But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! Listen carefully, ¹  for I proclaim to you good news ²  that brings great joy to all the people:

“And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, ¹  and on the earth nations will be in distress, ²  anxious ³  over the roaring of the sea and the surging waves.

Even on my servants, ¹  both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. ² 

And we are witnesses of these events, ¹  and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey ²  him.”

For the king knows about these things, and I am speaking freely ¹  to him, ²  because I cannot believe ³  that any of these things has escaped his notice, ⁴  for this was not done in a corner. ⁵ 

These things happened as examples for us, so that we will not crave evil things as they did.

These things happened to them as examples and were written for our instruction, on whom the ends of the ages have come.

But you should be eager for the greater gifts. And now I will show you a way that is beyond comparison. ¹ 

Listen, ¹  I will tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, ²  but we will all be changed –

Do not lay hands on anyone ¹  hastily and so identify with the sins of others. ²  Keep yourself pure.

as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing ¹  of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. ² 

By faith we understand that the worlds ¹  were set in order at God’s command, ²  so that the visible has its origin in the invisible. ³ 

Then ¹  another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon that had seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadem crowns. ² 

Aaron is to make atonement on its horns once in the year with some of the blood of the sin offering for atonement; ¹  once in the year ²  he is to make atonement on it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.” ³ 

And the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to them, and he took some of the Spirit that was on Moses ¹  and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, ²  they prophesied, ³  but did not do so again. ⁴ 

Or who among you has planted a vineyard and not benefited from it? He may go home, lest he die in battle and someone else benefit from it.

Or who among you ¹  has become engaged to a woman but has not married her? He may go home, lest he die in battle and someone else marry her.”

The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them and chased them from in front of the city gate all the way to the fissures ¹  and defeated them on the steep slope. ²  The people’s ³  courage melted away like water. ⁴ 

He did this so the violent deaths of Jerub-Baal’s seventy sons might be avenged and Abimelech, their half-brother ¹  who murdered them, might have to pay for their spilled blood, along with the leaders of Shechem who helped him murder them. ² 

So when the envoys arrived from the Babylonian officials to visit him and inquire about the sign that occurred in the land, ¹  God left him alone to test him, in order to know his true motives. ²