They were both of them upright before God, blamelessly obeying all the Lord's precepts and ordinances.

But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren; and both of them were far advanced in life.

When, however, he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they knew that he must have seen a vision in the Sanctuary; but he kept making signs to them and continued dumb.

and her neighbours and relatives heard how the Lord had had great compassion on her; and they rejoiced with her.

And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and were going to call him Zechariah, after his father.

"There is not one of your family," they said, "who has that name."

They asked his father by signs what he wished him to be called.

So he asked for a writing-tablet, and wrote, "His name is John." And they all wondered.

All who heard the story treasured it in their memories. "What then will this child be?" they said. For the lord's hand was indeed with him.

But while they were there, her full time came,

when suddenly an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round them; and they were filled with terror.

So they made haste and came and found Mary and Joseph, with the babe lying in the manger.

And when they saw the child, they told what had been said to them about Him;

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen in accordance with the announcement made to them.

And when the days for their purification appointed by the Law of Moses had passed, they took Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord--

And they also offered a sacrifice as commanded in the Law of the Lord, "a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons."

Then, as soon as they had accomplished all that the Law required, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth.

And when He was twelve years old they went up as was customary at the time of the Feast, and,

after staying the full number of days, when they started back home the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not discover this,

but supposing Him to be in the travelling company, they proceeded a day's journey. Then they searched up and down for Him among their relatives and acquaintances;

but being unable to find Him they returned to Jerusalem, making anxious inquiry for Him.

On the third day they found Him in the Temple sitting among the Rabbis, both listening to them and asking them questions,

When they saw Him, they were smitten with amazement, and His mother said to Him, "My child, why have you behaved thus to us? Your father and I have been searching for you in anguish."

But they did not understand the significance of these words.

There came also a party of tax-gatherers to be baptized, and they asked him, "Rabbi, what are we to do?"

and 'On their hands they shall bear thee up, Lest at any moment thou shouldst strike thy foot against a stone.'"

The reply of Jesus was, "It is said, 'Thou shalt not put the Lord they God to the proof.'"

And they all spoke well of Him, wondering at the sweet words of kindness which fell from His lips, while they asked one another, "Is not this Joseph's son?"

They rose, hurried Him outside the town, and brought Him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, to throw Him down the cliff;

And they were greatly impressed by His teaching, because He spoke with the language of authority.

All were astonished and awe-struck; and they asked one another, "What sort of language is this? For with authority and real power He gives orders to the foul spirits and they come out."

Now when He rose and left the synagogue He went to Simon's house. Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from an acute attack of fever; and they consulted Him about her.

Demons also came out of many, loudly calling out, "You are the Son of God." But He rebuked them and forbad them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ.

Next morning, at daybreak, He left the town and went away to a solitary place; but the people flocked out to find Him, and, coming to the place where He was, they endeavoured to detain Him that He might not leave them.

This they did, and enclosed a vast number of fish; and their nets began to break.

So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them; they came, and they filled both the boats so that they almost sank.

(For he was astonished and terrified--he and all his companions--at the haul of fish which they had taken;

Then, after bringing their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.

And a party of men came carrying a palsied man on a bed, and they endeavoured to bring him in and lay him before Jesus.

But when they could find no way of doing so because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiling--bed and all--into the midst, in front of Jesus.

Amazement seized them all. "Glory to God!" was the abiding feeling. Yet fear flashed through their minds and they said, "We have seen strange things to-day."

Again they said to Him, "John's disciples fast often and pray, as do also those of the pharisees; but yours eat and drink."

"Can you compel the bridal party to fast," replied Jesus, "so long as they have the bridegroom among them?

But a time for this will come, when the Bridegroom has been taken away from them: then, at that time, they will fast."

The Scribes and the Pharisees were on the watch to see whether He would cure him on the Sabbath that they might be able to bring an accusation against Him.

But they were filled with madness, and began to discuss with one another what they should do to Jesus.

give, and gifts shall be bestowed on you. Full measure, pressed, shaken down, and running over, shall they pour into your laps; for with the same measure that you use they shall measure to you in return."

Every tree is known by its own fruit. It is not from thorns that men gather figs, nor from the bramble that they can get a bunch of grapes.

And they, when they came to Jesus, earnestly entreated Him, pleading, "He deserves to have this favour granted him,

And just as He reached the gate of the town, they happened to be bringing out for burial a dead man who was his mother's only son; and she was a widow; and a great number of the townspeople were with her.

All were awe-struck, and they gave glory to God--some saying, "A Prophet, a great Prophet, has risen up among us." Others said, "God has not forgotten His People."

And all the people, including the tax-gatherers, when they listened to him upheld the righteousness of God, by being baptized with John's baptism.

"To what then shall I compare the men of the present generation, and what do they resemble?

They are like children sitting in the public square and calling out to one another, 'We have played the flute to you, and you have not danced: we have sung dirges, and you have not shown sorrow.'

"To you," He replied, "it is granted to know the secrets of the Kingdom of God; but all others are taught by parables, in order that they may see and yet not see, and may hear and yet not understand.

Those by the way-side are those who have heard, and then the Devil comes and carries away the Message from their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

Those on the rock are the people who on hearing the Message receive it joyfully; but they have no root: for a time they believe, but when trial comes they fall away.

That which fell among the thorns means those who have heard, but as they go on their way, the Message is stifled by the anxieties, wealth and gaieties of time, and they yield nothing in perfection.

One day He went on board a boat--both He and his disciples; and He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the Lake." So they set sail.

During the passage He fell asleep, and there came down a squall of wind on the Lake, so that the boat began to fill and they were in deadly peril.

So they came and woke Him, crying, "Rabbi, Rabbi, we are drowning." Then He roused Himself and rebuked the wind and the surging of the water, and they ceased and there was a calm.

"Where is your faith?" He asked them. But they were filled with terror and amazement, and said to one another, "Who then is this? for He gives orders both to wind and waves, and they obey Him."

Then they put in to shore in the country of the Gerasenes, which lies opposite to Galilee.

For already He had been commanding the foul spirit to come out of the man. For many a time it had seized and held him, and they had repeatedly put him in chains and fetters and kept guard over him, but he used to break the chains to pieces, and, impelled by the demon, to escape into the Desert.

and they besought Him not to command them to be gone into the Bottomless Pit.

whereupon the people came out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus, and they found the man from whom the demons had gone out sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they were terrified.

Now when Jesus was returning, the people gave Him a warm welcome; for they had all been looking out for Him.

And they jeered at Him, knowing that she was dead.

Wherever they refuse to receive you, as you leave that town shake off the very dust from your feet as a protest against them."

So they departed and visited village after village, spreading the Good News and performing cures everywhere.

The Apostles, on their return, related to Jesus all they had done. Then He took them and withdrew to a quiet retreat, to a town called Bethsaida.

Now when the day began to decline, the Twelve came to Him and said, "Send the people away, that they may go to the villages and farms round about and find lodging and a supply of food; because here we are in an uninhabited district."

"You yourselves," He said, "must give them food." "We have nothing," they replied, "but five loaves and a couple of fish, unless indeed we were to go and buy provisions for all this host of people."

They did so, making them all, without exception, sit down.

So they ate and were fully satisfied, all of them; and what they had remaining over was gathered up, twelve baskets of fragments.

"John the Baptist," they replied; "but others say Elijah; and others that some one of the ancient Prophets has come back to life."

I tell you truly that there are some of those who stand here who will certainly not taste death till they have seen the Kingdom of God."

They came in glory, and kept speaking about His death, which He was so soon to undergo in Jerusalem.

Now Peter and the others were weighed down with sleep; but, keeping themselves awake all through, they saw His glory, and the two men standing with Him.

And when they were preparing to depart from Him, Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, we are thankful to you that we are here. Let us put up three tents--one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He did not know what he was saying.

But while he was thus speaking, there came a cloud which spread over them; and they were awe-struck when they had entered into the cloud.

After this voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They kept it to themselves, and said not a word to any one at that time about what they had seen.

On the following day, when they were come down from the mountain, a great crowd came to meet Him;

I entreated your disciples to expel the spirit, but they could not."

But they did not understand His meaning: it was veiled from them that they might not perceive it, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.

They went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for Him.

When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Master, do you wish us to order fire to come down from Heaven and consume them?"

And they went to another village.

And, as they proceeded on their way, a man came to Him and said, "I will follow you wherever you go."

"And whatever town you come to and they receive you, eat what they put before you.

"But whatever town you come to and they will not receive you, go out into the broader streets and say,

"Alas for thee, Chorazin! Alas for thee, Bethsaida! For had the miracles been performed in Tyre and Sidon which have been performed in you, long ere now they would have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

When the Seventy returned, they exclaimed joyfully, "Master, even the demons submit to us when we utter your name."

As they pursued their journey He came to a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed Him to her house.

And if it is by the power of Baal-zebul that I expel the demons, by whom do your disciples expel them? They therefore shall be your judges.

Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more malignant than itself, and they enter and dwell there; and in the end that man's condition becomes worse than it was at first.

"Nay rather," He replied, "they are blessed who hear God's Message and carefully keep it."

There will stand up men of Nineveh at the Judgement together with the present generation, and will condemn it; because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and mark! One greater than Jonah is here.

It follows that you bear testimony to the actions of your forefathers and that you fully approve thereof. They slew, you build.

"For this reason also the Wisdom of God has said, 'I will send Prophets and Apostles to them, of whom they will kill some and persecute others,'