"And look, your relative Elizabeth has also become pregnant with a son in her old age -- although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month!

She exclaimed with a loud voice, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child in your womb!

And blessed is she who believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled."

Now the time came for Elizabeth to have her baby, and she gave birth to a son.

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

There was also a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, having been married to her husband for seven years until his death.

She had lived as a widow since then for eighty-four years. She never left the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.

At that moment, she came up to them and began to give thanks to God and to speak about the child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,

So he stood over her, commanded the fever, and it left her. Immediately she got up and began to serve them.

Then when a woman of that town, who was a sinner, learned that Jesus was dining at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfumed oil.

As she stood behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. She wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfumed oil.

Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner."

Then, turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house. You gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

You gave me no kiss of greeting, but from the time I entered she has not stopped kissing my feet.

You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfumed oil.

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which were many, are forgiven, thus she loved much; but the one who is forgiven little loves little."

because he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds pressed around him.

She came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his cloak, and at once the bleeding stopped.

When the woman saw that she could not escape notice, she came trembling and fell down before him. In the presence of all the people, she explained why she had touched him and how she had been immediately healed.

But when Jesus heard this, he told him, "Do not be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed."

Now they were all wailing and mourning for her, but he said, "Stop your weeping; she is not dead but asleep."

And they began making fun of him, because they knew that she was dead.

Her spirit returned, and she got up immediately. Then he told them to give her something to eat.

She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he said.

But Martha was distracted with all the preparations she had to make, so she came up to him and said, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do all the work alone? Tell her to help me."

The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon -- and now, something greater than Solomon is here!

so that this generation may be held accountable for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world,

and a woman was there who had been disabled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten herself up completely.

Then he placed his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

"Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search thoroughly until she finds it?

Then when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.'

yet because this widow keeps on bothering me, I will give her justice, or in the end she will wear me out by her unending pleas.'"

For they all offered their gifts out of their wealth. But she, out of her poverty, put in everything she had to live on."

She replied, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "I do not condemn you either. Go, and from now on do not sin any more."]]

So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary was sitting in the house.

She replied, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who comes into the world."

And when she had said this, Martha went and called her sister Mary, saying privately, "The Teacher is here and is asking for you."

So when Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.

Then the people who were with Mary in the house consoling her saw her get up quickly and go out. They followed her, because they thought she was going to the tomb to weep there.

Now when Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

Then Mary took three quarters of a pound of expensive aromatic oil from pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus. She then wiped his feet dry with her hair. (Now the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfumed oil.)

So Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She has kept it for the day of my burial.

When a woman gives birth, she has distress because her time has come, but when her child is born, she no longer remembers the suffering because of her joy that a human being has been born into the world.

So she went running to Simon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"

But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she bent down and looked into the tomb.

And she saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus' body had been lying, one at the head and one at the feet.

When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.

Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?" Because she thought he was the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him."

Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Aramaic, "Rabboni" (which means Teacher).

Mary Magdalene came and informed the disciples, "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them what Jesus had said to her.

After an interval of about three hours, his wife came in, but she did not know what had happened.

At once she collapsed at his feet and died. So when the young men came in, they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which in translation means Dorcas). She was continually doing good deeds and acts of charity.

At that time she became sick and died. When they had washed her body, they placed it in an upstairs room.

So Peter got up and went with them, and when he arrived they brought him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him, crying and showing him the tunics and other clothing Dorcas used to make while she was with them.

But Peter sent them all outside, knelt down, and prayed. Turning to the body, he said, "Tabitha, get up." Then she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.

When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she did not open the gate, but ran back in and told them that Peter was standing at the gate.

But they said to her, "You've lost your mind!" But she kept insisting that it was Peter, and they kept saying, "It is his angel!"

After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, "If you consider me to be a believer in the Lord, come and stay in my house." And she persuaded us.

Now as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit that enabled her to foretell the future by supernatural means. She brought her owners a great profit by fortune-telling.

She followed behind Paul and us and kept crying out, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation."

She continued to do this for many days. But Paul became greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!" And it came out of her at once.

There is danger not only that this business of ours will come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be regarded as nothing, and she whom all the province of Asia and the world worship will suffer the loss of her greatness."

And when the blood of your witness Stephen was shed, I myself was standing nearby, approving, and guarding the cloaks of those who were killing him.'

"Their feet are swift to shed blood,

For a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of the marriage.

So then, if she is joined to another man while her husband is alive, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she is joined to another man, she is not an adulteress.

so that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and provide her with whatever help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many, including me.

(but if she does, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband), and a husband should not divorce his wife.

To the rest I say -- I, not the Lord -- if a brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is happy to live with him, he should not divorce her.

And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is happy to live with her, she should not divorce him.

But if you marry, you have not sinned. And if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face difficult circumstances, and I am trying to spare you such problems.

If anyone thinks he is acting inappropriately toward his virgin, if she is past the bloom of youth and it seems necessary, he should do what he wishes; he does not sin. Let them marry.

A wife is bound as long as her husband is living. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes (only someone in the Lord).

But in my opinion, she will be happier if she remains as she is -- and I think that I too have the Spirit of God!

For if a woman will not cover her head, she should cut off her hair. But if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, she should cover her head.

Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.

But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.

But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man. She must remain quiet.

And Adam was not deceived, but the woman, because she was fully deceived, fell into transgression.

But she will be delivered through childbearing, if she continues in faith and love and holiness with self-control.

But the one who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives.

No widow should be put on the list unless she is at least sixty years old, was the wife of one husband,

By faith Rahab the prostitute escaped the destruction of the disobedient, because she welcomed the spies in peace.

And similarly, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another way?

I have given her time to repent, but she is not willing to repent of her sexual immorality.

She was pregnant and was screaming in labor pains, struggling to give birth.

and she fled into the wilderness where a place had been prepared for her by God, so she could be taken care of for 1,260 days.

But the woman was given the two wings of a giant eagle so that she could fly out into the wilderness, to the place God prepared for her, where she is taken care of -- away from the presence of the serpent -- for a time, times, and half a time.

A second angel followed the first, declaring: "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great city! She made all the nations drink of the wine of her immoral passion."

Now the woman was dressed in purple and scarlet clothing, and adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls. She held in her hand a golden cup filled with detestable things and unclean things from her sexual immorality.

As for the woman you saw, she is the great city that has sovereignty over the kings of the earth."

He shouted with a powerful voice: "Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detested beast.

Repay her the same way she repaid others; pay her back double corresponding to her deeds. In the cup she mixed, mix double the amount for her.

As much as she exalted herself and lived in sensual luxury, to this extent give her torment and grief because she said to herself, 'I rule as queen and am no widow; I will never experience grief!'

For this reason, she will experience her plagues in a single day: disease, mourning, and famine, and she will be burned down with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is powerful!"

And they threw dust on their heads and were shouting with weeping and mourning, "Woe, Woe, O great city -- in which all those who had ships on the sea got rich from her wealth -- because in a single hour she has been destroyed!"

She was permitted to be dressed in bright, clean, fine linen" (for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints).