^15 (A)And He said to them, “Go into all the world ^(B)and preach the gospel to every creature. ^16 (C)He who believes and is baptized will be saved; ^(D)but he who does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these ^(E)signs will follow those who ^[a]believe: ^(F)In My name they will cast out demons; ^(G)they will speak with new tongues; ^18 (H)they^[b] will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; ^(I)they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

^17 (A)for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and ^(B)peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ For he who serves Christ in ^[a]these things ^(C)is acceptable to God and approved by men.

The Trustworthy Prophetic Word^(A)

¹⁶ For we did not follow ^(B)cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the ^(C)power and ^(D)coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were ^(E)eyewitnesses of His majesty. ¹⁷ For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ^(F)“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” ¹⁸ And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on ^(G)the holy mountain.

^19 [a]And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a ^(H)light that shines in a dark place, ^(I)until ^(J)the day dawns and the morning star rises in your ^(K)hearts;