God Is King over All the Earth

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

1 ^aIn the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was ^btaken up, after he had given ^ccommands through the Holy Spirit to the ^dapostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many ^eproofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

4 And while staying¹ with them he ordered them ^fnot to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the ^gpromise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized ^hwith water, but ⁱyou will be baptized with² the ^jHoly Spirit not many days from now.”

The Ascension

6 ^kSo when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this ^ltime restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive ^mpower when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my ⁿwitnesses in ^oJerusalem and in all ^pJudea and ^qSamaria, and to the ^rend of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was ^slifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in ^twhite robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was ^utaken up from you into heaven, will come ^vin the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Thanksgiving and Prayer

15 For this reason, because ^aI have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love¹ toward all the saints, 16 ^bI do ^cnot cease to give thanks for you, ^dremembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you ^ethe Spirit of wisdom and of ^frevelation in the ^gknowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts ^henlightened, that you may know what is ⁱthe hope to which ^jhe has called you, what are the ^kriches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, ^laccording to the working of his great ^mmight 20 that he worked in Christ when ⁿhe raised him from the dead and ^oseated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 ^pfar ^qabove all rule and authority and power and dominion, and ^rabove every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he ^sput ^tall things under his feet and gave him as ^uhead over all things to the church, 23 which is his ^vbody, the ^wfullness of him who ^xfills all in all.

44 Then he said to them, ^p“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of ^qMoses and the ^rProphets and the ^sPsalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he ^topened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is ^uwritten, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for¹ the forgiveness of sins should be ^vproclaimed in his name to all nations, ^wbeginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are ^xwitnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am ^ysending the ^zpromise of my Father upon you. But ^astay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

The Ascension

50 ^bAnd he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was ^ccarried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.