You expected a large harvest, but instead there was little, and when you brought it home it disappeared right away. Why?' asks the Lord who rules over all. 'Because my temple remains in ruins, thanks to each of you favoring his own house!

"Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the former prophets called out, saying, 'The Lord who rules over all says, "Turn now from your evil wickedness,"' but they would by no means obey me," says the Lord.

But have my words and statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, not outlived your fathers? Then they paid attention and confessed, 'The Lord who rules over all has indeed done what he said he would do to us, because of our sinful ways.'"

But I am greatly displeased with the nations that take my grace for granted. I was a little displeased with them, but they have only made things worse for themselves.

I asked, "What are these going to do?" He answered, "These horns are the ones that have scattered Judah so that there is no one to be seen. But the blacksmiths have come to terrify Judah's enemies and cut off the horns of the nations that have thrust themselves against the land of Judah in order to scatter its people."

But I (the Lord says) will be a wall of fire surrounding Jerusalem and the source of glory in her midst.'"

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.

Therefore he told me, "These signify the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: 'Not by strength and not by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord who rules over all."

The chariot with the black horses is going to the north country and the white ones are going after them, but the spotted ones are going to the south country.

"But they refused to pay attention, turning away stubbornly and stopping their ears so they could not hear.

"'It then came about that just as I cried out, but they would not obey, so they will cry out, but I will not listen,' the Lord Lord who rules over all had said.

But I will be different now to this remnant of my people from the way I was in those days,' says the Lord who rules over all,

Moreover, as for you, because of our covenant relationship secured with blood, I will release your prisoners from the waterless pit.

Indeed, I will no longer have compassion on the people of the land," says the Lord, "but instead I will turn every last person over to his neighbor and his king. They will devastate the land, and I will not deliver it from them."

Then I said to them, "If it seems good to you, pay me my wages, but if not, forget it." So they weighed out my payment -- thirty pieces of silver.

Indeed, I am about to raise up a shepherd in the land who will not take heed to the sheep headed to slaughter, will not seek the scattered, and will not heal the injured. Moreover, he will not nourish the one that is healthy but instead will eat the meat of the fat sheep and tear off their hooves.

In that day," says the Lord, "I will strike every horse with confusion and its rider with madness. I will pay close attention to the house of Judah, but will strike all the horses of the nations with blindness.

It will happen in all the land, says the Lord, that two-thirds of the people in it will be cut off and die, but one-third will be left in it.

For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to wage war; the city will be taken, its houses plundered, and the women raped. Then half of the city will go into exile, but the remainder of the people will not be taken away.

It will happen in one day (a day known to the Lord); not in the day or the night, but in the evening there will be light.

But this will be the nature of the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations that have fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will decay while they stand on their feet, their eyes will rot away in their sockets, and their tongues will dissolve in their mouths.

But if any of the nations anywhere on earth refuse to go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord who rules over all, they will get no rain.

Every cooking pot in Jerusalem and Judah will become holy in the sight of the Lord who rules over all, so that all who offer sacrifices may come and use some of them to boil their sacrifices in them. On that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord who rules over all.

"I have shown love to you," says the Lord, but you say, "How have you shown love to us?" "Esau was Jacob's brother," the Lord explains, "yet I chose Jacob

Edom says, "Though we are devastated, we will once again build the ruined places." So the Lord who rules over all responds, "They indeed may build, but I will overthrow. They will be known as the land of evil, the people with whom the Lord is permanently displeased.

"A son naturally honors his father and a slave respects his master. If I am your father, where is my honor? If I am your master, where is my respect? The Lord who rules over all asks you this, you priests who make light of my name! But you reply, 'How have we made light of your name?'

But now plead for God's favor that he might be gracious to us. "With this kind of offering in your hands, how can he be pleased with you?" asks the Lord who rules over all.

"But you are profaning it by saying that the table of the Lord is common and its offerings despicable.

"There will be harsh condemnation for the hypocrite who has a valuable male animal in his flock but vows and sacrifices something inferior to the Lord. For I am a great king," says the Lord who rules over all, "and my name is awesome among the nations."

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?"

From the days of your ancestors you have ignored my commandments and have not kept them! Return to me, and I will return to you," says the Lord who rules over all. "But you say, 'How should we return?'

Can a person rob God? You indeed are robbing me, but you say, 'How are we robbing you?' In tithes and contributions!

"You have criticized me sharply," says the Lord, "but you ask, 'How have we criticized you?'

But for you who respect my name, the sun of vindication will rise with healing wings, and you will skip about like calves released from the stall.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ happened this way. While his mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

but did not have marital relations with her until she gave birth to a son, whom he named Jesus.

But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. After being warned in a dream, he went to the regions of Galilee.

But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

"I baptize you with water, for repentance, but the one coming after me is more powerful than I am -- I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clean out his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the storehouse, but the chaff he will burn up with inextinguishable fire."

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

But he answered, "It is written, 'Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

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

Going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. Then he called them.

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

"You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled on by people.

People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish these things but to fulfill them.

So anyone who breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever obeys them and teaches others to do so will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

But I say to you that anyone who is angry with a brother will be subjected to judgment. And whoever insults a brother will be brought before the council, and whoever says 'Fool' will be sent to fiery hell.

I tell you the truth, you will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny!

But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

"Again, you have heard that it was said to an older generation, 'Do not break an oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.'

But I say to you, do not take oaths at all -- not by heaven, because it is the throne of God,

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.

But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you,

But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

But whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.

When you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,

so that it will not be obvious to others when you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.

But if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Why do you see the speck in your brother's eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own?

But the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

"Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves.

In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.

A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit.

The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because it had been founded on rock.

The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed; it was utterly destroyed!"

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."

But the centurion replied, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Instead, just say the word and my servant will be healed.

but the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

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."

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.

And a great storm developed on the sea so that the waves began to swamp the boat. But he was asleep.

But he said to them, "Why are you cowardly, you people of little faith?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was dead calm.

After getting into a boat he crossed to the other side and came to his own town.

But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" -- then he said to the paralytic -- "Stand up, take your stretcher, and go home."

When Jesus heard this he said, "Those who are healthy don't need a physician, but those who are sick do.

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

Then John's disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don't fast?"

Jesus said to them, "The wedding guests cannot mourn while the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days are coming when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast.

And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the skins burst and the wine is spilled out and the skins are destroyed. Instead they put new wine into new wineskins and both are preserved."

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."

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

But when Jesus turned and saw her he said, "Have courage, daughter! Your faith has made you well." And the woman was healed from that hour.

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

But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and gently took her by the hand, and the girl got up.

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

But the Pharisees said, "By the ruler of demons he casts out demons."

Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

And if the house is worthy, let your peace come on it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.

For it is not you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

"Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise against parents and have them put to death.

And you will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.