If an alarm sounds ¹  in a city, do people not fear? ²  If disaster overtakes a ³  city, is the Lord not responsible? ⁴ 

Then once more you will see that I make a distinction between ¹  the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not.

And if anyone will not welcome you or listen to your message, shake the dust off ¹  your feet as you leave that house or that town.

And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons ¹  cast them ²  out? For this reason they will be your judges.

“When ¹  an unclean spirit ²  goes out of a person, ³  it passes through waterless places ⁴  looking for rest but ⁵  does not find it.

And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, ¹  he will rejoice more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.

In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that one of these little ones be lost.

So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if each of you does not forgive your ¹  brother ²  from your heart.”

I tell you the truth, ¹  whoever does not receive ²  the kingdom of God like a child ³  will never ⁴  enter it.”

(Now the betrayer ¹  had given them a sign, saying, “The one I kiss is the man. Arrest him and lead him away under guard.”) ² 

Now if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons ¹  cast them ²  out? Therefore they will be your judges.

Even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night ¹  and finds them alert, ²  blessed are those slaves! ³ 

I tell you the truth, ¹  whoever does not receive ²  the kingdom of God like a child ³  will never ⁴  enter it.”

And the one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, ¹  because I always do those things that please him.”

Others said, “These are not the words ¹  of someone possessed by a demon. A demon cannot cause the blind to see, ²  can it?” ³ 

I tell you the solemn truth, ¹  the slave ²  is not greater than his master, nor is the one who is sent as a messenger ³  greater than the one who sent him.

The person who does not love me does not obey ¹  my words. And the word ²  you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me.

Righteous Father, even if the world does not know you, I know you, and these men ¹  know that you sent me.

But to keep this matter from spreading any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more ¹  to anyone in this name.”

so that they would search for God and perhaps grope around ¹  for him and find him, ²  though he is ³  not far from each one of us.