¹⁹ saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

The Parable of the Wedding Feast

⁷ Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed ^(A)how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, ⁸ “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, ⁹ and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, ^(B)so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. ¹¹ For ^(C)everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

⁹ I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority.

⁴⁴ How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and ^(A)do not seek the glory that comes from ^(B)the only God?

Who Is the Greatest?

18 ^(A)At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ² And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them ³ and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you ^(B)turn and ^(C)become like children, you ^(D)will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

⁸ Last of all, as to one untimely born, ^(A)he appeared also to me. ⁹ For ^(B)I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because ^(C)I persecuted the church of God.

¹⁷ Then ^(A)they laid their hands on them and ^(B)they received the Holy Spirit.

Simon the Magician Believes

⁹ But there was a man named Simon, ^(A)who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, ^(B)saying that he himself was somebody great. ¹⁰ They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, ^(C)“This man is the power of God that is called ^(D)Great.” ¹¹ And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had ^(E)amazed them with his magic.