Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother,“ This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him.

西面给他们祝福，又对孩子的母亲马利亚说：“这孩子被立，是要叫以色列中许多人跌倒，许多人兴起；又要作毁谤的话柄，叫许多人心里的意念显露出来；你自己的心也要被刀刺透。”

西面给他们祝福，又对孩子的母亲马利亚说：“这孩子被立，是要叫以色列中许多人跌倒，许多人兴起；又要成为毁谤的对象，

西面给他们祝福，又对孩子的母亲马利亚说：“这孩子被立，是要叫以色列中许多人跌倒，许多人兴起；又要成为毁谤的对象，

希缅给他们祝福后，就对孩子的母亲玛丽亚说：“看啊，这孩子必使以色列许多人跌倒、许多人兴起。祂将成为众人攻击的对象，

西面给他们祝福，对他母亲马利亚说：“看哪！这孩子被立，要叫以色列中许多人跌倒，许多人兴起，又要成为反对的目标，

西面祝福他们，并对孩子的母亲玛丽亚说：“看哪，这孩子注定要使以色列中许多人跌倒、许多人兴起，并要成为一个遭受反对的标记，

西面給他們祝福，又對孩子的母親馬利亞說：「這孩子被立，是要叫以色列中許多人跌倒，許多人興起；又要作毀謗的話柄，叫許多人心裏的意念顯露出來；你自己的心也要被刀刺透。」

西面給他們祝福，又對孩子的母親馬利亞說：「這孩子被立，是要叫以色列中許多人跌倒，許多人興起；又要成為毀謗的對象，

西面給他們祝福，又對孩子的母親馬利亞說：「這孩子被立，是要叫以色列中許多人跌倒，許多人興起；又要成為毀謗的對象，

希緬給他們祝福後，就對孩子的母親瑪麗亞說：「看啊，這孩子必使以色列許多人跌倒、許多人興起。祂將成為眾人攻擊的對象，

西面給他們祝福，對他母親馬利亞說：“看哪！這孩子被立，要叫以色列中許多人跌倒，許多人興起，又要成為反對的目標，

西面就給他們祝福，對孩子的母親馬利亞說：『看吧，這孩子被設立、必使以色列中許多人跌倒、許多人復起，也必做辯論的對象，將許多人心裏的意念揭露出來；

西面祝福他們，並對孩子的母親瑪麗亞說：「看哪，這孩子註定要使以色列中許多人跌倒、許多人興起，並要成為一個遭受反對的標記，

西面祝之、謂其母馬利亞曰、此子之立、致以色列多人興衰、亦為受誹之兆、

西面祝之、謂馬利亞曰、此子將立、關以色列族多人之盛衰、為受刺之鵠、

西緬祝之、謂耶穌之母瑪利亞曰、此子被立、為使以色列多人、或傾仆、或興起、亦為異跡、被人誹謗、

西默翁祝之、謂聖母曰：『此子之誕生、義塞眾人之禍福興亡繫焉。斯天下之正鵠、而又眾矢之的也。

Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother:“ This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against,

Then Simeon blessed them. He said to Mary, Jesus’ mother,“ This child is going to cause many people in Israel to fall and to rise. God has sent him. But many will speak against him.

And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,“ Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed

Then Simeon blessed them and told his mother Mary,“ Indeed, this child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed—

And Simeon blessed them and said to His mother Mary,“ Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and as a sign to be opposed—

Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother,“ Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against

and Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel; and for a sign which is spoken against;

Then Simeon blessed them and told His mother Mary:“ Indeed, this child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed—

And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this[ child] is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;

Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary,“ Listen carefully: This child is destined to be the cause of the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be rejected.

and Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, his mother,“ Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which is spoken against.

Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him,“ The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.”And,“ He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.

So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

Anyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.”

Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those with discernment listen carefully. The paths of the Lord are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them. But in those paths sinners stumble and fall.

Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest.He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them— both men and women— back to Jerusalem in chains.As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him.He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,“ Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”“ Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied,“ I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone’s voice but saw no one!Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus.He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink.Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling,“ Ananias!”“ Yes, Lord!” he replied.The Lord said,“ Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now.I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.”“ But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias,“ I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem!And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.”But the Lord said,“ Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said,“ Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength. Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days.And immediately he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying,“ He is indeed the Son of God!”

He will keep you safe. But to Israel and Judah he will be a stone that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare.Many will stumble and fall, never to rise again. They will be snared and captured.”

The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say,‘ He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by its results.”

After that, Aaron raised his hands toward the people and blessed them. Then, after presenting the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering, he stepped down from the altar.Then Moses and Aaron went into the Tabernacle, and when they came back out, they blessed the people again, and the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole community.

We have found this man to be a troublemaker who is constantly stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the cult known as the Nazarenes.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.

The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah.’

And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed.

So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill him. For he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father, thereby making himself equal with God.

But we want to hear what you believe, for the only thing we know about this movement is that it is denounced everywhere.”

They told him,“ Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive:‘ After three days I will rise from the dead.’

Passion for your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.When I weep and fast, they scoff at me.When I dress in burlap to show sorrow, they make fun of me.I am the favorite topic of town gossip, and all the drunks sing about me.

Our lives are a Christ like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?

“ So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles,“ Brothers, what should we do?”Peter replied,“ Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away— all who have been called by the Lord our God.”Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners,“ Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day— about 3,000 in all.

So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.

As Jesus was speaking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him.

Then Moses inspected all their work. When he found it had been done just as the Lord had commanded him, he blessed them.

Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing:“ Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.

“ Look at you now!” they yelled at him.“ You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!”The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus.“ He saved others,” they scoffed,“ but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him!He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said,‘ I am the Son of God.’”Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way.At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock.

If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you.

All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.

Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path.

Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers instead and took them before the city council.“ Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,” they shouted,“ and now they are here disturbing our city, too.

The people retorted,“ You Samaritan devil! Didn’t we say all along that you were possessed by a demon?”“ No,” Jesus said,“ I have no demon in me. For I honor my Father— and you dishonor me.And though I have no wish to glorify myself, God is going to glorify me. He is the true judge.I tell you the truth, anyone who obeys my teaching will never die!”The people said,“ Now we know you are possessed by a demon. Even Abraham and the prophets died, but you say,‘ Anyone who obeys my teaching will never die!’

So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him,“ God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.”“ I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied.“ But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”“ But what did he do?” they asked.“ How did he heal you?”“ Look!” the man exclaimed.“ I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”Then they cursed him and said,“ You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses!We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.”

Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said,“ Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy.What is your verdict?”“ Guilty!” they shouted.“ He deserves to die!”Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him,

This Melchizedek was king of the city of Salem and also a priest of God Most High. When Abraham was returning home after winning a great battle against the kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him.

You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact!“ Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed— and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.“ Friends, I realize that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was done in ignorance.But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah— that he must suffer these things.Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

I and the children the Lord has given me serve as signs and warnings to Israel from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies who dwells in his Temple on Mount Zion.

Then Joseph brought in his father, Jacob, and presented him to Pharaoh. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

But when some of the Jews saw the crowds, they were jealous; so they slandered Paul and argued against whatever he said.

But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all!Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying,“ Is this the one who relies on the Lord? Then let the Lord save him! If the Lord loves him so much, let the Lord rescue him!”