saying, “Get up! Take the child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, because those who sought the child’s life are dead.”

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Wilderness of Judea

The people who live in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those living in the shadowland of death,
light has dawned.

Then the news about Him spread throughout Syria. So they brought to Him all those who were afflicted, those suffering from various diseases and intense pains, the demon-possessed, the epileptics, and the paralytics. And He healed them.

Those who mourn are blessed,
for they will be comforted.

Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed,
for they will be filled.

Those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed,
for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following Him, “I assure you: I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith!

Then the men who tended them fled. They went into the city and reported everything—especially what had happened to those who were demon-possessed.

But when He heard this, He said, “Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do.

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, drive out demons. You have received free of charge; give free of charge.

Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

the blind see, the lame walk, those with skin diseases are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news.

What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothes? Look, those who wear soft clothes are in kings’ palaces.

“I assure you: Among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared, but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

He said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry—

how he entered the house of God, and they ate the sacred bread, which is not lawful for him or for those with him to eat, but only for the priests?

The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather from His kingdom everything that causes sin and those guilty of lawlessness.

Now those who ate were about 5,000 men, besides women and children.

Then those in the boat worshiped Him and said, “Truly You are the Son of God!”

and large crowds came to Him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, those unable to speak, and many others. They put them at His feet, and He healed them.

So the crowd was amazed when they saw those unable to speak talking, the deformed restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they gave glory to the God of Israel.

Now those who ate were 4,000 men, besides women and children.

When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the double-drachma tax approached Peter and said, “Doesn’t your Teacher pay the double-drachma tax?”

But He told them, “Not everyone can accept this saying, but only those it has been given to.

To those men he said, ‘You also go to my vineyard, and I’ll give you whatever is right.’ So off they went.

“When those who were hired about five came, they each received one denarius.

He told them, “You will indeed drink My cup. But to sit at My right and left is not Mine to give; instead, it belongs to those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.”

Then the crowds who went ahead of Him and those who followed kept shouting:

Hosanna to the Son of David!
He who comes in the name
of the Lord is the blessed One!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!

Jesus went into the temple complex and drove out all those buying and selling in the temple. He overturned the money changers’ tables and the chairs of those selling doves.

Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?”

“He will completely destroy those terrible men,” they told Him, “and lease his vineyard to other farmers who will give him his produce at the harvest.”

He sent out his slaves to summon those invited to the banquet, but they didn’t want to come.

Again, he sent out other slaves, and said, ‘Tell those who are invited: Look, I’ve prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

The king was enraged, so he sent out his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned down their city.

“Then he told his slaves, ‘The banquet is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.

So those slaves went out on the roads and gathered everyone they found, both evil and good. The wedding banquet was filled with guests.

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You lock up the kingdom of heaven from people. For you don’t go in, and you don’t allow those entering to go in.

You, therefore, testify against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem! She who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, yet you were not willing!

“then those in Judea must flee to the mountains!

Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days!

Unless those days were limited, no one would survive. But those days will be limited because of the elect.

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days:

The sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not shed its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the celestial powers will be shaken.

For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark.

“Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.

“The sensible ones answered, ‘No, there won’t be enough for us and for you. Go instead to those who sell, and buy oil for yourselves.’

“When they had gone to buy some, the groom arrived. Then those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.

“After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.

Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

Then He will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels!

At that moment one of those with Jesus reached out his hand and drew his sword. He struck the high priest’s slave and cut off his ear.

Those who had arrested Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had convened.

When he had gone out to the gateway, another woman saw him and told those who were there, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene!”

After a little while those standing there approached and said to Peter, “You certainly are one of them, since even your accent gives you away.”

Those who passed by were yelling insults at Him, shaking their heads

When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling for Elijah!”

When the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they were terrified and said, “This man really was God’s Son!”