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¹ Theofle, first `Y made a sermoun of alle thingis, that Jhesu bigan to do and to teche,<sup>2</sup> in to the daie of his ascencioun, in which he comaundide bi the Hooli Goost to hise apostlis, whiche he hadde chosun;<sup>3</sup> to whiche he schewide hym silf `alyue aftir his passioun, by many argumentis, apperinge to hem fourti daies, and spekinge of the rewme of God.⁴ And he ete with hem, and comaundide, that thei schulden not departe fro Jerusalem, but abide the biheest of the fadir, which ye herden, he seide, bi my mouth;⁵ for Joon baptiside in watir, but ye schulen be baptisid in the Hooli Goost, aftir these fewe daies.

⁶ Therfor thei that weren come to gidere, axiden hym, and seiden, Lord, whether in this time thou schalt restore the kingdom of Israel?⁷ And he seide to hem, It is not youre to knowe the tymes ether momentis, whiche the fadir hath put in his power;⁸ but ye schulen take the vertu of the Hooli Goost comynge fro aboue in to you, and ye schulen be my witnessis in Jerusalem, and in al Judee, and Samarie, and to the vtmeste of the erthe.⁹ And whanne he had seid these thingis, in her siyt he was lift vp, and a cloude resseyuede him fro her iyen.¹⁰ And whanne thei biheelden hym goynge in to heuene, lo! `twei men stoden bisidis hem in white clothing, and seiden,<sup>11</sup> Men of Galile, what stonden ye biholdinge in to heuene? This Jhesu, which is takun vp `fro you in to heuene, schal come, as ye seyn hym goynge in to heuene.

¹² Thanne thei turneden ayen to Jerusalem, fro the hille that is clepid `the hille of Olyuete, which is bisidis Jerusalem an halidaies iourney.¹³ And whanne thei weren entrid in to the hous, where thei dwelliden, thei wenten vp in to the soler, Petir and Joon, James and Andreu, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matheu, James of Alphei, and Symount Zelotes, and Judas of James.¹⁴ Alle these weren lastingli contynuynge with o wille in preier, with wymmen, and Marie, the moder of Jhesu, and with hise britheren.

¹⁵ In tho daies Petre roos vp in the myddil of the britheren, and seide; and ther was a company of men togidere, almest an hundrid and twenti;¹⁶ Britheren, it bihoueth that the scripture be fillid, whiche the Hooly Goost bifore seide bi the mouth of Dauith, of Judas that was ledere of hem that token Jhesu;¹⁷ and was noumbrid among vs, and gat a part of this seruyce.¹⁸ And this Judas hadde a feeld of the hire of wickidnesse, and he was hangid, and `to-brast the myddil, and alle hise entrailes weren sched abrood.¹⁹ And it was maad knowun to alle men that dwelten in Jerusalem, so that the ilke feeld was clepid Acheldemak in the langage of hem, that is, the feeld of blood.²⁰ And it is writun in the book of Salmes, The abitacioun of hem be maad desert, and be ther noon that dwelle in it, and an other take his bishopriche.²¹ Therfor it bihoueth of these men, that ben gaderid togidere with vs in al the tyme, in which the Lord Jhesu entride, and wente out among vs,²² and bigan fro the baptym of Joon til in to the dai in which he was takun vp fro vs, that oon of these be maad a witnesse of his resurreccioun with vs.²³ And thei ordeyneden tweyn, Joseph, that was clepid Barsabas, that was named Just, and Mathie.²⁴ And thei preieden, and seiden, Thou, Lord, that knowist the hertis of alle men, schewe whom thou hast chosun of these tweyne,²⁵ that oon take the place of this seruyce and apostlehed, of which Judas trespasside, that he schulde go in to his place.²⁶ And thei yauen lottis to hem, and the lot felde on Mathie; and he was noumbrid with enleuen apostlis.