Now they were both upright in the sight of God, walking without reproach in all the Lord's commands and requirements.

And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both of them were far advanced in years.

while all the throng of people were praying outside at the hour of the incense burning.

And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and so they were rejoicing with her.

Then he asked for a writing-tablet, and wrote, "His name is John." And they were all astonished.

And all the neighbors were overwhelmed with awe, and all over the hill country of Judea these things were being talked,

While they were there, the time came for her to give birth,

Now there were some shepherds in the same neighborhood, living in the open fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.

Then an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, so that they were fearfully frightened.

And all who heard it were astounded at what was told them by the shepherds,

Just at that time she came up and began to give thanks to God and to speak about the child to all who were expecting the deliverance of Jerusalem.

His parents were in the habit of going to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover.

and stayed the usual time. When they returned, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but His parents were not aware of it.

When His parents saw Him, they were utterly amazed, and yet His mother said to Him, "My child, why did you treat us so? Just see how your father and I, in agony of mind, have been searching for you!"

Then He said to them, "Why is it that you were searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"

So the crowds were asking him this question, "What then ought we to do?"

Then some soldiers too were asking him, "What ought we too to do?" So he said to them, "Never extort money from anyone, never make a false accusation, and always be satisfied with your wages."

Now while the people were on tiptoe in their expectations, and they were all arguing in their hearts about John whether he was himself the Christ,

Then He rolled up the roll and gave it back to the attendant and took His seat. Now the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were gazing at Him.

But in truth I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the heaven was closed for three years and a half, and there was a great famine over all the land,

And there were many lepers in Israel in Elisha's time, and yet not one of them was cured except Naaman the Syrian."

Then all the people in the synagogue, on hearing these things, were filled with fury,

and they were completely astounded, because His message was spoken with authority.

Then He saw two boats lying up on the shore of the lake, but the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.

as well as James and John, Zebedee's sons, who were Simon's partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Stop being afraid; from now on you will be catching men."

But the news about Him continued to spread, and great crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be cured of their diseases.

One day as He was teaching, there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Him to cure people.

Now some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were trying to get him in and lay him before Jesus.

Jesus saw that they were arguing, and answered them: "Why are you arguing so in your hearts?

Then an overwhelming wonder seized them all and they began to give praise to God. They were filled with awe and continued to say, "We have seen unthinkable wonders today!"

Then Levi gave a great reception for Him in his house, and there was a large crowd of tax-collectors and others who were at table with them.

Now the Pharisees and their scribes were grumbling at His disciples, and were saying, "Why are you eating and drinking with tax-collectors and notorious sinners?"

One Sabbath He happened to be passing through the wheat fields, and His disciples were pulling and eating the heads of wheat, rubbing them in their hands.

And the scribes and the Pharisees were closely watching Him to see whether He would cure him on the Sabbath, in order to get a charge against Him.

But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and stand at the front." So he got up and stood there.

But they were filled with fury and began to discuss what they could do to Jesus.

Even those who were troubled by foul spirits were being cured.

So all the people were trying to touch Him, because power continued to go forth from Him and to cure them all.

Soon afterwards He chanced to go to a town called Nain, and His disciples and a great throng of people were going along with Him.

As He approached the gate of the town, look, there was being carried out a dead man, his mother's only son, and she was a widow! A considerable crowd of townspeople were with her.

So when the Pharisee who invited Him saw it, he said to himself, "If He were really a prophet, He would know who and of what character the woman is who is clinging to Him -- that she is a social outcast."

"Two men were in debt to a money-lender. One owed him a hundred dollars, the other ten.

Now as a great crowd was coming together and people were coming to Him from one town after another, He said by way of a story:

"A sower went out to sow his seed. As he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and were trodden down, and the wild birds ate them up.

His disciples were asking Him what this story meant.

Now as they were sailing along, He fell off to sleep. But a furious squall of wind rushed down upon the lake, and they were filling up and were in impending peril.

Then He said to them, "Where is your faith?" But they were frightened and astounded, and continued to say to one another, "Who can He be? For He gives orders even to the winds and the water, and they obey Him."

Then the demons came out of the man and went into the hogs, and the drove rushed over the cliff into the lake and were drowned.

So the people went out to see what had taken place, and they went to Jesus and found the man out of whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, with his clothes on and in his right mind; and they were frightened.

Then all the inhabitants of the country around Gerasa asked Him to go away from them, because they were terribly frightened. So He got into a boat and went back.

Now as Jesus was returning, the crowd welcomed Him, for they were all expecting Him.

Then Jesus said, "Who was it that touched me?" But as all were denying that they had done so, Peter said, "Master, the crowds are jamming you and jostling you."

Now they were all weeping and wailing over her. But He said, "Stop weeping! For she is not dead but asleep."

And her parents were astounded, but He ordered them not to tell anyone what had taken place.

For there were about five thousand men. So He said to His disciples, "Have them sit down in reclining groups of fifty each."

One day while He was praying in solitude, His disciples were nearby, and He asked them, "Who do people say that I am?"

And two men were talking with Him. They were Moses and Elijah,

who appeared in splendor and were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

Now Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but all at once they became wide awake and saw His splendor and the two men who were standing with Him.

And just as they were starting to leave Him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- although he did not know what he was saying.

But as he was saying this, a cloud came and was circling over them, and they were frightened as the two visitors entered into the cloud.

But they remained ignorant of what this meant; indeed, it had been hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask Him about this statement.

While they were going along the road, a man said to Him, "I will follow you wherever you go."

Then He turned to His disciples when they were alone, and said, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you are seeing.

Now as they were journeying on, He came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him to her house.

Now He was driving a dumb demon out of a man, and when the demon went out of him, the dumb man spoke. The crowds were astonished.

But others, to test Him, were demanding from Him a spectacular sign from heaven.

But He knew what they were thinking, and so said to them, "Any kingdom that is not united is in the process of destruction, and one house falls after another.

Meanwhile as the people had gathered in tens of thousands, so that they were trampling upon one another, He began to say, first of all, to His disciples: "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, hypocrisy.

"It is fire that I have come to bring upon the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!

Then He answered them, "Do you think, because these Galileans suffered like this, that they were worse sinners than all the rest of the Galileans?

Or those eighteen people at Siloam on whom the tower fell and whom it crushed to death, do you think that they were offenders worse than all the rest of the people who live in Jerusalem?

Even while He was saying this, His opponents were blushing with shame, but all the people were rejoicing over all the glorious things that were being done by Him.

When He noticed how the guests were picking out the best places, He told them the following story:

For I tell you, not one of those people who were invited shall get a taste of my dinner!'"

Now great crowds were going along with Him, and all at once He turned and said to them:

Now all the tax-collectors and notorious sinners were crowding around Him to listen to Him.

And often he craved to fill himself with the carob-pods which the hogs were eating, and nobody gave him a bite.

Now the Pharisees who were lovers of money had been listening to all this, and they began to ridicule Him.

So as soon as He saw them, He said to them, "Go at once and show yourselves to the priests." And while they were going they were cured.

And Jesus said, "Were not ten cured? Where are the other nine?

Were none found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"

To some people who were confident that they themselves were upright, but who scorned everybody else, He told the following story:

Now some people were bringing even their babies to Him to have Him touch them, but the disciples, when they saw it, reproved them for it.

But those who were marching in front reproved him and told him to keep quiet, but he cried out all the louder, "O Son of David, do pity me!"

As they were listening to these things, He told them another story, because He was near Jerusalem and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.

And while they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, "Why are you untying the colt?"

Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things in it,

So He was teaching daily in the temple, and the high priests and the scribes and the leading men of the people were trying to destroy Him,

Then the scribes and the high priests tried to arrest Him at that very hour, but they were afraid of the people, for they knew that He meant this story for them.

Now there were seven brothers. And the first brother married a wife and died childless.

While all the people were listening, He said to His disciples,

Now while some people were talking about the temple, how it was decorated with beautiful stones and votive-offerings, He said,

So the high priests and the scribes continued to seek how they might put Him to death, for they were afraid of the people.

They were delighted and made a bargain to pay him for it.

Those who were about Him saw what was about to take place, and said, "Lord, shall we use our swords now?"

Then Jesus said to the high priests, captains of the temple, and elders, who had come to take Him, "Have you come out with swords and clubs as though I were a robber?

When Pilate heard this, He asked if the man were a Galilean.

There was following Him also a vast throng of the people and of women who were beating their breasts and lamenting Him.

Two others, criminals, were also led out to be executed with Him.