Chapter 16

¹When the Sabbath was over, Mary of Magdala, Mary, James’s mother, and Salome bought spices, in order to go and anoint him. ²Then very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb, when the sun had just risen. ³And they said to one another,

“Who will roll the stone back from the doorway of the tomb for us?”

⁴And they looked up and saw that the stone had been rolled back, for it was very large. ⁵And when they went into the tomb they saw a young man in a white robe sitting at the right, and they were utterly amazed. ⁶But he said to them,

“You must not be amazed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here. See! This is where they laid him. ⁷But go and say to his disciples and to Peter, ‘He is going before you to Galilee; you will see him there, just as he told you.’ ”

⁸And they fled out of the tomb, for they were all trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing about it to anyone, for they were afraid to do so.

⁹Now after he had risen, early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary of Magdala, from whom he had driven out seven evil spirits. ¹⁰She went and told it to his old companions, while they were mourning and weeping. ¹¹When they heard that he was alive and that she had seen him, they would not believe it. ¹²Afterward he showed himself in a different form to two of them as they were walking along, on their way into the country. ¹³They went back and told the rest, but they would not believe them. ¹⁴Still later he appeared to the Eleven themselves when they were at table, and reproached them for their obstinacy and want of faith, because they had not believed those who had seen him after he had been raised from the dead. ¹⁵And he said to them,

“Go to the whole world and proclaim the good news to all the creation. ¹⁶He who believes it and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe it will be condemned. ¹⁷And signs like these will attend those who believe: with my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in foreign tongues; ¹⁸they will take snakes in their hands, and if they drink poison it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well.”

¹⁹So the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was caught up into heaven and took his seat at God’s right hand. ²⁰And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed their message by the signs that attended it.