During the reign of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

He will bring many of Israel's descendants back to the Lord their God.

He is the one who will go before the Lord with the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, and to prepare the people to be ready for the Lord."

He pulled powerful rulers from their thrones and lifted up humble people.

Now Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home.

Their friends told her, "None of your relatives has that name."

Fear came over all their neighbors, and throughout the hill country of Judea all these things were being discussed.

just as he promised long ago through the mouth of his holy prophets

and to give his people knowledge of salvation through forgiveness of their sins.

So all the people went to their hometowns to be registered.

He went there to be registered with Mary, who had been promised to him in marriage and was pregnant.

While they were there, the time came for her to have her baby,

and she gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a feeding trough, because there was no place for them in the guest quarters.

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, watching their flock during the night.

Then the shepherds returned to their flock, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.

When the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord,

Now Anna, a prophetess, was also there. She was a descendant of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was very old, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage,

and then as a widow for 84 years. She never left the Temple, but continued to worship there night and day with times of fasting and prayer.

After doing everything required by the Law of the Lord, Joseph and Mary returned to their hometown of Nazareth in Galilee.

They thought that he was in their group of travelers. After traveling for a day, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends.

Three days later, they found him in the Temple sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and posing questions to them.

He told Jesus, "I will give you all this authority, along with their glory, because it has been given to me, and I give it to anyone I please.

The Devil also took him into Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the Temple. He told Jesus, "Since you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here,

With their hands they will hold you up, so that you will never hit your foot against a rock.'"

He began to teach in their synagogues and was continuously receiving praise from everyone.

I'm telling you the truth there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when it didn't rain for three years and six months and there was a severe famine everywhere in the land.

There were also many lepers in Israel in the prophet Elisha's time, yet not one of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."

They got up, forced Jesus out of the city, and led him to the edge of the hill on which their city was built, intending to throw him off.

But he walked right through the middle of them and went away.

But Jesus rebuked him. "Be quiet," he said, "and come out of him!" At this, the demon threw the man down in the middle of the synagogue and came out of him without hurting him.

He saw two boats lying on the shore, but the fishermen had stepped out of them and were washing their nets.

So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats until the boats began to sink.

But the news about Jesus spread even more, and many crowds began gathering to hear him and to be healed of their diseases.

When they couldn't find a way to get him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down on his stretcher through the tiles into the middle of the room, right in front of Jesus.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Mister, your sins are forgiven."

The Pharisees and their scribes started complaining to Jesus' disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"

One time Jesus was walking through some grain fields on a Sabbath. His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.

Once, on another Sabbath, Jesus went into a synagogue and began teaching. A man whose right hand was paralyzed was there.

But Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he told the man with the paralyzed hand, "Get up, and stand in the middle of the synagogue." So he got up and stood there.

They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Even those who were being tormented by unclean spirits were being healed.

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because your reward in heaven is great! That's the way their ancestors used to treat the prophets.

"How terrible it will be for you when everyone says nice things about you, because that's the way their ancestors used to treat the false prophets!"

After Jesus had finished saying all these things to the people who were there listening, he went to Capernaum.

There a centurion's servant, whom he valued highly, was sick and about to die.

There was a woman who was a notorious sinner in that city. When she learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's home, she took an alabaster jar of perfume

Joanna, the wife of Herod's household manager Chuza; Susanna; and many others. These women continued to support them out of their personal resources.

The ones on the path are the people who listen, but then the Devil comes and takes the word away from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

The ones that fell among the thorn bushes are the people who listen, but as they go on their way they are choked by the worries, wealth, and pleasures of life, and their fruit doesn't mature.

But the ones on the good soil are the people who hear the word but also hold on to it with good and honest hearts, producing a crop through endurance."

There is nothing hidden that won't be revealed, and there is nothing secret that won't become known and come to light.

So his disciples went to him, woke him up, and kept telling him, "Master! Master! We're going to die!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves. They stopped, and there was calm.

Now a large herd of pigs was grazing there on the hillside. So the demons begged Jesus to let them go into those pigs, and he consented to that.

A woman was there who had been suffering from chronic bleeding for twelve years. Although she had spent all she had on doctors, no one could heal her.

When you visit a home and stay there, and go out from there,

Now there were about 5,000 men. So he told his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about 50."

All of them ate and were filled. When they collected the leftover pieces, there were twelve baskets.

Just as Moses and Elijah were leaving, Peter told Jesus, "Master, it's good that we're here! Let's set up three shelters one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." (Peter didn't know what he was saying.)

Even while the boy was coming, the demon knocked him to the ground and threw him into convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.

But Jesus, knowing their inner thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him.

So he sent messengers on ahead of him. On their way they went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him.

But he told him, "Let the dead bury their own dead. But you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."

"Whatever house you go into, first say, "May there be peace in this house.'

If a peaceful person lives there, your greeting of peace will remain with him. But if that's not the case, your greeting will come back to you.

heal the sick that are there, and tell them, "The kingdom of God is near you!'

Jesus answered him, "What is written in the Law? What do you read there?"

"Of these three men, who do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the bandits?"

But there's only one thing you need. Mary has chosen what is better, and it is not to be taken away from her."

Then he told them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, "Friend, let me borrow three loaves of bread.

"Whenever an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it wanders through dry places looking for a place to rest but doesn't find any. So it says, "I will go back to my home that I left.'

Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all go in and settle there. And so the final condition of that person is worse than the first."

There is nothing covered up that won't be exposed and nothing secret that won't be made known.

I'll show you the one you should be afraid of. Be afraid of the one who has the authority to throw you into hell after killing you. Yes, I tell you, be afraid of him!

Because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Be like people who are waiting for their master to return from a wedding. As soon as he arrives and knocks, they will open the door for him.

How blessed they will be if their master comes in the middle of the night or near dawn and finds them awake!

The Lord said, "Who, then, is the faithful and careful servant manager whom his master will put in charge of giving all his other servants their share of food at the right time?

From now on, five people in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three.

Then Jesus told the crowds, "When you see a cloud coming in from the west, you immediately say, "There's going to be a storm,' and that's what happens.

For example, when you go with your opponent in front of a ruler, do your best to settle with him on the way there. Otherwise, you will be dragged in front of the judge, and the judge will hand you over to an officer, and the officer will throw you into prison.

I tell you, you will never get out of there until you pay back the last penny!"

At that time, some people who were there told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.

So he told the gardener, "Look here! For three years I've been coming to look for fruit on this tree but I haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it waste the soil?'

A woman was there who had a spirit that had disabled her for eighteen years. She was hunched over and completely unable to stand up straight.

But the synagogue leader, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, told the crowd, "There are six days when work is to be done. So come on those days to be healed, and not on the Sabbath day."

It's like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened."

He told them, "Keep on struggling to enter through the narrow door, because I tell you that many people will try to enter, but won't be able to do so.

In that place there will be crying and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves being driven away on the outside.

The servant said, "Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.'

It's suitable neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. People throw it away. Let the person who has ears to hear, listen!"

In the same way, I tell you that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who don't need to repent."

In the same way, I tell you that there is joy in the presence of God's angels over one sinner who repents."

A few days later, the younger son gathered everything he owned and traveled to a distant country. There he wasted it all on wild living.

"So he got up and went to his father. While he was still far away, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, threw his arms around him, and kissed him affectionately.

I know what I'll do so that people will welcome me into their homes when I'm dismissed from my job.'

The master praised the dishonest servant manager for being so clever, because worldly people are more clever than enlightened people in dealing with their own.

"Once there was a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen and live in great luxury every day.

Jesus told his disciples, "It is inevitable that temptations to sin will come, but how terrible it will be for the person through whom they come!

People won't be saying, "Look! Here it is!' or "There it is!' because now the kingdom of God is among you."

People will say to you, "Look! There he is!' or "Look! Here he is!' But don't go and chase after him.

Then they asked him, "Where, Lord, will this take place?" He told them, "Wherever there's a corpse, there the vultures will gather."