Then the King, though intensely sorry, yet for the sake of his oaths, and of his guests, would not break faith with her.

He at once sent a soldier of his guard with orders to bring John's head. So he went and beheaded him in the prison,

and brought his head on a dish and gave it to the young girl, who gave it to her mother.

When John's disciples heard of it, they came and took away his body and laid it in a tomb.

By this time it was late; so His disciples came to Him, and said, "This is a lonely place, and the hour is now late:

send them away that they may go to the farms and villages near here and buy themselves something to eat."

"How many loaves have you?" He inquired; "go and see." So they found out, and said, "Five; and a couple of fish."

All ate and were fully satisfied.

Those who ate the bread were 5,000 adult men.

They saw Him walking on the water, and thinking that it was a spirit they cried out;

for they all saw Him and were terrified. He, however, immediately spoke to them. "There is no danger," He said; "it is I; be not alarmed."

And enter wherever He might--village or town or hamlet--they laid their sick in the open places, and entreated Him to let them touch were it but the tassel of His robe; and all, whoever touched Him, were restored to health.

(For the Pharisees and all the Jews--being, as they are, zealous for the traditions of the Elders--never eat without first carefully washing their hands,

and when they come from market they will not eat without bathing first; and they have a good many other customs which they have received traditionally and cling to, such as the rinsing of cups and pots and of bronze utensils, and the washing of beds.)

So the Pharisees and Scribes put the question to Him: "Why do your disciples transgress the traditions of the Elders, and eat their food with unclean hands?"

"Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites," He replied; "as it is written, "'This People honour Me with their lips, while their hearts are far away from Me:

"Praiseworthy indeed!" He added, "to set at nought God's Commandment in order to observe your own traditions!

But *you* say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, It is a Korban (that is, a thing devoted to God)

There is nothing outside a man which entering him can make him unclean; but it is the things which come out of a man that make him unclean."

because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and passes away ejected from him?" By these words Jesus pronounced all kinds of food clean.

"What comes out of a man," He added, "that it is which makes him unclean.

For from within, out of men's hearts, their evil purposes proceed--fornication, theft, murder, adultery,

all these wicked things come out from within and make a man unclean."

Then He rose and left that place and went into the neighbourhood of Tyre and Sidon. Here He entered a house and wished no one to know it, but He could not escape observation.

Forthwith a woman whose little daughter was possessed by a foul spirit heard of Him, and came and flung herself at His feet.

"Let the children first eat all they want," He said; "it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."

"True, Sir," she replied, "and yet the dogs under the table eat the children's scraps."

"For those words of yours, go home," He replied; "the demon has gone out of your daughter."

Then Jesus charged them to tell no one; but the more He charged them, all the more did they spread the news far and wide.

About that time there was again an immense crowd, and they found themselves with nothing to eat. So He called His disciples to Him.

"My heart yearns over the people," He said; "for this is now the third day they have remained with me, and they have nothing to eat.

So the people ate an abundant meal; and what remained over they picked up and carried away--seven hampers of broken pieces.

and at once going on board with His disciples He came into the district of Dalmanutha.

and when He admonished them, "See to it, be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod,"

He perceived what they were saying, and He said to them, "What is this discussion of yours about having no bread? Do you not yet see and understand? Are your minds so dull of comprehension?

"Do you not yet understand?" He said.

So He took the blind man by the arm and brought him out of the village, and spitting into his eyes He put His hands on him and asked him, "Can you see anything?"

"John the Baptist," they replied, "but others say Elijah, and others, that it is one of the Prophets."

For whoever is bent on securing his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for my sake, and for the sake of the Good News, will secure it.

Why, what does it benefit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?

For what could a man give to buy back his life?

For he knew not what to say: they were filled with such awe.

As they were coming down from the mountain, He very strictly forbad them to tell any one what they had seen "until after the Son of Man has risen from among the dead."

So they kept the matter to themselves, although frequently asking one another what was meant by the rising from the dead.

They also asked Him, "How is it that the Scribes say that Elijah must first come?"

"Elijah," He replied, "does indeed come first and reforms everything; but how is it that it is written of the Son of Man that He will endure much suffering and be held in contempt?

Yet I tell you that not only has Elijah come, but they have also done to him whatever they chose, as the Scriptures say about him."

Immediately the whole multitude on beholding Him were astonished and awe-struck, and yet they ran forward and greeted Him.

"What is the subject you are discussing?" He asked them.

and wherever it comes upon him, it dashes him to the ground, and he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth, and he is pining away. I begged your disciples to expel it, but they had not the power."

So they brought him to Jesus. And the spirit, when he saw Jesus, immediately threw the youth into convulsions, so that he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.

"and often it has thrown him into the fire or into pools of water to destroy him. But, if you possibly can, have pity on us and help us."

Immediately the father cried out, "I do believe: strengthen my weak faith."

Then Jesus, seeing that an increasing crowd was running towards Him, rebuked the foul spirit, and said to it, "Dumb and deaf spirit, *I* command you, come out of him and never enter into him again."

So with a loud cry he threw the boy into fit after fit, and came out. The boy looked as if he were dead, so that most of them said he was dead;

After the return of Jesus to the house His disciples asked Him privately, "How is it that we could not expel the spirit?"

"An evil spirit of this kind," He answered, "can only be driven out by prayer."

Departing thence they passed through Galilee, and He was unwilling that any one should know it;

They, however, did not understand what He meant, and were afraid to question Him.

So they came to Capernaum; and when in the house He asked them, "What were you arguing about on the way?"

"And whoever shall occasion the fall of one of these little ones who believe, he would be better off if, with a millstone round his neck, he were lying at the bottom of the sea.

If your hand should cause you to sin, cut it off: it would be better for you to enter into Life maimed, than remain in possession of both your hands and go away into Gehenna, into the fire which cannot be put out.

Or if your foot should cause you to sin, cut it off: it would be better for you to enter into Life crippled, than remain in possession of both your feet and be thrown into Gehenna.

Or if your eye should cause you to sin, tear it out. It would be better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God half-blind than remain in possession of two eyes and be thrown into Gehenna,

where their worm does not die and the fire does not go out.

Salt is a good thing, but if the salt should become tasteless, what will you use to give it saltness? Have salt within you and live at peace with one another."

"What rule did Moses lay down for you?" He answered.

"It was in consideration of your stubborn hearts," said Jesus, "that Moses enacted this law for you;

What, therefore, God has joined together let not man separate."

In solemn truth I tell you that no one who does not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will by any possibility enter it."

As He went out to resume His journey, there came a man running up to Him, who knelt at His feet and asked, "Good Rabbi, what am I to do in order to inherit the Life of the Ages?"

Then Jesus looked at him and loved him, and said, "One thing is lacking in you: go, sell all you possess and give the proceeds to the poor, and you shall have riches in Heaven; and come and be a follower of mine."

At these words his brow darkened, and he went away sad; for he was possessed of great wealth.

The disciples were amazed at His words. Jesus, however, said again, "Children, how hard a struggle is it for those who trust in riches to enter the Kingdom of God!

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God."

Jesus looking on them said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for everything is possible with God."

They were still on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were full of wonder, and some, though they followed, did so with fear. Then, once more calling to Him the Twelve, He began to tell them what was about to happen to Him.

"What would you have me do for you?" He asked.

"Allow us," they replied, "to sit one at your right hand and the other at your left hand, in your glory."

"You know not," said He, "what you are asking. Are you able to drink out of the cup from which I am to drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am to be baptized?"

"We are able," they replied. "Out of the cup," said Jesus, "from which I am to drink you shall drink, and with the baptism with which I am to be baptized you shall be baptized;

but as to sitting at my right hand or at my left, that is not mine to give: it will be for those for whom it is reserved."

The other ten, hearing of it, were at first highly indignant with James and John.

Jesus, however, called them to Him and said to them, "You are aware how those who are deemed rulers among the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men make them feel their authority;

but it is not to be so among you. No, whoever desires to be great among you must be your servant;

For the Son of Man also did not come to be waited upon, but to wait on others, and to give His life as the redemption-price for a multitude of people."

Hearing that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out, "Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me."

Many angrily told him to leave off shouting; but he only cried out all the louder, "Son of David, have pity on me."

"What shall I do for you?" said Jesus. "Rabboni," replied the blind man, "let me recover my sight."

When they were getting near Jerusalem and had arrived at Bethphage and Bethany, on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples on in front, with these instructions.

"Go," He said, "to the village facing you, and immediately on entering it you will find an ass's foal tied up which no one has ever yet ridden: untie him and bring him here.

And if any one asks you, 'Why are you doing that?' say, 'The Master needs it, and will send it back here without delay.'"

So they went and found a young ass tied up at the front door of a house. They were untying it,

when some of the bystanders called out, "What are you doing, untying the foal?"

But on their giving the answer that Jesus had bidden them give, they let them take it.

So He came into Jerusalem and into the Temple; and after looking round upon everything there, the hour being now late He went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

But in the distance He saw a fig-tree in full leaf, and went to see whether perhaps He could find some figs on it. When however He came to it, He found nothing but leaves (for it was not fig time)

and He said to the tree, "Let no one ever again eat fruit from thee!" And His disciples heard this.

They reached Jerusalem, and entering the Temple He began to drive out the buyers and sellers, and upset the money-changers' tables and the stools of the pigeon-dealers,

And He remonstrated with them. "Is it not written," He said, "'My House shall be called The House of Prayer for all the nations?' But you have made it what it now is--a robbers' cave."