"A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud wailing, Rachel weeping for her children, and she did not want to be comforted, because they were gone."

saying, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child's life are dead."

Then people from Jerusalem, as well as all Judea and all the region around the Jordan, were going out to him,

As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen).

When Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed by his teaching,

When it was evening, many demon-possessed people were brought to him. He drove out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick.

And the men were amazed and said, "What sort of person is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him!"

When he came to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were extremely violent, so that no one was able to pass by that way.

When the crowd saw this, they were afraid and honored God who had given such authority to men.

And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly warned them, "See that no one knows about this."

As they were going away, a man who could not talk and was demon-possessed was brought to him.

After the demon was cast out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, "Never has anything like this been seen in Israel!"

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were bewildered and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

While they were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on a Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pick heads of wheat and eat them.

He said to them, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry --

All the crowds were amazed and said, "Could this one be the Son of David?"

Now when Jesus realized what they were thinking, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and no town or house divided against itself will stand.

But when the sun came up, they were scorched, and because they did not have sufficient root, they withered.

Then he came to his hometown and began to teach the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, "Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers?

They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the broken pieces left over, twelve baskets full.

Not counting women and children, there were about five thousand men who ate.

When the disciples saw him walking on the water they were terrified and said, "It's a ghost!" and cried out with fear.

Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

They begged him if they could only touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

Then the disciples came to him and said, "Do you know that when the Pharisees heard this saying they were offended?"

They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full.

Not counting children and women, there were four thousand men who ate.

When the disciples heard this, they were overwhelmed with fear and threw themselves down with their faces to the ground.

As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, "Do not tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead."

I brought him to your disciples, but they were not able to heal him."

When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were very upset and went and told their lord everything that had taken place.

For there are some eunuchs who were that way from birth, and some who were made eunuchs by others, and some who became eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept this should accept it."

Then little children were brought to him for him to lay his hands on them and pray. But the disciples scolded those who brought them.

The disciples were greatly astonished when they heard this and said, "Then who can be saved?"

Now when the other ten heard this, they were angry with the two brothers.

As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed them.

Two blind men were sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, "Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!"

And the crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee."

Then Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those who were selling and buying in the temple courts, and turned over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves.

When the disciples saw it they were amazed, saying, "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?"

They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowds, because the crowds regarded him as a prophet.

But they were indifferent and went away, one to his farm, another to his business.

Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but the ones who had been invited were not worthy.

Now when they heard this they were stunned, and they left him and went away.

Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children he left his wife to his brother.

When the crowds heard this, they were amazed at his teaching.

While the Pharisees were assembled, Jesus asked them a question:

For just like the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be.

For in those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark.

Five of the virgins were foolish, and five were wise.

But while they had gone to buy it, the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went inside with him to the wedding banquet. Then the door was shut.

Then the one who had received the one talent came and said, 'Sir, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed,

And while they were eating he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me."

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said, "Take, eat, this is my body."

The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were trying to find false testimony against Jesus so that they could put him to death.

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A slave girl came to him and said, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean."

As they were going out, they found a man from Cyrene named Simon, whom they forced to carry his cross.

Then two outlaws were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

In the same way even the chief priests -- together with the experts in the law and elders -- were mocking him:

The robbers who were crucified with him also spoke abusively to him.

Just then the temple curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks were split apart.

And tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had died were raised.

Now when the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and what took place, they were extremely terrified and said, "Truly this one was God's Son!"

Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and given him support were also there, watching from a distance.

Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

(Now Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there, opposite the tomb.)

His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.

The guards were shaken and became like dead men because they were so afraid of him.

While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened.

telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came at night and stole his body while we were asleep.'

So they took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story is told among the Jews to this day.

People from the whole Judean countryside and all of Jerusalem were going out to him, and he was baptizing them in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.

He was in the wilderness forty days, enduring temptations from Satan. He was with wild animals, and angels were ministering to his needs.

As he went along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, Simon's brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen).

The people there were amazed by his teaching, because he taught them like one who had authority, not like the experts in the law.

They were all amazed so that they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching with authority! He even commands the unclean spirits and they obey him."

When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and demon-possessed.

So he healed many who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons. But he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

When they were not able to bring him in because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Jesus. Then, after tearing it out, they lowered the stretcher the paralytic was lying on.

Now some of the experts in the law were sitting there, turning these things over in their minds:

Now immediately, when Jesus realized in his spirit that they were contemplating such thoughts, he said to them, "Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?

And immediately the man stood up, took his stretcher, and went out in front of them all. They were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

As Jesus was having a meal in Levi's home, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.

Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. So they came to Jesus and said, "Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don't fast?"

He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry --

Then he said to them, "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath, or evil, to save a life or destroy it?" But they were silent.

For he had healed many, so that all who were afflicted with diseases pressed toward him in order to touch him.

Now Jesus went home, and a crowd gathered so that they were not able to eat.

And looking at those who were sitting around him in a circle, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers!

So with many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear.

So after leaving the crowd, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat, and other boats were with him.

Now a great windstorm developed and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was nearly swamped.

They were overwhelmed by fear and said to one another, "Who then is this? Even the wind and sea obey him!"

Jesus gave them permission. So the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs. Then the herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake, and about two thousand were drowned in the lake.

They came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man sitting there, clothed and in his right mind -- the one who had the "Legion" -- and they were afraid.

So he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him, and all were amazed.

The girl got up at once and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). They were completely astonished at this.

When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue. Many who heard him were astonished, saying, "Where did he get these ideas? And what is this wisdom that has been given to him? What are these miracles that are done through his hands?

Now King Herod heard this, for Jesus' name had become known. Some were saying, "John the baptizer has been raised from the dead, and because of this, miraculous powers are at work in him."