Now his parents were accustomed to go up to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover.

And when he was twelve years old they went up, as was customary, at the time of the feast

All that heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

He answered, "Why is it that you have been looking for me, did you not realize that I had to be in my Father's house?"

As it is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah. The voice of one crying in the desert, Prepare the way for God, make straight paths for him.

So John used to say to the crowd of those who were going out to be baptized by him. "You breed of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Then bring forth fruit befitting your penitence, and do not begin to say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father." I tell you that God is able to raise up sons to Abraham out of these stones.

And now truly the axe is already laid at the root of the trees. So every tree which is not bearing good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

And the crowd began to ask him questions. "What shall we do then?" they asked. In reply he said to them.

There came to him publicans also to be baptized, and they said to him, "Master, what must we do?"

The soldiers also repeatedly questioned him, saying, "And we, what shall we do?" "Do not intimidate any one," he replied, "nor lay false charges, and be content with your pay."

He has his fan in his hand to cleanse his threshing-floor thoroughly, and to gather the wheat into his storehouse, but the chaff will he burn with unquenchable fire."

added yet this above them all that he shut up John in prison.

heaven opened, and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form like a dove, descended upon him. and a voice came out of heaven, saying. "Thou art my Son, dearly beloved; in thee is my delight."

And Jesus himself when he began to teach was about thirty years of age. He was the son (as it was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,

son of Melchi, son of Addi, son of Cosam, son of Elmadam, son of Er,

He ate nothing during these days, and at the close of them he was hungry.

And Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written that not by bread alone shall man live."

"To you will I give all this authority and this glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.

"If then you will worship me, it shall all be yours."

"It is written," answered Jesus, "Thou shalt worship the Lord, thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."

for it is written, "He shall give his angels charge of thee, to guard thee safely;

"It has been said," replied Jesus, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord, thy God."

And there was handed him the roll of the prophet Isaiah; and unrolling it he found the place where it was written,

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me Because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, He has sent me to proclaim release to the prisoners, And recovery of sight to the blind; To set at liberty those that are bruised,

Then rolling up the papyrus, he gave it back to the attendant and sat down.

And they all spoke well of him, and marveled at the words of charm that fell from his lips. "Is not this the son of Joseph?" they asked.

"yet Elijah was not sent to any one of them, but only to a widow in Zarephath in Sidon.

"And there were many lepers in Israel in the days of the prophet Elisha, yet none of them was cleansed but only Naaman the Syrian."

And there was in the synagogue a man possessed by the spirit of a foul demon. He cried out, in a loud voice, saying.

"Ha! Jesus of Nazareth, what business have you with us? Are you come to destroy us? I know you who you are, you holy one of God!"

And Jesus rebuked him, saying. "Be quiet! Come out of him." And when the demon had thrown the man down before them, he came out of him without doing him any harm.

All were amazed, and began to ask one another, saying. "What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits and they come out."

And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her; and at once she arose and ministered unto them.

At sunset all they who had any sick with any sort of disease brought them to him; and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them.

Demons also came out of many, screaming and saying, "You are the Son of God." But he rebuked them, and did not permit them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

And when it was daybreak he left the town, and went away to a solitary place; and the crowd kept seeking him. Coming at length upon him, they attempted to detain him so that he should not leave them.

But he said to them. "I must preach the gospel of the kingdom of God to the other towns also; for that is what I was sent to do."

He went on board one of the boats which belonged to Simon, and asked him to push out a little way from land. Then he sat down and continued to teach the crowd from the boat.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Push out into deep water, and let down your nets for a haul."

"Master," answered Simon, "although we toiled all night, we took nothing; but at your bidding I will let down the nets."

When Simon Peter saw this he fell down at the knees of Jesus, exclaiming, "Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man!"

(For he was amazed, and all who were with him, at the haul of fish which they had made;

And he stretched out his hand and touching him, said: "I do choose; be made clean."

"What is this caviling in your hearts? Which is easier to say, "Your sins are forgiven," or to say, "Rise and walk?"

And instantly he arose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and went away to his house, glorifying God.

After this he went forth and noticed a tax-gatherer, named Levi, sitting at the tax-office, and said to him, "Follow me."

Levi also made him a great reception at his house. There was a large party of tax-gatherers and others who were dining with them.

"But there is coming a day when the Bridegroom will have been taken away from them; then at that time they will fast."

He also told them a parable. "No one," he said, "tears a piece from a new garment, and patches it upon an old one; otherwise he will tear the new garment, and the patch from the new will not mend the old.

It happened that on a Sabbath he was going through the wheat-fields. His disciples were picking the ears and eating the wheat, rubbing it out with their hands.

And some of the Pharisees asked, "Why are you doing what it is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?"

"Have you never read," answered Jesus, "what David did when he and his followers were hungry?

"How he entered into God's house and took and ate the Presented Loaves, and gave some to his followers, loaves which none must eat but the priests?

So he rose and stood. Then Jesus said to them. "I ask you whether it is lawful on the Sabbath Day to do good or to do harm? To save a life or to destroy it?"

Then he looked round about on them in anger, and said to him, "Stretch out your hand!"

He did so; and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury, and they began to talk over together what they could do to Jesus.

It happened about that time that he went out into the mountain to pray. He continued all night in prayer to God.

"Blessed are you when men shall hate you, And excommunicate you and reproach you, and cast out your name as evil because of the Son of man.

"If you love those who love you what credit is it to you? Why even sinners love those who love them.

"And if you are kind to those who are kind to you, what credit is it to you? Even sinners do the same.

"And if you lend to those from whom you are hoping to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, so as to get as much back.

"Pardon, and you shall be pardoned; Give, and gifts shall be given to you; Full measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they shall pour into your bosom. For with what measure you measure, they will measure back to you."

"And why do you look at the splinter that is in your brother's eye, but never consider the beam that is in your own eye?

"Or how can you say to your brother. "Brother, allow me to pull that splinter out of your eye," when you do not see the beam in your own eye? Hypocrite! Take out first the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the splinter from your brother's eye.

"The good man out of the good treasure-house of his heart brings forth good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure-house of his heart brings forth evil; for the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart.

"And why are you calling me Lord, Lord, and not doing what I tell you?

"He is like a man who is building a house who digged and went deep and laid a foundation upon rock. And, when a flood came, the torrent dashed against that house, but could not move, because it had been founded upon rock.

"But he who listens but does not do, is like a man who built a house upon the soil, without foundations, against which the torrent burst, and at once it fell in, and the ruin of that house was great."

Here the slave of a certain Roman captain, a man dear to his master, was ill, and at the point of death.

"For I also am a man obedient to authority, and have soldiers under me. And I say to one 'come,' and he comes, and to my slave 'do this or that,' and he does it."

Now when he drew near the gate of the city, behold, they were there carrying out one who was dead, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.

And the report of what Jesus had done went forth throughout Judea and the surrounding regions.

At that moment Jesus was healing many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and to many that were blind he was freely giving their sight.

So he answered them. "Go your way, tell John what you have seen and heard. How the blind are seeing, the lame are walking, the lepers are being cleansed, the deaf are hearing, the dead are being raised, and the poor are hearing the proclamations of glad tidings.

When John's messengers were gone he began to speak to the crowds about John, saying, "What went out you out to the desert to behold? A reed shaken by the wind?

"But what you went out to behold? A man clothed in soft robes? Behold, men who are gorgeously dressed and live in luxury are in kings' palaces.

"But what went you to see? A prophet?

"Yes, I tell you and more than a prophet. This is he who it is written. "Behold I send a messenger before thy face, Who shall prepare thy way before thee.

"I tell you that among all that are born of women not one is greater than John; yet he that is little in the kingdom of God is greater than he."

"To what then shall I compare the men of this generation?

"To What are they like, they are like children sitting in the market-place and calling to one another. "'We have piped to you,' they say, 'and you have not danced; we have wailed, and you did not cry.'

One of the Pharisees kept urging him to dine, so he entered the house and reclined at table.

Now there was a woman who was in the city, a sinner and when she knew that that Jesus was reclining at meat in the Pharisees house, she brought an alabaster vase of perfume,

and standing behind, at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and to wipe them with her hair, while she tenderly kissed his feet, and poured the perfume over them.

When he noticed this the Pharisee, who had invited him, said to himself, "If this man were really a prophet he would have perceived who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, and would know that she is a sinner."

"I take it," said Simon, "the one he forgave the most."

"You have rightly judged." answered Jesus, and turning to the woman, he said to Simon. "Do you see this woman? When I came into 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.

It happened shortly afterwards that he began to go from town to town and village to village, preaching and telling the good news of the kingdom of God.

The twelve were with him, and certain women whom he had delivered from evil spirits and various diseases. Mary of Magdala, out of whom seven demons have been driven,

and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many other women, who used to minister to him out of their substance.

"A sower went out to sow his seed, and as he sowed some fell by the wayside, and was trodden under foot, and the wild birds ate it up.

"Some other seed dropped on the rock, as soon as it grew it withered away, because it had no moisture.

"Another part fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew with it and choked it.

"But some fell on good soil, and grew up, and brought forth fruit, a hundredfold." When he said this, he called out, "Whoever has ears to hear with, let him listen."

Then his disciples began to interrupt him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"

He answered. "To you it is given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God; But all others are taught in parables so that seeing they shall not see, and hearing they shall not hear.

"When he lights a lamp no one covers it with a vase or hides it under a bed; he puts it on a lamp-stand so whoever may behold the light.

"Take heed, then, how you listen. for he who has, to him shall it be given, but from him who has not, shall be taken away even what he has."

"My mother and brothers," he answered, "are those who listen to the word of God and obey it."