John the Baptist Prepares the Way^(A)

1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah,^[a] the Son of God,^[b](B)

⁴⁸ You are witnesses^(A) of these things.

⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;^(A) and you will be my witnesses^(B) in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,^(C) and to the ends of the earth.”^(D)

²¹ Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, ²² beginning from John’s baptism^(A) to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness^(B) with us of his resurrection.”

³² God has raised this Jesus to life,^(A) and we are all witnesses^(B) of it.

¹⁵ You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead.^(A) We are witnesses^(B) of this.

³² We are witnesses of these things,^(A) and so is the Holy Spirit,^(B) whom God has given to those who obey him.”

⁴¹ He was not seen by all the people,^(A) but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate^(B) and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

³ For what I received^(A) I passed on to you^(B) as of first importance^[a]: that Christ died for our sins^(C) according to the Scriptures,^{(D) 4} that he was buried,^(E) that he was raised^(F) on the third day^(G) according to the Scriptures,^{(H) 5} and that he appeared to Cephas,^[b](I) and then to the Twelve.^{(J) 6} After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.^{(K) 7} Then he appeared to James,^(L) then to all the apostles,^{(M) 8} and last of all he appeared to me also,^(N) as to one abnormally born.