Just as they were reported to us by those who from the beginning were eye-witnesses, and afterwards became bearers of the Message.

And, therefore, I also, since I have investigated all these events with great care from their very beginning, have resolved to write a connected history of them for you,

In order that you may be able to satisfy yourself of the accuracy of the story which you have heard from the lips of others.]

For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord; he shall not drink any wine or strong drink, and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit from the very hour of his birth,

Six months later the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,

For no promise from God shall fail to be fulfilled."

Happy indeed is she who believed that the promise which she received from the Lord would be fulfilled."

For he has remembered his servant in her lowliness; And from this hour all ages will count me happy!

From age to age his mercy rests On those who reverence him.

He casts down princes from their thrones, and the lowly he uplifts,

Salvation from our enemies and from the hands of all that hate us,

That we should be rescued from the hands of our enemies,

Through the tender mercy of our God, Whereby the Dawn will break on us from Heaven,

Among others Joseph went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem, the town of David, in Judea--because he belonged to the family and house of David--

And when Annas and Caiaphas were High Priests, a Command from God came to John, the son of Zechariah, while he was in the wilderness.

And John said to the crowds that went to be baptized by him: "You brood of vipers! who has prompted you to seek refuge from the coming judgment?

And the Holy Spirit descended, in a visible form, like a dove, upon him, and from the heavens came a voice--"Thou art my Son, the Beloved; in thee I delight."

On returning from the Jordan, full of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was led by the power of the Spirit through the Wilderness for forty days, tempted by the Devil.

The Devil next led him into Jerusalem, and, placing him on the parapet of the Temple, said: "If you are God's Son throw yourself down from here,

All who were present spoke well of him, and were astonished at the beautiful words that fell from his lips. "Is not he Joseph's son?" they asked.

But Jesus rebuked the demon. "Be silent! Come out from him," he said. The demon flung the man down in the middle of the people, and then came out from him, without causing him further harm.

On leaving the Synagogue, Jesus went into Simon's house. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a severe attack of fever, and they asked Jesus to cure her.

At sunset, all who had friends suffering from various diseases took them to Jesus; and he placed his hands upon every one of them and cured them.

And even demons came out from many people, screaming 'You are the Son of God.' Jesus rebuked them, and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

The fishermen had gone away from them and were washing the nets.

So, getting into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, Jesus asked him to push off a little way from the shore, and then sat down and taught the people from the boat.

And so, too, were James and John, Zebediah's sons, who were Simon's partners. "Do not be afraid," Jesus said to Simon; "from to-day you shall catch men."

On one of those days, when Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and Doctors of the Law were sitting near by. (They had come from all the villages in Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was upon Jesus, so that he could work cures.)

But the days will come--a time when the bridegroom will be parted from them; and they will fast then, when those days come."

Then, as an illustration, Jesus said to them: "No man ever tears a piece from a new garment and puts it upon an old one; for, if he does, he will not only tear the new garment, but the piece from the new one will not match the old.

Afterwards Jesus came down the hill with them and took his stand on a level place. With him were a large crowd of his disciples, and great numbers of people from the whole of Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast district of Tyre and Sidon,

And every one in the crowd was trying to touch him, because a power went out from him which restored them all.

Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they expel you from among them, and taunt you, and reject your Name as an evil thing--on account of the Son of Man.

If you lend only to those from whom you expect to get something, what thanks will be due to you? Even the outcast lend to the outcast in the hope of getting as much in return!

How can you say to your brother 'Brother, let me take out the straw in your eye,' while you yourself do not see the beam in your own? Hypocrite! Take out the beam from your own eye first, and then you will see clearly how to take out the straw in your brother's.

A good man, from the good stores of his heart, brings out what is good; while a bad man, from his bad stores, brings out what is bad. For what fills a man's heart will rise to his lips.

So Jesus went with them. But, when he was no great distance from the house, the Captain sent some friends with the message-- "Do not trouble yourself, Sir; for I am unworthy to receive you under my roof.

Jesus was surprised to hear these words from him; and, turning to the crowd which was following him, he said: "I tell you, nowhere in Israel have I met with such faith as this!"

You did not give me one kiss, but she, from the moment I came in, has not ceased to kiss my feet.

As well as some women who had been cured of wicked spirits and of infirmities. They were Mary, known as Mary of Magdala (from whom seven demons had been expelled),

Once, when a great crowd was collecting, and, when the people of town after town were flocking to Jesus, he spoke to them in the form of a parable:

By the seed which fell along the path are meant those who hear the Message; but then comes the Devil and carries away the Message from their minds, to prevent their believing it and being saved.

Take care, then, how you listen. For, to all those who have, more will be given; while, from all those who have nothing, even what they seem to have will be taken away."

For Jesus was commanding the foul spirit to come out from the man. On many occasions it had seized him, and, even when secured with chains and fetters, and watched, he would break through anything that bound him, and be driven by the demon into the Wilds.

They came out from the man and took possession of the pigs; and the drove rushed down the steep slope into the lake and were drowned.

The people went out to see what had happened, and, when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting, clothed and in his right mind, at Jesus' feet; and they were awe-struck.

The man from whom the demons had gone out begged Jesus to let him be with him; but Jesus sent him away.

And a woman, who had suffered from hemorrhage for twelve years, and whom no one could cure,

"Somebody touched me," said Jesus; "for I felt that power had gone out from me."

Before he had finished speaking, some one came from the house of the President of the Synagogue and said: "Your daughter is dead! Do not trouble the Teacher further."

Whatever house you go to stay in, remain there, and leave from that place.

Then they set out and went from village to village, telling the Good News and curing people everywhere.

Prince Herod heard of all that was happening, and was perplexed, because it was said by some that John must be risen from the dead.

And, as Moses and Elijah were passing away from Jesus, Peter exclaimed: "Sir, it is good to be here; let us make three tents, one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He did not know what he was saying;

And from the cloud came a voice which said--"This is my Son, the Chosen One; him you must hear."

The next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met Jesus.

But the disciples did not understand the meaning of this; it had been concealed from them so that they did not see it, and they were afraid to question him as to what he meant.

When James and John saw this, they said: "Master, do you wish us to call for fire to come down from the heavens and consume them?"

Remain at that same house, and eat and drink whatever they offer you; for the worker is worth his wages. Do not keep changing from one house to another.

And Jesus replied: "I have had visions of Satan, fallen, like lightning from the heavens.

At that same time, moved to exultation by the Holy Spirit, Jesus said: "I thank thee, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that, though thou hast hidden these things from the wise and learned, thou hast revealed them to the childlike! Yes, Father, I thank thee that this has seemed good to thee.

To which Jesus replied: "A man was once going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him of everything, and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead.

But only a few are necessary, or rather one. Mary has chosen the good part, and it shall not be taken away from her."

And suppose that the other should answer from inside 'Do not trouble me; the door is already fastened, and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything';

While others, to test him, asked him for some sign from the heavens.

At the Judgment the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation, and will condemn them, because she came from the very ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon; and here is more than a Solomon!

Some of whom they will persecute and kill, in order that the 'blood' of all the prophets 'that has been spilt' since the creation of the world may be exacted from this generation--

From the blood of Abel down to the blood of Zechariah, who was slain between the altar and the House of God." Yes, I tell you, it will be exacted from this generation.

And then he added: "Take care to keep yourselves free from every form of covetousness; for even in the height of his prosperity a man's true Life does not depend on what he has."

And be like men who are waiting for their Master's return from his wedding, so that, when he comes and knocks, they may open the door for him at once.

while one who does not know his master's wishes, but acts so as to deserve a flogging, will receive but few. From every one to whom much has been given much will be expected, and from the man to whom much has been entrusted the more will be demanded.

For from this time, if there are five people in a house, they will be divided, three against two, and two against three.

And he saw before him a woman who for eighteen years had suffered from weakness owing to her having an evil spirit in her. She was bent double, and was wholly unable to raise herself.

When Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said: "Woman, you are released from your weakness."

"You hypocrites!" the Master answered him. "Does not every one of you let his ox or his ass loose from its manger, and take it out to drink, on the Sabbath?

But this woman, a daughter of Abraham, who has been kept in bondage by Satan for now eighteen years, ought not she to have been released from her bondage on the Sabbath?"

When once the master of the house has got up and shut the door, while you begin to say, as you stand outside and knock, 'Sir, open the door for us.' His answer will be--'I do not know where you come from.'

'I do not know where you come from. Leave my presence, all you who are living in wickedness.'

People will come from East and West, and from North and South, and take their places at the banquet in the Kingdom of God.

There he saw before him a man who was suffering from dropsy.

'What am I to do,' the steward asked himself, 'now that my master is taking the steward's place away from me? I have not strength to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.

And who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table. Even the very dogs came and licked his sores.

And not only that, but between you and us there lies a great chasm, so that those who wish to pass from here to you cannot, nor can they cross from there to us.'

'But, Father Abraham,' he urged, 'if some one from the dead were to go to them, they would repent.'

'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets,' answered Abraham, 'they will not be persuaded, even if some one were to rise from the dead.'"

Which of you, if he had a servant ploughing, or tending the sheep, would say to him, when he came in from the fields, 'Come at once and take your place at table,'

For, just as lightning will lighten and flare from one side of the heavens to the other, so will it be with the Son of Man.

But, on the very day on which Lot came out of Sodom, it rained fire and sulphur from the skies and destroyed them all.

On that day, if a man is on his house-top and his goods in the house, he must not go down to get them; nor again must one who is on the farm turn back.

Yet, as this widow is so troublesome, I will grant her justice, to stop her from plaguing me with her endless visits.'"

"I have observed all these," he replied, "from childhood."

Take away from him the ten pounds,' he said to those standing by, 'and give them to the one who has the hundred.'

'I tell you,' he answered, 'that, to him who has, more will be given, but, from him who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.

"Would that you had known, while yet there was time--even you--the things that make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your sight.

But, for those who are thought worthy to attain to that other world and the resurrection from the dead, there is no marrying or being married,

For every one else here put in something from what he had to spare, while she, in her need, has put in all she had to live upon."

[Presently there appeared to him an angel from Heaven, who strengthened him.

Then he rose from praying, and came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow.

But from this hour 'the Son of Man will be seated on the right hand of God Almighty.'"

At this they exclaimed: "Why do we want any more evidence? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips!"