But when John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he told them, "You children of serpents! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

Come to terms quickly with your opponent while you are on the way to court, or your opponent may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison.

So if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your body parts than to have your whole body thrown into hell.

And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you. It is better for you to lose one of your body parts than to have your whole body go into hell."

And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go two with him.

"That's why I'm telling you to stop worrying about your life what you will eat or what you will drink or about your body what you will wear. Life is more than food, isn't it, and the body more than clothing?

The queen of the south will stand up and condemn the people living today, because she came from so far away to hear the wisdom of Solomon. But look! Something greater than Solomon is here!"

John had been telling him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."

The disciples asked him, "Where in the wilderness are we to get enough bread to feed such a crowd?"

"So if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life injured or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.

And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell fire.

He told them, "It was because of your hardness of heart that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives. But from the beginning it was not this way.

Nor are you to be called "Teachers,' because you have only one teacher, the Messiah!

On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples approached Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover meal?"

When they had finished making fun of him, they stripped him of the robe, put his own clothes back on him, and led him away to crucify him.

But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"" Then he told the paralyzed man,

John had been telling Herod, "It's not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

Immediately the girl hurried back to the king with her request, "I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter."

He told them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest for a while," because so many people were coming and going that they didn't even have time to eat.

If I send them away to their homes hungry, they'll faint on the road. Some of them have come a long distance."

When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You spirit that won't let him talk or hear I command you to come out of him and never enter him again!"

So if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It's better for you to enter life injured than to have two hands and go to hell, to the fire that cannot be put out.

And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It's better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.

And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It's better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell.

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, went to Jesus and told him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask you."

When the high priests and elders heard this, they began to look for a way to kill him, because they were afraid of him, since the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

Now it was two days before the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The high priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus secretly and to have him put to death,

On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover meal?"

When they had finished making fun of him, they stripped him of the purple robe, put his own clothes back on him, and led him away to crucify him.

But go and tell his disciples especially Peter that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you."

John would say to the crowds that were coming out to be baptized by him, "You children of serpents! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

because it is written, "God will put his angels in charge of you to watch over you carefully.

When they couldn't find a way to get him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down on his stretcher through the tiles into the middle of the room, right in front of Jesus.

When the men had come to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, "Are you the Coming One, or should we wait for someone else?'"

As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve came to him and said, "Send the crowd away to the neighboring villages and farms so they can rest and get some food, because we are here in a deserted place."

Suddenly, a man in the crowd shouted, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, because he is my only child.

Then Jesus told his disciples, "That's why I'm telling you to stop worrying about your life what you will eat or about your body what you will wear,

Then Jesus taught in one town and village after another as he made his way to Jerusalem.

Another said, "I bought five pairs of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'

One day, Jesus was traveling along the border between Samaria and Galilee on the way to Jerusalem.

"I tell you, to everyone who has something, more will be given, but from the person who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.

They will level you to the ground you and those who live within your city limits. They will not leave one stone on another within your walls, because you didn't recognize the time when you were visited."

Then he began teaching in the Temple every day. The high priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him,

but they couldn't find a way to do it, because all the people were eager to hear him.

You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death.

So the high priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put him to death, because they were afraid of the crowd.

Two others, who were criminals, were also led away to be executed with Jesus.

The next day, Jesus decided to go away to Galilee, where he found Philip and told him, "Follow me."

The people left the town and started on their way to him.

I have sent you to harvest what you have not worked for. Others have worked, and you have adopted their work as your own."

So the Jewish leaders told the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.

After this, Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (that is, to Tiberias).

The disciples told him, "Rabbi, the Jewish leaders were just now trying to stone you to death, and you are going back there again?"

You don't realize that it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed."

There are many rooms in my Father's house. If there weren't, I wouldn't have told you that I am going away to prepare a place for you, would I?

And since I'm going away to prepare a place for you, I'll come back again and welcome you into my presence, so that you may be where I am.

"You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you. I have appointed you to go and produce fruit that will last, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you.

Listen, the time is coming, indeed it has already come, when you will be scattered, each of you to his own home, and you will leave me all by myself. Yet I'm not alone, because the Father is with me.

I'm not asking you to take them out of the world but to protect them from the evil one.

When he said this, one of the officers standing nearby slapped Jesus on the face and demanded, "Is that any way to answer the high priest?"

Pilate went outside again and told the Jews, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him."

He answered them, "It isn't for you to know what times or periods the Father has fixed by his own authority.

He has been exalted to the right hand of God, has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, and has caused you to experience what you are seeing and hearing.

One afternoon, Peter and John were on their way to the Temple for the three o'clock prayer time.

When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning every one of you from your evil ways."

So they threatened Peter and John even more and then let them go. They couldn't find any way to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened,

"I'm telling you to keep away from these men for now. Leave them alone, because if this plan or movement is of human origin, it will fail.

I have surely seen the oppression of my people in Egypt, I've heard their groans, and I've come down to rescue them. Now come, I'll send you to Egypt.'

This was the passage of Scripture he was reading: "Like a sheep he was led away to be slaughtered, and like a lamb is silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth.

When the brothers found out about the plot, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.

The men replied, "Cornelius, a centurion and an upright and God-fearing man who is respected by the whole Jewish nation, was instructed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his home to hear what you have to say."

So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. All of us are here now in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has ordered you to say."

Now if God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, who was I to try to stop God?"

When the church in Jerusalem heard this news, they sent Barnabas all the way to Antioch.

As soon as he had seen the vision, we immediately looked for a way to go to Macedonia, because we were convinced that God had called us to tell the people there the good news.

That night the brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the Jewish synagogue.

Then the brothers immediately sent Paul away to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed there.

The men who escorted Paul took him all the way to Athens and, after receiving instructions to have Silas and Timothy join him as soon as possible, they left.

He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him home and explained God's way to him more accurately.

And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there,

"I'm now entrusting you to God and to the message of his grace, which is able to build you up and secure for you an inheritance among all who are sanctified.

"Then I asked, "What am I to do, Lord?'

"Then he said, "The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear his own voice,

"Then he told me, "Go, because I'll send you far away to the gentiles.'"

But when they had tied him up with the straps, Paul asked the centurion who was standing there, "Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn't been condemned?"

He answered, "The Jewish leaders have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the Council tomorrow as though they were going to examine his case more carefully.

But so as not to detain you any further, I beg you to hear us briefly with your customary graciousness.

But some Jews from Asia were there, and they should be here before you to accuse me if they have anything against me.

"All of us fell to the ground, and I heard a voice asking me in the Hebrew language, "Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me? It is hurting you to keep on kicking against the cattle prods.'

"The Lord answered, "I'm Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and stand on your feet, because I've appeared to you for the very purpose of appointing you to be my servant and witness of what you've seen and of what I'll show you.

But now I urge you to have courage, because there will be no loss of life among you, but only loss of the ship.

So I urge you to eat something, for it will help you survive, since none of you will lose so much as a hair from his head."

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I often planned to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now), so that I might reap a harvest among you, just as I have among the rest of the gentiles.

Or are you unaware of his rich kindness, forbearance, and patience, that it is God's kindness that is leading you to repent?

What, then, are we to say about Abraham, our human ancestor?

I therefore urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercies, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices that are holy and pleasing to God, for this is the reasonable way for you to worship.

But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for it is not without reason that they bear the sword. Indeed, they are God's servants to administer punishment to anyone who does wrong. Therefore, it is necessary for you to be acquiescent to the authorities, not only for the sake of God's punishment, but also for the sake of your own conscience.

This is necessary because you know the times it's already time for you to wake up from sleep, because our salvation is nearer now than when we became believers.

Who are you to criticize someone else's servant? He stands or falls before his own Lord and stand he will, because the Lord makes him stand.

Do not allow what seems good to you to be spoken of as evil.