By his sovereign plan he gave us birth<n id="1" /> through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.p>

For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors<n id="1" /> do the same, don&#8217;t they?

So after they had assembled, Pilate said to them, &#8220;Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus<n id="1" /> Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Christ?&#8221;<n id="2" />

The<n id="1" /> governor asked them, &#8220;Which of the two do you want me to release for you?&#8221; And they said, &#8220;Barabbas!&#8221;

He asked them, &#8220;But who do you say that I am?&#8221; Peter answered him,<n id="1" /> &#8220;You are the Christ.&#8221;<n id="2" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">John said to him, &#8220;Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he was not following us.&#8221;

<t /><p class="bodytext">The soldiers<n id="1" /> forced<n id="2" /> a passerby to carry his cross,<n id="3" /> Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country<n id="4" /> (he was the father of Alexander and Rufus).

Then<n id="1" /> he said to them, &#8220;But who do you say that I am?&#8221; Peter<n id="2" /> answered,<n id="3" /> &#8220;The Christ<n id="4" /> of God.&#8221;

<t /><p class="bodytext">John answered,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop<n id="2" /> him because he is not a disciple<n id="3" /> along with us.&#8221;

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now as they went on their way, Jesus<n id="1" /> entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him as a guest.<n id="2" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">As<n id="1" /> they led him away, they seized Simon of Cyrene,<n id="2" /> who was coming in from the country.<n id="3" /> They placed the cross on his back and made him carry it behind Jesus.<n id="4" />

You aren&#8217;t greater than our father Abraham who died, are you?<n id="1" /> And the prophets died too! Who do you claim to be?&#8221;

Jesus told them this parable,<n id="1" /> but they<n id="2" /> did not understand<n id="3" /> what he was saying to them.p>

I tell you the solemn truth,<n id="1" /> whoever accepts<n id="2" /> the one I send accepts me, and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

<p class="bodytext">Now in that city was a man named Simon, who had been practicing magic<n id="1" /> and amazing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great.

If then Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint<n id="1" /> against someone, the courts are open<n id="2" /> and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges against one another there.<n id="3" />

They did not find me arguing<n id="1" /> with anyone or stirring up a crowd<n id="2" /> in the temple courts<n id="3" /> or in the synagogues<n id="4" /> or throughout the city,<n id="5" />

Rather they had several points of disagreement<n id="1" /> with him about their own religion<n id="2" /> and about a man named Jesus<n id="3" /> who was dead, whom Paul claimed<n id="4" /> to be alive.

With difficulty we sailed along the coast<n id="1" /> of Crete<n id="2" /> and came to a place called Fair Havens that was near the town of Lasea.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="bodytext">When the fourteenth night had come, while we were being driven<n id="1" /> across the Adriatic Sea,<n id="2" /> about midnight the sailors suspected they were approaching some land.<n id="3" />