Now at festival time he used to set free for them one prisoner, whom they petitioned for.

They shouted back, "Crucify him!"

And Pilate said to them, "Why, what has he done that is wrong?" But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"

Then the soldiers took him inside the courtyard, that is, of the governor's residence, and they called the whole battalion together.

And they dressed him up in a purple cloak, and made a wreath of thorns and crowned him with it,

and they began to acclaim him, "Long live the king of the Jews!"

And they struck him on the head with a stick and spat at him, and they knelt down and did homage to him.

When they had finished making sport of him, they took off the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they took him out of the city to crucify him.

And they forced a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross??ne Simon, a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus.

And they took him to the place called Golgotha, which means the Place of the Skull.

They offered him drugged wine, but he would not take it.

Then they crucified him, and divided up his clothes, drawing lots for them to see what each of them should have.

It was nine in the morning when they crucified him.

They crucified two robbers along with him, one at his right and one at his left.

Some of the bystanders, when they heard it, said, "See! He is calling for Elijah!"

Then very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb, when the sun had just risen.

And they said to one another, "Who will roll the stone back from the doorway of the tomb for us?"

And they looked up and saw that the stone had been rolled back, for it was very large.

And when they went into the tomb they saw a young man in a white robe sitting at the right, and they were utterly amazed.

But he said to them, "You must not be amazed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here. See! This is where they laid him.

And they fled out of the tomb, for they were all trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing about it to anyone, for they were afraid to do so. AN ANCIENT APPENDIX But they reported briefly to Peter and his companions all they had been told. And afterward Jesus himself sent out by them from the east to the west the sacred and incorruptible message of eternal salvation. \b ANOTHER ANCIENT APPENDIX

She went and told it to his old companions, while they were mourning and weeping.

When they heard that he was alive and that she had seen him, they would not believe it.

Afterward he showed himself in a different form to two of them as they were walking along, on their way into the country.

They went back and told the rest, but they would not believe them.

Still later he appeared to the Eleven themselves when they were at table, and reproached them for their obstinacy and want of faith, because they had not believed those who had seen him after he had been raised from the dead.

And signs like these will attend those who believe: with my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in foreign tongues;

they will take snakes in their hands, and if they drink poison it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well."

And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed their message by the signs that attended it.

They were both upright in the sight of God, blamelessly observing all the Lord's commands and requirements.

They had no children, for Elizabeth was barren; and they were both advanced in life.

But when he came out he could not speak to them, and they knew that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. For his part, he kept making signs to them, and remained dumb.

Her neighbors and relatives heard of the great mercy the Lord had shown her, and they came and congratulated her.

On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah, after his father.

They said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who bears that name."

But they made signs to the child's father and asked him what he wished to have the child named.

And they were all amazed. Then his voice and the use of his tongue were immediately restored, and he blessed God aloud.

While they were there, the time came for her child to be born,

And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terribly frightened.

And they hurried there, and found Mary and Joseph, with the baby lying in the manger.

When they saw this, they told what had been said to them about this child.

but Mary treasured up all they had said, and pondered over it.

And the shepherds went back glorifying God and praising him for all that they had heard and seen in fulfilment of what they had been told.

When their purification period under the Law of Moses was over, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord,

When they had done everything that the Law of the Lord required, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.

And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual to the festival and made their customary stay.

When they started back the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents' knowledge.

They supposed that he was somewhere in the party, and traveled until the end of the first day's journey, and then they looked everywhere for him among their relatives and acquaintances.

As they could not find him, they went back to Jerusalem in search of him.

And on the third day they found him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions,

When his parents saw him they were amazed, and his mother said to him. "My child, why did you treat us like this? Here your father and I have been looking for you, and have been very anxious."

But they did not understand what he told them.

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

As all this aroused people's expectations, and they were all wondering in their hearts whether John was the Christ,

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.

and, 'They will lift you up with their hands, so that you may never strike your foot against a stone.' "

And they all spoke well of him and were astonished at the winning words that fell from his lips, and they said, "Is he not Joseph's son?"

And when the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all very angry,

and they got up and drove him out of the town and took him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, intending to throw him down from it.

and they were amazed at his teaching, for he spoke with authority.

And they were all amazed and said to one another, "What is the meaning of this teaching? For he gives orders authoritatively and effectually to the foul spirits, and they come out."

When he got up and left the synagogue, he went to Simon's house. And Simon's mother-in-law was suffering with a severe attack of fever, and they asked him about her.

And demons came out of many people, crying out, "You are the Son of God!" But he reproved them and forbade them to speak, because they knew he was the Christ.

So they did so, and inclosed such a shoal of fish that their nets began to break.

And they signaled to their comrades in the other boat to come and help them. And they came, and they filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

For he and all the men with him were perfectly amazed at the haul of fish they had made,

And they brought the boats to land and left everything and followed him.

Some men came up carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they tried to get him in and lay him before Jesus.

And as they could find no way to get him in, on account of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his mat through the tiles, among the people in front of Jesus.

But Jesus saw what they were discussing, and said to them, "What are you pondering over in your minds?

They were all seized with astonishment, and praised God, and filled with awe they said, "We have seen something wonderful today!"

They said to him, "John's disciples observe frequent fasts and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but your disciples eat and drink."

But other days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, in those days they will fast."

But he knew what they were thinking, and he said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and stand in front." And he got up and stood there.

But they were perfectly furious, and discussed with one another what they could do to Jesus.

Do not judge others, and they will not judge you. Do not condemn them, and they will not condemn you. Excuse others and they will excuse you.

Give, and they will give to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, they will pour into your lap. For the measure you use with others they in turn will use with you."

And he used a figure saying, "Can one blind man lead another? Will they not both fall into a hole?

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

And they went to Jesus and urged him strongly to do it, and said, "He deserves to have you do this for him,

And when the messengers went back to the house, they found the slave well.

And they were all overcome with awe, and they praised God, and said, "A great prophet has appeared among us!" and "God has not forgotten his people!"

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

So what is there to which I can compare the men of this age? What are they like?

They are like children sitting about in the bazaar and calling out to one another, " 'We have played the flute for you, and you would not dance! We have wailed and you would not weep!'

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."

And he said, "You are permitted to know the secrets of the Kingdom of God, but they are given to others in the form of figures, so that they may look and yet not see, and hear and yet not understand.

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.

The ones on the rock are those who receive the message joyfully when they first hear it, but it takes no real root. They believe for a little while, and then in the time of trial they draw back.

And what falls among the thorns means those who listen and pass on, and the worries and wealth and pleasures of life stifle them and they yield nothing.

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."

His mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not get near him, on account of the crowd.

And the word came to him, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside; they want to see you."

So they set sail. As they sailed along, he fell asleep. And a squall of wind came down upon the lake, and they were being swamped and were in peril.

And they went to him and woke him up, and said to him, "Master! Master! We are lost!" Then he awoke and reproved the wind and the rough water, and they ceased, and there was a calm.

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!"

They made a landing in the neighborhood of Gerasa, which is just across the lake from Galilee.

And they begged him not to order them off to the bottomless pit.

Now there was a large drove of pigs feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to give them leave to go into them. And he did so.