and inasmuch as I have gone carefully over them all myself from the very beginning, I have decided, O Theophilus, to write them out in order for your excellency,

for he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, he will drink neither wine nor strong drink, he will be filled with the holy Spirit from his very birth;

for he has considered the humiliation of his servant. From this time forth all generations will call me blessed,

to save us from our foes and from the hand of all who hate us,

that freed from fear and from the hand of our foes we should worship him

by the tender mercy of our God, who will make the Dawn visit us from on high,

and as Joseph belonged to the house and family of David he went up from Galilee to Judaea, from the town of Nazaret to David's town called Bethlehem,

and having been a widow for eighty-four years. She was never away from the temple; night and day she worshipped, fasting and praying.

To the crowds who came out to get baptized by him John said, "You brood of vipers, who told you to flee from the coming Wrath?

Now, produce fruits that answer to your repentance, instead of beginning to say to yourselves, 'We have a father in Abraham.' I tell you, God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones!

and the holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon him; and a voice came from heaven, "Thou art my son, the Beloved, to-day have I become thy father."

From the Jordan Jesus came back full of the holy Spirit,

Then he brought him to Jerusalem and placing him on the pinnacle of the temple said to him, "If you are God's son, throw yourself down from this;

All spoke well of him and marvelled at the gracious words that came from his lips; they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"

From many people daemons were also driven out, clamouring aloud, "You are God's son!" But he checked them and refused to let them say anything, as they knew he was the Christ.

When day broke he went away out to a lonely spot, but the crowds made inquiries about him, came to where he was, and tried to keep him from leaving them.

So he entered one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to push out a little from the land. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

as was the case with James and John, the sons of Zebedaeus, who were partners of Simon. Then said Jesus to Simon, "Have no fear; from now your catch will be men."

One day he was teaching, and near him sat Pharisees and doctors of the Law who had come from every village of Galilee and Judaea as well as from Jerusalem. Now the power of the Lord was present for the work of healing.

A time will come when the bridegroom is taken from them, and then they will fast at that time."

He also told them a parable: "No one tears a piece from a new cloak and sews it on an old cloak; otherwise he will tear the new cloak, and the new piece will not match with the old.

With them he came down the hill and stood on a level spot. There was a great company of his disciples with him, and a large multitude of people from all Judaea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and to get cured of their diseases.

Indeed the whole of the crowd made efforts to touch him, for power issued from him and cured everybody.

give to anyone who asks you, and do not ask your goods back from anyone who has taken them.

If you only lend to those from whom you hope to get something, what credit is that to you? Even sinful men lend to one another, so as to get a fair return.

each tree is known by its fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, and grapes are not plucked from a bramble-bush.

The good man produces good from the good stored in his heart, and the evil man evil from his evil: for a man's mouth utters what his heart is full of.

When they reached Jesus they asked him earnestly to do this. "He deserves to have this favour from you," they said,

So Jesus went with them. But he was not far from the house when the captain sent some friends to tell him, "Do not trouble yourself, sir, I am not fit to have you under my roof,

Just as he was near the gate of the town, there was a dead man being carried out; he was the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the town were with her.

Shortly afterwards he went travelling from one town and village to another preaching and telling the good news of the Reign of God; he was accompanied by the twelve

As a large crowd was gathering and as people were resorting to him from town after town, he addressed them in a parable.

Those 'on the road' are people who hear; but then the devil comes and carries off the word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved.

So take care how you listen; for he who has, to him shall more be given, while as for him who has not, from him shall be taken even what he thinks he has."

As he stepped out on land he was met by a man from the town who had daemons in him; for a long while he had worn no clothing, and he stayed not in a house but among the tombs.

They got a report from those who had seen how the lunatic was cured,

Jesus said, "Somebody did touch me, for I felt power had passed from me."

He was still speaking when someone came from the house of the synagogue-president to say, "Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the teacher any further."

Whatever house you go into, stay there and leave from there.

Whoever will not receive you, leave that town and shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."

So they went out from village to village preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

When Herod the tetrarch heard all that was going on, he was quite at a loss; for some said that John had risen from the dead,

When they were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is a good thing we are here; let us put up three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" (not knowing what he was saying).

but a voice came from the cloud, "This is my Son, my Chosen one; listen to him."

"Teacher," shouted a man from the crowd, "look at my son, I beg of you, for he is my only boy,

But they did not understand this saying ??indeed it was kept a secret from them, to prevent them from fathoming it ??and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

So when the disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, will you have us bid fire come down from heaven and consume them?"

Stay at the same house, eating and drinking what the people provide (for the workman deserves his wages); you are not to shift from one house to another.

'The very dust of your town that clings to us, we wipe off from our feet as a protest. But mark this, the Reign of God is near!'

He said to them, "Yes, I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning.

He thrilled with joy at that hour in the holy Spirit, saying, "I praise thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for concealing this from the wise and learned and revealing it to the simple-minded; yes, Father, I praise thee that such was thy chosen purpose." Then turning to the disciples he said,

Jesus rejoined, "A man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho fell among robbers who stripped and belaboured him and then went off leaving him half-dead.

Mary has chosen the best dish, and she is not to be dragged away from it."

And suppose he answers from the inside, 'Don't bother me; the door is locked by this time, and my children are in bed with me. I can't get up and give you anything.'

Well, if for all your evil you know to give your children what is good, how much more will your Father give the holy Spirit from heaven to those who ask him?"

Others by way of tempting him demanded he should give them a Sign from heaven.

The queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and here is One greater than Solomon.

it was that the blood of all the prophets shed from the foundation of the world might be charged upon 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 all be charged upon this generation.

lying in ambush to catch a word from his lips.

and be like men who are expecting their lord and master on his return from a marriage-banquet, so as to open the door for him at once when he comes and knocks.

whereas he who was ignorant and did what deserves a beating, will receive few lashes. He who has much given him will have much required from him, and he who has much entrusted to him will have all the more demanded of him.

there was a woman who for eighteen years had suffered weakness from an evil spirit; indeed she was bent double and quite unable to raise herself.

Jesus noticed her and called to her, "Woman, you are released from your weakness."

The Lord replied to him, "You hypocrites, does not each of you untether his ox or ass from the stall on the sabbath and lead it away to drink?

And this woman, a daughter of Abraham, bound by Satan for all these eighteen years, was she not to be freed from her bondage on the sabbath?"

On he went, teaching from one town and village to another, as he made his way to Jerusalem.

once the master of the House has got up and closed the door. You may stand outside and knock at the door, crying, 'Lord, open for us,' but he will answer you, 'I do not know where you come from.'

'I tell you,' he will say, 'I do not know where you come from; begone everyone of you, you evildoers.'

Yes, and people will come from east and west and north and south to their places at the feast within the Realm of God.

Just then some Pharisees came up to tell him, "Get away from here, for Herod intends to kill you."

The factor said to himself, 'What am I to do, now that my master is taking the factorship away from me? I am too weak to dig, I am ashamed to beg.

Ah, I know what I will do, so that people will welcome me to their houses when I am deposed from the factorship.'

and fain to eat up the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table. (The very dogs used to come and lick his ulcers.)

Besides all that, a great gulf yawns between us and you, to keep back those who want to cross from us to you and also those who want to pass from you to us.'

'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone only goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'

He said to him, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced, not even if one rose from the dead."

Which of you, with a servant out ploughing or shepherding, will say to him when he comes in from the field, 'Come at once and take your place at table'?

for like lightning that flashes from one side of the sky to the other, so will the Son of man be on his own day.

but on the day that Lot left Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.

He said, "I have observed all these commands from my youth."

However, they did not understand a word of this; indeed the saying was hidden from them, and they did not know what he meant.

Then he said to the bystanders, 'Take the five pounds from him and give it to the man with fifty.'

'I tell you, to everyone who has shall more be given, but from him who has nothing, even what he has shall be taken.

and as he was now close to the descent from the Hill of Olives, all the multitude of the disciples started joyfully to praise God with a loud voice for all they had seen,

saying, "Would that you too knew even to-day on what your peace depends! But no, it is hidden from you!

did the baptism of John come from heaven or from men?"

Now they reasoned to themselves, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Why did you not believe him?'

And if we say, 'From men,' the whole of the people will stone us, for they are convinced John was a prophet."

So they answered that they did not know where it came from.

but those who are considered worthy to attain yonder world and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are married,

there will be great earthquakes with famine and pestilence here and there, there will be awful portents and great signs from heaven.

From hour to hour keep awake, praying that you may succeed in escaping all these dangers to come and in standing before the Son of man."

saying, "Father, if it please thee, take this cup away from me. But thy will, not mine, be done."

[And an angel from heaven appeared to strengthen him;

Then rising from prayer he went to the disciples, only to find them asleep from sheer sorrow.

So they said, "What more evidence do we need? We have heard it from his own lips."

But they insisted, "He stirs up the people by teaching all over Judaea. He started from Galilee and now he is here."

As they led him off they caught hold of Simon a Cyrenian on his way from the country and laid the cross on him to carry after Jesus.

As for his acquaintances, they were all standing at a distance to look on, with the women who had accompanied him from Galilee.