But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your petition has been heard: and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call his name John.

And now you will be dumb and unable to speak until the day when this has taken place; because you did not believe my words--words which will be fulfilled at their appointed time."

But the angel said, "Do not be frightened, Mary, for you have found favour with God.

Not long after this, Mary rose up and went in haste into the hill country to a town in Judah.

Because He has not turned from His maidservant in her lowly position; For from this time forward all generations will account me happy,

"There is not one of your family," they said, "who has that name."

"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel," he said, "Because He has not forgotten His people but has effected redemption for them,

Now there were shepherds in the same part of the country, keeping watch over their sheep by night in the open fields,

To him it had been revealed by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death until he had seen the Lord's Anointed One.

and then being a widow of eighty-four years. She was never absent from the Temple, but worshipped, by day and by night, with fasting and prayer.

after staying the full number of days, when they started back home the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not discover this,

"Why is it that you have been searching for me?" He replied; "did you not know that it is my duty to be engaged upon my Father's business?"

But they did not understand the significance of these words.

Live lives which shall prove your change of heart; and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our forefather,' for I tell you that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones.

"Do not exact more than the legal amount," he replied.

he answered the question by saying to them all, "As for me, I am baptizing you with water, but One mightier than I is coming, whose very sandal-strap I am not worthy to unfasten: He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and with fire.

"It is written," replied Jesus, "'It is not on bread alone that a man shall live.'"

The reply of Jesus was, "It is said, 'Thou shalt not put the Lord they God to the proof.'"

And they all spoke well of Him, wondering at the sweet words of kindness which fell from His lips, while they asked one another, "Is not this Joseph's son?"

and yet to not one of them was Elijah sent: he was only sent to a widow at Zarephath in the Sidonian country.

And there was also many a leper in Israel in the time of the Prophet Elisha, and yet not one of them was cleansed, but Naaman the Syrian was."

Next morning, at daybreak, He left the town and went away to a solitary place; but the people flocked out to find Him, and, coming to the place where He was, they endeavoured to detain Him that He might not leave them.

"Rabbi," replied Peter, "all night long we have worked hard and caught nothing; but at your command I will let down the nets."

But Jesus replied to them, "It is not men in good health who require a physician, but the sick.

I have not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners."

He also spoke in figurative language to them. "No one," He said, "tears a piece from a new garment to mend an old one. Otherwise he would not only spoil the new, but the patch from the new would not match the old.

About that time He went out on one occasion into the hill country to pray; and He remained all night in prayer to God.

To him who gives you a blow on one side of the face offer the other side also; and to him who is robbing you of your outer garment refuse not the under one also.

To every one who asks, give; and from him who takes away your property, do not demand it back.

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged; condemn not, and you shall not be condemned; pardon, and you shall be pardoned;

He also spoke to them in figurative language. "Can a blind man lead a blind man?" He asked; "would not both fall into the ditch?

How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take that splinter out of your eye,' when all the while you yourself do not see the beam in your own eye? Vain pretender! take the beam out of your own eye first, and then you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother's eye.

Every tree is known by its own fruit. It is not from thorns that men gather figs, nor from the bramble that they can get a bunch of grapes.

"And why do you all call me 'Master, Master' and yet not do what I tell you?

But he who has heard and not practised is like a man who has built a house upon the soft soil without a foundation, against which the torrent bursts, and immediately it collapses, and terrible is the wreck and ruin of that house."

Then Jesus went with them. But when He was not far from the house, the Captain sent friends to Him with the message: "Sir, do not trouble to come. I am not worthy of having you come under my roof;

and therefore I did not deem myself worthy to come to you. Only speak the word, and let my young man be cured.

Jesus listened to the Captain's message and was astonished at him, and He turned and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I tell you that not even in Israel have I found faith like that."

The Lord saw her, was moved with pity for her, and said to her, "Do not weep."

All were awe-struck, and they gave glory to God--some saying, "A Prophet, a great Prophet, has risen up among us." Others said, "God has not forgotten His People."

And blessed is every one who does not stumble and fall because of my claims."

"I tell you that among all of women born there is not one greater than John. Yet one who is of lower rank in the Kingdom of God is greater than he.

They are like children sitting in the public square and calling out to one another, 'We have played the flute to you, and you have not danced: we have sung dirges, and you have not shown sorrow.'

No kiss did you give me; but she from the moment I came in has not left off tenderly kissing my feet.

"To you," He replied, "it is granted to know the secrets of the Kingdom of God; but all others are taught by parables, in order that they may see and yet not see, and may hear and yet not understand.

"When any one lights a lamp, he does not cover it with a vessel or hide it under a couch; he puts it on a lampstand, that people who enter the room may see the light.

There is nothing hidden, which shall not be openly seen; nor anything secret, which shall not be known and come into the light of day.

Then came to Him His mother and His brothers, but could not get near Him for the crowd.

Here, on landing, He was met by one of the townsmen who was possessed by demons--for a long time he had not put on any garment, nor did he live in a house, but in the tombs.

When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before Him, and said in a loud voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of God Most High? Do not torture me, I beseech you."

and they besought Him not to command them to be gone into the Bottomless Pit.

Then the woman, perceiving that she had not escaped notice, came trembling, and throwing herself down at His feet she stated before all the people the reason why she had touched Him and how she was instantly cured.

The people were all weeping aloud and beating their breasts for her; but He said, "Leave off wailing; for she is not dead, but asleep."

And He commanded them, "Take nothing for your journey; neither stick nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have an extra under garment.

I tell you truly that there are some of those who stand here who will certainly not taste death till they have seen the Kingdom of God."

And when they were preparing to depart from Him, 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." He did not know what he was saying.

After this voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They kept it to themselves, and said not a word to any one at that time about what they had seen.

At times a spirit seizes him and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him, and makes him foam at the mouth, and does not leave him till it has well-nigh covered him with bruises.

I entreated your disciples to expel the spirit, but they could not."

But they did not understand His meaning: it was veiled from them that they might not perceive it, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.

"Rabbi," replied John, "we have seen a man making use of your name to expel demons; and we forbad him, because he does not come with us."

"Do not forbid him," said Jesus, "for he who is not against you is on your side."

But the people there would not receive Him, because He was evidently going to Jerusalem.

And in that same house stay, eating and drinking at their table; for the labourer deserves his wages. Do not move from one house to another.

"But whatever town you come to and they will not receive you, go out into the broader streets and say,

Nevertheless rejoice not at this, that the spirits submit to you; but rejoice that your names are registered in Heaven."

For I tell you that many Prophets and kings have desired to see the things you see, and have not seen them, and to hear the things you hear, and have not heard them."

Martha meanwhile was busy and distracted in waiting at table, and she came and said, "Master, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do all the waiting? Tell her to assist me."

and yet only one thing is really necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion and she shall not be deprived of it."

and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive every one who fails in his duty to us; and bring us not into temptation.'"

And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend and shall go to him in the middle of the night and say, "'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread;

"And he from indoors shall answer, "'Do not pester me. The door is now barred, and I am here in bed with my children. I cannot get up and give you bread.'

"I tell you that even if he will not rise and give him the loaves because he is his friend, at any rate because of his persistency he will rouse himself and give him as many as he requires.

Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever is not gathering with me is scattering abroad.

Now the Pharisee saw to his surprise that He did not wash His hands before breakfasting.

Foolish men! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?

"But alas for you Pharisees! for you pay tithes on your mint and rue and every kind of garden vegetable, and are indifferent to justice and the love of God. These are the things you ought to have attended to, while not neglecting the others.

Alas for you! for you are like the tombs which lie hidden, and the people who walk over them are not aware of their existence."

"Alas too for you expounders of the Law!" replied Jesus, "for you load men with cumbrous burdens which you yourselves will not touch with one of your fingers.

"Alas for you expounders of the Law! for you have taken away the key of knowledge: you yourselves have not entered, and those who wanted to enter you have hindered."

There is nothing that is covered up which will not be uncovered, nor hidden which will not become known.

"But to you who are my friends I say, "'Be not afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do nothing further.

Are not five sparrows sold for a penny? and yet not one of them is a thing forgotten in God's sight.

And when they are bringing you before synagogues and magistrates and governors, do not anxiously ponder the manner or matter of your defence, nor what you are to say;

"But God said to him, "'Foolish man, this night your life is demanded from you; and these preparations--for whom shall they be?'

Observe the lilies, how they grow. They neither labour nor spin. And yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was as beautifully dressed as one of these.

"Therefore, do not be asking what you are to eat nor what you are to drink; and do not waver between hope and fear.

For though the nations of the world pursue these things, as for you, your Father knows that you need them.

Of this be sure, that if the master of the house had known what time the robber was coming, he would have kept awake and not have allowed his house to be broken into.

Be you also ready, for at an hour when you are not expecting Him the Son of Man will come."

that servant's Master will come on a day when he is not expecting Him and at an hour that he knows not of, and will punish him severely, and make him share the lot of the unfaithful.

And that servant who has been told his Master's will and yet made no preparation and did not obey His will, will receive many lashes.

But he who had not been told it and yet did what deserved the scourge, will receive but few lashes. To whomsoever much has been given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been entrusted, of him a larger amount will be demanded.

"Why, too, do you not of yourselves arrive at just conclusions?

I tell you, certainly not. On the contrary, if you are not penitent you will all perish as they did.

I tell you, certainly not. On the contrary, if you do not repent you will all perish just as they did."

If after that it bears fruit, well and good; if it does not, then you shall cut it down.'"

Then the Warden of the Synagogue, indignant that Jesus had cured her on a Sabbath, said to the crowd, "There are six days in the week on which people ought to work. On those days therefore come and get yourselves cured, and not on the Sabbath day."

But the Lord's reply to him was, "Hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his bullock or his ass from the stall and lead him to water?

And this woman, daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan had bound for no less than eighteen years, was she not to be loosed from this chain because it is the Sabbath day?"