Then Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is far advanced in years."

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

Then Mary said, "I am the Lord's slave. May what you say take place with me." Then the angel left her.

John expressly answered them all, "I am baptizing you in water only, but there is coming the One who is stronger than I am, whose shoestrings I am not fit to untie. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire;

and the Holy Spirit came down upon Him in bodily form as a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, "You are my Son, my Beloved! In you I am delighted!"

When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' feet and said, "Leave me, Lord, because I am a sinful man."

When day came, He called His disciples to Him, and selected from them twelve whom He also named apostles:

Simon whom he named Peter, his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,

Everyone who comes to me and continues to listen to my words and practices their teachings, I will show you whom he is like.

Then Jesus started to go with them. But when He was not far from the house, the captain sent friends to say to Him, "My Lord, stop troubling yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.

For I too am under authority of others, and have soldiers under me, and I order one to go, and he goes, another to come, and he comes, my slave to do this, and he does it."

This is the man of whom the Scripture says: "'Attention! I send my messenger on before you. He will prepare the road ahead of you.'

Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he canceled most." Then He said, "You are correct in your judgment."

and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary, who was called Mary of Magdala, out of whom seven demons had gone,

So the people went out to see what had taken place, and they went to Jesus and found the man out of whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, with his clothes on and in his right mind; and they were frightened.

The man out of whom the demons had gone begged Him to let him go with Him, but Jesus sent him away and said,

So Herod said, "John I beheaded, but who can this be about whom I hear such reports?" So he was trying to see Him.

One day while He was praying in solitude, His disciples were nearby, and He asked them, "Who do people say that I am?"

So He said to them, "But who do you, yourselves, say that I am?" Peter answered, "The Christ of God!"

Go on. Listen! I am sending you out as lambs surrounded by wolves.

All things have been entrusted to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is but the Father, and who the Father is but the Son, and anyone to whom the Son chooses to make Him known."

And if Satan is really disunited, how can his kingdom last? Yet you say that I am driving the demons out with Beelzebub's help.

Now if I with Beelzebub's help am driving the demons out, with whose help do your sons drive them out?

But if I by the finger of God am driving the demons out, then the kingdom of God has come to you.

A curse on you, because you build monuments for the prophets, whom your forefathers killed!

But I will show you whom to fear. Fear Him who, after killing you, has power to hurl you down to the pit; yes, I tell you, fear Him.

So he began to argue with himself, 'What am I to do, because I have nowhere to store my crops?'

Happy are those slaves whom the master, when he comes, will find on the watch for him. I solemnly say to you, he will tighten his belt and have them sit at table, and he will go around and wait on them.

And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful, thoughtful manager whom his master will put in charge of his household, to give out the supplies at the proper time?

Happy is that slave whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.

But the one who does wrong without knowing it will be lightly punished. Much will be demanded from anyone to whom much has been given; yea, people will demand much more from anyone to whom they have entrusted much.

I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how I am pressed with anguish till it is accomplished!

Or those eighteen people at Siloam on whom the tower fell and whom it crushed to death, do you think that they were offenders worse than all the rest of the people who live in Jerusalem?

And so was it not right for this woman, a descendant of Abraham, whom Satan has for eighteen years kept bound, to be freed from this bond on the Sabbath?"

But He said to them: "Go and tell that fox, 'Here I am, driving out demons and performing cures, today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will finish these tasks.

Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I am on my way to try them. Please excuse me.'

Then he came to himself and said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more to eat than they need, and here I am dying of hunger!

So he called the manager to him and said, 'What is this that I am hearing about you? Balance your accounts and show how you are conducting my affairs, for you cannot be manager any longer.'

Then the manager said to himself, What shall I do, because my master is going to take my position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg.

I know what I will do -- I will ask them to take me into their homes when I am removed from my position.

So he called and said, 'Father Abraham, take pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool off my tongue, because I am ceaselessly tortured in this flame.'

Now He said to His disciples: "It is inevitable that snares to evil will come, but a curse be on the man through whom they come!

Even if he sins against you seven times in a day and seven times turns to you and says, 'I am sorry,' you must forgive him."

The Pharisee stood and said this self-centered prayer, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of men, robbers, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector.

Then after he had gotten the appointment as king, he returned and ordered those slaves to whom he had given his money to be called in, that he might find out what business they had done.

Then Jesus said to them, "Nor am I going to tell you what sort of authority I have for doing as I do."

Everyone who falls upon that stone will be shattered, and he on whom it falls will be crushed to dust."

So He said, "You must take care not to be misled about it! For many will come bearing the name of Messiah, and saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time is near.' Do not go after them.

and say to the owner of the house, 'Our Teacher says to you, "Where is the room in which I am to eat the Passover supper with my disciples?"'

For the Son of Man is going away, as it has been divinely decreed, but a curse will be on that man by whom He is betrayed!"

Which one, indeed, is the greater, the guest at the table or the servant who waits on him? Is it not the guest at the table? But I am among you as the servant who waits on you.

But Peter said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go even to prison and to death with you!"

A little later a man looked at him and said, "You are one of them too." But Peter said, "Man, I am not."

Then they all asked, "Are you then the Son of God?" And He answered, "Yes, I am."

Then Pilate asked Him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" And He answered him, "Yes, I am."

So he released the man who had been put in prison for riot and murder, whom they continued to demand, but turned Jesus over to their will.