When ye fasted with mourning in the fifth and in the seventh months -- even these seventy years -- did ye keep the fast to Me -- Me? And when ye eat, and when ye drink, is it not ye who are eating, and ye who are drinking?

Are not these the words that Jehovah proclaimed by the hand of the former prophets, in Jerusalem's being inhabited, and in safety, and its cities round about it, and the south and the plain -- abiding?'

And broad places of the city are full of boys and girls, Playing in its broad places.

Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Let your hands be strong, Ye who are hearing in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets, That in the day the house of Jehovah of Hosts Hath been founded, the temple is to be built.

These are the things that ye do: Speak ye truth each with his neighbour, Truth and peaceful judgment judge in your gates,

And each the evil of his neighbour ye do not devise in your heart, And a false oath ye do not love, For all these are things that I have hated, An affirmation of Jehovah.'

Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: The fast of the fourth, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth months, are to the house of Judah for joy and for rejoicing, and for pleasant appointed seasons, and the truth and the peace they have loved.

And saved them hath Jehovah their God In that day, as a flock of His people, For stones of a crown are displaying themselves over His ground.

Because the teraphim did speak iniquity, And the diviners have seen a falsehood, And dreams of the vanity they speak, With vanity they give comfort, Therefore they have journeyed as a flock, They are afflicted, for there is no shepherd.

Whose buyers slay them, and are not guilty, And their sellers say, Blessed is Jehovah, And I am rich, And their shepherds have no pity on them.

and it is broken in that day, and know well do the afflicted of the flock who are observing me, that it is a word of Jehovah.

And it hath come to pass, in that day, I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone to all the peoples, All loading it are completely pressed down, And gathered against it have been all nations of the earth.

And leaders of Judah have said in their heart, 'Strength to me are the inhabitants of Jerusalem, In Jehovah of Hosts their God.'

And it hath come to pass, in that day, I seek to destroy all the nations Who are coming in against Jerusalem,

All the families that are left, Every family apart, and their women apart!

And it hath come to pass, in that day, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, I cut off the names of the idols from the land, And they are not remembered any more, And also the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness I cause to pass away from the land.

And it hath come to pass, in that day, Ashamed are the prophets, each of his vision, in his prophesying, And they put not on a hairy robe to deceive.

And one hath said unto him, 'What are these wounds in thy hands?' And he hath said, 'Because I was smitten at home by my lovers.'

And it hath come to pass, In all the land, an affirmation of Jehovah, Two parts in it are cut off -- they expire, And the third is left in it.

And I have gathered all the nations unto Jerusalem to battle, And captured hath been the city, And spoiled have been the houses, And the women are lain with, Gone forth hath half the city in a removal, And the remnant of the people are not cut off from the city.

And ye have fled to the valley of My mountains, For join doth the valley of the mountains to Azal, And ye have fled as ye fled before the shaking, In the days of Uzziah king of Judah, And come in hath Jehovah my God, All holy ones are with Thee.

And this is the plague with which Jehovah Doth plague all the peoples who have warred against Jerusalem, He hath consumed away its flesh, And it is standing on its feet, And its eyes are consumed in their holes, And its tongue is consumed in their mouth.

And so is the plague of the horse, of the mule, Of the camel, and of the ass, And of all the cattle that are in these camps, As this plague.

And it hath come to pass, Every one who hath been left of all the nations, Who are coming in against Jerusalem, They have also gone up from year to year, To bow themselves to the King, Jehovah of Hosts, And to celebrate the feast of the booths.

Ye are bringing nigh on Mine altar polluted bread, And ye have said: 'In what have we polluted Thee?' In your saying: 'The table of Jehovah -- it is despicable,'

And ye are polluting it in your saying, 'The table of Jehovah -- it is polluted, As to its fruit -- despicable is its food.'

If ye hearken not, and if ye lay it not to heart, To give honour to My name, said Jehovah of Hosts, I have sent against you the curse, And I have cursed your blessings, Yea, I have also cursed it, Because ye are not laying it to heart.

And I also, I have made you despised and low before all the people, Because ye are not keeping My ways, And are accepting persons in the law.

Lo, I am sending My messenger, And he hath prepared a way before Me, And suddenly come in unto his temple Doth the Lord whom ye are seeking, Even the messenger of the covenant, Whom ye are desiring, Lo, he is coming, said Jehovah of Hosts.

Doth man deceive God? but ye are deceiving Me, And ye have said: 'In what have we deceived Thee?' The tithe and the heave-offering!

With a curse ye are cursed! And Me ye are deceiving -- this nation -- all of it.

And declared you happy have all the nations, For ye are a delightful land, said Jehovah of Hosts.

And now, we are declaring the proud happy, Yea, built up have been those doing wickedness, Yea they have tempted God, and escape.'

And ye have trodden down the wicked, For they are ashes under the soles of your feet, In the day that I am appointing, Said Jehovah of Hosts.

All the generations, therefore, from Abraham unto David are fourteen generations, and from David unto the Babylonian removal fourteen generations, and from the Babylonian removal unto the Christ, fourteen generations.

A voice in Ramah was heard -- lamentation and weeping and much mourning -- Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be comforted because they are not.'

Happy are ye whenever they may reproach you, and may persecute, and may say any evil thing against you falsely for my sake --

'Ye are the salt of the land, but if the salt may lose savour, in what shall it be salted? for nothing is it good henceforth, except to be cast without, and to be trodden down by men.

'Ye are the light of the world, a city set upon a mount is not able to be hid;

'None is able to serve two lords, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to the one, and despise the other; ye are not able to serve God and Mammon.

look to the fowls of the heaven, for they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather into storehouses, and your heavenly Father doth nourish them; are not ye much better than they?

and about clothing why are ye anxious? consider well the lilies of the field; how do they grow? they do not labour, nor do they spin;

Go ye in through the strait gate, because wide is the gate, and broad the way that is leading to the destruction, and many are those going in through it;

how strait is the gate, and compressed the way that is leading to the life, and few are those finding it!

'But, take heed of the false prophets, who come unto you in sheep's clothing, and inwardly are ravening wolves.

and then I will acknowledge to them, that -- I never knew you, depart from me ye who are working lawlessness.

and his disciples having come to him, awoke him, saying, 'Sir, save us; we are perishing.'

And he saith to them, 'Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?' Then having risen, he rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm;

And Jesus having heard, said to them, 'They who are whole have no need of a physician, but they who are ill;

Nor do they put new wine into old skins, and if not -- the skins burst, and the wine doth run out, and the skins are destroyed, but they put new wine into new skins, and both are preserved together.'

And as they are coming forth, lo, they brought to him a man dumb, a demoniac,

And of the twelve apostles the names are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James of Zebedee, and John his brother;

for ye are not the speakers, but the Spirit of your Father that is speaking in you.

'And be not afraid of those killing the body, and are not able to kill the soul, but fear rather Him who is able both soul and body to destroy in gehenna.

'Are not two sparrows sold for an assar? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father;

and of you -- even the hairs of the head are all numbered;

be not therefore afraid, than many sparrows ye are better.

and the enemies of a man are those of his household.

blind receive sight, and lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and deaf hear, dead are raised, and poor have good news proclaimed,

And as they are going, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John, 'What went ye out to the wilderness to view? -- a reed shaken by the wind?

But what went ye out to see? -- a man clothed in soft garments? lo, those wearing the soft things are in the kings' houses.

and if ye are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who was about to come;

'Or did ye not read in the Law, that on the sabbaths the priests in the temple do profane the sabbath, and are blameless?

Brood of vipers! how are ye able to speak good things -- being evil? for out of the abundance of the heart doth the mouth speak.

And he answering said to him who spake to him, 'Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?'

'And happy are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear,

and, while men are sleeping, his enemy came and sowed darnel in the midst of the wheat, and went away,

and the field is the world, and the good seed, these are the sons of the reign, and the darnel are the sons of the evil one,

and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is a full end of the age, and the reapers are messengers.

and his sisters -- are they not all with us? whence, then, to this one all these?'

and said to his servants, 'This is John the Baptist, he did rise from the dead, and because of this the mighty energies are working in him.'

let them alone, guides they are -- blind of blind; and if blind may guide blind, both into a ditch shall fall.'

And Jesus said, 'Are ye also yet without understanding?

these are the things defiling the man; but to eat with unwashen hands doth not defile the man.'

And she said, 'Yes, sir, for even the little dogs do eat of the crumbs that are falling from their lords' table;'

and at morning, Foul weather to-day, for the heaven is red -- gloomy; hypocrites, the face of the heavens indeed ye do know to discern, but the signs of the times ye are not able!

Verily I say to you, there are certain of those standing here who shall not taste of death till they may see the Son of Man coming in his reign.'

And as they are coming down from the mount, Jesus charged them, saying, 'Say to no one the vision, till the Son of Man out of the dead may rise.'

And while they are living in Galilee, Jesus said to them, 'The Son of Man is about to be delivered up to the hands of men,

Peter saith to him, 'From the strangers.' Jesus said to him, 'Then are the sons free;

and whoever may cause to stumble one of those little ones who are believing in me, it is better for him that a weighty millstone may be hanged upon his neck, and he may be sunk in the depth of the sea.

for where there are two or three gathered together -- to my name, there am I in the midst of them.'

so that they are no more two, but one flesh; what therefore God did join together, let no man put asunder.'

for there are eunuchs who from the mother's womb were so born; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are eunuchs who kept themselves eunuchs because of the reign of the heavens: he who is able to receive it -- let him receive.'

And Jesus having earnestly beheld, said to them, 'With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'

So the last shall be first, and the first last, for many are called, and few chosen.'

And Jesus answering said, 'Ye have not known what ye ask for yourselves; are ye able to drink of the cup that I am about to drink? and with the baptism that I am baptized with, to be baptized?' They say to him, 'We are able.'

Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Say to those who have been called: Lo, my dinner I prepared, my oxen and the fatlings have been killed, and all things are ready, come ye to the marriage-feasts;

for many are called, and few chosen.'

In that day there came near to him Sadducees, who are saying there is not a rising again, and they questioned him, saying,

for in the rising again they do not marry, nor are they given in marriage, but are as messengers of God in heaven.

And ye -- ye may not be called Rabbi, for one is your director -- the Christ, and all ye are brethren;

Woe to you, blind guides, who are saying, Whoever may swear by the sanctuary, it is nothing, but whoever may swear by the gold of the sanctuary -- is debtor!

'Blind guides! who are straining out the gnat, and the camel are swallowing.

'Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye make clean the outside of the cup and the plate, and within they are full of rapine and incontinence.

'Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye are like to whitewashed sepulchres, which outwardly indeed do appear beautiful, and within are full of bones of dead men, and of all uncleanness;

so also ye outwardly indeed do appear to men righteous, and within ye are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

So that ye testify to yourselves, that ye are sons of them who did murder the prophets;

and all these are the beginning of sorrows;

and the foolish said to the prudent, Give us of your oil, because our lamps are going out;