and the whole of Judaea and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him and got baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins.

He announced, "After me one who is mightier will come, and I am not fit to stoop and untie the string of his sandals:

I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the holy Spirit."

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.

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

Then they were all so amazed that they discussed it together, saying, "Whatever is this?" "It's new teaching with authority behind it!" "He orders even unclean spirits!" "Yes, and they obey him!"

So his fame at once spread in all directions through the whole of the surrounding country of Galilee.

Now when evening came, when the sun set, they brought him all who were ill or possessed by daemons ??33 indeed the whole town was gathered at the door ??34 and he cured many who were ill with various diseases and cast out many daemons; but as the daemons knew him he would not let them say anything.

but he said to them, "Let us go somewhere else, to the adjoining country-towns, so that I may preach there as well; that is why I came out here."

And he went preaching in their synagogues throughout the whole of Galilee, casting out daemons.

And he rose, lifted his pallet at once, and went off before them all; at this they were all amazed and glorified God saying, "We never saw the like of it!"

Then he went out again by the seaside, and all the crowd came to him and he taught them.

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "Those who are strong have no need of a doctor, but those who are ill: I have not come to call just men but sinners."

Jesus said to them, "Can friends at a wedding fast while the bridegroom is beside them? As long as they have the bridegroom beside them they cannot fast.

A time will come when the bridegroom is taken from them; then they will fast, on that day.

no one pours fresh wine into old wineskins, otherwise the wine will burst the wineskins, and both wine and wineskins are ruined."

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

No one can enter the strong man's house and plunder his goods unless first of all he binds the strong man; then he can plunder his house.

I tell you truly, the sons of men shall be forgiven all their sins, and all the blasphemies they may utter,

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

Once more he proceeded to teach by the seaside, and a crowd gathered round him greater than ever, so he entered a boat on the sea and sat down, while all the crowd stayed on shore.

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."

but the worries of the world and the delight of being rich and all the other passions come in to choke the word; so it proves unfruitful.

Also he said to them, "Take care what you hear; the measure you deal out to others will be dealt out to yourselves, and you will receive extra.

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."

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

All night and day among the tombs and the hills he shrieked and gashed himself with stones.

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.

"if I can touch even his clothes," she said to herself, "I will recover."

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."

He would not allow anyone to accompany him except Peter and James and John the brother of James.

and on entering he asked them, "Why make a noise and wail? The child is not dead but asleep."

They laughed at him. However, he put them all outside and taking the father and mother of the child as well as his companions he went in to where the child was lying;

When the sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and the large audience was astounded. "Where did he get all this?" they said. "What is the meaning of this wisdom he is endowed with? And these miracles, too, that his hands perform!

And if any place will not receive you and the people will not listen to you, shake off the very dust under your feet when you leave, as a warning to them."

also they cast out a number of daemons and cured a number of sick people by anointing them with oil.

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;"

The daughter of Herodias went in and danced to them, and Herod and his guests were so delighted that the king said to the girl, "Ask anything you like and I will give you it."

He swore to her, "I will give you whatever you want, were it the half of my realm."

Now the apostles gathered to meet Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.

However a number of people who saw them start and recognized them, got to the place before them by hurrying there on foot from all the towns.

Then he gave orders that they were to make all the people lie down in parties on the green grass;

and he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven he blessed them, broke the loaves in pieces which he handed to the disciples to set before them, and divided the two fish among them all.

They all ate and had enough;

Then he made the disciples at once embark in the boat and cross before him towards Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd;

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."

they hurried round all the district and proceeded to carry the sick on their pallets wherever they heard that he was;

whatever village or town or hamlet he went to, they would lay their invalids in the marketplace, begging him to let them touch even the tassel of his robe ??and all who touched him recovered.

(The Pharisees and all the Jews decline to eat till they wash their hands up to the wrist, in obedience to the tradition of the elders;

Then he called the crowd to him again and said to them, "Listen to me, all of you, and understand this:

It does not enter his heart but his belly and passes from that into the drain" (thus he pronounced all food clean).

all these evils issue from within and they defile a man."

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."

He said to her, "Well, go your way; the daemon has left your daughter, since you have said that."

If I send them home without food they will faint on the road. Besides, some of them have come a long way."

and as they also had a few small fish, he blessed them too and told the disciples to serve them out as well.

"Leaven?" they argued to themselves, "we have no bread at all."

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?

Whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this disloyal and sinful generation, the Son of man will be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

I tell you truly," he said, to them, "there are some of those standing here who will not taste death till they see the coming of God's Reign with power."

And suddenly looking round they saw no one there except Jesus all alone beside them.

He said to them, "Elijah does come first, to restore all things; but what is written about the Son of man as well? This, that he is to endure great suffering and be rejected.

On seeing him the whole crowd was thunderstruck and ran to greet him.

So he sat down and called the twelve. "If anyone wants to be first," he said to them, "he must be last of all and the servant of all."

Jesus said, "Do not stop him; no one who performs any miracle in my name will be ready to speak evil of me.

I tell you truly, whoever will not submit to the Reign of God like a child will never get into it at all."

"Teacher," he said, "I have observed all these commands from my youth."

Jesus looked at him and loved him. "There is one thing you want," he said; "go and sell all you have; give the money to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, take up the cross, and follow me."

Peter began, "Well, we have left our all and followed you."

Many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first."

"We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of man will be betrayed to the high priests and scribes; they will sentence him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles,

who will mock him, spit on him, scourge him, and kill him; then after three days he will rise again."

A number of the people checked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me!"

Then Jesus said, "Go, your faith has made you well;" and he regained his sight at once and followed Jesus along the road.

saying to them, "Go to the village in front of you. As soon as you enter it you will find a colt tethered, on which no one has ever sat; untether it and bring it here.

If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing that?' say, 'The Lord needs it,' and he will send it back immediately."

Many also spread their clothes on the road, while others strewed leaves cut from the fields;

and would not allow anyone to carry a vessel through the temple;

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.

Then Peter remembered. "Rabbi," he said, "there is the fig tree you cursed, all withered!"

I tell you truly, whoever says to this hill, 'Take and throw yourself into the sea,' and has not a doubt in his mind but believes that what he says will happen, he will have it done.

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.

Now they argued to themselves, "[What are we to say?] If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Then why did you not believe him.'

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."

He had still one left, a beloved son; he sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.'

But these vinedressers said to themselves, 'Here is the heir; come on, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be our own.'

Now what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and he will give the vineyard to others.

none of the seven left any offspring. Last of all the woman died too.

At the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? She was wife to the seven of them."

Then a scribe came up, who had listened to the discussion. Knowing Jesus had given them an apt answer, he put this question to him, "What is the chief of all the commands?"

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

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."

they prey upon the property of widows and offer long unreal prayers. All the heavier will their sentence be!"

And he called his disciples and said to them, "I tell you truly, this poor widow has put in more than all who have put their money into the treasury;