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

But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you must name him John.

The angel answered him, "I am Gabriel; I stand in the very presence of God. I have been sent to talk with you and to tell you this good news.

for today, in the town of David, a Saviour for you has been born, who is to be your Messiah and Lord.

When they saw this, they informed them of the story that had been told about this child.

Then the shepherds went back continuing to give glory and praise to God for all that they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.

It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not die without seeing the Lord's Messiah.

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.

When His parents saw Him, they were utterly amazed, and yet His mother said to Him, "My child, why did you treat us so? Just see how your father and I, in agony of mind, have been searching for you!"

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

And the devil said to Him, "I will give you all this power and all their splendor, for it has been turned over to me, and I give it to anyone I please.

And Jesus answered him, "It has been said, 'You must not try the Lord your God.'"

So He came to Nazareth where He had been brought up, and as His habit was on the Sabbath, He went to the synagogue and stood up to read.

Then He began to speak to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled here in your hearing."

Then at once he got up before them all, picked up the pallet on which he had been lying, and went off home, giving praise to God.

and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary, who was called Mary of Magdala, out of whom seven demons had gone,

For He was commanding the foul spirit to get out of the man. For on many occasions it had seized him, and repeatedly he had been fastened with chains and fetters under constant guard, and yet he would snap his bonds, and the demon would drive him into desert places.

Then they who had seen it told them how the man who had been under the power of demons was cured.

Just then a man named Jairus came up, who had long been leader of the synagogue. He fell down at Jesus' feet and persisted in begging Him to come to his house,

When the woman saw that she had not escaped His notice, she came forward trembling, and falling down before Him she told in the presence of all the people why she had touched Him and how she had been cured at once.

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.

But they remained ignorant of what this meant; indeed, it had been hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask Him about this statement.

A curse on you, Chorazin! A curse on you, Bethsaida! For if the wonder-works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, long ago they would have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

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."

so that the blood of all the prophets that has been shed from the creation of the world may be charged against the men of this age --

Yes, the very hairs on your heads have all been counted by God! Stop being afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

But the one who does wrong without knowing it will be lightly punished. Much will be demanded from anyone to whom much has been given; yea, people will demand much more from anyone to whom they have entrusted much.

So he said to the vine-dresser, 'Look here! for three years I have been coming to look for figs on this fig tree, and have not found any. Cut it down. Why waste the ground with it?'

"When you are invited by anyone to a wedding supper, never take the best place, for someone of greater distinction than you may have been invited,

Then the slave said, 'Sir, what you ordered has been done, and still there is room.'

because this son of mine was dead and has come to life, was lost and has been found!' So they began to celebrate.

Then he said to him, 'My child, you have been with me all the time, and all I have is yours.

But we just had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life, was lost and has been found.'"

Now the Pharisees who were lovers of money had been listening to all this, and they began to ridicule Him.

It was the law and the prophets until John, but ever since that time the good news of the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everybody has been taking it by storm.

And a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores, had been laid at his gate,

Then the Lord said to them, "If you had faith that grows like a mustard seed, you might have been saying to this mulberry tree, 'Pull yourself up by the roots and plant yourself in the sea,' and it would have obeyed you!

For the Son of Man is going away, as it has been divinely decreed, but a curse will be on that man by whom He is betrayed!"

For I tell you, what has been written about me must be fulfilled: 'He was classed with the outlaws.' Yes, that saying about me has its fulfillment."

Now Herod was very glad to see Jesus, for he had been wanting to see Him for a long time on account of what he had heard about Him; also he was hoping to see some spectacular performance done by Him.

So Herod and Pilate became personal friends that very day; they had been at enmity before.

(He was a man who had been put in prison for a riot that had occurred in the city and for murder.)

So he released the man who had been put in prison for riot and murder, whom they continued to demand, but turned Jesus over to their will.

Then he took it down from the cross and wrapped it in a linen sheet and laid it in a tomb hewn out of rock, where no one had yet been laid.

who told them that the Lord had really risen and had been seen by Simon.