Now it was in those days that Jesus arrived from Nazaret in Galilee and got baptized in the Jordan by John.

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!"

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."

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.

When he entered Capharnahum again after some days it was reported that he was at home,

Conscious at once that they were arguing to themselves in this way, Jesus asked them, "Why do you argue thus in your hearts?

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

Now it happened that he was passing through the cornfields on the sabbath, and as the disciples made their way through they began to pull the ears of corn.

The Pharisees said to him, "Look at what they are doing on the sabbath! That is not allowed."

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

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

He appointed twelve to be with him, also that he might despatch them to preach

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

But the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebul," and "It is by the prince of daemons that he casts out daemons."

If a realm is divided against itself, that realm cannot stand:

if a household is divided against itself, that household cannot stand:

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

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

some other seed fell on good soil and bore a crop that sprang up and grew, yielding at the rate of thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."

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 they have no root in themselves, they do not last; the next thing is that when the word brings trouble or persecution, they are at once repelled.

but once sown it springs up to be larger than any plant, throwing out such big branches that the wild birds can roost under its shadow."

That same day when evening came he said to them, "Let us cross to the other side;"

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

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

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.

As he was stepping into the boat the lunatic begged that he might accompany him;

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

with earnest entreaties. "My little girl is dying," he said, "do come and lay your hands on her that she may recover and live,"

And at once the hemorrhage stopped, and she felt in her body that she was cured of her complaint.

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?"

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!

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 replied, "Give them some food, yourselves." They said, "Are we to go and buy ten pounds' worth of food and give them that to eat?"

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

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

They noticed that some of his disciples ate their food with 'common' (that is, unwashed) hands.

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),

That is repealing the word of God in the interests of the tradition which you keep up. And you do many things like that."

nothing outside a man can defile him by entering him; it is what comes from him that defiles him.

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

"No," he said, "it is what comes from a man, that is what defiles him.

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

And a deaf man who stammered was brought to him, with the request that he would lay his hand on him.

Then they reached Bethsaida. A blind man was brought to him with the request that he would touch him.

And he proceeded to teach them that the Son of man had to endure great suffering, to be rejected by the elders and the high priests and the scribes, to be killed and after three days to rise again;

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

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.

Now as Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, he checked the unclean spirit. "Deaf and dumb spirit," he said, "leave him, I command you, and never enter him again."

And it did come out, after shrieking aloud and convulsing him violently. The child turned like a corpse, so that most people said, "he is dead";

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.

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.

Jesus said to them, "He wrote you that command on account of the hardness of your hearts.

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

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

but some of the bystanders said to them, "What do you mean by untethering that colt?"

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.

Also, whenever you stand up to pray, if you have anything against anybody, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."

Have you not even read this scripture? ??The stone that the builders rejected is the chief stone now of the corner:

"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.

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.

And as Jesus taught in the temple he asked, "How can the scribes say that the Christ is David's son?

So Jesus began: "Take care that no one misleads you: ??6 many will come in my name saying, 'I am he,' and mislead many.

For nation will rise against nation, and realm against realm; there will be earthquakes here and there, and famines too. All that is but the beginning of the trouble.

If anyone tells you at that time, 'Look, here is the Christ,' or, 'Look, there he is,' do not believe it;

But when that misery is past, in those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not yield her light,

Now no one knows anything about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, not even the Son, but only the Father.

"Only," they said, "it must not be during the festival; that would mean a popular riot."

This perfume might have been sold for over three hundred shillings, and the poor might have got that." So they upbraided her.

and whatever house he goes into, tell the owner that the Teacher says, 'Where is my room, that I may eat the passover there with my disciples?'

The Son of man goes the road that the scripture has described for him, but woe to the man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! Better that man had never been born!"

Then he went forward a little and fell to the earth, praying that the hour might pass away from him, if possible.

Watch and pray, all of you, so that you may not slip into temptation. The spirit is eager but the flesh is weak."

Then he came for the third time and said to them, "Still asleep? still resting? No more of that! The hour has come, here is the Son of man betrayed into the hands of sinners.

At that very moment, while he was still speaking, Judas [Iscariot] one of the twelve came up accompanied by a mob with swords and cudgels who had come from the high priests and scribes and elders.

Now his betrayer had given them a signal; he said, "Whoever I kiss, that is the man. Seize him and get him safely away."

Again the maidservant who had noticed him began to tell the bystanders, "That fellow is one of them."

At that moment the cock crowed for the second time. Then Peter remembered how Jesus had told him, "Before the cock crows twice you will disown me thrice;" and he burst into tears.

The soldiers took him inside the courtyard (that is, the praetorium) and got all the regiment together;

Let 'the Christ,' 'the king of Israel' come down now from the cross! Let us see that and we will believe!" Those who were crucified with him also denounced him.

Now when the army-captain who stood facing him saw that he expired in this way, he said, "This man was certainly a son of God."

By this time it was evening, and as it was the day of Preparation (that is, the day before the sabbath)

Pilate was surprised that he was dead already; he summoned the captain and asked if he had been dead some time,

but he said to them, "Do not be bewildered. You are looking for Jesus of Nazaret, who was crucified? He has risen, he is not here. That is the place where he was laid.

Afterwards he appeared at table to the eleven themselves and reproached them for their unbelief and dulness of mind, because they had not believed those who saw him risen from the dead. [But they excused themselves, saying, "This age of lawlessness and unbelief lies under the sway of Satan, who will not allow what lies under the unclean spirits to understand the truth and power of God; therefore," they said to Christ, "reveal your righteousness now." Christ answered them, "The term of years for Satan's power has now expired, but other terrors are at hand. I was delivered to death on behalf of sinners, that they might return to the truth and sin no more, that they might inherit that glory of righteousness which is spiritual and imperishable in heaven."]

while they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the miracles that endorsed it. (b) But they gave Peter and his companions a brief account of all these injunctions. And, after that, Jesus himself sent out by means of them from east to west the sacred and imperishable message of eternal salvation.