"Would it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straitened till it is accomplished!

Is it your opinion that I have come to give peace on earth? I say to you, No, but division:

For from this time, if there are five people in a house, they will be divided, three against two, and two against three.

They will be at war, the father against his son, and the son against his father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.

And he went on to say, even unto the multitudes, - Whensoever ye see a cloud springing up from the west, straightway, ye are saying - A thunderstorm is coming! and it happeneth thus.

O false ones! the face of the earth and the heaven is clear to you; how is it that the signs of these times are not as clear to you?

And why are you, in your hearts, unable to be judges of what is right?

For while you are going with your opponent [at law] to appear before a magistrate, on the way make an effort to settle, so that he does not drag you before the judge, and the judge does not [rule against you and] turn you over to the officer, and the officer does not throw you into prison.

I tell you, you will not be released from there until you have paid the last coin [Note: This coin amounted to about five minutes of a farm laborer's pay, or about fifty cents in 1994]."

There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?

I tell you, no; but unless you repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways and live changed lives], you will all likewise perish.

Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?

I tell you, no; but unless you repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways and live changed lives], you will all likewise perish.”

So he said to the gardener, "'See, this is the third year I have come to look for fruit on this fig-tree and cannot find any. Cut it down. Why should so much ground be actually wasted?'

And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:

And if indeed it produces fruit in the coming [year], [so much the better], but if not, you can cut it down.'"

And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had an illness caused by a spirit (demon). She was bent double, and could not straighten up at all.

When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are released from your illness.”

And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.

The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?

And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.

Then said he, "What is the kingdom of God like? Or whereto shall I compare it?

It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.

It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three peck measures of flour until it was all leavened.”

Afterwards he pass'd thro' several citys and villages, where he taught the people, on his journey to Jerusalem.

Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,

"Strain every nerve to force your way in through the narrow gate," He answered; "for multitudes, I tell you, will endeavour to find a way in and will not succeed.

When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:

Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.

But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.

There will be weeping and cries of sorrow when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves are shut outside.

And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.

Just at that time there came some Pharisees who warned Him, saying, "Leave this place and continue your journey; Herod means to kill you."

And He said to them, "Going your way, tell this fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons, and perfect cures, to-day and to-morrow; and on the third day I am made perfect.

Nevertheless, I must walk today and tomorrow, and the day following: For it cannot be, that a prophet perish any other where, save at Jerusalem.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!

Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

And it came to pass, when he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a sabbath to eat bread, that they were watching him.

And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath, or not?

But they were silent. And taking him he healed him and let him go.

And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?

And they were not able to answer him to these things.

And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them,

“When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down [to eat] at the place of honor, since a more distinguished person than you may have been invited by the host,

The one who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then in humiliation, you will proceed to take the lowest place.

But when thou hast been invited, go and put thyself down in the last place, that when he who has invited thee comes, he may say to thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have honour before all that are lying at table with thee;

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled [before others], and he who habitually humbles himself (keeps a realistic self-view) will be exalted.”

Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.

But when you give a banquet or a reception, invite the poor, the disabled, the lame, and the blind,

and you will be blessed, because they are not able to repay you. For it will be paid back to you at the resurrection of the righteous."

And one of those that were lying at table with them, hearing these things, said to him, Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.

upon which Jesus said, a certain man made a great entertainment; where many were invited.

And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.

And they all gave reasons why they were not able to come. The first said to him, I have got a new field, and it is necessary for me to go and see it: I am full of regret that I am unable to come.

And the servant came back and gave his master an account of these things. Then the master of the house was angry and said to the servant, Go out quickly into the streets of the town and get the poor, the blind, and those who are broken in body.

And the servant said, Lord, your orders have been done, and still there is room.

For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.

And there were going on with him great multitudes, and having turned, he said unto them,

“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life [in the sense of indifference to or relative disregard for them in comparison with his attitude toward God]—he cannot be My disciple.

lest that he having laid a foundation, and not being able to finish, all who are beholding may begin to mock him,

Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?

Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.

It isn’t fit for the soil or for the manure pile; they throw it out. Anyone who has ears to hear should listen!”

Now all the publicans and sinners were drawing near unto him to hear him.

and the Pharisees and the scribes were murmuring, saying -- This one doth receive sinners, and doth eat with them.'

What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if one of them gets loose and goes away, will not let the ninety-nine be in the waste land by themselves, and go after the wandering one, till he sees where it is?

Or what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a lamp, and sweep the house, and seek diligently until she find it?

The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of your property.' He divided his livelihood between them.

Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his estate in foolish living.

And he longed to fill his belly with the husks which the swine were eating; and no one gave to him.

I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.

I am no more worthy to be called your son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

and get the calf we are fattening, and kill it, and let us feast and celebrate,

For this, my son, who was dead, is living again; he had gone away from me, and has come back. And they were full of joy.

And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’

But he said to his father, ‘Look! These many years I have served you, and I have never neglected or disobeyed your command. Yet you have never given me [so much as] a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends;

but when this [other] son of yours arrived, who has devoured your estate with immoral women, you slaughtered that fattened calf for him!’

'And he said to him, Child, thou art always with me, and all my things are thine;

But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.'"

Now Jesus was also saying to the disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a manager [of his estate], and accusations [against this man] were brought to him, that this man was squandering his [master’s] possessions.

So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management [of my affairs], for you can no longer be [my] manager.’

"So he called all his master's debtors, one by one, and asked the first, 'How much are you in debt to my master?'

He said, ‘A hundred measures of [olive] oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’

Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’

And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.

Therefore, I tell you, make friends for yourselves by using worldly wealth, so that when it fails [i.e., when you run out of money] they [i.e., the friends you made with its wise and benevolent use] may welcome you into the eternal [i.e., heavenly] dwelling places. [Note: The idea here seems to be that by your shrewd use of material possessions for the benefit of others, you are actually storing up treasures for yourself in heaven].

If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?

No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.

And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.

and desiring to be filled from the crumbs that are falling from the table of the rich man; yea, also the dogs, coming, were licking his sores.

In the afterlife, where he was in constant torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus by his side.

But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things [all the comforts and delights], and Lazarus likewise bad things [all the discomforts and distresses]; but now he is comforted here [in paradise], while you are in severe agony.

and besides all these things, between us and you a great chasm is fixed, so that they who are willing to go over from hence unto you are not able, nor do they from thence to us pass through.

upon which he said, father, I beg it of you, that you would send him to my father's family, where I have five brothers,

where I have five brothers. Then he could warn them so that they will not [have to] come to this [terrible] place of torment also.'