So it seemed good to me as well, because I have followed all things carefully from the beginning, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,

They were both righteous in the sight of God, following all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.

Now while Zechariah was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty,

He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.

The angel answered him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.

In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,

So the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God!

He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.

The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God.

For nothing will be impossible with God."

In those days Mary got up and went hurriedly into the hill country, to a town of Judah,

and my spirit has begun to rejoice in God my Savior,

he has filled the hungry with good things, and has sent the rich away empty.

Immediately Zechariah's mouth was opened and his tongue released, and he spoke, blessing God.

"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, because he has come to help and has redeemed his people.

Because of our God's tender mercy the dawn will break upon us from on high

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid! Listen carefully, for I proclaim to you good news that brings great joy to all the people:

Suddenly a vast, heavenly army appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among people with whom he is pleased!"

So the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; everything was just as they had been told.

Simeon took him in his arms and blessed God, saying,

At that moment, she came up to them and began to give thanks to God and to speak about the child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon him.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and with people.

during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

and all humanity will see the salvation of God.'"

Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance, and don't begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones!

Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."

And in this way, with many other exhortations, John proclaimed good news to the people.

the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."

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

Then the devil brought him to Jerusalem, had him stand on the highest point of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here,

Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.'"

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and the regaining of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed,

They got up, forced him out of the town, and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff.

"Ha! Leave us alone, Jesus the Nazarene! Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are -- the Holy One of God."

So he stood over her, commanded the fever, and it left her. Immediately she got up and began to serve them.

Demons also came out of many, crying out, "You are the Son of God!" But he rebuked them, and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

But Jesus said to them, "I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns too, for that is what I was sent to do."

Now Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing around him to hear the word of God.

He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then Jesus sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.

Then the experts in the law and the Pharisees began to think to themselves, "Who is this man who is uttering blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

Immediately he stood up before them, picked up the stretcher he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God.

Then astonishment seized them all, and they glorified God. They were filled with awe, saying, "We have seen incredible things today."

And he got up and followed him, leaving everything behind.

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

how he entered the house of God, took and ate the sacred bread, which is not lawful for any to eat but the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?"

But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Get up and stand here." So he rose and stood there.

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

Now it was during this time that Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and he spent all night in prayer to God.

Then he looked up at his disciples and said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God belongs to you.

"But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

To the person who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other as well, and from the person who takes away your coat, do not withhold your tunic either.

And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same.

But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to ungrateful and evil people.

Give, and it will be given to you: A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be poured into your lap. For the measure you use will be the measure you receive."

"For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit,

The good person out of the good treasury of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasury produces evil, for his mouth speaks from what fills his heart.

As he approached the town gate, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother (who was a widow), and a large crowd from the town was with her.

Then he came up and touched the bier, and those who carried it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!"

Fear seized them all, and they began to glorify God, saying, "A great prophet has appeared among us!" and "God has come to help his people!"

So he answered them, "Go tell John what you have seen and heard: The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news proclaimed to them.

I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he is."

(Now all the people who heard this, even the tax collectors, acknowledged God's justice, because they had been baptized with John's baptism.

However, the Pharisees and the experts in religious law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)

Some time afterward he went on through towns and villages, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him,

But other seed fell on good soil and grew, and it produced a hundred times as much grain." As he said this, he called out, "The one who has ears to hear had better listen!"

He said, "You have been given the opportunity to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that although they see they may not see, and although they hear they may not understand.

"Now the parable means this: The seed is the word of God.

But as for the seed that landed on good soil, these are the ones who, after hearing the word, cling to it with an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with steadfast endurance.

Now Jesus' mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not get near him because of the crowd.

But he replied to them, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."

One day Jesus got into a boat with his disciples and said to them, "Let's go across to the other side of the lake." So they set out,

They came and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we are about to die!" So he got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they died down, and it was calm.

When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before him, and shouted with a loud voice, "Leave me alone, Jesus, Son of the Most High God! I beg you, do not torment me!"

Then all the people of the Gerasenes and the surrounding region asked Jesus to leave them alone, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and left.

"Return to your home, and declare what God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole town what Jesus had done for him.

But Jesus gently took her by the hand and said, "Child, get up."

Her spirit returned, and she got up immediately. Then he told them to give her something to eat.

and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

Then they departed and went throughout the villages, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.

But when the crowds found out, they followed him. He welcomed them, spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and cured those who needed healing.

Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered, "The Christ of God."

But I tell you most certainly, there are some standing here who will not experience death before they see the kingdom of God."

Then as the men were starting to leave, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three shelters, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah" -- not knowing what he was saying.

But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God."

Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

Heal the sick in that town and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come upon you!'

Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this: The kingdom of God has come.'

The expert answered, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself."

Then he will reply from inside, 'Do not bother me. The door is already shut, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything.'

I tell you, even though the man inside will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of the first man's sheer persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has already overtaken you.

But he replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!"

"But woe to you Pharisees! You give a tenth of your mint, rue, and every herb, yet you neglect justice and love for God! But you should have done these things without neglecting the others.

For this reason also the wisdom of God said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,'

Aren't five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God.

"I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before God's angels.