Sennacherib Boasts Against the Lord^(O)

36 Now ^(P)it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.

God’s People Are Comforted^(A)

At Antioch in Pisidia

¹³ Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and ^(A)John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and ^(B)went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. ¹⁵ And ^(C)after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, “Men and brethren, if you have ^(D)any word of ^[a]exhortation for the people, say on.”

¹⁶ Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and ^(E)you who fear God, listen: ¹⁷ The God of this people ^[b]Israel ^(F)chose our fathers, and exalted the people ^(G)when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with ^[c]an uplifted arm He ^(H)brought them out of it. ¹⁸ Now ^(I)for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness. ¹⁹ And when He had destroyed ^(J)seven nations in the land of Canaan, ^(K)He distributed their land to them by allotment.

²⁰ “After that ^(L)He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, ^(M)until Samuel the prophet. ^21 (N)And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them ^(O)Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. ²² And ^(P)when He had removed him, ^(Q)He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ^(R)‘I have found David the son of Jesse, ^(S)a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’ ^23 (T)From this man’s seed, according ^(U)to the promise, God raised up for Israel ^(V)a^[d] Savior—Jesus— ^24 (W)after John had first preached, before His coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. ²⁵ And as John was finishing his course, he said, ^(X)‘Who do you think I am? I am not He. But behold, ^(Y)there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose.’

²⁶ “Men and brethren, sons of the ^[e]family of Abraham, and ^(Z)those among you who fear God, ^(AA)to you the ^[f]word of this salvation has been sent. ²⁷ For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, ^(AB)because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him. ^28 (AC)And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death. ^29 (AD)Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, ^(AE)they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. ^30 (AF)But God raised Him from the dead. ^31 (AG)He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people. ³² And we declare to you glad tidings—^(AH)that promise which was made to the fathers. ³³ God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm:

³⁴ And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to ^[g]corruption, He has spoken thus:

Christ Our Cornerstone

¹⁹ Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰ having been ^(A)built ^(B)on the foundation of the ^(C)apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being ^(D)the chief cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into ^(E)a holy temple in the Lord, ^22 (F)in whom you also are being built together for a ^(G)dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

The Mystery Revealed

3 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles— ² if indeed you have heard of the ^[a]dispensation of the grace of God ^(H)which was given to me for you, ^3 (I)how that by revelation ^(J)He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, ⁴ by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), ⁵ which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: ⁶ that the Gentiles ^(K)should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, ^7 (L)of which I became a minister ^(M)according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by ^(N)the effective working of His power.

Purpose of the Mystery

⁸ To me, ^(O)who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles ^(P)the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹ and to make all see what is the ^[b]fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who ^(Q)created all things ^[c]through Jesus Christ; ^10 (R)to the intent that now ^(S)the ^[d]manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church ^(T)to the ^[e]principalities and powers in the heavenly places, ^11 (U)according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹² in whom we have boldness and access ^(V)with confidence through faith in Him. ^13 (W)Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, ^(X)which is your glory.

Appreciation of the Mystery

¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees to the ^(Y)Father ^[f]of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, ¹⁶ that He would grant you, ^(Z)according to the riches of His glory, ^(AA)to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in ^(AB)the inner man, ^17 (AC)that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, ^(AD)being rooted and grounded in love, ^18 (AE)may be able to comprehend with all the saints ^(AF)what is the width and length and depth and height— ¹⁹ to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled ^(AG)with all the fullness of God.

²⁰ Now ^(AH)to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly ^(AI)above all that we ask or think, ^(AJ)according to the power that works in us, ^21 (AK)to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Walk in Unity

4 I, therefore, the prisoner ^[g]of the Lord, ^[h]beseech you to ^(AL)walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,

John the Baptist Beheaded^(A)

^14 (B)Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known. And he said, “John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore ^(C)these powers are at work in him.”

^15 (D)Others said, “It is Elijah.”

And others said, “It is ^[a]the Prophet, ^(E)or like one of the prophets.”

^16 (F)But when Herod heard, he said, “This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!” ¹⁷ For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife; for he had married her. ¹⁸ Because John had said to Herod, ^(G)“It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

¹⁹ Therefore Herodias ^[b]held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; ²⁰ for Herod ^(H)feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he ^[c]did many things, and heard him gladly.

^21 (I)Then an opportune day came when Herod ^(J)on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee. ²² And when Herodias’ daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, “Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you.” ²³ He also swore to her, ^(K)“Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”

²⁴ So she went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask?”

And she said, “The head of John the Baptist!”

²⁵ Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

^26 (L)And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her. ²⁷ Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. And he went and beheaded him in prison, ²⁸ brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. ²⁹ When his disciples heard of it, they came and ^(M)took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

Feeding the Five Thousand^(N)

^30 (O)Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.