because just as Jonah was in the stomach of the sea creature for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.

The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and behold, [something] greater than Jonah [is] here!

The queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, [something] greater than Solomon [is] here!

because whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

And other [seed] fell on the rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up at once because it did not have [any] depth of soil.

But [when] the sun rose it was scorched, and because it did not have [enough] root, it withered.

And he answering said to them, Because to you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, but to them it is not given;

because to anyone who has something, more will be given, and he will have more than enough. But from the one who doesn't have anything, even what he has will be taken away from him.

For this [reason] I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand,

Because the heart of this people is waxed gross, and they heard heavily with their ears, and closed their eyes; lest they may see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I shall heal them.

But your eyes [are] blessed because they see, and your ears because they hear.

But he does not have a root in himself, but {lasts only a little while}, and [when] affliction or persecution happens because of the word, immediately he falls away.

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, hidden in a field, that a person found and hid. Then because of joy he went and sold all that he had and bought that field.

And he said to them, 'Because of this every scribe having been discipled in regard to the reign of the heavens, is like to a man, a householder, who doth bring forth out of his treasure things new and old.'

And he did not perform many miracles in that place because of their unbelief.

and said to his servants, This is John the baptist: he is risen from the dead, and because of this these works of power display their force in him.

For, Herod, seizing John, had bound him, and, in prison, put him away, - because of Herodias, the wife of Philip his brother;

because John had been saying to him, "It is not permitted for you to have her."

And [although he] wanted to kill him, he feared the crowd, because they looked upon him as a prophet.

And [although] the king was distressed, because of his oaths and his {dinner guests} he commanded [the request] to be granted.

But the boat was already many stadia distant from the land, being beaten by the waves, because the wind was against [it].

So he answered [and] said to them, "Why do you also break the commandment of God because of your tradition?

Because God said, "You are to honor your father and your mother,' and, "Whoever curses father or mother must certainly be put to death.'

does not have to honor his father.' Because of your tradition, then, you have disregarded the authority of God's word.

Their worship of me is empty, because they teach human rules as doctrines.'"

But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came up [and] asked him, saying, "Send her away, because she is crying out after us!"

And Jesus summoned his disciples [and] said, "I have compassion on the crowd, because they have remained with me three days already and do not have anything to eat, and I do not want to send them away hungry lest they give out on the way."

So he answered [and] said to them, "[When] evening comes you say, '[It will be] fair weather because the sky is red,'

and early in the morning, 'Today [it will be] stormy weather, because the sky is red [and] darkening.' You know how to evaluate correctly the appearance of the sky, but you are not able [to evaluate] the signs of the times.

So they were discussing [this] among themselves, saying, "[It is] because we did not take bread."

And Jesus knowing it, said, Why reason ye among yourselves, O ye of little faith, because ye have taken no bread?

And Jesus answered [and] said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal [this] to you, but my Father [who is] in heaven.

From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he would have to go to Jerusalem and suffer a great deal because of the elders, the high priests, and the scribes. Then he would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised.

And Peter taking Him to him, began to rebuke Him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord; because this shall not be unto thee.

But he turned around [and] said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a cause for stumbling to me, because you are not intent on the things of God, but the things of people!"

Because whoever has a desire to keep his life safe will have it taken from him; but whoever gives up his life because of me, will have it given back to him.

because what profit will a person have if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what can a person give in exchange for his life?

and saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son, because he has seizures and suffers severely, for often he falls into the fire and often into the water.

And he said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly I say to you, if you have faith like a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here [to] there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."

And the person who welcomes one little child like this, in my name [i.e., because he belongs to me], welcomes me [also].

Woe to the world because of causes for stumbling, for [it is] a necessity [that] causes for stumbling come; nevertheless, woe to the person through whom the cause for stumbling comes.

If your hand or your foot becomes the occasion for you falling away [from God], cut them off and throw them away. It would be better for you to enter [never ending] life disabled or crippled, rather than keeping both hands and both feet and being thrown into the never ending fire [i.e., because they caused you to fall away from God].

And if your eye becomes the occasion for you falling away [from God], gouge it out and throw it away, for it would be better for you to enter [never ending] life with [only] one eye, rather than keeping both eyes and being thrown into a fiery hell [i.e., because one of them caused you to fall away from God].

"See to it that you do not despise one of these little ones, because I tell you, their angels in heaven always have access to my Father in heaven.

And if it should come to pass that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoices more because of it than because of the ninety and nine not gone astray.

because where two or three have come together in my name, I am there among them."

'Because of this was the reign of the heavens likened to a man, a king, who did will to take reckoning with his servants,

And [because] he did not have [enough] to repay [it], the master ordered him to be sold, and his wife and his children and everything that he had, and to be repaid.

So the master of that slave, [because he] had compassion, released him and forgave him the loan.

Then his master summoned him [and] said to him, 'Wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you implored me!

And [because he] was angry, his master handed him over to the merciless jailers until he would repay everything that was owed.

He told them, "It was because of your hardness of heart that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives. But from the beginning it was not this way.

And I tell you, whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits sexual unfaithfulness [toward her], unless the reason for the divorce was sexual unfaithfulness [on his wife's part]. And the person who marries a woman who has been divorced commits sexual sin with her [i.e., because she is still rightfully married to her first husband]."

because some men are celibate from birth, while some are celibate because they have been made that way by others. Still others are celibate because they have made themselves that way for the sake of the kingdom from heaven. Let anyone accept this who can."

Jesus, however, said, "Let the little children come to me, and stop keeping them away, because the kingdom from heaven belongs to people like these."

But [when] the young man heard the statement, he went away sorrowful, because he was one who had many possessions.

In fact, everyone who has left his homes, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children, or fields because of my name will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

They say to him, Because no one hath hired us. He saith to them, Go ye also into the vineyard.

Is it not allowed me to do what I will with my own? Or, is your eye envious, because I am good?

"In the same way, the last will be first, and the first will be last, because many are called, but few are chosen."

And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.

But because the high priests and scribes saw the wonders that He did and the children shouting in the temple, "Welcome the Son of David," they were indignant

But if we say, 'From men,' we are afraid of the crowd, because they all look upon John as a prophet."

'Because of this I say to you, that the reign of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth its fruit;

And when they sought to lay hold of him, they feared the multitude, because they regarded him as a prophet.

because many are invited, but few are chosen."

And they sent their disciples to him with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and {you do not care what anyone thinks}, {because you do not regard the opinion of people}.

But [because he] knew their maliciousness, Jesus said, "Hypocrites! Why are you testing me?

Now there were seven brothers with us. And the first died [after] getting married, and [because he] did not have descendants, he left his wife to his brother.

When they come back from the dead, then, whose wife will she be of the seven? because they all had her.

Jesus answered and said to them: You err, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God.

because in the resurrection, people neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven.

so do whatever they tell you and follow it, but stop doing what they do, because they don't do what they say.

But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' because one is your teacher, and you are all brothers,

And don't call anyone on earth "Father,' because you have only one Father, the one in heaven.

And do not be called teachers, because one is your teacher, the Christ.

"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees--hypocrites!--because you shut the kingdom of heaven before people! For you do not enter, nor permit those wanting to go in to enter.

But alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because ye are locking up the kingdom of the heavens before men, - for, ye, are not entering, neither, them who are entering, suffer ye to enter.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees--hypocrites!--because you travel around the sea and the dry [land] to make one convert, and when he becomes [one], you make him twice as much a son of hell [as] you [are]!

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees--hypocrites!--because you pay a tenth of mint and dill and cumin, and neglect the more important [matters] of the law--justice and mercy and faithfulness! It was necessary to do these [things] {while not neglecting those}.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees--hypocrites!--because you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence!

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees--hypocrites!--because you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean!

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees--hypocrites!--because you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous,

'Because of this, lo, I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes, and of them ye will kill and crucify, and of them ye will scourge in your synagogues, and will pursue from city to city;

because many will come in my name and say, "I'm the Messiah,' and they will deceive many people.

You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet.

because nation will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

"Then they will hand you over to persecution and will kill you, and you will be hated by all the nations because of my name.

and because iniquity shall abound,

and because lawlessness will increase, the love of many will grow cold.

because at that time there will be great suffering, the kind that hasn't happened from the beginning of the world until now and certainly won't ever happen again.

And if those days were not shortened, no flesh would have been saved; but because of the chosen, shall those days be shortened.

because false messiahs and false prophets will appear and display great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

because just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

because just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be when the Son of Man comes.

Because as in those days before the overflowing of the waters, they were feasting and taking wives and getting married, till the day when Noah went into the ark,

Therefore be on the alert, because you do not know what day your Lord is coming!

For this [reason] you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not think [he will come].

But if, because he is a bad slave, he should say to himself, 'My Master is a long time in coming,'

because when the foolish ones took their lamps, they didn't take any oil with them.