Won’t God give justice to his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay long to help them?

But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be their king, bring them here and slaughter them in front of me!’”

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders who had come out to get him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs like you would against an outlaw?

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

But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

Then John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending like a dove from heaven, and it remained on him.

So then they tried to seize Jesus, but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come.

When they persisted in asking him, he stood up straight and replied, “Whoever among you is guiltless may be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Jesus, intensely moved again, came to the tomb. (Now it was a cave, and a stone was placed across it.)

Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced; my body also will live in hope,

But Simon replied, “You pray to the Lord for me so that nothing of what you have said may happen to me.”

Then as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as he did on us at the beginning.

and when Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began to speak in tongues and to prophesy.

He immediately took soldiers and centurions and ran down to the crowd. When they saw the commanding officer and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

Against hope Abraham believed in hope with the result that he became the father of many nations according to the pronouncement, “so will your descendants be.”

through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of God’s glory.

just as it is written, “Look, I am laying in Zion a stone that will cause people to stumble and a rock that will make them fall, yet the one who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

For even Christ did not please himself, but just as it is written, “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”

And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, and the one who rises to rule over the Gentiles, in him will the Gentiles hope.”

For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another.