The voice of one crying aloud. In the desert make ready a road for the Lord. Make his paths straight.

In the desert came John who baptized, and preached a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;

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.

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;

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

and told him, "Every one is looking for you."

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

"See you say nothing to any one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your purification what Moses commanded for a testimony to them."

and at once such a crowd gathered that there was no longer room for them, even around the door.

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

Later on Levi was sitting at table in his house, and together with Jesus and his disciples a number of tax-gatherers and sinners were guests, for there were many of them who used to follow him.

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

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.

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

so that, "for all their looking they may not see, and for all their hearing, they may not understand, lest perchance they should turn and be pardoned.

but because they have no root in themselves they last for a time; but when suffering or persecution ensues because of the Word, they at once fall away.

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

With many such illustrations Jesus used to tell his message to people as far as they were able to receive it;

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.

For Jesus was saying, "Foul spirit, come out of the man."

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

"Go home to your own people, and tell them what great things God has done for you, and has had mercy upon you."

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.

Now there was a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years,

and the woman knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.

But Jesus, paying no attention to the remark, said to the warden of the synagogue, "Have no fear, only believe."

And instantly the little girl stood up, and began to walk, for she was twelve years old, They were at once beside themselves with utter amazement.

He bade them take nothing but a staff for their journey; no bread, no wallet, no coins in their purse;

King Herod heard it, for the name of Jesus had become well known, People were saying, "John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and on that account these powers are working in him."

Now this Herod had sent and arrested John, and bound him in prison, for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, whom he had married.

For John had often told Herod, "It is not right for you to live with your brother's wife."

but she could not, for Herod was afraid of John because he knew that he was a just and holy man. So he kept him safe. When he listened to John he was much exercised, yet he found pleasure in listening to him.

Then came a convenient day, when Herod on his birthday held a feast for his lords and generals and the leading men of Galilee,

So she came out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask for?" "The head of John the Baptist," she replied.

Then he said to them, "Come apart, yourselves, to a quiet spot, and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they could not get time even to eat.

So when Jesus landed he saw a vast multitude, and he was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.

Then when the day was now far spent, his disciples came to him and said: "This place is desert, and the day is now far spent.

but when he saw them distressed in rowing (for the wind was against them), about the fourth watch of the night he went to them, walking upon the sea,

they thought it was an apparition and shrieked aloud, for they all saw him and were terrified.

for they had not understood about the loaves; on the contrary their heart was hardened.

For the Pharisees and all of the Jews do not eat until they have ceremoniously washed their hands in obedience to the tradition of the elders;

"Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, hypocrites," he answered. "As it is written, 'This people honor me with their lips, While their hearts are far from me;

But in vain do they worship me, For their teaching is only human precepts.'"

For although Moses said, Honor your father and mother, and Let him who curses father or mother suffer death,

you exempt him from doing any service for his father or mother.

"For that saying of yours, go home," he replied; "the demon has departed from your daughter."

"My heart aches for the crowd, because they have remained with me three days now, and they have nothing to eat;

"Where will it be possible," answered his disciples, "for one to fill these men with bread in a lonely place like this?"

They that had eaten were about four thousand.

"And when the seven for the four thousand, how many hampers full of fragments did you pick up?"

The man looked up and said, "I can make out the people, for as they move about, I see them like trees."

But he turned round, and looked upon his disciples, and rebuked Peter. "Get thee behind me, Satan," he said, "for your thoughts are not God's thoughts, but man's."

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever, for my sake and the gospel's, loses his life will save it.

For what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own life?

Or what shall a man give in exchange for his life?

"Master," said Peter, addressing Jesus, "it is good for us to be 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 awestruck.)

"From childhood," he answered; "and often it has thrown him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."

Jesus said to him. "'If you can'! All things can be for one who believes."

for he was explaining to his disciples that the Son of man was to be betrayed into the hands of men, and that they would put him to death, but that after he had been put to death, he would rise again after three days,

But they were silent, for on the road they were disputing together which one was greatest.

"Do not try to stop him," Jesus answered, "for there is no one who performs a miracle in my name who can soon speak evil of me.

He who is not against us is for us.

For whoever gives you even a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, in solemn truth I tell you, that he shall certainly not lose his reward.

"And if any one shall cause one of these little ones who believe on me to stumble, it would be better for him if he were thrown out into the sea with a great millstone about his neck.

"If your hand cause you to stumble, cut it off! It is better to be maimed and to enter into life than to have two hands and go away into hell, into the fire that cannot be put out.

If your eye cause you to stumble, tear it out! It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God one-eyed that to keep both your eyes and be cast into hell,

where their worm never dies and the fire does not go out.

For by fire every one will be salted;

Presently some Pharisees came up and tested him, by asking if it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife.

"For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh;

Now people were bringing little children to Jesus for him to touch them; but the disciples rebuked them.

Jesus was indignant when he saw it, and said: "Let the little children come to me. Do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such.

But his face fell at these words, and he went away saddened, for he was one who had great wealth.

Then Jesus looked round on his disciples and said, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter into the kingdom of God!"

"My sons, how hard it is for those who trust in money to enter the kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven."

When he had looked at them, Jesus said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God."

"I tell you solemnly," said Jesus, "that there is no man who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or lands, for my sake and the gospel's,

Presently there came up to him James and John, the sons of Zebedee, and said, "Teacher, we wish you would do for us whatever we ask you."

"What is it you want me to do for you?" said he.

but a seat upon my right hand or my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been reserved."

and justly, for even the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life, a ransom for many."

and seeing a fig tree in the distance full of leaves, he came to see if he could find anything on it, and found on it nothing but leaves (for it was not the time of figs).

"Is it not written," he said, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations? But you have made it a den of robbers."

The chief priests and the Scribes heard this, and they began to seek means of destroying him; for they were afraid of him because all the crowd were greatly struck with his teaching.

That is why I am telling you that whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it shall be yours.

On the other hand, if we say, 'From men'!" They were afraid, however, of the people, for every one held that John had been really a prophet.

Presently Jesus began to speak to them in parables. "There was once a man," he said, "who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the wine-press, built a tower, rented it to tenants, and went abroad.

And they kept seeking to lay hold on him, but were afraid of the crowd, for they knew well that he had spoken this parable about them; so they left him and went away.

So when they came, they said: "Teacher, we know that you are sincere and are not afraid of any one, for you do not regard the face of men; nay, but you reach the way of God in truth. Is it right to pay poll-tax to Caesar or not?

Shall we pay, or not pay?" But he, knowing well their hypocrisy, said to them. "Why are you testing me? Bring me a dollar for me to look at."

"Teacher, Moses taught us that if a man's brother die, and leave a wife behind him, but no child, that his brother is to marry the widow and to raise up a family for his brother.

And last of all the woman too died. In the resurrection whose wife shall she be? For the seven had her as wife."

"Is not this the reason for your error," Jesus answered them, "that you know not the Scripture nor the power of God?

and that beside him there is none other, and to love him with all one's heart and with all one's understanding and with all one's might, and to love one's neighbor as oneself is far beyond all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."

Jesus saw that he had answered with discrimination, and said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." After that no one ventured to question him.

and in his teaching he said: "Look out for the Scribes who like to walk about in long robes, and to receive salutations in the street, and to have prominent places in the synagogues,

for they have all put in what they could spare out of their surplus, but she, out of her penury, has put in all that she possessed, her whole living."

For nation shall rise in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines; these are the beginning of birth-pangs.