They were both just in the sight of God, blameless in their obedience to all the commands and regulations of God;

Now while he was officiating before God in the due course of his division,

he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God,

The angel replied, "I am Gabriel, I stand before God; I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazaret,

But the angel said to her, "Fear not, Mary, you have found favour with God.

He will be great, he will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father;

The angel answered her, "The holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Most High will overshadow you; hence what is born will be called holy, Son of God.

for with God nothing is ever impossible."

My spirit has joy in God my Saviour:

he has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.

Instantly his mouth was opened, his tongue loosed, and he spoke out blessing God.

"Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel, for he has cared for his people and wrought them redemption;

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

but the angel said to them, "Have no fear. This is good news I am bringing you, news of a great joy that is meant for all the People.

Then a host of heaven's army suddenly appeared beside the angel extolling God and saying,

"Glory to God in high heaven, and peace on earth for men whom he favours!"

Then the shepherds went away back, glorifying and extolling God for all they had heard and seen as they had been told they would.

then Symeon took him in his arms, blessed God, and said,

Now at that very hour she came up, and she offered praise to God and spoke of him to all who were on the outlook for the redemption of Jerusalem.

And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the favour of God was on him.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favour with God and man.

during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert;

so shall all flesh see the saving power of God.'

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!

The axe is lying all ready at the root of the trees; any tree that is not producing good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."

Taxgatherers also came to get baptized, and they said to him, "Teacher, what are we to do?"

the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

The devil said to him, "If you are God's son, tell this stone to become a loaf."

Jesus answered him, "It is written, You must worship the Lord your God, and serve him alone."

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;

Jesus answered him, "It has been said, You shall not tempt the Lord your God."

"Ha! Jesus of Nazaret, what business have you with us? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, you are God's holy One!"

But Jesus checked it, saying, "Be quiet, come out of him." And after throwing him down before them the daemon did come out of him without doing him any harm.

When he got up to leave the synagogue he went to the house of Simon. Simon's mother-in-law was laid up with a severe attack of fever, so they asked him about her;

he stood over her and checked the fever, and it left her. Then she instantly got up and ministered to them.

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.

He answered them, "I must preach the glad news of the Reign of God to the other towns as well, for that is what I was sent to do."

Now as the crowd were pressing on him to listen to the word of God, he saw, as he stood beside the lake of Gennesaret,

Simon replied, "Master, we worked all night and got nothing! However, I will lower the nets at your command."

Then the scribes and Pharisees began to argue, "Who is this blasphemer? Who can forgive sins, who but God alone?"

Instantly he got up before them, lifted what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God.

And all were seized with astonishment; they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, "We have seen incredible things to-day."

He went into the house of God, took the loaves of the Presence and ate them, giving them to his men as well ??bread that no one is allowed to eat except the priests."

It was in these days that he went off to the hillside to pray. He spent the whole night in prayer to God,

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.

Then, raising his eyes he looked at his disciples and said: "Blessed are you poor! the Realm of God is yours.

But woe to you rich folk! you get all the comforts you will ever get.

I tell you, my hearers, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you:

If a man strikes you on the one cheek, offer him the other as well: if anyone takes your coat, do not deny him your shirt as well;

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.

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.

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.

All were seized with awe and glorified God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said, "God has visited his people."

I tell you, among the sons of women there is none greater than John, and yet the least in the Realm of God is greater than he is."

(On hearing this all the people and the taxgatherers acknowledged the justice of God, as they had been baptized with the baptism of John;

but the Pharisees and jurists, who had refused his baptism, frustrated God's purpose for themselves.)

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

so he said, "It is granted you to understand the open secrets of the Reign of God, but the others get it in parables, so that for all their seeing they may not see, and for all their hearing they may not understand.

This is what the parable means. The seed is the word of God.

As for the seed that fell among thorns, that means people who hear but who go and get choked with worries and money and the pleasures of life, so that they never ripen.

As for the seed in the good soil, that means those who hear and hold fast the word in a good and sound heart and so bear fruit stedfastly.

But he answered, "My mother and brothers are those who listen to the word of God and obey it."

On catching sight of Jesus he shrieked aloud and prayed him with a loud cry, "Jesus, son of God most High, what business have you with me? Do not torture me, I beg of you."

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

"Go home and describe all that God has done for you." So he went off to proclaim through the whole town all that Jesus had done for him.

But when Jesus heard it he said to him, "Have no fear, only believe and she shall get well."

And her spirit returned, she got up instantly, and he ordered them to give her something to eat.

He sent them out to preach the Reign of God and to cure the sick.

but the crowds learned this and followed him. He welcomed them, spoke to them of the Reign of God, and cured those who needed to be healed.

Now as the day began to decline the twelve came up to him and said, "Send the crowd off to lodge in the villages and farms around and get provisions there, for here we are in a desert place."

He said to them, "Give them some food yourselves." They said, "We have only got five loaves and two fish. Unless ??are we to go and buy food for the whole of this people?"

He said to them, "And who do you say I am?" Peter replied, "The Christ of God."

I tell you plainly, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death till they see the Reign of God."

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).

And all were astounded at this grand display of God. But while all marvelled at all he did, he said to his disciples,

Jesus said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; you go and spread the news of the Reign of God."

Another man also said to him, "I will follow you, Lord. But let me first say good-bye to my people at home."

Jesus said to him, "No one is any use to the Reign of God who puts his hand to the plough and then looks behind him."

heal those in the town who are ill, and tell them, 'The Reign of God is nearly on you.'

'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!'

Now a jurist got up to tempt him. "Teacher," he said, "what am I to do to inherit life eternal?"

He replied, "You must love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, with your whole strength, and with your whole mind. Also your neighbour as yourself."

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.'

I tell you, though he will not get up and give you anything because you are a friend of his, he will at least rise and give you whatever you want, because you persist.

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?"

But if it is by the finger of God that I cast daemons out, then the Reign of God has reached you already.

But he said, "Blessed rather are those who hear and who observe the word of God!"

But woe to you Pharisees! you tithe mint and rue and every vegetable, but justice and the love of God you disregard; these latter you ought to have practised ??without omitting the former.

This is why the Wisdom of God said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some they will kill and some they will persecute';

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.

Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.

I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of man will acknowledge him before the angels of God;

and he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.

But God said to him, 'Foolish man, this very night your soul is wanted; and who will get all you have prepared?'

So fares the man who lays up treasure for himself instead of gaining the riches of God."

Look at the crows! they neither sow nor reap, no storehouse or granary have they, and yet God feeds them. How much more are you worth than birds?

Now if God so clothes grass which blooms to-day in the field and is thrown to-morrow into the furnace, will he not much more clothe you? O men, how little you trust him!

Sell what you possess and give it away in alms, make purses for yourselves that never wear out: get treasure in heaven that never fails, that no thief can get at, no moth destroy.