¹⁰ but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.

Good News for the Oppressed

¹⁸ Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.

³ I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

²⁷ But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!^[a]”

¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. ¹⁸ I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.^[a]

²³ But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.

³⁰ “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!