so that you may know the certainty of the story which you have been taught by the word of mouth.

And as he saw him Zachariah was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

"He shall go before Him in the wisdom and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, and so to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him."

Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zachariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the sanctuary.

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

"And blessed is she who believed that the Lord's words spoken to her would be fulfilled."

So Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and returned home.

Now when the time of Elizabeth's delivery was come, she gave birth to a son;

So he asked for a writing tablet and wrote down, "His name is John."

All the story laid it up in their hearts, saying "What, then, will this child be?" For the Lord's hands was with him.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city if Nazareth, into Judea, to David's town of Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David.

"For unto you born this day in there is born in David's town a Saviour, who is the Anointed Lord.

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."

so they made haste, and came and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger.

Now it has been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

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."

He answered, "Why is it that you have been looking for me, did you not realize that I had to be in my Father's house?"

And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

So John used to say to the crowd of those who were going out to be baptized by him. "You breed of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Then bring forth fruit befitting your penitence, and do not begin to say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father." I tell you that God is able to raise up sons to Abraham out of these stones.

And now truly the axe is already laid at the root of the trees. So every tree which is not bearing good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

but Herod, the Tetrarch, when reproved by him because of Herodias, his brother's wife, and because of all the wicked deeds that he had done,

So, after exhausting on him every kind of temptation, the devil left him for a time.

The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him, and he began to say to them, "Today is this scripture fulfilled in your hearing."

Now when he rose and left the synagogue, he entered into the house of Simon, where Simon's mother-in-law lay sick of a great fever. And they kept entreating him for her.

And when it was daybreak he left the town, and went away to a solitary place; and the crowd kept seeking him. Coming at length upon him, they attempted to detain him so that he should not leave them.

So he continued to preach in the synagogues of Galilee.

But he saw two fishing-boats on the shore of the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.

So they motioned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink.

When Simon Peter saw this he fell down at the knees of Jesus, exclaiming, "Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man!"

and so were Simon's partners, James and John, sons of Zebedee.) But Jesus answered Simon. "Fear not; from this time on, you will be catching men."

So when they had brought their boats to land they left everything and followed him.

So they went up on the roof, and let him down through the tiling, with his bed, into the crowd, before Jesus.

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

"What is this caviling in your hearts? Which is easier to say, "Your sins are forgiven," or to say, "Rise and walk?"

"How he entered into God's house and took and ate the Presented Loaves, and gave some to his followers, loaves which none must eat but the priests?

Now the Scribes and Pharisees kept watching to see if he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might be able to bring on accusations to him.

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?"

He did so; and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury, and they began to talk over together what they could do to Jesus.

Then raising his eyes upon his disciples he began to say to them. "Blessed are you poor, For the kingdom of God is yours.

"Rejoice in that day and exult, For your reward is great in heaven; For even so did their fathers to the prophets.

"Woe to you when all men shall speak well of you! For even so did their fathers to the false prophets.

"But to you who are listening to me I say, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

And as you would like men to do to you, So do you also to them.

"And if you lend to those from whom you are hoping to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, so as to get as much back.

"And why do you look at the splinter that is in your brother's eye, but never consider the beam that is in your own eye?

"Or how can you say to your brother. "Brother, allow me to pull that splinter out of your eye," when you do not see the beam in your own eye? Hypocrite! Take out first the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the splinter from your brother's eye.

So when the captain heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to ask him to come and save his slave.

So Jesus started to go with them, but while he was not far from the house, the captain sent friends to him with a message. "Lord do not trouble yourself, for I am not fit that you should come under my roof,

"and so I did not think myself worthy to come to you; but speak the word, and let my man be cured.

"For I also am a man obedient to authority, and have soldiers under me. And I say to one 'come,' and he comes, and to my slave 'do this or that,' and he does it."

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

John's disciples brought him word of all these things

and, calling a certain two disciples to him, he sent them to Jesus, to say, "Are you 'the coming one,' or if we are to expect another?"

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."

So he answered them. "Go your way, tell John what you have seen and heard. How the blind are seeing, the lame are walking, the lepers are being cleansed, the deaf are hearing, the dead are being raised, and the poor are hearing the proclamations of glad tidings.

When John's messengers were gone he began to speak to the crowds about John, saying, "What went out you out to the desert to behold? A reed shaken by the wind?

"But what went you to see? A prophet?

but the Pharisees and lawyers who had refused his baptism, frustrated God's purpose for themselves.

"To What are they like, they are like children sitting in the market-place and calling to one another. "'We have piped to you,' they say, 'and you have not danced; we have wailed, and you did not cry.'

"For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon!'

"The son of man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Behold a gluttonous man and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!'

One of the Pharisees kept urging him to dine, so he entered the house and reclined at table.

Jesus then spoke to him. "Simon, I have a word to say to you." "Rabbi, say on," he replied.

"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.

Then the other guest began to say among themselves, "Who is this even to forgive sins?"

and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many other women, who used to minister to him out of their substance.

"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.

He answered. "To you it is given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God; But all others are taught in parables so that seeing they shall not see, and hearing they shall not hear.

"Those by the wayside are people who hear, but then comes the devil and carries off the word from their heart, so that they may not believe and not be saved.

"And that which fell upon thorns is those who have heard, but as they go on their way of word is choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of life; so they bring no fruit of perfection.

"When he lights a lamp no one covers it with a vase or hides it under a bed; he puts it on a lamp-stand so whoever may behold the light.

But some one told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you."

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.

Then they came to him and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we are lost!" Then he awoke, and rebuked the winds and the raging of the sea. They ceased, and there was a calm.

"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?"

When he saw Jesus he cried out, and fell down before him, and in a loud voice exclaimed. "What have we to do with you, Jesus, you son of God Most High? I implore you to torment me not!"

So Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he answered, "Legion" (for many demons had entered into him).

So they besought Jesus not to command them to go away into the abyss.

And those who saw what had happened fled and reported it in the town and the villages.

Then the people came out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man out of whom the demons had gone sitting clothed and in his right mind, at the feet of Jesus. And they were terrified.

And the whole populace of Gadarenes and the surrounding territory besought Jesus to go away from them; for they were terror-stricken. So he entered a boat and returned.

"Return to your home, and tell them all that God has done for you." So he went away and throughout the whole city he published how much Jesus had done for him.

Then the woman, who saw that she had not escaped notice, came trembling, and falling down before him, stated before the people for what reason she had touched him, and how she had been instantly healed.

So he came to the house, and would not permit anyone to go in with him except Peter and John and James, and the father and Mother of the little girl.

So they went forth, and walked from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

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."

So they ate and were filled, all of them. And there was picked up that which remained over to them, of broken pieces, twelve basketfuls.

"John the Baptist," they answered, "But others say Elijah, and others that one of the ancient prophets is risen again."

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

"For whoever is ashamed of me and of my teachings, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed when he comes in his own and in his Father's glory, and in that of the holy angels.

"But I tell you truly there are some of those standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."

Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep; but when they were fully awake they saw his glory, and the two men were standing beside him.

But they did not understand this saying; it was hidden from them so that they perceived it not, and they were sore afraid to ask him about his saying.

"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."

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.

"You know not what kind of spirit you share, for the Son of man came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them." And they went to another village.

"Into whatever you first enter, say, 'Peace be to this house!'

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!