So ¹  he contacted ²  his master’s debtors one by one. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

“The law and the prophets were in force ¹  until John; ²  since then, ³  the good news of the kingdom of God ⁴  has been proclaimed, and everyone is urged to enter it. ⁵ 

Jesus ¹  was teaching daily in the temple courts. The chief priests and the experts in the law ²  and the prominent leaders among the people were seeking to assassinate ³  him,

Then a slave girl, ¹  seeing him as he sat in the firelight, stared at him and said, “This man was with him too!”

And after about an hour still another insisted, ¹  “Certainly this man was with him, because he too is a Galilean.” ² 

Even Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, ¹  dressing him in elegant clothes, ²  Herod ³  sent him back to Pilate.

Now when the centurion ¹  saw what had happened, he praised God and said, “Certainly this man was innocent!” ² 

And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. ¹ 

The Jewish leaders ¹  surrounded him and asked, ²  “How long will you keep us in suspense? ³  If you are the Christ, ⁴  tell us plainly.” ⁵ 

Many ¹  came to him and began to say, “John ²  performed ³  no miraculous sign, but everything John said about this man ⁴  was true!”

Now the Jewish feast of Passover ¹  was near, and many people went up to Jerusalem ²  from the rural areas before the Passover to cleanse themselves ritually. ³ 

Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom he ¹  had raised from the dead.

So when they had gathered together, they began to ask him, ¹  “Lord, is this the time when you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”

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.

But some men from the Synagogue ¹  of the Freedmen (as it was called), ²  both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, as well as some from Cilicia and the province of Asia, ³  stood up and argued with Stephen.

But when they believed Philip as he was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God ¹  and the name of Jesus Christ, ²  they began to be baptized, ³  both men and women.

Even Simon himself believed, and after he was baptized, he stayed close to ¹  Philip constantly, and when he saw the signs and great miracles that were occurring, he was amazed. ² 

When they heard this, ¹  they ceased their objections ²  and praised ³  God, saying, “So then, God has granted the repentance ⁴  that leads to life even to the Gentiles.” ⁵ 

When ¹  he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain true ²  to the Lord with devoted hearts, ³ 

On a day determined in advance, Herod ¹  put on his royal robes, ²  sat down on the judgment seat, ³  and made a speech ⁴  to them.