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

but they had no child, for Elizabeth was barren. Both of them were advanced in years.

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.

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

and on the eighth day came to circumcise the child. They were going to call it by the name of its father Zechariah,

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

Then they made signs to the father, to find out what he wanted the child to be called,

All who heard of it bore it in mind; they said, "Whatever will this child become?" For the hand of the Lord was indeed with him.

and while they were there the days elapsed for her delivery;

and an angel of the Lord flashed upon them, the glory of the Lord shone all round them. They were terribly afraid,

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;

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

When the days for their purification in terms of the Mosaic law had elapsed, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord

When they had finished all the regulations of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazaret.

and when he was twelve years old they went up as usual to the festival.

After spending the full number of days they came back, but the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know of this;

they supposed he was in the caravan and travelled on for a day, searching for him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances.

Then, as they failed to find him, they came back to Jerusalem in search of him.

Three days later they found him in the temple, seated among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions,

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!"

But they did not understand what he said.

Then he went down along with them to Nazaret, and did as they told him. His mother treasured up everything in her heart.

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

and for forty days he was led by the Spirit in the desert, while the devil tempted him. During these days he ate nothing, and when they were over he felt hungry.

and They will bear you on their hands, lest you strike your foot against a stone."

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

When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage;

they rose up, put him out of the town, and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, in order to hurl him down.

they were astounded at his teaching, for his word came with authority.

Then amazement came over them all; they talked it over among themselves, saying, "What does this mean? He orders the unclean spirits with authority and power, and they come out!"

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.

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

Then they made signals to their mates in the other boat to come and assist them. They came and filled both the boats, till they began to sink.

For amazement had seized him and all his companions at the take of fish they had caught;

Then they brought the boats to land, and leaving all they followed him.

Some men came up carrying a man who was paralysed; they tried to carry him inside and lay him in front of Jesus,

but when they could not find any means of getting him in, on account of the crowd, they climbed to the top of the house and let him down through the tiles, mattress and all among the people in front of Jesus.

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

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

They said to him, "The disciples of John fast frequently and offer prayers, as do the disciples of the Pharisees; but your adherents eat and drink."

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

This filled them with fury, and they discussed what they could do to Jesus.

Blessed are you when men will hate you, when they will excommunicate you and denounce you and defame you as wicked on account of the Son of man;

give, and you will have ample measure given you ??they will pour into your lap measure pressed down, shaken together, and running over; for the measure you deal out to others will be dealt back to yourselves."

He also told them a parabolic word: "Can one blind man lead another? will they not both fall into a pit?

When they reached Jesus they asked him earnestly to do this. "He deserves to have this favour from you," they said,

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

When the men reached Jesus they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask if you are the Coming One or if we are to look out for someone else?"

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

"To what then shall I compare the men of this generation? What are they like?

As they were unable to pay, he freely forgave them both. Tell me, now, which of them will love him most?"

Therefore I tell you, many as her sins are, they are forgiven, for her love is great; whereas he to whom little is forgiven has but little love."

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.

Those 'on the rock' are people who on hearing the word welcome it with enthusiasm, but they have no root; they believe for a while and fall away in the hour of trial.

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.

His mother and brothers reached him but they were unable to join him for the crowd.

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.

During the voyage he fell asleep. But when a gale of wind came down on the lake and they were being swamped and in peril,

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.

Then he said to them, "Where is your faith?" They marvelled in awe, saying to one another, "Whatever can he be? He gives orders to the very winds and water, and they obey him!"

They put in at the country of the Gergesenes, on the shore facing Galilee.

And they begged him not to order them off to the abyss.

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.

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

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.

On his return Jesus was welcomed by the crowd; they were all looking out for him.

They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.

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

Then the apostles came back and described all they had done to Jesus. He took them and retired in private to a town called Bethsaida,

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?"

They did so, and made them all lie down.

And they all ate and had enough. What they had left over was picked up, twelve baskets full of fragments.

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

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.

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).

As he spoke, a cloud came and overshadowed them. They were awestruck as they passed into the cloud,

When the voice ceased, they found themselves alone with Jesus. And in those days they kept silence and told nobody anything of what they had seen.

Next day, when they came down the hill, a large crowd met him.

I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not."

But they did not understand this saying ??indeed it was kept a secret from them, to prevent them from fathoming it ??and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

He sent messengers in front of him. They went and entered a Samaritan village to make preparations for him,

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?"

Then they journeyed to another village.

And as they journeyed along the road a man said to him, "I will follow you anywhere."

Woe to you, Khorazin! woe to you, Bethsaida! Had the miracles performed in you been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have been sitting penitent in sackcloth and ashes.

The seventy came back with joy. "Lord," they said, "the very daemons obey us in your name."

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."

He knew what they were thinking about, so he said to them, "Any realm divided against itself comes to ruin, house after house falls down;

If I cast out daemons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Thus they will be your judges.

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."

The men of Ninive will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for when Jonah preached they did repent, and here is One greater than Jonah.

thus you testify and consent to what your fathers did, for they killed and you build.

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

Meanwhile as the crowd was gathering in its thousands till they trod on one another, he proceeded to say to his disciples first of all, "Be on your guard against the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy,