Acts 1:8
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Study Note
Study Note
Jesus's final words before the ascension — 'you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth' — provide the structural blueprint for the entire book of Acts. The sequence (Jerusalem → Judea → Samaria → ends of the earth) tracks the geographical expansion that follows: chapters 1-7 in Jerusalem, chapters 8-12 in Judea and Samaria, chapters 13-28 across the Mediterranean world. The Spirit's empowerment is positioned as prerequisite and cause of the mission, not merely a subsequent blessing. The verse has been normative for Christian missiology, anchoring both the role of the Spirit and the geographic/ethnic universality of the gospel's intended reach.
Other Translations
But ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
but ye shall receive power at the coming of the Holy Spirit upon you, and ye shall be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and unto the end of the earth.'
But you will have power, when the Holy Spirit has come on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judaea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Cross References
All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations …
He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have …
Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down …
And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of …
The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of …
And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, …
O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto …
But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to …
Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by …
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and …