Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son

¹¹ Soon afterward^[a] Jesus went on his way to a town called Nain, and^[b] his disciples and a large crowd were traveling with him. ¹² As he was approaching the town gate, there was a dead man being carried out, the only son of his mother. She was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. ¹³ When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not cry.” ¹⁴ He went up to the open coffin, touched it, and the pallbearers stopped. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” ¹⁵ The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.

¹⁶ Fear gripped all of them, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us” and “God has visited his people!” ¹⁷ This was reported about him in all of Judea and in all the surrounding countryside.

Jesus Gave Paul the Gospel

¹¹ But I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. ¹² For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation from Jesus Christ.

¹³ Certainly you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God to an extraordinary degree and tried to destroy it. ¹⁴ I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my own people, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. ¹⁵ However, God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased ¹⁶ to reveal his Son in me, so that I would preach him among the Gentiles. At that time, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, ¹⁷ and I did not go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me. Instead I went away into Arabia, and then I returned again to Damascus.

¹⁸ Next, after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to meet Cephas^[a] and stayed with him fifteen days. ¹⁹ But I saw none of the other apostles, except James, the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ (Now about the things I am writing to you—look, I assure you in the presence of God that I am not lying.) ²¹ Then I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. ²² I was still personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. ²³ They heard only: “The one who was once persecuting us is now preaching the faith that he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴ And they were praising God for what happened to me.