Array not written properly

[gilgalbiblewhee]

I have an array resulted from a function but can't figure out how to set it properly:

Array
(
    [0] => 
    [1] => <br />

    [2] => <span class="goToBookChapter" style="font-weight: bold;">Genesis 29:2</span><br />

    [3] => <br />

    [4] => And he <span class="" id="" style="color:MediumTurquoise; font-weight:bold;">looked</span>, and <span class="" id="" style="color:DarkRed; font-weight:bold;">behold</span> a well in the field, and, lo, there were three <span class="" id="" style="color:Teal; font-weight:bold;">flock</span>s of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the <span class="" id="" style="color:Teal; font-weight:bold;">flock</span>s: and a <span class="" id="" style="color:; font-weight:bold;">great</span> stone was upon the well's mouth.<br />

    [5] => <br />

    [6] => <span class="goToBookChapter" style="font-weight: bold;">Exodus 2:16</span><br />

    [7] => <br />

    [8] => Now the <span class="" id="" style="color:green; font-weight:bold;">priest</span> of <span class="" id="" style="color:PaleGreen; font-weight:bold;">Midian</span> had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their <span class="" id="" style="color:Magenta; font-weight:bold;">father</span>'s <span class="" id="" style="color:Teal; font-weight:bold;">flock</span>.<br />

    [9] => <br />

    [10] => <span class="goToBookChapter" style="font-weight: bold;">Exodus 3:1</span><br />

    [11] => <br />

    [12] => Now <span class="" id="" style="color:red; font-weight:bold;">Moses</span> kept the <span class="" id="" style="color:Teal; font-weight:bold;">flock</span> of <span class="" id="" style="color:blue; font-weight:bold;">Jethro</span> his <span class="" id="" style="color:Magenta; font-weight:bold;">father</span> in law, the <span class="" id="" style="color:green; font-weight:bold;">priest</span> of <span class="" id="" style="color:PaleGreen; font-weight:bold;">Midian</span>: and he led the <span class="" id="" style="color:Teal; font-weight:bold;">flock</span> to the <span class="" id="" style="color:orange; font-weight:bold;">backside</span> of the <span class="" id="" style="color:purple; font-weight:bold;">desert</span>, and came to the <span class="" id="" style="color:Pink; font-weight:bold;">mountain</span> of God, even to <span class="" id="" style="color:YellowGreen; font-weight:bold;">Horeb</span>.<br />

    [13] => <br />

    [14] => <span class="goToBookChapter" style="font-weight: bold;">Exodus 3:2</span><br />

    [15] => <br />

    [16] => And the <span class="" id="" style="color:Sienna; font-weight:bold;">angel</span> of the LORD <span class="" id="" style="color:aqua; font-weight:bold;">appeared</span> unto him in a <span class="" id="" style="color:Gray; font-weight:bold;">flame</span> of fire out of the <span class="" id="" style="color:LightBlue; font-weight:bold;">midst</span> of a bush: and he <span class="" id="" style="color:MediumTurquoise; font-weight:bold;">looked</span>, and, <span class="" id="" style="color:DarkRed; font-weight:bold;">behold</span>, the bush <span class="" id="" style="color:; font-weight:bold;">burned</span> with fire, and the bush was not <span class="" id="" style="color:; font-weight:bold;">consumed</span>.<br />

    [17] => <br />

    [18] => <span class="goToBookChapter" style="font-weight: bold;">Exodus 3:3</span><br />

    [19] => <br />

    [20] => And <span class="" id="" style="color:red; font-weight:bold;">Moses</span> said, I will now turn <span class="" id="" style="color:; font-weight:bold;">aside</span>, and see this <span class="" id="" style="color:; font-weight:bold;">great</span> <span class="" id="" style="color:; font-weight:bold;">sight</span>, why the bush is not <span class="" id="" style="color:; font-weight:bold;">burnt</span>.<br />

    [21] => <br />

    [22] => <span class="goToBookChapter" style="font-weight: bold;">Exodus 17:6</span><br />

    [23] => <br />

    [24] => <span class="" id="" style="color:DarkRed; font-weight:bold;">Behold</span>, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in <span class="" id="" style="color:YellowGreen; font-weight:bold;">Horeb</span>; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And <span class="" id="" style="color:red; font-weight:bold;">Moses</span> did so in the <span class="" id="" style="color:; font-weight:bold;">sight</span> of the elders of Israel.<br />
)

The function is:

function getQuery($bigWords){
...
        $theresult = array();
        $theresult[] = "";
        //$theresult[] = $query;
        $result = mysql_query($query);

    while($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)){
        $theresult[] .= "<br />\n";
        $theresult[] .= "<span class=\"goToBookChapter\" style=\"font-weight: bold;\">".$row['book_title']." ".$row['chapter'].":".$row['verse']."</span><br />\n";
    
        $strText = $row['text_data'];
        $COLORS = array('red','Teal','blue','Magenta','green','PaleGreen','orange','purple','Pink','YellowGreen','Sienna','aqua','Gray','LightBlue','MediumTurquoise','DarkRed');
        for($m=0; $m < count($bigWords); $m++){
            $strText = preg_replace("/(".$bigWords[$m].")/i", "<span class=\"\" id=\"\" style=\"color:".$COLORS[$m]."; font-weight:bold;\">$1</span>", $strText);
            }
        $theresult[] .= "<br />\n";
        $theresult[] .= $strText."<br />\n";
        }
        return $theresult;
        echo "<br /><br />".$query."<br />";
}
        
        echo "Words searched for:<br />\n";
        $bigWords = array_values($bigWords);
        
        
        //to make $k start the $COLORS from 0
        $k = 0;
        for ($j=0; $j < count($bigWords); $j++){
                if($bigWords[$j]!=""){
                    echo "<span style='font-weight: bold; color: ".$COLORS[$k].";'>".$bigWords[$j]."</span>\n";
                    if($j!=count($bigWords)-1){
                        echo " + ";
                        }else{
                        //removes the OR from the last line and replaces with the following
                        //for results of words > 3
                        echo ".<br />\n";
                        }
                    $k++;    
                }
        }
    print_r(getQuery($bigWords)); 

It should be:

Array
(
    [0] =><br /><span class="goToBookChapter" style="font-weight: bold;">Genesis 29:2</span><br /><br />And he <span class="" id="" style="color:MediumTurquoise; font-weight:bold;">looked</span>, and <span class="" id="" style="color:DarkRed; font-weight:bold;">behold</span> a well in the field, and, lo, there were three <span class="" id="" style="color:Teal; font-weight:bold;">flock</span>s of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the <span class="" id="" style="color:Teal; font-weight:bold;">flock</span>s: and a <span class="" id="" style="color:; font-weight:bold;">great</span> stone was upon the well's mouth.<br />

    [1] => <br /><span class="goToBookChapter" style="font-weight: bold;">Exodus 2:16</span><br /><br />Now the <span class="" id="" style="color:green; font-weight:bold;">priest</span> of <span class="" id="" style="color:PaleGreen; font-weight:bold;">Midian</span> had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their <span class="" id="" style="color:Magenta; font-weight:bold;">father</span>'s <span class="" id="" style="color:Teal; font-weight:bold;">flock</span>.<br /><br />

    [2] => <span class="goToBookChapter" style="font-weight: bold;">Exodus 3:1</span><br /><br />Now <span class="" id="" style="color:red; font-weight:bold;">Moses</span> kept the <span class="" id="" style="color:Teal; font-weight:bold;">flock</span> of <span class="" id="" style="color:blue; font-weight:bold;">Jethro</span> his <span class="" id="" style="color:Magenta; font-weight:bold;">father</span> in law, the <span class="" id="" style="color:green; font-weight:bold;">priest</span> of <span class="" id="" style="color:PaleGreen; font-weight:bold;">Midian</span>: and he led the <span class="" id="" style="color:Teal; font-weight:bold;">flock</span> to the <span class="" id="" style="color:orange; font-weight:bold;">backside</span> of the <span class="" id="" style="color:purple; font-weight:bold;">desert</span>, and came to the <span class="" id="" style="color:Pink; font-weight:bold;">mountain</span> of God, even to <span class="" id="" style="color:YellowGreen; font-weight:bold;">Horeb</span>.<br />
}

[gilgalbiblewhee]

Ok ok. By eliminating .= and joining strings together I managed to fix some parts of the array. However there is the first part which causes [0] to show blank. How do I get around $theresult[] = ""; not showing in [0]=>?
The reason for avoiding is that I have a pagination code where the first page will show one less because of this:

    function getQuery($bigWords){

...
        $theresult = array();
        $theresult[] = "";
        //$theresult[] = $query;
        $result = mysql_query($query);

    while($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)){
        $strText = $row['text_data'];
        $COLORS = array('red','Teal','blue','Magenta','green','PaleGreen','orange','purple','Pink','YellowGreen','Sienna','aqua','Gray','LightBlue','MediumTurquoise','DarkRed');
        for($m=0; $m < count($bigWords); $m++){
            $strText = preg_replace("/(".$bigWords[$m].")/i", "<span class=\"\" id=\"\" style=\"color:".$COLORS[$m]."; font-weight:bold;\">$1</span>", $strText);
            }
        $theresult[] .= "<br />\n<span class=\"goToBookChapter\" style=\"font-weight: bold;\">".$row['book_title']." ".$row['chapter'].":".$row['verse']."</span><br />\n".$strText;
        }
        return $theresult;
        echo "<br /><br />".$query."<br />";
}