Acts 1-2

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

1 In the former account [which I prepared], O Theophilus, I made [a continuous report] dealing with all the things which Jesus began to do and to teach^(A)

² Until the day when He ascended, after He through the Holy Spirit had instructed and commanded the apostles (special messengers) whom He had chosen.

³ To them also He showed Himself alive after His passion (His suffering in the garden and on the cross) by [a series of] many convincing demonstrations [unquestionable evidences and infallible proofs], appearing to them during forty days and talking [to them] about the things of the kingdom of God.

⁴ And while being in their company and eating with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for what the Father had promised, Of which [He said] you have heard Me speak.^(B)

⁵ For John baptized with water, but not many days from now you shall be baptized with (^[a]placed in, introduced into) the Holy Spirit.

⁶ So when they were assembled, they asked Him, Lord, is this the time when You will reestablish the kingdom and restore it to Israel?

⁷ He said to them, It is not for you to become acquainted with and know ^[b]what time brings [the things and events of time and their definite periods] or fixed ^[c]years and seasons (their critical niche in time), which the Father has appointed (fixed and reserved) by His own choice and authority and personal power.

⁸ But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.

⁹ And when He had said this, even as they were looking [at Him], He was caught up, and a cloud received and carried Him away out of their sight.

¹⁰ And while they were gazing intently into heaven as He went, behold, two men [dressed] in white robes suddenly stood beside them,

¹¹ Who said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing into heaven? This same Jesus, Who was caught away and lifted up from among you into heaven, will return in [just] the same way in which you saw Him go into heaven.

¹² Then [the disciples] went back to Jerusalem from the hill called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, [only] a Sabbath day’s journey (three-quarters of a mile) away.

¹³ And when they had entered [the city], they mounted [the stairs] to the upper room where they were [^[d]indefinitely] staying—Peter and John and James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas [son] of James.

¹⁴ All of these with their minds in full agreement devoted themselves steadfastly to prayer, [waiting together] with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

¹⁵ Now on one of those days Peter arose among the brethren, the whole number of whom gathered together was about a hundred and twenty.

¹⁶ Brethren, he said, it was necessary that the Scripture be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit foretold by the lips of David, about Judas who acted as guide to those who arrested Jesus.

¹⁷ For he was counted among us and received [by divine allotment] his portion in this ministry.

¹⁸ Now this man obtained a piece of land with the [money paid him as a] reward for his treachery and wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle [of his body] and all his intestines poured forth.

¹⁹ And all the residents of Jerusalem became acquainted with the facts, so that they called the piece of land in their own dialect—Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.

²⁰ For in the book of Psalms it is written, Let his place of residence become deserted and gloomy, and let there be no one to live in it; and [again], Let another take his position or overseership.^(C)

²¹ So one of the [other] men who have accompanied us [apostles] during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

²² From the baptism of John at the outset until the day when He was taken up from among us—one of these men must join with us and become a witness to testify to His resurrection.

²³ And they accordingly proposed (nominated) two men, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.

²⁴ And they prayed and said, You, Lord, Who know all hearts (^[e]their thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, purposes, and endeavors), indicate to us which one of these two You have chosen

²⁵ To take the place in this ministry and receive the position of an apostle, from which Judas fell away and went astray to go [where he belonged] to his own [proper] place.

²⁶ And they drew lots [between the two], and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to and counted with the eleven apostles (special messengers).

2 And when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all assembled together in one place,

² When suddenly there came a sound from heaven like the rushing of a violent tempest blast, and it filled the whole house in which they were sitting.

³ And there appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were separated and distributed and which settled on each one of them.

⁴ And they were all filled (diffused throughout their souls) with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other (different, foreign) languages (tongues), as the Spirit ^[f]kept giving them clear and loud expression [in each tongue in appropriate words].

⁵ Now there were then residing in Jerusalem Jews, devout and God-fearing men from every country under heaven.

⁶ And when this sound was heard, the multitude came together and they were astonished and bewildered, because each one heard them [the apostles] speaking in his own [particular] dialect.

⁷ And they were beside themselves with amazement, saying, Are not all these who are talking Galileans?

⁸ Then how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own (particular) dialect to which we were born?

⁹ Parthians and Medes and Elamites and inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and [the province of] Asia,

¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and the transient residents from Rome, both Jews and the proselytes [to Judaism from other religions],

¹¹ Cretans and Arabians too—we all hear them speaking in our own native tongues [and telling of] the mighty works of God!

¹² And all were beside themselves with amazement and were puzzled and bewildered, saying one to another, What can this mean?

¹³ But others made a joke of it and derisively said, They are simply drunk and full of sweet [intoxicating] wine.

¹⁴ But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: You Jews and all you residents of Jerusalem, let this be [explained] to you so that you will know and understand; listen closely to what I have to say.

¹⁵ For these men are not drunk, as you imagine, for it is [only] the third hour (about 9:00 a.m.) of the day;

¹⁶ But [instead] this is [the beginning of] what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷ And it shall come to pass in the last days, God declares, that I will pour out of My Spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy [^[g]telling forth the divine counsels] and your young men shall see visions (^[h]divinely granted appearances), and your old men shall dream [^[i]divinely suggested] dreams.

¹⁸ Yes, and on My menservants also and on My maidservants in those days I will pour out of My Spirit, and they shall prophesy [^[j]telling forth the divine counsels and ^[k]predicting future events pertaining especially to God’s kingdom].

¹⁹ And I will show wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth beneath, blood and fire and smoking vapor;

²⁰ The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the obvious day of the Lord comes—that great and notable and conspicuous and renowned [day].

²¹ And it shall be that whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord [^[l]invoking, adoring, and worshiping the Lord—Christ] shall be saved.^(D)

²² You men of Israel, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man accredited and pointed out and shown forth and commended and attested to you by God by the mighty works and [the power of performing] wonders and signs which God worked through Him [right] in your midst, as you yourselves know—

²³ This Jesus, when delivered up according to the definite and fixed purpose and settled plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and put out of the way [killing Him] by the hands of lawless and wicked men.

²⁴ [But] God raised Him up, liberating Him from the pangs of death, seeing that it was not possible for Him to continue to be controlled or retained by it.

²⁵ For David says in regard to Him, I saw the Lord constantly before me, for He is at my right hand that I may not be shaken or overthrown or cast down [from my secure and happy state].

²⁶ Therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue exulted exceedingly; moreover, my flesh also will dwell in hope [will encamp, pitch its tent, and dwell in hope in anticipation of the resurrection].

²⁷ For You will not abandon my soul, leaving it helpless in Hades (the state of departed spirits), nor let Your Holy One know decay or see destruction [of the body after death].

²⁸ You have made known to me the ways of life; You will enrapture me [diffusing my soul with joy] with and in Your presence.^(E)

²⁹ Brethren, it is permitted me to tell you confidently and with freedom concerning the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

³⁰ Being however a prophet, and knowing that God had sealed to him with an oath that He would set one of his descendants on his throne,^(F)

³¹ He, foreseeing this, spoke [by foreknowledge] of the resurrection of the Christ (the Messiah) that He was not deserted [in death] and left in Hades (the state of departed spirits), nor did His body know decay or see destruction.^(G)

³² This Jesus God raised up, and of that all we [His disciples] are witnesses.

³³ Being therefore lifted high by and to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father ^[m]the promised [blessing which is the] Holy Spirit, He has made this outpouring which you yourselves both see and hear.

³⁴ For David did not ascend into the heavens; yet he himself says, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand and share My throne

³⁵ Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.^(H)

³⁶ Therefore let the whole house of Israel recognize beyond all doubt and acknowledge assuredly that God has made Him both Lord and Christ (the Messiah)—this Jesus Whom you crucified.

³⁷ Now when they heard this they were stung (cut) to the heart, and they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles (special messengers), Brethren, what shall we do?

³⁸ And Peter answered them, Repent (change your views and purpose to accept the will of God in your inner selves instead of rejecting it) and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of and release from your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

³⁹ For the promise [of the Holy Spirit] is to and for you and your children, and to and for all that are far away, [even] to and for as many as the Lord our God invites and bids to come to Himself.^(I)

⁴⁰ And [Peter] ^[n]solemnly and earnestly witnessed (testified) and admonished (exhorted) with much more continuous speaking and warned (reproved, advised, encouraged) them, saying, Be saved from this crooked (perverse, wicked, unjust) generation.

⁴¹ Therefore those who accepted and welcomed his message were baptized, and there were added that day about 3,000 souls.

⁴² And they steadfastly persevered, devoting themselves constantly to the instruction and fellowship of the apostles, to the breaking of bread [including the Lord’s Supper] and prayers.

⁴³ And a sense of awe (reverential fear) came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were performed through the apostles (the special messengers).

⁴⁴ And all who believed (who adhered to and trusted in and relied on Jesus Christ) were united and [together] they had everything in common;

⁴⁵ And they sold their possessions (both their landed property and their movable goods) and distributed the price among all, according as any had need.

⁴⁶ And day after day they regularly assembled in the temple with united purpose, and in their homes they broke bread [including the Lord’s Supper]. They partook of their food with gladness and simplicity and generous hearts,

⁴⁷ Constantly praising God and being in favor and goodwill with all the people; and the Lord kept adding [to their number] daily those who were being saved [from spiritual death].