Since many people have attempted to write an orderly account of the events that have transpired among us,

just as they were passed down to us by those who had been eyewitnesses and servants of the word from the beginning,

because he will be great in the Lord's presence. He will never drink wine or any strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.

He is the one who will go before the Lord with the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, and to prepare the people to be ready for the Lord."

Then Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this, since I am an old man, and my wife is getting older?"

"This is what the Lord did for me when he looked favorably on me and took away my public disgrace."

The angel came to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you!"

And listen! Elizabeth, your relative, has herself conceived a son in her old age, this woman who was rumored to be barren is in her sixth month.

Nothing is impossible with respect to any of God's promises."

and she loudly exclaimed, "How blessed are you among women, and how blessed is the infant in your womb!

As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb jumped for joy.

How blessed is this woman for believing that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled!"

because the Almighty has done great things for me. His name is holy.

He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." And everyone was amazed.

He has raised up a mighty Savior for us from the family of his servant David,

just as he promised long ago through the mouth of his holy prophets

that he would save us from our enemies and from the grip of all who hate us.

He granted us deliverance from our enemies' grip so that we could serve him without fear

Because of the tender mercy of our God, his light from on high has visited us,

When the angels had left them and gone back to heaven, the shepherds told one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see what has taken place that the Lord has told us about."

Then the shepherds returned to their flock, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.

as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn son is to be designated as holy to the Lord."

They also offered a sacrifice according to what is specified in the Law of the Lord: "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."

Then Simeon blessed them and told Mary, his mother, "This infant is destined to cause many in Israel to fall and rise. Also, he will be a sign that will be opposed.

and then as a widow for 84 years. She never left the Temple, but continued to worship there night and day with times of fasting and prayer.

When Jesus was twelve years old, they went up to the festival as usual.

When Jesus' parents saw him, they were shocked. His mother asked him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been worried sick looking for you!"

as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, "He is a voice calling out in the wilderness: "Prepare the way for the Lord! Make his paths straight!

Produce fruit that is consistent with repentance! Don't begin to say to yourselves, "We have father Abraham!' because I tell you that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones!

John replied to all of them, "I'm baptizing you with water, but one is coming who is more powerful than I, and I'm not worthy to untie his sandal straps. It is he who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

His winnowing fork is in his hand to clean up his threshing floor. He'll gather the grain into his barn, but he'll burn the chaff with inextinguishable fire."

Jesus himself was about 30 years old when he began his ministry. He was (as legally calculated) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,

Jesus answered him, "It is written, "One must not live on bread alone, but on every word of God.'"

But Jesus answered him, "It is written, "You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.'"

because it is written, "God will put his angels in charge of you to watch over you carefully.

Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been raised. As was his custom, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. When he stood up to read,

the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written,

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has anointed me to tell the good news to the poor. He has sent me to announce release to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set oppressed people free,

he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled, as you've heard it read aloud."

All the people began to speak well of him and to wonder at the gracious words that flowed from his mouth. They said, "This is Joseph's son, isn't it?"

He added, "I tell all of you with certainty, a prophet is not accepted in his hometown.

"Oh, no! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are the Holy One of God!"

Overwhelmed with amazement, they all kept saying to one another, "What kind of statement is this? because with authority and power he gives orders to unclean spirits, and they come out!"

One day, as the crowd was pressing in on him to listen to God's word, Jesus was standing by the lake of Gennesaret.

Then Jesus ordered him, "Don't tell anyone. Instead, go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as proof to the authorities."

One day, as Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of the Law happened to be sitting nearby. The people had come from every village in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was present to heal them.

The scribes and the Pharisees began to argue among themselves, saying, "Who is this man who is uttering blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

Which is easier: to say, "Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, "Get up and walk'?

But Jesus told them, "You can't force the wedding guests to fast while the groom is still with them, can you?

Instead, new wine is to be poured into fresh wineskins.

No one who has been drinking old wine wants new wine, because he says, "The old wine is good enough!'"

Then he told them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

Once, on another Sabbath, Jesus went into a synagogue and began teaching. A man whose right hand was paralyzed was there.

Then Jesus asked them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do evil on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?"

Then Jesus looked at his disciples and said, "How blessed are you who are destitute, because the kingdom of God is yours!

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because your reward in heaven is great! That's the way their ancestors used to treat the prophets.

If someone strikes you on the cheek, offer him the other one as well, and if someone takes your coat, don't keep back your shirt, either.

Keep on giving to everyone who asks you for something, and if anyone takes what is yours, do not insist on getting it back.

Rather, love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind even to ungrateful and evil people.

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."

A disciple is not better than his teacher. But everyone who is fully-trained will be like his teacher.

because every tree is known by its own fruit. People don't gather figs from thorny plants or pick grapes from a thorn bush.

I will show you what everyone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them.

But the person who hears what I say but doesn't act on it is like someone who built a house on the ground without any foundation. When the floodwaters pushed against it, that house quickly collapsed, and the resulting destruction of that house was extensive."

because he loves our people and built our synagogue for us."

As he approached the entrance to the city, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother's only son, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her.

Fear gripped everyone, and they began to praise God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said, and "God has helped his people."

When the men had come to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, "Are you the Coming One, or should we wait for someone else?'"

How blessed is anyone who is not offended by me!"

This is the man about whom it is written, "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'

I tell you, no one has ever been born who is greater than John. Yet even the least important person in the kingdom of God is greater than he."

Wisdom is vindicated by all her children."

Now the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this and told himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who is touching him and what kind of woman she is. She's a sinner!"

So I'm telling you that her sins, as many as they are, have been forgiven, and that's why she has shown such great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven loves little."

Those who were at the table with them began to say among themselves, "Who is this man who even forgives sins?"

as well as some women who had been healed of evil spirits and illnesses: Mary, also called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out;

"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path, were trampled on, and birds from the sky ate them up.

Others fell on stony ground, and as soon as they came up, they dried up because they had no moisture.

But others fell on good soil, and when they came up, they produced 100 times as much as was planted." As he said this, he called out, "Let the person who has ears to hear, listen!"

"Now this is what the parable means. The seed is God's word.

The ones that fell among the thorn bushes are the people who listen, but as they go on their way they are choked by the worries, wealth, and pleasures of life, and their fruit doesn't mature.

There is nothing hidden that won't be revealed, and there is nothing secret that won't become known and come to light.

Now as they were sailing, Jesus fell asleep. A violent storm swept over the lake, and they were taking on water and were in great danger.

Then he asked the disciples, "Where's your faith?" Frightened and amazed, they asked one another, "Who is this man? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him!"

They landed in the region of the Gerasenes, which is just across the lake from Galilee.

While he was still speaking, someone came from the synagogue leader's home and told him, "Your daughter is dead. Stop bothering the teacher anymore."

if people don't welcome you, when you leave that city, shake its dust off your feet as a testimony against them."

Herod said, "I beheaded John. But who is this man I'm hearing so much about?" So Herod kept trying to see Jesus.

As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve came to him and said, "Send the crowd away to the neighboring villages and farms so they can rest and get some food, because we are here in a deserted place."

What profit will a person have if he gains the whole world, but destroys himself or is lost?

If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and the holy angels.

Just as Moses and Elijah were leaving, Peter told Jesus, "Master, it's good that we're here! Let's set up three shelters one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." (Peter didn't know what he was saying.)

But while he was saying this, a cloud appeared and surrounded them, and they became terrified as they were being overshadowed by the cloud.

Then a voice came out of the cloud and said, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen. Keep listening to him!"

Suddenly, a man in the crowd shouted, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, because he is my only child.

"Listen carefully to these words. The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands."

Later, an argument started among the disciples as to which of them might be the greatest.

Then he told them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me, because the one who is least among all of you is the one who is greatest."

John said, "Master, we saw someone driving out demons in your name. We tried to stop him, because he wasn't a follower like us."

Jesus told him, "Don't stop him! Because whoever is not against you is for you."