1 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,
2 Until HaYom, when he made aliyah ascent to Shomayim, having given Moshiach’s mitzvot through the Ruach Hakodesh to the Shlichim whom he chose,
3 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:
4 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]
5 "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)]
6 And at yechidus, having come together, they were asking him saying, "Adoneinu, is it at this time that You are restoring the Malchut Hashem to Am Yisroel?"
7 But he said to them, "It is not for you to have da’as of the itim (times) or moadim (seasons) which [Elohim] HaAv has set by His own samchut (authority). [Dt 29:29; Ps 107:13]
8 "But you will receive ko’ach when the Ruach Hakodesh has come upon you, and you all will be the Eidus (the Witness) of me, in Yerushalayim, and in all Yehudah, and Shomron and as far as ad ketzeh ha’aretz."
9 And having said these things, while they were looking on, in an aliyah ascent to Shomayim, Moshiach was taken up; and an anan (cloud) took him away from their eyes.
10 And as they were gazing intently into Shomayim, while Moshiach was going—hinei—two beings, enrobed in white, had been present with them.
11 Also, these said, "Men of the Galil, why do you stand looking into Shomayim? This Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua, the one having been taken up from you into Shomayim, will also come again in like manner as you saw him going into Shomayim."
12 Then they returned to Yerushalayim from Har HaZeytim, which from Yerushalayim is a Shabbos walk.
13 And when they entered, they went up to the aliyyah where they were staying, that is, Kefa and Yochanan and Ya’akov and Andrew and Philippos and T’oma and Bar-Talmai and Mattityahu and Ya’akov Ben Chalfai and Shimon the Zealot and Yehudah Ben Ya’akov.
14 These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to tefillah, with the nashim and with Miryam the Em of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach and with his achim.
15 And at this time, having stood up, Kefa, in the midst of the Achim b’Moshiach (there were 120 persons in the place)
16 —Said, "Achim b’Moshiach, the Kitvei Hakodesh had to be fulfilled, which the Ruach Hakodesh foretold through the peh of Dovid Hamelech concerning Yehudah, who became a guide to the ones arresting Yehoshua.
17 "For he had been numbered among us, and he received his ministry in the Messianic avodas kodesh of the Moshiach’s Shlichim.
18 (Now this man, therefore, acquired a sadeh out of the sachar [reward] of his peysha and, having fallen headlong, he plotst [burst] open in the middle and all the inward parts of him were poured out.
19 And this became known to all the ones inhabiting Yerushalayim, so that the sadeh [field] became known in their language as 'Akeldama’‖that is 'Sadeh of Dahm.')
20 "For it has been written in the Sefer Tehillim, "TEHI the place of him NESHAMMAH (one being deserted)... V’AL YEHI YOSHEV" ("May his place be deserted and let him not be the one dwelling in it": TEHILLIM 69:26) and "PEKUDATO YIKACH ACHER" ("his place of leadership may another take". TEHILLIM 109:8)
21 "It is necessary, therefore, that one of the anashim who accompanied us during all the time in which Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu Yehoshua went in and went out among us,
22 "Beginning from the tevilah of teshuva of Yochanan until the day when Moshiach was taken up from us—one of these should become Eidus (Witness) with us to the Techiyas HaMoshiach."
23 And they put forward two anashim, Yosef Bar-Sabba, also called Justus, and Mattityahu.
24 And having davened, they said, "Adonoi, you have da’as of the levavot of Kol B’nei Adam. Therefore, show which of these two is your bechirah [1Sm 14:41]
25 "To take the place of this avodas kodesh ministry and Shlichus from which Yehudah turned aside to go to his own place."
26 And they drew lots, and the lot fell to Mattityahu, and he was numbered with the Achad Asar of Moshiach’s Shlichim. [T.N. Lukas wrote this work around 63 C.E., near the time of his awaiting the first hearing of Rav Sha’ul before Nero in Rome.]
