that you may better know the certainty of those things that you have been taught.

Now they were both upright in the sight of God, walking without reproach in all the Lord's commands and requirements.

And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both of them were far advanced in years.

For he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must drink no wine nor strong drink, and so he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his birth.

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

Now you will keep silent and be unable to talk until the day when this takes place, because you did not believe what I told you, for it will be fulfilled at the proper time."

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

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,

and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His reign will have no end."

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

Now in those days Mary got up and hurried off to the hill country, to a town in Judah,

Now Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned home.

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

Now his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he uttered the following prophecy:

Now the child continued to grow and to gain strength in the Spirit, and he lived in the desert until the day when he announced himself to Israel.

Now in those days an edict was issued by the Emperor Augustus that a census of the whole world should be taken.

and she bore her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him up and laid Him in a manger, for there was no room for them at the inn.

Now there were some shepherds in the same neighborhood, living in the open fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.

But the angel said to them: "Stop being afraid, for now I bring you good tidings of great joy which is to be for all the people;

Then when the angel left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has told us."

Now when the period of their purification ended, in accordance with the law of Moses, they took Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord, to do as it is written in the law of the Lord,

Now there was in Jerusalem a man named Symeon, an upright, devout man; he was expecting to see the consolation of Israel, and he was under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

"Now, Master, you will let your slave go free in peace, as you have promised;

She was very old; from girlhood she had lived seven years with a husband, and now had been a widow eighty years. She never left the temple, but continued to worship all day and all night with fastings and prayers.

Now when they had completed everything that was in accordance with the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.

Now everyone who was listening to Him was showing astonishment at His intelligence and at His answers.

Then He said to them, "Why is it that you were searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"

Now the axe is already lying at the roots of the trees. Every tree, then, that fails to bear good fruit is to be cut down and thrown into the fire."

Now while the people were on tiptoe in their expectations, and they were all arguing in their hearts about John whether he was himself the Christ,

Now when all the people had been baptized, and when Jesus had been baptized and was still praying, heaven opened

Now Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His work; He was the son, as was supposed, of Joseph, the son of Eli,

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

Then He rolled up the roll and gave it back to the attendant and took His seat. Now the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were gazing at Him.

He added, "I solemnly say to you, no prophet is welcome in his native neighborhood.

Now there was a man in the synagogue who was under the power of the spirit of a foul demon, and he screamed with a loud voice,

"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."

Even demons came out of many people, shrieking and saying, "You are the Son of God!" But He reproved them and would not let them speak, because they knew that He was the Christ.

as well as James and John, Zebedee's sons, who were Simon's partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Stop being afraid; from now on you will be catching men."

Now while He was in one of the towns, a man covered with leprosy saw Jesus and fell on his face and begged Him, saying, "Lord, if you choose to, you can cure me."

Now some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were trying to get him in and lay him before Jesus.

Now the Pharisees and their scribes were grumbling at His disciples, and were saying, "Why are you eating and drinking with tax-collectors and notorious sinners?"

Then He told them a short story: "No one tears a piece from a new coat and puts it on an old one; or if he does, he will tear the new one too, and the patch from the new coat will not match the old one.

So no one puts fresh wine into old wine bottles; or, if he does, the fresh wine will burst the bottles, the wine will run out, and the bottles will be ruined.

But fresh wine must be put into new bottles.

No one after drinking old wine wants new, for he says, 'The old is good enough.'"

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

Now it was in those days that He went up on the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.

Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be completely satisfied! Blessed are you who are weeping now, for you will laugh!

But a curse on you who are rich, for you are now receiving your comforts in full.

A curse on you who live in luxury now, for you will be hungry. A curse on you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.

But I say to you who listen now to me, practice loving your enemies, practice doing good to those who hate you,

Now if you practice loving only those who love you, what credit do you get for that? Why, even notorious sinners practice loving those who love them.

Why do you continue to look at the tiny speck in your brother's eye, but pay no attention to the heavy girder in your own eye?

Now when the Lord saw her, His heart was moved with pity for her, and so He said to her, "Stop weeping."

Now John's disciples told him about all these things.

And happy is the man who finds no cause for stumbling over me."

If not, what did you go out there to see? A man dressed in silks and satins? No. People who dress gorgeously and live luxuriously are found in royal palaces.

"For John the Baptist came eating no bread and drinking no wine, and yet you say, 'He has a demon!'

Now one of the Pharisees invited Him to take dinner with him. So He came to the Pharisee's house and took His place at the table.

So when the Pharisee who invited Him saw it, he said to himself, "If He were really a prophet, He would know who and of what character the woman is who is clinging to Him -- that she is a social outcast."

Since they could not pay him, he graciously canceled the debts for both of them. Now which one of them will love him more?"

Now as a great crowd was coming together and people were coming to Him from one town after another, He said by way of a story:

Another portion of them fell upon the rock, and as soon as they sprang up, they withered, because they had no moisture.

The portion of them on the rock illustrates those who accept the message, bubbling over with joy when they first hear it, but it takes no real root. They believe for awhile, but in the time of testing they fall away.

And the portion of them falling among the thorns illustrates those who hear it, but as soon as they pass on they are choked out by the worries and wealth and pleasures of life, and thus yield no mature fruit.

Now as they were sailing along, He fell off to sleep. But a furious squall of wind rushed down upon the lake, and they were filling up and were in impending peril.

As soon as He stepped out upon the shore, there met Him a man from town, who was under the power of demons; and for a long time he had worn no clothes, and did not stay in a house but in tombs.

Now there was a large drove of hogs feeding there on the hillside. So they begged Him to let them go into those hogs. And He let them do so.

Now as Jesus was returning, the crowd welcomed Him, for they were all expecting Him.

When He reached the house, He let no one go in with Him but Peter, James, and John, and the child's father and mother.

Now they were all weeping and wailing over her. But He said, "Stop weeping! For she is not dead but asleep."

Then they began to laugh in His face, for they knew that she was dead.

So He said to them, "Take nothing with you for your journey, no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, nor even have two shirts.

Now Herod the governor heard of all that was taking place, and he continued to be puzzled over the reports -- by some that John had risen from the dead,

Now the apostles returned and told Jesus all that they had done. Then He took them and privately retired to a town called Bethsaida.

Then He said to them all, "If anyone chooses to be my disciple, he must say 'No' to self, put the cross on his shoulders daily, and continue to follow me.

Now about eight days after Jesus said this, He took Peter, John, and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.

Now Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but all at once they became wide awake and saw His splendor and the two men who were standing with Him.

And just as they were starting to leave Him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- although he did not know what he was saying.

When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found to be alone. And they kept silence and told no one anything that they had seen at that time.

So they all continued to be utterly astounded at the greatness of God. Now while everybody was wondering at all that He was doing, He said to His disciples,

Now a controversy sprang up among them as to which of them might be the greatest.

But Jesus, as He knew that the controversy was going on in their hearts, took a little child and had it stand by His side.

Now as the time was coming to a head when He should be taken up to heaven, He firmly set His face to continue His journey to Jerusalem;

Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow, and then continues to look back, is fitted for service in the kingdom of God."

And you, Capernaum, are you to be exalted to heaven? No, you are to go down to the regions of the dead.

Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever pays no attention to you pays no attention to me, and whoever pays no attention to me pays no attention to Him who sent me."

Now the seventy returned and joyously reported, "Lord, even the demons are submitting to us in your name."

All things have been entrusted to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is but the Father, and who the Father is but the Son, and anyone to whom the Son chooses to make Him known."

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

Now as they were journeying on, He came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him to her house.

And suppose he answers from inside, 'Stop bothering me; the door is now locked, and my children are packed about me in bed; I cannot get up and give you any.'

Now is there a father among you who, if his son asks him for a fish, will give him a snake instead?

So if you, in spite of your being bad, know how to give your children what is good, how much more surely will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who continue to ask Him?"

Now He was driving a dumb demon out of a man, and when the demon went out of him, the dumb man spoke. The crowds were astonished.

But He knew what they were thinking, and so said to them, "Any kingdom that is not united is in the process of destruction, and one house falls after another.

Now if I with Beelzebub's help am driving the demons out, with whose help do your sons drive them out?

Now as the crowds continued to throng upon Him, He began to say: "This is a wicked age. It is looking for a spectacular sign, but none will be given it but the sign of Jonah.

No one lights a lamp and puts it in a cellar or under a peck-measure, but he puts it on the lampstand, that the people who come in may enjoy the light.

If then your whole body is full of light with no part of it in darkness, it will all be as light for you as it is when a lamp makes it light for you by its shining."