The Report of the Guard

¹¹ While they were going, behold, some of ^(A)the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. ¹² And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers ¹³ and said, “Tell people, ^(B)‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ ¹⁴ And if this comes to ^(C)the governor's ears, we will ^(D)satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” ¹⁵ So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews ^(E)to this day.

The Great Commission

¹⁶ Now the eleven disciples ^(F)went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷ And when they saw him they ^(G)worshiped him, but some doubted. ¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, ^(H)“All authority ^(I)in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ^19 (J)Go therefore and ^(K)make disciples of ^(L)all nations, ^(M)baptizing them ^(N)in^{[a] (O)}the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them ^(P)to observe all that ^(Q)I have commanded you. And behold, ^(R)I am with you always, to ^(S)the end of the age.”

The Preeminence of Christ

^15 (A)He is the image of ^(B)the invisible God, ^(C)the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by^[a] him all things were created, ^(D)in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether ^(E)thrones or ^(F)dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created ^(G)through him and for him. ¹⁷ And ^(H)he is before all things, and in him all things ^(I)hold together. ¹⁸ And ^(J)he is the head of the body, the church. He is ^(K)the beginning, ^(L)the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. ¹⁹ For ^(M)in him all the ^(N)fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and ^(O)through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, ^(P)making peace ^(Q)by the blood of his cross.

^21 (R)And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, ^(S)doing evil deeds, ²² he has now reconciled ^(T)in his body of flesh by his death, ^(U)in order to present you holy and blameless and ^(V)above reproach before him, ^23 (W)if indeed you continue in the faith, ^(X)stable and steadfast, not shifting from ^(Y)the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed ^(Z)in all creation^[b] under heaven, ^(AA)and of which I, Paul, became a minister.