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.

On that day there will be great confusion from the Lord among them; they will seize each other and attack one another violently.

This is the kind of plague that will devastate horses, mules, camels, donkeys, and all the other animals in those camps.

Then all who survive from all the nations that came to attack Jerusalem will go up annually to worship the King, the Lord who rules over all, and to observe the Feast of Tabernacles.

If the Egyptians will not do so, they will get no rain -- instead there will be the kind of plague which the Lord inflicts on any nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

This will be the punishment of Egypt and of all nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

On that day the bells of the horses will bear the inscription "Holy to the Lord." The cooking pots in the Lord's temple will be as holy as the bowls in front of the altar.

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.

For when you offer blind animals as a sacrifice, is that not wrong? And when you offer the lame and sick, is that not wrong as well? Indeed, try offering them to your governor! Will he be pleased with you or show you favor?" asks the Lord who rules over all.

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.

"I wish that one of you would close the temple doors, so that you no longer would light useless fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you," says the Lord who rules over all, "and I will no longer accept an offering from you.

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

Then you will know that I sent this commandment to you so that my covenant may continue to be with Levi," says the Lord who rules over all.

Judah has become disloyal, and unspeakable sins have been committed in Israel and Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the holy things that the Lord loves and has turned to a foreign god!

"Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in my temple. Test me in this matter," says the Lord who rules over all, "to see if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until there is no room for it all.

Then once more you will see that I make a distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not.

He will encourage fathers and their children to return to me, so that I will not come and strike the earth with judgment."

This all happened so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled:

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."

When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he became enraged. He sent men to kill all the children in Bethlehem and throughout the surrounding region from the age of two and under, according to the time he had learned from the wise men.

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.

He came to a town called Nazareth and lived there. Then what had been spoken by the prophets was fulfilled, that Jesus would be called a Nazarene.

Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance,

and don't think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones!

Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

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

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.'"

Now when Jesus heard that John had been imprisoned, he went into Galilee.

so that what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled:

From that time Jesus began to preach this message: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.

"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.

For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

"You have heard that it was said to an older generation, 'Do not murder,' and 'whoever murders will be subjected to judgment.'

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.

So then, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,

"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'

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.'

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor' and 'hate your enemy.'

so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Thus whenever you do charitable giving, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth, they have their reward.

so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

"Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues and on street corners so that people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward.

When you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles, because they think that by their many words they will be heard.

"When you fast, do not look sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unattractive so that people will see them fasting. I tell you the truth, they have their reward.

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.

Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these!

For the unconverted pursue these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

"Do not judge so that you will not be judged.

"Enter through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.

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

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

On that day, many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do many powerful deeds?'

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."

Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go; just as you believed, it will be done for you." And the servant was healed at that hour.

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

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.

The herdsmen ran off, went into the town, and told everything that had happened to the demon-possessed men.

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."

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.

And the news of this spread throughout that region.

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."

And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly warned them, "See that no one knows about this."

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

And if anyone will not welcome you or listen to your message, shake the dust off your feet as you leave that house or that town.

I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town!

Whenever they hand you over for trial, do not worry about how to speak or what to say, for what you should say will be given to you at that time.

"Do not be afraid of them, for nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing is secret that will not be made known.

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace but a sword.

At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and revealed them to little children.

At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on a Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pick heads of wheat and eat them.

Or have you not read in the law that the priests in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are not guilty?

I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.

Then Jesus left that place and entered their synagogue.

A man was there who had a withered hand. And they asked Jesus, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" so that they could accuse him.

He said to them, "Would not any one of you, if he had one sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, take hold of it and lift it out?

Then they brought to him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. Jesus healed him so that he could speak and see.

I tell you that on the day of judgment, people will give an account for every worthless word they speak.

Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so the last state of that person is worse than the first. It will be that way for this evil generation as well!"

On that day after Jesus went out of the house, he sat by the lake.

And such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat to sit while the whole crowd stood on the shore.

And concerning them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: 'You will listen carefully yet will never understand, you will look closely yet will never comprehend.

For the heart of this people has become dull; they are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes, so that they would not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.'

He gave them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.

It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest garden plant and becomes a tree, so that the wild birds come and nest in its branches."

He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all the dough had risen."

The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everything that causes sin as well as all lawbreakers.

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, hidden in a field, that a person found and hid. Then because of joy he went and sold all that he had and bought that field.

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea that caught all kinds of fish.

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard reports about Jesus,

so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.

When evening arrived, his disciples came to him saying, "This is an isolated place and the hour is already late. Send the crowds away so that they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves."

What defiles a person is not what goes into the mouth; it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles a person."

Then the disciples came to him and said, "Do you know that when the Pharisees heard this saying they were offended?"

And he replied, "Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted.