They were both of them upright before God, blamelessly obeying all the Lord's precepts and ordinances.

Now while he was doing priestly duty before God in the prescribed course of his class,

Many of the descendants of Israel will he turn to the Lord their God;

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

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

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

He will be great and He will be called 'Son of the Most High.' And the Lord God will give Him the throne of His forefather David;

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for this reason your holy offspring will be called 'the Son of God.'

For no promise from God will be impossible of fulfilment."

And my spirit triumphs in God my Saviour;

Instantly his mouth and his tongue were set free, and he began to speak and bless God.

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

Through the tender compassion of our God, Through which the daybreak from on high will come to us,

But the angel said to them, "Put away all fear; for I am bringing you good news of great joy--joy for all the People.

And immediately there was with the angel a multitude of the army of Heaven praising God and saying,

"Glory be to God in the highest Heavens, And on earth peace among men who please Him!"

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen in accordance with the announcement made to them.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem of the name of Symeon, an upright and God-fearing man, who was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

And coming up just at that moment, she gave thanks to God, and spoke about the child to all who were expecting the deliverance of Jerusalem.

And the child grew and became strong and full of wisdom, and the favour of God rested upon Him.

And as Jesus grew older He gained in both wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

during the High-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, a message from God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the Desert.

and then shall all mankind see God's salvation.'"

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.

And even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees, so that every tree which fails to yield good fruit will quickly be hewn down and thrown into the fire."

With many exhortations besides these he declared the Good News to the people.

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

Then the Devil said to Him, "If you are God's Son, tell this stone to become bread."

Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'To the Lord thy God thou shalt do homage, and to Him alone shalt thou render worship.'"

Then he brought Him to Jerusalem and caused Him to stand on the roof of the Temple, and said to Him, "If you are God's Son, throw yourself down from here; for it is written,

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

"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 announce release to the prisoners of war and recovery of sight to the blind: to send away free those whom tyranny has crushed,

"Ha! Jesus the Nazarene, what have you to do with us? I know who you are--God's Holy One!"

Demons also came out of many, loudly calling out, "You are the Son of God." But He rebuked them and forbad them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ.

But He said to them, "I have to tell the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, because for this purpose I was sent."

On one occasion the crowd was pressing on Him and listening to God's Message, while He was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.

Then the Scribes and Pharisees began to cavil, asking, "Who is this, uttering blasphemies? Who but God alone can forgive sins?"

Instantly he stood up in their presence, took up the mattress on which he had been lying, and went away to his home, giving glory to God.

Amazement seized them all. "Glory to God!" was the abiding feeling. Yet fear flashed through their minds and they said, "We have seen strange things to-day."

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

how he entered the house of God and took and ate the Presented Loaves and gave some to his followers--loaves which none but the Priests are allowed to eat?"

Then Jesus said to them, "I put it to you all whether we are allowed to do good on the Sabbath, or to do evil; to save a life, or to destroy it."

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

Then fixing His eyes upon His disciples, Jesus said to them, "Blessed are you poor, because the Kingdom of God is yours.

"There is no good tree that yields unsound fruit, nor again any unsound tree that yields good fruit.

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.

A good man from the good stored up in his heart brings out what is good; and an evil man from the evil stored up brings out what is evil; for from the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

And just as He reached the gate of the town, they happened to be bringing out for burial a dead man who was his mother's only son; and she was a widow; and a great number of the townspeople were with her.

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."

Then He answered the messengers, "Go and report to John what you have seen and heard. Blind men receive sight, the lame walk, lepers are purified, deaf persons hear, the dead are raised to life, the poor have the Good News proclaimed to them.

"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.

And all the people, including the tax-gatherers, when they listened to him upheld the righteousness of God, by being baptized with John's baptism.

But the Pharisees and expounders of the Law have frustrated God's purpose as to their own lives, by refusing to be baptized.

Shortly after this He visited town after town, and village after village, proclaiming His Message and telling the Good News of the Kingdom of God. The Twelve were with Him,

But some of the seed falls into good ground, and grows up and yields a return of a hundred for one." While thus speaking, He cried aloud and said, "Listen, every one who has ears to listen with!"

"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.

The meaning of the parable is as follows. The seed is God's Message.

But as for that in the good ground, it means those who, having listened to the Message with open minds and in a right spirit, hold it fast, and patiently yield a return.

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

"My mother and my brothers," He replied, "are these who hear God's Message and obey it."

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."

"Return home," He said, "and tell there all that God has done for you." So he went and published through the whole town all that Jesus had done for him.

and sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to cure the sick.

So they departed and visited village after village, spreading the Good News and performing cures everywhere.

The Apostles, on their return, related to Jesus all they had done. Then He took them and withdrew to a quiet retreat, to a town called Bethsaida.

But the immense crowd, aware of this, followed Him; and receiving them kindly He proceeded to speak to them of the Kingdom of God, and those who needed to be restored to health, He cured.

"But you," He asked, "who do you say that I am?" "God's Anointed One," replied Peter.

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 all were awe-struck at the mighty power of God. And while every one was expressing wonder at all that He was doing, He said to his disciples,

"Leave the dead," Jesus rejoined, "to bury their own dead; but you must go and announce far and wide the coming of the Kingdom of God."

"Master," said yet another, "I will follow you; but allow me first to go and say good-bye to my friends at home."

Jesus answered him, "No one who has put his hand to the plough, and then looks behind him, is fit for the Kingdom of God.

Cure the sick in that town, and tell them, "'The Kingdom of God is now at your door.'

"'The very dust of your town that hangs about us we wipe off as a protest. Only be sure of this, that the Kingdom of God is close at hand.'

"'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God,'" he replied, "'with thy whole heart, thy whole soul, thy whole strength, and thy whole mind; and thy fellow man as much as thyself.'"

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

"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.'

If you then, with all your human frailty, know how to give your children gifts that are good for them, how much more certainly will your Father who is in Heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

But if it is by the power of God that I drive out the demons, it is evident that the Kingdom of God has come upon you.

and when it comes, it finds the house swept clean and in good order.

"Nay rather," He replied, "they are blessed who hear God's Message and carefully keep it."

The lamp of the body is the eye. When your eyesight is good, your whole body also is lighted up; but when it is defective, your body is darkened.

"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.

"For this reason also the Wisdom of God has said, 'I will send Prophets and Apostles to them, of whom they will kill some and persecute others,'

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

"And I tell you that every man who shall have acknowledged me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God.

But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.

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

"So is it with him who amasses treasure for himself, but has no riches in God."

Observe the ravens. They neither sow nor reap, and have neither store-chamber nor barn. And yet God feeds them. How far more precious are you than the birds!

But if God so clothes the vegetation in the fields, that blooms to-day and to-morrow will be thrown into the oven, how much more certainly will He clothe you, you men of feeble faith!

For when, with your opponent, you are going before the magistrate, on the way take pains to get out of his power; for fear that, if he should drag you before the judge, the judge may hand you over to the officer of the court, and the officer lodge you in prison.

Never, I tell you, will you get free till you have paid the last farthing."

So he said to the gardener, "'See, this is the third year I have come to look for fruit on this fig-tree and cannot find any. Cut it down. Why should so much ground be actually wasted?'

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

And He put His hands on her, and she immediately stood upright and began to give glory to God.

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."

This prompted Him to say, "What is the Kingdom of God like? and to what shall I compare it?

And again He said, "To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?