¹⁹ and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

⁷ When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table,^(A) he told them this parable: ⁸ “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. ⁹ If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. ¹¹ For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”^(B)

⁹ I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us.

⁴⁴ How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God^[a]?^(A)

The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven^(A)

18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

² He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. ³ And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children,^(B) you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.^(C)

⁸ and last of all he appeared to me also,^(A) as to one abnormally born.

⁹ For I am the least of the apostles^(B) and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted^(C) the church of God.^(D)

¹⁷ Then Peter and John placed their hands on them,^(A) and they received the Holy Spirit.^(B)

Simon the Sorcerer

⁹ Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery^(A) in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great,^{(B) 10} and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.”^{(C) 11} They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery.