He went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers of the temple guard<n id="1" /> how he might<n id="2" /> betray Jesus,<n id="3" /> handing him over to them.<n id="4" />

And he said to them, &#8220;I have earnestly desired<n id="1" /> to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

<t /><p class="bodytext">&#8220;But look, the hand of the one who betrays<n id="1" /> me is with me on the table.<n id="2" />

So<n id="1" /> they began to question one another as to which of them it could possibly be who would do this.p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;Simon,<n id="1" /> Simon, pay attention!<n id="2" /> Satan has demanded to have you all,<n id="3" /> to sift you like wheat,<n id="4" />

When he came to the place,<n id="1" /> he said to them, &#8220;Pray that you will not fall into temptation.&#8221;<n id="2" />

Then<n id="1" /> one of them<n id="2" /> struck the high priest&#8217;s slave,<n id="3" /> cutting off his right ear.

Then<n id="1" /> Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, &#8220;I find no basis for an accusation<n id="2" /> against this man.&#8221;

Then they will begin <i>to say to the mountains,i><n id="1" /> &#8216;<i>Fall on us!i>&#8217; <i>and to the hills,i> &#8216;<i>Cover us!i>&#8217;<n id="2" />

For if such things are done<n id="1" /> when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

But the other rebuked him, saying,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Don&#8217;t<n id="2" /> you fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">It was now<n id="1" /> about noon,<n id="2" /> and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon,<n id="3" />

Then<n id="1" /> he said to them, &#8220;What are these matters<n id="2" /> you are discussing so intently<n id="3" /> as you walk along?&#8221; And they stood still, looking sad.

Therefore produce<n id="1" /> fruit<n id="2" /> that proves your repentance, and don&#8217;t begin to say<n id="3" /> to yourselves, &#8216;We have Abraham as our father.&#8217;<n id="4" /> For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones!<n id="5" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now on<n id="1" /> one of those days, while he was teaching, there were Pharisees<n id="2" /> and teachers of the law<n id="3" /> sitting nearby (who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem),<n id="4" /> and the power of the Lord was with him<n id="5" /> to heal.

For Jesus<n id="1" /> had started commanding<n id="2" /> the evil<n id="3" /> spirit to come out of the man. (For it had seized him many times, so<n id="4" /> he would be bound with chains and shackles<n id="5" /> and kept under guard. But<n id="6" /> he would break the restraints and be driven by the demon into deserted<n id="7" /> places.)<n id="8" />

So<n id="1" /> it seemed good to me as well,<n id="2" /> because I have followed<n id="3" /> all things carefully from the beginning, to write an orderly account<n id="4" /> for you, most excellent Theophilus,

All<n id="1" /> who heard these things<n id="2" /> kept them in their hearts,<n id="3" /> saying, &#8220;What then will this child be?&#8221;<n id="4" /> For the Lord&#8217;s hand<n id="5" /> was indeed with him.p>

<p class="poetry">to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">to guide our feet into the way<n id="2" /> of peace.&#8221;p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now<n id="1" /> when the time came for their<n id="2" /> purification according to the law of Moses, Joseph and Mary<n id="3" /> brought Jesus<n id="4" /> up to Jerusalem<n id="5" /> to present him to the Lord