For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places. There will be famines. These things are the beginning of birth pains.

When they lead you away and deliver you up, do not be anxious beforehand, or premeditate what you will say, but say whatever will be given you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

But when you see the abomination of desolation, standing where it ought not (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains,

But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babies in those days.

Then if anyone tells you, 'Look, here is the Messiah.' or, 'Look, there.' do not believe it.

the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.

But of that day or the hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Watch therefore, for you do not know when the lord of the house is coming ?at evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning;

But there were some who were indignant among themselves, "Why has this ointment been wasted?

They, when they heard it, were glad, and promised to give him money. He sought how he might conveniently deliver him.

On the first day of unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the Passover, his disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make ready that you may eat the Passover?"

and wherever he enters in, tell the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"'

As they sat and were eating, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me?he who eats with me."

As they were eating, he took bread, and when he had blessed, he broke it, and gave to them, and said, "Take; this is my body."

He went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass away from him.

He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Please remove this cup from me. However, not what I desire, but what you desire."

He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour?

Again he came and found them sleeping again, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him.

He came the third time, and said to them, "Sleep on now, and take your rest. It is enough. The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

But a certain one of those who stood by drew his sword, and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.

But he stayed quiet, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?"

and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him, and said, "You were also with the Nazarene, Jesus."

But he denied it, saying, "I neither know, nor understand what you are saying." He went out on the porch.

But he again denied it. After a little while again those who stood by said to Peter, "You truly are one of them, for you are a Galilean."

Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" He answered, "So you say."

Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, that we may see and believe him." Those who were crucified with him insulted him.

There were also women watching from afar, among whom were both Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome;

Pilate marveled if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead long.

Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Joses, saw where he was placed.

They were saying among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"

Entering into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were amazed.

He said to them, "Do not be amazed. You seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen. He is not here. Look, the place where they put him.

They went out, and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had come on them. They said nothing to anyone; for they were afraid.

they will pick up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them;[note: see Wallace, Exegetical Syntax, 403?6, whether promise or prediction] they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

even as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word delivered them to us,

that you might know the certainty concerning the things in which you were instructed.

They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.

But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were well advanced in years.

And the whole crowd of people were praying outside at the hour of incense.

But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your request has been heard, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

The people were waiting for Zechariah, and they marveled that he delayed in the temple.

It happened, when the days of his service were fulfilled, he departed to his house.

And look. You will conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and will call his name 'Jesus.'

And look, Elizabeth, your relative, also has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

And Mary said, "See, the handmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to your word." The angel departed from her.

She called out with a loud voice, and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

For at that moment when the voice of your greeting came into my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.

As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his seed forever."

They said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name."

And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, "His name is John." And they were all amazed.

Fear came on all who lived around them, and all these sayings were talked about throughout all the hill country of Judea.

salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us;

to show mercy towards our fathers, to remember his holy covenant,

the oath which he spoke to Abraham, our father,

to grant to us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, should serve him without fear,

In holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the dawn from on high will visit us,

to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death; to guide our feet into the way of peace."

It happened, while they were there, that the day had come that she should give birth.

There were shepherds in the same country staying in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock.

And suddenly an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

All who heard it wondered at the things which were spoken to them by the shepherds.

When eight days were fulfilled to circumcise him, his name was called Jesus, which was given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

When the days of their purification according to the Law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought him up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord

and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the Law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."

"Now you are releasing your servant, Sovereign Lord, according to your word, in peace;

for my eyes have seen your salvation,

a light for revelation to the nations, and the glory of your people Israel."

And his father and his mother were marveling at the things which were spoken concerning him,

Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

Coming up at that very hour, she gave thanks to God, and spoke of him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

When they had accomplished all things that were according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.

His parents went every year to Jerusalem at the feast of the Passover.

and when they had fulfilled the days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it,

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

When they saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us this way? Look, your father and I were anxiously looking for you."

He said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be doing the works of my Father?"

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,

Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say among yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father;' for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

Soldiers also asked him, saying, "What about us? What must we do?" He said to them, "Extort from no one by violence, neither accuse anyone wrongfully. Be content with your wages."

As the people were in expectation, and all men reasoned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he was the Messiah,

Now it happened, when all the people were baptized, Jesus also had been baptized, and was praying. The sky was opened,

and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form as a dove on him; and a voice came out of the sky, saying "You are my beloved Son. In you I am well pleased."

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

for forty days, being tempted by the devil. He ate nothing in those days. When they were completed, he was hungry.

The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."

Jesus answered and said to him, "It is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.'"

He led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down from here,

and, 'On their hands they will bear you up, lest perhaps you dash your foot against a stone.'"

Jesus answering, said to him, "It is said, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"

Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and news about him spread through all the surrounding area.

He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. He entered, as was his custom, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.

The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He opened the scroll, and found the place where it was written,

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed,

and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

He closed the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him.

He began to tell them, "Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

He said to them, "Doubtless you will tell me this parable, 'Physician, heal yourself. Whatever we have heard done at Capernaum, do also here in your hometown.'"

But truly I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land.

There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed, except Naaman, the Syrian."