But you will be silent and unable to speak till the day this happens, because you have not believed what I told you; it will be accomplished, for all that, in due time."

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.

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

They said to her, "None of your family is called by that name."

that freed from fear and from the hand of our foes we should worship him

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.

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."

(as it is written in the law of the Lord: every male that opens the womb must be considered consecrated to the Lord)

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.

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.

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."

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,

and he proceeded to tell them that "To-day, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

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

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."

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

Conscious that they were arguing to themselves, Jesus addressed them, saying, "Why argue in your hearts?

A time will come when the bridegroom is taken from them, and then they will fast at that time."

One sabbath it happened that as he was crossing the cornfields his disciples pulled some ears of corn and ate them, rubbing them in their hands.

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,

rejoice on that day and leap for joy! rich is your reward in heaven for their fathers did the very same to the prophets.

Woe to you when all men speak well of you! that is just what their fathers did to the false prophets.

If you love only those who love you, what credit is that to you? Why, even sinful men love those who love them.

If you help only those who help you, what merit is that to you? Why, even sinful men do that.

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.

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.

He is like a man engaged in building a house, who dug deep down and laid his foundation on the rock; when a flood came, the river dashed against that house but could not shake it, for it had been well built.

He who has listened and has not obeyed is like a man who built a house on the earth with no foundation; the river dashed against it and it collapsed at once, and the ruin of that house was great."

When Jesus heard this he marvelled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed he said, "I tell you, I have never met faith like this anywhere even in Israel."

It was shortly afterwards that he made his way to a town called Nain, accompanied by his disciples and a large crowd.

Jesus at that moment was healing many people of diseases and complaints and evil spirits; he also bestowed sight on many blind folk.

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.

Now there was a woman in the town who was a sinner, and when she found out that Jesus was at table in the house of the Pharisee, she brought an alabaster flask of perfume

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.

Those 'on the road' are people who hear; but then the devil comes and carries off the word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved.

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.

For nothing is hidden that shall not be disclosed, nothing concealed that shall not be known and revealed.

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.

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.

The man whom the daemons had left begged that he might accompany him. Jesus, however, sent him away, saying,

"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.

They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.

Whoever will not receive you, leave that town and shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."

When Herod the tetrarch heard all that was going on, he was quite at a loss; for some said that John had risen from the dead,

some that Elijah had appeared, and others that one of the ancient prophets had arisen.

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."

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

After that the Lord commissioned other seventy disciples, sending them in front of him two by two to every town and place that he intended to visit himself.

'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!'

I tell you, on the great Day it will be more bearable for Sodom than for that town.

He thrilled with joy at that hour in the holy Spirit, saying, "I praise thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for concealing this from the wise and learned and revealing it to the simple-minded; yes, Father, I praise thee that such was thy chosen purpose." Then turning to the disciples he said,

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

"A right answer!" said Jesus; "do that and you will live."

Now it so chanced that a priest was going down the same road, but on seeing him he went past on the opposite side.

Now Martha was so busy attending to them that she grew worried; she came up and said, "Lord, is it all one to you that my sister has left me to do all the work alone? Come, tell her to lend me a hand."

but some of them said, "It is by Beelzebul the prince of daemons that he casts out daemons."

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

Then it goes off to fetch seven other spirits worse than itself; they go in and dwell there, and the last state of that man is worse than the first."

While he was saying this, a woman shouted to him out of the crowd, "Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts you sucked!"

No one lights a lamp to put it in a cellar or under a bowl, but on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.

The Pharisee was astonished to see that he had not washed before the meal,

it was that the blood of all the prophets shed from the foundation of the world might be charged upon this generation,

Woe to you jurists! you have taken the key that unlocks the door of knowledge; you have not entered yourselves, and you have stopped those who were entering."

Nothing is hidden that shall not be revealed, or concealed that shall not be made known.

I tell you, my friends, have no fear of those who kill the body but after that can do no more;

for the holy Spirit will teach you at that hour what you should say."

pagans make food and drink their aim in life, but your Father knows quite well you need that;

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.

Be sure that if the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

Blessed is that servant if his lord and master finds him so doing when he arrives!

But if that servant says to himself, 'My lord and master is long of arriving,' and if he starts to beat the menservants and maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk,

that servant's lord and master will arrive on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know; he will cut him in two and assign him the fate of unbelievers.

It was at this time that some people came to tell him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

But he replied to them, "Do you think, because they suffered this, that these Galileans were worse sinners than the rest of the Galileans?

"Go and tell that fox," he replied, "I cast out daemons and perform cures to-day and to-morrow, and on the third day I complete my task!

No, when you are invited, go and recline in the lowest place, so that when your host comes in he will tell you, 'Move higher up, my friend.' Then you will be honoured before your fellow guests.

Another said, 'I have married a wife; that is why I cannot come.'

For I tell you that not one of those who were invited shall taste my supper.'"

and the younger said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the property that falls to me.' So he divided his means among them.

After he had spent his all, a severe famine set in throughout that land, and he began to feel in want;

so he went and attached himself to a citizen of that land, who sent him to his fields to feed swine.

The factor said to himself, 'What am I to do, now that my master is taking the factorship away from me? I am too weak to dig, I am ashamed to beg.

Ah, I know what I will do, so that people will welcome me to their houses when I am deposed from the factorship.'

And I tell you, use mammon, dishonest as it is, to make friends for yourselves, so that when you die they may welcome you to the eternal abodes.

and fain to eat up the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table. (The very dogs used to come and lick his ulcers.)

Now it happened that the poor man died, and he was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man died too, and was buried.

Besides all that, a great gulf yawns between us and you, to keep back those who want to cross from us to you and also those who want to pass from you to us.'

for I have five brothers; let him bear testimony to them, that they may not come to this place of torture as well.'

To his disciples he said, "It is inevitable that hindrances should come, but woe to the man by whom they come;

Now it happened in the course of his journey to Jerusalem that he passed between Samaria and Galilee.

for like lightning that flashes from one side of the sky to the other, so will the Son of man be on his own day.

but on the day that Lot left Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.

On that day, if a man is on the housetop and his goods inside the house, he must not go down to fetch them out; nor must a man in the field turn back