So John the Baptizer came, and was in the Desert proclaiming a baptism of the penitent for forgiveness of sins.

As for John, his garment was of camel's hair, and he wore a loincloth of leather; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

His announcement was, "There is One coming after me mightier than I--One whose sandal-strap I am unworthy to stoop down and unfasten.

At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan;

where He remained for forty days, tempted by Satan; and He was among the wild beasts, but the angels waited upon Him.

The people listened with amazement to His teaching--for there was authority about it: it was very different from that of the Scribes--

Now Simon's mother-in-law was ill in bed with a fever, and without delay they informed Him about her.

When it was evening, after sunset people came bringing Him all who were sick and the demoniacs;

and the whole town was assembled at the door.

Then He cured numbers of people who were ill with various diseases, and He drove out many demons; not allowing the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.

In the morning He rose early, while it was still quite dark, and leaving the house He went away to a solitary place and there prayed.

The leprosy at once left him, and he was cleansed.

But the man, when he went out, began to tell every one and to publish the matter abroad, so that it was no longer possible for Jesus to go openly into any town; but He had to remain outside in unfrequented places, where people came to Him from all parts.

After some days He entered Capernaum again, and it soon became known that He was at home;

and such numbers of people came together that there was no longer room for them even round the door. He was speaking His Message to them,

Finding themselves unable, however, to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they untiled the roof just over His head, and after clearing an opening they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying.

When He was sitting at table in Levi's house, a large number of tax-gatherers and notorious sinners were at table with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many such who habitually followed Him.

One Sabbath He was walking through the wheatfields when His disciples began to pluck the ears of wheat as they went.

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

At another time, when He went to the synagogue, there was a man there with one arm shrivelled up.

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.

and from Judaea and Jerusalem and Idumaea and from beyond the Jordan and from the district of Tyre and Sidon there came to Him a vast crowd, hearing of all that He was doing.

But He many a time checked them, forbidding them to say who He was.

And He went into a house. But again the crowd assembled, so that there was no opportunity for them even to snatch a meal.

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

Now a crowd was sitting round Him; so they tell Him, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, inquiring for you."

When He was alone, the Twelve and the others who were about Him requested Him to explain His figurative language.

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

Another saying of His was this: "How are we to picture the Kingdom of God? or by what figure of speech shall we represent it?

So they got away from the crowd, and took Him--as He was--in the boat; and other boats accompanied Him.

But a heavy squall came on, and the waves were now dashing into the boat, so that it was fast filling.

But He Himself was in the stern asleep, with His head on the cushion: so they woke Him. "Rabbi," they cried, "is it nothing to you that we are drowning?"

for many a time he had been left securely bound in fetters and chains, but afterwards the chains lay torn link from link, and the fetters in fragments, and there was no one strong enough to master him.

Feeding there, on the mountain slope, was a great herd of swine.

The swineherds fled, and spread the news in town and country. So the people came to see what it was that had happened;

As He was embarking, the man who had been possessed asked permission to accompany Him.

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,

when there came one of the Wardens of the Synagogue--he was called Jair--who, on beholding Him, threw himself at His feet,

In a moment the flow of her blood ceased, and she felt in herself that her complaint was cured.

Instantly the little girl rises to her feet and begins to walk (for she was twelve years old)

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

for Herod stood in awe of John, knowing him to be an upright and holy man, and he protected him. After listening to him he was in great perplexity, and yet he found a pleasure in listening.

So when Jesus landed, He saw a vast multitude; and His heart was moved with pity for them, because they were like sheep which have no shepherd, and He proceeded to teach them many things.

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:

When evening was come, the boat was half way across the Lake, while he Himself was on shore alone.

But when He saw them distressed with rowing (for the wind was against them)

They saw Him walking on the water, and thinking that it was a spirit they cried out;

Then they scoured the whole district, and began to bring Him the sick on their mats wherever they heard He was.

Forthwith a woman whose little daughter was possessed by a foul spirit heard of Him, and came and flung herself at His feet.

She was a Gentile woman, a Syro-phoenician by nation: and again and again she begged Him to expel the demon from her daughter.

The amazement was extreme. "He succeeds in everything he attempts," they exclaimed; "he even makes deaf men hear and dumb men speak!"

About that time there was again an immense crowd, and they found themselves with nothing to eat. So He called His disciples to Him.

And they came to Bethsaida. And a blind man was brought to Jesus and they entreated Him to touch him.

So they kept the matter to themselves, although frequently asking one another what was meant by the rising from the dead.

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;

Departing thence they passed through Galilee, and He was unwilling that any one should know it;

for He was teaching His disciples, and telling them, "The Son of Man is to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will put Him to death; and after being put to death, in three days He will rise to life again."

But they remained silent; for on the way they had debated with one another who was the chief of them.

Soon on His feet once more, He enters the district of Judaea and crosses the Jordan: again the people flock to Him, and ere long, as was usual with Him, He was teaching them once more.

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

but from the beginning of the creation the rule was, 'Male and female did God make them.

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.

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

They were still on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were full of wonder, and some, though they followed, did so with fear. Then, once more calling to Him the Twelve, He began to tell them what was about to happen to Him.

They came to Jericho; and as He was leaving that town--Himself and His disciples and a great crowd--Bartimaeus (the son of Timaeus)

Hearing that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out, "Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me."

The next day, after they had left Bethany, He was hungry.

But in the distance He saw a fig-tree in full leaf, and went to see whether perhaps He could find some figs on it. When however He came to it, He found nothing but leaves (for it was not fig time)

They came again to Jerusalem; and as He was walking in the Temple, the High Priests, Scribes and Elders came to Him

John's Baptism--was it of Heavenly or of human origin? Answer me."

Then He began to speak to them in figurative language. "There was once a man," He said, "who planted a vineyard, fenced it round, dug a pit for the wine-tank, and built a strong lodge. Then he let the place to vine-dressers and went abroad.

Their next step was to send to Him some of the Pharisees and of Herod's partisans to entrap Him in conversation.

As He was leaving the Temple, one of His disciples exclaimed, "Look, Rabbi, what wonderful stones! what wonderful buildings!"

He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite to the Temple, when Peter, James, John, and Andrew, apart from the others asked Him,

It was now two days before the Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread, and the High Priests and Scribes were bent on finding how to seize Him by stratagem and put Him to death.

Now when He was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the Leper, while He was at table, there came a woman with a jar of pure, sweet-scented ointment very costly: she broke the jar and poured the ointment over His head.

When it was evening, He came with the Twelve.

Going forward a short distance He threw Himself upon His face and prayed repeatedly that, if it was possible, He might be spared that time of agony;

Immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, came and with him a crowd of men armed with swords and cudgels, sent by the High Priests and Scribes and Elders.

But not even in this shape was their testimony consistent.

Now while Peter was below in the quadrangle, one of the High Priest's maidservants came,

Now at the Festival it was customary for Pilate to release to the Jews any one prisoner whom they might beg off from punishment;

and at this time a man named Barabbas was in prison among the insurgents--persons who in the insurrection had committed murder.

For he could see that it was out of sheer spite that the High Priests had handed Him over.

One Simon, a Cyrenaean, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing along, coming from the country: him they compelled to carry His cross.

It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified Him.

Over His head was the notice in writing of the charge against Him: THE KING OF THE JEWS.

And the curtain in the Sanctuary was torn in two, from top to bottom.

And when the Centurion who stood in front of the cross saw that He was dead, he exclaimed, "This man was indeed God's Son."

Towards sunset, as it was the Preparation--that is, the day preceding the Sabbath--

Joseph of Arimathaea came, a highly respected member of the Council, who himself also was living in expectation of the Kingdom of God. He summoned up courage to go in to see Pilate and beg for the body of Jesus.

But Pilate could hardly believe that He was already dead. He called, however, for the Centurion and inquired whether He had been long dead;

Mary of Magdala and Mary the mother of Joses were looking on to see where He was put.

When the Sabbath was over, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, in order to come and anoint His body.

But then, looking up, they saw that the stone was already rolled back: for it was of immense size.

But they, when they were told that He was alive and that she had seen Him, could not believe it.

So the Lord Jesus after having thus spoken to them was taken up into Heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.