And the Tempter came to him, and said: "If you are God's Son, tell these stones to become loaves of bread."

"If you are God's Son, throw yourself down, for Scripture says- -'He will give his angels commands about thee, And on their hands they will upbear thee, Lest ever thou shouldst strike thy foot against a stone.'"

I, however, say to you that you must not swear at all, either by Heaven, since that is God's throne,

If God so clothes even the grass of the field, which is living to-day and to-morrow will be thrown into the oven, will not he much more clothe you, O men of little faith?

But the men in the boat threw themselves on their faces before him, and said: "You are indeed God's Son."

His reply was: "How is it that you on your side break God's commandments out of respect for your own traditions?

And had not those days been limited, not a single soul would escape; but for the sake of 'God's People' a limit will be put to them.

For false Christs and false Prophets will arise, and will display great signs and marvels, so that, were it possible, even God's People would be led astray.

"You who 'destroy the Temple and build one in three days,' save yourself! If you are God's Son, come down from the cross!"

He has trusted in God; if God wants him, let him deliver him now; for he said 'I am God's Son.'"

the tombs opened, and the bodies of many of God's People who had fallen asleep rose,

The Roman Captain, and the men with him who were watching Jesus, on seeing the earthquake and all that was happening, became greatly frightened and exclaimed: "This must indeed have been God's Son!"

Shrieking out in a loud voice: "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? For God's sake do not torment me!"

You neglect God's commandments and hold to the traditions of men.

Wisely do you set aside God's commandments," he exclaimed, "to keep your own traditions!

For those days will be a time of distress, the like of which has not occurred from the beginning of God's creation until now-- and never will again.

And, had not the Lord put a limit to those days, not a single soul would escape; but, for the sake of God's own chosen People, he did limit them.

For false Christs and false Prophets will arise, and display signs and marvels, to lead astray, were it possible, even God's People.

The Roman Officer, who was standing facing Jesus, on seeing the way in which he expired, exclaimed: "This man must indeed have been 'God's Son'!"

So the Devil said to him: "If you are God's Son, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread."

The Devil next led him into Jerusalem, and, placing him on the parapet of the Temple, said: "If you are God's Son throw yourself down from here,

Once, when the people were pressing round Jesus as the listened to God's Message, he happened to be standing by the shore of the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats close to the shore.

But the Pharisees and the Students of the Law, having rejected John's baptism, frustrated God's purpose in regard to them.)

This is the parable--The seed is God's Message.

His reply, spoken to them all, was: "My mother and my brothers are those who listen to God's teaching and do what it bids."

But Jesus replied: "Rather, happy are those who listen to God's Message and keep it."

Are not five sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them has escaped God's notice.

Every one, I tell you, who shall acknowledge me before his fellow men, the Son of Man, also, will acknowledge before God's angels;

But he, who disowns me before his fellow men, will be altogether disowned before God's angels.

If, even in the field, God so clothes the grass which is living to-day and to-morrow will be thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O men of little faith!

So, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of God's angels over one outcast that repents."

'No,' he said to his father, 'look at all the years I have been serving you, without ever once disobeying you, and yet you have never given me even a kid, so that I might have a merry-making with my friends.

Nor indeed can they die again, for they are like angels and, having shared in the resurrection, they are God's Sons.

Meanwhile the people stood looking on. Even the leading men said with a sneer: "He saved others, let him save himself, if he is God's Christ, his Chosen One."

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that every one who believes in him may not be lost, but have Immortal Life.

For he whom God sent as his Messenger gives us God's own teaching, for God does not limit the gift of the Spirit.

He who believes in the Son has Immortal Life, while he who rejects the Son will not even see that Life, but remains under 'God's displeasure.'

If any one has the will to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching is from God, or whether I speak on my own authority.

He who comes from God listens to God's teaching; the reason why you do not listen is because you do not come from God."

We know that God never listens to bad men, but, when a man is god-fearing and does God's will, God listens to him.

If those to whom God's word were addressed were said to be 'gods'--and Scripture cannot be set aside--

Do you say of one whom the Father has consecrated and sent as his Messenger to the world 'You are blaspheming,' because I said 'I am God's Son'?

He, I say, in accordance with God's definite plan and with his previous knowledge, was betrayed, and you, by the hands of lawless men, nailed him to a cross and put him to death.

When their prayer was ended, the place in which they were assembled was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to tell God's Message fearlessly.

The Apostles continued with great power to bear their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God's blessing rested upon them all abundantly.

The Twelve, therefore, called together the general body of the disciples and said to them: "It is not well for us to see to the distribution at the tables and neglect God's Message.

So God's Message spread, and the number of the disciples continued to increase rapidly in Jerusalem, and a large body of the priests accepted the Faith.

God's words were these--'Abraham's descendants shall live in a foreign country, where they will be enslaved and ill-treated for four hundred years.

He, filled as he was with the Holy Spirit, fixed his eyes intently on the heavens, and saw the Glory of God and Jesus standing at God's right hand.

"Look," he exclaimed, "I see Heaven open and the Son of Man standing at God's right hand!"

When the Apostles at Jerusalem heard that the Samaritans had welcomed God's Message, they sent Peter and John to them;

"A curse upon you and upon your money," Peter exclaimed, "for thinking that God's free gift can be bought with gold!

The Apostles and the Brethren throughout Judea heard that even the Gentiles had welcomed God's Message.

On hearing this statement, they said no more, but broke out into praise of God. "So even to the Gentiles," they exclaimed, "God has granted the repentance which leads to Life!"

He was at the court of the Governor, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who sent for Barnabas and Saul and asked to be told God's Message.

David, after obediently doing God's will in his own time, 'fell asleep and was laid by the side of his ancestors, and did undergo corruption;

On the following Sabbath, almost all the city gathered to hear God's Message.

On hearing this, the Gentiles were glad and extolled God's Message; and all those who had been enrolled for Immortal Life became believers in Christ;

Then they spoke to him of God's Message, and to all his household as well.

But, when the Jews of Thessalonica found out that God's Message had been delivered by Paul at Beroea, they came there too, exciting and disturbing the minds of the people.

So he settled there for a year and a half, and taught God's Message among the people.

"I am a Jew, a native of Tarsus in Cilicia, but I was brought up in this city under the teaching of Gamaliel, and educated in accordance with the strict system of our ancestral Law. I was as zealous in God's service as any of you who are here to-day.

The people standing near said to Paul: "Do you know that you are insulting God's High Priest?"

To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God; so that they may receive pardon for their sins, and a place among those who have become God's People, by faith in me.'

To all in Rome who are dear to God and have been called to become Christ's People, From Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, who has been called to become an Apostle, and has been set apart to tell God's Good News.

For ever since the creation of the universe God's invisible attributes-his everlasting power and divinity-are to be seen and studied in his works, so that men have no excuse;

Well aware of God's decree, that those who do such things deserve to die, not only are they guilty of them themselves, but they even applaud those who do them.

And we know that God's judgment falls unerringly upon those who do them.

You who judge those that do such things and yet are yourself guilty of them-do you suppose that you of all men will escape God's judgment?

Hard-hearted and impenitent as you are, you are storing up for yourself Wrath on the 'Day of Wrath,' when God's justice as a judge will be revealed;

Great in every way. First of all, because the Jews were entrusted with God's utterances.

But what if our wrong-doing makes God's righteousness all the clearer? Will God be wrong in inflicting punishment? (I can but speak as a man.) Heaven forbid!

For all have sinned, and all fall short of God's glorious ideal,

That is why all is made to depend upon faith, that all may be God's gift, and in order that the fulfillment of the promise may be made certain for all Abraham's descendants-not only for those who take their stand on the Law, but also for those who take their stand on the faith of Abraham. (He is the Father of us all;

He was not led by want of faith to doubt God's promise.

It is through him that, by reason of our faith, we have obtained admission to that place in God's favor in which we not stand. So let us exult in our hope of attaining God's glorious ideal.

Seeing that, while we were still powerless, Christ, in God's good time, died on behalf of the godless.

For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, much more, now that we have become reconciled, shall we be saved by virtue of Christ's Life.

But there is a contrast between Adam's Offence and God's gracious Gift. For, if by reason of the offence of the one man the whole race died, far more were the loving-kindness of God, and the gift given in the loving-kindness of the one man, Jesus Christ, lavished upon the whole race.

There is a contrast, too, between the gift and the results of the one man's sin. The judgment, which followed upon the one man's sin, resulted in condemnation, but God's gracious Gift, which followed upon many offences, resulted in a decree of righteousness.

For if, by reason of the offence of the one man, Death reigned through that one man, far more will those, upon whom God's loving- kindness and his gift of righteousness are lavished, find Life, and reign through the one man, Jesus Christ.

What are we to say, then? Are we to continue to sin, in order that God's loving-kindness may be multiplied?

The Spirit himself unites with our spirits in bearing witness to our being God's children,

Who will bring a charge against any of God's People? He who pronounces them righteous is God!

Who is there to condemn them? He who died for us is Christ Jesus!-or, rather, it was he who was raised from the dead, and who is now at God's right hand and is even pleading on our behalf!

Not that God's Word has failed. For it is not all who are descended from Israel who are true Israelites;

This means that it is not the children born in the course of nature who are God's Children, but it is the children born in fulfillment of the Promise who are to be regarded as Abraham's descendants.

So, then, all depends, not on human wishes or human efforts, but on God's mercy.

From the stand-point of the Good News, the Jews are God's enemies on your account; but from the stand-point of God's selection, they are dear to him on account of the Patriarchs.

Do not conform to the fashion of this world; but be transformed by the complete change that has come over your minds, so that you may discern what God's will is--all that is good, acceptable, and perfect.

Therefore he who sets himself against the authorities is resisting God's appointment, and those who resist will bring a judgment upon themselves.

For they are God's servants appointed for your good. But, if you do what is wrong, you may well be afraid; for the sword they carry is not without meaning! They are God's servants to inflict his punishments on those who do wrong.

You are bound, therefore, to obey, not only through fear of God's punishments, but also as a matter of conscience.

This, too, is the reason for your paying taxes; for the officials are God's officers, devoting themselves to this special work.

Do not undo God's work for the sake of what you eat. Though everything is 'clean,' yet, if a man eats so as to put a stumbling- block in the way of others, he does wrong.

For I tell you that Christ, in vindication of God's truthfulness, has become a minister of the Covenant of Circumcision, so that he may fulfil the promises made to our ancestors,

And again it says--'Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with God's People.'

Because of the charge with which God has entrusted me, that I should be a minister of Christ Jesus to go to the Gentiles--that I should act as a priest of God's Good News, so that the offering up of the Gentiles may be an acceptable sacrifice, consecrated by the Holy Spirit.

For since the world, in God's wisdom, did not by its philosophy learn to know God, God saw fit, by the 'folly' of our proclamation, to save those who believe in Christ!

For God's 'folly' is wiser than men, and God's 'weakness' is stronger than men.