and has appointed<n id="1" /> us as a kingdom,<n id="2" /> as priests<n id="3" /> serving his God and Father &#8211; to him be the glory and the power for ever and ever!<n id="4" /> Amen.p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">&#8220;To<n id="1" /> the angel of the church in Pergamum write the following:<n id="2" />p> <p class="bodytext">&#8220;This is the solemn pronouncement of<n id="3" /> the one who has the sharp double-edged sword:<n id="4" />

But<n id="1" /> no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look into it.

<p class="bodytext">Then<n id="1" /> the twenty-four elders who are seated on their thrones before God threw themselves down with their faces to the ground<n id="2" /> and worshiped God

So<n id="1" /> the beast<n id="2" /> opened his mouth to blaspheme against God &#8211; to blaspheme both his name and his dwelling place,<n id="3" /> that is, those who dwell in heaven.

<p class="bodytext">After these things I heard what sounded like the loud voice of a vast throng in heaven, saying,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,p>

And I saw the holy city &#8211; the new Jerusalem &#8211; descending out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband.

<p class="bodytext">On that same occasion<n id="1" /> Jesus<n id="2" /> rejoiced<n id="3" /> in the Holy Spirit and said, &#8220;I praise<n id="4" /> you, Father, Lord<n id="5" /> of heaven and earth, because<n id="6" /> you have hidden these things from the wise<n id="7" /> and intelligent, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will.<n id="8" />

But the president of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the crowd, &#8220;There are six days on which work<n id="1" /> should be done!<n id="2" /> So come<n id="3" /> and be healed on those days, and not on the Sabbath day.&#8221;

So<n id="1" /> the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the master of the household was furious<n id="2" /> and said to his slave, &#8216;Go out quickly<n id="3" /> to the streets and alleys of the city,<n id="4" /> and bring in the poor,<n id="5" /> the crippled,<n id="6" /> the blind, and the lame.&#8217;

let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ<n id="1" /> the Nazarene whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, this man stands before you healthy.

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.

They were singing a new song:<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;You are worthy to take the scrollp> <p class="poetry">and to open its sealsp> <p class="poetry">because you were killed,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and at the cost of your own blood<n id="3" /> you have purchased<n id="4" /> for Godp> <p class="poetry">persons<n id="5" /> from every tribe, language,<n id="6" /> people, and nation.p>

Just then<n id="1" /> a major earthquake took place and a tenth of the city collapsed; seven thousand people<n id="2" /> were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now the birth of Jesus Christ happened this way. While his mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they came together,<n id="1" /> she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

and don&#8217;t think you can say to yourselves, &#8216;We have Abraham as our father.&#8217; For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones!

Going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in a boat<n id="1" /> with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. Then<n id="2" /> he called them.

<t /><p class="bodytext">Jesus<n id="1" /> went throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,<n id="2" /> preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of disease and sickness among the people.

Then Jesus said to him, &#8220;See that you do not speak to anyone,<n id="1" /> but go, show yourself to a priest, and bring the offering<n id="2" /> that Moses commanded,<n id="3" /> as a testimony to them.&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.<n id="1" /> I say to this one, &#8216;Go&#8217; and he goes,<n id="2" /> and to another &#8216;Come&#8217; and he comes, and to my slave<n id="3" /> &#8216;Do this&#8217; and he does it.&#8221;<n id="4" />