When Zechariah saw him he was troubled, and fear fell on him;

Now the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering that he stayed so long inside the sanctuary.

When he did come out he could not speak to them, so they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary; he made signs to them and remained dumb.

to a maiden who was betrothed to a man called Joseph, belonging to the house of David. The maiden's name was Mary.

And blessed is she who believed that the Lord's words to her would be fulfilled."

Now the time for Elizabeth's delivery had elapsed, and she gave birth to a son.

When her neighbours and kinsfolk heard of the Lord's great mercy to her they rejoiced with her,

So everyone went to be registered, each at his own town,

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,

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

Now when the angels had left them and gone away to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us be off to Bethlehem to see this thing that the Lord has told us of."

So they made haste and discovered Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in the stall for cattle.

When they saw this they told people about the word which had been spoken to them about the child;

indeed it had been revealed to him by the holy Spirit that he was not to see death before he had seen the Lord messiah.

but Symeon blessed them, and to his mother Mary he said, "This child is destined for the downfall as well as for the rise of many a one in Israel; destined to be a Sign for man's attack ??35 to bring out the secret aims of many a heart. And your own soul will be pierced by a spear."

When his parents saw him they were astounded, and his mother said to him, "My son, why have you behaved like this to us? Here have your father and I been looking for you anxiously!"

"Why did you look for me?" he said, "Did you not know I had to be at my Father's house?"

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

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!

Now as people's expectations were roused and as everybody thought to himself about John, "Can he be the Christ,"

But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias his brother's wife as well as for all the wickedness that he, Herod, had committed,

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

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;

to proclaim the Lord's year of favour.

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

So he said to them, "No doubt you will repeat to me this proverb, 'Doctor, cure yourself!' 'Do here in your own country all we have heard you did in Capharnahum.'"

"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!"

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;

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.

So he went preaching through the synagogues of Judaea.

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,

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.

And when they did so, they enclosed a huge shoal of fish, so that their nets began to break.

But when Simon Peter saw it he fell at the knees of Jesus, crying, "Lord, leave me; I am a sinful man."

So he stretched his hand out and touched him, with the words, "I do choose, be cleansed." And the leprosy at once left him.

Jesus ordered him not to say a word to anybody, but to "Go off and show yourself to the priest, and offer whatever Moses prescribed for your cleansing, to notify men."

When he saw their faith he said, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."

Which is the easier thing, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'?

But to let you see the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins" ??he said to the paralysed man, "Rise, I tell you, lift your mattress and go home."

and the scribes and Pharisees watched to see if he would heal on the sabbath, so as to discover some charge against him.

He knew what was in their minds; so he told the man with the withered hand, "Rise and stand forward." He rose and stood before them.

And glancing round at them all in anger he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He did so, and his hand was quite restored.

As you would like men to do to you, so do to 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.

Why do you note the splinter in your brother's eye and fail to see the plank in your own eye?

How dare you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the splinter that is in your eye,' and you never notice the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite! take the plank out of your own eye first, and then you will see properly to take out the splinter in your brother's eye.

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 he had finished what he had to say in the hearing of the people, he went into Capharnahum.

so, when the captain heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and make his servant well.

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,

and so I did not consider myself fit even to come to you. Just say the word, and let my servant be cured.

And when the Lord saw her, he felt pity for her and said to her, "Do not weep."

John's disciples reported all this to him.

So John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to ask the Lord, "Are you the Coming One? Or are we to look out for someone else?"

So he replied, "Go and report to John what you have seen and heard; that the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and to the poor the gospel is preached.

When John's messengers had gone, he proceeded to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?

Come, what did you go out to see? A man arrayed in soft robes? Those who are gorgeously dressed and luxurious live in royal palaces.

Come, what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and far more than a prophet.

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

For John the Baptist has come, eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a devil';

the Son of man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of taxgatherers and sinners!'

and stood behind him at his feet in tears; her tears began to wet his feet, so she wiped them with the hair of her head, pressed kisses on them, and anointed them with the perfume.

Then Jesus addressed him. "Simon," he said, "I have something to say to you." "Speak, teacher," he said.

Then turning to the woman he said to Simon, "You see this woman? When I came into your house, you never gave me water for my feet, while she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair;

His fellow guests began to say to themselves, "Who is this, to forgive even sins?"

"A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the road and was trampled down, and the wild birds ate it up;

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.

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.

No one lights a lamp and hides it under a vessel or puts it below the bed: he puts it on a stand so that those who come in can see the light.

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."

Word was brought to him that "your mother and brothers are standing outside; they wish to see you."

It happened on one of these days that he embarked in a boat alone with his disciples and said to them, "Let us cross to the other side of the lake." So they set sail.

they went and woke him up. "Master, master," they cried, "we are drowning!" So he woke up and checked the wind and the surf; they ceased and there was a calm.

So Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "Legion," he said, for a number of daemons had entered him.

Now a considerable drove of swine was grazing there on the hillside, so the daemons begged him for leave to enter them. He gave them leave,

When the herdsmen saw what had occurred they fled and reported it to the town and the hamlets.

The people came out to see what had occurred and when they reached Jesus they discovered the man whom the daemons had left, seated at the feet of Jesus, clothed and sane. That frightened them.

and then all the inhabitants of the surrounding country of the Gergesenes asked him to leave them, they were so seized with terror. He embarked in the boat and went back.

"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.

So when the woman saw she had not escaped notice, she came trembling, and falling down before him she told before all the people why she had touched him and how she had been instantly cured.

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."

When he reached the house he would not allow anyone to come in with him except Peter and James and John, and the child's father and mother.

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

Herod said, "John I beheaded. But who is this, of whom I hear such tales?" And he made efforts to see him.

They did so, and made them all lie down.

Now it happened that while he was praying by himself his disciples were beside him. So he inquired of them, "Who do the crowds say I am?"

They replied, "John the Baptist, though some say Elijah and some say that one of the ancient prophets has arisen."

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

He said to all, "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross day after day, and so follow me;

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

Now Peter and his companions had been overpowered with sleep, but on waking up they saw his glory and the two men who were standing beside him.

Jesus knew the dispute that occupied their minds, so he took hold of a little child and set it by his side;

John said to him, "Master, we saw a man casting out daemons in your name, but we stopped him because he is not a follower of ours."

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?"

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

He said to them, "The harvest is rich, but the labourers are few; so pray the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to gather his harvest.

Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this household!'

Then turning to the disciples he said privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!

For I tell you many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, but they have not seen it: and to hear what you hear, but they have not heard it."