When they came they said to him, &#8220;Teacher, we know that you are truthful and do not court anyone&#8217;s favor, because you show no partiality<n id="1" /> but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.<n id="2" /> Is it right<n id="3" /> to pay taxes<n id="4" /> to Caesar<n id="5" /> or not? Should we pay or shouldn&#8217;t we?&#8221;

came to Jesus<n id="1" /> at night<n id="2" /> and said to him, &#8220;Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs<n id="3" /> that you do unless God is with him.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">Jesus answered<n id="1" /> her, &#8220;If you had known<n id="2" /> the gift of God and who it is who said to you, &#8216;Give me some water<n id="3" /> to drink,&#8217; you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.&#8221;<n id="4" />

<p class="bodytext">Then some of the Pharisees began to say,<n id="1" /> &#8220;This man is not from God, because he does not observe<n id="2" /> the Sabbath.&#8221;<n id="3" /> But others said, &#8220;How can a man who is a sinner perform<n id="4" /> such miraculous signs?&#8221; Thus there was a division<n id="5" /> among them.

Both Paul and Barnabas replied courageously,<n id="1" /> &#8220;It was necessary to speak the word of God<n id="2" /> to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy<n id="3" /> of eternal life, we<n id="4" /> are turning to the Gentiles.<n id="5" />

&#8220;I am a Jew,<n id="1" /> born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up<n id="2" /> in this city, educated with strictness<n id="3" /> under<n id="4" /> Gamaliel<n id="5" /> according to the law of our ancestors,<n id="6" /> and was<n id="7" /> zealous<n id="8" /> for God just as all of you are today.

<p class="bodytext">They set<n id="1" /> a day to meet with him,<n id="2" /> and they came to him where he was staying<n id="3" /> in even greater numbers.<n id="4" /> From morning until evening he explained things<n id="5" /> to them,<n id="6" /> testifying<n id="7" /> about the kingdom of God<n id="8" /> and trying to convince<n id="9" /> them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets.

But the gracious gift is not like the transgression.<n id="1" /> For if the many died through the transgression of the one man,<n id="2" /> how much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ multiply to the many!

I have been crucified with Christ,<n id="1" /> and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So<n id="2" /> the life I now live in the body,<n id="3" /> I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God,<n id="4" /> who loved me and gave himself for me.

Whoever speaks, let it be with<n id="1" /> God&#8217;s words.<n id="2" /> Whoever serves, do so with the strength<n id="3" /> that God supplies, so that in everything God will be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong<n id="4" /> the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.p>

(The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has testified concerning his Son.)<n id="1" />

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us insight to know<n id="1" /> him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This one<n id="2" /> is the true God and eternal life.

<t /><p class="bodytext">&#8220;To<n id="1" /> the angel of the church in Sardis write the following:<n id="2" />p> <p class="bodytext">&#8220;This is the solemn pronouncement of<n id="3" /> the one who holds<n id="4" /> the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: &#8216;I know your deeds, that you have a reputation<n id="5" /> that you are alive, but<n id="6" /> in reality<n id="7" /> you are dead.

<p class="bodytext">Then<n id="1" /> I saw standing in the middle of the throne<n id="2" /> and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb that appeared to have been killed.<n id="3" /> He had<n id="4" /> seven horns and seven eyes, which<n id="5" /> are the seven<n id="6" /> spirits of God<n id="7" /> sent out into all the earth.

<p class="bodytext">Then<n id="1" /> I saw something like a sea of glass<n id="2" /> mixed with fire, and those who had conquered<n id="3" /> the beast and his image and the number of his name. They were standing<n id="4" /> by<n id="5" /> the sea of glass, holding harps given to them by God.<n id="6" />

They<n id="1" /> sang the song of Moses the servant<n id="2" /> of God and the song of the Lamb:<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Great and astounding are your deeds,p> <p class="poetry">Lord God, the All-Powerful!<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">Just<n id="5" /> and true are your ways,p> <p class="poetry">King over the nations!<n id="6" />p>

The<n id="1" /> great city was split into three parts and the cities of the nations<n id="2" /> collapsed.<n id="3" /> So<n id="4" /> Babylon the great was remembered before God, and was given the cup<n id="5" /> filled with the wine made of God&#8217;s furious wrath.<n id="6" />

From his mouth extends a sharp sword, so that with it he can strike the nations.<n id="1" /> <b><i>Hei>b><n id="2" /> <b><i>will rulei>b><n id="3" /> <i><b>them with an iron rodb>,i><n id="4" /> and he stomps the winepress<n id="5" /> of the furious<n id="6" /> wrath of God, the All-Powerful.<n id="7" />

Blessed and holy is the one who takes part<n id="1" /> in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them,<n id="2" /> but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.p>

<p class="bodytext">Then<n id="1" /> I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge.<n id="2" /> I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. These<n id="3" /> had not worshiped the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or hand. They<n id="4" /> came to life<n id="5" /> and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.