who was a descendant of Aaron. They were both righteous in the sight of the Lord, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the law, blameless.

Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

But the Angel said to him. "Do not be afraid, Zachariah, because your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.

"For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, "He shall drink neither wine nor strong drink, "He shall be filled with the Holy Spirit from the hour of his birth,

"How shall I be sure of this?" said Zachariah to the Angel. "For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years."

The angel went in and said to her. "Joy to you, highly favored one! "The Lord is with you."

when the angel said to her. "Fear not Mary, for you have found grace with God.

And Mary said to the angel. "How can this be? For I have no husband?"

"The Holy Spirit shall come upon you," said the angel, "and the power of the most High shall overshadow you, and therefore the holy offspring which is born, shall be called the son of God.

Then Mary said: "Behold I am Lord's slave. Let it be to me as you have said." Then the angel departed from her.

Soon after this Mary set out and hastened unto the hill-country to a town in Judah;

And Mary said: "My soul doth magnify the Lord,

when his mother said, "No, he is to be called John."

Said they, "You have no relatives of that name!"

"To give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, And to guide our feet into the paths of peace."

When suddenly an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round them; and they feared with a great fear. The angel said to them.

Now when the angels had left them, and gone away to heaven, the shepherds said to one to another, "Let us go now even to Bethlehem, and see this saying which has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us."

he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

And while his father and mother were marveling at the words that were spoken concerning him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother.

"Behold this child is set for the falling and rising up of many in Israel, and for a sign which is spoken against.

When they saw him they were astonished, and his mother said to him "Child, why have you treated us so? Behold your father and I have been looking for you in anguish."

And the crowd began to ask him questions. "What shall we do then?" they asked. In reply he said to them.

There came to him publicans also to be baptized, and they said to him, "Master, what must we do?"

And he said to them, "Exact no more than the sum allowed you."

The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God tell this stone to become bread."

And the devil led him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth in an instant of time, and the devil said to him.

Then he brought him to Jerusalem, and caused him to stand upon the Temple roof, and said to him. "If you really are the Son of God throw yourself down here;

"It has been said," replied Jesus, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord, thy God."

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me Because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, He has sent me to proclaim release to the prisoners, And recovery of sight to the blind; To set at liberty those that are bruised,

Then rolling up the papyrus, he gave it back to the attendant and sat down.

But he said to them. "I must preach the gospel of the kingdom of God to the other towns also; for that is what I was sent to do."

He went on board one of the boats which belonged to Simon, and asked him to push out a little way from land. Then he sat down and continued to teach the crowd from the boat.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Push out into deep water, and let down your nets for a haul."

Another time when he was in one of their cities, there was a man there full of leprosy. And he, upon seeing Jesus, fell on his face and implored him. "Lord," he said, "if only you choose you can make me clean."

And he stretched out his hand and touching him, said: "I do choose; be made clean."

And instantly the leprosy left him. Jesus ordered him to tell no one, "But be off," he said, "show yourself to the priest, and make the offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a testimony to them."

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you!"

But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins (he said to the paralytic), "I bid you rise, take up your bed, and go to your house."

Astonishment fell upon them all, and they began to glorify God, and they were filled with awe, and they said, "We have seen strange things today."

After this he went forth and noticed a tax-gatherer, named Levi, sitting at the tax-office, and said to him, "Follow me."

Again they said unto him. "Why do the disciples of John fast frequently, and make supplications, as also do the disciples of the Pharisees, but your disciples are eating and drinking?"

He also told them a parable. "No one," he said, "tears a piece from a new garment, and patches it upon an old one; otherwise he will tear the new garment, and the patch from the new will not mend the old.

He was all along aware of their thoughts; and he said to the man with the withered hand, "Rise, and stand there in the midst."

So he rose and stood. Then Jesus said to them. "I ask you whether it is lawful on the Sabbath Day to do good or to do harm? To save a life or to destroy it?"

Then he looked round about on them in anger, and said to him, "Stretch out your hand!"

And they, when they reached Jesus, asked him earnestly to do this. "He deserves that you should do this," they said,

But when Jesus heard this he was astonished and he turned and said to the crowd that was following him, "I tell you that not even in Israel have I found faith like that."

A great crowd accompanied her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."

And he came near and touched the bier; the bearer stopped and he said, "Young man, I bid you to rise."

And he who was dead sat up and began to speak; and he gave him to his mother.

So the men came to Jesus and said, "John the Baptist has sent us to ask you if you are the coming one, or if we are to expect another."

At that moment Jesus was healing many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and to many that were blind he was freely giving their sight.

When he noticed this the Pharisee, who had invited him, said to himself, "If this man were really a prophet he would have perceived who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, and would know that she is a sinner."

"There were once to men," said Jesus, "in debt to one money-lender. One owed him fifty pounds; the other five.

"I take it," said Simon, "the one he forgave the most."

"You have rightly judged." answered Jesus, and turning to the woman, he said to Simon. "Do you see this woman? When I came into your house you gave me no water for my feet; but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

"Your sins are forgiven," he said to her.

But he said to the woman. "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."

"A sower went out to sow his seed, and as he sowed some fell by the wayside, and was trodden under foot, and the wild birds ate it up.

"Some other seed dropped on the rock, as soon as it grew it withered away, because it had no moisture.

"But some fell on good soil, and grew up, and brought forth fruit, a hundredfold." When he said this, he called out, "Whoever has ears to hear with, let him listen."

"This is the meaning of the parable. The seed is the word of God.

Now it happened that one of these days he got into a boat, And him his disciples, and he said to them, "Let us cross to the other side of the lake."

So they set sail. While they were sailing he fell asleep. And there fell on the lake a squall of wind, so that the boat began to fill, and they to be in deadly peril.

"Where is your faith?" he asked them, In their terror they were filled with amazement, and said to one another, "Who is this who commands even the winds and the sea, and they obey him?"

"Who is that touched me?" said Jesus and when everybody denied it, Peter said, "Master, the crowds are hemming you in and pressing upon you."

But Jesus said: "Some one did touch me; for I perceived that the power was proceeding out of me."

"Daughter," he said "your faith has made you well, go on into peace."

The people were weeping and bewailing her, but he said: "Stop your wailing; for she is not dead, but asleep."

And he said to them. "Take nothing for your journey, neither staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money, and do not have two tunics.

"Into whatever house you enter, there stay, and thence depart.

Now Herod, the Tetrarch, heard of all that was happening; and he was perplexed because of its being said by someone that John was risen from the dead;

So Herod said, "I beheaded John, but who is this of whom I am hearing such reports," And he kept seeking to see him.

But now the day began to decline, and the twelve came to him and said: "Send away the crowd so that they may go into the villages and surrounding the country to lodge and buy provisions; for here we are on a solitary place."

(For there were about five thousand men.) "Make them sit down in table-companies, of about fifty each," he said to his disciples.

This they did, and made them all sit down.

Then he said to them, "But who do you say I am?" Then Peter answered saying, "The Christ of God."

and he said, "The Son of man must suffer much, and be restricted by the elders and high priests and scribes and be put to death, and on the third day be raised again."

And he said to all. "If any man wills to follow me, Let him renounce self and take up his cross daily and follow me.

And when they were preparing to depart from him Peter said to Jesus. "Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"??ot knowing what he was saying.

"O faithless and perverse generation," said Jesus, "how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son to me."

And they were all awestruck at the mighty power of God. But while everyone was marveling at what he was doing, he said to his disciples.

And Jesus who knew the dispute that was in their hearts, took a young child, and placed him by his side;

then he said to them. "Whoever shall receive this little child in my name receives me; and whoever shall receive me receives him that sent me. For it is the lowliest among you all who is great."

"Master," said John, "we saw a man who was casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he was not following us."

But Jesus said, "Forbid him not, for he who is not against you is for you."

When now when the time drew near for him to be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,

But they did not receive him because his face was set to go to Jerusalem.

And when his disciples, James and John, saw this they said, "Lord, are you willing for us to bid fire come down from heaven and destroy them?" As Elijah did.

But he turned and rebuked them and said,

As they were going on their way, a man came to him and said, "I will follow wherever you go."

To another he said, "Follow me!" But he replied, "Permit me first to go and bury my father."

"Leave the dead to bury their own dead," said Jesus to him, "go you and announce, far and wide the kingdom of God."

And another man also said to him. "I will follow you, Lord; but first permit me to bid farewell to those who are in my house."

"Stay in that same house, eating and drinking what they give. for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Do not go from house to house.

And he said to them. "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a lightning flash.

In the same hour he thrilled with joy in the Holy Ghost. "I praise thee, Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth," he said "for hiding these things from the wise and prudent, and for revealing them to babes. Yea, Father, for so it was well pleasing in thy sight!

And turning to his disciples he said privately. "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!

Then a certain lawyer stood up and tempted him. "Master," he said "what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

And he said to him. "What is written in the Law? What do you read there?"