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.

But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you must name him John.

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped within her. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,

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

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.

Because the heart of our God is merciful. And so the day will dawn upon us from on high,

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

but Mary continued to treasure it all up and to ponder it in her heart.

Then the shepherds went back continuing to give glory and praise to God for all that they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.

yea, a sword will pierce your heart -- so that the secret purposes of many hearts will be revealed."

So He went back to Nazareth with them and continued to obey them. But His mother continued to treasure up all these sayings in her heart.

In the fifteenth year of the reign of the Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was governor of Galilee, and his brother Philip was governor of the territory of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was governor of Abilene,

But Herod the governor, because he was repeatedly reproved by him for Herodias his brother's wife, and for all the wicked deeds that Herod had done,

The good man, out of his good inner storehouse, brings forth what is good, the bad man, out of his bad one, what is bad. For a man's mouth usually speaks the things that fill his heart.

When the captain heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to Him, to ask Him to come and bring his slave safe through the illness.

When Jesus heard this, He was astounded at him, and turning to the crowd that was following Him He said, "I tell you, I have not found, in a single case among the Jews, so great faith as this!"

Now when the Lord saw her, His heart was moved with pity for her, and so He said to her, "Stop weeping."

And so He answered them, "Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind are seeing and the crippled are walking, the lepers are being healed and the deaf are hearing, the dead are being raised and the poor are having the good news preached to them.

And all the people, even the tax-collectors, when they heard him, vindicated the righteous requirements of God by submitting to John's baptism,

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.

But Jesus heard it and said to him, "Do not be afraid; just have faith, and she will get well."

Now Herod the governor heard of all that was taking place, and he continued to be puzzled over the reports -- by some that John had risen from the dead,

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

Then he answered, "You must love the Lord your God with your whole heart, your whole soul, your whole strength, and your whole mind, and your neighbor as you do yourself."

But a Samaritan, while on a journey, came down to him, and when he saw him, his heart was moved with pity for him.

because what you have spoken in darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in people's ears, behind closed doors, will be proclaimed from the housetops.

For wherever your treasure is, there too your heart will be.

Just at that time some Pharisees came up and said to Him, "Get out at once! Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you!"

But one of the fellow-guests heard this, and said to Him, "Happy will be the man who is fortunate enough to be at the feast in the kingdom of God."

So he got up and went to his father. But, while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and his heart was moved with pity for him, and he ran and fell on his neck, and kissed him affectionately.

"Now his elder son was in the field. So, on coming in, as he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.

When Jesus heard this, He said to him, "One thing you still lack. Sell everything you have, and distribute the money among the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come back and follow me."

But when he heard that, he was very sad, for he was surpassingly rich.

So when Jesus saw it, He said, "How hard it is for those who have money to get into the kingdom of God!

But those who heard it said, "Then who can be saved?"

As he heard a crowd going by, he asked what it meant.

but they could not find, as hard as they tried, what to do with Him, for all the people continued to hang on His words.

He will come and put those tenants to death and give the vineyard to others." When they heard this, they said, "May it never be so!"

Then they said, "What more evidence do we need? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth!"

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

So when he learned with certainty that he belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, He sent Him up to Herod, for he was in Jerusalem at that time.

Now Herod was very glad to see Jesus, for he had been wanting to see Him for a long time on account of what he had heard about Him; also he was hoping to see some spectacular performance done by Him.

Then Herod and his bodyguard treated Him with contempt and made sport of Him and put a gorgeous robe on Him and sent Him back to Pilate.

So Herod and Pilate became personal friends that very day; they had been at enmity before.

No; nor does Herod, for he has sent Him back to us. Indeed, He has done nothing to deserve the death penalty.

Finally one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered Him, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who has not heard of the things that have taken place there in these last days?"

Then He said to them, "O men sluggish in mind and slow in heart to believe all that the prophets have said!