John was dressed in camel's hair, with a leather girdle round his loins, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

And the moment he rose from the water he saw the heavens cleft and the Spirit coming down upon him like a dove;

he said, "The time has now come, God's reign is near: repent and believe in the gospel."

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."

Then going on a little further he saw James the son of Zebedaeus and his brother John; they too were in their boat, mending their nets;

"Jesus of Nazaret, what business have you with us? Have you come to destroy us? We know who you are, you are God's holy One."

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.

Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with fever, so they told him at once about her,

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."

so he stretched his hand out in pity and touched him saying, "I do choose, be cleansed."

"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."

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven."

But to let you see the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins" ??he said to the paralytic,

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!"

As he passed along he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax-office; he said to him, "Follow me," and he rose and followed him.

So when some scribes of the Pharisees saw he was eating with sinners and taxgatherers they said to his disciples, "Why does he eat and drink with taxgatherers and sinners?"

As the disciples of John and of the Pharisees were observing a fast, people came and asked him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, and your disciples do not fast?"

so that the Son of man is Lord even over the sabbath."

and they watched to see if he would heal him on the sabbath, so as to get a charge against him.

Jesus retired with his disciples to the sea, and a large number of people from Galilee followed him; also a large number came to him from Judaea,

So he told his disciples to have a small boat ready; it was to prevent him being crushed by the crowd,

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

And whenever the unclean spirits saw him they fell down before him, screaming, "You are the Son of God!"

but the crowd gathered again, so that it was impossible even to have a meal.

So he called them and said to them by way of parable, "How can Satan cast out Satan?

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.

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.

"Listen, a sower went out to sow,

some other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked it, so it bore no crop;

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.

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

so, leaving the crowd, they took him just as he was in the boat, accompanied by some other boats.

But a heavy squall of wind came on, and the waves splashed into the boat, so that the boat filled.

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

And he woke up, checked the wind, and told the sea, "Peace, be quiet." The wind fell and there was a great calm.

But they were overawed and said to each other, "Whatever can he be, when the very wind and sea obey him?"

Then they reached the opposite side of the sea, the country of the Gerasenes.

so the spirits begged him saying, "Send us into the swine, that we may enter them,"

And Jesus gave them leave. Then out came the unclean spirits and entered the swine, and the drove rushed down the steep slope into the sea (there were about two thousand of them) and in the sea they were drowned.

The herdsmen fled and reported it to the town and the hamlets. So the people came to see what had happened,

and when they reached Jesus they saw the lunatic sitting down, clothed and in his sober senses ??the man who had been possessed by 'Legion.' That frightened them.

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

Now when Jesus had crossed in the boat to the other side again, a large crowd gathered round him; so he remained beside the sea.

So Jesus went away with him. Now a large crowd followed him; they pressed round him.

Jesus was at once conscious that some healing virtue had passed from him, so he turned round in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"

His disciples said to him, "You see the crowd are pressing round you, and yet you ask, 'Who touched me?'"

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

So they reached the president's house, where he saw a tumult of people wailing and making shrill lament;

then he took the child's hand and said to her, "Talitha koum" ??which may be translated, "Little girl, I am telling you to rise."

Is this not the joiner, the son of Mary and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not his sisters settled here among us?" So they were repelled by him.

So they went out and preached repentance;

John had told Herod, "You have no right to your brother's wife."

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.

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."

So she went out and said to her mother, "What am I to ask?" "John the Baptizer's head," she answered.

Then she hurried in at once and asked the king, saying, "I want you to give me this very moment John the Baptist's head on a dish."

so the king at once sent one of the guard with orders to bring his head. The man went and beheaded him in the prison,

So they went away privately in the boat to a lonely spot.

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.

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.

He said, "How many loaves have you got? Go and see." When they found out they told him, "Five, and two fish."

so they arranged themselves in groups of a hundred and of fifty;

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."

Yes, forsooth," he added, "you set aside what God commands, so as to maintain your own tradition.

But you say that if a man tells his father or mother, 'This money might have been at your service, but it is Korban' (that is, dedicated to God),

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

He said to them, "So you do not understand, either? Do you not see how nothing outside a man can defile him by entering him?

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."

She answered him, "No, sir, but under the table the dogs do pick up the children's crumbs."

So she went home and found the child lying in bed and the daemon gone from her.

He left the territory of Tyre again and passed through Sidon to the sea of Galilee, crossing the territory of Decapolis.

So taking him aside from the crowd by himself, he put his fingers into the man's ears, touched his tongue with saliva,

and looking up to heaven with a sigh he said to him, "Ephphatha" (which means, Open).

So he ordered the crowd to recline on the ground, and taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to serve out. They served them out to the crowd,

So the people ate and were satisfied, and they picked up seven baskets of fragments which were left over.

So he cautioned them, "See and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."

He noted this and said to them, "Why do you argue you have no bread? Do you not see, do you not understand, even yet? Are you still dull of heart?

You have eyes, do you not see? you have ears, do you not hear?

So he took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village; then, after spitting on his eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked him, "Do you see anything?"

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

At this he laid his hands on his eyes once more, and the man stared in front of him; he was quite restored and saw everything distinctly.

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?"

"John the Baptist," they told him, "though some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the prophets."

So he inquired of them, "And who do you say I am?" Peter replied, "You are the Christ."

but he turned on him and noticing his disciples reproved Peter, telling him, "Get behind me, you Satan! Your outlook is not God's but man's."

Then he called the crowd to him with his disciples and said to them, "If anyone wishes to follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and so follow me;

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.

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."

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).

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

So they put this question to him, "Why do the [Pharisees and] scribes say that Elijah has to come first?"

When they reached the disciples they saw a large crowd round them, and some scribes arguing with them.

and whenever it seizes him it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth. He is wasting away with it; so I told your disciples to cast it out, but they could not."