for these are the days of the divine Vengeance, in fulfilment of all that is written in scripture.

Woe to women with child and to women who give suck in those days, for sore anguish will come upon the land and Wrath on this people;

men swooning with panic and foreboding of what is to befall the universe. For the orbs of the heavens will be shaken,

But when these things begin to happen, look up and raise your heads, for your release is not far distant."

as soon as they put out their leaves, you can see for yourselves that summer is at hand.

For it will come upon all dwellers on the face of all the earth.

The high priests and scribes were trying how to get him put to death (for they were afraid of the people),

They were delighted and agreed to pay him for it.

He assented to this and sought a good opportunity for betraying him to them in the absence of the crowd.

So Jesus despatched Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the passover for us that we may eat it."

for I tell you I will never eat the passover again till the fulfilment of it in the Reign of God."

for I tell you I will never drink the produce of the vine again till such time as God's Reign comes."

Then he took a loaf, and after thanking God he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This means my body given up for your sake; do this in memory of me."

So too he gave them the cup after supper, saying, "This cup means the new covenant ratified by my blood shed for your sake.

And he said to them, "When I sent you out with neither purse nor wallet nor sandals, did you want for anything?" "No," they said, "for nothing."

For I tell you, this word of scripture must be fulfilled in me: he was classed among criminals. Yes, there is an end to all that refers to me."

and sat down among some people who had lit a fire in the courtyard and were sitting round it.

A maidservant who noticed him sitting by the fire took a long look at him and said, "That fellow was with him too."

Pilate said to them, "You brought me this man as being an inciter to rebellion among the people. I have examined him before you and found nothing criminal about him, for all your accusations against him.

No, nor has Herod, for he has remitted him to us. He has done nothing, you see, that calls for death;

But they shouted one and all, "Away with him! Release Bar-Abbas for us!"

Again Pilate addressed them, for he wanted to release Jesus,

he released the man they wanted, the man who had been imprisoned for riot and murder, and Jesus he handed over to their will.

but Jesus turned to them and said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me but weep for yourselves and for your children!

For there are days coming when the cry will be, 'Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never have borne and the breasts that never have suckled!'

For if this is what they do when the wood is green, what will they do when the wood is dry?"

(For there was an inscription over him in Greek and Latin and Hebrew characters, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.)

But the other checked him, saying, "Have you no fear even of God? You are suffering the same punishment as he.

And we suffer justly; we are getting what we deserve for our deeds. But he has done no harm."

And when all the crowds who had collected for the sight saw what had happened, they turned away beating their breasts.

As for his acquaintances, they were all standing at a distance to look on, with the women who had accompanied him from Galilee.

who had not voted for their plan of action; he belonged to Arimathaea, a Jewish town, and he was on the outlook for the Reign of God.

This Joseph went to Pilate and asked him for the body of Jesus.

They were terrified and bent their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look among the dead for him who is alive?

but they pressed him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is getting towards evening and the day has now declined." So he went in to stay with them.

And they said to one another, "Did not our hearts glow within us when he was talking to us on the road, opening up the scriptures for us?"

Even yet they could not believe it for sheer joy; they were lost in wonder. So he said to them, "Have you any food here?"

He led them out as far as Bethany; then, lifting his hands, he blessed them.

In him life lay, and this life was the Light for men:

he came for the purpose of witnessing, to bear testimony to the Light, so that all men might believe by means of him.

(John testified to him with the cry, 'This was he of whom I said, my successor has taken precedence of me, for he preceded me.')

For we have all been receiving grace after grace from his fulness;

"Then who are you?" they said; "tell us, so that we can give some answer to those who sent us. What have you to say for yourself?"

He said, "I am the voice of one who cries in the desert, 'level the way for the Lord' ??as the prophet Isaiah said."

That is he of whom I said, 'The man who is to succeed me has taken precedence of me, for he preceded me.'

He said to them, "Come and see." So they went and saw where he stayed, and stayed with him the rest of that day ??it was then about four in the afternoon.

Next day Jesus determined to leave for Galilee; there he met Philip and told him, "Follow me."

Now six stone water-jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of 'purification,' each holding about twenty gallons.

After this he travelled down to Capharnahum, with his mother and brothers and his disciples; they stayed there for a few days.

(His disciples recalled the scripture saying, I am consumed with zeal for thy house.)

Then the Jews accosted him with the words, "What sign of authority have you to show us, for acting in this way?"

he came one night to Jesus and said, "Rabbi, we know you have come from God to teach us, for no one could perform these Signs of yours unless God were with him."

For God loved the world so dearly that he gave up his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life, instead of perishing.

He who believes in him is not sentenced; he who will not believe is sentenced already, for having refused to believe in the name of the only Son of God.

for anyone whose practices are corrupt loathes the light and will not come out into it, in case his actions are exposed,

He who comes from above is far above all others; he who springs from earth belongs to earth and speaks of earth; he who comes from heaven [is far above all others.

For he whom God has sent utters the words of God ??God gives him the Spirit in no sparing measure;

The Samaritan woman said, "What? You are a Jew, and you ask me for a drink ??me, a Samaritan!" (Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered, "If you knew what is the free gift of God and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked him instead, and he would have given you 'living' water."

Now our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, whereas you Jews declare the proper place for worship is at Jerusalem."

You are worshipping something you do not know; we are worshipping what we do know ??for salvation comes from the Jews.

But the time is coming, it has come already, when the real worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and in reality; for these are the worshippers that the Father wants.

You have a saying, have you not, 'Four months yet, then harvest'? Look round, I tell you; see, the fields are white for harvesting!

The reaper is already getting his wages and harvesting for eternal life, so that the sower shares the reaper's joy.

I sent you to reap a crop for which you did not toil; other men have toiled, and you reap the profit of their toil."

and far more of them believed on account of what he said himself.

As they told the woman, "We no longer believe on account of what you said; we have heard for ourselves, we know that he is really the Saviour of the world."

When the two days were over, he left for Galilee

(for Jesus himself testified that a prophet enjoys no honour in his own country);

on reaching Galilee, he was welcomed by the Galileans, who had seen all he did at the festival in Jerusalem ??for they too had gone to the festival.

This was the second Sign which Jesus performed again after leaving Judaea for Galilee.

where a crowd of invalids used to lie, the blind, the lame, and folk with shrivelled limbs [waiting for the water to bubble.

For an angel used to descend from time to time into the bath, and disturb the water; whereupon the first person who stepped in after the water was disturbed was restored to health, no matter what disease he had been afflicted with].

Jesus saw him lying, and knowing he had been ill for a long while he said to him, "Do you want your health restored?"

Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for (owing to the crowd on the spot) Jesus had slipped away.

So Jesus made this answer to them: "Truly, truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, nothing but what he sees the Father doing; for whatever he does, the Son also does the same.

for as the Father raises the dead and makes them live, so the Son makes anyone live whom he chooses.

for as the Father has life in himself, so too he has granted the Son to have life in himself,

Do not wonder at this; for there is a time coming when all who are in the tombs will listen to his voice

and come out, the doers of good to be raised to life, ill-doers to be raised for the sentence of judgment.

I have Another to bear testimony to me, and I know the evidence he bears for me is valid.

he was a burning and a shining lamp, and you chose to rejoice for a while in his light.

But I possess a testimony greater than that of John, for the deeds which the Father has granted me to accomplish, the very deeds on which I am engaged, are my testimony that the Father has sent me.

You search the scriptures, imagining you possess eternal life in their pages ??and they do testify to me ??40 but you refuse to come to me for life.

For if you believed Moses you would believe me, since it was of me that he wrote.

On looking up and seeing a large crowd approaching, he said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for all these people to eat?"

(He said this to test Philip, for he knew what he was going to do himself.)

Philip answered, "Seven pounds' worth of bread would not be enough for them, for everybody to get even a morsel."

and embarking in a boat they started across the sea for Capharnahum. By this time it was dark, Jesus had not reached them yet,

After rowing about three or four miles they saw Jesus walking on the sea and nearing the boat. They were terrified,

but he said to them, "It is I, have no fear";

so they agreed to take him on board, and the boat instantly reached the land they were making for.

and as the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they embarked in the boats themselves and made for Capharnahum in search of Jesus.

Work for no perishing food, but for that lasting food which means eternal life; the Son of man will give you that, for the Father, God, has certified him."

Then said Jesus, "What Moses gave you was not the bread from heaven; it is my Father who gives you the real bread from heaven ??33 for the bread of God is what comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

for I have come down from heaven not to carry out my own will but the will of him who sent me,

Now the Jews murmured at him for saying, "I am the bread which has come down from heaven."

I am the living bread which has come down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and more, the bread I will give is my flesh, given for the life of the world."

for my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.

Such is the bread which has come down from heaven: your ancestors ate their bread and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live for ever."