And John was clothed with camel's hair, and he had a leather girdle round his loins, and he ate locusts, and "honey of the wood."

He made proclamation. "There is One mightier than I coming after me, and I am not worthy to stoop down and unfasten his sandal strap;

I have baptized you in water, but he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit."

and as soon as he rose from the water he saw the sky cleft asunder, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him,

and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was among the wild beasts, but the angels were ministering to him.

"The time is now come," he said, "and the kingdom of God is near! Repent and believe the gospel."

And as he was passing along by the sea of Galilee he saw Simon and Andrew, Simon's brother, casting their net into the sea, for they were fishermen;

As he went a little farther on he saw James, the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in their boat mending the nets.

Straightway he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants and went after him.

So they came to Capernaum, and as soon as the Sabbath Day came he went into the synagogue and began to teach.

They were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them with authority, not like the Scribes.

and every one was amazed so that they began questioning among themselves. "What does this mean? A new teaching with authority? He lays commands even upon unclean spirits and they obey him."

So he came and took her hand and raised her up. The fever left her at once, and she began to wait upon them.

He cured many who were ill with various diseases, and drove out many demons. But he did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who he was.

In the morning he rose a great while before day and went out to a desert place, and there prayed.

"Let us go away," he answered, "to the neighboring country towns, that I may preach there, too; because for that purpose I came forth."

So he went throughout Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and driving out demons.

One day a leper cane to him and besought him as he knelt down to him, saying, "If you choose, you are able to cleanse me."

The leprosy at once left him, and he was made clean.

But he went out and began to tell every one and to publish it broadcast, so that Jesus could no longer enter any town openly; but he had to remain outside in lonely places, and people kept coming to him from every quarter.

Some days later when Jesus entered Capernaum again the news spread, "He is in the house";

While he was speaking his message, they came bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four men.

When they could not get him near to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof under which he stood, and after making an opening, they let down the cot on which the paralytic was lying.

Then Jesus, when he perceived their faith, said to the paralytic, "Son your sins are forgiven."

"Why does this man speak like this? He blasphemes. Who is able to forgive sins but One, God himself?"

Then Jesus went again to the seaside, and the whole crowd kept coming to him, and he taught them.

As he was passing by he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting in the tax-office; and he said to him, "Follow me." So he rose and followed him.

But when some scribes of the Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax-gatherers, they said to his disciples, "Is he eating and drinking with tax-gatherers and sinners?"

Now the disciples of John and the Pharisees were keeping a fast, and people came to ask him, "How is it that the disciples of John and the Pharisees are fasting, but your disciples are not?"

"Can friends of the bridegroom fast while he is still with them?" asked Jesus. "As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

No one ever sews a piece of unshrunk cloth onto an old garment, otherwise the patch tears away from it??he new from the old??nd a worse tear is made.

One Sabbath he was walking along through the wheat-fields, and his disciples, as they began to make their way across, were pulling the heads of wheat.

He answered them. "Have you never read what David did when he was needy and hungry, he and his men?

How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which none but priests may eat, and gave some to his men?

"The Sabbath," he told them, "was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath;

Again he went into a synagogue where there was a man with his hand withered.

And they kept watching Jesus to see whether he would cure him on the Sabbath; so as to have some charge to bring against him.

Then he asked them. "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath Day, or to do harm? to save a life, or to destroy it?"

They were silent. Then looking around upon them with anger, and deeply grieved by the hardening of their hearts, he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand!" He stretched it out, and the hand was at once completely restored.

From Judea, too, and Jerusalem, and Idumea, and from beyond Jordan, and from the district of Tyre and Sidon, they came to him a vast multitude, because they heard what he was doing.

So he directed his disciples to keep a little boat in readiness for him, because of the crowd, to prevent their crushing him.

For he had healed so many that all the people who had ailments pressed upon him so as to touch him.

But over and over, he strictly forbade them to make him known.

Then he went up the hillside and called to him those whom he chose, and they came to him.

Twelve of them whom he also called "Apostles," he appointed to be with him, and also that he might send them out to preach,

There was Simon, whom he surnamed Peter,

and James(them he surnamed Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder),

Then he went into a house, but again such a multitude assembled that they could not get their food.

When his relatives heard of it, they came to take possession of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind."

The Scribes also who had come down from Jerusalem, said, "He is Beelzebub," and, "He casts out demons by the power of the Prince of the demons."

So when he had called them to him he spoke to them in parables. "How," said he, "can Satan cast out Satan?

and if Satan has revolted against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand. Nay, he meets his end!

"Indeed, no one can enter the strong man's house and carry off his property without first binding the strong man; then he can plunder his house.

but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit is never forgiven. Nay, he is in the grasp of an eternal sin."

Because they kept saying, "He has an unclean spirit."

"Who are my mother and my brothers?" he replied.

Then, with a glance at those who were in the circle sitting around him, he added.

Afterwards Jesus began to teach by the seaside, and a vast multitude of people gathered about him, so that he went on board a boat on the sea, and sat there, while all the people stayed on shore, at the water's edge.

Then he began teaching them in parables many things. In his teaching he said to them.

and as he sowed, it happened that some seed fell on the road, and birds came and picked it up;

"Any one who has ears to hear," he added, "let him listen to this."

When he was alone his followers and the Twelve began asking about the parables.

He went on to say to them. "The secret truth concerning the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those outside everything is told in parables,

"You do not understand this parable," said Jesus. "Then how will you understand the other parables?

He went on to say. "Is the lamp brought in to be put under the bushel or the bed? Is it not rather to be put on the lamp-stand?

And he said to them. "Take heed what you hear. With what measure you measure it will be measured to you, and more will be given to you.

For he who holds, to him will more be given, and he who holds not, from him will be taken even what he holds."

"It is with the kingdom of God," he continued, "as if a man should have sown seed in the earth;

night and day he sleeps and wakes while the seed is sprouting and growing tall, he knows not how.

"To what shall we compare the kingdom of God?" he said again. "in what parable shall we set it forth?

and to them it was his practice never to speak except in parables. But he used to explain everything in private to his disciples.

So, leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them just as he was in the boat; and the other boats were with him.

Now he himself was sleeping on the cushion in the stern, so they woke him up, saying, "Master, do you not care if we perish?"

And he awoke, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!"

The wind fell, and there ensued a great calm. Then he said to them. "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?"

and he had no sooner stepped out of the boat, than a man out of the tombs came to meet him, a man with an unclean spirit,

Not even with a chain could any man bind him, for he had been bound with fetters and chains again and again, and had snapped the chains, and broken the fetters; and there was no one strong enough to master him.

And always, night and day, he remained among the tombs and in the mountains, shrieking and gashing himself with stones.

As he caught sight of Jesus from afar, he ran and knelt before him,

and with a shriek he cried out in a loud voice. "Jesus, son of God most high, what business have you with me? I adjure you by God, torment me not!"

He continued asking him, "What is your mane?" "Legion is my name, for we are many."

Over and over he continued to beg Jesus not to send them away out of the country.

And he gave them leave. And out came the foul spirits and entered the swine; and the drove rushed down from the steep into the sea, in number about two thousand, and were choked in the sea.

When they got to Jesus they found the demoniac sitting there clothed and in his right mind??he man who had had the "Legion"??nd they were awestruck.

As he was getting into the boat the man who had been demon-possessed kept begging to go with him; but he said,

So he went and began to publish abroad in the District of the Ten Towns all that Jesus had done for him; and every one was astonished and all men marveled.

Then after Jesus had recrossed in a boat to the other side, a vast multitude came crowding around him; so he stayed on the seashore.

Then one of the wardens of the synagogue, named Jairus, came up, and as soon as he saw Jesus, fell at his feet, with many entreaties,

"My little daughter," he said, "is dying. I beseech you, come and lay your hands on her, that she may recover and live."

So he went with him, and a great crowd followed him and thronged about him.

But he kept looking about to see who had done it,

"Daughter," he said, "your faith has saved you. Go in peace, and be cured of your complaint."

While he was still speaking men came from the house of the warden of the synagogue to tell him, "Your daughter is dead, why trouble the Teacher any further?"

He would not permit any one to go with him, except Peter and James and John, the brother of James.

As they came to the house of the warden of the synagogue, he gazed upon a tumult, many weeping and wailing shrilly.

"Why all this tumult and loud weeping?" he asked.

"The child is not dead, but asleep." And they began to laugh him to scorn. Then he put them all outside, took the father and mother of the child and those he brought with him, and entered the room where the child was lying.

Then he took the child's hand and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," that is to say, "Little girl, I am speaking to you; arise!"

He, however, repeatedly cautioned them not to let any one know about it, and directed them to give her something to eat.

When it came Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue; many, as they listened, were deeply impressed. "Where did he get all this?" they asked; "What is the wisdom that is given to this man, and miracles such as these that happen at his hands?