After assembling all the chief priests and experts in the law,<n id="1" /> he asked them where the Christ<n id="2" /> was to be born.

<p class="otpoetry">&#8216;<b><i>This people honors me with their lips,i>b>p> <p class="otpoetry"><b><i>but their hearti>b><n id="1" /> <b><i>is far from me,i>b>p>

In<n id="1" /> reply all the people said, &#8220;Let his blood be on us and on our children!&#8221;

Now<n id="1" /> the whole crowd<n id="2" /> of people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering.<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">Now<n id="1" /> the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they began to wonder<n id="2" /> why he was delayed in the holy place.<n id="3" />

<p class="poetry">&#8220;Blessed<n id="1" /> be the Lord God of Israel,p> <p class="poetry">because he has come to help<n id="2" /> and has redeemed<n id="3" /> his people.p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now when<n id="1" /> all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized. And while he was praying,<n id="2" /> the heavens<n id="3" /> opened,

<t /><p class="bodytext">After Jesus<n id="1" /> had finished teaching all this to the people,<n id="2" /> he entered Capernaum.<n id="3" />

(Now<n id="1" /> all the people who heard this, even the tax collectors,<n id="2" /> acknowledged<n id="3" /> God&#8217;s justice, because they had been baptized<n id="4" /> with John&#8217;s baptism.

but<n id="1" /> they could not find a way to do it,<n id="2" /> for all the people hung on his words.<n id="3" />p>

Thus<n id="1" /> they were unable in the presence of the people to trap<n id="2" /> him with his own words.<n id="3" /> And stunned<n id="4" /> by his answer, they fell silent.p>

The<n id="1" /> chief priests and the experts in the law<n id="2" /> were trying to find some way<n id="3" /> to execute<n id="4" /> Jesus,<n id="5" /> for they were afraid of the people.<n id="6" />p>

A great number of the people followed him, among them women<n id="1" /> who were mourning<n id="2" /> and wailing for him.

(Now it was Caiaphas who had advised<n id="1" /> the Jewish leaders<n id="2" /> that it was to their advantage that one man die for the people.)<n id="3" />p>

<b><i>Every personi>b><n id="1" /> <b><i>who does not obey that prophet will be destroyed and thus removedi>b><n id="2" /> <b><i>from the peoplei>b>.&#8217;<n id="3" />

angry<n id="1" /> because they were teaching the people and announcing<n id="2" /> in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.

&#8220;Go and stand in the temple courts<n id="1" /> and proclaim<n id="2" /> to the people all the words of this life.&#8221;

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and miraculous signs<n id="1" /> among the people.

Before<n id="1" /> Jesus<n id="2" /> arrived, John<n id="3" /> had proclaimed a baptism for repentance<n id="4" /> to all the people of Israel.

Simeon<n id="1" /> has explained<n id="2" /> how God first concerned himself<n id="3" /> to select<n id="4" /> from among the Gentiles<n id="5" /> a people for his name.