"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."

"I am Gabriel," answered the angel, "who stand in the presence of God; and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring and to bring you this good news.

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

"This has the Lord done for me. He has now deigned to take the away my reproach among men."

Mary was greatly agitated at his word, and was revolving in her mind what this salutation could mean.

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

"And behold your kinswoman, Elizabeth, she also has conceived a son in her old age, and this was the sixth month with her that was called barren.

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

"But why is this honor done me, that the mother of my Lord should come me?

"For he has regarded the humiliation of his slave, And from this hour all ages will count me blessed.

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

This was the first census, When Quirinius was governor of Syria.

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

"And this is a sign to you; You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling-clothes lying in a manger."

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."

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

After spending the full number of days they started home, but the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem. Joseph and his mother did not know this,

added yet this above them all that he shut up John in prison.

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

"To you will I give all this authority and this glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.

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."

And they all spoke well of him, and marveled at the words of charm that fell from his lips. "Is not this the son of Joseph?" they asked.

All were amazed, and began to ask one another, saying. "What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits and they come out."

And when they had done this they enclosed a great multitude of fish; and their nets began to break.

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."

And the Scribes and Pharisees began to cavil. "Who is this?" they asked, "speaking blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

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

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

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

"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."

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."

"Yes, I tell you and more than a prophet. This is he who it is written. "Behold I send a messenger before thy face, Who shall prepare thy way before thee.

On hearing this all the people and the tax-gatherers acknowledged the justice of God by being baptized with the baptism of John;

"To what then shall I compare the men of this generation?

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."

"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.

"This is why I tell you that her sins, many as they are, are forgiven, for her love is great; but he who is forgiven little, loves but little.

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

"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."

Then his disciples began to interrupt him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"

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

"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?"

"If any one will not receive you, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave this town, as a testimony against them."

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 when the crowd learned this they followed him. He received them kindly and spoke to them concerning the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed restored to good health.

This they did, and made them all sit down.

Then he strictly forbade them to tell this to any one;

About eight days after this it happened that Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and went up on the mountain to pray.

And while he was saying this, there came a cloud and began to overshadow them; and they were awestruck as they entered into the cloud.

And a voice came out of the cloud, saying. "This is my Son, my chosen one; listen to 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.

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."

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.

After this the appointed seventy others, and sent them two by two before his face, into every city and place into which he himself intended to go.

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

"'The very dust of your town which clings to your feet we wipe off as protest; but know this, that the kingdom of God is drawing near to you.'

"Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in Heaven."

It happened while he was saying this, that a certain woman out of the crowd shouted to him, saying, "Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breast that you have sucked."

When the crowd were beginning to throng about him he proceeded to say. "This is an evil generation! It seeks a sign, and there shall be no sign be given to it except the sign of Jonah;

"for as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so shall the Son of man be to this generation.

"The queen of the South shall rise up in Judgment with the men of this generation, and shall condemn them; because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and lo, one greater than Solomon is here!

"For this reason also said the Wisdom of God. 'I will send them prophets and apostles; some of them they will kill and some they will persecute;

"so that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required from this generation,

"from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the alter and the sanctuary; yes; I tell you, it shall be required of this generation!

"And he said to himself. 'This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns and build larger ones in which I will store all my wheat and my goods.

"But God said to him. 'Foolish man! This very night your soul is wanted! And these things you have prepared, whose shall they be?

Then he said to his disciples. "For this is the reason I say to you. Be not anxious for your life, what you shall eat; nor yet your body what shall you wear.

"However, you know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not have allowed his house to be broken into.

"Master," said Peter, "are you speaking this parable to us or to all alike?"

"From this time there will be five in one house divided, three against two and two against three;

Then he gave them this parable. "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came to look for fruit on it, but found none.

So he said to the gardener. "'See, for years I have come looking for fruit on this tree, and found none. Cut it down. Why should it actually cumber the ground?'

"But the gardener answered him. 'Lord, let it alone this year also, till I have dug around it, and fertilized it.

"and this woman, who is the daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound these eighteen years, ought she not have been loosened from bondage, though the day be the Sabbath?"

As he said this, all adversaries were put to shame; and all the crowd rejoiced for the glorious things that he continually did.

This led him to say. "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?

They could not answer this.

"'Give place to this man,' and then with mortification you proceed to take the lowest place.

"'This fellow began to build and could not finish.'

"It is fit neither for the land nor the dung-hill; men cast it out. He who has ears to hear let him listen to this!"

"'for this son of mine was dead and is alive again??e was lost and is found.'

"and he summoned one of the slaves, and began to inquire of him what all this meant.

"'But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with harlots, you have killed him the fatted calf.'

"'But it was fitting that we should make merry and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and is alive; he was lost and is found.'"

To his disciples he said: "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and this steward was accused to him of wasting his property.

"He called to him to him and said: "'What is this that I hear about you? Render an account of your stewardship; for you can no longer be steward.'

"And the master praised the unjust steward because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this world are in relation to their own generation wiser than the sons of the light.

Now the Pharisees who loved money listened to all this and they jeered at him.

"And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham have mercy on me; and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.'

"But besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who want to cross from here to you cannot, nor can those who would cross from you to us.'

"'Let him earnestly warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.'

"If your faith," answered Jesus, "were like a grain of mustard-seed, you would say to this tree, 'Tear yourself up and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

Perceiving this he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priest." And as they went they were made clean.

"Are there none found to return and give glory to God except this foreigner?"

"And this was in the time of Noah, so will it be in the time of the Son of man.

"'yet because this woman annoys me I will give her justice, lest by her continual coming she wear me out.'

"Listen" said the Lord, "to what this unjust judge says.

Moreover he spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves because they were righteous, and looked down upon the rest.

"The Pharisee stood apart and thus began to pray by himself. "'O God, I thank thee that I am not like the rest of men, extortioners, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax gatherer;