Entering the house, they saw the child with his mother, Mary, and fell at his feet and did homage to him. Then they unpacked their treasures, and offered to the child presents of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Be glad and rejoice, because your reward in Heaven will be great; for so men persecuted the Prophets who lived before you.

Calling his twelve Disciples to him, Jesus gave them authority over foul spirits, so that they could drive them out, as well as the power of curing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

Do not provide yourselves with gold, or silver, or pence in your purses;

And, if any one gives but a cup of cold water to one of these lowly ones because he is a disciple, I tell you that he shall assuredly not lose his reward."

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and there was a voice from the cloud that said-- "This is my Son, the Beloved, in whom I delight; him you must hear."

I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him."

Afterwards the disciples came up to Jesus, and asked him privately: "Why was it that we could not drive it out?"

"Because you have so little faith," he answered; "for, I tell you, if your faith were only like a mustard-seed, you could say to this mountain 'Move from this place to that!' and it would be moved; and nothing would be impossible to you."

"Yes," answered Peter. But, on going into the house, before he could speak, Jesus said: "What do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly kings take taxes or tribute? From their sons, or from others?"

And, as he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold towards the payment of the debt, together with his wife, and his children, and everything that he had.

No one could say a word in answer; nor did any one after that day venture to question him further.

Alas for you, you blind guides! You say 'if any answer by the Temple, his oath counts for nothing; but, if any one swears by the gold of the Temple, his oath is binding him'!

Fools that you are and blind! Which is the more important? The gold? Or the Temple which has given sacredness to the gold?

Fill up the measure of your ancestor's guilt.

and, owing to the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.

"It could have been sold for a large sum, and the money given to poor people."

Then he came to his disciples, and found them asleep. "What!" he said to Peter, "could none of you watch with me for one hour?

John was clad in clothing of camels' hair, with a belt of leather round his waist, and lived on locusts and wild honey;

The man, however, went away, and began to speak about it publicly, and to spread the story so widely, that Jesus could no longer go openly into a town, but stayed outside in lonely places; and people came to him from every direction.

For, though he had many times been left secured with fetters and chains, he had snapped the chains and broken the fetters to pieces, and no one could master him.

And he could not work any miracle there, beyond placing his hands upon a few infirm persons, and curing them;

On leaving that place, Jesus went to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And he went into a house, and did not wish anyone to know it, but could not escape notice.

For what could a man give that is of equal value with his life?

And his clothes became of a more dazzling white than any bleacher in the world could make them.

Then a cloud came down and enveloped them; and from the cloud there came a voice--"This is my Son, the Beloved; him you must hear."

When Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately: "Why could not we drive it out?"

And, noticing a fig-tree at a distance in leaf, he went to it to see if by any chance he could find something on it; but, on coming up to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

This perfume could have been sold for more than thirty pounds, and the money given to the poor."

She has done what she could; she has perfumed my body beforehand for my burial.

They were glad to hear what he said, and promised to pay him. So he looked for a way to betray Jesus opportunely.

Then he came and found the three Apostles asleep. "Simon," he said to Peter, "are you asleep? Could not you watch for one hour?

Meanwhile the Chief Priest and the whole of the High Council were trying to get such evidence against Jesus as would warrant his being put to death, but they could not find any;

Mary was much disturbed at his words, and was wondering to herself what such a greeting could mean,

Then, while the people were in suspense, and were all debating with themselves whether John could be the Christ,

On one of those days, when Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and Doctors of the Law were sitting near by. (They had come from all the villages in Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was upon Jesus, so that he could work cures.)

But the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees were goaded to madness, and consulted together what they could do to Jesus.

Then indeed you may be glad and dance for joy, for be sure that your reward in Heaven will be great; for that is what their ancestors did to the Prophets.

And a woman, who had suffered from hemorrhage for twelve years, and whom no one could cure,

And, while he was speaking, a cloud came down and enveloped them; and they were afraid, as they passed into the cloud;

And from the cloud came a voice which said--"This is my Son, the Chosen One; him you must hear."

I entreated your disciples to drive the spirit out, but they could not."

And to the people Jesus said: "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once 'There is a storm coming,' and come it does.

And Jesus told them this parable-- "A man, who had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, came to look for fruit on it, but could not find any.

And they could not make any answer to that.

We could but make merry and rejoice, for here is your brother who was dead, and is alive; who was lost, and is found.'"

But the Master said: "If your faith were only like a mustard- seed, you could say to this mulberry tree 'Be up-rooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

Then why did not you put my money into a bank? And I, on my return, could have claimed it with interest.

Yet they could not see what to do, for the people all hung upon his words.

They could not lay hold of this answer before the people; and, in their wonder at his reply, they held their tongues.

Then will be seen the 'Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory.

They were glad of this, and agreed to pay him.

Then they began questioning one another which of them it could be that was going to do this.

"Why, what harm has this man done?" Pilate said to them for the third time. "I have found nothing in him for which he could be condemned to death. So I will have him scourged, and then release him."

And, on going into it, they could not find the body [of the Lord Jesus].

But their eyes were blinded so that they could not recognize him.

But Jesus did not trust himself to them, since he could read every heart,

And because he did not need that others should tell him what men were; for he could of himself read what was in men.

This man came to Jesus by night, and said to him: "Rabbi, we know that you are a Teacher come from God; for no one could give such signs as you are giving, unless God were with him."

And after this they were glad to take him into the boat; and the boat at once arrived off the shore, for which they had been making.

Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; and he did see it, and was glad."

If this man had not been from God, he could not have done anything at all."

And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may learn to believe in me. But let us go to him."

But some of them said: "Could not this man, who gave sight to the blind man, have also prevented Lazarus from dying?"

You heard me say that I was going away and would return to you. Had you loved me, you would have been glad that I was going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I.

The servants and police-officers were standing round a char- coal fire (which they had made because it was cold), and were warming themselves. Peter, too, was with them, standing and warming himself.

"Cast your net to the right of the boat," he said, "and you will find fish." So they cast the net, and now they could not haul it in on account of the quantity of fish.

No sooner had Jesus said this than he was caught up before their eyes, and a cloud received him from their sight.

But Peter added: "I have no gold or silver, but I give you what I have. In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth I bid you walk."

Then a famine spread over the whole of Egypt and Canaan, causing great distress, and our ancestors could find no food.

"A curse upon you and upon your money," Peter exclaimed, "for thinking that God's free gift can be bought with gold!

When Saul got up from the ground, though his eyes were open, he could see nothing. So his men led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus;

Since then, God had given them the very same gift as he gave us when we became believers in Jesus Christ the Master--who was I that I could thwart God?"

In the morning there was a great stir among the soldiers-- what could have become of Peter!

And that, in union with him, every one who believes in him is absolved from every sin from which under the Law of Moses you could not be absolved.

On hearing this, the Gentiles were glad and extolled God's Message; and all those who had been enrolled for Immortal Life became believers in Christ;

Even with this appeal they could hardly restrain the people from offering sacrifice to them.

But certain persons came down from Judea, and began to teach the Brethren that, unless they were circumcised, in accordance with the custom enjoined by Moses, they could not be saved.

Therefore, as the offspring of God, we must not think that the Deity has any resemblance to anything made of gold, or silver, or stone--a work of human art and imagination.

I never shrank from telling you anything that could be helpful to you, or from teaching you both in public and in private.

I have never coveted any one's gold or silver or clothing.

Some of the crowd said one thing, and some another; and, as he could get no definite reply on account of the uproar, he ordered Paul to be taken into the barracks.

In consequence of that dazzling light I could not see, but my companions held me by the hand, till I reached Damascus.

Paul, however, appealed to have his case reserved for the consideration of his August Majesty, so I ordered him to be detained in custody, until I could send him to the Emperor."

When daylight came, they could not make out what land it was, but, observing a creek in which there was a beach, they consulted as to whether they could run the ship safely into it.

They got, however, into a kind of channel, and there ran the ship aground. The bows stuck fast and could not be moved, while the stern began breaking up under the strain.

But the Roman Officer, anxious to save Paul, prevented their carrying out their intention, and ordered that those who could swim should be the first to jump into the sea and try to reach the shore;

The natives showed us marked kindness, for they lit a fire and took us all under shelter, because it had come on to rain and was cold.

But we shall be glad to hear from you what your views are, for, with regard to this sect, we are well aware that it is spoken against on all sides."

What Law could not do, in so far as our earthly nature weakened its action, God did, by sending his own Son, with a nature resembling our sinful nature, to atone for sin. He condemned sin in that earthly nature,

I could wish that I were myself accursed and severed from the Christ, for the sake of my Brothers-my own countrymen.

Let the same spirit of sympathy animate you all, not a spirit of pride; be glad to associate with the lowly. Do not think too highly of yourselves.

For Macedonia and Greece have been glad to make a collection for the poor among Christ's People at Jerusalem.

Yes, they were glad to do so; and indeed it is a duty which they owe to them. For the Gentile converts who have shared their spiritual blessings are in duty bound to minister to them in the things of this world.

But I, Brothers, could not speak to you as men with spiritual insight, but only as worldly-minded-mere infants in the Faith of Christ.

Whatever is used by those who build upon this foundation, whether gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw,

I want you to bear in mind, Brothers, that all our ancestors were beneath the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

That in the cloud and in the sea they all underwent baptism as followers of Moses;

You know that there was a time when you were Gentiles, going astray after idols that could not speak, just as you happened to be led.

I am glad Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus have come, for they have made up for your absence;