They lie around on beds decorated with ivory, ¹  and sprawl out on their couches. They eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the middle of the pen.

The men feared the Lord ¹  greatly, ²  and earnestly vowed ³  to offer lavish sacrifices ⁴  to the Lord. ⁵ 

So he said, “These are the two anointed ones ¹  who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”

So ¹  Mary said, “Yes, ²  I am a servant ³  of the Lord; let this happen to me ⁴  according to your word.” ⁵  Then ⁶  the angel departed from her.

Not so with you; ¹  instead the one who is greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader ²  like the one who serves. ³ 

Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesus ¹  began to argue with one another, ²  “How can this man ³  give us his flesh to eat?”

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

but that we should write them a letter ¹  telling them to abstain ²  from things defiled ³  by idols and from sexual immorality and from what has been strangled ⁴  and from blood.

nor is he served by human hands, as if he needed anything, ¹  because he himself gives life and breath and everything to everyone. ² 

For if by my lie the truth of God enhances ¹  his glory, why am I still actually being judged as a sinner?

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

For we who are alive are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible ¹  in our mortal body. ² 

These things may be treated as an allegory, ¹  for these women represent two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai bearing children for slavery; this is Hagar.

since it was because of the work of Christ that he almost died. He risked his life so that he could make up for your inability to serve me. ¹ 

I became a servant of the church according to the stewardship ¹  from God – given to me for you – in order to complete ²  the word of God,

I am grateful to the one who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he considered me faithful in putting me into ministry,

But ¹  now Jesus ²  has obtained a superior ministry, since ³  the covenant that he mediates is also better and is enacted ⁴  on better promises. ⁵ 

you yourselves, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood and to offer ¹  spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

and if he turned to ashes the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah when he condemned them to destruction, ¹  having appointed ²  them to serve as an example ³  to future generations of the ungodly, ⁴ 

The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, so that when I see ¹  the blood I will pass over you, ²  and this plague ³  will not fall on you to destroy you ⁴  when I attack ⁵  the land of Egypt. ⁶