Judah of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez of Hezron, Hezron of Ram,

And his fame spread all through Syria. They brought to him all who were ill with any form of disease, or who were suffering pain--any who were either possessed by demons, or were lunatic, or paralyzed; and he cured them.

I, however, say to you that you must not swear at all, either by Heaven, since that is God's throne,

Nor should you swear by your head, since you cannot make a single hair either white or black.

"Sir," he said, "my manservant is lying ill at my house with a stroke of paralysis, and is suffering terribly."

"Sir," the Captain went on, "I am unworthy to receive you under my roof; but only speak, and my manservant will be cured.

Then he told them many truths in parables. "The sower," he began, "went out to sow; and,

Listen, then, yourselves to the parable of the Sower.

And he answered: "The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man.

'Yes, sir,' he answered; but he did not go.

Therefore watch; for you cannot be sure on what day your Master is coming.

Afterwards the other bridesmaids came. 'Sir, Sir,' they said, 'open the door to us!'

The man who had received the three thousand pounds came up and brought three thousand more. 'Sir,' he said, 'you entrusted me with three thousand pounds; look, I have made another three thousand!'

Then the one who had received the twelve hundred pounds came up and said 'Sir, you entrusted me with twelve hundred pounds; look, I have made another twelve hundred!'

The man who had received the six hundred pounds came up, too, and said 'Sir, I knew that you were a hard man; you reap where you have not sown, and gather up where you have not winnowed;

Then Peter began to swear, with most solemn imprecations: "I do not know the man." At that moment a cock crowed;

"Sir, we remember that, during his lifetime, that impostor said 'I shall rise after three days.'

"Listen! The sower went out to sow;

The sower sows the Message.

And he swore to her that he would give her whatever she asked him--up to half his kingdom.

And, if any one says to you 'Why are you doing that?', say 'The Master wants it, and will be sure to send it back here at once.'"

Therefore watch, for you cannot be sure when the Master of the house is coming-- whether in the evening, at midnight, at daybreak, or in the morning--

But he began to swear with the most solemn imprecations: "I do not know the man you are speaking about."

She went and told the news to those who had been with him and who were now in sorrow and tears;

"How can I be sure of this?" Zechariah asked the angel. "For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years."

This was the oath which he swore to our forefather Abraham--

(This was the first census taken while Quirinius was Governor of Syria).

"We have been hard at work all night, Sir," answered Simon, "and have not caught anything, but, at your bidding, I will throw out the nets."

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.

So Jesus went with them. But, when he was no great distance from the house, the Captain sent some friends with the message-- "Do not trouble yourself, Sir; for I am unworthy to receive you under my roof.

"The sower went out to sow his seed; and, as he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path and was trodden upon; and the wild birds ate it up.

So the disciples came and roused him. "Sir, Sir," they cried, "we are lost!" Jesus rose and rebuked the wind and the rushing waves, and they fell, and a calm followed.

"Who was it that touched me?" Jesus asked; and, while everyone was denying having done so, Peter exclaimed: "Why, Sir, the people are crowding round you and pressing upon you!"

And, as Moses and Elijah were passing away from Jesus, Peter exclaimed: "Sir, it is good to be here; let us make three tents, one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He did not know what he was saying;

Thereupon John said: "Sir, we saw a man driving out demons by using your name, and we tried to prevent him, because he does not follow you with us."

'Leave it this one year more, Sir,' the man answered, 'till I have dug round it and manured it.

When once the master of the house has got up and shut the door, while you begin to say, as you stand outside and knock, 'Sir, open the door for us.' His answer will be--'I do not know where you come from.'

Presently the servant said 'Sir, your order has been carried out, and still there is room.'

Standing still, some distance off, they called out loudly: "Jesus! Sir! pity us!"

The first came up, and said 'Sir, your ten pounds have made a hundred.'

When the second came, he said 'Your ten pounds, Sir, have produced fifty.'

Another servant also came and said 'Sir, here are your ten pounds; I have kept them put away in a handkerchief.

'But, Sir,' they interposed, 'he has a hundred pounds already!'

Then he rose from praying, and came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow.

"You have no bucket, Sir, and the well is deep," she said; "where did you get that 'living water?'

"Give me this water, Sir," said the woman, "so that I may not be thirsty, nor have to come all the way here to draw water."

"I see, Sir, that you are a Prophet!" exclaimed the woman.

Already the reaper is receiving wages and gathering in sheaves for Immortal Life, so that sower and reaper rejoice together.

"Sir," said the officer, "come down before my child dies." And Jesus answered: "Go, your son is living."

"I have no one, Sir," the afflicted man answered, "to put me into the Bath when there is a troubling of the water, and, while I am getting to it, some one else steps down before me."

"Now we are sure that you are possessed by a demon," the Jews replied. "Abraham died, and so did the Prophets; and yet you say 'If any one lays my Message to heart, he will never know death.'

"Tell me who he is, Sir," he replied, "so that I may believe in him."

"Then, Sir, I do believe," said the man, bowing to the ground before him;

Who went to Philip of Bethsaida in Galilee, and said: "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."

Although your hearts are full of sorrow at all that I have been saying to you.

Now we are sure that you know everything, and need not wait for any one to question you. This makes us believe that you did come from God."

"Why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" he asked. Supposing him to be the gardener, Mary answered: "If it was you, Sir, who carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away myself."

They were bearers of the following letter--'The Apostles, and the Brothers who are the Officers of the Church, send their greetings to the Brethren of Gentile birth in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia.

Started on his journey and went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the Churches in the faith.

Paul remained there some time after this, and then took leave of the Brethren, and sailed to Syria with Priscilla and Aquila, but not before his head had been shaved at Cenchreae, because he was under a vow.

He was about to sail to Syria, when he learned that a plot had been laid against him by the Jews; so he decided to return by way of Macedonia.

After sighting Cyprus and leaving it on the left, we sailed to Syria, and put into Tyre, where the ship was to discharge her cargo.

Indeed, the King knows about these matters, so I speak before him without constraint. I am sure that there is nothing whatever of what I have been telling him that has escaped his attention; for all this has not been done in a corner.

Though he was nearly a hundred years old, yet his faith did not fail him, even when he thought of his own body, then utterly worn out, and remembered that Sarah was past bearing children.

Bears me out when I say that there is a great weight of sorrow upon me and that my heart is never free from pain.

For these words are the words of a promise-'About this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.'

Daily I face death-I swear it, Brothers, by the pride in you that I feel through my union with Christ Jesus, our Lord.

So I wrote as I did, for fear that, if I had come, I should have been pained by those who ought to have made me glad; for I felt sure that it was true of you all that my joy was in every case yours also.

I wrote to you in sore trouble and distress of heart and with many tears, not to give you pain, but to let you see how intense a love I have for you.

Sure that, when we have put it on, we shall never be found discarnate.

For, though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Even if I were inclined to regret it--for I see that my letter did cause you sorrow though only for a time--

I am glad now; not because of the sorrow it caused you, but because your sorrow brought you to repentance. For it was God's will that you should feel sorrow, in order that you should not suffer loss in any way at our hands.

For, when sorrow is in accordance with God's will, it results in a repentance leading to Salvation, and which will never be regretted. The sure result of the sorrow that the world knows is Death.

For see what results that other sorrow--sorrow in accordance with God's will--has had in your case. What earnestness it produced! what explanations! what strong feeling! what alarm! what longing! what eagerness! what readiness to punish! You have proved yourselves altogether free from guilt in that matter.

And he who supplies 'seed to the sower, and bread for eating,' will supply you with seed, and cause it to increase, and will multiply 'the fruits of your righteousness').

Afterwards I went to the districts of Syria and Cilicia.

For of this you may be sure--that no one who is unchaste or impure or greedy of gain (for to be greedy of gain is idolatry) has any place awaiting him in the kingdom of the Christ and God.

Yes, I am confident that this is so, and therefore I am sure that I shall stay, and stay near you all, to promote your progress and joy in the Faith;

And I can assure you that his illness very nearly proved fatal. But God had pity on him, and not on him only but also on me, that I might not have sorrow upon sorrow.

I am all the more ready, therefore, to send him, so that the sight of him may revive your spirits and my own sorrow be lightened.

Epaphras, who is one of yourselves, sends you his greeting. He is a servant of Christ Jesus, and is always most earnest in your behalf in his prayers, praying that you may stand firm, with a matured faith and with a sure conviction of all that is in accordance with God's will.

Be sure of this, that in the last days difficult times will come.

You may be sure that such a man has forsaken the Truth and is in the wrong; he stands self-condemned.

Even as I write, I have such confidence in your compliance with my wishes, that I am sure that you will do even more than I am asking.

While in my wrath I swore-- "They shall never enter upon my Rest."'

And who were they to whom God swore that they should not enter upon his rest, if not those who had proved faithless?

Upon that Rest we who have believed are now entering. As God has said-- 'In my wrath I swore--"They shall never enter upon my Rest;"' Although God's work was finished at the creation of the world;

When God gave his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater by whom he could swear, he swore by himself.

Men, of course, swear by what is greater than themselves, and with them an oath is accepted as putting a matter beyond all dispute.

For he was looking for the City with the sure foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Again, it was faith that enabled Sarah to conceive (though she was past the age for child-bearing), because she felt sure that he who had given her the promise would not fail her.

Obey your Leaders, and submit to their control, for they are watching over your souls, as men who will have to render an account, so that they may do it with joy, and not in sorrow. That would not be to your advantage.

Pray for us, for we are sure that our consciences are clear, since our wish is to be occupied with what is good.

Be sure that he who brings a sinner back from his mistaken ways will save that man's soul from Death, and throw a veil over countless sins.

as Sarah did, who obeyed Abraham, and called him master. And you are her true children, as long as you live good lives, and let nothing terrify you.

and swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, and the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it,' that time should cease to be.