They had no children, for Elizabeth was barren; and they were both advanced in life.

For he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He will drink no wine or strong drink, but he will be filled with the holy Spirit from his very birth,

Zechariah said to the angel, "How am I to know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in life."

Now you will keep silent and be unable to speak until the day when this happens, because you have not believed what I have said, for it will all be fulfilled in due time."

But when he came out he could not speak to them, and they knew that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. For his part, he kept making signs to them, and remained dumb.

"This is what the Lord has done for me," she said, "now that he has deigned to remove the disgrace I have endured."

and he will reign over Jacob's house forever; his reign will have no end."

Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, when I have no husband?"

Now the time came for Elizabeth's child to be born, and she gave birth to a son.

But his mother said, "No! He is to be named John."

They said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who bears that name."

and she gave birth to her first-born son; and she wrapped him up, and laid him in a manger, for there was no room for them at the inn.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Symeon, an upright, devout man, who was living in expectation of the comforting of Israel, and under the influence of the holy Spirit.

"Now, Master, you will let your slave go free In peace, as you promised,

and she had been a widow until she was now eighty-four. She never left the Temple, but worshipped night and day with fasting and prayer.

He said to them, "How did you come to look for me? Did you not know that I must be at my Father's house?"

Now when all the people were baptized and when Jesus also after his baptism was praying, heaven opened

the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,

He said to them, "No doubt you will quote this proverb to me: 'Doctor, cure yourself! Do the things here in your own country that we hear you did at Capernaum.'

I tell you," said he, "no prophet is welcome in his own country.

"Ha! What do you want of us, Jesus, you Nazarene? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are! You are God's Holy One!"

And demons came out of many people, crying out, "You are the Son of God!" But he reproved them and forbade them to speak, because they knew he was the Christ.

and so were Zebedee's sons, James and John, who were Simon's partners. Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you are to catch men!"

And as they could find no way to get him in, on account of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his mat through the tiles, among the people in front of Jesus.

But to let you know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth"??urning to the man who was paralyzed he said to him??"I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home!"

He used this figure also in speaking to them: "No one tears a piece from a new coat and sews it on an old one, or if he does, he will both tear the new one and the piece from the new one will not match the old one.

And nobody puts new wine into old wine-skins, or if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and run out, and the skins will be spoiled.

New wine has to be put into fresh skins.

No one after drinking old wine wants new, for he says, 'The old is better!' "

But he knew what they were thinking, and he said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and stand in front." And he got up and stood there.

"Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied! "Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh!

"Alas for you who have plenty to eat now, for you will be hungry! "Alas for you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep!

Why do you keep looking at the speck in your brother's eye, and pay no attention to the beam that is in your own?

Now that the Son of Man has come, he does eat and drink, and you say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a drinker, the companion of tax-collectors and irreligious people!'

Now there was a woman in the town who was leading a sinful life, and when she learned that he was having dinner at the Pharisee's house, she got an alabaster flask of perfume,

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were really a prophet, he would know who and what the woman is who is touching him, for she leads a wicked life."

As they could not pay him, he canceled what they owed him. Now which of them will be more attached to him?"

And some of it fell upon the rock, and when it sprang up it withered, because it had no moisture.

And he said, "You are permitted to know the secrets of the Kingdom of God, but they are given to others in the form of figures, so that they may look and yet not see, and hear and yet not understand.

The ones on the rock are those who receive the message joyfully when they first hear it, but it takes no real root. They believe for a little while, and then in the time of trial they draw back.

And when he landed, he met a man possessed by demons, who was coming out of the town. He had worn no clothing for a long time, and did not live in a house but in the tombs.

Now there was a large drove of pigs feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to give them leave to go into them. And he did so.

But Jesus said, "Somebody touched me, for I know that power passed from me."

When he got to the house, he let no one go in with him but Peter, John, and James, and the child's father and mother.

And they laughed at him, for they knew that she was dead.

He said to them, "Do not take anything for your journey, no staff nor bag nor bread nor money, nor an extra shirt.

Just as they were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, how good it is that we are here! Let us put up three huts, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah!" For he did not know what he was saying.

But Jesus knew the question that was in their minds and he took a child and made him stand by his side,

Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plough, and then looks back, is fitted for the Kingdom of God."

Now go. Here I send you out like lambs among wolves.

Carry no purse nor wallet nor shoes, and do not stop to exchange civilities with anyone on the way.

Everything has been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is but the Father, nor who the Father is but the Son, and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

Now a priest happened to be going that way, and when he saw him, he went by on the other side of the road.

But Martha was worried with all she had to do for them, and she came up and said, "Master, does it make no difference to you that my sister has left me to do all the work alone? Tell her to help me."

and he answers from inside, 'Do not bother me; the door is now fastened, and my children and I have gone to bed; I cannot get up and give you any.'

So if you, bad as you are, know enough to give your children what is good, how much more surely will your Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him for it!"

But he knew what they were thinking, and he said to them, "Any kingdom that is disunited is on the way to destruction, and one house falls after another.

As the crowds pressed a round him, he went on to say, "This is a wicked age! It demands a sign, and no sign will be given it but the sign of Jonah.

No one lights a lamp and puts it in the cellar or under a peck measure; he puts it on its stand, so that people who come in can see the light.

If, therefore, your whole body is light with no darkness in it at all, it will all be as light as a lamp makes things for you by its light."

I tell you, who are my friends, have no fear of those who kill the body, and after that can do no more.

And anyone who speaks against the Son of Man will be forgiven for it, but no one who reviles the holy Spirit will be forgiven.

When they bring you before the synagogues or the magistrates or the authorities, you must have no anxiety about how to defend yourselves or what to say,

And he said to them, "Take care! You must be on your guard against any form of greed, for a man's life does not belong to him, no matter how rich he is."

And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have great wealth stored up for years to come. Now take your ease; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself." '

Think of the crows! They do not sow or reap, and they have no storehouses or barns, and God feeds them. How much more you are worth than the birds!

that slave's master will come back some day when he does not expect him, and at some time of which he does not know, and will cut him in two, and put him with the unbelievers.

For from now on if there are five people in a house they will be divided three against two and two against three.

You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the look of the earth and sky; and why can you not interpret this present time?

No, I tell you; unless you repent, you will all perish as they did!

No, I tell you; unless you repent, you will all perish as they did!"

when the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock on the door, and say, 'Open it for us, sir!' Then he will answer you and say, 'I do not know where you come from,'

And he will say to you, 'I do not know where you come from. Get away from me, all you wrongdoers!'

There are those now last who will then be first, and there are those now first who will be last."

Now I leave you to yourselves. And I tell you, you will never see me again until you say, 'Blessed be he who comes in the Lord's name!' "

But they made no answer. And he took hold of the man and cured him and sent him away.

And they could make no reply to this.

and when the dinner hour came, he sent around his slave, to say to those who were invited, 'Come! for it is now ready!'

For no one who does not take up his own cross and come after me can be a disciple of mine.

In just that way, no one of you who does not say goodbye to all he has can be a disciple of mine.

And he was ready to fill himself with the pods the pigs were eating, and no one would give him anything.

I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired men!" '

His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your eyes; I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired men!'

I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from my position people will take me into their homes.'

No servant can belong to two masters, for he will either hate one and love the other, or he will stand by one and make light of the other. You cannot serve God and money!"

And Abraham said, 'My child, remember that you received your blessings in your lifetime, and Lazarus had his misfortunes in his; and now he is being comforted here, while you are in anguish.

But he said, 'No! Father Abraham, but if someone will go to them from the dead, they will repent!'

Was no one found to return and give thanks to God except this foreigner?"

In the time of the Son of Man it will be just as it was in the time of Noah.

People went on eating, drinking, marrying, and being married up to the very day that Noah got into the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all.

and he said, "There was once in a city a judge who had no fear of God and no respect for men.

And he would not for a time, but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I have no fear of God nor respect for men,

Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God himself.

You know the commandments, 'Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.' "

And he said to them, "I tell you, there is no one who has given up home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the Kingdom of God

And they did not understand any of this; the words were obscure to them, and they did not know what he meant.

Now there was a man named Zaccheus, the principal tax-collector, a rich man,

He said to him, 'Out of your own mouth I will convict you, you wretched slave! You knew, did you, that I was a stern man, and that I pick up what I did not lay down, and harvest what I did not sow?

and said, "If you yourself only knew today the conditions of peace! But as it is, they are hidden from you.

and they will throw you and your children within you to the ground, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not know when God visited you!"