But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your petition has been heard: and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call his name John.

Gladness and exultant joy shall be yours, and many will rejoice over his birth.

For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; no wine or fermented drink shall he ever drink; but he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from the very hour of his birth.

Many of the descendants of Israel will he turn to the Lord their God;

and he will be His forerunner in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn fathers' hearts to the children, and cause the rebellious to walk in the wisdom of the upright, to make a people perfectly ready for the lord."

And now you will be dumb and unable to speak until the day when this has taken place; because you did not believe my words--words which will be fulfilled at their appointed time."

You will conceive in your womb and bear a son; and you are to call His name JESUS.

He will be great and He will be called 'Son of the Most High.' And the Lord God will give Him the throne of His forefather David;

and He will be King over the House of Jacob for the Ages, and of His Kingdom there will be no end."

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for this reason your holy offspring will be called 'the Son of God.'

For no promise from God will be impossible of fulfilment."

Because He has not turned from His maidservant in her lowly position; For from this time forward all generations will account me happy,

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.

Through the tender compassion of our God, Through which the daybreak from on high will come to us,

And this is the token for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."

and a sword will pierce through your own soul also; that the reasonings in many hearts may be revealed."

And even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees, so that every tree which fails to yield good fruit will quickly be hewn down and thrown into the fire."

he answered the question by saying to them all, "As for me, I am baptizing you with water, but One mightier than I is coming, whose very sandal-strap I am not worthy to unfasten: He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and with fire.

His winnowing-shovel is in His hand to clear out His threshing-floor, and to gather the wheat into His storehouse; but the chaff He will burn up in fire unquenchable."

And the Devil said to Him, "To you will I give all this authority and this splendour; for it has been handed over to me, and on whomsoever I will I bestow it.

He will give orders to His angels concerning thee, to guard thee safely;'

"Doubtless," said He, "you will quote to me the proverb, 'Physician, cure yourself: all that we hear that you have done at Capernaum, do here also in your native place.'"

"Rabbi," replied Peter, "all night long we have worked hard and caught nothing; but at your command I will let down the nets."

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

"Alas for you who now have plenty to eat, because you will be hungry! "Alas for you who laugh now, because you will mourn and weep aloud!

Nevertheless love your enemies, be beneficent; and lend without hoping for any repayment. Then your recompense shall be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

There is no disciple who is superior to his teacher; but every one whose instruction is complete will be like his teacher.

How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take that splinter out of your eye,' when all the while you yourself do not see the beam in your own eye? Vain pretender! take the beam out of your own eye first, and then you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother's eye.

Every one who comes to me and listens to my words and puts them in practice, I will show you whom he is like.

But neither of them could pay anything; so he freely forgave them both. Tell me, then, which of them will love him most?"

For whoever shall have been ashamed of me and my teachings, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own and the Father's glory and in that of the holy angels.

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."

"As for you, store these my sayings in your memory; for, before long, the Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of men."

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

"Master," said yet another, "I will follow you; but allow me first to go and say good-bye to my friends at home."

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

"I tell you that it will be more endurable for Sodom on the great day than for that town.

However, for Tyre and Sidon it will be more endurable at the Judgement than for you.

On that same occasion Jesus was filled by the Holy Spirit with rapturous joy. "I give Thee fervent thanks," He exclaimed, "O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that Thou hast hidden these things from sages and men of understanding, and hast revealed them to babes. Yes, Father, for such has been Thy gracious will.

The next day he took out two shillings and gave them to the innkeeper. "'Take care of him,' he said, 'and whatever further expense you are put to, I will repay it you at my next visit.'

"I tell you that even if he will not rise and give him the loaves because he is his friend, at any rate because of his persistency he will rouse himself and give him as many as he requires.

And what father is there among you, who, if his son asks for a slice of bread, will offer him a stone? or if he asks for a fish, will instead of a fish offer him a snake?

or if he asks for an egg, will offer him a scorpion?

If you then, with all your human frailty, know how to give your children gifts that are good for them, how much more certainly will your Father who is in Heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

"When a foul spirit has left a man, it roams about in the Desert, seeking a resting-place; but, unable to find any, it says, 'I will return to the house I have left;"

For just as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be a token to the present generation.

The Queen of the South will awake at the Judgement together with the men of the present generation, and will condemn them; because she came from the extremity of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; but mark! One greater than Solomon is here.

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.

If, however, your whole body is penetrated with light, and has no part dark, it will be so lighted, all of it, as when the lamp with its bright shining gives you light."

"Alas too for you expounders of the Law!" replied Jesus, "for you load men with cumbrous burdens which you yourselves will not touch with one of your fingers.

"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,'

There is nothing that is covered up which will not be uncovered, nor hidden which will not become known.

Whatever therefore you have said in the dark, will be heard in the light; and what you have whispered within closed doors will be proclaimed from the house-tops.

I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who after killing has power to throw into Gehenna: yes, I say to you, fear him.

"And I tell you that every man who shall have acknowledged me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God.

But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.

"Moreover every one who shall speak against the Son of Man, may obtain forgiveness; but he who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never obtain forgiveness.

"And he said to himself, "'This is what I will do: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and in them I will store up all my harvest and my wealth;

and I will say to my life, "'Life, you have ample possessions laid up for many years to come: take your ease, eat, drink, enjoy yourself.'

But if God so clothes the vegetation in the fields, that blooms to-day and to-morrow will be thrown into the oven, how much more certainly will He clothe you, you men of feeble faith!

Sell your possessions and give alms. Provide yourselves with purses that will never wear out, a treasure inexhaustible in Heaven, where no thief can come nor moth consume.

For where your wealth is stored, there also will your heart be.

Blessed are those servants, whom their Master when He comes shall find on the watch. I tell you in solemn truth, that He will tie an apron round Him, and will bid them recline at table while He comes and waits on them.

Be you also ready, for at an hour when you are not expecting Him the Son of Man will come."

"Who, then," replied the Lord, "is the faithful and intelligent steward whom his Master will put in charge of His household to serve out their rations at the proper times?

I tell you truly that He will put him in authority over all His possessions.

that servant's Master will come on a day when he is not expecting Him and at an hour that he knows not of, and will punish him severely, and make him share the lot of the unfaithful.

And that servant who has been told his Master's will and yet made no preparation and did not obey His will, will receive many lashes.

But he who had not been told it and yet did what deserved the scourge, will receive but few lashes. To whomsoever much has been given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been entrusted, of him a larger amount will be demanded.

For from this time there will be in one house five persons split into parties. Three will form a party against two and two will form a party against three;

And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, 'It will be burning hot;' and it comes to pass.

Never, I tell you, will you get free till you have paid the last farthing."

I tell you, certainly not. On the contrary, if you are not penitent you will all perish as they did.

I tell you, certainly not. On the contrary, if you do not repent you will all perish just as they did."

"Strain every nerve to force your way in through the narrow gate," He answered; "for multitudes, I tell you, will endeavour to find a way in and will not succeed.

"Then you will plead, "'We have eaten and drunk in your company and you have taught in our streets.'

"But He will reply, "'I tell you that you are no friends of mine. Begone from me, all of you, wrongdoers that you are.'

"There will be the weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of God, and yourselves being driven far away.

They will come from east and west, from north and south, and will sit down at the banquet in the Kingdom of God.

And I tell you that some now last will then be first, and some now first will then be last."

See, your house is left to you. But I tell you that you will never see me again until you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'"

Then He turned to them and said, "Which of you shall have a child or an ox fall into a well on the Sabbath day, and will not immediately lift him out?"

and the man who invited you both will come and will say to you, 'Make room for this guest,' and then you, ashamed, will move to the lowest place.

On the contrary, when you are invited go and take the lowest place, that when your host comes round he may say to you, 'My friend, come up higher.' This will be doing you honour in the presence of all the other guests.

For whoever uplifts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be uplifted.

and you will be blessed, because they have no means of requiting you, but there will be requital for you at the Resurrection of the righteous."

"So the servant came and brought these answers to his master, and they stirred his anger. "'Go out quickly,' he said, 'into the streets of the city--the wide ones and the narrow. You will see poor men, and crippled, blind, lame: fetch them all in here.'

"Salt is good: but if even the salt has become tasteless, what will you use to season it?

I tell you that in the same way there will be rejoicing in Heaven over one repentant sinner--more rejoicing than over ninety-nine blameless persons who have no need of repentance.

I will rise and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you:

If therefore you have not proved yourselves faithful in dealing with the wealth that is tainted with fraud, who will entrust to you the true good?

And if you have not been faithful in dealing with that which is not your own, who will give you that which is your own?

"No servant can be in bondage to two masters. For either he will hate one and love the other, or else he will cling fast to one and scorn the other. You cannot be bondservants both of God and of gold."

"'No, father Abraham,' he pleaded; 'but if some one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'

But which of you who has a servant ploughing, or tending sheep, will say to him when he comes in from the farm, 'Come at once and take your place at table,'

and will not rather say to him, 'Get my dinner ready, make yourself tidy, and wait upon me till I have finished my dinner, and then you shall have yours'?

Nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' --for the Kingdom of God is within you."

Then, turning to His disciples, He said, "There will come a time when you will wish you could see a single one of the days of the Son of Man, but will not see one.

And they will say to you, 'See there!' 'See here!' Do not start off and go in pursuit.

For just as the lightning, when it flashes, shines from one part of the horizon to the opposite part, so will the Son of Man be on His day.