And now, you shall be with child and give birth to a son, and you shall give him the name Jesus.

Eight days after the birth of the child, when it was time to circumcise him, he received the name Jesus--the name given him by the angel before his conception.

Moved by the Spirit, Simeon came into the Temple Courts, and, when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the Law,

When Jesus was twelve years old, they went according to custom to Jerusalem,

And had finished their visit; but, when they started to return, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, without their knowing it.

And Jesus grew in wisdom as he grew in years, and 'gained the blessing of God and men.'

Now after the baptism of all the people, and when Jesus had been baptized and was still praying, the heavens opened,

When beginning his work, Jesus was about thirty years old. He was regarded as the son of Joseph, whose ancestors were--Eli,

On returning from the Jordan, full of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was led by the power of the Spirit through the Wilderness for forty days, tempted by the Devil.

And Jesus answered him: "Scripture says--'It is not on bread alone that man is to live.'"

And the Devil led Jesus up, and showing him in a single moment all the kingdoms of the earth, said to him:

And Jesus answered him: "Scripture says--'Thou shalt do homage to the Lord thy God, and worship him only.'"

But Jesus answered him: "It is said--'Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.'"

When he had tried every kind of temptation, the Devil left Jesus, till another opportunity.

Moved by the power of the Spirit, Jesus returned to Galilee. Reports about him spread through all that neighborhood;

Coming to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, Jesus, as was his custom, went on the Sabbath into the Synagogue, and stood up to read the Scriptures.

The book given him was that of the Prophet Isaiah; and Jesus opened the book and found the place where it says--

And Jesus began: "This very day this passage has been fulfilled in your hearing."

"Doubtless," said Jesus, "you will remind me of the saying-- 'Doctor, cure yourself;' and you will say 'Do here in your own country all that we have heard that has been done at Capernaum.'

Starting up, they drove Jesus out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town stood, intending to hurl him down.

Then Jesus went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee. On the Sabbath he taught the people.

"Stop! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!"

But Jesus rebuked the demon. "Be silent! Come out from him," he said. The demon flung the man down in the middle of the people, and then came out from him, without causing him further harm.

And rumors about Jesus traveled through every place in the neighborhood.

On leaving the Synagogue, Jesus went into Simon's house. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a severe attack of fever, and they asked Jesus to cure her.

At sunset, all who had friends suffering from various diseases took them to Jesus; and he placed his hands upon every one of them and cured them.

And even demons came out from many people, screaming 'You are the Son of God.' Jesus rebuked them, and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

At daybreak, Jesus went out and walked to a lonely spot. But crowds of people began to look for him; and they came to where he was and tried to detain him and prevent his leaving them.

Jesus, however, said to them: "I must take the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the other town also, for that was why I was sent."

Once, when the people were pressing round Jesus as the listened to God's Message, he happened to be standing by the shore of the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats close to the shore.

So, getting into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, Jesus asked him to push off a little way from the shore, and then sat down and taught the people from the boat.

When Simon Peter saw this, he threw himself down at Jesus' knees, exclaiming: "Master, leave me, for I am a sinful man!"

And so, too, were James and John, Zebediah's sons, who were Simon's partners. "Do not be afraid," Jesus said to Simon; "from to-day you shall catch men."

On one occasion Jesus was staying in a town, when he saw a man who was covered with leprosy. When the leper saw Jesus, he threw himself on his face and implored his help: "Master, if only you are willing, you are able to make me clean."

Stretching out his hand, Jesus touched him, saying as he did so: "I am willing; become clean." Instantly the leprosy left the man;

And then Jesus impressed upon him that he was not to say a word to any one, "but," he added, "set out and show yourself to the priest, and make the offerings for your cleansing, in the manner directed by Moses, as evidence of your cure."

However, the story about Jesus spread all the more, and great crowds came together to listen to him, and to be cured of their illnesses;

But Jesus used to withdraw to lonely places and pray.

On one of those days, when Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and Doctors of the Law were sitting near by. (They had come from all the villages in Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was upon Jesus, so that he could work cures.)

And there some men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed. They tried to get him in and lay him before Jesus;

But, finding no way of getting him in owing to the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him through the tiles, with his pallet, into the middle of the people and in front of Jesus.

When he saw their faith, Jesus said: "Friend, your sins have been forgiven you."

When Jesus became aware of the way in which they were debating, he turned to them and exclaimed: "What are you debating with yourselves?

After this, Jesus went out; and he noticed a tax-gatherer, named Levi, sitting in the tax-office, and said to him: "Follow me."

And Levi gave a great entertainment at his house, in honor of Jesus; and a large number of tax-gatherers and others were at table with them.

The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law belonging to their party complained of this to the disciples of Jesus."

In answer Jesus said: "It is not those who are well that need a doctor, but those who are ill.

"John's disciples," they said to Jesus, "Often fast and say prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, while yours are eating and drinking!"

But Jesus answered them: "Can you make the bridegroom's friends fast while the bridegroom is with them?

Then, as an illustration, Jesus said to them: "No man ever tears a piece from a new garment and puts it upon an old one; for, if he does, he will not only tear the new garment, but the piece from the new one will not match the old.

One Sabbath Jesus was walking through cornfields, and hi disciples were picking the ears of wheat, and rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.

Jesus' answer was: "Have not you read even of what David did, when he was hungry, he and his companions--

Then Jesus added: "The Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath."

On another Sabbath Jesus went into the Synagogue and taught; and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.

The Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely, to see if he would work cures on the Sabbath, so that they might find a charge to bring against him.

Jesus, however, knew what was in the their minds, and said to the man whose hand was withered: "Stand up and come out into the middle." The man stood up;

And Jesus said to them: "I ask you, is it allowable to do good on the Sabbath--or harm? to save a life, or let it perish?"

But the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees were goaded to madness, and consulted together what they could do to Jesus.

Now about that time, Jesus went out, up the hill, to pray, and spent the whole night in prayer to God.

They were Simon (whom Jesus also named Peter), and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,

Afterwards Jesus came down the hill with them and took his stand on a level place. With him were a large crowd of his disciples, and great numbers of people from the whole of Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast district of Tyre and Sidon,

Then, raising his eyes and looking at his disciples, Jesus spoke as follows: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God.

Then, speaking in parables, Jesus said: "Can one blind man guide another? Will they not both fall into a ditch?

When Jesus had brought to a conclusion all that he had then had to say to the people, he entered Capernaum.

And, hearing about Jesus, he sent some Jewish Councillors to him, with the request that he would come and save his slave's life.

When they found Jesus, they earnestly implored him to do so. "He is a man who deserves that you should show him this favor," they said,

So Jesus went with them. But, when he was no great distance from the house, the Captain sent some friends with the message-- "Do not trouble yourself, Sir; for I am unworthy to receive you under my roof.

Jesus was surprised to hear these words from him; and, turning to the crowd which was following him, he said: "I tell you, nowhere in Israel have I met with such faith as this!"

Shortly after, Jesus went to a town called Nain, his disciples and a great crowd going with him.

Then he went up and touched the bier, and the bearers stopped; and Jesus said: "Young man, I am speaking to you--Rise!"

The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus restored him to his mother.

And this story about Jesus spread all through Judea, and in the neighboring countries as well.

When these men found Jesus, they said: "John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask--'Are you 'The Coming One,' or are we to look for somebody else?'"

At that very time Jesus had cured many people of diseases, afflictions, and wicked spirits, and had given many blind people their sight.

When John's messengers had left, Jesus, speaking to the crowds, began to say with reference to John:

"To what then," Jesus continued, "shall I compare the people of the present generation? What are they like?

One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to dine with him, so Jesus went to his house and took his place at table.

Just then a woman, who was an outcast in the town, having ascertained that Jesus was at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster jar of perfume,

And placed herself behind Jesus, near his feet, weeping. Then she began to make his feet wet with her tears, and she dried them with the hair of her head, repeatedly kissing his feet and anointing them with the perfume.

When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself: "Had this man been 'The Prophet,' he would have known who, and what sort of woman, this is who is touching him, and that she is an outcast."

But, addressing him, Jesus said: "Simon, I have something to say to you." "Pray do so, Teacher," Simon answered; and Jesus began:

"I suppose," answered Simon, "it will be the man to whom he forgave the greater debt." "You are right," said Jesus,

But Jesus said to the woman: "Your faith has delivered you; go, and peace be with you."

Shortly afterwards, Jesus went on a journey through the towns and villages, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God. With him went the Twelve,

And Joanna (the wife of Herod's steward, Chuza), and Susannah, and many others--all of whom ministered to Jesus and his Apostles out of their means.

Once, when a great crowd was collecting, and, when the people of town after town were flocking to Jesus, he spoke to them in the form of a parable:

Other seed fell into rich soil, and grew, and gave a hundred-fold return." After saying this, Jesus cried aloud: "Let him who has ears to hear with hear."

His disciples asked Jesus the meaning of this parable.

Presently Jesus' mother and brothers came where he was, but they were not able to join him on account of the crowd.

One day about that time, Jesus got into a boat with his disciples and said to them: "Let us go across the lake."

So they put off. While they were sailing, Jesus fell asleep. A squall swept down upon the lake, and their boat was filling and they were in danger.

So the disciples came and roused him. "Sir, Sir," they cried, "we are lost!" Jesus rose and rebuked the wind and the rushing waves, and they fell, and a calm followed.

And, on getting ashore, Jesus met a man, who had demons in him, coming out of the town. For a long time this man had worn no clothing, and he had not lived in a house, but in the tombs.

Catching sight of Jesus, he shrieked out and threw himself down before him, and in a loud voice exclaimed: "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beseech you not to torment me."

For Jesus was commanding the foul spirit to come out from the man. On many occasions it had seized him, and, even when secured with chains and fetters, and watched, he would break through anything that bound him, and be driven by the demon into the Wilds.

"What is your name?" Jesus asked. "Legion," he answered (for many demons had taken possession of him);

And the demons begged Jesus not to order them away into the bottomless pit.

There was a drove of many pigs close by feeding upon the hill- side; and the demons begged Jesus to give them leave to enter into them. Jesus gave them leave.

The people went out to see what had happened, and, when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting, clothed and in his right mind, at Jesus' feet; and they were awe-struck.

Upon which all the people in the neighborhood of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, for they were terrified. Jesus got into a boat and returned.