They said to him, "Tell us, whose fault is it that this disaster has overtaken us? What's your occupation? Where do you come from? What's your country? And who are your people?"

Hearing this, the men became even more afraid and said to him, "What have you done?" (The men said this because they knew that he was trying to escape from the Lord, because he had previously told them.)

Because the storm was growing worse and worse, they said to him, "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?"

So they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped raging.

The Lord God appointed a little plant and caused it to grow up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to rescue him from his misery. Now Jonah was very delighted about the little plant.

The mountains will disintegrate beneath him, and the valleys will be split in two. The mountains will melt like wax in a fire, the rocks will slide down like water cascading down a steep slope.

This is what the Lord says: "The prophets who mislead my people are as good as dead. If someone gives them enough to eat, they offer an oracle of peace. But if someone does not give them food, they are ready to declare war on him.

My people, recall how King Balak of Moab planned to harm you, how Balaam son of Beor responded to him. Recall how you journeyed from Shittim to Gilgal, so you might acknowledge that the Lord has treated you fairly."

Will the Lord accept a thousand rams, or ten thousand streams of olive oil? Should I give him my firstborn child as payment for my rebellion, my offspring -- my own flesh and blood -- for my sin?

I must endure the Lord's anger, for I have sinned against him. But then he will defend my cause, and accomplish justice on my behalf. He will lead me out into the light; I will experience firsthand his deliverance.

The mountains tremble before him, the hills convulse; the earth is laid waste before him, the world and all its inhabitants are laid waste.

The Lord is good -- indeed, he is a fortress in time of distress, and he protects those who seek refuge in him.

"But all these nations will someday taunt him and ridicule him with proverbial sayings: 'The one who accumulates what does not belong to him is as good as dead (How long will this go on?) -- he who gets rich by extortion!'

Plague goes before him; pestilence marches right behind him.

You march out to deliver your people, to deliver your special servant. You strike the leader of the wicked nation, laying him open from the lower body to the neck. Selah.

Know for sure that I will then enable the nations to give me acceptable praise. All of them will invoke the Lord's name when they pray, and will worship him in unison.

Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, along with the whole remnant of the people, obeyed the Lord their God. They responded favorably to the message of the prophet Haggai, who spoke just as the Lord their God had instructed him, and the people began to respect the Lord.

I was attentive that night and saw a man seated on a red horse that stood among some myrtle trees in the ravine. Behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses.

At this point the angelic messenger who spoke to me went out, and another messenger came to meet him

and said to him, "Hurry, speak to this young man as follows: 'Jerusalem will no longer be enclosed by walls because of the multitude of people and animals there.

Next I saw Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, with Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.

Then I spoke up, "Let a clean turban be put on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood nearby.

Then say to him, 'The Lord who rules over all says, "Look -- here is the man whose name is Branch, who will sprout up from his place and build the temple of the Lord.

Indeed, he will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed in splendor, sitting as king on his throne. Moreover, there will be a priest with him on his throne and they will see eye to eye on everything.

From him will come the cornerstone, the wall peg, the battle bow, and every ruler.

"I will pour out on the kingship of David and the population of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication so that they will look to me, the one they have pierced. They will lament for him as one laments for an only son, and there will be a bitter cry for him like the bitter cry for a firstborn.

Then, if anyone prophesies in spite of this, his father and mother to whom he was born will say to him, 'You cannot live, for you lie in the name of the Lord.' Then his father and mother to whom he was born will run him through with a sword when he prophesies.

Then someone will ask him, 'What are these wounds on your chest?' and he will answer, 'Some that I received in the house of my friends.'

Then you will escape through my mountain valley, for the mountains will extend to Azal. Indeed, you will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come with all his holy ones with him.

"My covenant with him was designed to bring life and peace. I gave its statutes to him to fill him with awe, and he indeed revered me and stood in awe before me.

For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge of sacred things, and people should seek instruction from him because he is the messenger of the Lord who rules over all.

No one who has even a small portion of the Spirit in him does this. What did our ancestor do when seeking a child from God? Be attentive, then, to your own spirit, for one should not be disloyal to the wife he took in his youth.

You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, "How have we wearied him?" Because you say, "Everyone who does evil is good in the Lord's opinion, and he delights in them," or "Where is the God of justice?"

Then those who respected the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord took notice. A scroll was prepared before him in which were recorded the names of those who respected the Lord and honored his name.

"They will belong to me," says the Lord who rules over all, "in the day when I prepare my own special property. I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.

When he had contemplated this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

She will give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

"Look! The virgin will conceive and bear a son, and they will call him Emmanuel," which means "God with us."

When Joseph awoke from sleep he did what the angel of the Lord told him. He took his wife,

saying, "Where is the one who is born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him."

When King Herod heard this he was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him.

He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and look carefully for the child. When you find him, inform me so that I can go and worship him as well."

As they came into the house and saw the child with Mary his mother, they bowed down and worshiped him. They opened their treasure boxes and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

After they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to look for the child to kill him."

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

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John to be baptized by him in the Jordan River.

But John tried to prevent him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?"

So Jesus replied to him, "Let it happen now, for it is right for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then John yielded to him.

After Jesus was baptized, just as he was coming up out of the water, the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming on him.

And a voice from heaven said, "This is my one dear Son; in him I take great delight."

The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread."

Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the highest point of the temple,

and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you' and 'with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

Jesus said to him, "Once again it is written: 'You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.'"

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their grandeur.

And he said to him, "I will give you all these things if you throw yourself to the ground and worship me."

Then Jesus said to him, "Go away, Satan! For it is written: 'You are to worship the Lord your God and serve only him.'"

Then the devil left him, and angels came and began ministering to his needs.

They left their nets immediately and followed him.

They immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.

So a report about him spread throughout Syria. People brought to him all who suffered with various illnesses and afflictions, those who had seizures, paralytics, and those possessed by demons, and he healed them.

And large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan River.

When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain. After he sat down his disciples came to him.

But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer. But whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well.

And if someone wants to sue you and to take your tunic, give him your coat also.

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

Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Is there anyone among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

After he came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him.

And a leper approached, and bowed low before him, saying, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."

He stretched out his hand and touched him saying, "I am willing. Be clean!" Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Then Jesus said to him, "See that you do not speak to anyone, but go, show yourself to a priest, and bring the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him asking for help:

Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."

When Jesus heard this he was amazed and said to those who followed him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found such faith in anyone in Israel!

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.

Now when Jesus saw a large crowd around him, he gave orders to go to the other side of the lake.

Then an expert in the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."

Jesus said to him, "Foxes have dens, and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

Another of the disciples said to him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."

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

As he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.

So they came and woke him up saying, "Lord, save us! We are about to die!"

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.

Then the demons begged him, "If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs."

Then the entire town came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

Just then some people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Have courage, son! Your sins are forgiven."

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. "Follow me," he said to him. And he got up and followed him.

As he was saying these things, a ruler came, bowed low before him, and said, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live."

Jesus and his disciples got up and followed him.

But a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak.

he said, "Go away, for the girl is not dead but asleep." And they began making fun of him.

As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, shouting, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"

When he went into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to him, "Yes, Lord."

But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that entire region.

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

Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.