We ourselves brings out the emphasis intended in the Greek sentence structure. Give our full time (a verb which appears in 1.14) is rendered in most translations as “devote ourselves” (see Revised Standard Version, New English Bible, Phillips, Jerusalem Bible); but the “devotion” referred to is that of giving one’s entire time to this particular aspect of the Christian work. The work of preaching is literally “the ministry of the word,” but the context makes it obvious that the meaning is “preaching the word of God.”

The phrase give … full time to should not be understood as meaning that prayer and preaching were the only activities of the apostles; rather, it was their main work. In some languages, therefore, the equivalent is “we ourselves will have the work of praying and preaching the good news.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .