Preface: The disciples see Jesus for the last time, before He is received into heaven. Afterward, they hold a nominating process to select the 12^th Apostle. For many reasons, this was a bogus process.

Bible Summary: Jesus said, "You will receive the Spirit and be my witnesses." He was taken up in a cloud. The believers cast lots to replace Judas.

The “Key” & Main Points of Chapter 1 (a chart); from Slide Player; accessed June 29, 2022. I use this introductions for each chapter; and it appears that these original with Meagan Todd.

This should be the most extensive examination of Acts 1 available, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text.

Brief Overview: (taken from Light of the Word; accessed April 22, 2022).

Time and Place as per Modern Literal Version 2020:

May 18, 30AD Mount of Olives.

Outline of Chapter 1:

Preface

Introduction

         vv.     1–3           Luke Introduces the book of Acts

         vv.     4–8           Jesus Promises to Sent the Holy Spirit to the Apostles

         vv.     9–11         Jesus Ascends into Heaven

         vv.    12–26         The Misguided Disciples, Led by Peter, Select a 12^th Apostle

Chapter Summary

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Preface

         Preface               Brief Overview

         Preface               The “Key” & Main Points of Chapter 1 (a chart)

         Preface               Quotations

         Introduction         Acts Acronym (a graphic)

         Introduction         Titles and/or Brief Descriptions of Acts 1 (by Various Commentators)

         Introduction         Brief, but insightful observations of Acts 1 (various commentators)

         Introduction         Fundamental Questions About Acts 1

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Prequel to Acts 1

         Introduction         The Principals of Acts 1

         Introduction         The Places of Acts 1

         Introduction         By the Numbers

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Acts 1

         Introduction         Outlines and Summaries of Acts 1 (Various Commentators)

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Acts 1 from the Summarized Bible

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Big Picture (Acts 1–6)

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         Changes—additions and subtractions

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         v.       5              Acts 1:5 (ESV) (a graphic)

         v.       5              Acts 1:5 (The Message) (a graphic)

         v.       7              Acts 1:7 (NASB) (a graphic)

         v.       8              Acts 1:8 (NIV) (a graphic)

         v.       8              Acts 1:8 (NKJV) (a graphic)

         v.       8              Acts 1:8 Bible Journaling (a graphic)

         v.      11              Acts 1:11 (NIV) (a graphic)

         v.      11              Acts 1:11 (ESV) (a graphic)

         v.      11              Ascension—a Painting by John Singleton Copely (1738–1815)

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         v.      13              Peter’s Future Ministry (a graphic)

         v.      13              John’s Future Ministry (a graphic)

         v.      13              James’ Future Ministry (a graphic)

         v.      13              Andrew’s Future Ministry (a graphic)

         v.      13              Philip’s Future Ministry (a graphic)

         v.      13              Thomas’ Future Ministry (a graphic)

         v.      13              Bartholomew’s Future Ministry (a graphic)

         v.      13              Matthew’s Future Ministry (a graphic)

         v.      13              The Future Ministry of James (of Alpheus) (a graphic)

         v.      13              The Future Ministry of Simon (the zealot) (a graphic)

         v.      13              The Future Ministry of Judas (of James) (a graphic)

         v.      16              Acts 1:15–16 (NIV) (a graphic)

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         v.      18              How Exactly Did Judas Die?

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         v.      26              The 12^th Man (a graphic)

         v.      26              Why Matthias was not the 12^th Apostle

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         Summary            A Set of Summary Doctrines and Commentary

         Summary            Why Acts 1 is in the Word of God

         Summary            What We Learn from Acts 1

         Summary            Jesus Christ in Acts 1

         Summary 

         Summary 

         Addendum          Extensive Footnote for Acts 1:1 (The Christian Community Bible)

         Addendum          Footnote for Acts 1:1–5 in Kretzmann’s Commentary

         Addendum          The Seven Types of Baptisms (from R. B. Thieme, Jr.)

         Addendum          Footnote for Acts 1:6–8 in Kretzmann’s Commentary

         Addendum          A Review of Dispensations

         Addendum          The Deity of Jesus Christ (1976–1977) (by R. B. Thieme, Jr.)

         Addendum          Footnote for Acts 1:9–11 in Kretzmann’s Commentary

         Addendum          Did Jesus have fleshly brothers and sisters? (From the 2001 Translation)

         Addendum          Extensive Footnote for Acts 1:12 (The Christian Community Bible)

         Addendum          Footnote for Acts 1:12–14 in Kretzmann’s Commentary

         Addendum          Extensive Footnote for Acts 1:15 (The Christian Community Bible)

         Addendum          Footnote for Acts 1:15–20 in Kretzmann’s Commentary

         Addendum          Psalm 69 — A Brief Exegesis

         Addendum          Psalm 109 — A Brief Exegesis

         Addendum          Footnote for Acts 1:21–26 in Kretzmann’s Commentary

         Addendum 

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         Addendum 

         Addendum          Josephus’ History of this Time Period

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Acts 1

         Addendum 

         Addendum          Doctrinal Teachers Who Have Taught Acts 1

         Addendum          Word Cloud from the Kukis Paraphrase of Acts 1

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Acts 1

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An Introduction to Acts 1

I ntroduction: Acts 1 has an introduction, and then it can be broken down into two very different sections. Jesus will ascend into heaven right in front of the disciples. While they are looking up, their eyes apparently transfixed upon what they just saw, two angels will tell them, “Time to stop daydreaming and go back to your place and wait for the Holy Spirit.” There is a great deal of important material to be found in the first 11 verses of this chapter. Many of these verses are profound and memorable.

The second half of Acts 1 is all about the replacement of Judas. Peter clearly takes an unopposed leadership position, quotes some Old Testament Scripture (this is all that the believers in this era had), and concludes that Judas must be replaced, and he assumes that it is up to them to replace Judas. No one appears to oppose him.

I find it quite telling how meaningful and important the first 11 verses are, in this chapter; and how lacking the remainder of the chapter is.

The introduction of the book of Acts is Luke writing to a man called Theophilus (= lover of God), but, like the book of Luke, Luke’s name is not specifically affixed to the writing. Luke will actually play a part in the activity of the disciples of God early on in the Church Age, and, much further along in this book, we will have Luke using the 1^st person plural to indicate that he himself is a part of the activities recorded.

What I find to be surprising is the sparse amount of information recorded about Jesus’ 40 days on the earth following His death and resurrection. Three gospels and the book of Acts give us some information about this period of time, but it is clear that what is recorded is only a small portion of what took place.

Nevertheless, there are some remarkable verses to read and study up to v. 11. The disciples ask Jesus about the restoration of the kingdom. They expected, in some fashion, for Jesus to rule over the earth (or, over Jerusalem at the very least), which would involve pushing off Roman rule and install them (the remaining 11 Apostles) in positions of leadership. Jesus tells them, “It is not for you to know the succession of events or the epochs which God has determined from eternity past.” What you are asking about, Jesus is telling them, is not going to be in your wheelhouse. That is quite the fascinating view, given that these are 11 of the men who will found the New Testament church.

Jesus then gives the disciples a very specific mission, which seems to indicate that they will be, for the most part, missionaries to the entire world (v. 8). And, based upon this account, that is the last thing that Jesus says to these men, and He is then taken up into heaven.

Interestingly enough, so that the disciples don’t stand out there and get sunstroke, two angels speak to them, suggesting that it was time that they stop looking into heaven at where Jesus went. “When it is time for Him to return, He will return in much the same manner,” the angels say.

The second half of this chapter is almost all narrative, which includes Peter’s speech to the 120 disciples. Peter thinks that it is time that they choose a 12^th disciple to take Judas’ place. We find out a little more about Judas’ end from Peter; and then we hear some Scriptures, which seem to indicate that his place needs to be filled. To this point, the reader might assume that Peter is making perfect sense. However, it is at this point that Peter goes awry. He seems to think that it is the job of the 120 to choose the replacement Apostle and that there are specific criterion that such a man must meet (criterion, by the way, which most of the disciples could not meet). Based upon what we have read in the Scriptures, it is possible that only Andrew (Peter’s brother) and possibly Peter could have met all the criteria which Peter lays down. (If other disciples met this criteria, it is not recorded.)

Peter makes several crucial errors when lobbying for them to select a 12^th Apostle. Jesus did not authorize this; Jesus did not tell Peter (or anyone) to take care of this task. And, based upon Peter’s criterion for the 12^th disciple, this would have been a person with whom Jesus was very familiar. But Jesus Himself did not choose either of the two men put forth by Peter to become Apostles. Jesus saw Judas and these two men, and He chose Judas. Jesus was betrayed by Judas, Judas killed Himself, and Jesus could have, at that time (over the 40 days) say, “Okay, the guy I should have selected is Matthias.” (Or the other guy.) But Jesus did not do this.

Given that Jesus chose all 12 Apostles, whose job, logically, is it to choose the 12^th (replacement) Apostle? The simple and obvious answer is, Jesus (not Peter and not the 120).

Acts Acronym (a graphic); from Biblical Foundations for Freedom; accessed August 22, 2021.

Much of the book of Acts is narrative, punctuated by an occasional sermon. I personally enjoy narrative because (1) it is often easier to translate and (2) I simply enjoy a narrative approach (which has to be around half of the Bible). Narrative is still considered to be inspired text. That is, the words of God which we read in Exodus (as a for instance) is not any more holy or inspired than the narrative that we are studying. However, that does not mean that every single thing that we read in a narrative should be emulated, copied, or codified. We have to consider all that we know as well as the context of the incidents that we are studying. For instance, Judas betrayed the Lord for 30 pieces of silver back in the book of Luke. Does this mean that we should betray the Lord (or, whomever) for 30 silver coins? Obviously not.

We are going to study some things in this chapter (and the next) which certainly make little sense to copy. In fact, some of the things done in this chapter by the twelve are just wrong.

The term disciple can refer to the 120+ people who were with Jesus for a great deal of His public ministry; it can refer in a more general way to all of those who follow Jesus (which would include you and I); and this term can refer very specifically to the twelve (actually, to the eleven, but that just does not have the same ring to it).

There is at least one source who doubts the veracity of the book of Luke (the Updated Bible Version), so they do not even provide a translation for it. There is a particular word which is used considerably fewer times in Luke than it is in Acts (or is it the other way around?). They list this as the main reason for rejecting Luke as the author of the Acts.

So far, I have found the writing to be very similar to the writing of Luke. It is at times very complex (O that I had chosen to do John instead), with many words used in both books; and with quite a number of words found only once in the New Testament (which Luke did in the book of Luke). So far, after having translated the entire book of Luke, exegeting it word-by-word; I find nothing yet that makes me doubt the authenticity of Acts (the objection of the Updated Bible Version notwithstanding).

When I was younger in the faith, I occasionally thought about reevaluating the canon, and taking another look at the accepted books (particularly in the New Testament) and those which were rejected. However, those days of questioning are long gone. After studying canonicity and how the books of the NT were recognized as canonical by quite a number of individuals, theologians, translators and councils, I figured that my examination would be unimportant. It is a done deal, and I see no reason not to accept the canon as it is. What is far more important is, reading, studying and understanding the Word of God.

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Luke Introduces the book of Acts

Even though the gist of this text is reasonably easy to ascertain, the word-by-word translation is quite difficult. When Luke is not doing narrative, he could write some fairly complex sentences.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       I will use the Westcott-Hort Greek text as the basis for my English translation. I use that test primarily because e-sword has a nice module by Rob Wolfram which has the interlinear English text, Strong’s #’s, and the Greek morphology. The e-sword tab is IWH+P. I do not use their English text for my translation. Also, throughout, I take in consideration alternate readings.

As a young Christian, I was quite interested in the alternative readings. After many decades of study, I have found that, as with the Hebrew text, disputed readings rarely have any affect on the interpretation of a text (apart from perhaps a half-dozen fairly well-known alternate readings, like the end of the book of Mark).

I will compare the Greek text to English translations of the Latin and Syriac (= Aramaic) texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation and George Lamsa’s translation from the Syriac. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.).

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

The Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls are irrelevant, as they preceded the writing of the New Testament by over 200 years.

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Ancient texts:

Westcott-Hort Text (Greek)    The indeed first word I made about all, O Theophilos, of which began Jesus to make but also and to teach, until of which day, charging the Apostles through a Spirit Holy, whom He chose, was taken up. To whom even He presented Himself alive, after the suffering to Him, by many proofs throughout days forty; appearing to them and speaking the [things] about the kingdom of the God.

Complete Apostles’ Bible      The former account I made concerning all things, O Theophilus, which Jesus began both to do and teach,

until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen,

to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) The former treatise I made, O Theophilus, of all things which Jesus began to do and to teach,

Until the day on which, giving commandments by the Holy Ghost to the apostles whom he had chosen, he was taken up.

To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion, by many proofs, for forty days appearing to them, and speaking of the kingdom of God.

Holy Aramaic Scriptures        The former Kathaba {Writing/Scripture i.e. Luke's Gospel} I wrote, O Theuphiyle {O Theophilus}, concerned all those things which Maran Eshu Meshikha {Our Lord Yeshua, The Anointed One} began to do and to teach,

up to the day in which He ascended, after having given instruction unto The Shlikhe {The Sent Ones}, the ones whom He had chosen through The Rukha d’Qudsha {The Spirit of Holiness},

unto whom, He also had shown Himself, during forty days, by many signs while alive, after He had suffered, where He was appearing unto them and speaking concerning The Malkutha d'Alaha {The Kingdom of God}.

James Murdock’s Syriac NT The former book have I written, O Theophilus concerning all the things which our Lord Jesus Messiah began to do and teach,

until the day when he was taken up, after he had instructed those legates whom he had chosen by the Holy Spirit.

To whom also he showed himself alive after he had suffered, by numerous signs, during forty days, while he was seen by them, and spoke of the kingdom of God.

Original Aramaic NT              I wrote the former book, Oh Theophila, about all those things that Our Lord Yeshua The Messiah * began to do and to teach *

Until the day in which he was taken up, after he had commanded the Apostles whom he had chosen by The Spirit of Holiness,

Those to whom also he showed himself alive, after he had suffered, by many signs for forty days when he was appearing to them, and he spoke about The Kingdom of God.

Significant differences: 

English Translations:          I have included translations which I disagree with and footnotes that I do not necessarily agree with. If I believe that the author is too far from the truth, I may even address that at the footnote. However, nearly all of the correct commentary will be found following the Greek text box and the translation of each phrase.

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             I have given an earlier account, O Theophilus, of all the things which Jesus did, and of his teaching from the first, 

Till the day when he was taken up to heaven after he had given his orders, through the Holy Spirit, to the Apostles of whom he had made selection: 

And to whom he gave clear and certain signs that he was living, after his death; for he was seen by them for forty days, and gave them teaching about the kingdom of God:...

Bible in Worldwide English     Theophilus, in the first book I wrote to you, I wrote about all the things Jesus began to do and to teach.

He did those things until the day he was taken up to heaven. Before he went up, he gave orders by the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.

In many ways he proved to them that he was living again after his terrible death. For forty days they often saw him. Then he told them things about Gods kingdom.

Easy English                          Jesus speaks to his apostles and he goes up to heaven

Jesus did many things when he was living on earth. He also taught people many things. I told you about all these things in the first book that I wrote for you, Theophilus. Those are the things that Jesus did before God took him up into heaven. Jesus had chosen some men to be his apostles. With the power of the Holy Spirit he told them what they must do. After Jesus died on the cross, he became alive again. During the 40 days after that, he showed himself many times to his apostles. He showed himself in different ways. Then they could be really sure that he was alive again. During this time, Jesus spoke to his apostles about the kingdom of God.

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  Dear Theophilus, The first book I wrote was about everything Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day he was carried up into heaven. Before he went, he talked to the apostles he had chosen. With the help of the Holy Spirit, he told them what they should do. This was after his death, but he showed them that he was alive, proving it to them in many ways. The apostles saw Jesus many times during the 40 days after he was raised from death. He spoke to them about God's kingdom.

God’s Word™                         In my first book, Theophilus, I wrote about what Jesus began to do and teach. This included everything from the beginning of his life until the day he was taken to heaven. Before he was taken to heaven, he gave instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles, whom he had chosen. After his death Jesus showed the apostles a lot of convincing evidence that he was alive. For 40 days he appeared to them and talked with them about the kingdom of God.

Good News Bible (TEV)         Dear Theophilus: In my first book I wrote about all the things that Jesus did and taught from the time he began his work until the day he was taken up to heaven. Before he was taken up, he gave instructions by the power of the Holy Spirit to the men he had chosen as his apostles. For forty days after his death he appeared to them many times in ways that proved beyond doubt that he was alive. They saw him, and he talked with them about the Kingdom of God.

J. B. Phillips                           Introduction

My Dear Theophilus, In my first book I gave you some account of all that Jesus began to do and teach until the time of his ascension. Before he ascended he gave his instructions, through the Holy Spirit, to the special messengers of his choice. For after his suffering he showed himself alive to them in many convincing ways, and appeared to them repeatedly over a period of forty days talking with them about the affairs of the kingdom of God.

The Message                         To the Ends of the World

Dear Theophilus, in the first volume of this book I wrote on everything that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he said good-bye to the apostles, the ones he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven. After his death, he presented himself alive to them in many different settings over a period of forty days. In face-to-face meetings, he talked to them about things concerning the kingdom of God.

NIRV                                      Jesus Is Taken Up Into Heaven

Theophilus, I wrote about Jesus in my earlier book. I wrote about all he did and taught until the day he was taken up to heaven. Before Jesus left, he gave orders to the apostles he had chosen. He did this through the Holy Spirit. After his suffering and death, he appeared to them. In many ways he proved that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of 40 days. During that time he spoke about God’s kingdom.

New Life Version                    Luke Writes to Theophilus

Dear Theophilus, in my first writings I wrote about all the things Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day He went to heaven. He spoke to the missionaries through the Holy Spirit. He told those whom He had chosen what they should do. After He had suffered much and then died, He showed Himself alive in many sure ways for forty days. He told them many things about the holy nation of God.

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible              ACTS 1

LAST WORDS OF JESUS

JESUS SAYS GOODBYE

In the first book[1] I wrote for you, Theophilus, I told you about Jesus. I wrote about what he did and what he taught. I covered his entire ministry, clear up to the day he gave his apostles[2] their last instructions, which he got through the Holy Spirit. After that, he was lifted up into the sky and out of sight. But first, he proved he came back from the dead. He did this in a lot of ways. He spent 40 days on earth after his resurrection, before he ascended into the sky. During that time, he taught the apostles about God’s kingdom.

¹1:1The Gospel of Luke. The identity of “Theophilus” remains a mystery. One guess: he was a Roman official—perhaps someone involved in the trial of Paul in Rome. Luke may have been making the case that neither Paul nor the Christian movement he was helping lead were a threat to the Roman Empire. Other guesses: Theophilus may have been a new Christian, or perhaps a patron who hired Luke to write the story of Jesus and the birth of the Christian church. The name in Greek means “one who loves God.” Some theorize Theophilus may be a fake name invented to represent all Christians.

²1:2It means “messengers.” It was a title that originally referred to the 12 disciples of Jesus. Later it became the title for top leaders in the early Christian movement—leaders who personally had seen the resurrected Jesus.

Contemporary English V.       Theophilus, I first wrote to you about all that Jesus did and taught from the very first until he was taken up to heaven. But before he was taken up, he gave orders to the apostles he had chosen with the help of the Holy Spirit. For forty days after Jesus had suffered and died, he proved in many ways that he had been raised from death. He appeared to his apostles and spoke to them about God's kingdom.

The Living Bible                     Dear friend who loves God:

In my first letter^[a] I told you about Jesus’ life and teachings and how he returned to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions from the Holy Spirit. During the forty days after his crucifixion he appeared to the apostles from time to time, actually alive, and proved to them in many ways that it was really he himself they were seeing. And on these occasions he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.

[a] In my first letter, i.e., the book of Luke; see footnote Luke 1:1-2.

Dear friend who loves God. From v. 3. Literally, “Most excellent Theophilus.” The name means “one who loves God.”

New Berkeley Version           .

New Living Translation           The Promise of the Holy Spirit

In my first book [The reference is to the Gospel of Luke.] I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit. During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.

The Passion Translation        To Theophilus, the lover of God. I write to you again, my dear friend, to give you further details about the life of our Lord Jesus and all the things that he did and taught.  Just before he ascended into heaven, he left instructions for the apostles he had chosen by the Holy Spirit.  After the sufferings of his cross, Jesus appeared alive many times to these same apostles over a forty-day period. Jesus proved to them with many convincing signs that he had been resurrected. During these encounters, he taught them the truths of God’s kingdom realm and shared meals with them. Jesus instructed them, “Don’t leave Jerusalem, but wait here until you receive the gift I told you about, the gift the Father has promised. V. 4 is included for context.

Plain English Version             I’m writing to you again, my friend Thiofilus. I wrote to you before, about all the things that Jesus did, and the things that he taught people. He kept on doing those things, and the Holy Spirit helped him tell his special workers the things they had to do. After that, God took Jesus up to heaven.

You see, before God took Jesus up to heaven, when he was on the earth, people killed him. Then he came alive again, and his followers saw him a lot of times in the next 40 days. Jesus showed them that he really was alive, so they are really sure that it is true. And he told them a lot of things about God’s family.

Radiant New Testament        Jesus Is Taken Up Into Heaven

In my first book, Theophilus, I wrote about everything Jesus did and taught up to the time when he was taken to heaven. Before he left, Jesus gave instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he’d chosen. He appeared to them over a period of 40 days after his suffering and death, and he proved in many ways that he was alive. During that time, he spoke about the kingdom of God.

UnfoldingWord Simplified T.  Dear Theophilus, In my first book that I wrote for you, I wrote about many of the things that Jesus did and taught until the day on which God took him up to heaven. Before he went to heaven, he told the apostles by the power of the Holy Spirit the things that he wanted them to know. After he had suffered and died on the cross, he became alive again. As he appeared often during the next forty days, the apostles saw him many times. He proved to them in many ways that he was alive again. He talked with them about how God would rule the lives of people in his kingdom.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          O TheoPhilus,This is the first account I’ve assembled about all the things that Jesus did and taught [that begins] from the day he gave his instructions to the Apostles (whom he chose by Holy Breath) after he’d been raised [from the dead], [that is,] those he showed himself to after his suffering, and to those whom he provided many proofs during the 40 days that they saw him, while he spoke to them about things regarding the Kingdom of God. See The ‘Seed’ — God’s Kingdom.

Beck’s American Translation .

Breakthrough Version            I certainly made the first message, O Theophilus, about all that Jesus began both to be doing and to be teaching until the day that He was taken up after He gave a demand to the missionaries whom He selected through the Sacred Spirit, to whom He also presented Himself alive (after the time for Him to suffer) with many proofs, being seen by them through forty days and telling the things about God's empire.

Common English Bible           The risen Jesus with his disciples

Theophilus, the first scroll I wrote concerned everything Jesus did and taught from the beginning, right up to the day when he was taken up into heaven. Before he was taken up, working in the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus instructed the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he showed them that he was alive with many convincing proofs. He appeared to them over a period of forty days, speaking to them about God’s kingdom.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       The first book which I wrote, Theophilus, was concerned with all that Jesus set out to do and teach,[1] until the day came when he was taken up into heaven. He then laid a charge, by the power of the Holy Spirit, on the apostles whom he had chosen. He had shewn them by many proofs that he was still alive, after his passion; throughout the course of forty days he had been appearing to them, and telling them about the kingdom of God;...

[1] St Luke says ‘the first’, not ‘the former’, which has made some commentators think that he intended to write three books altogether, but this inference is uncertain.

NT for Everyone                     Here Comes the Sequel!

Dear Theophilus,

The previous book which I wrote had to do with everything Jesus began to do and teach. I took the story as far as the day when he was taken up, once he had given instructions through the holy spirit to his chosen apostles.

He showed himself to them alive, after his suffering, by many proofs. He was seen by them for forty days, during which he spoke about God’s kingdom.

20^th Century New Testament The first account which I drew up, Theophilus, dealt with all that Jesus did and taught from the very first, Down to that day on which he was taken up to Heaven, after he had, by the help of the Holy Spirit, given instructions to the Apostles whom he had chosen. With abundant proofs, he showed himself to them, still living, after his death; appearing to them from time to time during forty days, and speaking of all that related to the Kingdom of God.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Conservapedia Translation    My former treatise to you, Theophilus, was concerning all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he ascended to heaven; after that, through the Divine Guide, he gave commandments to the apostles he had chosen. To them he showed himself alive after his tribulation with many infallible proofs, spending forty days with them and speaking of the Kingdom of God. Acts was written by Luke, and he refers here to the Gospel of Luke.

Ferrar-Fenton Bible                Introduction:

THE above narrative I compiled, Theophilus, concerning everything that Jesus began to do and teach, from the beginning until the day when, having equipped the apostles whom He had selected with Holy Spirit, He ascended: to whom He also presented Himself alive, with many proofs, after His suffering; appearing to them during forty days, and speaking regarding the welfare of the Kingdom of God.

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           In the former treatise (dear friend Theophilus) I have written of all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day in the which he was taken up, after that he, through the holy ghost, had given commandments unto the Apostles, which he had chosen: to whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many tokens, appearing unto them forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God, and gathered them together, and commanded them, that they should not depart from Jerusalem: but to wait for the promise of the father, whereof you have heard of me.

International Standard V        The Book of

Acts

Introduction

In my first book, Theophilus, I wrote about everything Jesus did and taught from the beginning, up to the day when he was taken up to heaven [The Gk. lacks to heaven] after giving orders by the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After he had suffered, he had shown himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during a period of 40 days and telling them about the kingdom of God.

Montgomery NT                     My first account, O Theophilus, dealt with all that Jesus began doing and teaching from the beginning down to the day when, after giving instructions through the Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen, he was taken up to heaven. After his sufferings he had also shown himself alive to them in many convincing manifestations, revealing himself to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God.

NIV, ©2011                             Jesus Taken Up Into Heaven

In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

Riverside New Testament      IN my first book, Theophilus, I told of all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning down to the day when, after giving commands, through the Holy Spirit, to the apostles whom he had chosen, he was taken up to heaven. By many proofs he revealed himself to these men as still alive after his sufferings; for he was seen by them for forty days and spoke of things relating to the kingdom of God.

Leicester A. Sawyer’s NT      I WROTE my first account, O Theophilus, of all things which Jesus did and taught, till the day that having given charge to the apostles whom he chose by the Holy Spirit he was taken up; to whom also he presented himself living after his suffering, by many proofs, being seen by them during forty days, and speaking things relating to the kingdom of God.

Urim-Thummim Version         The first account I have composed, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to produce and teach, until the day that he was taken up, after that he through the Sacred Spirit had given orders to the Apostles whom he had Elected. He also showed himself alive after undergoing his suffering by many certain evidences, being seen of them 40 days and teaching of the things concerning the Kingdom of Elohim:...

Weymouth New Testament    My former narrative, Theophilus, dealt with all that Jesus did and taught as a beginning, down to the day on which, after giving instruction through the Holy Spirit to the Apostles whom He had chosen, He was taken up to Heaven. He had also, after He suffered, shown Himself alive to them with many sure proofs, appearing to them at intervals during forty days, and speaking of the Kingdom of God.

Wikipedia Bible Project          In my first book, I wrote Theophlius, about all that Jesus began to do and to teach, Up to the day He was taken up to heaven, having given commandments through the Holy Spirit to the Apostles whom He had chosen. To which he presented himself as living after the passion, by many proofs, appearing to them for a period of forty days, speaking of the Kingdom of God.

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)     Jesus taken up to heaven

• In the first part of my work, Theo philus, I wrote of all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he ascended to heaven.

But first he had instructed through the Holy Spirit the apostles he had chosen. After his passion, he presented himself to them, giving many signs that he was alive; over a period of forty days he appeared to them and taught them concerning the kingdom of God.

Extensive footnote for the Christian Community Bible is in the Addendum.

The Heritage Bible                          Truly I made the first word, Oh Theophilus, about all things which Jesus began both to do and to teach, Luk 1:1-4

Until that day he was taken up, having commanded through the Holy Spirit the apostles whom he chose,

And beside whom he himself stood alive after his suffering in many infallible proofs, being gazed at by them through forty days, and speaking the things about the kingdom of God;...

New American Bible (2011)   I. The Preparation for the Christian Mission

Introduction

The Promise of the Spirit.

In the first book,^a Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.^b He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days* and speaking about the kingdom of God.^c

* [1:3] Appearing to them during forty days: Luke considered especially sacred the interval in which the appearances and instructions of the risen Jesus occurred and expressed it therefore in terms of the sacred number forty (cf. Dt 8:2). In his gospel, however, Luke connects the ascension of Jesus with the resurrection by describing the ascension on Easter Sunday evening (Lk 24:50–53). What should probably be understood as one event (resurrection, glorification, ascension, sending of the Spirit—the paschal mystery) has been historicized by Luke when he writes of a visible ascension of Jesus after forty days and the descent of the Spirit at Pentecost. For Luke, the ascension marks the end of the appearances of Jesus except for the extraordinary appearance to Paul. With regard to Luke’s understanding of salvation history, the ascension also marks the end of the time of Jesus (Lk 24:50–53) and signals the beginning of the time of the church.

a. [1:1] Lk 1:1–4.

b. [1:2] Mt 28:19–20; Lk 24:44–49; Jn 20:22; 1 Tm 3:16.

c. [1:3] 10:41; 13:31.

New Catholic Bible                 At Jerusalem^[a]

From Jesus to the Community of the Lord^[b]

Chapter 1

Prologue.^[c] 1 In my previous book, Theophilus,^[d] I wrote of everything that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day he was taken up, after first giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

The Promise of the Spirit.^[e] After his passion Jesus had presented himself alive to them by many proofs. He appeared to them during forty days and spoke to them about the kingdom of God.

[a] Acts 1:1 In the Gospel of Luke, the life of Jesus takes the form of an ascent to Jerusalem, where through him God will decisively intervene in the destiny of humanity. The Book of Acts allows us to be present at the spread of the Gospel from that center to the ends of the earth. The Holy City is very important as the starting point of evangelization.

The experience of the young Christian community becomes exemplary, as in stories of foundations. Thus in chs. 1–7 everything takes place in Jerusalem, while in chs. 8–12 the city serves as the starting point and point of return of the stories. The Church of Jerusalem, then, is the source of Christianity: it is the mother Church and the inspiration for every other Church and for the whole Church.

[b] Acts 1:1 The first two chapters of Acts serve a special purpose. In them we move from the risen Jesus to the community that is founded and established in the midst of the Jewish people—the community that is the starting point of the main routes along which the life of the Church develops. For readers of that period, the language used constantly recalls the great traditions of the Old Testament: the entire plan of God is recapitulated in these passages that in turn establish the perspective for what follows.

[c] Acts 1:1 One author conceived the third Gospel and the Book of Acts as a single whole; the combination is not the result of chance. The first work tells the story of the actions and teachings of Jesus, “beginning from [John’s] baptism” (see Acts 1:22; 10:37); the second shows us the life and activity of the risen Lord, which is likewise made visible in the deeds and acts of the various communities.

[d] Acts 1:1 Theophilus: perhaps a rich and distinguished person who has paid for the publication of the work. He is the same person as in Lk 1:3.

[e] Acts 1:3 This is the important theme that characterizes the period of the Lord’s appearances (the period lasts forty days, between Easter and Pentecost; the number 40, which recurs so often in the Bible, is a symbol of fullness). The story highlights what it means to experience the risen Lord.

It is the Spirit who links the past phase of the life of Jesus with its present phase. This Spirit, often promised by Jesus (Lk 11:13; 24:49), brings to fulfillment all the blessings that the Messiah was to bring (see Joel 4:9; Am 9:11). The day of national restoration is no longer something to be awaited; the decisive moment has already arrived, and the Spirit is beginning to unite the peoples.

Revised English Bible–1989   IN the first part of my work, Theophilus, I gave an account of all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. To these men he showed himself after his death and gave ample proof that he was alive: he was seen by them over a period of forty days and spoke to them about the kingdom of God.

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           Dear Theophilos:

In the first book, I wrote about everything Yeshua set out to do and teach, until the day when, after giving instructions through the Ruach HaKodesh to the emissaries whom he had chosen, he was taken up into heaven.

After his death he showed himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. During a period of forty days they saw him, and he spoke with them about the Kingdom of God.

Hebrew Names Version         The first book I wrote, Theophilus, concerned all that Yeshua began both to do and to teach, until the day in which he was received up, after he had given mitzvah through the Ruach HaKodesh to the apostles whom he had chosen. To these he also showed himself alive after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and spoke about God's kingdom.

Holy New Covenant Trans.    Acts of the Delegates of Jesus
Dear Theophilus, The first book which I wrote was about everything that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was carried up into heaven. He talked to the delegates whom he had chosen. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus told them what they must do. After his death he showed that he was alive. Jesus proved this by doing many convincing things. The delegates saw him several times during 40 days. Jesus was talking about the kingdom of God.

The Scriptures 2009              The first account I made, O Theophilos,^a of all that יהושע began both to do and to teach,

^aCompare Luke 1:1-3. It appears that Luqas was the author of both accounts. 

until the day when He was taken up, after giving instructions through the Set-apart Spirit to the emissaries whom He had chosen, 

to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them for forty days, speaking concerning the reign of Elohim.

Tree of Life Version                I wrote the first volume, Theophilus, about all that Yeshua began to do and teach— up to the day He was taken up, after He had given orders by the Ruach ha-Kodesh to the emissaries He had chosen. To them He showed Himself to be alive after His suffering through many convincing proofs, appearing to them for forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Accurate New Testament       ...the certainly first word [I] make about all Oh Theophilus which* begins The Jesus to make also and to teach until whom day Commanding the delegates through spirit pure whom* [He] chooses [He] is taken (up) [to] whom* and [He] stands himself living after the+ to suffer him in many proofs through days forty Seeing [to] them and Saying the [things] about the kingdom [of] the god...

Alpha & Omega Bible            (The Letter/Book of Acts)
(Written by Luke as a letter to Theophilus)
· THE FIRST NARRATIVE I WROTE, THEOPHILUS, ABOUT ALL THAT JESUS BEGAN TO DO AND TEACH,

UNTIL THE DAY WHEN HE WAS TAKEN UP [to Heaven], AFTER HE HAD BY THE HOLY GHOST GIVEN ORDERS TO THE APOSTLES WHOM HE HAD CHOSEN.

TO THESE HE ALSO PRESENTED HIMSELF ALIVE AFTER HIS SUFFERING, BY MANY CONVINCING PROOFS, APPEARING TO THEM OVER A PERIOD OF FORTY DAYS AND SPEAKING OF THE THINGS CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF THEOS (The Alpha & Omega).

Awful Scroll Bible                   Surely, the first account I myself make, O Theophilus, concerning all manner of things, which Jesus begins both to perform and to teach,

until the day in which, He is being received-up by the Awful Breath. He concluding-from-among the sent-out ones, whom He Himself calls-out,

to whom He also sets- Himself -among living, after He was to sadly suffer, from-within many proofs appearing to them throughout forty days, and instructing about the Rule of God.

Concordant Literal Version    The first account, indeed, I make, O Theophilus, concerning all which Jesus begins both to do and to teach,

until the day on which He was taken up; through holy spirit directing the apostles whom He chooses,

to whom also He presents Himself alive after His suffering, with many tokens, during forty days, being visualized to them and telling them that which concerns the kingdom of God."

exeGeses companion Bible   INTRODUCTION

Indeed, I do this first word, O Theo Philos,

concerning all Yah Shua began

both to do and doctrinate

until the day he was taken

- after he, through the Holy Spirit,

misvahed to the apostles whom he selected:

to whom also he presented himself alive

after his suffering by many proofs;

being seen by them through forty days,

and wording about those

of the sovereigndom of Elohim: ...

Orthodox Jewish Bible           GEVUROT MEYRUACH HAKODESH

In the sefer harishon I wrote about everything, O Theophilus, about Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua, both what he began to do and the shiurim he began to say,

Until HaYom, when he made aliyah ascent to Shomayim, having given Moshiach's mitzvot through the Ruach Hakodesh to the Shlichim whom he chose,

To whom also he presented himself chai (alive), after his Messianic yissurim (sufferings), by many convincing proofs, during arba'im yamim appearing to his Shlichim and speaking concerning the Malchut Hashem:...

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                Introduction

The first ^[a]account I made, Theophilus, was [a continuous report] about all the things that Jesus began to do and to ^[b]teach until the day when He ascended to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given instruction to the apostles (special messengers) whom He had chosen. To these [men] He also showed Himself alive after His suffering [in Gethsemane and on the cross], by [a series of] many infallible proofs and unquestionable demonstrations, appearing to them over a period of forty days and talking to them about the things concerning the kingdom of God.

[a] Luke is referring to his gospel.

[b] As the gospel tells us what Jesus began to do and teach, so Acts tells what He continued to do and teach by His Holy Spirit (F. F. Bruce).

An Understandable Version   [Dear] Theophilus, in my former letter [i.e., the Gospel of Luke] I wrote to you concerning what all Jesus did and taught since the beginning [of His ministry], up until the day He returned to heaven. [Just before that time] He had given [certain] instructions to His [specially] selected apostles through [the direction of] the Holy Spirit. Now, following His death on the cross [and His resurrection], Jesus appeared alive [to His apostles] for forty days, and demonstrated by many convincing proofs [that He had been raised bodily from the dead]. [During that time] He also spoke to them about the [coming] kingdom of God.

The Expanded Bible              Luke’s Second Volume

·To [^L O] Theophilus [^C a name meaning “Lover of God”; probably a specific individual, though possibly addressing all who love God].

The ·first [or former; previous] ·book [account; C a reference to the Gospel of Luke] I wrote was about everything Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up into heaven. Before this, ·with the help of [through] the Holy Spirit, Jesus ·told [instructed; commanded] the apostles he had chosen [Luke 6:13] what they should do. After his ·death [^L suffering], he showed himself to them and ·proved [provided undeniable evidence] in many ways that he was alive [Luke 24:13–49]. The apostles saw Jesus during the forty days after he was raised from the dead, and he spoke to them about the kingdom of God.

Jonathan Mitchell NT             Indeed, I made (did; composed) the first account (word; narrative; message; laid out and arranged collection of thoughts, ideas, expressions and statements; logos), O Theophilus (or: O friend and lover of God; or: O man loved of God), concerning everything (or: about all the things) which Jesus both began to continuously do (or: started to progressively make or construct) and to habitually and progressively teach,

until a (or: [the]) day in which He was taken (or: received) back up again, after – through a set-apart Breath-effect (or: [the] Holy Spirit) – imparting the goal withinthe folks sent off with a mission (giving the end in view to the emissaries; investing mature directives for the commissioned representatives), whom He selected (picked out and chose) for Himself,

to whom also – within many fixed marks of substantial and certain proof – He presented Himself (or: among whom He placed Himself alongside) still living (or: continuing alive) after the [situation causing] Him to suffer, from time to time repeatedly appearing to, and being seen by, them at intervals throughout [a period of] forty days, and continuously saying things concerning God's reign and sovereign activities (or: and progressively laying out thoughts about the kingdom and realm of God, as well as the ruling influence, which is God).

P. Kretzmann Commentary    Verses 1-5

The Ascension of Jesus.

The last commission of Jesus:

The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

until the day in which He was taken up, after that He through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom He had chosen;

to whom also He showed Himself alive after His Passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God;...

Syndein/Thieme                     Verse 2 indicates that Acts is the continuation of a previous book. The Gospel of Luke was written about the life of Jesus on earth up to the cross. The Book of Acts was Luke's'continuation. It discusses the life of the early church in the 'Pre-canon period'.

The book was written circa 61 AD about the same time the Apostle Paul was writing his Prison Epistles.

The former treatise have I made unto thee {the Gospel of Luke}, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus kept on doing and kept on teaching until the day in which He was taken up. After He had given commandments through the Holy Spirit, unto the Apostles whom He had chosen.

{Note: in the style of the more learned people of the time, a 'sponsor' funded Luke. It was the custom to honor the sponsor in the Prologue - in this case Theophilus. Theophlus was a 'knight of the Roman Empire' and therefore very wealthy. Also note that Christ chooses who will become an Apostle (and the Holy Spirit then bestows the spiritual gift).}

To whom also He showed Himself alive after His suffering {after the cross} by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

Translation for Translators     This book contains the account of the first Christians. We call this book

Acts 1

Acts 1:1-3

Luke referred to the Gospel he had written to Theophilus.

Dear Theophilus,

In my first book that I wrote for you, I wrote about many of the things that Jesus did and taught until the day on which he was taken {God took him} up to heaven. Before he went to heaven, saying what the Holy Spirit told him, he told the apostles whom he had chosen the things that he wanted them to know. After he had suffered and died on the cross, he became alive again. As he appeared to them often during the next 40 days, the apostles saw him many times. He proved to them in many ways that he was alive again. He talked with them about how God would rule [MET] the lives of people who accepted him as their king.

To a lover of God, Theophilus: In my first book, I recounted the events of Jesus’ life—His actions, His teachings— from the beginning of His life until He was taken up into heaven. After His great suffering and vindication, He showed His apostles that He was alive—appearing to them repeatedly over a period of 40 days, giving them many convincing proofs of His resurrection. As before, He spoke constantly of the kingdom of God. During these appearances, He had instructed His chosen messengers through the Holy Spirit, prohibiting them from leaving Jerusalem, but rather requiring them to wait there until they received what He called “the promise of the Father.” V. 4 is included for context.

Bible Translations with a Lot of Footnotes:

Lexham Bible                         The Preface

I produced the former account, O Theophilus, about all that [Literally “of what”] Jesus began to do and to teach, until the day he was taken up, after he [*Here “after ” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had given orders”) which is understood as temporal] had given orders through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen, to whom he also presented himself alive after he suffered, with many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking the things about the kingdom of God.

NET Bible®                             Jesus Ascends to Heaven

I wrote¹ the former² account,³ Theophilus,⁴ about all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven,⁵ after he had given orders⁶ by⁷ the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. To the same apostles⁸ also, after his suffering,⁹ he presented himself alive with many convincing proofs. He was seen by them over a forty-day period¹⁰ and spoke about matters concerning the kingdom of God.

^1tn Or “produced,” Grk “made.”

^2tn Or “first.” The translation “former” is preferred because “first” could imply to the modern English reader that the author means that his previous account was the first one to be written down. The Greek term πρ τος (prwtos) does not necessarily mean “first” in an absolute sense, but can refer to the first in a set or series. That is what is intended here – the first account (known as the Gospel of Luke) as compared to the second one (known as Acts).

^3tn The Greek word λόγος (logos) is sometimes translated “book” (NRSV, NIV) or “treatise” (KJV). A formal, systematic treatment of a subject is implied, but the word “book” may be too specific and slightly misleading to the modern reader, so “account” has been used.

^sn The former account refers to the Gospel of Luke, which was “volume one” of the two-volume work Luke-Acts.

^4tn Grk “O Theophilus,” but the usage of the vocative in Acts with (w) is unemphatic, following more the classical idiom (see ExSyn 69).

^5tn The words “to heaven” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied from v. 11. Several modern translations (NIV, NRSV) supply the words “to heaven” after “taken up” to specify the destination explicitly mentioned later in 1:11.

^6tn Or “commands.” Although some modern translations render ἐντειλάμενος (enteilameno") as “instructions” (NIV, NRSV), the word implies authority or official sanction (G. Schrenk, TDNT 2:545), so that a word like “orders” conveys the idea more effectively. The action of the temporal participle is antecedent (prior) to the action of the verb it modifies (“taken up”).

^7tn Or “through.”

^8tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the apostles) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

^9sn After his suffering is a reference to Jesus’ crucifixion and the abuse which preceded it.

^10tn Grk “during forty days.” The phrase “over a forty-day period” is used rather than “during forty days” because (as the other NT accounts of Jesus’ appearances make clear) Jesus was not continually visible to the apostles during the forty days, but appeared to them on various occasions.

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. § 1. The Prologue: Jesus appears unto his Disciples, gives them charge, and ascends.

Chapter 1.

||The firstʹ^a narrative|| indeedˎ made Iˎ concerning all things, O Theophilus, which Jesus |began| both to do and teach,—until the day when <having given command unto the apostlesˎ whom |through Holy Spirit| he had chosen> he was taken up; unto whom he also presented himself aliveˎ^b after he had sufferedˎ by many sure tokens, |throughout forty days| making himself visible unto themˎ and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God.^c

^a Lu. i. 1.

^b Mt. xxviii. 17; Mk. xvi. 12, 14; Lu. xxiv. 31, 36; Jn. xx. 19, 26; xxi. 4.

^c Ver. 6; chap. viii. 12; xiv. 22; xix. 8; xx. 25; xxviii. 23, 31. Atascocita Pinehurst: “Kingdom.”

The Spoken English NT         ACTS OF THE APOSTLES^a.
Introduction
Dear Theophilus:^b        
I wrote my first book about all the things that Jesus did and taught, up to the day when he was taken up. On that day, through the Holy Spirit, he gave instructions to the apostles that he had chosen. He had also presented himself to them after his suffering, and had given them lots of convincing proofs^c that he was alive. Over a period of forty days, he’d appeared to them and told them things about the kingdom of God.

^a.This book does not have a title in the original—one could easily name it “The Good News According to Luke’s Account, Vol. 2: The Birth of the Christian Community and the Missionary Journeys of Paul” (see Acts 1:1). Acts appears to be passed down through the centuries in two editions, the one apparently a slightly longer re-write of the other. Although it is not impossible that Luke himself is the one who did the re-write, I have followed the briefer, and probably earlier, of the two editions.

^b.Theophilus (prn. thiyy-off-a-las) appears to be a Roman noble or official who is a Christian. See also Luke 1:1-4. Theophilus may be a name the person took at baptism, because it means “lover of God.”

^c.Lit. “…his suffering, with many decisive proofs.”

Wilbur Pickering’s New T.     Opening considerations
A link to Luke
The first account I prepared, Theophilus [God-lover],¹ concerned all that Jesus began to do and to teach² until the day in which He was taken back,³ after He had given commandment, by Holy Spirit,⁴ to the apostles whom He had chosen; to whom He also showed Himself alive, after His suffering, by many convincing evidences, appearing to them during forty days and speaking of things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.⁵

(1) Since in addressing Luke to Theophilus the author added the honorific ‘honorable’ or ‘excellent’, this was presumably a specific man, but I would like to think that the two books are also addressed to all lovers of God.

(2) Why “began”? Presumably because this book will relate what He continued to do and teach, through the Apostles. He is still at work in our world, through us.

(3) Jehovah the Son was given (John 3:16) to this earth for thirty some years, then He was taken back.

(4) There is no definite article with “Holy Spirit”, and I hesitate to add it. Perhaps we should try thinking of ‘Holy Spirit’ as a proper name.

(5) I get the impression that the Lord did a lot more appearing and teaching during those 40 days than has been recorded.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Analytical-Literal Translation  The first account indeed I made concerning all [things], O Theophilus, which Jesus began both to be doing and to be teaching, [see Luke 1:1-3] until the day [in] which He was taken up [into heaven], having commanded by [the] Holy Spirit the apostles whom He chose, to whom also He presented Himself living after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking the [things] concerning the kingdom of God.

Berean Literal Bible                In the first account I composed, O Theophilus, concerning all the things that Jesus began both to do and to teach, until the day He was taken up, having given orders by the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering with many proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God.

Benjamin Brodie’s trans.       As you know, I prepared a prior narrative [Gospel of Luke], O Theophilus, emphasizing the things which Jesus began [setting a precedent] - to both perform [active signs and miracles] and teach [doctrine] –

Until the day in which He was taken up [assumption], after issuing orders through the Holy Spirit to the apostles [disciples are students, apostles are teachers] whom He Himself had chosen,

To whom [His apostles] He also presented Himself alive and well by many convincing proofs [investiture] after His suffering [enduring the crucifixion], being seen by them forty days, even as He continued to communicate things concerning the kingdom of God [earthly, Messianic, Israeli].

Charles Thomson NT             Composed, O Theophilus, the former treatise concerning all that Jesus took occasion both to do and teach till the day when he was taken up, after giving a charge by the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen, and to whom he had, after his suffering, shewn himself to be alive, by many proofs, during forty days appearing to them, and speaking of what concerned the kingdom of God.

Context Group Version          The former treatise I made, O Theophilus, concerning all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, until the day in which he was received up, after that he had given commandment through the Special Spirit to the emissaries whom he had chosen: To whom he also showed himself alive after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them by the space of forty days, and speaking the things concerning God's kingdom.

Far Above All Translation       I compiled the first account, Theophilus, of everything that Jesus both did and taught from when he began up to the day when through holy spirit he instructed the apostles whom he had chosen, and was taken up, the apostles to whom he also presented himself alive, after his suffering, with many sure signs, when he was seen by them for forty days, and spoke about matters concerning the kingdom of God.

Green’s Literal Translation    Indeed, O Theophilus, I made the first report concerning all things which Jesus began both to do and to teach, until the day He was taken up, having given directions to the apostles whom He elected, through the Holy Spirit, to whom also He presented Himself living after His suffering, by many infallible proofs, being seen by them through forty days, and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God.

Modern Literal Version 2020  {Events from 30-63 AD are recorded including all the examples of Christian conversions. Tiberius Caesar, Emperor, 14-37 AD. Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea. Herod Antipas, governor of Galilee.}

O Theophilus, I indeed made* the first account concerning all things which Jesus began both to do* and to teach, till the day of which he was received up, having commanded through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he chose.
{Luk 24:44-49 & Acts 1:3-8 & 1Co 15:7 Jerusalem.}

The apostles to whom, he also presented himself as living in many definite-proofs after he suffered on the cross, being seen by them throughout forty days and saying the things concerning the kingdom of God.

New American Standard B.    Introduction

The first account I composed [Lit made], Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had given orders by [Or through] the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen. To these [Lit whom] He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of things regarding the kingdom of God.

Niobi Study Bible                   Prologue; Jesus Ascends to Heaven
In the former(n) treatise, O Theophilus(n), I have given an account of(n) all that Jesus began both to do and teach

until the day(n) in which He was taken up, after He had given(n) commandments through(n) the Holy Spirit unto the apostles(n), whom He had chosen.

To these also He showed(n) Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen by them forty(n) days, and speaking(n) of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. [I do not recall seeing all of these footnotes in Luke; and I cannot find the corresponding reference which contains them.]

A Voice in the Wilderness      The former account I made, O Theophilus, of everything that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

Updated Bible Version 2.17   The UPDV does not believe Acts to be a part of the canon of Scripture, so they do not translate it.

The gist of this passage:     Luke writes a second treatise to Theophilus. The first was about the Christ, Who had shown Himself to be alive again after the crucifixion.

1-3

Translation: O Theophilos, I indeed made the first treatise concerning Jesus, [Who] began to do [great works] and also to teach,...

The first book written by Luke to Theophilos is the book of Luke. It described the public ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. He did great works and He taught.

The NEV commentary: Former account- The Gospel of Luke. This was the record of what Jesus “began” to do. Jesus didn’t stop His activity when He ascended to Heaven- the book of Acts is the account of how He continues to work with His people on earth, and that work continues to this day.

As you may recall from the book of Luke, Theophilos means lover of God, friend of God.

Acts 1:1 O Theophilos, I indeed made the first treatise concerning Jesus, [Who] began to do [great works] and also to teach,... (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Throughout most of the Old Testament, the writers of Scripture placed themselves in the third person. The four books of Moses (Exodus–Deuteronomy) always speak of him in the 3^rd person, except as he addresses the people directly when teaching them in Deuteronomy (most of Deuteronomy is Moses teaching the people of Israel, the second generation).

In the first verses of Luke and Acts, Luke speaks of himself in the 1^st person. Furthermore, when Luke becomes a part of the missionary crew in Acts, he will use the pronouns we/us to identify themselves. That is how we know that Luke is a part of Paul’s missionary team during these portions of Acts.

That Luke is the author of these two books is first testified to by Irenaeus (c. 130 – c. 202 AD). This does not means that he is the first believer to speak of Luke as the author; it means that he is the earliest person for whom we have writings which testify to this. We certainly do not have all the writings of all the early church fathers.

More exploration of this topic takes place in the Introduction to the book of Acts (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).

Translation: ...He commanded [His] Apostles by means of the Holy Spirit; [men] whom He had chosen, until the day He was taken up [by God His Father].

Perhaps I am giving too strong a meaning to the first verb. Maybe the idea is, Jesus directed or guided His Apostles.

Jesus functioned in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Apostles are those whom He chose.

Luke is writing the book of Luke and then the book of Acts long after these things occurred. Therefore, he can speak of Jesus being taken up as a singular event from the past. However, Jesus ascending to God will actually be part of the narrative of this first chapter of Acts.

It is very likely that the ascension is not found in the final chapter of Luke.

Acts 1:2 ...He commanded [His] Apostles by means of the Holy Spirit; [men] whom He had chosen, until the day He was taken up [by God His Father]. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Jesus gave directives to His Apostles prior to being taken up (prior to His ascent into heaven). This indicates, interestingly enough, that the man Jesus, the God-man Jesus, still, in His resurrection body, was indwelt by God the Holy Spirit (in the book of Acts, we are clearly focusing upon the Lord’s post-crucifixion ministry).

Translation: To which [Apostles] He presented Himself alive, even after His crucifixion [and death] [lit., His suffering], by many proofs throughout [a period of] forty days.

Jesus also presented Himself to His disciples as a living human being, resurrected from the dead. He spends 40 days on earth, providing them with much evidence of His reality. It is because of this being made clear to them that the disciples have the strength to spread the gospel far and wide.

Interestingly enough, we only are aware of a handful of these incidents. A gospel could have been written simply for this 40 days.

Translation: [Jesus] appeared to them and spoke [with them] about the kingdom of God.

Jesus appeared to His disciples and He spoke to them about the Kingdom of God.

This is actually a fascinating mention here. In the book of Luke, the Kingdom of God is mentioned 32 times. This is only found twice in the gospel of John and 7 times in the book of Acts.

What the disciples seemed to expect—although this is never presented as an actual prophecy—that Jesus would return and establish His kingdom on earth during their lifetimes. John, perhaps around age 80 or so, realized that was not going to take place during his lifetime (all of the other disciples would have been dead by this time). Yet he still believed in Jesus, still knew what he saw when Jesus appeared, so his gospel references the kingdom a lot less.

In Acts, no doubt many of the disciples expected Jesus to return during their lives. The actual Kingdom of God remains a real thing, something which we may expect in the future, but certainly not something which can be predicted, giving it a time and place.

Once the rapture takes place, then the Kingdom of God is but a shortened seven years away. There are no specific prophecies to be fulfilled prior to the rapture.

Acts 1:3 To which [Apostles] He presented Himself alive, even after His crucifixion [and death] [lit., His suffering], by many proofs throughout [a period of] forty days. [Jesus] appeared to them and spoke [with them] about the kingdom of God. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

We are talking about a specific time when Jesus appeared to many of His disciples near the end of His life on earth in a resurrection body.

Acts 1:1–3 O Theophilos, I indeed made the first treatise concerning Jesus, [Who] began to do [great works] and also to teach, He commanded [His] Apostles by means of the Holy Spirit; [men] whom He had chosen, until the day He was taken up [by God His Father]. To which [Apostles] He presented Himself alive, even after His crucifixion [and death] [lit., His suffering], by many proofs throughout [a period of] forty days. [Jesus] appeared to them and spoke [with them] about the kingdom of God. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Acts 1:1–3 Dear Theophilos—I previously prepared a treatise about the life of Jesus, Who began a great ministry of good works and excellent teaching. He chose His disciples and carefully taught them throughout His ministry here on earth. However, even after He had died on the Roman cross and was laid to rest in a tomb, He rose up and presented Himself as very much alive to His doubting Apostles. Over a period of 40 days, Jesus made it clear that He had been resurrected to life. In fact, He spoke with them during this period of time about the kingdom of God, until which time He was taken up. (Kukis paraphrase)

——————————

Jesus Promises to Sent the Holy Spirit to the Apostles

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Westcott-Hort Text (Greek)    And being assembled together, He commanded them, “From Jerusalem, to not depart; but to wait for the pledge from the Father, which [pledge] you [all] heard from Me, that John truly baptized with water, but you [all] in a Spirit will be baptize in a holy [way], not after many of these days.”

Complete Apostles Bible        And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to withdraw from Jerusalem, but to await for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me;

for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) And eating together with them, he commanded them, that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but should wait for the promise of the Father, which you have heard (saith he) by my mouth.

For John indeed baptized with water: but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence.

Holy Aramaic Scriptures        And after He had eaten lakhma {bread} with them, He instructed them that from Urishlem {Jerusalem} they shouldn't depart, but rather, that they should remain for The Shudayeh d'Aba {The Promise of The Father}, “That which you have heard from Me,

that, Yukhanan {John} had Immersed {Baptized} in water, and you will be Immersed {Baptized} in The Rukha d’Qudsha {The Spirit of Holiness}, after not many days.”

James Murdock’s Syriac NT And when he had eaten bread with them, he instructed them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which (said he) ye have heard from me.

For John baptized with water; but ye will be baptized with the Holy Spirit after not many days.

Original Aramaic NT              And as he ate bread with them, he commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for The Promise of The Father, "Which", he said, "you have heard from me."*

"For Yohannan baptized in water, and you shall be baptized in The Spirit of Holiness, after not many days".

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             And when they were all together, with him, he gave them orders not to go away from Jerusalem, but to keep there, waiting till the word of the Father was put into effect, of which, he said, I have given you knowledge: 

For the baptism of John was with water, but you will have baptism with the Holy Spirit, after a little time.

Bible in Worldwide English     One day when he was eating with them, he told them not to leave Jerusalem. He said, Wait here for what the Father promised you. I have told you about that promise already.

John baptised with water. But you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit when a few days have passed.

Easy English                          One time, when Jesus and his apostles were together, he said to them, ‘Do not leave Jerusalem yet. You must wait there until you receive my Father's gift. My Father promised to give it to you. I have already told you about it. John baptized people with water, but after a few days God will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  One time when Jesus was eating with them, he told them not to leave Jerusalem. He said, "Wait here until you receive what the Father promised to send. Remember, I told you about it before. John baptized people with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

God’s Word™                         Once, while he was meeting with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait there for what the Father had promised. Jesus said to them, "I've told you what the Father promises: John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

Good News Bible (TEV)         And when they came together, he gave them this order: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift I told you about, the gift my Father promised. John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

J. B. Phillips                           Jesus’ parting words before his ascension

On one occasion, while he was eating a meal with them, he emphasised that they were not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise.

“You have already heard me speak about this,” he said, “for John used to baptise with water, but before many days are passed you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.”

The Message                         As they met and ate meals together, he told them that they were on no account to leave Jerusalem but “must wait for what the Father promised: the promise you heard from me. John baptized in water; you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit. And soon.”

New Life Version                    Jesus Speaks Before He Goes to Be with the Father

As they were gathered together with Him, He told them, “Do not leave Jerusalem. Wait for what the Father has promised. You heard Me speak of this. For John the Baptist baptized with water but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible              Once, when he met with them,[3] he said, “Don’t leave Jerusalem until the Father delivers on the promise I made to you earlier.[4] John baptized people with water. But in a few days you’re going to get baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

³1:4The description could also mean when he ate with them.

⁴1:4The gift of the Holy Spirit who would guide them as well as remind them of what Jesus had taught them (John 14:26).

Contemporary English V.       While he was still with them, he said: Don't leave Jerusalem yet. Wait here for the Father to give you the Holy Spirit, just as I told you he has promised to do. John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

The Living Bible                     In one of these meetings he told them not to leave Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came upon them in fulfillment of the Father’s promise, a matter he had previously discussed with them.

“John baptized you with water,” [or “in water.” with the Holy Spirit, or “in the Holy Spirit.”] he reminded them, “but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit in just a few days.”

New Berkeley Version           .

New Living Translation           Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with [Or in; also in 1:5b.] water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

The Passion Translation        After the sufferings of his cross, Jesus appeared alive many times to these same apostles over a forty-day period. Jesus proved to them with many convincing signs that he had been resurrected. During these encounters, he taught them the truths of God’s kingdom realm and shared meals with them. Jesus instructed them, “Don’t leave Jerusalem, but wait here until you receive the gift I told you about, the gift the Father has promised.  For John baptized you in water, but in a few days from now you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit!” V. 3 is included for context.

Plain English Version             One day, Jesus was eating some food with his followers in Jerusalem city, and he said to them, “Don’t leave Jerusalem yet. I already told you that my father promised to give you the Holy Spirit. Well, wait here until God does that. Remember John the Baptiser. He baptised people with water. That means, he took them through a special washing ceremony. But in a few days time, God will baptise you with the Holy Spirit. That means, he will put his spirit in you.”

UnfoldingWord Simplified T.  One time while he was with them, he told them, "Do not leave Jerusalem. Instead, wait here until my Father sends his Spirit to you, as he promised to do. You have heard me speak to you about that. John baptized people in water, but after a few days God will baptize you in the Holy Spirit."

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Well, after they’d all assembled together [with him], he gave them this order:

‘Don’t leave JeruSalem. Stay there and wait for the promise that the Father spoke of, and about which you [also] heard from me.

‘Indeed, John immersed you with water, but in just a few days you‘ll be immersed in Holy Breath!’

Beck’s American Translation .

Breakthrough Version            And gathering them together, He passed the order on to them out of Greater Jerusalem, "You are not to be separating, but to be staying around for the Father's promise that you heard from Me, because John certainly submerged in water, but you will be submerged in the Sacred Spirit not many days after these."

New Advent (Knox) Bible       He had shewn them by many proofs that he was still alive, after his passion; throughout the course of forty days he had been appearing to them, and telling them about the kingdom of God; and now he gave them orders, as he shared a meal with them, not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the fulfilment of the Father’s promise. You have heard it, he said, from my own lips; John’s baptism, I told you, was with water, but there is a baptism with the Holy Spirit which you are to receive, not many days from this. V. 3 is included for context.

NT for Everyone                     As they were having a meal together, he told them not to go away from Jerusalem, but to wait, as he put it, ‘for the father’s promise, which I was telling you about earlier. John baptized with water, you see; but in a few days from now you will be baptized with the holy spirit.’

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Conservapedia Translation    When they were together, he commanded them that they should not leave Jerusalem until the promise of the Father, which he had spoken of, had been fulfilled, For John baptized with water, but they should be baptized with the Divine Guide in a few days.

Revised Ferrar-Fenton Bible  And, being in their company, He enjoined them "not to remove from Jerusalem; but await the promise of the Father, concerning which you heard from Me. Because John indeed baptized with water; but you shall be baptized with Holy Spirit not many days from now."

Free Bible Version                 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. It’s true that John baptized with water, but in just a few days’ time you will be baptized by the Holy Spirit.”

International Standard V        The Promise of the Holy Spirit

While he was meeting with them, he ordered them, “Don’t leave Jerusalem. Instead, wait for what the Father has promised, about which you heard me speak. For John baptized with [Or in] water, but you will be baptized with [Or in] the Holy Spirit a few days from now.”

Urim-Thummim Version         And being assembled together with them, ordered them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father (YHWH) that you have heard me speak about. For John certainly baptized with water; but you will be baptized with the Sacred Spirit not many days from now.

Weymouth New Testament    And while in their company He charged them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father's promised gift. "This you have heard of," He said, "from me. For John indeed baptized with water, but before many days have passed you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  Once when he had been eating with them, he told them, “Do not leave Jerusalem but wait for the fulfillment of the Father’s promise about which I have spoken to you: John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit within a few days.”

Lk 24:49

11:16; 2:33

The Heritage Bible                          And being assembled together with them, he ordered them not to be separated from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which you have heard of me,

Because John indeed baptized with water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit absolutely not many days after.

New American Bible (2011)   While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for “the promise of the Father* about which you have heard me speak;^d for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the holy Spirit.”^e

* [1:4] The promise of the Father: the holy Spirit, as is clear from the next verse. This gift of the Spirit was first promised in Jesus’ final instructions to his chosen witnesses in Luke’s gospel (Lk 24:49) and formed part of the continuing instructions of the risen Jesus on the kingdom of God, of which Luke speaks in Acts 1:3.

d. [1:4] Jn 14:16, 17, 26.

e. [1:5] 11:16; Mt 3:11; Mk 1:8; Lk 3:16; Jn 1:26; Eph 1:13.

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           At one of these gatherings, he instructed them not to leave Yerushalayim but to wait for “what the Father promised, which you heard about from me. For Yochanan used to immerse people in water; but in a few days, you will be immersed in the Ruach HaKodesh!”

Hebraic Roots Bible               And while He ate bread with them, He charged them not to leave Jerusalem, but to await the promise of the Father, Which you heard of Me; for John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days after.

Holy New Covenant Trans.    Once, when he was together with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem. He said, "Wait here for the Father’s promise that you heard me talk about. John immersed people in water but in a few days you will be immersed in the Holy Spirit."

The Scriptures 2009              And meeting with them, He commanded them not to leave Yerushalayim, but to wait for the Promise of the Father,^b “which you have heard from Me –

^b Luke 24:49, John 14:16 and John 14:26. 

because Yoִhanan truly immersed in water, but you shall be immersed in the Set-apart Spirit not many days from now.”

Tree of Life Version                Now while staying with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father promised—which, He said, “you heard from Me. For John immersed with water, but you will be immersed in the Ruach ha-Kodesh not many days from now.”

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Accurate New Testament       ...and Gathering {them} [He] orders them from jerusalem* not to be separated but to await the promise [of] the father whom [You*] hear [from] me for John certainly washes [in] water You* but in spirit will be washed pure not after many these days.

Awful Scroll Bible                   And thronging-together with them, announces-among them not to be departing from Jerusalem, however, to abide-around for the heralding-beforehand of the Father, which you hear from me,

since John surely baptizes in water, but yous will be baptized by-within the Awful Breath, after not many of these days.

Concordant Literal Version    And, being foregathered, He charges them not to be departing from Jerusalem, but to be remaining about for the promise of the Father, "which you hear of Me,

seeing that John, indeed, baptizes in water, yet you shall be baptized in holy spirit after not many of these days."

exeGeses companion Bible   ...and being thronged together with them,

evangelized them to not separate from Yeru Shalem,

but to await the pre-evangelism of the Father,

which, says he, you heard of me.

For Yahn indeed baptized in water;

but you, baptized in Holy Spirit

not many days after this.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And, while gathering them at a yechidus, Moshiach gave instructions to them not to depart from Yerushalayim, but to wait for the havtachah (promise) of [Elohim] HaAv which he said, "You heard of from Me. [TEHILLIM 27:14]

"For Yochanan gave a tevilah of teshuva with a mikveh mayim, but you will receive a tevilah in the Ruach Hakodesh not many yamim from now." [YOEL 3:1;(2:28)]

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                While being together 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. For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized and empowered and united with the Holy Spirit, not long from now.”

An Understandable Version   [One day, as He was] gathered with these apostles, He urged them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there until they received what the Father had promised them. (Jesus had previously discussed this with them). [See Luke 24:49]. [Jesus then said,] “For John immersed you [men] in water but [this time] you will be immersed in the Holy Spirit, and [it will happen] in just a few more days.” [See Matt. 3:11].

The Expanded Bible              Once when he was ·eating [or staying; meeting] with them, he ·told [commanded] them not to leave Jerusalem. He said, “Wait here to receive the promise from the Father [^C the gift of the Holy Spirit] which I told you about [Luke 24:49]. John baptized people ·with [or in] water [Luke 3:1–20], but in a few days you will be baptized ·with [by; or in] the Holy Spirit.”

Jonathan Mitchell NT             And so, being repeatedly collected together to the assembled crowd, and periodically eating with them, He at one point passed along the message to them to not be presently separated (or: caused to depart) from Jerusalem, but rather, to continue remaining with regard to, and waiting around for, the Father's promise (or: the promise, the source of which is the Father; or, as a genitive of apposition: the promise which is the Father), "Which you people heard Him repeatedly saying through My mouth [reading with D*; other MSS: "Which you folks heard from Me],

"because John, indeed, immersed (or: baptized) in water, but you yourselves will proceed being immersed within the midst of [the] Holy Spirit (or: dipped into the midst of to the point of being saturated in a set-apart Breath-effect; baptized in a holy attitude; immersed in a union with a sacred wind; [D* adds: which, also, you are presently about to continuously receive]), after not many [of] these days [D* adds: – until Pentecost]."

P. Kretzmann Commentary    And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of Me.

For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

Kretzmann’s commentary for Acts 1:1–5 has been placed in the Addendum.

Syndein/Thieme                     And, being assembled together with them, He taught and commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, you have heard from Me.

"For John truly baptized with water, but you all shall be baptized by means of the Holy Spirit not many days hence."

{Note: Baptizo means to 'be identified with'. The baptism that is identified with salvation is a dry baptism - the baptism of God the Holy Spirit.}

Translation for Translators              Jesus commanded his apostles to wait for the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:4-5

One time while he was with them, he told them, “Do not leave Jerusalem yet. Instead, wait here until my Father sends his Spirit [MTY] to you, as he promised to do. You have heard me speak to you about that. John baptized people in water because they said that they wanted to change their lives, but after a few days [LIT] God will put the Holy Spirit within you(pl) to truly change your lives.”

The Voice                               As before, He spoke constantly of the kingdom of God. During these appearances, He had instructed His chosen messengers through the Holy Spirit, prohibiting them from leaving Jerusalem, but rather requiring them to wait there until they received what He called “the promise of the Father.”

Jesus: This is what you heard Me teach— that just as John ritually cleansed people with water through baptism, [Literally, immersed, to show repentance] so you will be washed with the Holy Spirit very soon. A portion of v. 3 is included for context.

Bible Translations with Many Footnotes:

Lexham Bible                         And while he [*Here “while ” is supplied as a component of the participle (“was with”) which is understood as temporal] was with [Or “was assembling with,” or “was sharing a meal with”] them, [*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation] he commanded them, “Do not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for what was promised by the Father, which you heard about from me. For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” [Literally “not many days after these”]

NET Bible®                             While he was with them,¹¹ he declared,¹² “Do not leave Jerusalem,¹³ but wait there¹⁴ for what my¹⁵ Father promised,¹⁶ which you heard about from me.¹⁷ For¹⁸ John baptized with water, but you¹⁹ will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

^11tn Or “While he was assembling with them,” or “while he was sharing a meal with them.” There are three basic options for translating the verb συναλίζω (sunalizw): (1) “Eat (salt) with, share a meal with”; (2) “bring together, assemble”; (3) “spend the night with, stay with” (see BDAG 964 s.v.). The difficulty with the first option is that it does not fit the context, and this meaning is not found elsewhere. The second option is difficult because of the singular number and the present tense. The third option is based on a spelling variation of συναυλιζόμενος (sunaulizomeno"), which some minuscules actually read here. The difference in meaning between (2) and (3) is not great, but (3) seems to fit the context somewhat better here.

^12tn Grk “ordered them”; the command “Do not leave” is not in Greek but is an indirect quotation in the original (see note at end of the verse for explanation).

^13map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

^14tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text (direct objects in Greek were frequently omitted when clear from the context).

^15tn Grk “the,” with the article used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

^16tn Grk “for the promise of the Father.” Jesus is referring to the promised gift of the Holy Spirit (see the following verse).

^17tn Grk “While he was with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for ‘what my Father promised, which you heard about from me.’” This verse moves from indirect to direct discourse. This abrupt change is very awkward, so the entire quotation has been rendered as direct discourse in the translation.

^18tn In the Greek text v. 5 is a continuation of the previous sentence, which is long and complicated. In keeping with the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

^19tn The pronoun is plural in Greek.

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. And |being in company with them| he charged themˎ |from Jerusalem|^d not to absent themselves, but—

To abide around the promise of the Father which ye have heard of me,

Because ||John|| indeedˎ immersed with water;

But ||ye|| |in Holy Spirit| shall be immersed,—^e

After notʹ manyʹ of these days.

^d Lu. xxiv. 49.

^e Mt. iii. 11 f; Jn. i. 33; chap. xi. 16; 1 Co. xii. 13.

The Spoken English NT         And he got them together and instructed them^d not to leave Jerusalem. “No,” he told them, “wait for the Father’s promise, which you’ve heard about from me. Because John baptized in water, but you’re going to be baptized in the Holy Spirit just a few days^e from now.”

^d.Or “And as he was eating with them, he instructed them.”

^e.Lit. “after these not many days.”

Wilbur Pickering’s New T.     And being together He directed them not to go away from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father,⁶ “which you heard from me; John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with Holy Spirit not many days from now”.⁷

(6) Luke is repeating what he wrote in Luke 24:49, which in turn refers to John 14:16; John 14:26 (from John 14:31 it appears that what Jesus did started with the Father).

(7) The grammar requires that the material within quotation marks be handled as a direct quote, even though it’s a bit awkward, in English.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Analytical-Literal Translation  And being assembled together, He gave strict orders to them not to be departing from Jerusalem, but to be waiting for the promise of the Father, "Which," [He said,] "You heard from Me; [Luke 24:49] because John indeed baptized [or, immersed, and throughout book] in [or, with] water, but youp will be baptized in [or, with] [the] Holy Spirit after not many [of] these days [fig., in a few days]." [Matt 3:11]