"The spirit of the Lord is upon me, For he has consecrated me to preach the good news to the poor, He has sent me to announce to the prisoners their release and to the blind the recovery of their sight, To set the down-trodden at liberty,

"There was once a rich man, who used to dress in purple and fine linen, and to live in luxury every day.

so that you may be reliably informed about the things you have been taught.

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,

Then an expert in the Law got up to test him and said, "Master, what must I do to make sure of eternal life?"

The angel answered, "The holy Spirit will come over you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. For that reason your child will be called holy, and the Son of God.

In those days an edict was issued by the Emperor Augustus that a census of the whole world should be taken.

And he said, "A man had two sons.

And he said to everyone, "If anyone wants to go with me, he must disregard himself, and take his cross day after day and follow me.

One Sabbath, when he went to take a meal at the house of a member of the council who was a Pharisee, they were watching him closely.

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath he went to the synagogue, as he was accustomed to do, and stood up to read the Scriptures.

So everyone went to his own town to register.

As they continued their journey, he came to a certain village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him to her house.

Once as he was praying in a certain place, when he stopped, one of his disciples said to him, "Master, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."

He gave them an illustration to show that they must always pray and not give up,

There were great crowds accompanying him, and once he turned and said to them,

Jesus returned from the Jordan full of the holy Spirit, and he was led about in the desert

One of the Pharisees asked him to have dinner with him, and he went to the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table.

Many writers have undertaken to compose accounts of the movement which has developed among us,

After this the Master appointed seventy-two others, and sent them on before him, two by two, to every town or place to which he intended to come.

They had no children, for Elizabeth was barren; and they were both advanced in life.

For the Son of Man has come to search for what was lost and to save it."

And they divided up his clothes among them by drawing lots for them,

but on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking spices they had prepared.

"But I tell you who hear me, love your enemies, treat those who hate you well,

Give, and they will give to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, they will pour into your lap. For the measure you use with others they in turn will use with you."

while all the throng of people was outside, praying at the hour of the incense offering.

But he said to him, "Who made me a judge or arbitrator of your affairs?"

Once when he was acting as priest before God, when his division was on duty,

And he took a loaf of bread and thanked God, and broke it in pieces, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body.

To some who were confident of their own uprightness, and thought nothing of others, he used this illustration:

Once as the crowd was pressing about him to hear God's message, he happened to be standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,

No, I tell you; unless you repent, you will all perish as they did!

When Zechariah saw him he was startled and overcome with fear.

"If anyone comes to me without hating his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and his very life too, he cannot be a disciple of mine.

And the scribes and the Pharisees were on the watch to see whether he would cure people on the Sabbath, in order to find a charge to bring against him.

One Sabbath he was teaching in one of the synagogues,

Then he said to them, "This is what I told you when I was still with you??hat everything that is written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must come true."

That same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,

And he said to him, "I tell you, you will be in Paradise with me today!"

it fell to his lot, according to the priests' practice, to go into the sanctuary of the Lord and burn the incense,

Someone in the crowd said to him, "Master, tell my brother to give me my share of our inheritance."

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen to give you the kingdom.

All the tax-collectors and irreligious people were crowding up to hear him.

Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?

'The very dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off in protest. But understand this: the Kingdom of God is at hand!'

And he went into Jericho and was passing through it.

Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his work. He was the son, it was supposed, of Joseph, the son of Eli,

He answered, " 'You must love the Lord your God with your whole heart, your whole soul, your whole strength, and your whole mind,' and 'your neighbor as you do yourself.' "

And Mary said, "My heart extols the Lord,

And I will send down upon you what my Father has promised. Wait here in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."

Just then some people came up to bring him word of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices.

This will bring gladness and delight to you, and many will rejoice over his birth.

and that repentance leading to the forgiveness of sins should be preached to all the heathen in his name.

In the fifteenth year of the reign of the Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod governor of Galilee, while his brother Philip was governor of the territory of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was the governor of Abilene,

There were some shepherds in that neighborhood keeping watch through the night over their flock in the open fields.

Then he fixed his eyes on his disciples, and said, "Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours!

I have come to bring fire down to the earth, and how I wish it were kindled already!

In the days when Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah who belonged to the division of Abijah. His wife was also a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

Why do you call me: 'Lord! Lord!' and not do what I tell you?

As Jesus grew older he gained in wisdom and won the approval of God and men.

There will be signs too in sun, moon, and stars, and on earth dismay among the heathen, bewildered at the roar of the sea and the waves.

Under the power of the Spirit Jesus returned to Galilee, and news of him went all over that region.

Look at my hands and feet, for it is I myself! Feel of me and see, for a ghost has not flesh and bones, as you see I have."

O Simon, Simon! Satan has obtained permission to sift all of you like wheat,

I tell you, on that Day Sodom will fare better than that town!

And they began to discuss with one another which of them it was who was going to do this.

Now when all the people were baptized and when Jesus also after his baptism was praying, heaven opened

And he said to them, "Take care! You must be on your guard against any form of greed, for a man's life does not belong to him, no matter how rich he is."

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his forefather David,

As the time approached when he was to be taken up to heaven, he set his face toward Jerusalem,

It was about eight days after Jesus said this that he took Peter, John, and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.

And he said to his disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and it was reported to him that this man was squandering his property.

He was once asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, and he answered, "The Kingdom of God is not coming visibly,

And he began with Moses and all the prophets and explained to them the passages all through the Scriptures that referred to himself.

And treat men just as you wish them to treat you.

His disciples asked him what this figure meant.

His parents used to go to Jerusalem every year at the Passover Festival.

So if you, bad as you are, know enough to give your children what is good, how much more surely will your Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him for it!"

It happened that, on his way to Jerusalem, he passed through Samaria and Galilee.

Then he called the Twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons, and to cure diseases,

For nothing is ever impossible for God."

While they were still talking of these things, he himself stood among them.

So I tell you, ask, and what you ask will be given you. Search, and you will find what you search for. Knock, and the door will open to you.

Then Jesus gave a loud cry, and said, "Father, I intrust my spirit to your hands!" With these words he expired.

and said, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me. But not my will but yours be done!"

Every hollow must be filled up, And every mountain and hill leveled. What is crooked is to be made straight, And the rough roads are to be made smooth,

for today, in the town of David, a Savior for you has been born who is your Messiah and Lord.

And the other one came in and said, 'Here is your twenty dollars, sir. I have kept it put away in a handkerchief,

But the crowds learned of it and followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them about the Kingdom of God, and he cured those who needed to be cured.

Soon afterward he went about among the villages and towns preaching and telling the good news of the Kingdom of God. The Twelve went with him,

But the leader of the synagogue, in his vexation because Jesus had cured her on the Sabbath, spoke out and said to the crowd, "There are six days on which it is right to work. Come on them and be cured, but not on the Sabbath day."

and said to them, "The Scriptures said that Christ should suffer as he has done, and rise from the dead on the third day,

A member of the council asked him, "Good master, what must I do to make sure of eternal life?"

Here I have given you the power to tread on snakes and scorpions, and to trample on all the power of the enemy. Nothing will hurt you at all.

Do not judge others, and they will not judge you. Do not condemn them, and they will not condemn you. Excuse others and they will excuse you.

Soon afterward he happened to go to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great throng of people were with him.

It was in those days that he went up on the mountain to pray, and passed the whole night in prayer to God.

So they did so, and inclosed such a shoal of fish that their nets began to break.

But he knew what they were thinking, and he said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and stand in front." And he got up and stood there.

Zechariah said to the angel, "How am I to know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in life."

Jesus replied, "A man was on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers, and they stripped him and beat him and went off leaving him half dead.

The angel said to them, "Do not be frightened, for I bring you good news of a great joy that is to be felt by all the people,

You are to become a mother and you will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus.

In those days Mary set out and hurried to the hill-country, to a town in Judah,

They will fall by the edge of the sword, and be carried off as prisoners among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the heathen, until the time of the heathen comes.

With these words he went on ahead of them, on his way to Jerusalem.

He said to them, "When you pray, say, 'Father, your name be revered! Your kingdom come!

Now you will keep silent and be unable to speak until the day when this happens, because you have not believed what I have said, for it will all be fulfilled in due time."

and the holy Spirit came down upon him in the material shape of a dove, and there came a voice from heaven, "You are my Son, my Beloved! You are my Chosen!"

But one who does wrong without knowing them will be lightly punished. From anyone who has been given much, much will be required, and of the man to whom people have intrusted much, they will demand even more.

For I am myself under the orders of others, and I have soldiers under me, and I tell one to go, and he goes, and another to come, and he comes, and my slave to do something, and he does it."

The people were waiting for Zechariah, and wondering that he stayed so long in the sanctuary.

"Blessings on the Lord, the God of Israel, Because he has turned his attention to his people, and brought about their deliverance,

But Tyre and Sidon will fare better than you at the Judgment!

"Glory to God in heaven and on earth! Peace to the men he favors!"

and he will turn many of Israel's descendants to the Lord their God.

And he was ready to fill himself with the pods the pigs were eating, and no one would give him anything.

Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and whoever marries a woman who has been divorced from her husband commits adultery.

He said to them, "I saw Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning!

When their purification period under the Law of Moses was over, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord,

John said to them all, "I am only baptizing you in water, but someone is coming who is stronger than I am, whose shoes I am not fit to untie. He will baptize you in the holy Spirit and in fire.

But the tax-collector stood at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven, but struck his breast, and said, 'O God, have mercy on a sinner like me!'

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They made a landing in the neighborhood of Gerasa, which is just across the lake from Galilee.

But when you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, then you must understand that her devastation is at hand.

And he came down with them and took his stand on a level place with a great throng of his disciples, and a large number of people from all over Judea and from Jerusalem and the seacoast district of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and to be cured of their diseases.

and people will not say, 'Look! here it is!' or 'There it is!' for the Kingdom of God is within you."

And the angel went into the town and said to her, "Good morning, favored woman! The Lord be with you!"

When the time came, he took his place at the table, with the apostles about him.

In the time of the Son of Man it will be just as it was in the time of Noah.

As they were listening to this, Jesus went on to give them an illustration, because he was near Jerusalem and they supposed that the Kingdom of God was immediately going to appear.

Then he said to them, "How foolish you are and how slow to believe all that the prophets have said!

Was no one found to return and give thanks to God except this foreigner?"

As he approached the city and saw it, he wept over it,

If you will do homage before me, it shall all be yours."

And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have gained God's approval.

The seventy-two came back delighted, and said, "Master, when we use your name the very demons submit to us!"

And it came about that the beggar died and was carried away by the angels to the companionship of Abraham, and the rich man too died and was buried.

When he was eight days old and it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, as the angel had named him, before his birth was first expected.

But take care that your hearts are not loaded down with self-indulgence and drunkenness and worldly cares, and that day takes you by surprise, like a trap.

and she gave birth to her first-born son; and she wrapped him up, and laid him in a manger, for there was no room for them at the inn.

He said to them, "But now, if a man has a purse let him take it, and a bag too. And a man who has no sword must sell his coat and buy one.

But love your enemies, and help them and lend to them, never despairing, and you will be richly rewarded, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind even to the ungrateful and the wicked.

Look out for yourselves! If your brother wrongs you, take it up with him, and if he repents, forgive him.

And he told them this story: "A certain rich man's lands yielded heavily.

When he had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he went to Capernaum.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Symeon, an upright, devout man, who was living in expectation of the comforting of Israel, and under the influence of the holy Spirit.

just as the original eye-witnesses who became teachers of the message have handed it down to us.

The man who can be trusted in a very small matter can be trusted in a large one, and the man who cannot be trusted in a very small matter cannot be trusted in a large one.

You must be ready with your lamps burning,

Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, when I have no husband?"

Then he opened their minds to the understanding of the Scriptures,

And he said, "The things that are impossible for men are possible for God!"

Once when he was praying by himself, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, "Who do the people say that I am?"

But you must be vigilant and always pray that you may succeed in escaping all this that is going to happen, and in standing in the presence of the Son of Man."

At that moment he was inspired with joy, and said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding all this from the learned and intelligent, and revealing it to children! Yes, I thank you, Father, for choosing to have it so!

No servant can belong to two masters, for he will either hate one and love the other, or he will stand by one and make light of the other. You cannot serve God and money!"

And he said to his disciples, "Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about life, wondering what you will have to eat, or about your body, wondering what you will have to wear.

Until John came, it was the Law and the Prophets. From that time the Kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone has been crowding into it.

And the child grew up and became strong and thoughtful, with God's blessing resting on him.

After this he went out, and he saw a tax-collector named Levi sitting at the tollhouse, and he said to him, "Follow me!"

And he said to his disciples, "It is inevitable that hindrances should arise, but alas for the man who causes them!

I tell you, in just that way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinful person who repents, than over ninety-nine upright people who do not need any repentance.

And he said to him, "Stand up and go! Your faith has cured you."

A dispute also arose among them, as to which one of them ought to be considered the greatest.

And he said to them, "The harvest is abundant enough, but the reapers are few. So pray to the owner of the harvest to send reapers to gather it.

Jesus said to them, "I want to ask you, Is it allowable on the Sabbath to do people good or to do them harm? to save life or to destroy it?"

You know the commandments, 'Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.' "

It happened one day that he got into a boat with his disciples, and said to them, "Let us cross to the other side of the lake."

And in Hades he looked up, tormented as he was, and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus beside him.

As they led Jesus away, they seized a man named Simon, from Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and put the cross on his back, for him to carry behind Jesus.

When they reached the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, with the criminals one at his right and one at his left.

For he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He will drink no wine or strong drink, but he will be filled with the holy Spirit from his very birth,

Others to test him asked him for a sign from heaven.

He will go before him with the spirit and the power of Elijah, to reconcile fathers to their children, and to bring the disobedient back to the wisdom of upright men, to make a people perfectly ready for the Lord."

I tell you, he will make haste to provide it! But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

One of the criminals who were hanging there, abused him, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us too!"

People brought babies to him to have him touch them, but the disciples, when they saw it, reproved them for it.

Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever disregards you disregards me, and whoever disregards me disregards him who sent me."

One day as he was teaching, there were some Pharisees and experts in the Law sitting near by, who had come from every village in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was there, so that he might cure people.

Jesus answered, "The Scripture says, 'Not on bread alone is man to live!' "

One of the other guests heard this, and said to him, "Blessed is the man who shall be at the banquet in the Kingdom of God!"

The slave who knows his master's wishes, but does not get ready or act upon them, will be severely punished.

There was also a prophetess there named Hannah, the daughter of Phanuel, who belonged to the tribe of Asher. She was very old, for after her girlhood she had been married for seven years,

And looking up, he saw the rich people dropping their gifts into the treasury.

And they said to each other, "Did not our hearts glow when he was talking to us on the road, and was explaining the Scriptures to us?"

I tell you, who are my friends, have no fear of those who kill the body, and after that can do no more.

And he went out of the city and up on the Mount of Olives as he was accustomed to do, with his disciples following him.

Meanwhile as the people gathered in thousands, until they actually trod on one another, he proceeded to say to his disciples first of all, "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, hypocrisy.

A good man, out of the good he has accumulated in his heart, produces good, and a bad man, out of what he has accumulated that is bad, produces what is bad. For his mouth says only what his heart is full of.

What man among you if he wishes to build a tower does not first sit down and estimate the cost of it, to see whether he has enough to complete it?

But when this begins to happen, look up and raise your heads, for your deliverance will be at hand."

Earth and sky will pass away, but my words will not.

One Sabbath he happened to be passing through the wheat fields, and his disciples were picking the heads of wheat, and eating them, rubbing them in their hands.

And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him in the middle of the night, and says to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves,

The apostles said to the Master, "Give us more faith."

In just that way, no one of you who does not say goodbye to all he has can be a disciple of mine.

When Jesus heard this, he was astonished at him, and turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such faith as this even in Israel!"

But do not be glad that the spirits submit to you, but be glad that your names are enrolled in heaven."

But when he came out he could not speak to them, and they knew that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. For his part, he kept making signs to them, and remained dumb.

But the Master answered, "You hypocrites! Does not every one of you untie his ox or his donkey from the stall on the Sabbath and lead him away to water him?

to register with Mary, who was engaged to him and who was soon to become a mother.

And he led them out as far as Bethany. Then he lifted up his hands and blessed them.

And he said to himself, 'What am I going to do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?'

As they were going along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."

for I was afraid of you, for you are a stern man. You pick up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow.'

And Mary said, "I am the Lord's slave. Let it be as you say." Then the angel left her.

Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plough, and then looks back, is fitted for the Kingdom of God."

And when his period of service was over, he went back to his home.

It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole country, and lasted until three in the afternoon,

the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

But Jesus called them up to him and said, "Let the children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as they.

But he said to them, "I must preach the good news of the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, for that is what I was sent to do."

And he took him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.

And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom!"

So he would say to the crowds that came out there to be baptized by him, "You brood of snakes! Who warned you to fly from the wrath that is coming?

"This is what the Lord has done for me," she said, "now that he has deigned to remove the disgrace I have endured."

But alas for you Pharisees! For you pay tithes on mint, rue, and every tiny herb, and disregard justice and the love of God. But you should have observed these, without neglecting the others.

But he, wishing to justify his question, said, "And who is my neighbor?"

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the babe stirred within her. And Elizabeth was filled with the holy Spirit

But bring those enemies of mine here who did not want me made king over them, and slaughter them in my presence!' "

As all this aroused people's expectations, and they were all wondering in their hearts whether John was the Christ,

But alas for women who are with child at that time, or who have babies, for there will be great misery in the land and anger at this people.

And you, Capernaum! Are you to be exalted to the skies? You will go down among the dead!

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When the day of Unleavened Bread came, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed,

And all mankind is to see how God can save!"

But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dotting of an i in the Law to go unfulfilled.

The festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching.

And he took him to Jerusalem, and made him stand on the summit of the Temple, and said to him, "If you are God's son, throw yourself down from here,

So he went about among the towns and villages, teaching and making his way toward Jerusalem.

Then the apostles came back and told Jesus what they had done. And he took them and quietly retired to a town called Bethsaida.

He might better have a millstone hung around his neck, and be thrown into the sea, than be a hindrance to one of these humble people.

I tell you, everyone who will acknowledge me before men, the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God,

In just that way, I tell you, there is joy among the angels of God over one sinful person who repents!"

Sell what belongs to you, and give away the money! Get yourselves purses that will never wear out, inexhaustible riches in heaven, where thieves cannot get near nor moths destroy.

Once he was driving out a dumb demon, and when the demon was gone the dumb man spoke. And the people were amazed.

and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and sickness??ary, who was called Mary of Magdala, out of whom seven demons had been driven,

And they signaled to their comrades in the other boat to come and help them. And they came, and they filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

O Jerusalem! Jerusalem! murdering the prophets, and stoning those who are sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children around me, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you refused!

When he was in one of the towns, he came upon a man covered with leprosy. And when he saw Jesus he fell down on his face, and begged him, saying, "If you only choose, sir, you can cure me!"

He said to them, "How did you come to look for me? Did you not know that I must be at my Father's house?"

When the day began to decline, the Twelve came up and said to him, "Send the crowd away to the villages and farms around to find food and shelter, for we are in a lonely place here."

Soon afterward his wife Elizabeth began to expect a child, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months.

For if anyone is ashamed of me and my teaching the Son of Man will be ashamed of him, when he comes with all the glory of his Father and of the holy angels.

Just then some Pharisees came up and said to him, "Go! Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you!"

but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail. And afterward you yourself must turn and strengthen your brothers."

And they asked him, "Master, we know that you are right in what you say and teach, and that you show no favor, but teach the way of God in sincerity.

And Joseph went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he belonged to the house and family of David,

And he took the Twelve aside and said to them, "See! we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything written in the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.

When some spoke about the Temple and its decoration with costly stone and votive offerings, he said,

And he came down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee. And he taught them on the Sabbath,

And he said to them, "You are the men who parade your uprightness before people, but God knows your hearts. For what men consider great is detestable in the sight of God.

You must be merciful, just as your Father is.

And he began by saying to them, "This passage of Scripture has been fulfilled here in your hearing today!"

Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? Not peace, I tell you, but discord!

But if it is with his aid that I drive out demons, by whose do your sons drive them out? Therefore, they shall be your judges.

"What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep, and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go in search of the one that is lost, until he finds it?

Then some of the Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection, came up and asked him,

As the crowds pressed a round him, he went on to say, "This is a wicked age! It demands a sign, and no sign will be given it but the sign of Jonah.

But he said to them, "Give them food yourselves!" And they said, "We have only five loaves and two fish, unless we go ourselves and buy food for all these people."

Now the time came for Elizabeth's child to be born, and she gave birth to a son.

"You must strain every nerve to get in through the narrow door, for I tell you many will try to get in, and will not succeed,

Stay at the same house, eating and drinking what they offer you, for the workman deserves his pay. Do not change from one house to another.

For no one who does not take up his own cross and come after me can be a disciple of mine.

Or what woman who has ten silver coins and loses one, does not light the lamp and sweep the house and look carefully until she finds it?

This is what the figure means. The seed is God's message.

But they were perfectly furious, and discussed with one another what they could do to Jesus.

And he looked around at them all and said to the man, "Hold out your hand!" And he did so, and his hand was restored.

He answered, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead!' "

I will show you whom to fear: fear him who, after killing you, has power to hurl you into the pit. Yes, fear him, I tell you.

When a great throng was gathering and people were coming to him from one town after another, he said in his figurative way,

And the master said to the slave, 'Go out on the roads, and among the hedges, and make them come so that my house may be full.

Then they arose in a body and took him to Pilate,

And he said to the man who had invited him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your rich neighbors, for then they will invite you in return and you will be repaid.

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So you also, when you do all you have been ordered to do, must say, 'We are good-for-nothing slaves! We have done only what we ought to have done!' "

And when the messengers went back to the house, they found the slave well.

But some of them said, "It is with the aid of Beelzebub, the prince of the demons, that he drives the demons out."

for the Scripture says, 'He will give his angels orders about you, to protect you,'

He released the man they asked for, who had been put in prison for riot and murder, and handed Jesus over to their will.

And he said, "I have obeyed all these commandments ever since I was a child."

Then he said, 'This is what I will do; I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and in them I will store all my grain and my goods.

But he knew what they were thinking, and he said to them, "Any kingdom that is disunited is on the way to destruction, and one house falls after another.

When they reached the village to which they were going, he acted as though he were going on,

For there were about five thousand men. But he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each."

But the axe is already lying at the roots of the trees. Any tree that fails to produce good fruit is going to be cut down and thrown into the fire."

and when the dinner hour came, he sent around his slave, to say to those who were invited, 'Come! for it is now ready!'

Matthew, Thomas, James, the son of Alpheus, Simon, who was called the Zealot,

When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, and all the people were delighted at all the splendid things that he did.

As he came up to the gate of the town, a dead man was being carried out; he was his mother's only son, and she was a widow. A crowd of the townspeople was with her.

But she was startled at what he said, and wondered what this greeting meant.

But you are not to do so, but whoever is greatest among you must be like the youngest, and the leader like a servant.

But when he heard that, he was much cast down, for he was very rich.

and eager to satisfy his hunger with what was thrown away from the rich man's table. Why, the very dogs came and licked his sores.

That is the way with the man who lays up money for himself, and is not rich with God."

He said to him, 'Out of your own mouth I will convict you, you wretched slave! You knew, did you, that I was a stern man, and that I pick up what I did not lay down, and harvest what I did not sow?

It is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into the Kingdom of God!"

Then he took the five loaves and the two fish and looked up to heaven and blessed them, and he broke them in pieces and gave them to the disciples to pass to the people.

And when the Master saw her, he pitied her, and said to her, "Do not weep."

And they all immediately began to excuse themselves. The first one said to him, 'I have bought a piece of land, and I must go and look at it. Please have me excused.'

And a beggar named Lazarus was put down at his gate covered with sores

Then why did you not put my money in the bank, so that when I came back I could have gotten it with interest?'

But first he must go through much suffering, and be refused by this age.

and, 'They will lift you up with their hands, so that you may never strike your foot against a stone.' "

And they did so, and made them all sit down.

And if Satan is disunited, how can his kingdom last? Because you say that I drive out demons with Beelzebub's aid.

And if anyone asks you why you are untying it, you are to say, 'The Master needs it.'

For he and all the men with him were perfectly amazed at the haul of fish they had made,

But you must strive to find his kingdom, and you will have these other things besides.

The crowds would ask him, "Then what ought we to do?"

Think of the crows! They do not sow or reap, and they have no storehouses or barns, and God feeds them. How much more you are worth than the birds!

And they all ate and had enough, and the pieces left over that were gathered up filled twelve baskets.

It is like yeast that a woman took and hid in a bushel of flour, till it all rose."

but they urged him not to, and said, "Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is nearly over." So he went in to stay with them.

Is it right for us to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?"

Simon, whom he named Peter, his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,

When the devil had tried every kind of temptation he left him till another time.

Even tax-collectors came to be baptized, and they said to him, "Master, what ought we to do?"

But if God so dresses the wild grass, which is alive today, and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, how much more surely will he clothe you, who have so little faith?

Now a priest happened to be going that way, and when he saw him, he went by on the other side of the road.

And they brought the boats to land and left everything and followed him.

And he went up and touched the bier, and the bearers stopped. And he said, "Young man, I tell you, wake up!"

Judas, the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who turned out a traitor.

So if you cannot do the least good, why should you worry about the rest?

And he said to the bystanders, 'Take the twenty dollars away from him, and give it to the man who has the two hundred!'

And he turned to his disciples when they were alone, and said, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!

So the slave went back, and reported this to his master. Then the master of the house was angry and said to his slave, 'Hurry out into the streets and squares of the city, and bring the poor, the maimed, the blind, and the lame in here!'

And he stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I do choose! Be cured!" And the leprosy immediately left him,

And all the people tried to touch him, because power went forth from him and cured them all.

For I tell you, many prophets and kings have wished to see what you see, and could not see it, and to hear what you hear, and could not hear it!"

Men of Nineveh will rise with this generation at the Judgment and will condemn it, for they repented at Jonah's preaching, and there is more than Jonah here.

His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your eyes; I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired men!'

But it is you who have stood by me in my trials.

Which of you with all his worry can add a single hour to his life?

See how the lilies grow. They do not toil or spin, but, I tell you, even Solomon in all his splendor was never dressed like one of them.

And he went on, "To what can I compare the Kingdom of God?

and say, 'This man started to erect a building, and could not finish it!'

For I tell you that none of those men who were invited shall have any of my dinner!' "

And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and he gave him back to his mother.

And they hurried there, and found Mary and Joseph, with the baby lying in the manger.

So they could not fasten on what he said before the people, and they were amazed at his answer, and said nothing more.

when he said that the Son of Man must be handed over to wicked men and be crucified and rise again on the third day."

They answered, "John the Baptist, though others say Elijah, and others that one of the old prophets has come back to life."

But whenever you come to a town and they do not welcome you, go out into the open streets and say,

He shows his mercy age after age To those who fear him.

Then their eyes were opened and they knew him, and he vanished from them.

And he taught in their synagogues, and was honored by them all.

And when Jesus saw it, he said, "How hard it will be for those who have money to get into the Kingdom of God!

Jesus answered, "We have been told, 'You shall not try the Lord your God.' "

And he said to his disciples, "The time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not be able to do so.

And they were all overcome with awe, and they praised God, and said, "A great prophet has appeared among us!" and "God has not forgotten his people!"

But when somebody stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he strips him of the arms that he relied on, and divides up the spoils.

Just then he cured many of diseases and ailments and evil spirits, and he gave sight to many who were blind.

But he warned them particularly not to tell this to anyone,

So when you see these things happen, you must know that the Kingdom of God is at hand.

I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired men!" '

and get the calf we are fattening, and kill it, and let us feast and celebrate,

For there is nothing hidden that shall not be disclosed, nor kept secret that shall not be known and come to light.

And those who were troubled with foul spirits were cured.

Yet the news about him spread more and more, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be cured of their diseases.

Then it goes and gets seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there, and in the end the man is worse off than he was before."

for just as when the lightning flashes, it shines from one end of the sky to the other, that will be the way with the Son of Man.

"Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied! "Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh!

And he said to them, "I tell you, there is no one who has given up home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the Kingdom of God

For which is greater, the man at the table, or the servant who waits on him? Is not the man at the table? Yet I am like a servant among you.

But Jesus turned to them and said, "Women of Jerusalem, do not weep for me but weep for yourselves and for your children,

For these are all things the nations of the world are in pursuit of, and your Father knows well that you need them.

For I tell you that this saying of Scripture must find its fulfilment in me: 'He was rated an outlaw.' Yes, that saying about me is to be fulfilled!"

Peter said to him, "Master, I am ready to go to prison and to death with you!"

in fulfilment of the requirement of the Law of the Lord, "Every first-born male shall be considered consecrated to the Lord,"

Then he warned him to tell nobody, "But go," he said, "show yourself to the priest, and in proof of your cure make the offerings for your purification, just as Moses prescribed."

To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor!"

But he detected their trickery, and said to them,

for at the very moment the holy Spirit will teach you what you ought to say."

when the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock on the door, and say, 'Open it for us, sir!' Then he will answer you and say, 'I do not know where you come from,'

but Herod the governor, whom he condemned because of Herodias, his brother's wife, and all the wicked things Herod had done,

"He has done mighty deeds with his arm, He has routed the proud-minded,

It had been revealed to him by the holy Spirit that he should not die without seeing the Lord's Messiah.

And he got up at once before them all, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home, praising God.

Jesus said to him, "What does the Law say? How does it read?"

And the word came to him, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside; they want to see you."

And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them,

He has dethroned monarchs and exalted the poor,

Jesus answered, "Have you not read even what David did, when he and his companions were hungry?

But he was angry and would not go into the house. And his father came out and urged him.

Another said, 'I have married, and so I cannot come.'

He said to them, "Do not collect any more than you are authorized to."

So with many varied exhortations he would preach the good news to the people,

Life is more important than food, and the body than clothes.

Who am I, To have the mother of my Lord come to me?

When they saw this, they told what had been said to them about this child.

Be glad when that happens, and leap for joy, for you will be richly rewarded in heaven, for that is the way their forefathers treated the prophets.

When John's messengers were gone, he began to speak to the crowds about John. "What was it that you went out into the desert to look at? A reed swaying in the wind?

and to offer the sacrifice prescribed in the Law of the Lord, "A pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons."

"Show me a denarius. Whose head and title does it bear?" They said, "The emperor's."

For he will be handed over to the heathen, and ridiculed and insulted and spat upon,

And some fell on good soil, and grew up and yielded a hundred fold!" As he said this he called out, "Let him who has ears to hear with, listen!"

How he went into the house of God and took the Presentation Loaves, which it was against the Law for anyone but the priests to eat, and ate them with his companions?"

And the men went to him and said, "John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we look for someone else?' "

And the slave said, 'What you ordered, sir, has been done, and there is still room.'

For what you say in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you whisper in someone's ear, behind closed doors, will be proclaimed from the housetops.

"Alas for you who have plenty to eat now, for you will be hungry! "Alas for you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep!

This story about him spread all over Judea and the surrounding country.

And he said to them, "The Son of Man is master of the Sabbath."

And the scribes and the Pharisees began to debate and say, "Who is this man who talks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

People went on eating, drinking, marrying, and being married up to the very day that Noah got into the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all.

And the shepherds went back glorifying God and praising him for all that they had heard and seen in fulfilment of what they had been told.

It is like a mustard seed that a man took and dropped in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the wild birds roosted on its branches."

and she went to Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth.

Now go. Here I send you out like lambs among wolves.

crowned them all by putting John in prison.

"For the Almighty has done wonders for me, How holy his name is!

So you must not ask what you are to have to eat or drink, and you must not be anxious about it.

As soon as they put out their leaves, you see them and you know without being told that summer is coming.

Remember Lot's wife!

And the devil said to him, "If you are God's son, tell this stone to turn into bread!"

And he rolled up the roll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed upon him.

But he said, "I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow today before you deny three times that you know me!"

Another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to examine them. Please have me excused.'

But he said, 'No! Father Abraham, but if someone will go to them from the dead, they will repent!'

He said to them, "Do not take anything for your journey, no staff nor bag nor bread nor money, nor an extra shirt.

Peter said, "Here we have left home and followed you."

For it will come on all who are living anywhere on the face of the earth.

But his father said to his slaves, 'Make haste and get out the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet;

And some of the Pharisees said, "Why do you do what it is against the Law to do on the Sabbath?"

and he sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to cure the sick.

Jesus said to him, "You are right. Do that, and you will live."

Or else when he has laid his foundation and cannot finish the building, everyone who sees it will begin to ridicule him,

and he called two of them to him, and sent them to the Master to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we look for someone else?"

and he called one of the servants to him and asked him what it meant.

A Roman captain had a slave whom he thought a great deal of, and the slave was sick and at the point of death.

And under the Spirit's influence he went into the Temple, and when Jesus' parents brought him there to do for him what the Law required,

Carry no purse nor wallet nor shoes, and do not stop to exchange civilities with anyone on the way.

And when he landed, he met a man possessed by demons, who was coming out of the town. He had worn no clothing for a long time, and did not live in a house but in the tombs.

Then they arrested him and led him away and took him to the house of the high priest. And Peter followed at a distance.

And those who heard it said, "Then who can be saved?"

When he saw Jesus he cried out and threw himself down before him, and said in a loud voice, "What do you want of me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you not to torture me!"

They were startled and panic-stricken, and thought they saw a ghost.

for a time is coming when they will say, 'Happy are the childless women, and those who have never borne or nursed children!'

but the day Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.

Some men came up carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they tried to get him in and lay him before Jesus.

And all the people, even the tax-collectors, when they heard him, acknowledged the justice of God's demands, by accepting baptism from John,

A man who is on the roof of his house that day, with his goods in the house, must not go down to get them, and a man in the field, too, must not turn back.

And he will say to you, 'I do not know where you come from. Get away from me, all you wrongdoers!'

But the very hairs on your heads are all counted! You must not be afraid, you are worth more than a great many sparrows!

He answered, "My mother and my brothers are those who listen to God's message and obey it!"