just as the original eyewitnesses who became ministers of the message

In the days when Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest whose name was Zechariah, who belonged to the division of Abijah. His wife was also a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

And listen! your relative, Elizabeth, has herself too become pregnant, although she is old, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

Blessed is she who has believed, for what is promised to her by the Lord will be fulfilled."

He shows His mercy from age to age to those who fear him.

and all who heard them kept them in their hearts, and said, "What then is this child to be?" for the hand of the Lord was with him.

deliverance from our foes and from the hands of all who hate us,

to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

to register with Mary who was engaged to be married to him and who was an expectant mother.

for today, in the town of David, a Saviour for you has been born, who is to be your Messiah and Lord.

"Glory to God in highest heaven! And peace on earth to men who please him."

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

There was also a prophetess there, Hannah, a daughter of Phanuel, who belonged to the tribe of Asher.

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.

Now everyone who was listening to Him was showing astonishment at His intelligence and at His answers.

So he used to say to the crowds that continued to come out there to be baptized by him: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to escape from the wrath that is coming?

He answered them, "The man who has two shirts must share with him who has none, and the man who has food must do the same."

John expressly answered them all, "I am baptizing you in water only, but there is coming the One who is stronger than I am, whose shoestrings I am not fit to untie. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire;

Now there was a man in the synagogue who was under the power of the spirit of a foul demon, and he screamed with a loud voice,

"Ha! What do you want of us, Jesus, you Nazarene? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are. You are God's Holy One."

As the sun was setting, all who had friends sick with various diseases brought them to Him. Then He continued to lay His hands upon them one by one and cured them.

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."

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.

But the scribes and the Pharisees began to argue, saying, "Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

But to show you that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth" -- turning to the man who was paralyzed, He said to him, "Get up, pick up your pallet, and go home."

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.

When day came, He called His disciples to Him, and selected from them twelve whom He also named apostles:

Simon whom he named Peter, his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,

Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, Simon who was called the Zealot,

Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who afterward turned traitor.

Then He came down with them and took His stand on a level place, where there was a great throng of His disciples and a vast crowd of people from all over Judea and from Jerusalem and the seacoast district of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear Him and to be cured of their diseases.

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

Then He fixed His eyes upon His disciples, and began to speak. "Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours!

Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be completely satisfied! Blessed are you who are weeping now, for you will laugh!

But a curse on you who are rich, for you are now receiving your comforts in full.

A curse on you who live in luxury now, for you will be hungry. A curse on you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.

But I say to you who listen now to me, practice loving your enemies, practice doing good to those who hate you,

continue to bless those who curse you, and continue to pray for those who abuse you.

To the man who strikes you on one cheek, offer him the other too; and from the man who takes away your coat, do not keep back your shirt either,

Practice giving to everyone who asks of you, and stop demanding back your goods from him who takes them away.

Now if you practice loving only those who love you, what credit do you get for that? Why, even notorious sinners practice loving those who love them.

And if you practice doing good only to those who do good to you, what credit do you get for that? Even notorious sinners practice the same.

Everyone who comes to me and continues to listen to my words and practices their teachings, I will show you whom he is like.

He is like a man who was building a house, who dug deep, and laid its foundation upon the rock; and when a flood came, the torrent burst upon that house but it could not shake it, because it was well built.

But the man who merely hears them and does not practice them is like a man who built a house upon the ground without a foundation. The torrent burst upon it, and at once it collapsed, and the wreck of that house was complete."

There was a Roman captain who had a slave that was very dear to him, and he was sick and at the point of death,

for he loves our nation, and he is the man who built us our synagogue."

So John called two of them to him and sent them to the Lord, to ask, "Are you the One who was to come, or should we continue to look for someone else?"

So the men went to Him and said, "John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the One who was to come, or should we continue to look for someone else?'"

And happy is the man who finds no cause for stumbling over me."

If not, what did you go out there to see? A man dressed in silks and satins? No. People who dress gorgeously and live luxuriously are found in royal palaces.

If not, then what did you go out there to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is far more than a prophet.

This is the man of whom the Scripture says: "'Attention! I send my messenger on before you. He will prepare the road ahead of you.'

"I tell you, of all men born of women there is not one greater than John; and yet the one who is of least importance in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

But wisdom is vindicated by all who are truly wise."

There was a woman in the town who was a social outcast, and when she learned that He was taking dinner at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster bottle of perfume

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."

Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he canceled most." Then He said, "You are correct in your judgment."

Therefore, I tell you, her sins, as many as they are, are forgiven, for she has loved me so much. But the one who has little to be forgiven loves me little."

The men at the table began to say to themselves, "Who is this man, who even forgives sins?"

and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary, who was called Mary of Magdala, out of whom seven demons had gone,

and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many other women, who continued to contribute to their needs out of their personal means.

And another portion fell in rich soil and grew and yielded a crop of a hundredfold." As He said this, He exclaimed, "Let him who has ears to hear with, listen!"

Those along the path illustrate those who hear it, but then the devil comes and carries off the message from their hearts, so that they may not believe it and be saved.

The portion of them on the rock illustrates those who accept the message, bubbling over with joy when they first hear it, but it takes no real root. They believe for awhile, but in the time of testing they fall away.

And the portion of them falling among the thorns illustrates those who hear it, but as soon as they pass on they are choked out by the worries and wealth and pleasures of life, and thus yield no mature fruit.

But the portion in rich soil illustrates those who listen to the message, keep it in good and honest hearts, and in patience yield fruit.

"Nobody lights a lamp and then covers it with a pot or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.

Then He answered them, "My mother and my brothers are those who listen to God's message and practice it."

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."

As soon as He stepped out upon the shore, there met Him a man from town, who was under the power of demons; and for a long time he had worn no clothes, and did not stay in a house but in tombs.

When the men who fed them saw what had taken place, they fled and spread the news in the town and in the country around.

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 they who had seen it told them how the man who had been under the power of demons was cured.

The man out of whom the demons had gone begged Him to let him go with Him, but Jesus sent him away and said,

Just then a man named Jairus came up, who had long been leader of the synagogue. He fell down at Jesus' feet and persisted in begging Him to come to his house,

Then a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, who could not be cured by anybody,

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."

And when you leave that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a protest against all the people who do not welcome you."

So Herod said, "John I beheaded, but who can this be about whom I hear such reports?" So he was trying to see Him.

But the crowds learned of it, and followed Him; and He welcomed them and began to speak to them about the kingdom of God and to cure the people who needed to be cured.

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

So He said to them, "But who do you, yourselves, say that I am?" Peter answered, "The Christ of God!"

I solemnly say to you, some of you who stand here will certainly live to see the kingdom of God."

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.

Then He said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child on my account is welcoming me, and whoever welcomes me is welcoming Him who sent me; for the one who is lowliest among you all is really great."

Jesus said to him, "Stop hindering him, for the man who is not against you is for you."

Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow, and then continues to look back, is fitted for service in the kingdom of God."

Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever pays no attention to you pays no attention to me, and whoever pays no attention to me pays no attention to Him who sent me."

All things have been entrusted to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is but the Father, and who the Father is but the Son, and anyone to whom the Son chooses to make Him known."

But he, as he wished to justify his question, said, "But who is my neighbor?"

Jesus answered: "A man was on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell into the hands of robbers, who both stripped him and beat him till he was half dead, and then went off and left him.

Which one of these three do you think proved himself a real neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' hands?"

He said, "The one who took pity on him." Jesus said to him, "Go and practice it yourself."

She had a sister named Mary who took her seat at the Lord's feet, and remained listening to His message.

and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who does us wrong, and do not let us be subjected to temptation.'"

For everyone who keeps on asking, receives; and the one who keeps on seeking, finds; and to the one who keeps on knocking, the door will open.

Now is there a father among you who, if his son asks him for a fish, will give him a snake instead?