The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ.

He is a voice of one who shouts in the desert, 'Get the road ready for the Lord; make the paths straight for Him.'"

Now after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God:

"The time is ripe and the kingdom of God is near; repent and believe in the good news."

"What do you want of us, Jesus, you Nazarene? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, God's Holy One!"

Jesus reproved him, saying, "Hush up, get out of him!"

Then the foul spirit convulsed him and with a deafening shriek got out of him.

Then He went up to her, grasped her hand, and had her get up. The fever left her, and she began to wait upon them.

Early in the morning, long before daybreak, He got up and went out to a lonely spot, and stayed praying there.

And as they could not get him near to Jesus, on account of the crowd, they dug through the roof over the spot where He was standing and let the pallet down that the paralyzed man was lying on.

"Why is He talking this way? He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

Which is easier, to say to the paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say to him, 'Get up, pick up your pallet and start walking!"

"I tell you, get up, pick up your pallet, and go home."

Then he got up and at once picked up his pallet, and went out before them all. The result was that they were all dumbfounded and began to praise God and say, "We have never seen anything like this before."

And as He was passing by, He saw Levi, the son of Alpheus, sitting in the tax-collector's office, and He said to him, "Follow me." Then he got up and followed Him.

No one sews a patch of brand-new goods on an old coat; or, if he does, the patch tears away, the new from the old, and the hole becomes bigger than ever.

How is it that he went into the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the sacred loaves, which it is against the law for anyone except the priests to eat, and gave part of them to his soldiers, too?"

And they kept closely watching Him, to see whether He would cure him on the Sabbath, to get a charge to bring against Him.

But He said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up in the crowd."

Then He asked them, "Is it right to do people good on the Sabbath, or to do them evil, to save life or to take it?" But they had nothing to say.

And whenever the foul spirits saw Him, they fell down before Him and screamed, "You are the Son of God."

His kinsmen heard of it and came over to get hold of Him, for they kept saying, "He has gone crazy."

But no one can get into a giant's house and carry off his goods, unless he first binds the giant; after that he can make a clean sweep of his house.

But whoever speaks abusively against the Holy Spirit can never get forgiveness, but is guilty of a sin that has no end."

Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."

Then He began again to teach by the seashore. And a crowd gathered around Him so great that He got into a boat and was sitting in it, just off the shore, while all the people were on the land close to the sea.

Then He said to them, "To you the secret of the kingdom of God has been entrusted, but to those who are on the outside everything is presented in stories, so that

He also was saying: "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground,

Then He kept on saying: "How can I further picture the kingdom of God, or by what story can I illustrate it?

As soon as He got out of the boat, a man under the power of a foul spirit and from the tombs met Him.

and screamed aloud, "What do you want of me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God's name, I beg you, do not torture me."

And they begged Him, "Send us among the hogs, so that we can get into them."

So He let them do so. And the foul spirits came out of the man and got into the hogs, and the drove of about two thousand rushed over the cliff and into the sea and were drowned.

and kept earnestly begging Him, saying, "My dear little daughter is at the point of death. Come, lay your hands on her, so that she may get well and live."

heard the reports about Jesus. So she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His coat,

for she kept saying, "If I can only touch His clothes, I shall get well."

Then He grasped her hand and said to her, "Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, I tell you, get up!"

And the little girl at once got up and started walking around, for she was twelve years old. And instantly they were completely dumbfounded.

When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue. And the people were dumbfounded when they heard Him, and said, "Where did He get all these things? What sort of wisdom is it that has been given Him? And such mighty deeds are done by Him!

And He said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and rest a little while." For there was an endless stream of people coming and going, and they had no time even to eat.

So they got off in their boat to be by themselves in a quiet place.

But many people saw them start and knew of it and ran around the lake from all the towns and got there ahead of them.

So when He got out of the boat, He saw a great crowd waiting, and His heart was moved with pity at the sight of them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and so He proceeded to teach them a number of things.

Then He insisted that the disciples at once get into their boat and cross ahead of Him toward Bethsaida, while He was sending the crowd away.

Then He went up to them and got into the boat, and the wind lulled. They were completely dumbfounded,

As soon as they got out of the boat, the people recognized Him

And whatever villages or towns or country places He came to, they would lay the sick in the market-places and beg Him to let them touch just the tassel of His coat, and everybody that touched it was cured.

and will never eat until they have carefully washed their hands, and they never eat anything brought from the market until they wash it; and they have many other religious practices which they got from their forefathers, as the washing of cups, pitchers, and pans.

"You give up what God has commanded,

you cling to what men hand down. You are fine teachers to cancel what God commanded, in order to keep what men have handed down!

but you say if a man tells his father or mother, 'Everything I have that may be of use to you is Corban,' that is, consecrated to God,

and so you set aside what God has said by what you have handed down. You have many other practices like these."

But His disciples answered Him, "Where can anyone get bread enough here in this destitute place, to give these people plenty?"

And He at once got into the boat and crossed to the district of Dalmanutha.

And He left them and again got into the boat and crossed to the other side.

But He turned and glanced at His disciples and reproved Peter by saying, "Get out of my way, Satan, for this view of yours is not from God but from men!"

For whoever wants to save his higher life, will have to give up the lower life, and whoever gives up his lower life for me and for the good news, will save the higher life.

And He said to them, "I solemnly say to you, some of the people standing here will certainly live to see the kingdom of God come in its power."

Then Peter interrupted and said to Jesus, "Teacher, it is good for us to be here. So let us put up three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah."

Then Jesus, because He saw that a crowd was rushing up to Him, reproved the foul spirit and said to it, "You deaf and dumb spirit, get out of him, I charge you, and never get into him again."

Then it gave a shriek and violently convulsed the boy, and got out of him. And the boy looked like a corpse, so much so that the people said that he was dead.

But Jesus grasped his hand and raised him, and he got up.

When Jesus got home and was by Himself, His disciples were asking Him, "Why could not we drive it out?"

Then they reached Capernaum. When He got home, He asked them, "What were you discussing on the way home?"

"For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink, on the ground that you belong to Christ, I solemnly say to you, he will not fail to get his reward.

If your hand makes you do wrong, cut it off. You might better go into life maimed than keep both your hands and go down to the pit, to the fire that is never put out.

And if your foot makes you do wrong, cut it off. You might better go into life crippled than keep both your feet and be thrown into the pit.

And if your eye makes you do wrong, tear it out. You might better go into the kingdom of God with only one eye than keep both your eyes and be thrown into the pit,

Everyone must be seasoned with fire. Salt is a good thing, but if salt loses its strength, how can you season it again?

But from the beginning of the creation, 'God made them male and female.

Therefore, what God has joined together man must stop separating."

When Jesus saw it, He was indignant, and said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and stop keeping them from it, for to such as these the kingdom of God belongs.

I solemnly say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God as a little child does, will never get into it at all."

As He was again starting on a journey, a man ran up to Him, and knelt to Him, and was asking Him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?"

And Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me perfectly good? No one is perfectly good but God Himself.

Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have money to get into the kingdom of God!"

His disciples were startled at this statement. But Jesus again said to them as He continued the topic, "My children, how hard it is to get into the kingdom of God!

It is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for a rich man to get into the kingdom of God."

But Jesus looked at them and said, "This is impossible for men, but everything is possible for God."

Jesus said, "I solemnly say to you, there is no one who has given up home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farm for me and for the good news,

Many of the people began to rebuke him and to tell him to keep quiet, but all the louder he kept shouting, "You son of David, do pity me!"

So Jesus stopped and said, "Tell him to come here." Then they told the blind man, saying, "Cheer up! Get up! He is calling for you."

He threw off his coat and jumped up and went to Jesus.

Then Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man answered, "Good Teacher, I want to see again."

and said to them, "Go into the village in front of you, and as soon as you get into it, you will find a colt tied which has never been ridden by a man. Untie it and bring it here.

And many of the people spread their coats in the road, while others scattered layers of leaves cut from the fields.

Now in the distance He saw a fig tree covered with leaves, and He went up to it to see if He might find some figs on it, but when He got to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the time for figs.

Then Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God!

I solemnly say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Get up and throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt at all in his heart, but has faith that what he says will take place, shall have it.

So then I tell you, whenever you pray and ask for anything, have faith that it has been granted you, and you will get it.

And they came up and said to Him, "We know that you always tell the truth, and pay no personal consideration to anyone, but teach the way of God honestly. Is it right to pay poll-tax to Caesar, or not?

So He said, "Pay Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and pay God what belongs to God." And they were utterly dumbfounded at Him.

Jesus said to them, "Does not this prove that you are wrong in your views, because you do not understand either the Scriptures or the power of God?

But as to the rising of the dead, did you never read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?

He is not the God of dead but of living people! You are entirely wrong in your views."

Jesus answered, "The first one is, 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord,

and you must love the Lord your God with your whole heart, your whole soul, your whole mind, and your whole strength.'

So Jesus said to him, as He saw that he had answered thoughtfully, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And no one ventured to ask Him any more questions.

men who eat up widows' houses and to cover it up make long prayers. They will get a much heavier sentence!"

But before the end comes, the good news must be proclaimed to all the heathen.