so that you may know the certainty concerning the things about which you were taught.

And Zechariah was terrified [when he] saw [the angel], and fear fell upon him.

For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he must never drink wine or beer, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit [while he is] still in his mother's womb.

So Mary said, "Behold, the Lord's female slave! May it happen to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

So they made signs to his father [asking] what he wanted him to be named,

And so you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go on before the Lord to prepare his ways,

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

And it happened that when the angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds began to say to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has revealed to us!"

And [when they] saw [it], they made known the statement that had been told to them about this child.

And when eight days were completed {so that he could be circumcised}, he was named Jesus, his name [that] [he] was called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit [that he would] not see death before he would see the Lord's Christ.

And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus so that they could do for him according to what was customary under the law,

and a sword will pierce your own soul also, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed!"

but believing him to be in the group of travelers, they went a day's journey. And they began searching for him among [their] relatives and [their] acquaintances,

And [when they] saw him, they were astounded and his mother said to him, "Child, why have you done this to us? Look, your father and I have been searching for you anxiously!"

and all flesh will see the salvation of God.'"

Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance! And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham [as] father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones!

So with many other exhortations also he proclaimed good news to the people.

But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him concerning Herodias, his brother's wife, and concerning all the evil deeds that Herod had done,

So the devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, order this stone that it become bread!"

So if you will worship before me, all [this] will be yours."

And he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

And he said, "Truly I say to you that no prophet is acceptable in his [own] hometown.

But in truth I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three years and six months while a great famine took place over all the land.

And they stood up [and] forced him out of the town and brought him up to the edge of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff.

And [after he] set out from the synagogue, he went into Simon's house. And Simon's mother-in-law was afflicted with a high fever, and they asked him on behalf of her.

and he saw two boats there beside the lake, but the fishermen had gotten out of them [and] were washing their nets.

And he got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, [and] asked him to put out from the land a little. And he sat down [and] began to teach the crowds from the boat.

And they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come [and] help them, and they came and filled both the boats so that they began to sink.

And [when he] saw [it], Simon Peter fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, Lord, because I am {a sinful man}!"

and so also [were] James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were business partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid! From now on you will be catching people!"

And it happened that while he was in one of the towns, {there was} a man {covered with leprosy}. And [when he] saw Jesus, he fell down on [his] face [and] begged him, saying, "Lord, if you are willing, you are able to make me clean."

And [when he] saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven you."

Which is easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Get up and walk?'

But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins," he said to the one who was paralyzed, "I say to you, 'Get up and pick up your stretcher [and] go to your home.'"

And after these [things], he went out and saw a tax collector {named} Levi sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me!"

So he said to them, "You are not able to make the {bridegroom's attendants} fast as long as the bridegroom is with them, [are you]?

So the scribes and the Pharisees were watching closely [to see] if he would heal on the Sabbath, in order that they could find [a reason] to accuse him.

"But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

And if you lend [to those] from whom you expect to receive [back], what kind of credit is [that] to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, so that they may get back an equal [amount]!

And why do you see the speck [that is] in your brother's eye, but do not notice the beam of wood [that is] in your own eye?

How are you able to say to your brother, "Brother, allow [me] to remove the speck [that is] in your eye," [while] you yourself do not see the beam of wood in your [own] eye? Hypocrite! First remove the beam of wood from your [own] eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck [that is] in your brother's eye!

Now a certain centurion's slave, who was esteemed by him, {was sick} [and] was about to die.

So [when he] heard about Jesus, he sent Jewish elders to him, asking him that he would come [and] cure his slave.

So Jesus went with them. Now by this time he was not far away from the house, [and] the centurion sent friends, saying to him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy that you should come in under my roof.

For this reason neither did I consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word and my slave must be healed.

For I also am a man placed under authority, who has soldiers under me, and I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes, and to another one, 'Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does [it]."

And as he approached the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, his mother's only son, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.

And [when] the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, "Do not weep!"

And he came up [and] touched the bier, and those who were carrying [it] stopped. And he said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!"

And [when] the messengers of John had departed, he began to speak to the crowds concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are in splendid clothing and luxury are in the royal palaces.

But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and even more than a prophet!

They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to one another, who say, 'We played the flute for you and you did not dance; we sang a lament and you did not weep.'

For John the Baptist has come not eating bread or drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon!'

The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Behold, a man [who is] a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'

And behold, a woman in the town who was a sinner, [when she] learned that he was dining in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of perfumed oil,

Now [when] the Pharisee who invited him saw [this], he spoke to himself, saying, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman [this is] who is touching him, that she is a sinner."

And Jesus answered [and] said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he said, "Teacher, say [it]."

And turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered into your house. You did not give me water for [my] feet, but she wet my feet with [her] tears and wiped [them] with her hair.

And those who were reclining at the table with [him] began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"

and Joanna the wife of Chuza (Herod's household manager), and Susanna, and many others who were helping to support them from their possessions.

"The sower went out to sow his seed, and while he was sowing, {some seed} fell on the side of the path and was trampled under foot, and the birds of the sky devoured it.

And he said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest [they are] in parables, so that 'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'

and those beside the path are the ones who have heard. Then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they may not believe [and] be saved.

"And no one, [after] lighting a lamp, covers it with a jar or puts [it] under a bed, but puts [it] on a lampstand, so that those who come in can see the light.

And it was reported to him, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside wanting to see you."

And they came [and] woke him up, saying, "Master, master! We are perishing!" So he got up [and] rebuked the wind and the billowing waves of water and they ceased, and it became calm.

And [when he] saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before him, and said with a loud voice, "{What do I have to do with you}, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me!"

So Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered into him.

So the demons came out of the man [and] entered into the pigs, and the herd rushed headlong down the steep slope into the lake and were drowned.

And [when] the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and reported [it] in the town and in the countryside.

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

And all the people of the surrounding region of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, because they had been seized with great fear. So he got into the boat [and] returned.

And [when] the woman saw that she did not escape notice, she came trembling and falling down before him. In the presence of all the people, she told for what reason she had touched him, and that she was healed immediately.

[While] he was still speaking, someone came from the synagogue ruler's [house], saying, "Your daughter is dead! Trouble the Teacher no longer!"

And he said to them, "Take along nothing for the journey--neither a staff, nor a traveler's bag, nor bread, nor money, nor to have two tunics apiece.

So they departed [and] went throughout the villages, proclaiming the good news and healing everywhere.

And Herod said, "John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?" And he was wanting to see him.

Now the day began to be far spent, and the twelve came up [and] said to him, "Send away the crowd so that they can go into the surrounding villages and farms to obtain lodging and find provisions, because we are here in a desolate place.

(For there were about five thousand men.) So he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each."

And they did so, and had [them] all sit down.

And it happened that while he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say [that] I am?"

And he said to them, "But who do you say [that] I am?" And Peter answered [and] said, "The Christ of God."

But I tell you truly, there are some of those standing here who will never experience death until they see the kingdom of God."

Now Peter and those with him were {very sleepy}, but [when they] became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men who were standing with him.

And I begged your disciples that they would expel it, and they were not able [to do so]."

So Jesus answered [and] said, "O unbelieving and perverted generation! {How long} will I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here!"

But they did not understand this statement, and it was concealed from them so that they could not understand it. And they were afraid to ask him about this statement.

And John answered [and] said, "Master, we saw someone expelling demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him, because he does not follow in company with us."

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

And another [person] also said, "I will follow you, Lord, but first allow me to say farewell to those in my house."

Do not carry a money bag or a traveler's bag or sandals, and greet no one along the road.

And into whatever house you enter, first say, "Peace [be] to this household!"

and heal the sick in it, and say to them, "The kingdom of God has come near to you."

But into whatever town you enter and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets [and] say,

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

And turning to the disciples, he said privately, "Blessed [are] the eyes that see [the things] which you see!

For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see [the things] which you see, and did not see [them], and to hear [the things] which you hear, and did not hear [them]."

And behold, a certain legal expert stood up to test him, saying, "Teacher, what must I do so that I will inherit eternal life?"