exactly as they were handed down to us by those [with personal experience] who from the beginning [of Christ’s ministry] were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word [that is, of the teaching concerning salvation through faith in Christ],

it seemed best to me also--[because I] have followed all [things] carefully from the beginning--to write [them] down in orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus,

to perform his customary duties as a priest before God, he drew the responsibility [that day] of entering the Temple of the Lord to burn the incense offering. [Note: This was done on a golden Altar in the Temple by a priest twice a day].

But the angel said to him, "Don't be afraid, Zacharias, because your request has been heard, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

And behold, thou shalt be deaf, and not able to speak, till the day that these things are done, because thou believedst not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.

Thus hath the Lord done unto me in the days wherein he looked upon me , to take away my reproach among men.

Now in the sixth month [of Elizabeth’s pregnancy] the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,

And the angel went into the town and said to her, "Good morning, favored woman! The Lord be with you!"

The angel said to her, "Don't be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

Then Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel left her.

Now at this time Mary arose and hurried to the hill country, to a city of Judah (Judea),

But why is this honour done me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

Happy will she be who had faith that the things which the Lord has said to her will be done.

For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

He has done a mighty deed with his arm; he has dispersed the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

And he sent for writing materials and put down: His name is John; and they were all surprised.

He has done this to show mercy to our ancestors, and to remember his holy covenant --

Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Sunrise (the Messiah) from on high will dawn and visit us,

And everyone went to register for the census, each to his own city.

So Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,

and she brought forth her son -- the first-born, and wrapped him up, and laid him down in the manger, because there was not for them a place in the guest-chamber.

But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people:

For this day in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (the Messiah).

And when the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us go to Bethlehem, and see this thing which is done, which the Lord hath made known to us.

And when they had done everything [in connection with Jesus’ birth] according to the Law of the Lord, they went back to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.

but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and traveled a day’s journey; and [then] they began searching [anxiously] for Him among their relatives and acquaintances.

When they did not find Him, they went back to Jerusalem looking for Him [everywhere].

And [when they] saw him, they were astounded and his mother said to him, "Child, why have you done this to us? Look, your father and I have been searching for you anxiously!"

Jesus replied, why were ye so sollicitous about me? don't you know that 'tis my business to be in my father's house?

And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.

Every ravine shall be filled up, and every mountain and hill levelled down, the crooked places shall be turned into straight roads, and the rugged ways into smooth;

Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. And don’t start saying to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones!

And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

He told them, “Don’t collect any more than what you have been authorized.”

Some soldiers also questioned him: “What should we do?”

He said to them, “Don’t take money from anyone by force or false accusation; be satisfied with your wages.”

Whose winnowing fan in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing-floor, and gather the wheat into his store; and the chaff he will burn down with inextinguishable fire.

But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done,

and the Holy Spirit came down in a bodily appearance, as if a dove, upon him, and a voice came out of heaven, saying, 'Thou art My Son -- the Beloved, in thee I did delight.'

And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me (the Messiah),
Because He has anointed Me to preach the good news to the poor.
He has sent Me to announce release (pardon, forgiveness) to the captives,
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set free those who are oppressed (downtrodden, bruised, crushed by tragedy),

And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.

Then He said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown.

Elijah was not sent to any of them, except to a widow in Zarephath [i.e., a Gentile town] in the region of Sidon.

And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.

And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.

And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst, he came out of him, having done him no hurt.

And when the sun went down, all, as many as had persons sick with divers diseases, brought them to him, and having laid his hands on every one of them, he healed them;

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.

Jesus, however, said to them: "I must take the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the other town also, for that was why I was sent."

and he saw two ships standing by the lake, but the fishermen, having come down from them, were washing their nets.

And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.

And they made signs to their friends in the other boat to come to their help. And they came, and the two boats were so full that they were going down.

When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

and so were James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s partners.

“Don’t be afraid,” Jesus told Simon. “From now on you will be catching people!”

And, bringing the boats down on to the land, they left all, and followed him.

And it happened that while he was in one of the towns, {there was} a man {covered with leprosy}. And [when he] saw Jesus, he fell down on [his] face [and] begged him, saying, "Lord, if you are willing, you are able to make me clean."

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."

But the news about what Jesus had done spread all the more widely, so that large crowds assembled to listen to Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.

And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.

Just then some men came, carrying on a mat a man who was paralyzed. They tried to bring him in and set him down before Him.

And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.

And immediately having arisen before them, taking the bed on which he was lying down, he went away to his own house, glorifying God.

And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.

Jesus replied to them, “The healthy don’t need a doctor, but the sick do.

But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;

If anyone hits you on the cheek, offer the other also. And if anyone takes away your coat, don’t hold back your shirt either.

Give to everyone who asks you, and from one who takes your things, don’t ask for them back.

Don't judge, and you won't be judged. Don't condemn, and you won't be condemned. Set free, and you will be set free.

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

“Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but don’t notice the log in your own eye?

Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself don’t see the log in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck in your brother’s eye.

For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people don't gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.

“Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say?

he is like a [far-sighted, practical, and sensible] man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and yet could not shake it, because it had been securely built and founded on the rock.

And he that has heard and not done, is like a man who has built a house on the ground without a foundation, on which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the breach of that house was great.

So they went to Jesus and begged him repeatedly, "He deserves to have this done for him,

Jesus went with them, and when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell Him, “Lord, don’t trouble Yourself, since I am not worthy to have You come under my roof.

Soon afterward Jesus went to a city called Nain [near Nazareth], and His disciples and a large crowd accompanied Him.

Now as He approached the city gate, a dead man was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her [in the funeral procession].

When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said, “Don’t cry.”

And fear fell on all, and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us, and that God hath looked down with mercy on his people.

And the report of what Jesus had done spread through the whole of Judaea and in all the surrounding districts.

And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat.

Now there was a woman in the city who was [known as] a sinner; and when she found out that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume;

"Two men were in debt to a money-lender. One owed him a hundred dollars and the other ten.

And it happened that {afterward} also he was going about from [one] town and village [to another] preaching and proclaiming the good news concerning the kingdom of God, and the twelve [were] with him,

When a large crowd was gathering together, and people from city after city were coming to Him, He spoke [to them] using a parable:

A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.

And, other, fell down upon the rock; and, growing, was withered, because it had not moisture.

he answered, the secret circumstances of the divine dispensation may be clearly revealed to you, but to others only in parables, so that they don't observe what they see, nor comprehend what they hear.

The ones on the stony ground are the people who joyfully welcome the word when they hear it. But since they don't have any roots, they believe for a while, but in a time of testing they fall away.

For there is nothing done in obscurity that will not be made known [openly], and nothing done secretly that will not [eventually] become known and be revealed.

But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.

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.