Now John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

And immediately coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove.

And as he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the Sea; for they were fishermen.

When he had gone a little farther from there, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.

And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? A new teaching! With authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him."

Now Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever, and immediately they told him about her.

So he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.

And he said to them, "Let us go on to the next towns, so I may preach there also; for that is why I have come."

and he said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was outside in the deserted places; and people came to him from every quarter.

And many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And he preached the word to them.

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

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your pallet and walk'?

"I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home."

And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out in the sight of them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

Then he went out again beside the sea; and all the crowd came to him, and he taught them.

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

And as he sat at table in Levi's house, many tax collectors and sinners were sitting with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him.

And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw him eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"

So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

And they watched him closely, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.

Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed; also from Judea

For he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him.

And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God."

Then he went home; and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat.

So he called them to himself and said to them in parables: "How can Satan cast out Satan?

No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.

Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter;

Again he began to teach by the sea. and a very large crowd gathered around him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land.

"Listen! A sower went out to sow.

so that 'seeing they may see but not perceive, and hearing may hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven.'"

yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."

And a great storm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.

Then he rose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.

He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you no faith?"

And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, "Who is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!"

They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes.

And when he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and worshipped him.

So all the demons begged him, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them."

So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the swine; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and were drowned in the sea.

So those who fed the swine fled, and told it in the city and in the country. And people went out to see what it was that had happened.

And they came to Jesus, and saw the man who had been possessed sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the man who had had the legion; and they were afraid.

And when Jesus had crossed over again by the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea.

and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be healed, and live."

So Jesus went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged around him.

And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, 'Who touched me?'"

And he looked around to see who had done it.

While he was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?"

When they came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, he saw a tumult, and people weeping and wailing loudly.

And they laughed at him. But after he put them all outside, he took the child's father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was.

He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha cumi!" which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."

So they went out and preached that people should repent.

For Herod himself had sent and had John arrested, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; because he had married her.

For John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

So she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?" And she said, "The head of John the Baptist!"

So they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves.

But many saw them going, and knew them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns, and got there ahead of them.

When Jesus went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them many things.

Send them away, so they can go to the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves something to eat."

But he said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish."

So they sat down in groups, of hundreds and fifties.

When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on land.

And he saw the disciples straining at the oars, for the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He was about to pass by them,

but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out;

for they all saw him, and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I; do not be afraid."

they saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed.

But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban' (that is, a gift devoted to God),

So he said to them, "Are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him,

since it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and so passes on?" (Thus he declared all foods clean.)

And he said to her, "Let the children first be fed, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."

But she answered him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."

Then he departed from the region of Tyre, and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decapolis.

So he commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd.

And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."

Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?

So he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. And when he had spit on his eyes and put his hands on him, he asked him "Do you see anything?"

And he looked up and said, "I see men; but they look like trees, walking."

Then he put his hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored, and saw everything clearly.

And Jesus went on with his disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that I am?"

They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets."

And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ."

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

And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power."

For he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.

Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.

And they asked him, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"

And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them.

Immediately, when they saw him, all the people were greatly amazed, and ran to him and greeted him.

And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.

And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again."

And the spirit cried out, convulsed him terribly, and came out. And the boy was like a corpse; so that many of them said, "He is dead."

John said to him, "Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name and we forbade him, because he was not one of us."

For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ, will by no means lose his reward.

"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung round his neck and he were thrown into the sea.

and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one flesh.

So he said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.

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

Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will not enter it."