saying, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the life of the child are dead."

Now in those days John the Baptist came preaching in the Judean wilderness

And a report about him went out {throughout} Syria, and they brought to him all those {who were sick} with various diseases and afflicted by torments, demon-possessed and epileptics and paralytics, and he healed them.

Blessed [are] those who are persecuted because of righteousness, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

nor do they light a lamp and place it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it shines on all those in the house.

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

For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not the tax collectors also do the same?

Therefore if you, [although you] are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him?

Now [when] Jesus heard [this], he was astonished, and said to those who were following [him], "Truly I say to you, I have found such great faith with no one in Israel.

Now [when it] was evening, they brought to him many who were demon-possessed, and he expelled the spirits with a word. And he healed all {those who were sick},

And [when he] heard [it], he said, "Those who are healthy do not have need of a physician, but those {who are sick}.

Heal those who are sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, expel demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul, but instead be afraid of the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in the houses of kings.

Truly I say to you, among [those] born of women there has not arisen [one] greater than John the Baptist. But the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

So he said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those with him,

how he entered into the house of God and ate the bread of the presentation, which it was not permitted for him or for those with him to eat, but only for the priests?

And he answered [and] said to them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to those [people] it has not been granted.

The Son of Man will send out his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all the causes of sin and those who do lawless deeds,

Now those who ate were about five thousand men, in addition to women and children.

So those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God!"

And [when] the men of that place recognized him, they sent [word] into that whole surrounding region, and they brought to him all those {who were sick}.

And they were imploring him that they might only touch the edge of his cloak, and all those who touched [it] were cured.

Now those who ate were four thousand men, in addition to women and children.

Truly I say to you, that there are some of those standing here who will never experience death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

But he said to them, "Not everyone can accept this saying but [those] to whom it has been given.

And to those [people] he said, 'You also go into the vineyard, and I will give you whatever is right.'

He said to them, "You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but [is] for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."

But Jesus called them to himself [and] said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions exercise authority over them.

And Jesus entered the temple [courts] and drove out all those who were selling and buying in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those who were selling doves.

Now when the master of the vineyard arrives, what will he do to those tenant farmers?"

They said to him, "He will destroy those evil [men] completely and lease the vineyard to other tenant farmers who will give him the fruits in their season."

And he sent his slaves to summon those who had been invited to the wedding celebration, and they did not want to come.

Again he sent other slaves, saying, 'Tell those who have been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened [cattle] have been slaughtered, and everything [is] ready. Come to the wedding celebration!" '

And the king was angry and sent his troops [and] destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding celebration is ready, but those who had been invited were not worthy.

And those slaves went out into the roads [and] gathered everyone whom they found, both evil and good, and the wedding celebration was filled {with dinner guests}.

"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.

"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}.

Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets!

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How many times I wanted to gather your children together {the way} a hen gathers her young together under [her] wings, and you were not willing!

"then those in Judea must flee to the mountains!

And woe to those {who are pregnant} and to those who are nursing [their babies] in those days!

And unless those days had been shortened, {no human being would be saved}. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened.

"And immediately after the tribulation of those days, 'the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken.'

Then all those virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.

But the wise ones answered saying, "Certainly there will never be enough for us and for you! Go instead to those who sell [olive oil] and buy [some] for yourselves.'

But [while] they had gone away to buy [it] the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went inside with him to the wedding celebration, and the door was shut.

Now 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 [his] left, 'Depart from me, [you] accursed ones, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels!

And behold, one of those with Jesus extended his hand [and] drew his sword, and striking the slave of the high priest, cut off his ear.

Now those who had arrested Jesus led [him] away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered.

And [when he] went out to the gateway, another [female slave] saw him and said to those [who were] there, "This man was with Jesus the Nazarene."

And after a little [while] those who were standing there came up [and] said to Peter, "You really are [one] of them also, because even your accent {reveals who you are}."

And those who passed by reviled him, shaking their heads

And some of those who were standing there, [when they] heard [it], said, "This man is summoning Elijah!"

Now the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus, [when they] saw the earthquake and the things that took place, were extremely frightened, saying, "Truly this man was God's Son!"