Watch out for yourselves! They will hand you over to the courts to be tried. You will be beaten in synagogues. Because of me you will have to stand before governors and kings, and you will be witnesses to them.
So don't be ashamed to tell others about our Lord, or be ashamed of me. Instead be ready to share in suffering for the good news as God gives you strength.
I am John, your brother who shares with you in the suffering and in the kingdom and in the patient waiting that are our experience in Jesus. I was detained on the island of Patmos for sharing the word of God and the truth as revealed by Jesus.
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar those who had been killed because of their dedication to the word of God and their faithful witness.