Now regarding the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to be with him, we ask you, brothers and sisters,

I wanted to keep him so that he could serve me in your place during my imprisonment for the sake of the gospel.

no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, as a dear brother. He is especially so to me, and even more so to you now, both humanly speaking and in the Lord.

Since I was confident that you would obey, I wrote to you, because I knew that you would do even more than what I am asking you to do.

where Jesus our forerunner entered on our behalf, since he became a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.

But when this priest had offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, he sat down at the right hand of God,

And in the same way he took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

This is the one about whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is greater than I am, because he existed before me.’

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep.

You do not realize that it is more to your advantage to have one man die for the people than for the whole nation to perish.”

(Now he did not say this on his own, but because he was high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the Jewish nation,

Peter said to him, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you!”

Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? I tell you the solemn truth, the rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times!

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

So Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul held out his hand and began his defense:

about noon along the road, Your Majesty, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining everywhere around me and those traveling with me.

But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes on behalf of the saints according to God’s will.

Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, freely give us all things?