Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes shall find so doing!

But if the man, being a bad servant, should say in his heart, 'My master is a long time in coming,'

the master of that servant will arrive on a day when he is not expecting him and at an hour of which he has not been informed;

Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

but the wise, besides their torches, took oil in their flasks.

But at midnight there is a loud cry, "'The bridegroom! Go out and meet him!'

"'Give us some of your oil,' said the foolish ones to the wise, 'for our torches are going out.'

"'But perhaps,' replied the wise, 'there will not be enough for all of us. Go to the shops rather, and buy some for yourselves.'

"Afterwards the other bridesmaids came and cried, "'Sir, Sir, open the door to us.'

"Why, it is like a man who, when going on his travels, called his bondservants and entrusted his property to their care.

But as for this worthless servant, put him out into the darkness outside: *there* will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.'

and all the nations will be gathered into His presence. And He will separate them from one another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;

"But the King will answer them, "'In solemn truth I tell you that in so far as you rendered such services to one of the humblest of these my brethren, you rendered them to myself.'

"But he will reply, "'In solemn truth I tell you that in so far as you withheld such services from one of the humblest of these, you withheld them from me.'

a woman came to Him with a jar of very costly, sweet-scented ointment, which she poured over His head as He reclined at table.

"Go into the city," He replied, "to a certain man, and tell him, 'The Teacher says, My time is close at hand. It is at your house that I shall keep the Passover with my disciples.'"

The disciples did as Jesus directed them, and got the Passover ready.

"The one who has dipped his fingers in the bowl with me," He answered, "is the man who will betray me.

The Son of Man is indeed going as is written concerning Him; but alas for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It had been a happy thing for that man if he had never been born."

Then Judas, the disciple who was betraying Him, asked, "Can it be I, Rabbi?" "It is you," He replied.

During the meal Jesus took a Passover biscuit, blessed it and broke it. He then gave it to the disciples, saying, "Take this and eat it: it is my body."

for this is my blood which is to be poured out for many for the remission of sins--the blood which ratifies the Covenant.

Then said Jesus, "This night all of you will stumble and fail in your fidelity to me; for it is written, 'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered in all directions.'

and He said to them, "My soul is crushed with anguish to the very point of death; wait here, and keep awake with me."

Going forward a short distance He fell on His face and prayed. "My Father," He said, "if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou willest."

Keep awake, and pray that you may not enter into temptation: the spirit is right willing, but the body is frail."

Again a second time He went away and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is impossible for this cup to pass without my drinking it, Thy will be done."

Then He came to the disciples and said, "Sleep on and rest. See, the moment is close at hand when the Son of Man is to be betrayed into the hands of sinful men.

Rouse yourselves. Let us be going. My betrayer is close at hand."

Now the betrayer had agreed upon a sign with them, to direct them. He had said, "The one whom I kiss is the man: lay hold of him."

Then said Jesus to the crowds, "Have you come out as if to fight with a robber, with swords and bludgeons to apprehend me? Day after day I have been sitting teaching in the Temple, and you did not arrest me.

But the officers who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the High Priest, at whose house the Scribes and the Elders had assembled.

Then the High Priest stood up and asked Him, "Have you no answer to make? What is it these men are saying in evidence against you?"

Jesus however remained silent. Again the High Priest addressed Him. "In the name of the ever-living God," he said, "I now put you on your oath. Tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God."

What is your verdict?" "He deserves to die," they replied.

while they taunted Him, saying, "Christ, prove yourself a Prophet by telling us who it was that struck you."

and said, "I have sinned, in betraying to death one who is innocent." "What does that matter to us?" they replied; it is your business."

When the High Priests had gathered up the money they said, "It is illegal to put it into the Treasury, because it is the price of blood."

So after consulting together they spent the money in the purchase of the Potter's Field as a burial place for people not belonging to the city;

and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me."

"His blood," replied all the people, "be on us and on our children!"

Over His head they placed a written statement of the charge against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

"He saved others," they said, "himself he cannot save! He is the King of Israel! Let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in him.

His trust is in God: let God deliver him now, if He will have him; for he said, 'I am God's Son.'"

but about three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is to say, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?"

"The man is calling for Elijah," said some of the bystanders.

while the rest said, "Let us see whether Elijah is coming to deliver him."

As for the Captain and the soldiers who were with Him keeping guard over Jesus, when they witnessed the earthquake and the other occurrences they were filled with terror, and exclaimed, "Assuredly he was God's Son."

"You can have a guard," said Pilate: "go and make all safe, as best you can."

His appearance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow.

But the angel said to the women, "As for you, dismiss your fears. I know that it is Jesus that you are looking for--the crucified One.

He is not here: He has come back to life, as He foretold. Come and see the place where He lay.

And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead and is going before you into Galilee: there you shall see Him. Remember, I have told you."

"And if this," they added, "is reported to the Governor, we will satisfy him and screen you from punishment."

So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this story was noised about among the Jews, and is current to this day.

As for the eleven disciples, they proceeded into Galilee, to the hill where Jesus had arranged to meet them.

As it is written in Isaiah the Prophet, "See, I am sending My messenger before Thee, Who will prepare Thy way";

As for John, his garment was of camel's hair, and he wore a loincloth of leather; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

His announcement was, "There is One coming after me mightier than I--One whose sandal-strap I am unworthy to stoop down and unfasten.

and a voice came from the sky, saying, "Thou art My Son dearly loved: in Thee is My delight."

"The time has fully come," He said, "and the Kingdom of God is close at hand: repent, and believe this Good News.

"What have you to do with us, Jesus the Nazarene? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--God's Holy One."

And all were amazed and awe-struck, so they began to ask one another, "What does this mean? Here is a new sort of teaching--and a tone of authority! And even to foul spirits he issues orders and they obey him!"

When they found Him they said, "Every one is looking for you."

"Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns," He replied, "that I may proclaim my Message there also; because for that purpose I came from God."

and saying, "Be careful not to tell any one, but go and show yourself to the Priest, and for your purification present the offerings that Moses appointed as evidence for them."

"Why does this man use such words?" they said; "he is blaspheming. Who can pardon sins but One--that is, God?"

Which is easier?--to say to this paralytic, 'Your sins are pardoned,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your mat, and walk?'

And as He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the Toll Office, and said to him, "Follow me." So he rose and followed Him.

But when the Scribes of the Pharisee sect saw Him eating with the sinners and the tax-gatherers, they said to His disciples, "He is eating and drinking with the tax-gatherers and sinners!"

Jesus heard the words, and He said, "It is not the healthy who require a doctor, but the sick: I did not come to appeal to the righteous, but to sinners."

"Can a wedding party fast while the bridegroom is among them?" replied Jesus. "So long as they have the bridegroom with them, fasting is impossible.

One Sabbath He was walking through the wheatfields when His disciples began to pluck the ears of wheat as they went.

So the Pharisees said to Him, "Look! why are they doing what on the Sabbath is unlawful?"

so that the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

They closely watched Him to see whether He would cure him on the Sabbath--so as to have a charge to bring against Him.

James the son of Zabdi and John the brother of James (these two He surnamed Boanerges, that is 'Sons of Thunder')

Hearing of this, His relatives came to seize Him by force, for they said, "He is out of his mind."

The Scribes, too, who had come down from Jerusalem said, "He has Baal-zebul in him; and it is by the power of the Prince of the demons that he expels the demons."

So He called them to Him, and using figurative language He appealed to them, saying, "How is it possible for Satan to expel Satan?

but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, he remains for ever unabsolved: he is guilty of a sin of the Ages."

This was because they said, "He is possessed by a foul spirit."

"Here are my mother and my brothers. For wherever there is one who has been obedient to God, there is my brother--my sister--and my mother."

As he sows, some of the seed falls by the way-side, and the birds come and peck it up.

but when the sun is risen, it is scorched, and through having no root it withers away.

"To you," He replied, "has been entrusted the secret truth concerning the Kingdom of God; but to those others outside your number all this is spoken in figurative language;

"What the sower sows is the Message.

Those who receive the seed by the way-side are those in whom the Message is sown, but, when they have heard it, Satan comes at once and carries away the Message sown in them.

He went on to say, "Is the lamp brought in in order to be put under the bushel or under the bed? Is it not rather in order that it may be placed on the lampstand?

Why, there is nothing hidden except with a view to its being ultimately disclosed, nor has anything been made a secret but that it may at last come to light.

Another saying of His was this: "The Kingdom of God is as if a man scattered seed over the ground:

Of itself the land produces the crop-- first the blade, then the ear; afterwards the perfect grain is seen in the ear.

But no sooner is the crop ripe, than he sends the reapers, because the time of harvest has come."

It is like a mustard-seed, which, when sown in the earth, is the smallest of all the seeds in the world;

The same day, in the evening, He said to them, "Let us cross to the other side."

So they got away from the crowd, and took Him--as He was--in the boat; and other boats accompanied Him.

But He Himself was in the stern asleep, with His head on the cushion: so they woke Him. "Rabbi," they cried, "is it nothing to you that we are drowning?"

Then they were filled with terror, and began to say to one another, "Who is this, then? For even wind and sea obey Him."

Jesus also questioned him. "What is your name?" He said. "Legion," he replied, "for there are a host of us."

So they besought Jesus. "Send us to the swine," they said, "so that we may enter into them."