"The time has fully come," He said, "and the Kingdom of God is close at hand: repent, and believe this Good News.

"Come and follow me," said Jesus, "and I will make you fishers for men."

When they found Him they said, "Every one is looking for you."

One day there came a leper to Jesus entreating Him, and pleading on his knees. "If you are willing," he said, "you are able to cleanse me."

Moved with pity Jesus reached out His hand and touched him. "I am willing," He said; "be cleansed."

Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are pardoned."

"Why does this man use such words?" they said; "he is blaspheming. Who can pardon sins but One--that is, God?"

But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to pardon sins" --He turned to the paralytic, and said,

The man rose, and immediately under the eyes of all took up his mat and went out, so that they were all filled with astonishment, gave the glory to God, and said, "We never saw anything like this."

And as He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the Toll Office, and said to him, "Follow me." So he rose and followed Him.

But when the Scribes of the Pharisee sect saw Him eating with the sinners and the tax-gatherers, they said to His disciples, "He is eating and drinking with the tax-gatherers and sinners!"

Jesus heard the words, and He said, "It is not the healthy who require a doctor, but the sick: I did not come to appeal to the righteous, but to sinners."

So the Pharisees said to Him, "Look! why are they doing what on the Sabbath is unlawful?"

And Jesus said to them: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath;

"Come forward," said He to the man with the shrivelled arm.

Grieved and indignant at the hardening of their hearts, He looked round on them with anger, and said to the man, "Stretch out your arm." He stretched it out, and the arm was completely restored.

Hearing of this, His relatives came to seize Him by force, for they said, "He is out of his mind."

The Scribes, too, who had come down from Jerusalem said, "He has Baal-zebul in him; and it is by the power of the Prince of the demons that he expels the demons."

This was because they said, "He is possessed by a foul spirit."

And, fixing His eyes on the people who were sitting round Him in a circle, He said,

Once more He began to teach by the side of the Lake, and a vast multitude of people came together to listen to Him. He therefore went on board the boat and sat there, a little way from the land; and all the people were on the shore close to the water.

Then He proceeded to teach them many lessons in figurative language; and in His teaching He said,

As he sows, some of the seed falls by the way-side, and the birds come and peck it up.

But some of the seed falls into good ground, and gives a return: it comes up and increases, and yields thirty, sixty, or a hundred-fold."

Those who receive the seed by the way-side are those in whom the Message is sown, but, when they have heard it, Satan comes at once and carries away the Message sown in them.

In the same way those who receive the seed on the rocky places are those who, when they have heard the Message, at once accept it joyfully,

Others there are who receive the seed among the thorns: these are they who have heard the Message,

Those, on the other hand, who have received the seed on the good ground, are all who hear the Message and welcome it, and yield a return of thirty, sixty, or a hundred fold."

He also said to them, "Take care what you hear. With what measure you measure, it will be measured to you, and that with interest.

Another saying of His was this: "The Kingdom of God is as if a man scattered seed over the ground:

he spends days and nights, now awake, now asleep, while the seed sprouts and grows tall, he knows not how.

It is like a mustard-seed, which, when sown in the earth, is the smallest of all the seeds in the world;

The same day, in the evening, He said to them, "Let us cross to the other side."

So He roused Himself and rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, "Silence! Be still!" The wind sank, and a perfect calm set in.

For He had said to him, "Foul spirit, come out of the man."

Jesus also questioned him. "What is your name?" He said. "Legion," he replied, "for there are a host of us."

So they besought Jesus. "Send us to the swine," they said, "so that we may enter into them."

But He would not allow it. "Go home to your family," He said, "and report to them all that the Lord has done for you, and the mercy He has shown you."

When Jesus had re-crossed in the boat to the other side, a vast multitude came crowding to Him; and He was on the shore of the Lake,

and besought Him with many entreaties. "My little daughter," he said, "is at the point of death: I pray you come and lay your hands upon her, that she may recover and live."

for she said, "If I but touch His clothes, I shall be cured."

"Daughter," He said, "your faith has cured you: go in peace, and be free from your complaint."

But Jesus, overhearing the words, said to the Warden, "Do not be afraid; only have faith."

But Jesus said to them, "There is no Prophet without honour except in his own country, and among his own relatives, and in his own home."

but to go wearing sandals. "And do not," He said, "put on an extra under garment.

So they set out, and preached in order that men might repent.

Others asserted that He was Elijah. Others again said, "He is a Prophet, like one of the great Prophets."

But when Herod heard of Him, he said, "The John, whom I beheaded, has come back to life."

at which Herodias's own daughter came in and danced, and so charmed Herod and his guests that he said to her, "Ask me for anything you please, and I will give it to you."

She at once went out and said to her mother: "What shall I ask for?" "The head of John the Baptizer," she replied.

The girl immediately came in, in haste, to the King and made her request. "My desire is," she said, "that you will give me, here and now, on a dish, the head of John the Baptist."

Then He said to them, "Come away, all of you, to a quiet place, and rest awhile." For there were many coming and going, so that they had no time even for meals.

By this time it was late; so His disciples came to Him, and said, "This is a lonely place, and the hour is now late:

"How many loaves have you?" He inquired; "go and see." So they found out, and said, "Five; and a couple of fish."

So He directed them to make all sit down in companies on the green grass.

And they sat down in rows of hundreds and of fifties.

for they all saw Him and were terrified. He, however, immediately spoke to them. "There is no danger," He said; "it is I; be not alarmed."

"Praiseworthy indeed!" He added, "to set at nought God's Commandment in order to observe your own traditions!

For Moses said, 'Honour thy father and thy mother' and again, 'He who curses father or mother, let him die the death.'

Then Jesus called the people to Him again. "Listen to me, all of you," He said, "and understand.

"Let the children first eat all they want," He said; "it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."

and looking up to Heaven He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha!" (that is, "Open!")

"My heart yearns over the people," He said; "for this is now the third day they have remained with me, and they have nothing to eat.

"How many loaves have you?" He asked. "Seven," they said.

So He passed the word to the people to sit down on the ground. Then taking the seven loaves He blessed them, and broke them into portions and proceeded to give them to His disciples for them to distribute, and they distributed them to the people.

Heaving a deep and troubled sigh, He said, "Why do the men of to-day ask for a sign? In solemn truth I tell you that no sign will be given to the men of to-day."

So He left them, went on board again, and came away to the other side.

He perceived what they were saying, and He said to them, "What is this discussion of yours about having no bread? Do you not yet see and understand? Are your minds so dull of comprehension?

When I broke up the five loaves for the 5,000 men, how many baskets did you carry away full of broken portions?" "Twelve," they said.

"Do you not yet understand?" He said.

He looked up and said, "I can see the people: I see them like trees--only walking."

Then for the second time He put His hands on the man's eyes, and the man, looking steadily, recovered his sight and saw everything distinctly.

But turning round and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Adversary," He said, "for your thoughts are not God's thoughts, but men's."

Then calling to Him the crowd and also His disciples, He said to them, "If any one is desirous of following me, let him ignore self and take up his cross, and so be my follower.

when Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, we are thankful to you that we are here. Let us put up three tents--one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

Then Jesus asked the father, "How long has he been like this?" "From early childhood," he said;

Then Jesus, seeing that an increasing crowd was running towards Him, rebuked the foul spirit, and said to it, "Dumb and deaf spirit, *I* command you, come out of him and never enter into him again."

So with a loud cry he threw the boy into fit after fit, and came out. The boy looked as if he were dead, so that most of them said he was dead;

Then sitting down He called the Twelve, and said to them, "If any one wishes to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all."

And taking a young child He made him stand in their midst, then threw His arms round him and said,

"Rabbi," said John to Him, "we saw a man making use of your name to expel demons, and we tried to hinder him, on the ground that he did not follow us."

"Moses," they said, "permitted a man to draw up a written notice of divorce, and to send his wife away."

"It was in consideration of your stubborn hearts," said Jesus, "that Moses enacted this law for you;

Jesus, however, on seeing this, was moved to indignation, and said to them, "Let the little children come to me: do not hinder them; for to those who are childlike the Kingdom of God belongs.

Then Jesus looked at him and loved him, and said, "One thing is lacking in you: go, sell all you possess and give the proceeds to the poor, and you shall have riches in Heaven; and come and be a follower of mine."

At these words his brow darkened, and he went away sad; for he was possessed of great wealth.

Then looking round on His disciples Jesus said, "With how hard a struggle will the possessors of riches enter the Kingdom of God!"

The disciples were amazed at His words. Jesus, however, said again, "Children, how hard a struggle is it for those who trust in riches to enter the Kingdom of God!

They were astonished beyond measure, and said to one another, "Who then *can* be saved?"

Jesus looking on them said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for everything is possible with God."

"Remember," said Peter to Him, "that we forsook everything and have become your followers."

"See," He said, "we are going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the High Priests and the Scribes. They will condemn Him to death, and will hand Him over to the Gentiles;

Then James and John, the sons of Zabdi, came up to Him and said, "Rabbi, we wish you would grant us whatever request we make of you."

"Allow us," they replied, "to sit one at your right hand and the other at your left hand, in your glory."

"You know not," said He, "what you are asking. Are you able to drink out of the cup from which I am to drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am to be baptized?"

"We are able," they replied. "Out of the cup," said Jesus, "from which I am to drink you shall drink, and with the baptism with which I am to be baptized you shall be baptized;

Jesus, however, called them to Him and said to them, "You are aware how those who are deemed rulers among the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men make them feel their authority;

Then Jesus stood still. "Call him," He said. So they called the blind man. "Cheer up," they said; "rise, he is calling you."

"What shall I do for you?" said Jesus. "Rabboni," replied the blind man, "let me recover my sight."

"Go," said Jesus, "your faith has cured you." Instantly he regained his sight, and followed Him along the road.