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],

And see, you will give birth to a son, and his name will be Jesus.

Then she spoke out in a loud voice and said, " [Mary], you are [truly] blessed [from] among [all] women, and the child you will bear [i.e., Jesus] is blessed [as well].

He has provided a horn of salvation [i.e., His saving strength] for us from a descendant of His servant King David [i.e., Jesus, born of Mary]

And when, after eight days, the time came for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name which the angel had given to him before his birth.

When the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord,

And full of the Spirit he came into the Temple; and when the father and mother came in with the child Jesus, to do with him what was ordered by the law,

Simeon took Jesus in his arms, praised God and said,

For my eyes have seen your salvation [i.e., Jesus],

Jesus' father and mother kept wondering at the things being said about him.

Then Simeon [asked God to] bless them and said to Jesus' mother Mary, "Look, many Israelites will be caused to fall [i.e., into spiritual ruin] or rise [i.e., to spiritual renewal] because of Him. And [He will be] a 'sign' [for people] to speak against,

Just then she came forward and began to thank God and to speak about Jesus to everyone who was waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

And the child [i.e., Jesus] grew and became strong. He was filled with wisdom and God's favor was upon Him.

Every year Jesus' parents would go to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival.

When Jesus was twelve years old, they went according to custom to Jerusalem,

And when the days of the feast came to an end and they were going back, the boy Jesus was still in Jerusalem, but they had no knowledge of it:

And all who heard Jesus were astonished at his understanding and his answers.

When Jesus' parents saw him, they were shocked. His mother asked him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been worried sick looking for you!"

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

However Jesus went down with them to Nazareth, and was subject to them: and his mother kept all these things in her heart.

And Jesus was increasing in wisdom and in years, and in grace before God and men.

Now it came about that when all the people had been given baptism, Jesus, having had baptism with them, was in prayer, when, the heaven being open,

And Jesus at this time was about thirty years old, being the son (as it seemed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,

The son of Jesus, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, came back from the Jordan, and was guided by the Spirit in the waste land

And Jesus made answer to him, It has been said in the Writings, Bread is not man's only need.

And the Devil led Jesus up, and showing him in a single moment all the kingdoms of the earth, said to him:

He told Jesus, "I will give you all this authority, along with their glory, because it has been given to me, and I give it to anyone I please.

And Jesus in answer said to him, It has been said in the Writings, Give worship to the Lord your God, and be his servant only.

The Devil also took him into Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the Temple. He told Jesus, "Since you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here,

And Jesus made answer and said to him, It is said in the Writings, You may not put the Lord your God to the test.

When he had tried every kind of temptation, the Devil left Jesus, till another opportunity.

And Jesus came back to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and the news of him went through all the country round about.

Coming to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, Jesus, as was his custom, went on the Sabbath into the Synagogue, and stood up to read the Scriptures.

The book given him was that of the Prophet Isaiah; and Jesus opened the book and found the place where it says--

And Jesus began: "This very day this passage has been fulfilled in your hearing."

"Doubtless," said Jesus, "you will remind me of the saying-- 'Doctor, cure yourself;' and you will say 'Do here in your own country all that we have heard that has been done at Capernaum.'

Starting up, they drove Jesus out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town stood, intending to hurl him down.

Then Jesus went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee. On the Sabbath he taught the people.

Let us be! what have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? have you come to put an end to us? I have knowledge who you are, the Holy One of God.

And Jesus said to him, Be quiet, and come out of him. And when the evil spirit had put him down on the earth in the middle of them, he came out of him, having done him no damage.

And rumors about Jesus traveled through every place in the neighborhood.

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.

At daybreak, Jesus went out and walked to a lonely spot. But crowds of people began to look for him; and they came to where he was and tried to detain him and prevent his leaving 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."

Once, when the people were pressing round Jesus as the listened to God's Message, he happened to be standing by the shore of the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats close to the shore.

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.

But Simon, when he saw it, went down at the knees of Jesus and said, Go away from me, O Lord, for I am a sinner.

And so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were working with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, Have no fear; from this time forward you will be a fisher of men.

Then Jesus told Simon, "Stop being afraid. From now on you will be catching people." So when they brought the boats to shore, they left everything and followed Jesus.

And it came about that while he was in one of the towns, there was a leper there: and when he saw Jesus he went down on his face in prayer to him, saying, Lord, if it is your pleasure, you have power to make me clean.

And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, I will; be thou cleansed: and immediately the leprosy departed from him.

And then Jesus impressed upon him that he was not to say a word to any one, "but," he added, "set out and show yourself to the priest, and make the offerings for your cleansing, in the manner directed by Moses, as evidence of your cure."

However, the story about Jesus spread all the more, and great crowds came together to listen to him, and to be cured of their illnesses;

But Jesus used to withdraw to lonely places and pray.

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.)

And some men had with them, on a bed, a man who was ill, without power of moving; and they made attempts to get him in and put him before Jesus.

And because of the mass of people, there was no way to get him in; so they went up on the top of the house and let him down through the roof, on his bed, into the middle in front of Jesus.

When he saw their faith, Jesus said: "Friend, your sins have been forgiven you."

but Jesus knowing their thoughts, answered and said unto them, What are ye disputing in your hearts?

After this, Jesus went out; and he noticed a tax-gatherer, named Levi, sitting in the tax-office, and said to him: "Follow me."

So, Matthew gave up everything, got up and followed Jesus.

And Levi gave a great entertainment at his house, in honor of Jesus; and a large number of tax-gatherers and others were at table with them.

The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law belonging to their party complained of this to the disciples of Jesus."

And Jesus answered and said unto them, They that are in health have no need of a physician, but they that are sick: I am not come to call the righteous,

"John's disciples," they said to Jesus, "Often fast and say prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, while yours are eating and drinking!"

And Jesus said, Are you able to make the friends of the newly-married man go without food when he is with them?

But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them [Note: Jesus here refers to Himself]. Then they will fast at that time."

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.

One Sabbath Jesus was walking through cornfields, and hi disciples were picking the ears of wheat, and rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.

And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read what David did, when he himself was hungry and those that were with him? how he went into the house of God,

Then Jesus added: "The Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath."

On another Sabbath Jesus went into the Synagogue and taught; and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.

The Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely, to see if he would work cures on the Sabbath, so that they might find a charge to bring against him.

Jesus, however, knew what was in the their minds, and said to the man whose hand was withered: "Stand up and come out into the middle." The man stood up;

Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing, Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to let it be lost?

And they were filled with confusion: and consulted together, what they might do to Jesus.

Now about that time, Jesus went out, up the hill, to pray, and spent the whole night in prayer to God.

They were Simon (whom Jesus also named Peter), and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,

Judas, the son of James [i.e., the same as Thaddaeus. See Matt. 10:3] and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor [to Jesus].

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,

Then, raising his eyes and looking at his disciples, Jesus spoke as follows: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God.

Then, speaking in parables, Jesus said: "Can one blind man guide another? Will they not both fall into a ditch?

When Jesus had brought to a conclusion all that he had then had to say to the people, he entered Capernaum.

and having heard of Jesus, he sent unto Him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that He would come and heal his servant.

And when they came to Jesus, they intreated Him earnestly, saying, he is worthy of this favor:

So Jesus went with them. And when He was now not far from the house, the centurion sent some of his friends to Him, saying Lord, trouble not thyself, for I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof:

And when Jesus heard these things, He marvelled, and turning about, said to the multitude that followed Him, I declare unto you, I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel.

Shortly after, Jesus went to a town called Nain, his disciples and a great crowd going with him.

And when Jesus saw her, he was moved with compassion for her, and said unto her, Weep not.

Then he went up and touched the bier, and the bearers stopped; and Jesus said: "Young man, I am speaking to you--Rise!"

The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus restored him to his mother.

And this story about Jesus spread all through Judea, and in the neighboring countries as well.

Then the disciples of John [the Immerser] told him all about these things [i.e., what Jesus was doing].

and sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou He that was to come, or are we to expect another?

When these men found Jesus, they said: "John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask--'Are you 'The Coming One,' or are we to look for somebody else?'"

At that very time Jesus had cured many people of diseases, afflictions, and wicked spirits, and had given many blind people their sight.

And Jesus answering said unto them, Go and tell John what ye have seen and heard: that the blind recover sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them,