^14 (A)John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

A Great Multitude from Every Nation

⁹ After this I looked, and behold, ^(A)a great multitude that no one could number, ^(B)from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, ^(C)clothed in white robes, with ^(D)palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰ and crying out with a loud voice, ^(E)“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” ¹¹ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and ^(F)the four living creatures, and they ^(G)fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ^12 (H)saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

¹³ Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, ^(I)clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” ¹⁴ I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of ^(J)the great tribulation. ^(K)They have washed their robes and ^(L)made them white ^(M)in the blood of the Lamb.

³ among whom we all once lived in ^(A)the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body^[a] and the mind, and ^(B)were by nature ^(C)children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.^{[b] 4} But^[c] God, being ^(D)rich in mercy, ^(E)because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even ^(F)when we were dead in our trespasses, ^(G)made us alive together with Christ—^(H)by grace you have been saved—

⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent ^(A)the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

²⁷ For as many of you as ^(A)were baptized ^(B)into Christ have ^(C)put on Christ. ^28 (D)There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave^[a] nor free, ^(E)there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And ^(F)if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, ^(G)heirs according to promise.

²² But the Scripture ^(A)imprisoned everything under sin, so that ^(B)the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given ^(C)to those who believe.

²⁵ whom God ^(A)put forward as ^(B)a propitiation ^(C)by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in ^(D)his divine forbearance he had passed over ^(E)former sins.

²³ for ^(A)all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

⁵ for ^(A)John baptized with water, ^(B)but you will be baptized ^(C)with^[a] the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

The Ascension

⁶ So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, ^(D)will you at this time ^(E)restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ He said to them, ^(F)“It is not for you to know ^(G)times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive ^(H)power ^(I)when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and ^(J)you will be ^(K)my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and ^(L)Samaria, and ^(M)to the end of the earth.”