Ain with its pasture lands, Juttah with its pasture lands, and Beth-shemesh with its pasture lands, for a total of nine cities from these two tribes.

A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; and in the desert a straight highway for our God.'

"Watch out! I'm sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly, the LORD you are looking for will come to his Temple. He is the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Watch out! He is coming!" says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.

"Pay attention! I'm sending Elijah the prophet to you before the great and dreadful Day of the LORD comes,

He was the one the prophet Isaiah was referring to when he said, "He is a voice calling out in the wilderness: "Prepare the way for the Lord! Make his paths straight!'"

Then John's disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don't fast?"

and asked him, "Are you the Coming One, or should we wait for someone else?"

If you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.

Herod had arrested John, bound him with chains, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. John had been telling him, "It is not lawful for you to have her." read more. Although Herod wanted to kill him, he was afraid of the crowd, since they regarded John as a prophet. But when Herod's birthday celebration was held, the daughter of Herodias danced before the guests. She pleased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked for. Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me, right here on a platter, the head of John the Baptist." Under pressure because of his promises and his assembled guests, the king ordered that it be done. So he sent word and had John beheaded in prison. His head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she took it to her mother. When John's disciples came, they carried off the body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons. She bowed down in front of him to ask him for a favor. He asked her, "What do you want?" She told him, "Promise that in your kingdom these two sons of mine will sit on your right and on your left." read more. Jesus replied, "You don't realize what you're asking. Can you drink from the cup that I'm going to drink from?" They told him, "We can." He told them, "You will indeed drink from my cup. But it's not up to me to grant you a seat at my right hand or at my left. These positions have already been prepared for others by my Father." When the ten heard this, they became furious with the two brothers.

He immediately called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

Now there were women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of young James and Joseph, and Salome.

Startled by his statement, she tried to figure out what his greeting meant.

Now the people were filled with expectation, and all of them were wondering if John was perhaps the Messiah.

Simon answered, "Master, we have worked hard all night and caught nothing. But if you say so, I'll lower the nets." After the men had done this, they caught so many fish that the nets began to tear. read more. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats until the boats began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus' knees and said, "Leave me, Lord! I am a sinful man!" - because Simon and all the people who were with him were amazed at the number of fish they had caught, and so were James and John, Zebedee's sons and Simon's partners.

Then they told him, "John's disciples frequently fast and pray, and so do those of the Pharisees. But your disciples keep right on eating and drinking."

When his disciples James and John observed this rejection, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?"

This was John's testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and descendants of Levi to him from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" He spoke openly and, remaining true to himself, admitted, "I am not the Messiah." read more. So they asked him, "Well then, are you Elijah?" John said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No." "Who are you?" they asked him. "We must give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" He replied, "I am ""a voice crying out in the wilderness, "Prepare the Lord's highway,"' as the prophet Isaiah said." Now those men had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, "Why, then, are you baptizing if you are not the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet?" John answered them, "I am baptizing with water, but among you stands a man whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal straps I am not worthy to untie."

the one who is coming after me, whose sandal straps I am not worthy to untie." This happened in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. read more. The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

so that everyone who believes in him would have eternal life. "For this is how God loved the world: He gave his unique Son so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life. read more. Because God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world would be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God's unique Son. And this is the basis for judgment: The light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light because their actions were evil. Everyone who practices wickedness hates the light and does not come to the light, so that his actions may not be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may become evident that his actions have God's approval." After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside. He spent some time there with them and began baptizing. John was also baptizing in Aenon, near Salim, because there was plenty of water there. People kept coming and were being baptized,

The person who has accepted his testimony has acknowledged that God is truthful.

Now when Jesus realized that the Pharisees had heard he was making and baptizing more disciples than John

One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus kept loving, had been sitting very close to him.

Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Since the other disciple was known to the high priest, he accompanied Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he kept loving standing there, he told his mother, "Dear lady, here is your son." Then he told the disciple, "Here is your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

The one who saw this has testified, and his testimony is true. He knows he is telling the truth so that you, too, may believe,

So she ran off and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, whom Jesus kept loving. She told them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"

That disciple whom Jesus kept loving told Peter, "It's the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his clothes back on, because he was practically naked, and jumped into the sea.

Now when the Jewish leaders saw the boldness of Peter and John and found out that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and realized that they had been with Jesus.

He had been instructed in the Lord's way, and with spiritual fervor he kept speaking and teaching accurately about Jesus, although he knew only about John's baptism.

He then asked, "Then into what were you baptized?" They answered, "Into John's baptism."

So when James, Cephas, and John (who were reputed to be leaders) recognized the grace that had been given me, they gave Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we should go to the gentiles and they to the circumcised.

And so the Law was our guardian until the Messiah came, so that we might be justified by faith.

After this, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil.

Going on from there he saw two other brothers James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee repairing their nets. When he called them,

Going on from there he saw two other brothers James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee repairing their nets. When he called them,

These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;

Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons. She bowed down in front of him to ask him for a favor. He asked her, "What do you want?" She told him, "Promise that in your kingdom these two sons of mine will sit on your right and on your left." read more. Jesus replied, "You don't realize what you're asking. Can you drink from the cup that I'm going to drink from?" They told him, "We can." He told them, "You will indeed drink from my cup. But it's not up to me to grant you a seat at my right hand or at my left. These positions have already been prepared for others by my Father." When the ten heard this, they became furious with the two brothers.

Taking Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him, he began to be grieved and troubled.

Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.

Going on a little farther, he saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat repairing their nets. He immediately called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

Zebedee's sons James and his brother John (whom he named Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder),

Zebedee's sons James and his brother John (whom he named Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder),

Jesus allowed no one to go further with him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, went to Jesus and told him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask you."

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, went to Jesus and told him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask you." He asked them, "What do you want me to do for you?" read more. They asked him, "Let us sit in your glory, one on your right and one on your left." But Jesus told them, "You don't realize what you're asking. Can you drink from the cup that I'm going to drink from or be baptized with the baptism with which I'm going to be baptized?" They told him, "We can." Jesus told them, "You will drink from the cup that I'm going to drink and be baptized with the baptism with which I'm going to be baptized. But it's not up to me to grant you a seat at my right or my left. Those positions have already been prepared for others." When the ten other disciples heard this, they began to be furious with James and John.

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives facing the Temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew were asking him privately,

Now there were women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of young James and Joseph, and Salome.

One day, as the crowd was pressing in on him to listen to God's word, Jesus was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. He saw two boats lying on the shore, but the fishermen had stepped out of them and were washing their nets. read more. So Jesus got into one of the boats (the one that belonged to Simon) and asked him to push out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and began to teach the crowds from the boat.

So Jesus got into one of the boats (the one that belonged to Simon) and asked him to push out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and began to teach the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he told Simon, "Push out into deep water, and lower your nets for a catch." read more. Simon answered, "Master, we have worked hard all night and caught nothing. But if you say so, I'll lower the nets." After the men had done this, they caught so many fish that the nets began to tear. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats until the boats began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus' knees and said, "Leave me, Lord! I am a sinful man!" - because Simon and all the people who were with him were amazed at the number of fish they had caught, and so were James and John, Zebedee's sons and Simon's partners. Then Jesus told Simon, "Stop being afraid. From now on you will be catching people." So when they brought the boats to shore, they left everything and followed Jesus.

John said, "Master, we saw someone driving out demons in your name. We tried to stop him, because he wasn't a follower like us."

When his disciples James and John observed this rejection, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?"

As he watched Jesus walk by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.

Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Since the other disciple was known to the high priest, he accompanied Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. Peter, however, stood outside the gate. So this other disciple who was known to the high priest went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter inside.

Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his own teaching.

Then Jesus was led from Caiaphas to the governor's headquarters early in the morning. The Jews did not go into the headquarters, to avoid becoming unclean and unable to eat the Passover meal.

Then he told the disciple, "Here is your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

So she ran off and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, whom Jesus kept loving. She told them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"

Later on, Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. This is what happened:

That disciple whom Jesus kept loving told Peter, "It's the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his clothes back on, because he was practically naked, and jumped into the sea.

One afternoon, Peter and John were on their way to the Temple for the three o'clock prayer time.

with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and the rest of the high priest's family.

Now when the Jewish leaders saw the boldness of Peter and John and found out that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and realized that they had been with Jesus.

When Peter realized what had happened, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where a large number of people had gathered and were praying.

When Barnabas and Saul had fulfilled their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, bringing with them John who was also called Mark.

Arriving in Salamis, they began to preach God's word in the Jewish synagogues. They also had John to help them.

Then Paul and his men set sail from Paphos and arrived in Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them and went back to Jerusalem.

So the apostles and the elders met to look into this claim.

Barnabas wanted to take along John, who was called Mark,

When our time there ended, we got ready to go up to Jerusalem. Some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us. They took us to the home of Mnason to be his guests. He was from Cyprus and had been an early disciple. read more. When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers there welcomed us warmly. The next day, Paul went with us to visit James, and all the elders were present. After greeting them, Paul related one by one the things that God had done among the gentiles through his ministry. When they heard about it, they praised God and told him, "You see, brother, how many tens of thousands of believers there are among the Jews, and all of them are zealous for the Law. But they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews living among the gentiles to forsake the Law of Moses, and that you tell them not to circumcise their children or observe the customs. What is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. So do what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow. Take these men, go through the purification ceremony with them, and pay their expenses to shave their heads. Then everyone will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you are carefully observing and keeping the Law. As for the gentiles who have become believers, we have sent a letter with our decision that they should keep away from food that has been sacrificed to idols, from blood, from anything strangled, and from sexual immorality." Then Paul took those men and the next day purified himself with them. Then he went into the Temple to announce the time when their days of purification would end and when the sacrifice would be offered for each of them. When the seven days were almost over, the Jews from Asia, seeing Paul in the Temple, stirred up a large crowd. They grabbed Paul, yelling, "Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere to turn against our people, the Law, and this place. More than that, he has even brought Greeks into the Temple and desecrated this Holy Place." For they had earlier seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him and assumed that Paul had taken him into the Temple. The whole city was in chaos. The people rushed together, grabbed Paul, dragged him out of the Temple, and at once the doors were sealed shut. The crowd was trying to kill Paul when a report reached the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. Immediately the tribune took some soldiers and officers and ran down to the crowd. When the people saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. Then the tribune came up, grabbed Paul, and ordered him to be tied up with two chains. He then asked who Paul was and what he had done. Some of the crowd shouted this and some that. Since the tribune couldn't learn the facts due to the confusion, he ordered Paul to be taken into the barracks. When Paul got to the steps, he had to be carried by the soldiers because the mob had become so violent. The crowd of people kept following him and shouting, "Kill him!" Just as Paul was about to be taken into the barracks, he asked the tribune, "May I say something to you?" The tribune asked, "Oh, do you speak Greek? You're not the Egyptian who started a revolt some time ago and led 4,000 assassins into the desert, are you?" Paul replied, "I'm a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city. Please let me speak to the people." The tribune gave him permission, and Paul, standing on the steps, motioned for the people to be silent. When everyone had quieted down, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language:

So when James, Cephas, and John (who were reputed to be leaders) recognized the grace that had been given me, they gave Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we should go to the gentiles and they to the circumcised.

I am John, your brother and partner in the oppression, kingdom, and patience that comes because of Jesus. I was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus.

saying, "Write on a scroll what you see, and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea."

with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and the rest of the high priest's family.

When Peter realized what had happened, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where a large number of people had gathered and were praying.

When Barnabas and Saul had fulfilled their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, bringing with them John who was also called Mark.

Arriving in Salamis, they began to preach God's word in the Jewish synagogues. They also had John to help them.

Then Paul and his men set sail from Paphos and arrived in Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them and went back to Jerusalem.

Barnabas wanted to take along John, who was called Mark,

As they began to discuss this among themselves, they kept saying, "We didn't bring along any bread."

He led Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him intently and said, "You are Simon, John's son. You will be called Cephas!" (which is translated "Peter").

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" Peter told him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus told him, "Feed my lambs." Then he asked him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter told him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." read more. Jesus told him, "Take care of my sheep." He asked him a third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was deeply hurt that he had asked him a third time, "Do you love me?" So he told him, "Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you!"

with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and the rest of the high priest's family.

with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and the rest of the high priest's family.

When Peter realized what had happened, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where a large number of people had gathered and were praying.

When Barnabas and Saul had fulfilled their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, bringing with them John who was also called Mark.

Arriving in Salamis, they began to preach God's word in the Jewish synagogues. They also had John to help them.

Then Paul and his men set sail from Paphos and arrived in Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them and went back to Jerusalem.

Barnabas wanted to take along John, who was called Mark,