1 Dear Theophilus:
In my first book I wrote about all the things that Jesus did and taught from the time he began his work 2 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. 3 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. 4 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. 5 John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus Is Taken Up to Heaven
6 When the apostles met together with Jesus, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time give the Kingdom back to Israel?”
7 Jesus said to them, “The times and occasions are set by my Father's own authority, and it is not for you to know when they will be. 8 But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 After saying this, he was taken up to heaven as they watched him, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They still had their eyes fixed on the sky as he went away, when two men dressed in white suddenly stood beside them 11 and said, “Galileans, why are you standing there looking up at the sky? This Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way that you saw him go to heaven.”
Judas' Successor
12 Then the apostles went back to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is about half a mile away from the city. 13 They entered the city and went up to the room where they were staying: Peter, John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Patriot, and Judas son of James. 14 They gathered frequently to pray as a group, together with the women and with Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers.
15 A few days later there was a meeting of the believers, about a hundred and twenty in all, and Peter stood up to speak. 16 “My friends,” he said, “the scripture had to come true in which the Holy Spirit, speaking through David, made a prediction about Judas, who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 Judas was a member of our group, for he had been chosen to have a part in our work.”
( 18 With the money that Judas got for his evil act he bought a field, where he fell to his death; he burst open and all his insides spilled out. 19 All the people living in Jerusalem heard about it, and so in their own language they call that field Akeldama, which means “Field of Blood.”)
20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms,
‘May his house become empty;
may no one live in it.’
It is also written,
‘May someone else take his place of service.’
21-22 “So then, someone must join us as a witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. He must be one of the men who were in our group during the whole time that the Lord Jesus traveled about with us, beginning from the time John preached his message of baptism until the day Jesus was taken up from us to heaven.”
23 So they proposed two men: Joseph, who was called Barsabbas (also known as Justus), and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know the thoughts of everyone, so show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to serve as an apostle in the place of Judas, who left to go to the place where he belongs.” 26 Then they drew lots to choose between the two men, and the one chosen was Matthias, who was added to the group of eleven apostles.
1 Teofilus, membo randje indi etenga ami mba tjanga mo oviṋa avihe Jesus mbya tjita na mbya honga okuza keyuva ndi eye nda utire otjiungura tje 2 nga ku indi nda twarewa keyuru. Ngunda e hiya twarewa keyuru eye wa yandja omarakiza momasa wOmbepo Ondjapuke kovarumendu eye mba toororere okurira ovaapostele. 3 Oure womayuva omirongo vine kombunda yonḓiro ye eye we riraisa ku wo potuingi momiano mbyaa vi raisa ongahukiro kutja u nomuinyo. Owo ve mu muna, neye wa hungira ouhona wa Ndjambi kuna wo. 4 Nu ngunda e ri puna wo arire tje ve rakiza a tja: “Amu zu mo mOjerusalem, nungwari undjeye omakwizikiro ngu mbe mu raera, inga omakwizikiro Tate nga kwizika. 5 Johanes aa papitisa nomeva, nungwari kombunda yomayuva ouṱiṱi eṋe mamu papitisiwa nOmbepo Ondjapuke.”
Jesus ma twarewa keyuru
(Mk 16:19-20Lk 24:50-53)6 Ovaapostele tji va woronganene pamwe puna Jesus ve mu pura ave tja: “Muhona, Ovaisrael mo ve yarurire rukwao ouhona momayuva nga poo?”
7 Jesus we ve zirire nai: “Kapeṋu okutjiwa otuveze nomayuva Tate nga zikamisa mouvara we omuini. 8 Nungwari Ombepo Ondjapuke tji ye ya kombanda yeṋu, eṋe mamu hara omasa nu amu rire ovendjihongonone mOjerusalem na mehi arihe ra Judea nora Samaria nga komaandero wehi.” 9 Nu tja za nokuhungira omambo nga, arire tja twarewa keyuru owo ngunda amave tarere, notjikamba tje mu horeka natji mu isa po komurungu wawo.
10 Nowo ngunda amave tarere Jesus ama twarewa keyuru, arire tji pe ya okukurama ovarumendu vevari pu wo mba zarere ozombanda ozombapa, 11 nave tja: “Eṋe varumendu Ovagalilea, mwa kuramene tjike amwa siririke omeho weṋu meyuru? Ingwi Jesus ngwa toorwa pu eṋe okutwarewa keyuru, otjinga ama kotoka nao otja tjinga amamu mu munu ama rondo keyuru.”
Omupingene wa Judas
(Mt 27:3-10)12 Nu ovaapostele va yaruka kOjerusalem tji va za nokuheruka kOndundu yOmiṋinga, ndji ri oure wokirometa mangara imwe okuza kotjihuro. 13 Nowo tji va za nokuhita motjihuro, arire tji va karonda ketuwo rokombanda, aruhe hapo muyave sekire, okutja oPetrus na Johanes na Jakobus na Andreas na Filipus na Tomas na Bartolomeus na Mateus na Jakobus, omuzandu wa Alfeus, na Simon, Omuseloti wehi rawo, na Judas, omuzandu wa Jakobus. 14 Owo potuingi aave woronganene pamwe okukumba puna ovakazendu na Maria, ina ya Jesus novangu ve.
15 Nu momayuva ngo pa ri ombongarero yovakambure avehe, kumwe ovandu mangara esere rimwe nomirongo vivari. Petrus arire tja sekama mokati kawo na tja: 16 “Eṋe vakwetu, omatjangwa omayapuke maye sokuyenenisiwa, Ombepo Ondjapuke nga hungirira Judas notjinyo tja David, ingwi Judas ngwa karira omuhongore wa imba mba kambura Jesus. 17 Judas wa varwa otja umwe wetu, tjinga a toororerwa okukara norupa motjiungura tjetu.”
18 Nu ovimariva Judas mbya muna mondjito ye youvi wa randa na vyo ehi romakunino. Eye wa wa onḓurumika mehi ndi, a pamuka mokati, novyopehuri vye avihe arire tji vya rimbarere pehi. 19 Notjiṋa hi tja zuvaka kovature avehe va Jerusalem, nowo otji va ruka ehi romakunino ndi meraka rawo oveni kutja Akeldama, okutja “Ehi rOmakunino rOmbinḓu”.
20 “Orondu tjinga apa tjangwa nai mEmbo rOmapsalme:
‘Omaturiro we ngaye kare tjo,
nu ape ningi omundu ngu ma tura mu wo.’
Nu wina pa tjangwa nai:
‘Moviungura vye ngamu pingene omundu warwe.’
21-22 “Otji mape sokuweziwa umwe ngu ma rire omuhongonone wombendukiro ya Muhona Jesus puna eṱe. Eye ma sokurira umwe wovarumendu mba mbaa ve ryanga puna eṱe omayuva aehe nga Jesus nga ri mokati ketu, okuza koruveze ndwi eye ndwa papitisirwe i Johanes nga keyuva ndi eye nda isiwa po pu eṱe okutwarewa keyuru.”
23 Owo otji va urika ovarumendu vevari, okutja oJosef, ngwaa isanewa Barsabas, wina ngwaa ku zu oJustus, na Matias. 24 Tjazumba arire tji va kumbu ave tja: “Muhona, ove u tjiwa omeripura nomitima vyovandu avehe, nambano tu urikira ingwi ove ngu wa toorora po pu imba vevari mba 25 okuyaruka motjiungura tjokukarera otja omuapostele moruveze rwa Judas, ihi otjiungura tji tja isiwa i Judas indu tja ya koruveze rwe omuini.” 26 Nowo otji va yumba ozohanga okutoorora pokati kovarumendu vevari mba, ohanga ya urika Matias, neye wa weziwa kovaapostele mba omurongo na umwe.
