As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, Here I send my messenger before your face to prepare the way for you:

the voice of one who cries in the desert, 'Make the way ready for the Lord, level the paths for him' ??4 John appeared baptizing in the desert and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;

and in the desert he remained for forty days, while Satan tempted him; he was in the company of wild beasts, but angels ministered to him.

Now as he passed along the sea of Galilee he saw Simon and Simon's brother Andrew netting fish in the sea ??for they were fishermen;

so Jesus said to them, "Come, follow me and I will make you fish for men."

and people were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them like an authority, not like the scribes.

and discovered him; they told him, "Everybody is looking for you,"

"See, you are not to say a word to anybody; away and show yourself to the priest and offer what Moses prescribed for your cleansing, to notify men."

But he went off and proceeded to proclaim it aloud and spread news of the affair both far and wide. The result was that Jesus could no longer enter any town openly; he stayed outside in lonely places, and people came to him from every quarter.

and a large number at once gathered, till there was no more room for them, not even at the door. He was speaking the word to them,

when a paralytic was brought to him; four men carried him,

Now Levi was at table in his own house, and he had many taxgatherers and sinners as guests along with Jesus and his disciples ??for there were many of them among his followers.

And he said to them, "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath:

for he healed so many that all who had complaints were pressing on him to get a touch of him.

And when his family heard this, they set out to get hold of him, for what they said was, "He is out of his mind."

so that for all their seeing they may not perceive, and for all their hearing they may not understand, lest they turn and be forgiven."

As for those 'on the road,' when the seed is sown there ??as soon as they hear it, Satan at once comes and carries off the word sown within them.

As for those who were sown 'on good soil,' these are the people who listen to the word and take it in and bear fruit at the rate of thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."

For he who has, to him shall more be given; while as for him who has not, from him shall be taken even what he has."

(For the earth bears crops by itself, the blade first, the ear of corn next, and then the grain full in the ear.)

In many a parable like this he spoke the word to them, so far as they could listen to it;

He was sleeping on the cushion in the stern, so they woke him up saying, "Teacher, are we to drown, for all you care?"

for he had often been bound with fetters and chains and had snapped the chains and broken the fetters ??nobody could tame him.

(For he had said, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit.")

but he said, "Go home to your own people, and report to them all the Lord has done for you and how he took pity on you."

So he went off and began to proclaim throughout Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; it made everyone astonished.

And there was a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years ??26 she had suffered a great deal under a number of doctors and had spent all her means but was none the better; in fact she was rather worse.

and the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came forward in fear and trembling and fell down before him, telling him all the truth.

He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be free from your complaint."

Instantly Jesus ignored the remark and told the president, "Have no fear, only believe."

and ordered them to take nothing but a stick for the journey, no bread, no wallet, no coppers in their girdle;

Now this came to the hearing of king Herod, for the name of Jesus had become well known; people said, "John the Baptizer has risen from the dead, that is why miraculous powers are working through him;"

For this Herod had sent and arrested John and bound him in prison on account of his marriage to Herodias the wife of his brother Philip;

for Herod stood in awe of John, knowing he was a just and holy man; so he protected John ??he was greatly exercised when he listened to him, still he was glad to listen to him.

Then came a holiday, when Herod held a feast on his birthday for his chief officials and generals and the notables of Galilee.

The king was very vexed, but for the sake of his oaths and his guests he did not like to disappoint her;

And he said to them, "Come away to some lonely spot and get a little rest" (for there were many people coming and going, and they could get no time even to eat).

So when Jesus disembarked he saw a large crowd, and out of pity for them, as they were like sheep without a shepherd, he proceeded to teach them at length.

Then, as the day was far gone, his disciples came up to him, saying, "It is a desert place and the day is now far gone;

send them off to the farms and villages round about to buy some food for themselves."

Now when evening came the boat was [far out] in the middle of the sea, and he was on the land alone;

but when he saw them buffeted as they rowed (for the wind was against them) he went to them about the fourth watch of the night walking on the sea. He meant to pass them,

but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost and shrieked aloud ??50 for they all saw him and were terrified. Then he spoke to them at once; "Courage," he said, "it is I, have no fear."

for they had not understood the lesson of the loaves; their minds were dull.

He said to them, "Isaiah made a grand prophecy about you hypocrites ??as it is written, This people honours me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me:

vain is their worship of me, for the doctrines they teach are but human precepts.

he is exempt, so you hold, from doing anything for his father or mother.

He said to her, "Let the children be satisfied first of all; it is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."

"I am sorry for the crowd; they have been three days with me now, and they have nothing to eat.

(There were about four thousand of them.) Then he sent them away,

Now the Pharisees came out and started to argue with him, asking him for a Sign from heaven, by way of tempting him.

Do you not remember how many baskets full of fragments you picked up when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand?" They said, "Twelve."

"And how many basketfuls of fragments did you pick up when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand?" They said, "Seven."

He began to see and said, "I can make out people, for I see them as large as trees, moving."

Then Jesus and his disciples set off for the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road he inquired of his disciples, "Who do people say I am?"

he spoke of this quite freely. Peter took him and began to reprove him for it,

for whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.

What profit is it for a man to gain the whole world and to forfeit his soul?

What could a man offer as an equivalent for his soul?

So Peter addressed Jesus, saying, "Rabbi, it is a good thing we are here; let us put up three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"

(for he did not know what to say, they were so terrified).

As for Elijah, I tell you he has come already, and they have done to him whatever they pleased ??as it is written of him."

"it has thrown him into fire and water many a time, to destroy him. If you can do anything, do help us, do have pity on us."

Jesus said to him, "'If you can'! Anything can be done for one who believes."

for he was teaching his disciples, telling them that the Son of man would be betrayed into the hands of men, that they would kill him, and that when he was killed he would rise again after three days.

They said nothing, for on the road they had been disputing about which of them was the greatest.

He who is not against us is for us.

And whoever is a hindrance to one of these little ones who believe, it were better for him to have a great millstone hung round his neck and be thrown into the sea.

If your hand is a hindrance to you, cut it off: better be maimed and get into Life, than keep your two hands and go to Gehenna, to the fire that is never quenched.

where their worm never dies and the fire is never put out.

Everyone has to be consecrated by the fire of the discipline.

So he replied, "What did Moses lay down for you?"

Now people brought children for him to touch them, and the disciples checked them;

But his face fell at that, and he went sadly away, for he had great possessions.

Jesus looked round and said to his disciples, "How difficult it is for those who have money to get into the Realm of God!"

The disciples were amazed at what he said; so he repeated, "My sons, how difficult it is [for those who rely on money] to get into the Realm of God!

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

Jesus looked at them and said, "For men it is impossible, but not for God: anything is possible for God."

Jesus said, "I tell you truly, no one has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel,

So he said, "What do you want me to do for you?"

but it is not for me to grant seats at my right or my left hand ??these belong to the men for whom they have been destined."

for the Son of man himself has not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Jesus spoke to him and said, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said, "Rabboni, I want to regain my sight."

and noticing a fig tree in leaf some distance away he went to see if he could find anything on it; but when he reached it he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the time for figs.

also he taught them. "Is it not written," he asked, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations? You have made it a den of robbers."

This came to the ears of the scribes and high priests, and they tried to get him put to death, for they were afraid of him. But the multitude were all astounded at his teaching.

So I tell you, whatever you pray for and ask, believe you have got it and you shall have it.

and asked him, "What authority have you for acting in this way? Who gave you authority to act in this way?"

Jesus said to them, "I am going to ask you a question. Answer this, and I will tell you what authority I have for acting as I do.

No, let us say, From men" ??but they were afraid of the multitude, for the people all held John had been really a prophet.

So they replied to Jesus, "We do not know." Jesus said to them, "No more will I tell you what authority I have for acting as I do."

Then he proceeded to address them in parables. "A man planted a vineyard, fenced it round, dug a trough for the winepress, and built a tower; then he leased it to vinedressers and went abroad.

Then they tried to get hold of him, but they were afraid of the multitude. They knew he had meant the parable for them. So they left him and went away.

But they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to him for the purpose of catching him with a question.

"Teacher," they said, "Moses has written this law for us, that if a man's brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother is to take the woman and raise offspring for his brother.

As for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, at the passage on the Bush, how God said to him, I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob?

He is not the God of dead people but of living. You are far wrong."

Also, to love him with the whole heart, with the whole understanding, and with the whole strength, and to love one's neighbour as oneself ??that is far more than all holocausts and sacrifices."

Jesus noted his intelligent answer and said to him, "You are not far off the Realm of God." After that no one ventured to put any more questions to him.

David himself said in the holy Spirit, The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.'