like the accounts passed on to us by those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word from the beginning.

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,

So Mary said, "Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

because he has looked upon the humble state of his servant. For from now on all generations will call me blessed,

from generation to generation he is merciful to those who fear him.

He has demonstrated power with his arm; he has scattered those whose pride wells up from the sheer arrogance of their hearts.

He has brought down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up those of lowly position;

as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from long ago,

that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us.

that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, may serve him without fear,

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

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus to register all the empire for taxes.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David.

So John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

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!

Then some soldiers also asked him, "And as for us -- what should we do?" He told them, "Take money from no one by violence or by false accusation, and be content with your pay."

and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my one dear Son; in you I take great delight."

Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness,

where for forty days he endured temptations from the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were completed, he was famished.

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,

So when the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until a more opportune time.

After Jesus left the synagogue, he entered Simon's house. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her.

The next morning Jesus departed and went to a deserted place. Yet the crowds were seeking him, and they came to him and tried to keep him from leaving them.

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.

But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!"

and so were James and John, Zebedee's sons, who were Simon's business partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people."

Now on one of those days, while he was teaching, there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting nearby (who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem), and the power of the Lord was with him to heal.

But those days are coming, and when the bridegroom is taken from them, at that time they will fast."

He also told them a parable: "No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old garment. If he does, he will have torn the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old.

Then he came down with them and stood on a level place. And a large number of his disciples had gathered along with a vast multitude from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon. They came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases,

and those who suffered from unclean spirits were cured.

The whole crowd was trying to touch him, because power was coming out from him and healing them all.

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.

Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for your possessions back from the person who takes them away.

And if you lend to those from whom you hope to be repaid, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, so that they may be repaid in full.

How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck from your eye,' while you yourself don't see the beam in your own? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from brambles.

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.

So Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.

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.

You gave me no kiss of greeting, but from the time I entered she has not stopped kissing my feet.

and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and disabilities: Mary (called Magdalene), from whom seven demons had gone out,

While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from one town after another, he spoke to them in a parable:

Those along the path are the ones who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

So listen carefully, for whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him."

As Jesus stepped ashore, a certain man from the town met him who was possessed by demons. For a long time this man had worn no clothes and had not lived in a house, but among the tombs.

So the people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus. They found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.

The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying,

Now a woman was there who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years but could not be healed by anyone.

But Jesus said, "Someone touched me, for I know that power has gone out from me."

While he was still speaking, someone from the synagogue ruler's house came and said, "Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the teacher any longer."

Now Herod the tetrarch heard about everything that was happening, and he was thoroughly perplexed, because some people were saying that John had been raised from the dead,

Then a voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him!"

Now on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a large crowd met him.

Then a man from the crowd cried out, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son -- he is my only child!

But they did not understand this statement; its meaning had been concealed from them, so that they could not grasp it. Yet they were afraid to ask him about this statement.

Now when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do you want us to call fire to come down from heaven and consume them?"

Stay in that same house, eating and drinking what they give you, for the worker deserves his pay. Do not move around from house to house.

So he said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

On that same occasion Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will.

Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him up, and went off, leaving him half dead.

but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the best part; it will not be taken away from her."

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.'

Others, to test him, began asking for a sign from heaven.

The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon -- and now, something greater than Solomon is here!

But give from your heart to those in need, and then everything will be clean for you.

from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against this generation.

When he went out from there, the experts in the law and the Pharisees began to oppose him bitterly, and to ask him hostile questions about many things,

So then whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops.

Then someone from the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."

Then he said to them, "Watch out and guard yourself from all types of greed, because one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded back from you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'

be like people waiting for their master to come back from the wedding celebration, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.

But the one who did not know his master's will and did things worthy of punishment will receive a light beating. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required, and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be asked.

For from now on there will be five in one household divided, three against two and two against three.

When Jesus saw her, he called her to him and said, "Woman, you are freed from your infirmity."

Then the Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from its stall, and lead it to water?

Then shouldn't this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be released from this imprisonment on the Sabbath day?"

Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, then you will stand outside and start to knock on the door and beg him, 'Lord, let us in!' But he will answer you, 'I don't know where you come from.'

But he will reply, 'I don't know where you come from! Go away from me, all you evildoers!'

Then people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and take their places at the banquet table in the kingdom of God.

At that time, some Pharisees came up and said to Jesus, "Get away from here, because Herod wants to kill you."

There right in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy.

But when he came to his senses he said, 'How many of my father's hired workers have food enough to spare, but here I am dying from hunger!

So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way from home his father saw him, and his heart went out to him; he ran and hugged his son and kissed him.

Then the manager said to himself, 'What should I do, since my master is taking my position away from me? I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm too ashamed to beg.

"Everyone who divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery, and the one who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

who longed to eat what fell from the rich man's table. In addition, the dogs came and licked his sores.

Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us, so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.'

Then the rich man said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'

He replied to him, 'If they do not respond to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"

"Would any one of you say to your slave who comes in from the field after plowing or shepherding sheep, 'Come at once and sit down for a meal'?

For just like the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.

but on the day Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

But the twelve understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what Jesus meant.

And he said to his attendants, 'Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has ten.'

I tell you that everyone who has will be given more, but from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.

As he approached the road leading down from the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen:

saying, "If you had only known on this day, even you, the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and surround you and close in on you from every side.