continue to bless those who curse you, and continue to pray for those who abuse you.

Now if you practice loving only those who love you, what credit do you get for that? Why, even notorious sinners practice loving those who love them.

And if you practice doing good only to those who do good to you, what credit do you get for that? Even notorious sinners practice the same.

And if you ever lend to people expecting to get it back, what credit do you get for that? Even notorious sinners practice lending to one another, expecting to get it back in full.

Practice forgiving others, and you will be forgiven. Practice giving to others, and they will give to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, people will pour into your lap. For the measure you use with others they in turn will use with you."

"For there never is a healthy tree that bears poor fruit, nor a sickly tree that bears good fruit.

For every tree is known by its fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or gather grapes from a bramble-bush.

The good man, out of his good inner storehouse, brings forth what is good, the bad man, out of his bad one, what is bad. For a man's mouth usually speaks the things that fill his heart.

So they went to Jesus and continued to urge Him earnestly, saying, "He deserves that you do this for him,

for he loves our nation, and he is the man who built us our synagogue."

Then Jesus started to go with them. But when He was not far from the house, the captain sent friends to say to Him, "My Lord, stop troubling yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.

For I too am under authority of others, and have soldiers under me, and I order one to go, and he goes, another to come, and he comes, my slave to do this, and he does it."

Now when the Lord saw her, His heart was moved with pity for her, and so He said to her, "Stop weeping."

So John called two of them to him and sent them to the Lord, to ask, "Are you the One who was to come, or should we continue to look for someone else?"

So the men went to Him and said, "John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the One who was to come, or should we continue to look for someone else?'"

And happy is the man who finds no cause for stumbling over me."

But when John's messengers had gone, He began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the desert to gaze at? A reed that is tossed to and fro by the wind?

If not, then what did you go out there to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is far more than a prophet.

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

They are like little children sitting in the market-place and calling to their fellows in the game: "'We played the wedding march for you, but you did not dance. We sang the funeral dirge, but you did not mourn.'

"For John the Baptist came eating no bread and drinking no wine, and yet you say, 'He has a demon!'

Since they could not pay him, he graciously canceled the debts for both of them. Now which one of them will love him more?"

Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he canceled most." Then He said, "You are correct in your judgment."

And turning face to face with the woman He said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came to your house; you did not give me any water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with tears and wiped them with her hair.

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

The portion of them on the rock illustrates those who accept the message, bubbling over with joy when they first hear it, but it takes no real root. They believe for awhile, but in the time of testing they fall away.

For there is nothing hidden which shall not come out into the open, and nothing kept secret which shall not be known and come to light.

So take care how you listen, for whoever gets more will have more given to him, and whoever does not get more will have even what he thinks he has taken away from him."

Then He said to them, "Where is your faith?" But they were frightened and astounded, and continued to say to one another, "Who can He be? For He gives orders even to the winds and the water, and they obey Him."

As soon as He stepped out upon the shore, there met Him a man from town, who was under the power of demons; and for a long time he had worn no clothes, and did not stay in a house but in tombs.

For He was commanding the foul spirit to get out of the man. For on many occasions it had seized him, and repeatedly he had been fastened with chains and fetters under constant guard, and yet he would snap his bonds, and the demon would drive him into desert places.

So Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he answered, "Legion!" For many demons had gone into him.

"Go back to your home, and continue to tell what great things God has done for you." But he went off and told all over the town what great things Jesus had done for him.

Now as Jesus was returning, the crowd welcomed Him, for they were all expecting Him.

Then a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, who could not be cured by anybody,

Still Jesus said, "Somebody touched me, for I felt it when the power passed from me."

Now they were all weeping and wailing over her. But He said, "Stop weeping! For she is not dead but asleep."

Then they began to laugh in His face, for they knew that she was dead.

So He said to them, "Take nothing with you for your journey, no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, nor even have two shirts.

As the day began to decline, the Twelve came up and said to Him, "Send the crowd off to the villages and farms around, to get lodging and to find food there, for we are in a destitute place here."

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

For there were about five thousand men. So He said to His disciples, "Have them sit down in reclining groups of fifty each."

For whoever chooses to save his lower life will lose his higher life, but whoever gives up his lower life for my sake will save his higher life.

For what benefit will it be to a man to gain the whole world and lose or forfeit himself?

For whoever is ashamed of me and my teaching, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him, when He comes back in all the splendor of His Father and of the holy angels.

And just as they were starting to leave Him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- although he did not know what he was saying.

"You must store away in your memories these words, for the Son of Man is going to be turned over to the hands of men!"

Then He said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child on my account is welcoming me, and whoever welcomes me is welcoming Him who sent me; for the one who is lowliest among you all is really great."

Jesus said to him, "Stop hindering him, for the man who is not against you is for you."

so He sent messengers before Him. Then they went on and entered into a Samaritan town, to make preparations for Him.

When the disciples, James and John, saw this, they said, "Lord, do you want us to bid fire come down from heaven and consume them?"

Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow, and then continues to look back, is fitted for service in the kingdom of God."

Whenever you go to a house for headquarters, first say, 'Peace to this household.'

Stay on at the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the workman deserves his support. Do not keep moving about from house to house.

I tell you, on that day the punishment will be lighter for Sodom than for that town.

A curse on you, Chorazin! A curse on you, Bethsaida! For if the wonder-works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, long ago they would have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

But at the judgment the punishment will be lighter for Tyre and Sidon than for you.

At that very moment, by the power of the Holy Spirit, He exulted and said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for concealing these matters from wise and learned men, and for revealing them to little children. Yes, Father, I thank you that your good pleasure made it so.

For I tell you, many prophets and kings have wished to see what you are seeing, but they did not, and to hear what you are hearing, but they did not."

But a Samaritan, while on a journey, came down to him, and when he saw him, his heart was moved with pity for him.

But there is actual need of few things, really of only one thing. For Mary has chosen the good portion which must not be taken away from her."

and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who does us wrong, and do not let us be subjected to temptation.'"

for a friend of mine has just come to my house on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him to eat.'

For everyone who keeps on asking, receives; and the one who keeps on seeking, finds; and to the one who keeps on knocking, the door will open.

Now is there a father among you who, if his son asks him for a fish, will give him a snake instead?

Or, if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?

"When the foul spirit goes out of a man, it wanders about in deserts in search for rest, and since it finds none, it says, 'I will go back to my house which I left.'

And it goes and finds it unoccupied, swept, and ready for use.

Now as the crowds continued to throng upon Him, He began to say: "This is a wicked age. It is looking for a spectacular sign, but none 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.

The queen of the south will rise at the judgment with the men of this age and will condemn them, for she came from the very ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom; and yet, One who is more than Solomon is here.

The men of Nineveh will rise at the judgment with the men of this age and will condemn them, for they turned to the message preached by Jonah, and yet One who is more than Jonah is here.

If then your whole body is full of light with no part of it in darkness, it will all be as light for you as it is when a lamp makes it light for you by its shining."

But dedicate once for all your inner self, and at once you will have everything clean.

A curse on you, because you build monuments for the prophets, whom your forefathers killed!

So you testify to what your forefathers did and approve it, because they killed them and you build monuments for them.

But I will show you whom to fear. Fear Him who, after killing you, has power to hurl you down to the pit; yes, I tell you, fear Him.

Are not sparrows sold five for two cents? And yet not one of them is forgotten by God!

for at that very moment the Holy Spirit will teach you what you ought to say."

Then I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Go on taking your ease; continue to eat, drink, and enjoy yourself."'

So it is with the man who continues to pile up possessions for himself, and is not rich in God."

Just think of the ravens! For they neither sow nor reap, they have no storehouses nor barns, and yet God continues to feed them. How much more are you worth than the birds!

For all these are the very things the nations of the world are greedily trying to get, and surely your Father well knows that you need them.

Stop being afraid, my little flock, for your Father has gladly chosen to give you the kingdom.

Sell your property and give to charity. Provide for yourselves purses that will never wear out, riches that never fail in heaven, where a thief cannot come near nor a moth destroy,

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

and be like men waiting for their master when he comes home from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks, they at once may open the door for him.

Happy are those slaves whom the master, when he comes, will find on the watch for him. I solemnly say to you, he will tighten his belt and have them sit at table, and he will go around and wait on them.

So you, too, must always be ready, for at an hour that you are not expecting, the Son of Man will come."

Peter said to Him, "Lord, do you mean this story for us, or is it for everybody?"

But if that slave says to himself, my Master is not coming back for a long time, and begins to beat the men and women slaves, and to eat and drink and get drunk,

"It is fire that I have come to bring upon the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!

For from now on, five in a house will be divided, three against two, and two against three.

For instance, when you are on the way to court with your opponent, take the utmost pains on the way to get entirely rid of him, so that he may not rush you before the judge, and the judge turn you over to the sheriff, and the sheriff put you in prison.

Then He told them this story: "A man had a fig tree planted by his vineyard, and he kept going and looking for figs on it, but did not find any.

So he said to the vine-dresser, 'Look here! for three years I have been coming to look for figs on this fig tree, and have not found any. Cut it down. Why waste the ground with it?'

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

And so was it not right for this woman, a descendant of Abraham, whom Satan has for eighteen years kept bound, to be freed from this bond on the Sabbath?"

"You must struggle on to get in through the narrow door, for I tell you, many will try to get in, but will not succeed,

when once the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand on the outside and to knock on the door again and again and say, 'Lord, open it for us'; but He will answer, 'I do not know where you come from.'