A Great Multitude Follows Jesus^(A)

⁷ But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, ^(B)and from Judea ⁸ and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how ^(C)many things He was doing, came to Him. ⁹ So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him. ¹⁰ For He healed ^(D)many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to ^(E)touch Him. ^11 (F)And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, ^(G)“You are the Son of God.” ¹² But ^(H)He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.

The Twelve Apostles^(I)

^13 (J)And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. ¹⁴ Then He appointed twelve, ^[a]that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, ¹⁵ and to have ^[b]power ^[c]to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: ^16 [d]Simon, ^(K)to whom He gave the name Peter; ¹⁷ James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”; ¹⁸ Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house.

Do Not Neglect Salvation

2 Therefore we must give ^[a]the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. ² For if the word ^(A)spoken through angels proved steadfast, and ^(B)every transgression and disobedience received a just ^[b]reward, ^3 (C)how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, ^(D)which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was ^(E)confirmed to us by those who heard Him, ^4 (F)God also bearing witness ^(G)both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and ^(H)gifts^[c] of the Holy Spirit, ^(I)according to His own will?

^19 (A)If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

The Last Enemy Destroyed

²⁰ But now ^(B)Christ is risen from the dead, and has become ^(C)the firstfruits of those who have ^[a]fallen asleep. ²¹ For ^(D)since by man came death, ^(E)by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall ^(F)be made alive. ²³ But ^(G)each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. ²⁴ Then comes the end, when He delivers ^(H)the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. ²⁵ For He must reign ^(I)till He has put all enemies under His feet. ^26 (J)The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

^9 (A)to another faith by the same Spirit, to another ^(B)gifts of healings by ^[a]the same Spirit,

A Boy Is Healed^(A)

^14 (B)And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, ¹⁵ “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is ^[a]an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. ¹⁶ So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”

¹⁷ Then Jesus answered and said, “O ^[b]faithless and ^(C)perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” ¹⁸ And Jesus ^(D)rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.

¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”

²⁰ So Jesus said to them, “Because of your ^[c]unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, ^(E)if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. ^21 [d]However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

Idolatry at Lystra

^8 (A)And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. ⁹ This man heard Paul speaking. ^[a]Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, ¹⁰ said with a loud voice, ^(B)“Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked.

Stephen Accused of Blasphemy

⁸ And Stephen, full of ^[a]faith and power, did great ^(A)wonders and signs among the people.

The Thorn in the Flesh

⁷ And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a ^(A)thorn in the flesh was given to me, ^(B)a messenger of Satan to ^[a]buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. ^8 (C)Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ⁹ And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly ^(D)I will rather boast in my infirmities, ^(E)that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ Therefore ^(F)I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. ^(G)For when I am weak, then I am strong.

²³ No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent ^[a]infirmities.