³⁶ Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.”

¹⁰ And the Philistine said, “I ^(A)defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.”

²⁸ For ^(A)he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; ²⁹ but he is a Jew ^(B)who is one inwardly; and ^(C)circumcision is that of the heart, ^(D)in the Spirit, not in the letter; ^(E)whose ^[a]praise is not from men but from God.

²² And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” ²³ Then immediately an angel of the Lord ^(A)struck him, because ^(B)he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and ^[a]died.

Herod’s Violence to the Church

12 Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. ² Then he killed James ^(A)the brother of John with the sword.

³⁸ And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; ^39 (A)but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found ^(B)to fight against God.”

^3 (A)And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem ^(B)a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.

⁸ For thus says the Lord of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who ^(A)touches you touches the ^[a]apple of His eye.