They set kings in place, but not by me. They established princes, whom I did not recognize. They crafted idols for themselves from their silver and gold; as a result, they will be destroyed.

They have corrupted themselves deeply, as did Gibeah in its day. Therefore God will remember their lawlessness, and he will pay them back for their sins.

"My God will reject them, because they did not obey him, and they will become wanderers among the nations."

From now on they will say, "We have no king, because we did not fear the LORD and what would a king do for us?'

"I will remove the northerners from you, driving them to a barren and desolate land the front toward the Dead Sea and the back toward the Mediterranean. Their stench will rise, and their stinking odor will ascend, because they have done great things."

"Then I will restore to you the years that the locust swarm devoured, as did the young locust, the other locusts, and the ravaging locust, that great army of mine that I sent among you.

This is what the LORD says: "For three transgressions of Tyre and now for a fourth I will not turn away; because they delivered the entire population to Edom, and did not remember their covenant with their relatives.

This is what the LORD says: "For three transgressions of Judah and now for a fourth I will not turn away; because they rejected the Law of the LORD and did not keep his statutes. Their own lies made them wander off, following along the same path their ancestors walked.

"I sent plagues among you as I did with Egypt. I killed your choicest young men with the sword. I took your horses away from you. I filled your noses with the stench of your encampments, but you have not returned to me," declares the LORD.

"Aren't you people of Israel like the people of Cush to me?" declares the LORD. "I brought Israel up from the land of Egypt, did I not, as well as the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir?

I sank to the roots of the mountains; the earth's prison bars closed around me forever. Yet you resurrect the dead from the Pit, LORD my God!

God took note of what they did that they turned from their evil ways. Because God relented concerning the trouble about which he had warned them, he did not carry it out.

Use your rod to shepherd your people, the flock that belongs to you, that lives alone in the forest of Carmel. Let them find pasture in Bashan and Gilead, as they did long ago.

As I did when you came out of the land of Egypt, I will show you awesome things.

Indeed, the violence done to Lebanon will overtake you, and the destruction of the beasts will terrorize you because you shed human blood and did violence to the land, to the city, and to all who live in it."

"You turned away in pursuit of abundance, but look at how little you found! What you did manage to bring home, I blew away! And why?' declares the LORD of the Heavenly Armies. "It's because of my house! It lies in ruins while each of you runs off to his own house!

So Haggai responded, "If someone who is unclean because of contact with a dead body were to touch any of these things, would they become unclean?" The priests responded, "They would be unclean."

I punished you and everything that you undertook with scorching wind, with mildew, and with hail, and you still did not return to me,' declares the LORD.

But my words and my statutes that I gave as commands to my servants the prophets did they not overwhelm your ancestors? And they returned to me: "The LORD of the Heavenly Armies acted toward us just as he planned to do in keeping with our lifestyles and in keeping with our actions.'"

"Go take up an offering from those who came out of the Babylonian exile, that is, from Heldai, from Tobijah, and from Jedaiah. Go along with them today into the house of Zephaniah's son Josiah, who returned from Babylon.

""But now I will not treat the survivors of this people as I did formerly,' declares the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.

"This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: "Just as I intended to bring harm to you when your ancestors angered me,' says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, "and I did not relent,

Return to your fortress, you prisoners who have hope. Even today I am telling you: In return I will repay you double.

At that time, flowing waters will run perennially from Jerusalem, half toward the Dead Sea and half to the Mediterranean Sea.

"My covenant with him was for life and peace, and I gave the commandments to him so he would fear me. He did fear me as he stood in my presence.

Did he not make them one? And the vestige of the spirit remains in him. And why did he make them one? He was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and don't be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.

"You have spoken arrogant words against me," says the LORD. "Yet you ask, "What did we say against you?'

You said, "It is futile to serve God,' and, "What did we get out of it when we carried out his requirements and went about like mourners in the presence of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies?'

which means, "God with us." When Joseph got up from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary as his wife.

He did not have marital relations with her until she had given birth to a son; and he named him Jesus.

"Get up," he said. "Take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead."

John had clothing made of camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist. His diet consisted of grasshoppers and wild honey.

Give us today our daily bread,

Now if that is the way God clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and thrown into an oven tomorrow, won't he clothe you much better you who have little faith?

The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, but it did not collapse because its foundation was on the rock.

But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

Suddenly, they screamed, "What do you want with us, Son of God? Did you come here to torture us before the proper time?"

Go and learn what this means: "I want mercy and not sacrifice,' because I did not come to call righteous people, but sinners."

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. You have received without payment, so give without payment.

"Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword!

the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the destitute hear the good news.

As they were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John. "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

Really, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fancy clothes? See, those who wear fancy clothes live in kings' houses.

Really, what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and even more than a prophet!

"To what can I compare the people living today? They're like little children who sit in the marketplaces and shout to each other,

"A wedding song we played for you, the dance you all did scorn. A woeful dirge we chanted, too, but then you would not mourn.'

But he told them, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?

The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment and condemn the people living today, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah. But look something greater than Jonah is here!

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!"

Other seeds fell on stony ground, where they did not have a lot of soil. They sprouted at once because the soil wasn't deep.

But when the sun came up, they were scorched. Since they did not have any roots, they dried up.

I tell all of you with certainty, many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see but did not see them, and to hear the things you hear but did not hear them."

"The owner's servants came and asked him, "Master, you sowed good seed in your field, didn't you? Then where did these weeds come from?'

"He told them, "An enemy did this!' "The servants asked him, "Do you want us to go and pull them out?'

Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables. He did not tell them anything without using a parable.

He went to his hometown and began teaching the people in their synagogue in such a way that they were amazed and asked, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miracles?

And his sisters are all with us, aren't they? So where did this man get all these things?"

But Jesus told them, "A prophet is without honor only in his hometown and in his own home." He did not perform many miracles there because of their unbelief.

told his servants, "This is John the Baptist! He has been raised from the dead, and that's why these miracles are being done by him."

At once Jesus reached out his hand, caught him, and asked him, "You who have so little faith, why did you doubt?"

You hypocrites! How well did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said,

He replied, "Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be pulled up by the roots.

Then they understood that he did not say to beware of the yeast used in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

On their way down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, "Don't tell anyone about this vision until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

But I tell you that Elijah has already come, yet people did not recognize him and treated him just as they pleased. In the same way, the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands."

They asked him, "Why, then, did Moses order us "to give a certificate of divorce and divorce her'?"

Just then a man came up to Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what good deed should I do to have eternal life?"

So off they went. He went out again about noon and about three o'clock and did the same thing.

"But he told one of them, "Friend, I'm not treating you unfairly. You did agree with me for a denarius, didn't you?

That's the way it is with the Son of Man. He did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people."

So the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.

When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. "How did the fig tree dry up so quickly?" they asked.

Where did John's authority to baptize come from? From heaven or from humans?"

"But what do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, "Son, go and work in the vineyard today.'

Which of the two did the father's will?" They answered, "The first one."

Jesus told them, "I tell all of you with certainty, tax collectors and prostitutes will get into God's kingdom ahead of you! John came to you living a righteous life, and you didn't believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes did. But even when you saw that, you didn't change your minds at last and believe him."

He asked him, "Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' But the man was speechless.

As for the resurrection from the dead, haven't you read what was spoken to you by God when he said,

"I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living."

"How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead people's bones and every kind of impurity.

I tell all of you with certainty, all these things will happen to those living today."

"Then the righteous will say to him, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you something to eat, or thirsty and give you something to drink?

When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or see you naked and clothe you?

When did we see you sick or in prison, and visit you?'

The king will answer them, "I tell all of you with certainty, since you did it for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.'

"Then they will reply, "Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or as a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and didn't help you?'

So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

But Jesus did not reply at all, so that the governor was very surprised.

He did this because he knew that they had handed him over out of jealousy.

While he was sitting on the judge's seat, his wife sent him a message that said, "Have nothing to do with that righteous man, because today I have suffered terribly due to a dream I had about him."

Therefore, order the tomb to be secured until the third day, or his disciples may go and steal him and then tell the people, "He has been raised from the dead.' Then the last deception would be worse than the first one."

Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead. He is going ahead of you into Galilee, and you will see him there. Remember, I have told you!"

So the soldiers took the money, did as they were instructed, and this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

When Jesus heard that, he told them, "Healthy people don't need a physician, but sick ones do. I did not come to call righteous people, but sinners."

He asked them, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need?

He did not tell them anything without using a parable, though he explained everything to his disciples in private.

While he was still speaking, some people came from the synagogue leader's home and said, "Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher anymore?"

He entered the house and asked them, "Why all this confusion and crying? The child isn't dead. She's sleeping."

When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were utterly amazed. "Where did this man get all these things?" they asked. "What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What great miracles are being done by his hands!

King Herod heard about this, because Jesus' name had become well-known. He was saying, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead! That's why he is able to do these miracles."