, till the day that he was taken up from us, one must be ordained, to be a witness with us of his resurrection.²³ And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.²⁴ And they prayed and said, Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all, shew which of these two thou hast chosen,²⁵ To take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, to go to his own place.²⁶ And they gave forth their lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.