In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend nor overcome it. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained, and declared Him.

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.

Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the alter of incense. Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or strong drink, and he will also be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel back to the Lord their God. It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is well advanced in years.”  The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. But behold, you shall be mute and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”

The people were waiting for Zacharias, wondering at his delay in the temple. But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; for he kept making signs to them, and remained mute. When the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home.

After those days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace and reproach among people.”

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Greetings, rejoice, highly favored one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women!” But when she saw him, she was troubled and perplexed at what kind of greeting this was. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Now at this time Mary arose and went in haste to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”

And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, for He has regarded the lowly state of His bondslave; for behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name. And His mercy is upon generation after generation toward those who fear Him. He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. He has put down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted those who were lowly and humble. He has filled the hungry with good things; and sent away the rich empty-handed. He has given help to Israel His servant, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.” And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home. She was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a just, and righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, planned to send her away secretly. But while he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown His great mercy toward her; they were rejoicing with her.

So it was on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father. But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but he shall be called John.” But they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.” So they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all astonished. And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak, praising God. Then fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea. All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him.

Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David His servant – as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, who have been since the world began – we should be saved from our enemies, and the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which he swore to Abraham our father, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the face of Lord to prepare His ways; to give to His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, to give light upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nashon, Nashon the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David the king.

David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa. Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah. Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah. Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of deportation to Babylon.

After the deportation to Babylon: Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel was the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor. Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud. Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.

So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations: and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

Being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Hesli, the son of Naggai, the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, the son of Joshua, the son  of Eliezer, the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Heber, the son of Shelah, the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. So everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, in order to register along with Mary, his betrothed wife, and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her first-born Son; and she wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be the sign to you: you will find a Baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and goodwill among men with whom He is pleased!”

So when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” So they came in haste and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the Baby as He lay in the manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it marveled at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

Now when the days for her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.”

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was just, righteous and devout, looking and waiting for the Consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him up into his arms, and blessed God, and said, “Lord, now You are letting Your bond-servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the presence of all peoples, a Light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”

And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were being said about Him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed, and spoken against – and a sword will pierce even your own soul – to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, but served night and day with fastings and prayers. At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Israel. They had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi, wise men from the East arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:

‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.’”

Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child; and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” After hearing the king, they went their way; and behold, the star, which they had seen in the East, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the young Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I bring you word; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.”

So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

Then when Herod saw that he had been deceived by the magi, he became exceedingly enraged and sent and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi. Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying:

“A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be comforted, because they were no more.”

Now when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said, “Get up, take the young Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” So Joseph got up, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee, and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, saying: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He became twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the Feast. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. But Joseph and His mother were unaware of it, but supposing Him to be in the caravan, they went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him. Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and His answers. When they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.” And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” But they did not understand the statement which He had spoke to them. Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in obedience to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:

“Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You; the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. Every ravine will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight, and the rough roads smooth; and all flesh will see the salvation of God.’ ”

 John the Baptist, a man sent by God appeared, as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.

Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey, he came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent for the forgiveness of sins, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. The axe is now already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?” And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.” And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”

Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ, John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, for He existed before me. I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” So with many other exhortations he preached to the people.

This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

And they asked him, “What then, are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”

And he answered, “No.”

Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”

He said: “I am ‘the voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord,” ‘as the prophet Isaiah said.”

Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”

These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The next day Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He existed before me.’ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing in water.” But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him. Immediately coming up out of the water, as He was praying, the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God in bodily form as a dove descending upon Him; a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness with the wild beast forty days being tempted by Satan. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. And the devil came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

Then the devil brought Him into Jerusalem, the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You up, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’ ” And Jesus answered and said to him, “Again, it is written,

‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Then, the devil taking Him up on an exceedingly high mountain showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory in a moment of time; and the devil said to Him, “All these things, authority, and their glory, I will give You, for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore if you fall down and worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”

Then the devil, having finished every temptation, left Him until an opportune time; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him. Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee.

Again the next day, John, was standing with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus turned and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means the Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter, (a stone)).

The following day Jesus purposed to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Whatever he says to you, do it.” Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it to him. When the master of the feast had tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the guests have well drunk, then he serves the inferior wine; but you have kept the good wine until now!” This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

After this He went down into Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.

 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen, sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and He poured out the coins of the money changers and over turned their tables. And He said to those who were selling doves, “Take these things away, stop making My Father’s house a house of merchandise!”

Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house will Consume Me.” The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as Your authority for doing these things?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body. So when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.

Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, saw the signs which he was doing. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.

Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born again?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it goes; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? Most assuredly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven, but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him may be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone who practices evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing. Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people were coming and were being baptized – for John had not yet been thrown into prison.

Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification. And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan to whom you have testified – behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!”  John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine has been made full. He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. And what He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.  He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; but he who does not believe the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.  But when Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by him (John the Baptist) because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife , and because of all the wicked things which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.

Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), He left Judea and went away again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria.

So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from his journey, sat thus by the well.  It was about the sixth hour.  

There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to him, “How is that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep, where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”

Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so I will not thirst nor come here to draw.”

Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”

The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.”

Jesus said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’, for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”

The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming.” (He who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”

Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

At this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why do You speak with her?”

So the woman left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, ”Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then they went out of the city and came to Him. Meanwhile His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”

But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”

Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?”

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, ‘there are yet four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word.

Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.

So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves, also had gone to the feast.  And news about Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He began teaching in their synagogues, and was praised by all. Preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.”

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and was imploring Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”  The royal official said to Him, “Sir, come down before my son dies!” Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!” Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household. This is again a second sign that Jesus performed when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and 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 heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”  And all were speaking well of Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” And He said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’” And He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his home town. But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” And all those in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and rose up and drove Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. But passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.”

Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going on a little farther from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee their father, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them and immediately they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and followed Him.

Then they went down into Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach. They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean spirit. And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are – the Holy One of God!”  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down into convulsions in the midst of the people, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him without doing him any harm. And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking with one another saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! For with authority and power He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” And immediately the report about Him spread throughout all the region around Galilee. 

Then He got up and as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon Peter and Andrew, with James and John.

But Simon’s wife’s mother was lying sick with a high fever, and they spoke to Jesus and asked Him to help her. So He came and took her by the hand and rebuked the fever, and immediately the fever left her, and she arose and served them.

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. Simon and his companions searched for Him; and they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”  But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also because for this purpose I had been sent.”

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then the news about Him went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.

Great multitudes followed Him – from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

So it was, as the multitude  was pressing around Him to hear the word of God, He was standing by the lake Gennesaret; and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s; and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the multitudes from the boat. When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said, “Master, we have worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.”  When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets began to break. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man!”  For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will be catching men.” So when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything, forsook all and followed Him.

And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; kneeling down to Him, fell on his face, worshipped Him and implored Him, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus, moved with compassion stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. And Jesus strictly warned him and sent him away at once, and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, the report went around concerning Him all the more, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city; and great multitudes came to Him from every direction to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.

So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.

When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard He was at home. Now it happened on a certain day, many gathered together, there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He was speaking the word to them; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. Then behold, some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof, they uncovered the roof above Him, and when they had broken through, they let down the bed, on which the paralytic was lying, through the tiles, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? Which is easier to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk?’ But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” - He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Immediately he got up before them, took up the bed, and went home glorifying God. They were all struck with astonishment and began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today. We have never seen anything like this!”

After these things, He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them. As Jesus went on from there, He saw a tax collector named Levi (Matthew), the son of Alphaeus, sitting in the tax booth. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” And he left everything behind, and followed Him.  Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. Now it happened, as Jesus was reclining at the table dining in Levi’s house,  that many tax collectors and sinners, were also reclining together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were following Him. And when the Pharisees and their scribes saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they began grumbling at His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating and drinking with the tax collectors and sinners?” But when Jesus heard this, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy not sacrifice.’  For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Then the disciples of John (the Baptist) and of the Pharisees were fasting. They came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment and the tear is made worse. Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, otherwise the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins. And no one, after having drunk old wine, desires for new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’”

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, and withered, [waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of water disease he had.]  Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty- eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.

The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.” He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’” Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, [and sought to kill Him,] Because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”

For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever the Father does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth – those who had done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who had done evil, I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

“If I bare witness of Myself, My witness is not true. There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. You have sent to John (the Baptist), and He has testified to the truth. Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice in His light. But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish – the very works that I do – bare witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. And the Father Himself, who sent Me has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. You do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, because in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

“I do not receive honor from men. But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe, when you receive honor from one another, and you do not seek the honor that comes from the one and only God? Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you – Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believe Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

Now it happened on the second Sabbath, after the first that Jesus went through the grain fields. And His disciples were hungry and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating the grain. But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” And Jesus answering them said, “Have you not read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest and ate the showbread which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him? Or have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. But He knew their thoughts, and they asked Him saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved at the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And He stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. But they were filled with rage, then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him. But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew with His disciples to the sea and a great multitude from Galilee, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.

So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him. For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him, and He healed them all. And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, “You are the Son of God.” But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

“Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him and He will declare justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory; and in His name Gentiles will trust.”

Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself, those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. Then He chose and appointed twelve, whom He also named apostles that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have authority to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter); and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, (to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”); Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, (Judas the son of James, Lebbaeus), Simon called the Zealot, (Simon the Cananite); and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor and betrayed Him.

And Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place with a large crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.  And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, He opened His mouth and taught them, and said:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you whoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council but whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer and you be thrown into prison.  Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there until you have paid the last penny.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

“Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

“Again you have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes,’ or ‘No, no.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

“You have heard it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, that you may be sons of (the Most High), your Father in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. Become merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, that they have their reward in full. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will Himself reward you.

“And when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not use vain, meaningless repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray:

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]

“For if you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their transgressions, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.

“Moreover, whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do. For they distort their faces so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in the secret place, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. 

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, your heart will be also.

“The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life.

“So why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. Now if God so clothes grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own troubles.

“Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon and you will be pardoned. Give and it will be given to you: they will pour into your lap a good measure – pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.

And He also spoke a parable to them: “A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a ditch? A disciple is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’, when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the log from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who asks Him! In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth what is evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

“Therefore everyone who comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will compare him to a wise man building his house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock: And the rains descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat vehemently on that house, and could not shake it; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: The rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat vehemently on that house: and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great. And great was its fall.”

And so it was, when Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were astonished at His teaching, for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.

Now Jesus had entered Capernaum. And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, “For he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.”

Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” The centurion answered and said, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But speak only a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,” and he does it.”

When Jesus heard it, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.

Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. Now as He approached the gate of the city, one who had died was being carried out, the only begotten son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, “God has visited His people!” And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.

Then the disciples of John reported to him in prison concerning all these works of Christ. And John, sent two of his disciples to Jesus, saying, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”

When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, to ask, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ ” And that very hour He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind.  Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: the blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

When the messengers of John had left, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. For this is He of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face who will prepare Your way before You.’ Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.

“But what to shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places and calling out to one another, saying: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you and you did not weep.’ For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, of glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”

Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.

“And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”

At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisees house, and reclined at the table. And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus reclined at the table in the Pharisees house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him, weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”

And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”

 So He said, “Teacher, say it.”

“There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”

Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”

And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.”

Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many are forgiven for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven the same loves little.”

Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

And those who reclined at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and proclaiming the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities – Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herods steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.

And He (Jesus) came home, and the crowd gathered again to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. But when His own people (family) heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.”

Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw. And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this man be the Son of David?”

Now when the Pharisees and the scribes who came down from Jerusalem heard it they said, “This man does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, and He is possessed by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons,” and, “by the ruler of the demons He cast out demons.” And knowing their thoughts Jesus called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan? Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand, and has an end? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they shall be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house. He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

“Assuredly, I say to you, Every sin will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter: but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness. Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, never has forgiveness, either in this age or the age to come, but is subject to eternal condemnation” – because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that every careless word that people speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and an adulterous generation craves for a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days for three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.

“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, it goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes  worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”

While He was still speaking to the crowd, then His brothers and His mother came, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him. And it was told Him by some, who said, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You.” But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! My mother and my brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it. For whoever does the will of God, My Father in heaven is My brother and My sister and mother.”

On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And great multitudes were gathered to Him, and they had come to Him from every city, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. Then He taught them many things by parables, saying: “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow his seed. And it happened, as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road; and it was trampled down, and the birds came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. But when the sun had risen it was scorched, because it had no root, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirty fold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” And He said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

As soon as He was alone, those around Him, the disciples with the twelve came and asked Him about the parable and said to Him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”

He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to those who are outside, it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophesy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them. And their sins be forgiven them.’ But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desire to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? Therefore hear the parable of the sower: The seed is the word of God. The sower sows the word. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then Satan comes and snatches away what was sown in their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. This is he who received the seed by the side of the road. In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the stony ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no root in themselves, who believe only for a while.  For when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But these are the ones who receive seed on the good ground, those who hear the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some thirty fold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crop by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the mature in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

Jesus presented another parable to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went away. But when the wheat had sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, for while you are gathering up the tares you may also uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest, and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it?” He presented another parable to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, when it is sown on the soil, is indeed smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is full grown, it is greater than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, and forms large branches, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches under its shade.”

Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”

And with many such parables Jesus spoke the word to the multitude as they were able to hear it. But without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.” And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.

Then Jesus sent the multitude away left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the field.” He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew it to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw away the bad. So it will at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

 “Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes.” Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables that He departed from there. On the same day, when evening had come, and when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross to the other side of the lake.” And other little boats were also with Him. And they launched out. But as they sailed He fell asleep. And suddenly a great windstorm arose and the waves beat into the boat so that it was already filling up. But Jesus Himself was in the stern, and asleep on the cushion. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? Do you still have no faith?” And they became very much afraid and amazed, and said to one another, “Who can this be, for He commands that even the winds and the sea obey Him?!”  

Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. When He had come to the other side of the sea, He had got out of the boat, and when He stepped out on the land, immediately there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. (Matthew reveals there were actually two men. Mark and Luke mention only one of the two demon-possessed men, the more prominent and dominant of the two. Only one did the talking.) A certain man who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, even with a chain; because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones. Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; and shouting with a loud voice, he said, “What business do we (I) have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me! Have You come here to torment us before the time?” For He had said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit.” For it had often seized him many times; and was driven by the demons into the wilderness. Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered, and said, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” And they begged Him earnestly that He would not command them to go out into the abyss. Now a good way off from them there was a large herd of swine feeding there near the mountains. So all the demons begged Him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us to the swine that we may enter them.” So at once Jesus said to them, “Go.” So when the unclean spirits (demons) went out of the man, they went into the herd of swine. (There were about two thousand); and suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.

Then when those who kept the swine saw what had happened, they fled; and they went into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men in the city and in the country. And behold, the whole city came out to see what it was that had happened. Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind and they were afraid. And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, he who was healed, and about the swine.

 And when they saw Him (Jesus), the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gerasenes began to plead with Him to depart from them, to depart from their region, for they were seized with great fear. And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. However, Jesus did not permit him but sent him away, saying, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord God has done for you.” And he went his way and began to proclaim throughout the whole city in Decapolis all the great things Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.

Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side a multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.  So it was, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him. And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name.  And when he saw Him, he fell down at Jesus’ feet and worshiped Him, and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” For he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age. So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples, but as He went a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.

A certain woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse – when she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched the hem of His garment for she said to herself, “If only I may touch His clothes I shall be made well.” Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” When all denied it, Peter and the disciples said to Him, “Master, you see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me.” But Jesus turned around to see the woman who had done this. When the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came fearing and trembling knowing what had happened to her, and fell down before Him, and told Him the whole truth, and declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your affliction.” And the woman was made well from that hour.

While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher anymore?” But when Jesus heard it, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James.

When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute-players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, “Leave, for the child is not dead but sleeping.” And they began laughing at Him knowing she was dead. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was laying. Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” Then her spirit returned and she arose immediately. And they were overcome with great amazement. And He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and He said that something should be given her to eat. And the report of this went out into all that land.

When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” And when He had come into the house, the blind man came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See that no one knows it.” But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout all that land.

As they were going out, a mute, demon-possessed man, was brought to Him. After the demon was cast out, the mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!” But the Pharisees were saying, “He cast out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”

Then He went out from there and came to His own country and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas and Simon? And are not all His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief.

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Jesus summoned His twelve disciples to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power and authority over unclean spirits (demons), to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.  He sent them to preach the kingdom of God.

Now the names of the twelve disciples are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot who also betrayed Him. These twelve Jesus sent out and instructed them, saying: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff – but to wear sandals; provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor bread, nor two tunics a piece, nor sandals, nor staff; for a worker is worthy of his food.

Also He said to them, “Now whatever city or town you enter inquire who in it is worthy, and whatever house you enter stay there till you depart from that place. And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

“Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

“When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they had called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they call those of his household! Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

“Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.

“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities. So they departed and went out through the towns, preaching the gospel that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them everywhere.

Now at that time King Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus, for His name had become well known, all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, and said, “John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?” So he sought to see Him. And He said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in Him.”

Others said, “It is Elijah.”

And others said, “It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets.”

But when Herod heard, he said, “This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!”

For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife; for he had married her. Because John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.

And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they had counted him as a prophet. Then an opportune day came when, Herod’s birthday was celebrated, gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee. And when Herodias’ daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, “Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you.” He also swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom.” So she went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask?”

And she said, “The head of John the Baptist!”

So she, having been prompted by her mother immediately came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

And the king was exceedingly sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her. So immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought and he went and beheaded John in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.

When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his body and buried it in a cave, and went and told Jesus.

When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself.

And the apostles, when they had returned gathered to Jesus and told them all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest for awhile.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. Then He took them in the boat by themselves and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.

After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. But when the people heard of this, and the multitudes saw them departing, many knew Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were sick. They ran and followed Him on foot from all the cities. They arrived before Him and gathered to Him. And Jesus, when He went ashore, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.

And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. When it was already quite late, when it was evening, the twelve came, His disciples and said to Him, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already quite late. So send the crowds away, that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

But Jesus answered and He said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” But this He said to test Him, for He Himself knew what He was intending do.

Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.” And they said to Him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?” For there were about five thousand men.

But He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”

One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many people?”

He said, “Bring them here to Me.”

Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down in groups on the green grass.” Now there was much grass in the place. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties.

And when Jesus had taken the five loaves and two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before those who were sitting down; and likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted. So they all ate and were filled.

He said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments that remain so that nothing will be lost.” Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves and of the fish which were left over by those who had eaten. Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men besides women and children.

Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the crowds away. And when He sent the crowds away, He departed again to the mountain to pray by Himself alone.

Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea toward Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. Now, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. But the boat was now tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. So when they had rowed about three or four miles, and when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; they supposed that it was a ghost, and they cried out; for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage! It is I (I am); do not be afraid.”

Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”

And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and when they got into the boat, the wind ceased; and immediately the boat was at the land to which to which they were going. Then those who were in the boat worshipped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” And they were utterly astonished. For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.

When they had crossed over they came to land at Gennesaret, and anchored there. When they got out of the boat, the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was. Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the market places, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made perfectly well.

The next day the crowd that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there, except one, and that Jesus had not entered with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone away alone. There came other small boats from Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats, and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus. And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”

Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”

Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? Our father’s ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ “

Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”

And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I say to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” And they said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

Jesus therefore answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one might eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”

Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in Him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven – not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a difficult saying; who can understand it?”

When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples grumbled about this, He said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.

Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”

But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to who shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.”

Jesus answered them, “Did I not chose you, the twelve, and one of you is the devil?” He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him.

Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem, and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with defiled, that is, unwashed hands. For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders. When they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.

Then the Pharisees and the scribes asked Jesus, “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For Moses said, (God commanded), saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘If a man (whoever) says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” -  (that is, Corban) – then you no longer let him do anything for (he need not honor) his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment (word) of God of no effect by your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do. Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying (as it is written):

‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear Me, everyone, and understand: There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things which defile a man.”

When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples came and said to Him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”

But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”

So Jesus said to them, “Are you still without understanding? Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth that goes into the stomach from outside cannot defile, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated? (Thus He declared all foods clean.)  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, covetousness, false witness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemies, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and these are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

Then Jesus arose and went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden. And behold, a woman of Canaan whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came from that region fell at His feet and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me O Lord, Son of David, my daughter severely demon-possessed.” Now the woman was a Gentile, of the Syrophoenician race. And she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

But He answered her not a word.

And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”

But Jesus answered and said to her, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”

Then she came and worshiped Him, saying to Him, “Lord, help me! Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs which fall from the masters’ table.”

Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire. For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out and her daughter lying on the bed.

Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee. Jesus, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there. Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, crippled, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet and He healed them. Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged to Him to put His hand on him. And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.“

Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly. Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.” So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.

Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and when Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they answered and said, “Some say John the Baptist; but some say Elijah; and others say Jeremiah, and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, (Commentary: [The Believer’s Bible Commentary, William McDonald/The MacArthur Study Bible, John MacArthur/Searchlights from the Word, G. Campbell Morgan]: “...and on this rock...” We all know that more controversy has swirled around this verse than almost any other verse in the Gospel. The question is, “Who or what is the rock?” Part of the problem arises from the fact that the Greek words for Peter and for rock are similar but the meanings are different. / The word for “Peter,” petros, means a small stone. Jesus used a play on words here with petra which means a foundation boulder. Since the NT makes it abundantly clear that Christ is both the foundation and the head of the church, it is a mistake to think that here He is giving either of those roles to Peter. / So what Jesus really said was “...you are Peter (stone), and on this rock I will build My church.” He did not say He would build His church on a stone but on a rock. If Peter is not the rock, then what is? If we stick to the context the obvious answer is that the rock is Peter’s confession that Christ is the Son of the living God, the truth on which the church is founded. / So Jesus’ words here are best interpreted as a simple play on words in that a boulder–like truth came from the mouth of one who was called a small stone. Peter himself explains the imagery in his first epistle: the church is built of “living stones” who, like Peter, confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Christ Himself is the “chief cornerstone”. / Christ is spoken of as a Rock in 1 Corinthians 10:4. In this connection, Morgan gives us a helpful reminder: Remember, He was talking to Jews. If we trace the figurative use of the word rock through Hebrew Scriptures, we find that it is never used symbolically of man, but always of God. So... it is not upon Peter that the church is built. Jesus did not trifle with figures of speech. He took up their old Hebrew illustration – rock, always the symbol of deity – and said, “Upon God Himself – Christ, the Son of the living God – I will build My church.”) and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, (does not mean that Peter was given authority to admit men into heaven. This has to do with the kingdom of heaven on earth – the sphere containing... all who claim to be Christians. ...only God can forgive sins. (bind and loosed)... In a declarative sense.  When a sinner truly repents of his sins and receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, a Christian can declare that person’s sins to be forgiven. When a sinner rejects the Savior, a Christian... can declare his sins to be retained. / When the church (“called out ones”) says the unrepentant person is bound in sin the church is saying what God says about that person. When the church acknowledges that a repentant person has been loosed from that sin, God agrees. (on the basis of God’s Word.)  and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” Then He strictly warned His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

From that time on Jesus began to teach His disciples that the Son of Man must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord; this shall not happen to you!” But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the Gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in the glory of His Father with the holy angels. For the Son of Man will come... And then He will reward each according to his own works.

And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom after it has come with power.”

Now it came to pass, after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves to pray. As He prayed, He was transfigured before them. The appearance of His face was altered, His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became radiant and exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah, who, appeared in glory, and spoke of His departure (death) which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. Then it happened as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles, one for You,  and one for Moses, and one for Elijah” – because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid. While he was saying this, behold, a bright cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. And suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one anymore except Jesus Himself alone.

Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them that they shall tell no one the things that they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.

And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming and will restore all things. But I say to you, that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished, as it was written of him. And how is written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt? Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him. And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.

And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?”

Suddenly a man from the multitude came to Him, kneeling down to Him cried out, saying, “Teacher, I brought you my son who has a mute spirit. I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child. Lord, have mercy on my son for he is a lunatic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. And whenever it seizes him, it slams him down to the ground; he suddenly screams; convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid; and only with great difficulty does it leave him, mauling him as it leaves. So I brought him to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not cure him.”

Then Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him (your son) here to Me!”

They brought the boy to Him. And as he was still coming, when the demon saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth.

And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”

And he said, “From childhood. It has often thrown him into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!”

And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.”

Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I do believe; help my unbelief!”

When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again!”

Then the spirit after crying out, and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he got up; and the child was cured from that very hour.

And when He had come into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, “Why could we not drive it out?”

And Jesus said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. However, this kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.” And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.

Then they departed from there and began to go through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know about it.

And while they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus was teaching and telling them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later.” But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them so that they would not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying. And they were exceedingly sorrowful.

When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax (temple tax) came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?” He said “Yes.”

And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?”

Peter said to Him, “From strangers.”

Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a shekel; take that and give it to them for Me and you.”

Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest.

And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, asked them, “What was it you discussed among yourselves on the road?” But they kept silent for on the road they had discussed among themselves who would be greatest.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.”

Now John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.”

But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.

For he who is not against us is on our side. For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.

“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!

“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter life maimed, rather than having two hands, to be cast into hell, into the everlasting fire that shall never be quenched, [where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.]

And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, [where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.]

And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.

For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.

Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. [For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.]

“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of Your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”