There went out to him people of all classes from Judaea, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem of all ranks, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, making open confession of their sins.

and immediately on His coming up out of the water He saw an opening in the sky, and the Spirit like a dove coming down to Him;

At once the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the Desert,

where He remained for forty days, tempted by Satan; and He was among the wild beasts, but the angels waited upon Him.

At once they left their nets and followed Him.

They therefore left their father Zabdi in the boat with the hired men, and went and followed Him.

But Jesus reprimanded him, saying, "Silence! come out of him."

So the foul spirit, after throwing the man into convulsions, came out of him with a loud cry.

And all were amazed and awe-struck, so they began to ask one another, "What does this mean? Here is a new sort of teaching--and a tone of authority! And even to foul spirits he issues orders and they obey him!"

Now Simon's mother-in-law was ill in bed with a fever, and without delay they informed Him about her.

When it was evening, after sunset people came bringing Him all who were sick and the demoniacs;

And Simon and the others searched everywhere for Him.

When they found Him they said, "Every one is looking for you."

One day there came a leper to Jesus entreating Him, and pleading on his knees. "If you are willing," he said, "you are able to cleanse me."

Moved with pity Jesus reached out His hand and touched him. "I am willing," He said; "be cleansed."

The leprosy at once left him, and he was cleansed.

Jesus at once sent him away, strictly charging him,

But the man, when he went out, began to tell every one and to publish the matter abroad, so that it was no longer possible for Jesus to go openly into any town; but He had to remain outside in unfrequented places, where people came to Him from all parts.

when there came a party of people bringing a paralytic--four men carrying him.

Finding themselves unable, however, to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they untiled the roof just over His head, and after clearing an opening they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying.

Again He went out to the shore of the Lake, and the whole multitude kept coming to Him, and He taught them.

And as He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the Toll Office, and said to him, "Follow me." So he rose and followed Him.

When He was sitting at table in Levi's house, a large number of tax-gatherers and notorious sinners were at table with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many such who habitually followed Him.

But when the Scribes of the Pharisee sect saw Him eating with the sinners and the tax-gatherers, they said to His disciples, "He is eating and drinking with the tax-gatherers and sinners!"

So the Pharisees said to Him, "Look! why are they doing what on the Sabbath is unlawful?"

They closely watched Him to see whether He would cure him on the Sabbath--so as to have a charge to bring against Him.

But no sooner had the Pharisees left the synagogue than they held a consultation with the Herodians against Jesus, to devise some means of destroying Him.

Accordingly Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the Lake, and a vast crowd of people from Galilee followed Him;

and from Judaea and Jerusalem and Idumaea and from beyond the Jordan and from the district of Tyre and Sidon there came to Him a vast crowd, hearing of all that He was doing.

So He gave directions to His disciples to keep a small boat in constant attendance on Him because of the throng--to prevent their crushing Him.

For He had cured many of the people, so that all who had any ailments pressed upon Him, to touch Him.

And the foul spirits, whenever they saw Him, threw themselves down at His feet, screaming out: "You are the Son of God."

Then He went up the hill; and those whom He Himself chose He called, and they came to Him.

He appointed twelve of them, that they might be with Him, and that He might also send them to proclaim His Message,

and Judas Iscariot, the man who also betrayed Him.

Hearing of this, His relatives came to seize Him by force, for they said, "He is out of his mind."

The Scribes, too, who had come down from Jerusalem said, "He has Baal-zebul in him; and it is by the power of the Prince of the demons that he expels the demons."

So He called them to Him, and using figurative language He appealed to them, saying, "How is it possible for Satan to expel Satan?

By this time His mother and His brothers arrive, and standing outside they send a message to Him to call Him.

Now a crowd was sitting round Him; so they tell Him, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, inquiring for you."

And, fixing His eyes on the people who were sitting round Him in a circle, He said,

Once more He began to teach by the side of the Lake, and a vast multitude of people came together to listen to Him. He therefore went on board the boat and sat there, a little way from the land; and all the people were on the shore close to the water.

When He was alone, the Twelve and the others who were about Him requested Him to explain His figurative language.

So they got away from the crowd, and took Him--as He was--in the boat; and other boats accompanied Him.

But He Himself was in the stern asleep, with His head on the cushion: so they woke Him. "Rabbi," they cried, "is it nothing to you that we are drowning?"

Then they were filled with terror, and began to say to one another, "Who is this, then? For even wind and sea obey Him."

At once, on His landing, there came from the tombs to meet Him a man possessed by a foul spirit.

This man lived among the tombs, nor could any one now secure him even with a chain;

for many a time he had been left securely bound in fetters and chains, but afterwards the chains lay torn link from link, and the fetters in fragments, and there was no one strong enough to master him.

For He had said to him, "Foul spirit, come out of the man."

Jesus also questioned him. "What is your name?" He said. "Legion," he replied, "for there are a host of us."

And he earnestly entreated Him not to send them away out of the country.

Then they began entreating Him to depart from their district.

As He was embarking, the man who had been possessed asked permission to accompany Him.

So the man departed, and related publicly everywhere in the Ten Towns all that Jesus had done for him; and all were astonished.

When Jesus had re-crossed in the boat to the other side, a vast multitude came crowding to Him; and He was on the shore of the Lake,

when there came one of the Wardens of the Synagogue--he was called Jair--who, on beholding Him, threw himself at His feet,

and besought Him with many entreaties. "My little daughter," he said, "is at the point of death: I pray you come and lay your hands upon her, that she may recover and live."

And Jesus went with him. And a dense crowd followed Him, and thronged Him on all sides.

heard of Jesus. And she came in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak;

Immediately Jesus, well knowing that healing power had gone from within Him, turned round in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"

until the woman, frightened and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and threw herself at His feet, and told Him all the truth.

And He allowed no one to accompany Him except Peter and the brothers James and John.

To this their reply is a scornful laugh. He, however, puts them all out, takes the child's father and mother and those He has brought with Him, and enters the room where the child lies.

On the Sabbath He proceeded to teach in the synagogue; and many, as they heard Him, were astonished. "Where did he acquire all this?" they asked. "What is this wisdom that has been given to him? And what are these marvellous miracles which his hands perform?

Then summoning the Twelve to Him, He proceeded to send them out by twos, and gave them authority over the foul spirits.

But when Herod heard of Him, he said, "The John, whom I beheaded, has come back to life."

For Herod himself had sent and had had John arrested and had kept him in prison in chains, for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; because he had married her.

Therefore Herodias hated him and wished to take his life, but could not;

for Herod stood in awe of John, knowing him to be an upright and holy man, and he protected him. After listening to him he was in great perplexity, and yet he found a pleasure in listening.

He at once sent a soldier of his guard with orders to bring John's head. So he went and beheaded him in the prison,

When the Apostles had re-assembled round Jesus, they reported to Him all they had done and all they had taught.

By this time it was late; so His disciples came to Him, and said, "This is a lonely place, and the hour is now late:

Immediately afterwards He made His disciples go on board the boat and cross over to Bethsaida, leaving Him behind to dismiss the crowd.

They saw Him walking on the water, and thinking that it was a spirit they cried out;

for they all saw Him and were terrified. He, however, immediately spoke to them. "There is no danger," He said; "it is I; be not alarmed."

But no sooner had they gone ashore than the people immediately recognized Him.

Then they scoured the whole district, and began to bring Him the sick on their mats wherever they heard He was.

And enter wherever He might--village or town or hamlet--they laid their sick in the open places, and entreated Him to let them touch were it but the tassel of His robe; and all, whoever touched Him, were restored to health.

Then the Pharisees, with certain Scribes who had come from Jerusalem, came to Him in a body.

So the Pharisees and Scribes put the question to Him: "Why do your disciples transgress the traditions of the Elders, and eat their food with unclean hands?"

For Moses said, 'Honour thy father and thy mother' and again, 'He who curses father or mother, let him die the death.'

And so you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or mother,

Then Jesus called the people to Him again. "Listen to me, all of you," He said, "and understand.

There is nothing outside a man which entering him can make him unclean; but it is the things which come out of a man that make him unclean."

After He had left the crowd and gone indoors, His disciples began to ask Him about this figure of speech.

"Have *you* also so little understanding?" He replied; "do you not understand that anything whatever that enters a man from outside cannot make him unclean,

because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and passes away ejected from him?" By these words Jesus pronounced all kinds of food clean.

"What comes out of a man," He added, "that it is which makes him unclean.

Forthwith a woman whose little daughter was possessed by a foul spirit heard of Him, and came and flung herself at His feet.

She was a Gentile woman, a Syro-phoenician by nation: and again and again she begged Him to expel the demon from her daughter.

Here they brought to Him a deaf man that stammered, on whom they begged Him to lay His hands.

So Jesus taking him aside, apart from the crowd, put His fingers into his ears, and spat, and moistened his tongue;

and looking up to Heaven He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha!" (that is, "Open!")

About that time there was again an immense crowd, and they found themselves with nothing to eat. So He called His disciples to Him.

The Pharisees followed Him and began to dispute with Him, asking Him for a sign in the sky, to make trial of Him.

And they came to Bethsaida. And a blind man was brought to Jesus and they entreated Him to touch him.

So He took the blind man by the arm and brought him out of the village, and spitting into his eyes He put His hands on him and asked him, "Can you see anything?"

So He sent him home, and added, "Do not even go into the village."

And He strictly forbad them to tell this about Him to any one.