Acts 1 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 Dear Theophilus, in my previous book I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning
1 Τὸν μὲν πρῶτον λόγον ἐποιησάμην περὶ πάντων, ὦ Θεόφιλε, ὧν ἤρξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς ποιεῖν τε καὶ διδάσκειν
2 until the day he was taken up to heaven. This was after he'd given instructions through the Holy Spirit to his chosen apostles.
2 ἄχρι ἧς ἡμέρας ἐντειλάμενος τοῖς ἀποστόλοις διὰ Πνεύματος Ἁγίου οὓς ἐξελέξατο ἀνελήφθη·
3 Over the course of forty days after the death he suffered, he showed himself to them, proving that he was alive with convincing evidence. He appeared to them, and told them about the kingdom of God.
3 οἷς καὶ παρέστησεν ἑαυτὸν ζῶντα μετὰ τὸ παθεῖν αὐτὸν ἐν πολλοῖς τεκμηρίοις, δι᾽ ἡμερῶν τεσσαράκοντα ὀπτανόμενος αὐτοῖς καὶ λέγων τὰ περὶ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Θεοῦ.
4 While he was still with them he instructed them, “Do not leave Jerusalem. Wait to receive what the Father promised, just as you heard it from me.
4 καὶ συναλιζόμενος παρήγγειλεν αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων μὴ χωρίζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ περιμένειν τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ πατρὸς ἣν ἠκούσατέ μου·
5 It's true that John baptized in water, but in just a few days' time you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit.”
5 ὅτι Ἰωάννης μὲν ἐβάπτισεν ὕδατι, ὑμεῖς δὲ βαπτισθήσεσθε ἐν Πνεύματι Ἁγίῳ οὐ μετὰ πολλὰς ταύτας ἡμέρας.
6 So when the disciples met with Jesus, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will re-establish Israel's kingdom?”
6 οἱ μὲν οὖν συνελθόντες ἐπηρώτων αὐτὸν λέγοντες· Κύριε, εἰ ἐν τῷ χρόνῳ τούτῳ ἀποκαθιστάνεις τὴν βασιλείαν τῷ Ἰσραήλ;
7 “You don't need to know about the dates and times that are set by the Father's authority,” he told them.
7 εἶπε δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς· οὐχ ὑμῶν ἐστι γνῶναι χρόνους ἢ καιροὺς οὓς ὁ πατὴρ ἔθετο ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ,
8 “But you will be given power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest places on earth.”
8 ἀλλὰ λήψεσθε δύναμιν ἐπελθόντος τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἔσεσθέ μοι μάρτυρες ἔν τε Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ καὶ Σαμαρείᾳ καὶ ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς.
9 After Jesus had told them this, he was taken up as they were watching and a cloud hid him from their sight.
9 καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν βλεπόντων αὐτῶν ἐπήρθη, καὶ νεφέλη ὑπέλαβεν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν.
10 While they were staring intently at the sky as he ascended, two men dressed in white were suddenly standing beside them.
10 καὶ ὡς ἀτενίζοντες ἦσαν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν πορευομένου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄνδρες δύο παρειστήκεισαν αὐτοῖς ἐν ἐσθῆτι λευκῇ,
11 “Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky?” they asked. “This same Jesus who has been taken up from you to heaven shall come in the same way you saw him go into heaven.”
11 οἳ καὶ εἶπον· ἄνδρες Γαλιλαῖοι, τί ἑστήκατε ἐμβλέποντες εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν; οὗτος ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὁ ἀναληφθεὶς ἀφ᾽ ὑμῶν εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, οὕτως ἐλεύσεται, ὃν τρόπον ἐθεάσασθε αὐτὸν πορευόμενον εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν.
12 Then the disciples went back to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives which is about a Sabbath day's walk from Jerusalem.
12 Τότε ὑπέστρεψαν εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀπὸ ὄρους τοῦ καλουμένου ἐλαιῶνος, ὅ ἐστιν ἐγγὺς Ἱερουσαλήμ, σαββάτου ἔχον ὁδόν.
13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the upper room where they were staying: Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.
13 καὶ ὅτε εἰσῆλθον, ἀνέβησαν εἰς τὸ ὑπερῷον οὗ ἦσαν καταμένοντες, ὅ τε Πέτρος καὶ Ἰάκωβος καὶ Ἰωάννης καὶ Ἀνδρέας, Φίλιππος καὶ Θωμᾶς, Βαρθολομαῖος καὶ Ματθαῖος, Ἰάκωβος Ἀλφαίου καὶ Σίμων ὁ Ζηλωτὴς καὶ Ἰούδας Ἰακώβου.
14 They all joined together in prayer, together with the women and Mary, Jesus' mother, and his brothers.
14 οὗτοι πάντες ἦσαν προσκαρτεροῦντες ὁμοθυμαδὸν τῇ προσευχῇ καὶ τῇ δεήσει σὺν γυναιξὶ καὶ Μαρίᾳ τῇ μητρὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ σὺν τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς αὐτοῦ.
15 At this time Peter stood up and addressed a crowd of around one hundred and twenty believers who had gathered together.
15 Καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ταύταις ἀναστὰς Πέτρος ἐν μέσῳ τῶν μαθητῶν εἶπεν· ἦν τε ὄχλος ὀνομάτων ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ὡς ἑκατὸν εἴκοσιν·
16 “My brothers and sisters,” he said, “The Scriptures, spoken by the Holy Spirit through David, had to be fulfilled regarding Judas, who guided those who arrested Jesus.
16 ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί, ἔδει πληρωθῆναι τὴν γραφὴν ταύτην ἣν προεῖπε τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον διὰ στόματος Δαυῒδ περὶ Ἰούδα τοῦ γενομένου ὁδηγοῦ τοῖς συλλαβοῦσι τὸν Ἰησοῦν,
17 He was counted as one of us, and shared in this ministry.”
17 ὅτι κατηριθμημένος ἦν σὺν ἡμῖν καὶ ἔλαχε τὸν κλῆρον τῆς διακονίας ταύτης.
18 (Judas had bought a field with his ill-gotten gains. There he fell down headfirst, and his body burst apart, spilling out all his intestines.
18 οὗτος μὲν οὖν ἐκτήσατο χωρίον ἐκ μισθοῦ τῆς ἀδικίας, καὶ πρηνὴς γενόμενος ἐλάκησε μέσος, καὶ ἐξεχύθη πάντα τὰ σπλάγχνα αὐτοῦ·
19 Everybody who lived in Jerusalem heard about this so that the field was called in their language “Akeldama,” which means, “Field of blood.”)
19 καὶ γνωστὸν ἐγένετο πᾶσι τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν Ἱερουσαλήμ, ὥστε κληθῆναι τὸ χωρίον ἐκεῖνο τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ αὐτῶν Ἀκελδαμᾶ, τουτέστι χωρίον αἵματος.
20 As it's written in the book of Psalms, “Let his home be abandoned, and no one live there,” and “Let someone else take over his position.”
20 γέγραπται γὰρ ἐν βίβλῳ ψαλμῶν· γενηθήτω ἡ ἔπαυλις αὐτοῦ ἔρημος καὶ μὴ ἔστω ὁ κατοικῶν ἐν αὐτῇ· καί· τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν αὐτοῦ λάβοι ἕτερος.
21 “So now we have to choose someone who has been with us the whole time that Jesus was with us,
21 δεῖ οὖν τῶν συνελθόντων ἡμῖν ἀνδρῶν ἐν παντὶ χρόνῳ ἐν ᾧ εἰσῆλθε καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἐφ᾽ ἡμᾶς ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς,
22 from the time John was baptizing up until the day Jesus was taken up to heaven from us. One of these must be chosen to join together with us as we witness, giving evidence of Jesus' resurrection.”
22 ἀρξάμενος ἀπὸ τοῦ βαπτίσματος Ἰωάννου ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ἧς ἀνελήφθη ἀφ᾽ ἡμῶν, μάρτυρα τῆς ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι σὺν ἡμῖν ἕνα τούτων.
23 Two names were put forward: Joseph Justus, also known as Barsabbas, and Matthias.
23 Καὶ ἔστησαν δύο, Ἰωσὴφ τὸν καλούμενον Βαρσαββᾶν, ὃς ἐπεκλήθη Ἰοῦστος, καὶ Ματθίαν,
24 They prayed together and said, “Lord, you know everyone's thoughts. Please show us which of these two you have chosen
24 καὶ προσευξάμενοι εἶπον· σὺ Κύριε, καρδιογνῶστα πάντων, ἀνάδειξον ὃν ἐξελέξω ἐκ τούτων τῶν δύο ἕνα,
25 to replace Judas as an apostle in this ministry that he gave up to go to where he belongs.”
25 λαβεῖν τὸν κλῆρον τῆς διακονίας ταύτης καὶ ἀποστολῆς, ἐξ ἧς παρέβη Ἰούδας πορευθῆναι εἰς τὸν τόπον τὸν ἴδιον.
26 They cast lots, and Matthias was chosen. He was counted as an apostle with the other eleven.
26 καὶ ἔδωκαν κλήρους αὐτῶν, καὶ ἔπεσεν ὁ κλῆρος ἐπὶ Ματθίαν, καὶ συγκατεψηφίσθη μετὰ τῶν ἕνδεκα ἀποστόλων.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Matthias
Chosen by lot to take the place of Judas among the twelve apostles.
Cited in the guide: Acts 1:23; Acts 1:26
Theophilus
The person to whom Luke wrote his orderly account so that he would know the certainty of what he had been taught.
Cited in the guide: Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1
Places
Jerusalem
Set high in the Judean hills (~2,500 ft), Jerusalem was David's royal city, the site of the First and Second Temples, and the stage for Jesus' passion and the church's birth at Pentecost.
Cited in the guide: 2 Samuel 5:6-9; Luke 19:41; Acts 1:8
Mount of Olives
Rising ~2,700 ft just east of the Old City, the Mount of Olives is where Jesus gave the Olivet Discourse, prayed in Gethsemane on its slope, and ascended near Bethany.
Cited in the guide: Zechariah 14:4; Luke 22:39; Acts 1:12
Cross references (26)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Luke 1:3; Luke 24:19; Matthew 4:23–24; Luke 3:23; Matthew 11:5
- 2 Acts 1:9; Acts 10:38; John 20:21; Hebrews 9:24; Isaiah 59:20–21
- 3 1 Corinthians 15:5–7; Acts 13:31; John 20:26; 1 John 1:1; John 21:14
- 4 Luke 24:49; John 14:16; John 15:26; John 14:26–28; John 7:39
- 5 Matthew 3:11; Acts 11:15–16; Luke 3:16; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Titus 3:5
- 6 Luke 19:11; Daniel 7:27; Luke 17:20; Matthew 24:3; Ezekiel 37:24–27
- 7 Matthew 24:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:1–2; Mark 13:32; Deuteronomy 29:29; Mark 10:40
- 8 Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15; Romans 15:19; Acts 4:33; Acts 5:32
- 9 Daniel 7:13; Luke 24:50–51; Mark 16:19; Ephesians 4:8–12; John 6:62
- 10 Luke 24:4; John 20:12; Mark 16:5; Revelation 7:14; Daniel 7:9
- 11 Revelation 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Mark 13:26; John 14:3; Matthew 24:30
- 12 Luke 24:52; Matthew 21:1; Luke 24:50; Luke 21:37; Zechariah 14:4
- 13 Acts 20:8; Luke 22:12; Mark 14:15; Matthew 10:2–4; Mark 2:14
- 14 Acts 6:4; Ephesians 6:18; Acts 2:42; Colossians 4:2; Romans 12:12
- 15 1 Corinthians 15:6; Acts 21:20; Revelation 3:4; Psalm 32:5–6; Revelation 11:13
- 16 Psalm 41:9; John 13:18; Psalm 55:12–15; Acts 1:20; John 12:38–40
- 17 Acts 1:25; Acts 20:24; John 6:70–71; John 17:12; Mark 3:19
- 18 Matthew 27:3–10; Psalm 55:23; Matthew 26:14–15; Psalm 55:15; Joshua 7:21–26
- 19 Matthew 28:15; Acts 2:22; 2 Samuel 2:16; Acts 21:40
- 20 Psalm 69:25; Psalm 109:8–15; Acts 1:25; Luke 24:44
- 21 John 15:27; Luke 10:1–2; Numbers 27:17; Deuteronomy 31:2; 2 Samuel 5:2
- 22 Acts 1:2; Acts 4:33; Acts 1:8–9; Mark 1:1–8; John 15:27
- 23 Acts 15:22; Acts 1:26
- 24 1 Samuel 16:7; Acts 15:8; Hebrews 4:13; Jeremiah 17:10; Revelation 2:23
- 25 1 Corinthians 9:2; Romans 1:5; John 17:12; John 6:70–71; Acts 1:16–21
- 26 Leviticus 16:8; Joshua 18:10; Jonah 1:7; 1 Samuel 14:41–42; 1 Chronicles 24:5
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
To many persons this Book is so little known, both it and its author, that they are not even aware that there is such a book in existence.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 11 (1889)
… Judas to be, after being separated from her Enthymesis, was restored or recalled [to her former position]; but Judas was deprived [of his office], and cast out, while Matthias was ordained in his place, according to what is written, "And his bishopric let another take." They ought therefore to maintain that the twelfth Æon was cast out of the Pleroma, …
… the Father hath put in His own power; but ye shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even unto the ends of the earth." First of all, the Church spread herself abroad from Jerusalem; and when very many in …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
"For a cloud and darkness are round about Him;" and, "He sitteth on a light cloud;" and again, "Who maketh clouds His chariot;" and, "A cloud received Him out of their sight;" and, "As the Son of Man coming in the clouds." In order then that they might believe that the voice proceeds from God, it comes from thence.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
For it is not for you, He says, to know times or seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)