Acts 1 (BHT-ATN)

You Will Bear Solemn Witness about Me”

1 Theophilus:

In the account I put together previously, I wrote about everything that Jesus did and taught from the time he began his ministry2 up to the day when, after giving instructions by the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen for himself, he was taken up. 3 To these men+ he also presented himself alive again, after his suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking to them about the things written concerning+ the Kingdom of God.+ 4 On one occasion while he was with them, he told them that they were Jerusalem not to leave, but were to wait for what was promised by+ the Father. “This promise ᵖyou have heard me talk about,”+ he said. 5 “Whereas John baptized with+ water, ᵖyou will be baptized in just a few days from now with the Holy Spirit.”

6 Therefore, while the apostles,+ on the one hand, when they had gathered together, kept asking+ him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the Kingdom to Israel?”,+ 7 Jesus+ replied to them, “It is not for ᵖyou yourselves to know the appointed times and seasons that the Father has set by his own authority.+ 8 Yet ᵖyou will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and will bear solemn witness about me+ in Jerusalem and throughout Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.”

9 And these things having said, while they were watching, Jesus+ was taken up, and a cloud lifted him up from their view. 10 They were staring very intently into the sky+ as he was going, when suddenly there standing near them were two men, dressed in white clothing. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here looking into the sky? Jesus, who was taken up from ᵖyou into heaven,+ will come back in this same way—the very way you saw him going up into the sky.+”

“They Returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives”

12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives (which is near Jerusalem, about a half a mile away+), 13 and upon arriving it was the upstairs room to which they went, located in the tower above the house where they were temporarily staying. They were Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. 14 These men, all of them, were constantly gathering and praying together,+ along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and Jesus’+ brothers.

15 During this period,+ Peter stood up where the other believers+ could see him+ (it was a gathering of about a hundred and twenty people+) and said, 16 “Brothers,+ the Scripture had to be fulfilled,+ namely, the passage where+ the Holy Spirit spoke in advance by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became the guide for those who arrested Jesus— 17 he belonged to our group+ and was allotted a share in this ministry.+” 18 (Now then, this man purchased a field with the money he received for his wicked act,++ and falling headfirst, his belly burst open+ and all his intestines spilled out. 19 News of what happened+ became to all the residents of Jerusalem well-known. As a result, that field is referred to in their own language as Hakeldama, which means, “Field of Blood.”) 20 “Indeed,” Peter continued, “it is written in the Book of Psalms:

“May his ‘camp+ become desolate,

and may no one dwell’ in it,+

and,

“ ‘May his position of leadership+ be taken by someone else.’+

21 In light of these things, it is necessary that of the men who traveled with us, indeed the entire time the Lord Jesus lived among us,+ 22 beginning from the time he was baptized by John+ until the day he was taken up from us: It is as a witness to his resurrection that one of these men must now join us.+” 23 So they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “You, O Lord, know the thoughts and motives+ of all mankind. Please show us which one it is of these two men whom you yourself have chosen+ 25 to take over this apostolic ministry,+ from which Judas deviated to go to the place where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots to decide between the two men.++ The lot fell to Matthias, and so he was added to the eleven apostles.

+1:3Lit to whom.+1:3Lit the things concerning. IT. Cf τὰ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ ( ta peri hautou) at Lk 24:27 (see esp the NCV and NET there), and πάντα τὰ γεγραμμένα...περὶ ἐμοῦ ( panta ta gegrammena...peri emou) at Lk 24:44. Just as the article there points back to OT Scriptures in Lk 24, so the same is true here (with Luke summarizing the focus of Jesus’ teaching in the post-resurrection appearances).+1:3Cf Mt 28:16-20; Lk 24:13-49.+1:4Lit the promise of the Father. See note at Lk 24:49. The same applies here. Cf LEB.+1:4Lit which you have heard of/from me. Because of the abrupt shift in the Greek text from indirect to direct speech, the antecedent has been restated in translation, and a new sentence started. The genitive is functioning in the subjective/source range, which is reflected in the translation (cf NCV, TEV).+1:5Or in.+1:6Lit they. Cf NCV, NLT, TEV.+1:6Or began asking.+1:6Cf Ps 102:12-17; Is 40:1; 49:13; 51:3; 57:18; 61:2; Mic 4:8; Lk 2:25.+1:7Lit he.+1:7Cf Ps 102:12-17; Dn 9:22-27, 12:8-9; Mt 13:11; Lk 21:25-31; Re 10:4.+1:8Lit will be my witnesses. ME (see note at Lk 24:48). Cf also UBSHS (Ac), 18.+1:9Lit he.+1:10Or into heaven.+1:11Or into the sky. Here we have a bit of a breakdown in language, since Jesus starts his departure in the first heaven (ie, the sky) and ends up at the Father’s right hand in a part of the heavens that are out of sight (cf 2 Co 12:1-3).+1:11Or into heaven. See note at “heaven” earlier in this verse. “Sky” is better here, since the angel is referring to the part of the ascension that the apostles had observed.+1:12Lit having a journey of a Sabbath. ME (see L-N, 81.28). Cf NCV, NLT. Though the idiom is derived from rabbinic traditions concerning how far someone was permitted to walk on the Sabbath (see NET Bible Notes, Ac 1:12), this is not central to Luke’s point here, and thus an ME has been used in translation.+1:14Lit were busying themselves together in prayer, or were continuing frequently together in prayer, or were continuing in one accord in prayer. Cf TEV; UBSHS (Ac), 23. V 15 what inclines me toward the interpretation reflected in the text.+1:14Lit his.+1:15Lit In these days. ME. Cf CJB, NCV, NLT.+1:15Lit the brothers. In a number of situations, the plural masculine form of ἀδελφός ( adelophos) is used generically for brothers and sisters or for believers (see BDAG, 18, sv 1, 2). In this situation it means the latter and includes both men and women (see v 14). Cf CJB, NCV, NET, NIV, NLT, NRSV, TEV.+1:15Lit in the middle, or in the midst. ME (see UBSHS [Mk], 104).+1:15Lit the crowd of names was in all about one hundred and twenty, or the crowd of names in one place was about one hundred and twenty. ME (see UBSHS [Ac], 24). Cf most English translations.+1:16Lit men brothers. The compound indicates that Peter is most likely addressing the other apostles here (see NET Bible Notes, Ac 1:16).+1:16Or accomplished.+1:16Lit which.+1:17Lit was numbered/counted among us. ME (see BDAG, 526, καταριθμέω 2; L-N, 34.33). Cf TEV.+1:17Or this service.+1:18Lit with the wages/reward of his wickedness. ME(I/F) (see UBSHS [Ac], 27). Cf CJB, NCV, TEV.+1:18Cf Mt 26:14–15; 27:5, 7–8.+1:18Lit he burst open in the middle. ME(I/F) (see L-N, 19.30).+1:19Lit It. Cf NLT.+1:20Or home, or dwelling.+1:20Ps 69:25+1:20Or his office.+1:20Ps 109:8+1:21Lit during all the time in which the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us. ME(I/F) (see L-N, 41.24; UBSHS [Ac], 30).+1:22Lit beginning from the/his baptism of/by John. Cf NET, NLT.+1:22Lit one of these must become a witness with us. ME. Cf NLT, TEV.+1:24Lit the hearts. In the ancient world, the “heart” was the seat not only of the emotional faculties, but of the will and mind as well (see note at Mk 3:5). Cf TEV.+1:24Or chosen for yourself. “Yourself” here is drawn from the middle voice of the verb (see Wallace, Grammar, 419-23).+1:25Lit to take the place of this service/ministry and apostleship. ME (see UBSHS [Ac], 31). The genitives “ministry” and “apostleship” have been interpreted as a hendiadys. This is reflected in the translation. Cf NIV.+1:26Lit cast lots for them. ME. Cf CJB, TEV.+1:26Cf Ex 28:30; Lv 8:8;1 Sm 14:41; Ezr 2:63; Ne 7:65.