He instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff ¹  – no bread, no bag, ²  no money in their belts –

(For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they perform a ritual washing, ¹  holding fast to the tradition of the elders.

The ¹  angel ²  came ³  to her and said, “Greetings, favored one, ⁴  the Lord is with you!” ⁵ 

All ¹  who heard these things ²  kept them in their hearts, ³  saying, “What then will this child be?” ⁴  For the Lord’s hand ⁵  was indeed with him.

Then ¹  they said to him, “John’s ²  disciples frequently fast ³  and pray, ⁴  and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, ⁵  but yours continue to eat and drink.” ⁶ 

how he entered the house of God, took ¹  and ate the sacred bread, ²  which is not lawful ³  for any to eat but the priests alone, and ⁴  gave it to his companions?” ⁵ 

When ¹  morning came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles: ² 

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

But the worker ¹  answered him, ‘Sir, leave it alone this year too, until I dig around it and put fertilizer ²  on it.

until the day he was taken up to heaven, ¹  after he had given orders ²  by ³  the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.

When this sound ¹  occurred, a crowd gathered and was in confusion, ²  because each one heard them speaking in his own language.

Now when they heard this, ¹  they were acutely distressed ²  and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “What should we do, brothers?”

When they saw the boldness ¹  of Peter and John, and discovered ²  that they were uneducated ³  and ordinary ⁴  men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus.

Now many miraculous signs ¹  and wonders came about among the people through the hands of the apostles. By ²  common consent ³  they were all meeting together in Solomon’s Portico. ⁴ 

Now when the apostles in Jerusalem ¹  heard that Samaria had accepted the word ²  of God, they sent ³  Peter and John to them.

But the Lord said to him, “Go, because this man is my chosen instrument ¹  to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the people of Israel. ² 

Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles too had accepted ¹  the word of God. ² 

The God of this people Israel ¹  chose our ancestors ²  and made the people great ³  during their stay as foreigners ⁴  in the country ⁵  of Egypt, and with uplifted arm ⁶  he led them out of it.

From Paul, ¹  a slave ²  of Christ Jesus, ³  called to be an apostle, ⁴  set apart for the gospel of God. ⁵ 

For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised ¹  on behalf of God’s truth to confirm the promises made to the fathers, ²