that you may fully know the truth of the things which you have been taught by word of mouth.

But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your petition has been heard: and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call his name John.

"I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God," answered the angel, "and I have been sent to talk with you and tell you this good news.

And when they saw the child, they told what had been said to them about Him;

To him it had been revealed by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death until he had seen the Lord's Anointed One.

When they saw Him, they were smitten with amazement, and His mother said to Him, "My child, why have you behaved thus to us? Your father and I have been searching for you in anguish."

"Why is it that you have been searching for me?" He replied; "did you not know that it is my duty to be engaged upon my Father's business?"

Now when all the people had been baptized, and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the sky opened,

And the Devil said to Him, "To you will I give all this authority and this splendour; for it has been handed over to me, and on whomsoever I will I bestow it.

He came to Nazareth also, where He had been brought up; and, as was His custom, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.

Instantly he stood up in their presence, took up the mattress on which he had been lying, and went away to his home, giving glory to God.

But a time for this will come, when the Bridegroom has been taken away from them: then, at that time, they will fast."

And the friends who had been sent, on returning to the house, found the servant in perfect health.

For already He had been commanding the foul spirit to come out of the man. For many a time it had seized and held him, and they had repeatedly put him in chains and fetters and kept guard over him, but he used to break the chains to pieces, and, impelled by the demon, to escape into the Desert.

Now when Jesus was returning, the people gave Him a warm welcome; for they had all been looking out for Him.

And a woman who for twelve years had been afflicted with haemorrhage--and had spent on doctors all she had, but none of them had been able to cure her--

For whoever shall have been ashamed of me and my teachings, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own and the Father's glory and in that of the holy angels.

"Alas for thee, Chorazin! Alas for thee, Bethsaida! For had the miracles been performed in Tyre and Sidon which have been performed in you, long ere now they would have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

On that same occasion Jesus was filled by the Holy Spirit with rapturous joy. "I give Thee fervent thanks," He exclaimed, "O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that Thou hast hidden these things from sages and men of understanding, and hast revealed them to babes. Yes, Father, for such has been Thy gracious will.

And that servant who has been told his Master's will and yet made no preparation and did not obey His will, will receive many lashes.

But he who had not been told it and yet did what deserved the scourge, will receive but few lashes. To whomsoever much has been given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been entrusted, of him a larger amount will be demanded.

where a woman was present who for eighteen years had been a confirmed invalid: she was bent double, and was unable to lift herself to her full height.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou who murderest the Prophets and stonest those who have been sent to thee, how often have I desired to gather thy children just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not come!

"When any one invites you to a wedding banquet, do not take the best seat, lest perhaps some more honoured guest than you may have been asked,

At dinner-time he sent his servant to announce to those who had been invited, "'Come, for things are now ready.'

for my son here was dead and has come to life again: he was lost and has been found.' "And they began to be merry.

"'All these years,' replied the son, 'I have been slaving for you, and I have never at any time disobeyed any of your orders, and yet you have never given me so much as a kid, for me to enjoy myself with my friends;

We are bound to make merry and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has come back to life, he was lost and has been found.'"

And if you have not been faithful in dealing with that which is not your own, who will give you that which is your own?

The Law and the Prophets continued until John came: from that time the Good News of the Kingdom of God has been spreading, and all classes have been forcing their way into it.

Have none been found to come back and give glory to God except this foreigner?"

"'Well done, good servant,' he replied; 'because you have been faithful in a very small matter, be in authority over ten towns.'

He looked at them and said, "What then does that mean which is written, "'The Stone which the builders rejected has been made the cornerstone'?

But as for those who shall have been deemed worthy to find a place in that other age and in the Resurrection from among the dead, the men do not marry and the women are not given in marriage.

for I tell you that I certainly shall not eat one again till its full meaning has been brought out in the Kingdom of God."

To Herod the sight of Jesus was a great gratification, for, for a long time, he had been wanting to see Him, because he had heard so much about Him. He hoped also to see some miracle performed by Him.

And on that very day Herod and Pilate became friends again, for they had been for some time at enmity.

Now one of the criminals who had been crucified insulted Him, saying, "Are not you the Christ? Save yourself and us."

But all His acquaintances, and the women who had been His followers after leaving Galilee, continued standing at a distance and looking on.

Then, taking it down, he wrapped it in a linen sheet and laid it in a tomb in the rock, where no one else had yet been put.

"Yes, it is true: the Master has come back to life. He has been seen by Simon."

Then they related what had happened on the way, and how He had been recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.