Then produce fruit that will be consistent with your professed repentance! And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our forefather,' for I tell you, God can produce descendants for Abraham right out of these stones!

But the axe is already lying at the roots of the trees. Any tree that fails to produce good fruit is going to be cut down and thrown into the fire."

Even tax-collectors came to be baptized, and they said to him, "Master, what ought we to do?"

And soldiers would ask him, "And what ought we to do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money or make false charges against people, but be satisfied with your pay."

crowned them all by putting John in prison.

for forty days by the Spirit, and was tempted by the devil. In all those days he ate nothing, and when they were over he was famished.

If you will do homage before me, it shall all be yours."

And he taught in their synagogues, and was honored by them all.

And he began by saying to them, "This passage of Scripture has been fulfilled here in your hearing today!"

There was a man in the synagogue who was possessed by the spirit of a foul demon and he cried out loudly,

Once as the crowd was pressing about him to hear God's message, he happened to be standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,

and so were Zebedee's sons, James and John, who were Simon's partners. Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you are to catch men!"

And he stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I do choose! Be cured!" And the leprosy immediately left him,

Yet the news about him spread more and more, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be cured of their diseases.

One day as he was teaching, there were some Pharisees and experts in the Law sitting near by, who had come from every village in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was there, so that he might cure people.

And nobody puts new wine into old wine-skins, or if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and run out, and the skins will be spoiled.

New wine has to be put into fresh skins.

One Sabbath he happened to be passing through the wheat fields, and his disciples were picking the heads of wheat, and eating them, rubbing them in their hands.

And he came down with them and took his stand on a level place with a great throng of his disciples, and a large number of people from all over Judea and from Jerusalem and the seacoast district of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and to be cured of their diseases.

"Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied! "Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh!

Be glad when that happens, and leap for joy, for you will be richly rewarded in heaven, for that is the way their forefathers treated the prophets.

"Alas for you who have plenty to eat now, for you will be hungry! "Alas for you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep!

But love your enemies, and help them and lend to them, never despairing, and you will be richly rewarded, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind even to the ungrateful and the wicked.

You must be merciful, just as your Father is.

A pupil is not better than his teacher, but every pupil when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.

Why do you keep looking at the speck in your brother's eye, and pay no attention to the beam that is in your own?

Every tree is known by its fruit. They do not pick figs off thorns, or gather grapes from brambles.

And he went up and touched the bier, and the bearers stopped. And he said, "Young man, I tell you, wake up!"

And all the people, even the tax-collectors, when they heard him, acknowledged the justice of God's demands, by accepting baptism from John,

but the Pharisees and experts in the Law thwarted God's purpose for themselves, by refusing to be baptized by him.

So wisdom is vindicated by all who are really wise."

As they could not pay him, he canceled what they owed him. Now which of them will be more attached to him?"

Therefore, I tell you, her sins, many as they are, are forgiven, for she has loved me so much. But the man with little to be forgiven loves me but little."

"A sower went out to sow his seed. As he was sowing, some of the seed fell by the path and was trodden on, and the wild birds ate it up.

The ones by the path are those who hear, and then the devil comes and carries off the message from their hearts, so that they may not believe it and be saved.

For there is nothing hidden that shall not be disclosed, nor kept secret that shall not be known and come to light.

So take care how you listen. For people who have will have more given to them, and from people who have nothing, even what they think they have will be taken away."

And he said to them, "Where is your faith?" But they were frightened and amazed, and said to one another, "Who can he be? For he gives orders even to the winds and the water, and they obey him!"

And when he landed, he met a man possessed by demons, who was coming out of the town. He had worn no clothing for a long time, and did not live in a house but in the tombs.

But Jesus heard it and said to him, "Do not be afraid; just have faith, and she will get well."

But Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who can this be about whom I hear such reports?" And he endeavored to see him.

But the crowds learned of it and followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them about the Kingdom of God, and he cured those who needed to be cured.

But he said to them, "Give them food yourselves!" And they said, "We have only five loaves and two fish, unless we go ourselves and buy food for all these people."

Once when he was praying by himself, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, "Who do the people say that I am?"

and said, "The Son of Man must endure great suffering and be refused by the elders, the high priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and be raised to life on the third day."

For if anyone is ashamed of me and my teaching the Son of Man will be ashamed of him, when he comes with all the glory of his Father and of the holy angels.

Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but waking up they saw his glorious appearance and the two men standing by him.

Jesus answered, "O you unbelieving, obstinate people! How long must I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here!"

Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him, but Jesus reproved the foul spirit and cured the boy and gave him back to his father.

"You must store up these teachings in your minds, for the Son of Man is going to be handed over to men."

A discussion arose among them as to which of them would be the greatest.

But Jesus knew the question that was in their minds and he took a child and made him stand by his side,

As the time approached when he was to be taken up to heaven, he set his face toward Jerusalem,

After this the Master appointed seventy-two others, and sent them on before him, two by two, to every town or place to which he intended to come.

Stay at the same house, eating and drinking what they offer you, for the workman deserves his pay. Do not change from one house to another.

And you, Capernaum! Are you to be exalted to the skies? You will go down among the dead!

But do not be glad that the spirits submit to you, but be glad that your names are enrolled in heaven."

Everything has been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is but the Father, nor who the Father is but the Son, and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

Now a priest happened to be going that way, and when he saw him, he went by on the other side of the road.

And a Levite also came to the place, and when he saw him, he went by on the other side.

indeed there is only one thing we need. For Mary has chosen the right thing, and it must not be taken away from her."

He said to them, "When you pray, say, 'Father, your name be revered! Your kingdom come!

So I tell you, ask, and what you ask will be given you. Search, and you will find what you search for. Knock, and the door will open to you.

But if it is with his aid that I drive out demons, by whose do your sons drive them out? Therefore, they shall be your judges.

As the crowds pressed a round him, he went on to say, "This is a wicked age! It demands a sign, and no sign will be given it but the sign of Jonah.

For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be a sign to this age.

So take care! Your very light may be darkness!

If, therefore, your whole body is light with no darkness in it at all, it will all be as light as a lamp makes things for you by its light."

But alas for you Pharisees! For you pay tithes on mint, rue, and every tiny herb, and disregard justice and the love of God. But you should have observed these, without neglecting the others.

Alas for you Pharisees! For you love to have the front seat in the synagogues and to be saluted with respect in public places.

This is why the Wisdom of God said, 'I will send prophets and apostles to them, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute'??50 so that this age may be charged with the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the creation of the world,

from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you! This age will be charged with it all!

There is nothing covered up that is not going to be uncovered, nor secret that is not going to be known.

For what you say in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you whisper in someone's ear, behind closed doors, will be proclaimed from the housetops.

But the very hairs on your heads are all counted! You must not be afraid, you are worth more than a great many sparrows!

but anyone who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.

And anyone who speaks against the Son of Man will be forgiven for it, but no one who reviles the holy Spirit will be forgiven.

And he said to them, "Take care! You must be on your guard against any form of greed, for a man's life does not belong to him, no matter how rich he is."

But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul will be demanded of you. Then who will have all you have prepared?'

So you must not ask what you are to have to eat or drink, and you must not be anxious about it.

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen to give you the kingdom.

For wherever your treasure is, your heart will be too.

You must be ready with your lamps burning,

But you may be sure of this, that if the master of the house had known what time the thief was coming, he would have been on the watch, and would not have let his house be broken into.

You must be ready too, for the Son of Man is coming at a time when you do not expect him."

And the Master said, "Who then will be the faithful, thoughtful manager, whom his master will put in charge of his household, to give the members of it their supplies at the proper time?

The slave who knows his master's wishes, but does not get ready or act upon them, will be severely punished.

But one who does wrong without knowing them will be lightly punished. From anyone who has been given much, much will be required, and of the man to whom people have intrusted much, they will demand even more.

For from now on if there are five people in a house they will be divided three against two and two against three.

Father will be against son, and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, 'It is going to be very hot,' and it is.

and there was a woman there who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit. She was bent double and could not straighten herself up at all.

But the leader of the synagogue, in his vexation because Jesus had cured her on the Sabbath, spoke out and said to the crowd, "There are six days on which it is right to work. Come on them and be cured, but not on the Sabbath day."

And did not this woman, who is a descendant of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen years, have to be released from those bonds on the Sabbath day?"

And someone said to him, "Are only a few to be saved, Master?" He said to them,

There are those now last who will then be first, and there are those now first who will be last."

He said to them, "Go and say to that fox, 'Here I am, driving out demons and performing cures, today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will be through.

Now I leave you to yourselves. And I tell you, you will never see me again until you say, 'Blessed be he who comes in the Lord's name!' "

But when you are invited anywhere, go and take the poorest place, so that when your host comes in, he will say to you, 'My friend, come to a better place.' So you will be shown consideration before all the other guests.

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted."