Inasmuch as many have under taken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word have handed them down to us,  it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; so that you might know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.

         In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years. Now it came about, 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. And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. And Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear gripped him. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. And 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 liquor; and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, while yet in his mothers womb. And he will turn back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. And 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 attitude of the righteous; so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this for certain? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years." And 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. "And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak, until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which shall be fulfilled in there proper time."

         And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and were 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; and he kept making signs to them, and remained mute.

         And it came about, when the days of his priestly service were ended, that he went back home. And after these 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 among men."

         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 coming in, he said to her, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be. And 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." And Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" And 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 offspring 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; be it done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

         Now at this time Mary arose and went with haste to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. And it came about that 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 among women are you, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! "And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord should 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 exalts the Lord, "And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. "For He has had regard for the humble 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 hearts. "He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted those who were 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 offspring forever." And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home. Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she brought forth a son. And her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her. And it came about that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father. And his mother answered and said, "No indeed; but he shall be called John." And they said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name." and they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. And he asked for a tablet, and wrote as follows, "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 in praise of God. And fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea. And 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. And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying; "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished redemption for 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 from of old-SALVATION FROM OUR ENEMIES, AND FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US;  To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to Abraham our father, To grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS;   To give to His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high shall visit us, TO SHINE 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 book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. To Abraham was born Isaac;  and to Isaac, Jacob; and to Jacob, Judah and His brothers; and to Judah was born Perez and Zerah by Tamar; and to Perez was born Hezron; and to Hezron Ram; and to Ram was born Amminadab; and to Amminadab, Nahshon; and to Nahshon, Salmon; and to Salmon was born Boaz by Rahab; and to Boaz was born Obed by Ruth; and to Obed, Jesse; and to Jesse was born David the king. And to David was born Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah; and to Solomon was born Rehoboam; and to Rehoboam, Abijah; and to Abijah, Asa; and to Asa was born Jehoshaphat; and to Jehoshaphat, Joram; and to Joram, Uzziah; and to Uzziah was born Jotham; and to Jotham, Ahaz; and to Ahaz, Hezekiah; and to Hezekiah was born Manasseh; and to Manasseh, Amon; and to Amon, Josiah; and to Josiah were born Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. And after the deportation to Babylon, to Jeconiah was born Shealtiel; and to Shealtiel, Zerubbabel; and to Zerubbabel was born Abiud; and to Abiud, Eliakim; and to Eliakim, Azor; and to Azor was born Zadok; and to Zadok, Achim; and to Achim, Eliud; and to Eliud was born Eleazar; and to Eleazar, Matthan; and to Matthan, Jacob; and to Jacob was born Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. Therefore 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 time of Christ fourteen generations.

         Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly. But when 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 that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. "And she will bear a Son; and you will call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins." Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, 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 arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife, and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

         Now it came about in those days that 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. And all were proceeding to register for the census, everyone to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register, along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. And it came about that 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 cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields, and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall 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. "And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in 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 among men with whom He is pleased." And it came about when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that 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." And they came in haste and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. And when they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And 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 were completed before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. And when the days for their 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 first-born  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 TURTLEDOVES, OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS." And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking 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. And he came in 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 into his arms, and blessed God, and said, "Now Lord, Thou dost let Thy bondservant depart in peace, according to Thy word; For my eyes have seen Thy salvation, Which Thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE  GENTILES, And the glory of Thy people Israel." And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is appointed for the rise and fall of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed--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 advanced in years, having lived with a husband seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. And she never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. And 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 Jerusalem.

         And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him." And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born. And they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet, 'AND YOU,  BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDEA,  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 ascertained from them the time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, "Go and make careful search for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, that I too may come and worship Him." and having heard the king, they went their way; and lo, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them, until it came and stood over where the Child was. And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

         And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshipped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their own country by another way.

         Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise and take the Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you;  for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him." And he arose and took the Child and His mother by night, and departed for Egypt; and was there until the death of Herod, that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, "OUT OF  EGYPT DID  I CALL  MY  SON. "  Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its environs, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the magi. Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, "A VOICE WAS HEARD IN  RAMAH,  WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING,  RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN;  AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED,  BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE." But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Arise and take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child's life are dead." And he arose and took the 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. And being warned by God in a dream, he departed for the regions of Galilee, and came and resided in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazarene."  And the Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

         And His parents used to go to Jerusalem every year at the Feast for the Passover. And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. And His parents were unaware of it, but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a days journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. And when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, looking for Him. And it came about that 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 amazed at His understanding and His answers. And when they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have you treated us this way? Behold, 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 had to be in My Father's house ?" And they did not understand the statement which He had made to them. And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth; and He continued in subjection 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 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. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

         And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, "BEHOLD,  ISEND  MY  MESSENGER BEFORE  YOUR  FACE,  WHO WILL  PREPARE YOUR  WAY ;  "THE  VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, 'MAKE  READY THE WAY OF THE  LORD, MAKE  HIS PATHS STRAIGHT. 'EVERY  RAVINE SHALL BE FILLED UP, AND  EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL SHALL BE BROUGHT LOW; AND THE CROOKED SHALL BECOME STRAIGHT, AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH; AND ALL FLESH SHALL SEE THE SALVATION OF  GOD.' " John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. And John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? "Therefore bring forth fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father,' for I say to you that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. "And also the ax is already laid at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." And the multitude were questioning him, saying, "Then what shall we do?" And he would answer and say to them, "Let the man who has two tunics share with him who has none; and let him who has food do likewise." And some tax-gatherers 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." And 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 might be the Christ, John answered and said to them all, "As for me, I baptize you with water; but one is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. "And His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

         So with many other exhortations also he preached the gospel to the people. But when Herod the tetrarch was reproved by him on account of Herodias, his brother's wife, and on account of all the wicked things which Herod had done, he added this also to them all, that he locked John up in prison. 

         And it came about in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

         Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. 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.

         And after being baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."

         And when He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being supposedly 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 Joseph, 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 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 Rue, 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.

         And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led about by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days; and when they had ended, He became hungry.

         And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL  NOT  LIVE  ON  BREAD  ALONE,  BUT ON  EVERY  WORD  THAT  PROCEEDS  OUT  OF  THE  MOUTH  OF  GOD,'"

         Then the devil took Him into the holy city; and he had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God throw Yourself down; for it is written, 'HE  WILL  GIVE  HIS  ANGELS  CHARGE  CONCERNING   YOU '; and 'ON  their  HANDS THEY WILL BEAR  YOU  UP, LEST  YOU  STRIKE  YOUR  FOOT  AGAINST  A  STONE.'"

         Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'YOU SHALL NOT  PUT  THE  LORD  YOUR  GOD  TO  THE  TEST.'"

         Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory; and he said to Him, "All these things will I give You, if You fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Begone, Satan! For it is written, 'YOU SHALL  WORSHIP  THE   LORD  YOUR  GOD,  AND   SERVE  HIM  ONLY.'" And when the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.

         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 came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. He came for a witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came that he might bear witness of the light. There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 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 the children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the 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 from the Father, full of grace and truth.

         John bore witness of Him, and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'" 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 man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

         And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" And  he confessed, and did not deny, and he confessed, "I am not the Christ." And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" And he said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." They said then 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  A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, 'MAKE  STRAIGHT  THE  WAY  OF  THE   LORD,' as Isaiah the prophet said." Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said to him, "Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" John answered them saying, "I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. "It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie."

         These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! "This is He on behalf of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.' "And I did not recognize Him, but in order that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water." And John bore witness saying, "I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. "And 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.' "And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God." Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked upon Jesus as He walked, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus turned, and beheld them following, and said to them, "What do you seek?" And they said to Him, "Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are you staying?" He said to them, "Come, and you will see." They came therefore 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 Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, "You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas" (which translated means Peter).

         The next day He purposed to go forth into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, "Follow Me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of 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." And Nathanael said to him, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."

         Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" 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 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 shall see greater things than these." And He said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you shall see the heavens opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

         And on the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and Jesus also was invited, and His disciples, to the wedding. And when the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine," And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what do I have to do with you? 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." And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the headwaiter." And they took it to him. And when the headwaiter 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 headwaiter called the bridegroom, and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first, and when men have drunk freely, then that which is poorer; 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 to Capernaum, He and His mother, and His brothers, and His disciples; and there they stayed a few days.

         And 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 and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers seated. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the moneychangers, and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, "Take these things away; stop making My Father's house a house of merchandise," His disciples remembered that it was written, "ZEAL   FOR  THY  HOUSE  WILL  CONSUME  ME." The Jews therefore answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, seeing that You do these things?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews therefore 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. When therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; 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, beholding His signs which He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to bear witness 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 Him 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, "Truly, truly, 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? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, 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 marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' "The wind blows where it wishes and you here the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going;  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? "Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak that which we know, and bear witness of that which we have seen; and you do not receive our witness. "If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how shall you believe if I tell you heavenly things? "And no one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven, even the Son of Man. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whoever believes may in Him have eternal life. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. "And this is judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil. "For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. "But he who practices the truth comes to the light, 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,. And John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and they were coming and were being baptized. For John had not yet been thrown into prison. There arose therefore a discussion on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about purification. And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have born witness, 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 bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, I have been sent before 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. And so 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. "What He has seen and heard, of that He bears witness; and no man receives His witness. "He who has received His witness has set his seal to this, that God is true. "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure. "The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

         When therefore 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 departed again into Galilee. And He had to pass through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was abut 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. The Samaritan woman therefore said to Him, "How is it 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 who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water," She said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? "You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty, nor come all the way here to draw." He 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 well said, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly." The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. "Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall you worship the Father. "You worship that which you do not know; we worship that which we know, for salvation is from the Jews. "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. "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 that One comes, He will declare all things to us." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He ."

         And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled 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, and went into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?" They went out of the city, and were coming to Him. In the meanwhile the disciples were requesting Him, saying, "Rabbi,eat." But He said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." The disciples therefore were saying to one another, "No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish 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 on the fields, that they are white for the harvest. "Already he who reaps is receiving wages, and is gathering fruit for life eternal; that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. "For in this case 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 labor."

         And from that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all the things that I have done." So when the Samaritans came to Him, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world." And after the two days He went forth from there into Galilee. And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit; and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district.

         And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all. And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, 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  ANOINTED  ME  TO  PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE  POOR. HE  HAS SENT  ME  TO  PROCLAIM  RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,  AND  RECOVERY  OF  SIGHT  TO  THE  BLIND, TO  SET  FREE  THOSE  WHO ARE  DOWN -TRODDEN,  TO  PROCLAIM  THE  FAVORABLE  YEAR  OF  THE  LORD." And He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed upon Him. And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." And all were speaking well of Him, and were wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, "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 home town 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 sky 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 land 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 in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they rose up and cast Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, He went His way.

         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 went to the feast. He came therefore again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain 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 requesting Him to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. Jesus therefore said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe." The royal official said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies." Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives." The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and started off. And as he was now going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was living. So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. They said therefore to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives"; and he himself believed, and his whole household. This again a second sign that Jesus performed, when he had come out of Judea into Galilee.

         Now when He heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." And leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This was to fulfill what was spoken through 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  WERE  SITTING  IN  DARKNESS  SAW  A  GREAT  LIGHT, AND  TO  THOSE  WHO  WERE  SITTING  IN  THE  LAND  AND  SHADOW  OF  DEATH,  UPON  THEM  A  LIGHT  DAWNED." From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven, is at hand."

         And 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. And He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." And they immediately left the nets, and followed Him. And going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

         And Jesus was going about in all Galilee, teaching in their Synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. And the news about Him went out into all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, taken with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. And great multitudes followed Him from

Galilee and Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan. And when He saw the multitudes, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. And opening His mouth He began to teach them, saying, "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 gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive 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 have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. "Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

         "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. "Nor do men light a lamp, and put it under the peck-measure, but on the lampstand; 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 abolish, but to fulfill. "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished. "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. "For I say unto you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.

         "You have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU  SHALL  NOT  COMMIT  MURDER' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever shall say to his brother, 'Raca,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever shall say, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.

         "If therefore you are presenting your offering at the alter, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

         "Make friends quickly with your opponent at the law while you are with him on the way, in order that your opponent may not deliver you to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. "Truly I say to you, you shall not come out of there, until you have paid up the last cent.

         "You have heard that it was said, 'YOU  SHALL  NOT  COMMIT  ADULTERY'; but I say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

         "And if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

         "And if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to go into hell.

         "And it was said, 'WHOEVER  DIVORCES  HIS WIFE,LET  HIM  GIVE  HER  A  CERTIFICATE  OF  DISMISSAL'; but I say to that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the cause of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

         "Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU  SHALL  NOT  MAKE  FALSE  VOWS,  BUT  SHALL  FULFILL  YOUR  VOWS  TO  THE  LORD.' "But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is  THE  CITY  OF  THE  GREAT  KING. "Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white orblack. "But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no'; and anything beyond these is of evil. "You have heard that it was said, 'AN  EYE  FOR  AN  EYE , AND  A  TOOTH  FOR  A  TOOTH.'  "But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on your  right cheek, turn to him the other also. "And if anyone wants to sue you, and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. "And whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him two. "Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. "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 in order that you may be sons of your Father who is 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 if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same? "And if you great your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. "When therefore you give alms, 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, they have their reward in full. :But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you. "And when you pray, you are not to be as the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners, in order to 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, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you. "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition, as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. "Therefore do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need, before you ask Him. "Pray, then, in this way; 'Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. 'Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 'Give us this day our dally bread. 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.' "For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. "But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. "And whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance in order to be seen fasting by men. 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 you may not be seen fasting by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you. "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. "The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. "But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore 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 he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. "For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing? "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more then they? "And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span? "And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not cloth himself like one of these. "But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith? "Do not be anxious then, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'With what shall we cloth ourselves?' "For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. "Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

         "Do not judge lest you be judged. "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. "And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

         "Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. "Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. "For everyone who asks receive, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened." Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone? "Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?" If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

         Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

         "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. "For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.

         "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. "You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they?" Even so, every good tree bears good fruit;  but the bad tree bears bad fruit." A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit." Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." So then, you will know them by their fruits." 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. "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 hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. "And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock. "And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. "And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall."

         The result was that when Jesus had finished these words, the multitudes were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. And when He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.

         And behold, a leper came to Him, and bowed down to Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and present the offering that Moses commanded, for a testimony to them." And when He had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, entreating Him, and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering great pain." And He said to him, "I will come and heal him." But the centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. "For I, too, am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes, and to another, 'Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does it ." Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled, and said to those who were following, "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. "And I say to you, that many shall come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." And Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; let it be done to you as you have believed." And the servant was healed that very hour.

         "And they went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and bean to teach. And they were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. And just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, "What do we have to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are-the Holy One of God!" And Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" And throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice, and came out of him. And they were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, "What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him." And immediately the news about Him went out everywhere into all the surrounding district of Galilee.

         And immediately after they had come out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon's mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and immediately they spoke to Him about her. And standing over her, He rebuked the fever, and it left her; and she immediately arose and waited on them. And while the sun was setting, all who had any sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and laying His hands on every one of them, He was healing them. And the whole city had gathered at the door. And demons also were coming out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Son of God!" And rebuking them, He would not allow them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ. And when evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill in order that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, "HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES, AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES." And in the early morning, while it was still dark, He arose and went out and departed to a lonely place, and was praying there. And Simon and his companions hunted for Him; and they found Him, and said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You." And He said to them, "Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, in order that I may preach there also; for that is what I came out for."

         And when day came, He departed and went to a lonely place; and the multitudes were searching for Him, and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from going away from them. But He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose." And He kept on preaching in the synagogue of Judea.

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

         And He went into their synagogue throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out demons. And it came about that while He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man full of leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." And a leper came to Him, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean." And moved with compassion, He stretched out His hand, and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed." And immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. And He ordered him to tell no one, "But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, for a testimony to them." But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news about, to such an extent that Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas; and they were coming to Him from everywhere. But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and great multitudes were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But He Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.

         Now when Jesus saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to depart to the other side. And a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go." And Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Sun of Man has nowhere to lay His head." And another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father." But Jesus said to Him, "Follow Me; and allow the dead to bury their own dead." And when He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.

         And behold, there arose a great storm in the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves; but He Himself was asleep. And they came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing!" And He said to them, "Why are you timid, you men of little faith?" Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and it became perfectly calm. And the men marveled, saying, "What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"

         And when He had come to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs; they were so exceedingly violent that no one could pass by that road. And behold, they cried out, saying, "What do we have to do with You, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?"

         Now there was at a distance from them a herd of many swine feeding. And thedemons  began to entreat Him, saying, "If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of swine." And He said to them, "Begone!" And they came out, and went into the swine, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the waters. And the herdsmen ran away, and went to the city, and reported everything, including the incident of the demoniacs. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they entreated Him to depart from their region. And getting into a boat, He crossed over, and came to His own city.

         And when He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them.

         And it came about one day that He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. And not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, right in the center, in front of Jesus. And seeing their faith, He said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven you." and scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?" But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts? "Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins have been forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'? "But in order 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, rise, and take up your stretcher and go home." And at once he rose up before them, and took up what he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God. And they were all seized with astonishment and began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, "We have never seen anything like this."

         And He went out again by the seashore; and all the multitude were coming to Him, and He was teaching them. And as He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax office, and He said to him, "Follow Me!" And He left everything behind, and rose and began to follow Him.

         And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax-gatherers and other people who were reclining at the table with them. And it came about that He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax-gatherers and sinners were dinning with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were following Him. And the Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with the tax-gatherers and sinners?" "Why is your Teacher eating with the tax-gatherers and sinners?" "Why is He eating and drinking with tax-gatherers and sinners?" But when He heard this, Jesus answered and said to them, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. "But go and learn what this means, 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." And John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they came and said to Him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?" And Jesus said to them, "The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast." And He was telling them a parable; "No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. "And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. "But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. "And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, 'The old is good enough.'"

         While He was saying these things to them, behold, there came a synagogue official, and bowed down before Him, saying, "My daughter has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live." And Jesus rose and began to follow him, and so did His disciples. And one of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up, and upon seeing Him, fell at His feet, And entreated Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, that she may get well and live." And He went off with Him; and a great multitude was following Him and pressing in on Him. And a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured 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, after hearing about Jesus, came up in the crowd behind Him, and touched His cloak. For she thought, "If I just touch His garments, I shall get well." And immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.

         And immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My garments?" And His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude pressing in on You, and You say, 'Who touched me?'" And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him, and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."

         While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, "Your daughter has just died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?" But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, "Do not be afraid any longer, only believe." And He allowed no one to follow with Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James. And they came to the house of the synagogue official; and He beheld a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing. And when Jesus came into the official's house, and saw the flute-players, and the crowd in noisy disorder, He said to them, "Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep." And they began laughing at Him. But putting them all out, He took along the child's father and mother and His own companions, and entered the room where the child was. And taking the child by the hand, He said to her, "Talitha kum!"(which translated means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!") And immediately the girl rose and began to walk; for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded. 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 this news went out into all that land.

         And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, and saying, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" And after He had come into the house, the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe the I am able to do this?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." Then He touched their eyes, saying, "Be it done to you according to your faith." And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See here, let no one know about this!" But they went out and spread the news about Him in all that land.

         And as they were going out, behold, a dumb man, demon-possessed, was brought to Him. And after the demon was cast out, the dumb man spoke; and multitudes marveled, saying, "Nothing like this was ever seen in Israel." But the Pharisees were saying, "He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons."

         And Jesus was going about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd.

         Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. "Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest."

         And having summoned His twelve disciples, He gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax-gather; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him. These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, "Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. "And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons; freely you received, freely give. "Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support. "And into whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it; and abide there until you go away. "And as you enter the house, give it your greeting. "And if the house is worthy, let your greeting of peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your greeting of peace return to you. "And whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of the house or that city, shake off the dust of your feet. "Truly 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 shrewd as serpents, and innocent as doves. "But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to the courts, and scourge you in their synagogues; and you shall even 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 become anxious about how or what you will speak; for it shall be given you in that hour what you are to speak. "For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

         "And 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 on account of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

         "But whenever they persecute you in this city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you shall not finish going through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man comes. "A disciple is nor above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. "It is enough for the disciple the he becomes as his teacher, and the slave as his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members 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. "What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. "And do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to 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 cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. "But the vary hairs of your head are all numbered. "Therefore do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows.

         "Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. "But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

         "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. "For I came 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 has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake shall 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 in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little one's even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you he shall not lose his reward.

         And it came about that when Jesus had finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.

         Now when John in prison heard of the work's of Christ, he sent word by his disciples, and said to Him, "Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?" And Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and report to John what you hear and see: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM. "And blessed is he who keeps from stumbling over Me."

         And as they were going away, Jesus began to speak to the multitudes about John, "What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? "But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who were soft clothing are in kings' palaces. "But why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I say to you, and one who is more than a prophet. "This is the one about whom it is written, 'BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER BEFORE YOUR FACE, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.'  "Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet 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 violent men take it by force. "For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. "And if you care to accept it, he himself is Elijah, who was to come. "He who has ears to hear, let him hear. "But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places, who call out to the other children, and say, 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.' "For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon!' "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."

         Then He began to reproach the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent.

         "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. "Nevertheless I say to you, it shall 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 shall descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. "Nevertheless 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 praise Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou didst hide these things from the wise and intelligent and didst reveal them to babes. "Yes, Father, for thus it was well-pleasing in Thy 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 anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

         "Come to Me, all who are weary and 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 SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. "For My yoke is easy, and My load is light."

         At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath through the grain fields, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Behold, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath." But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did, when he became hungry, he and his companions; how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? "Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath, and are innocent? "But if you had known what this means, 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,' you would not have condemned the innocent. "For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

         And departing from there, He went into their synagogue. And was teaching; and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely. And they questioned Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"--in order that they might accuse Him. But He knew what they were thinking. And He said to them, "What man shall there be among you, who shall have one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it, and lift it out? "Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." Then He said to the man with the withered hand, "Rise and come forward!" And he rose and came forward. And Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do harm, to save a life, or to destroy it?" But they kept silent. And after looking around at them all with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man,  "Stretch out your hand!" And he stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other.

         But they themselves were filled with rage, and the Pharisees went out and immediately began taking counsel with the Herodians against Him, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus, as to how they might destroy Him.

         But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed Him, and He healed them all, in order that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, might be fulfilled, 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 PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES. "HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT; NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS. "A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF, AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT, UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY.  AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE." And Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a great multitude from Galilee followed; and also from Judea, and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude heard of all that He was doing and came to Him;

         And He told His disciples that a boat should stand ready for Him because of the multitude, in order that they might not crowd Him; for He had healed many, with the result that all those who had afflictions pressed about Him in order to touch Him.

         And whenever the unclean spirits beheld Him, they would fall down before Him and cry out, saying, "You are the Son of God!" And He earnestly warned them not to make Him known. And it was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. And when day came, He called His disciples to Him; and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles: Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew; and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. And He descended with them, and stood on a level place; and there was a great multitude of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear Him, and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured. And all the multitude were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all.

         And turning His gaze on His disciples, He began to say, "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. "Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. "Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and cast insults at you, and spurn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. "Be glad in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. "But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. "Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for in the same way their fathers used to treat the false prophets. "But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. "Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. "And just as you want people to treat you, treat them in the same way. "And if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. "And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. "And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, in order to receive back the same amount. "But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to ungrateful and evil men. "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. "And do not judge and you will not 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; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. 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 pit? "A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher, "And why do look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye. "For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit; nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. "For each tree in known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. "The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart. "And why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? "Everyone who comes to Me, and hears My words, and acts upon them, I will show you whom he is like; he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation upon the rock; and when a flood rose, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. "But the one who has heard, and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house upon the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great,"

         When He had completed all His discourse in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum. And a certain centurion's slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die. And when he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders asking Him to come and save the life of his slave. And when they had come to Jesus, they earnestly entreated Him, saying, "He is worthy for You to grant this to him; for he loves our nation, and it was he who built us our synagogue." Now Jesus started on His way with them; and when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, "Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof; for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. "For I, too, am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes; and to another, 'Come!' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this! and he does it." Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the multitude that was following Him, "I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith." And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

         And it came about soon afterwards, that He went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large multitude. Now as He approached the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, "Do not weep." And He came up and touched the coffin; and bearers came to a halt. And He said, "Young man, I say to You arise!" And the dead man sat up, and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. And fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and, "God had visited His people!" And this report concerning Him went out all over Judea, and in all the surrounding district.

         And the disciples of John reported to him about all these things. And summoning two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?" And when the men had come to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, 'Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?'" At that very time He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He granted sight to many who were blind. And He answered and said to them, "Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM. "And blessed is he who keeps from stumbling over Me."

         And when the messengers of John had left, He began to speak to the multitudes about John, "What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? "But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are splendidly clothed and live in luxury are found in royal palaces. "But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and one who is more than a prophet. "This is the one about whom it is written, 'BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER BEFORE YOUR FACE, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.' "I say to you, among those born of women, there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."

         And when all the people and the tax-gathers heard this, they acknowledged God's justice, having been baptized with the baptism of John.

         "To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like? "They are like children who sit in the market place and call to one another; and they say, 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.' "For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine; and you say, 'He has a demon!' "The Son of Man has come eating and drinking; and you say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man, and a drunkard, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners!' "Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children."

         Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him. And He entered the Pharisee's house, and reclined at the table. And behold, there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet, and anointing them with the perfume. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner." and Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he replied, "Say it, Teacher." "A certain moneylender had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. "When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. Which of them therefore will love him more?" Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have judged correctly." And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair. "You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. "You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. "For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little." And He said to her, "Your sins have been forgiven." And those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this man who even forgives sins?" And He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

         And it came about soon afterwards, that He began going about from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God; and the twelve were with Him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses; Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means.

         and when a great multitude were coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by the way of a parable:

         "The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road; and it was trampled under foot, and the birds of the air ate it up. "And other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. "And other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it, and choked it out. "And other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great." As He said these things, He would call out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." And His disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable might be. And He said, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, in order that SEEING THEY MAY NOT SEE, AND HEARING THEY MAY NOT UNDERSTAND.

         "Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. "And those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they may not believe and be saved. "And those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root;

they believe for a while, and in the time of temptation fall away. "And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. "And the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.

         "Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, in order that those who come in may see the light. "For nothing is hidden that shall not become evident, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light. "Therefore take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him shall more be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him."

         And He came home, and the multitude gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. And when His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, "He has lost His senses."

         Then there was brought to Him a demon-possessed man who was blind and dumb, and He healed him, so that the dumb man spoke and saw. And all the multitudes were amazed, and began to say, "This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?" But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of demons." And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "He cast out the demons by the ruler of the demons."

         And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? " And knowing their thoughts He said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself shall not stand. "And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand? "And if I by beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Consequently they shall be your judges. "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. "Or how can anyone enter the strong man's house and carry off his property, 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. "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. "And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the age to come. "Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. "You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. "The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil. "And I say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for in the day of judgment.. "For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned."

         Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from you." But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of  Jonah the prophet; for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. "The men of Nineveh shall stand up with this generation at the judgment, and shall condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. "The Queen of the South shall rise up with this generation at the judgment and shall condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to here the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

         "Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find it. "Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came'; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. "Then it goes, and takes along with it seven more spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation."

         While He was still speaking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. And His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd. And His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him, and called Him. And a multitude was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, "Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You." But He answered the one who was telling Him and said, "Who is my mother and who are My brothers?" And looking about on those who were sitting around Him, He said, "Behold, My mother and My brothers!" And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, "Behold, My mother and My brothers! "For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother."

         On that day Jesus went out of the house, and was sitting by the sea. And He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very great multitude gathered to Him that he got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching, "Listen to this, behold, the sower went out to sow; and it came about that as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. "And other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. "And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. "And other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. "And other seed fell into the good soil and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold." And He was saying, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

         And as soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" And He answered and said to them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. "For whoever has, to him shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. "Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. "And in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, 'YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; AND YOU WILL KEEPING ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, AND WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES LEAST THEY SHOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I SHOULD HEAL THEM.' "But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. "for truly I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men desired 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? And how will you understand all the parables? "Hear then the parable of the sower. "The sower sows the word. "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. "And these are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.

         "And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word, and immediately receives it with joy;  yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arise because of the word, immediately he falls away. "And in a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they here the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arise because of the word, immediately they fall away.

         "And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, and the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires of other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

         "And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit, and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty."

         And He was saying to them, "A lamp is not brought to be put under a peck-measure, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? "For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it should come to light. "If any man has ears to hear, let him hear."

         And He was saying to them, "Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it shall be measured to you; and more shall be given you besides. "For whoever has, to him shall more be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him."

         And He was saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts up and grows--how, he himself does not know. "The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. "But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."

         He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. "But while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away. "But when the wheat sprang up and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. "And 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!' And the slaves said to him, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?' "But he said, 'No; lest while you are gathering up the tares, you may root up 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"'"

         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; and this is smaller than all other seeds; but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants, and becomes a tree, so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR COME AND NEST IN ITS BRANCHES."

         He spoke another parable to them, "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three pecks of meal, until it was all leavened."

         All these things Jesus spoke to the multitudes in parables, and with many such parables He was speaking the word to them as they were able to hear it, and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples, so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, "I WILL  OPEN MY MOUTH IN PARABLES; I WILL UTTER THINGS HIDDEN SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD,"

         Then He left the multitudes, and went into the house, And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field." And He answered and said, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are the angels. "Therefore just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. "The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. "Then THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

         "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from 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 fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every king; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down, and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. "So it will be at the end of the age; the angels shall come forth, and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. "Have you understood all these things?" And they said to Him, "Yes." And 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 forth out of his treasure things new and old."

         And it came about that when Jesus had finished these parables, He departed from there. And on that day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us go over to the other side." And leaving the multitude, they took Him along with them, just as He was, in the boat; and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much so that the boat was already filling up. And He Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" And being aroused, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, "Why are you so timid? How is it that you have no faith?" And they became very much afraid and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"

         And they came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes. And when He had come out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him, and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; because he had often be 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.

         And constantly night and day, among the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out and gnashing himself with stones. And seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; and crying out with a loud voice, he said, "What do I have to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!" For He had been saying to Him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" And He was asking him, "What is Your name?" And he said to Him, "My name is Legion; for we are many." And he began to entreat Him earnestly not to send them out of the country.

         Now there was a big herd of swine feeding there on the mountain. And the demons entreated Him, saying, "Send us into the swine so that we may enter them." And He gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea. And their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country.

         And the people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the "legion"; and they became frightened. And those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine. And they began to entreat Him to depart from their region. And as He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was entreating Him that he might accompany Him. And He did not let him, but He said to him, "Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you." And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone marveled.

         And when Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered about Him; and He stayed by the sea shore.

         And coming to His home town He began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they became astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom, and these miraculous powers? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his home town and among his own relatives and in his own household." And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief except that He laid His hands upon a few sick people and healed them. And He wondered at their unbelief.

         And He was going around the villages teaching. And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons, and to heal diseases. And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God, and to perform healing. And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs; and He was giving them authority over the unclean spirits; and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belt; but to wear sandals; and He added, "Do not put on two tunics." And He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. "And any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake off the dust from the soles of your feet for a testimony against them."

         And they went out and preached that men should repent. And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them. And departing, they began going about among the villages, preaching the gospel, and healing everywhere.

         After these things 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 porticoes. In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered. And a certain man was there, who had been thirty-eight years in his sickness. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, "Do you wish to get 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, "Arise, take up your pallet, and walk." And immediately the man become well, and took up his pallet and began to walk.

         Now it was the Sabbath on that day. Therefore the Jews were saying to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet." But he answered them, "He who made me well was the one who said to me, 'Take up your pallet, and walk.'" They asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, 'Take up your pallet, and walk'?" But he who was healed did not know who it was; for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place.

         Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse may befall you."

         Then the man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. And for this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. But He answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working."

         For this cause 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.

         Jesus therefore answered and was saying to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. "For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and greater works than these will He show Him, that you may marvel. "For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. "For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, in order that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear shall live. "For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the son also to have life in Himself;  and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. "Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. "I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. "If I alone bear witness of Myself, My testimony is not true. "There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know the testimony which He bears of Me is true. "You have sent to John, and he has born witness to the truth. "But the witness which I receive is not from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. "He was the lamp that was burning and was shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. "But the witness which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. "And the Father who sent Me, He has born witness of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. "And you do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. "You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me, that you may have life. "I do not receive glory from men; but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. "I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another shall come in his own name, you will receive him. "How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another, and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? "Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuse you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me. "But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

         Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was happening; and he was greatly perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others, that one of the prophets of old had risen again.

         And Herod said, "I myself had John beheaded; but who is this man about whom I hear such things?" And he kept trying to see Him. At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the news about Jesus;  and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead; and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him."

          For His name had become well known; and people were saying, "John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him."

         But others were saying, "He is Elijah." And others were saying, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old."

         For when Herod had John arrested, he bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they regarded him as a prophet.

         And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death and could not do so; for Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed; but he used to enjoy listening to him.

         And a strategic day came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his lords and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee; and when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests; and the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you."

         And he swore to her, "Whatever you ask of me, I will give it to you; up to half of my kingdom."

         And she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask for?" And she said, "The head of John the Baptist."

         And immediately she came in haste before the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me right away the head of John the Baptist on a platter."

         And although the king was very sorry, yet because of his oaths and because of his dinner guests, he was unwilling to refuse her.

         And immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded him to bring back his head. And he went and had him beheaded in the prison, and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and she gave it to her mother.

         And when his disciples heard about this, they came and took away his body and laid it in a tomb; and they went and reported to Jesus.

         And the apostles gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught. And He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while." (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.)

         And taking them with Him, He withdrew by Himself to a city called Bethsaida.

         After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the sea of Galilee (or Tiberias).

         And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves. And the people saw them going, and many recognized them, and they ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them.

         And when He went ashore, He saw a great multitude, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.He began speaking to them about the kingdom of God and curing those who had need of healing.

         And a great multitude was following Him, because they were seeing the sings which He was performing on those who were sick.

         And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Jesus therefore lifting up His eyes, and seeing that a great multitude was coming to Him, said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread, that these may eat?" And this He was saying to test him; for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little."

         One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?"

         And the day began to decline, and the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and get something to eat; for here we are in a desolate place." But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!" And they said to Him, "Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?" And He said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go look!" And when they found out, they said, "We have here only five loaves and two fish." And He said, "Bring them here to Me."

         And He commanded them all to recline by groups of about fifty each on the green grass. And they did so, and had them all recline. And they reclined in companies of hundreds and of fifties.

         And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all, as much as they wanted. And they all ate and were satisfied.

         And when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the leftover fragments that nothing may be lost." And so they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, and also of the fish, which were left over by those who had eaten. And there were about five thousand men who ate, aside from women and children.

         When therefore the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, "This is of a truth the Prophet who is to come into the world."

         Jesus therefore perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force, to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.

         And immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the multitude away. And after bidding them farewell, He departed to the mountain to pray. And after He had sent the multitudes away, He went up to the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.

         Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum. And it had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.

         And the sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. And seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them. When therefore they had rowed about three of four miles, they beheld Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were frightened, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid." And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."

         And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" And when they got into the boat, the wind stopped. And those who were in the boat worshipped Him, saying, "You are certainly God's Son!"

         And He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were greatly astonished, for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.

         And when they had crossed over they came to land at Gennesaret, and moored to the shore. And when they had come out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, and ran about that whole country and began to carry about on their pallets those who were sick, to the place they heard He was. And wherever He entered villages, or cities, or countryside, they were laying the sick in the market places, and entreating Him that they might just touch the fringe of His cloak; and as many as touched it were being cured.

         The next day the multitude 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.

         When the multitude therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats, and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"

Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal."

Then they said to him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?"

Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."

So they said to him, "What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing?

Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

Then Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.

For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.

Everyone that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away;

for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.

And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.

This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day."

Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."

They were saying, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"

Jesus answered them, "Do not complain among yourselves.

No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on 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 the one who is from God; he has seen the Father.

Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life.

I am the bread of life.

Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.

This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."

The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

So Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day;

for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.

hose who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.

Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.

This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever."

He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.

When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?"

But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, "Does this offend you?

It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

But among you there are some who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him.

And he said, "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father."

Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him.

So Jesus asked the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?"

Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.

We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."

Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve? Yet one of you is a devil."

He was speaking of Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for he, though one of the twelve, was going to betray him.

         And the Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered together around Him when they had come from Jerusalem, and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders; and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.)

         And the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?" And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, 'THIS  PEOPLE HONORS  ME  WITH  THEIR  LIPS, BUT  THEIR  HEART  IS  FAR AWAY  FROM  ME. BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING  AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.' "Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men."

         He was also saying to them, "You nicely set aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. "For Moses said, "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 says to his father or his mother, anything of mine you might have been helped by is Corban (that is to say, given to God),' you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that."

         And after He called the multitude to Him again, He began saying to them, "Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside the man which going into him can defile him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man.

         Then the disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?"

         But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be rooted up. "Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man. Both will fall into a pit."

         And when leaving the multitude, He had entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable. And Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain the parable to us."

         And He said, "Are you still lacking in understanding also? "Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? "But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, pride and foolishness. "All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man."

         And Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. And when He had entered a house, He wanted no one to know of it; yet He could not escape notice.

         But after hearing of Him, a Canaanite woman came out from that region. Now the woman was a Gentile, of the Syrophenician race. And began to cry out, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed." But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came to Him and kept asking Him, saying, "Send her away, for she is shouting out after us." And she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

         But He answered and said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

         But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, "Lord, help me!"

         And He was saying to her, "Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." But she said, "Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their master's table."

         Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, your faith is great; because of this answer go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."

         And going back to her home, she found the child lying on the bed, the demon having departed.

         And again He went out from the region of Tyre, and came through Sidon to the sea of Galilee, within the region of Decapolis.

         And departing from there, Jesus went along by the Sea of Galilee, and having gone up to the mountain, He was sitting there.

         And great multitudes came to Him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, dumb, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and He healed them, so that the multitude marveled as they saw the dumb speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.

         And they brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they entreated Him to lay His hand upon him.

         And He took him aside from the multitude by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva; and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, "Ephphatha!" that is, "Be opened!" And his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly.

         And He gave them orders not to tell anyone; but the more He ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it.

         And they were utterly astonished, saying, "He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak."

         And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, "I feel compassion for the multitude, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not wish to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way; and if I send them away hungry to their home, they will faint on the way; and some of them have come from a distance."

         And His disciples answered Him, "Where will anyone be able to find enough to satisfy these men with bread here in a desolate place?"

         And He was asking them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven."

         And He directed the multitude to sit down on the ground; and taking the loaves, He gave thanks and broke them, and started giving them to His disciples to serve to them, and they served them to the multitude. They also had a few small fish; and after He had blessed them, He ordered these to be served as well.

                  And they ate and were satisfied; and they picked up seven large baskets full of what was left over of the broken pieces.

         And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

         And sending away the multitudes, He got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Magadan; to the district Dalmanutha.

         And the Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Him asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. But He answered and said to them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' "And in the morning, 'There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?                          And the Pharisees came out and began toargue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him.

         And sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, "Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation. "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah." And He left them, and went away.

         And leaving them, He again embarked and went away to the other side.

          And they had forgotten to take bread; and did not have more than one loaf in the boat with them. And He was giving orders to them, saying, "Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." And they began to discuss among themselves, saying, "Is it because we took no bread."

         But Jesus, aware of this, said, "You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? "HAVING EYES, DO YOU NOT SEE? AND HAVING EARS, DO YOU NOT HEAR? And do you not remember, when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up? They said to Him, "Twelve." And when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?" And they said to Him, "Seven." "How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." And He was saying to them, "Do you not yet understand?"

         Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

         And they came to Bethsaida. And they brought a blind man to Him, and entreated Him to touch Him. And taking the blind man by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes, and laying His hands upon him, He asked him, "Do you see anything?" And he looked up and said, "I see men, for I am seeing them like trees, walking about." Then again He laid His hands upon his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly. And He sent him to his home, saying, "Do not even enter the village."

         And Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, "Who do people say that I am?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets."

         He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" And Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it. "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

         Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ.

         From that time Jesus Christ began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.

         And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You."

         But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter, and said, "Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's."

         And He summoned the multitude with His disciples, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. "For whoever wishes to save his life shall loose it; but whoever looses his life for My sake and the gospel's shall save it. "For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? "For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and WILL THEN RECOMPENCE EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.  "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

         And He was saying to them, "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power."

         And six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and brought them up to a high mountain by themselves. And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them; and they were talking with Jesus, who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

         Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him.

         And it came about, as these were parting from Him, Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah." – not realizing what he was saying. For he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified.

         While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud formed and began to overshadowed them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. and behold, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, My Chosen One; with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!" And when the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were much afraid.

         And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid." And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, except Jesus Himself alone.

         And as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead."

         And they seized upon that statement, discussing with one another what rising from the dead might mean.

         And they asked Him, saying, "Why is it that the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" And He said to them, "Elijah does first come and restore all things. And yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? "But I say to you, that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him."

         Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.

         And it came about on the next day, that when they had come down from the mountain, a great multitude met Him. And when they came back to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them.

         And immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were amazed, and began running up to greet Him. And He asked them, "What are you discussing with them?"

         And behold, a man from the multitude shouted out, saying, "Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only boy, and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth, and stiffens out. And I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it."

         And when they came to the multitude, a man came up to Him, falling on his knees before Him, and saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic, and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire, and often into the water. "And I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him."

         And Jesus answered and said, "O unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me."

         And they brought the boy to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling about and foaming at the mouth.

         And He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. And it has often thrown him both 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 began saying, "I do believe; help my unbelief."

         And when Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again."

         And after crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, "He is dead!"

         But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up, and gave him back to his father.

         And they were all amazed at the greatness of God. But while everyone was marveling at all that He was doing, He said to His disciples, "Let these words sink into your ears; for the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men."

         But they did not understand this statement, and it was concealed from them so that they might not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this statement.

         And when He had come into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you.

         And while they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men; and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day." And they were deeply grieved.

         And when they had come to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter, and said, "Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?" He said, "Yes." And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or polltax, from their sons or from strangers?" And upon his saying, "From strangers," Jesus said to him, "Consequently the sons are exempt. But, lest we give them offense, go to the sea, and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a stater, Take that and give it to them for you and Me."

         And when they came to Capernaum; and when He was in the house, He began to question them, "What were you discussing on the way?"

         But they kept silent, for on the way they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest.

         And sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, "If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all." And taking a child, He set him before them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, "Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me."

         John said to Him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to hinder him because he was not following us." But Jesus said, "Do not hinder him, for there is no one who shall perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. "For he who is not against us is for us. "For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward. "And whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea.  "And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire. "And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than having your two feet, to be cast into hell. "And if your eye causes you to stumble, cast it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into hell. "For everyone will be salted with fire. "Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."

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

         And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. "Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. "And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be 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!

         "And if your hand or foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the eternal fire.

         "And if you eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into the fiery hell.

         "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you, that their angels in heaven continually behold the face of My Father who is in heaven.

         "What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?

         "And if it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. "Thus it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

         "And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. "But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESS EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED.

         "And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax-gatherer.

         "Truly I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.

         "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst."

         Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"

         Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

         "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a certain king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.

         "And when he had begun to settle them, there was brought to him one who owed him ten thousand talents. But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. The slave therefore falling down, prostrated himself before him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will repay you everything.' "And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.

         "But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, 'Pay back what you owe.'

         "So his fellow slave fell down and began to entreat him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you.' "He was unwilling however, but went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed.

         "So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened.

         "Then summoning him, his lord said to him, 'You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you entreated me. 'Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, even as I had mercy on you?' "And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.

         "So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."

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

         Now the feast of the Jews, the feast of Booths, was at hand. His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here, and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may behold Your works which you are doing. "For no one does anything in secret, when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."

         For not even His brothers were believing in Him. Jesus therefore said to them, "My time is not yet at hand, but your time is always opportune. "The world cannot hate you; but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil. "Go up to the feast yourselves; I do not yet go up to this feast because My time has not yet fully come."

         And having said these things to them, He stayed in Galilee. But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as it were, in secret.

         The Jews therefore were seeking Him at the feast, and were saying, "Where is He?"

         And there was much grumbling among the multitudes concerning Him; some were saying, "He is a good man"; others were saying, "No, on the contrary, He leads the multitude astray." Yet no one was speaking openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

         But when it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and began to teach.

         The Jews therefore were marveling, saying, "How has this man become learned, having never been educated?"

         Jesus therefore answered them, and said, "My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me. "If any man is willing to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from Myself. "He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory;  but He who is seeking the glory of the one who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him

         "Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you carries out the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?"

         The multitude answered, "You have a demon! Who seeks to kill You?"

         Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one deed, and you all marvel.

         "On this account Moses has given you circumcision (not because it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a man.

         "If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath?

         "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

         Therefore some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, "Is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill?

         "And look, He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him. The rulers do not really know that this is the Christ, do they?

         "However, we know where this man is from; but whenever the Christ may come, no one knows where He is from."

         Jesus therefore cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, "You both know Me and know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  I know Him; because I am from Him, and He sent Me."

         They were seeking therefore to seize Him; and no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.

         But many of the multitude believed in Him; and they were saying, "When the Christ shall come, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?"

         The Pharisees heard the multitude muttering these things about Him; and the chief priest and the Pharisees sent officers to seize Him.

         Jesus therefore said, "For a little while longer I am with you, then I go to Him who sent Me. "You shall seek Me, and shall not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come."

         The Jews therefore said to one another, "Where does this man intend to go that we shall not find Him? He is not intending to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks, is He?

         "What is this statement that He said, 'You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come'?"

         Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.'"

         But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

         Some of the multitude therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, "This certainly is the Prophet."

         Others were saying, "This is the Christ." Still others were saying, "Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He? "Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?"

         So there arose a division in the multitude because of Him. And some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid hands on Him.       

         The officers therefore came to the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they said to them, "Why did you not bring Him?"

         The officers answered, "Never did a man speak the way this man speaks."

         The Pharisees therefore answered them, "You have not also been led astray, have you? No one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has He? But this multitude which does not know the Law is accursed."

         Nicodemus said to them (he who came to Him before, being one of them), "Our Law does not judge a man, unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?"

         They answered and said to him, "You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee."

         Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life."

         The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You are bearing witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."

         Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true; for I know where I came from, and where I am going; but you do not know where I came from, or where I am going.

         "You people judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone.

         "But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and He who sent Me.

         "Even in your law it has been written, that the testimony of two men is true.

         "I am He who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."

         And so they were saying to Him, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me, nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also."

         These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.

         He said therefore again to them, "I go away, and you shall seek Me, and shall die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come."

         Therefore the Jews were saying, "Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, 'Where I am going, you cannot come'?"

         And He was saying to them, "You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.

         "I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins."

         And so they were saying to Him, "Who are You?" Jesus said to them, "What have I been saying to you from the beginning?

         "I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world."

         They did not realize that He had been speaking to them about the Father.

         Jesus therefore said, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.

         "And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him."

         As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him.

         Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

         They answered Him, "We are Abraham's offspring, and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that you say, 'You shall become free'?"

         Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.

         "And the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.

         "If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.

         "I know that you are Abraham's offspring; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.

         "I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father."

         They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you are Abraham's children, do the deeds of Abraham.

         "But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do.

         "You are doing the deeds of your father." They said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God."

         Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me; for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.

         "Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word.

         "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies.

         "But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me.

         "Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe Me?

         "He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God."

         The Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"

         Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.

         "But I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges.

         "Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."

         The Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word, he shall never taste of death.' "Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?"

         Jesus answered, "If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, 'He is our God'; and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I shall be a liar like you, but I do know Him, and keep His word.

         "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."

         The Jews therefore said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?"

         Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am."

         Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the temple.

         And as He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or His parents, that he should be born blind?"

         Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him.

         "We must work the works of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day; night is coming, when no man can work.

         "While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

         When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). And so he went away and washed, and came back seeing.

         The neighbors therefore, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, "Is not this the one who used to sit and beg?"

         Others were saying, "This is he," still others were saying, "No, but he is like him." He kept saying, "I am the one."

         Therefore they were saying to him, "How then were your eyes opened?"

         He answered, "The man who is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to Siloam, and wash'; so I went away and washed, and I received sight."

         And they said to him, "Where is He?" He said, "I do not know."

They brought to the Pharisees him who was formerly blind. Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.

         Again, therefore, the Pharisees also were asking him how he received his sight. And he said to them, "He applied clay to my eyes, and I washed, and I see."

         Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, "This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath." But others were saying, "How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?" And there was a division among them.

         They said therefore to the blind man again, "What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?" and he said, "He is a prophet."

         The Jews therefore did not believe it of him, that he had been blind, and had received sight, until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight, and questioned them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?"

         His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he shall speak for himself."

         His parents  said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed, that if anyone should confess Him to be Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. For this reason his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."

         So a second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, "Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner."

         He therefore answered, "Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see."

         They said therefore to him, "What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?"

         He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?"

         And they reviled him, and said, "You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses; but as for this man, we do not know where He is from."

         The man answered and said to them, "Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing, and does His will, He hears him.

         "Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing."

         They answered and said to him, "You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?" And they put him out

         Jesus heard that they had put him out; and finding him, He said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

         He answered and said, "And who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?"

         Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you."

         And he said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshipped Him.

         And Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see; and that those who see may become blind."

         Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things, and said to Him, "We are not blind too, are we?"

         Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, 'We see,' your sin remains.

         "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. And a stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers."

         This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them.

         Jesus therefore said to them again, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

         "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.

         "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

         "He who is a hireling, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, beholds the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees, and the wolf snatches them, and scatters them. he flees because he is a hireling, and is not concerned about the sheep.

         "I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

         "And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they shall hear My voice; and they shall become one flock with one shepherd.

         "For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.

         "No one takes it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father."

         There arose a division again among the Jews because of these words. And many of them were saying, "He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?"

         Others were saying, "These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?"

         At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon.

         The Jews therefore gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, "How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."

         Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep.

         "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.

         "My Father, who has give them to Me, is greater then all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.

         "I and the Father are one."

         The Jews took up stones again to stone Him.

         Jesus answered them, "I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?"

         The Jews answered Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God."

         Jesus answered them, "Has it not been written in your Law, 'I SAID, YOU ARE GODS'? If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?

         "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father."

         Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp.

         And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He was staying there.

         And many came to Him and were saying, "While John performed no sign, yet everything John said about this man was true." And many believed in Him there.

         Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

         And it was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.

         The sisters therefore sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."

         But when Jesus heard it, He said, "This sickness in not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it."

         Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.

         When therefore He heard that he was sick, He stayed then two days longer in the place where He was.

         Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."

         The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?"

         Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.

         "But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."

         This He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, that I may awaken him out of sleep."

         The disciples therefore said to Him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover."

         Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep.

         Then Jesus therefore said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him."

         Thomas therefore, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."

         So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.

         Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off; and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.

         Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him; but Mary still sat in the house.

         Martha therefore said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.

         "Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."

         Jesus said to her, "Your brother shall rise again."

         Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day."

         Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

         She said to Him, "Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world."

         And when she had said this, she went away, and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, "The Teacher is here, and is calling for you."

         And when she heard it, she arose quickly, and was coming to Him."

         Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him.

         The Jews then who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there.

         Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."

         When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her, also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit, and was troubled, and said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus wept.

         And so the Jews were saying, "Behold how He loved him!" But some of them said, "Could not this man, who opened the eyes of him who was blind, have kept this man also from dying?"

         Jesus said, "Remove the stone." Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days."

         Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you, if you believe, you will see the glory of God?"

         And so they removed the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes, and said, "Father, I thank Thee that Thou heardst Me. And I knew that Thou heardst Me always; but because of the people standing around I said it, that they may believe that Thou didst send Me."

         And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth."

         He who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings; and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."

         Many therefore of the Jews, who had come to Mary and beheld what He had done, believed in Him.

         But some of them went away to the Pharisees, and told them the things which Jesus had done.

          Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, "What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs.

         "If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."

         But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish."

         Now this he did not say on his own initiative; but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.

         Jesus therefore no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews, but went away from there to the country near the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim; and there He stayed with the disciples.

         Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the Passover, to purify themselves.

         Therefore they were seeking for Jesus, and were saying to one another, as they stood in the temple, "What do you think; that He will not come to the feast at all?"

         Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.

         And it came about, when the days were approaching for His ascension, that He resolutely set His face to go to Jerusalem; and He sent messengers on ahead of Him. And they went, and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make arrangements for Him.

         And they did not receive Him, because He was journeying with His face toward Jerusalem.

         And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?"

         But He turned and rebuked them, [ and said, "You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; "For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them."] And they went on to another village.

         And as they were going along the road, someone said to Him, "I will follow You wherever You go."

         And Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."

         And He said to another, "Follow Me." But he said, "Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father."

         But He said to him, "Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God."

         And another also said, "I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home."

         But Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

         Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them two and two ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come.

         And He was saying to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

         "Go your ways; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no shoes; and greet no one on the way.

         "And whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house.' And if a man of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him; but if not, it will return to you.

         "And stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house.

         "And whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat what is set before you; and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'

         But whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 'Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you; yet be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near.'

         "I say to you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.

         "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had been performed in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

         "But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment, than for you.

         "And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will be brought down to Hades!

         "The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me."

         And the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."

         And He said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lighting. Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you.

         "Never the less do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven."

         At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, "I praise Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, the Thou didst hide these things from the wise and intelligent and didst reveal them to babes. Yes, Father, for thus it was well-pleasing in Thy sight.

         "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."

         And turning to the disciples, He said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see, for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them."

         And  behold, a certain lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

         And He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?"

         And he answered and said, "YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."

         And He said to him, "You have answered correctly; DO THIS, AND YOU WILL LIVE."

         But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

         Jesus replied and said, "A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho; and he fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went off leaving him half dead.

         "And by chance a certain priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

         "And likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

         "But a certain Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him, and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

         "And on the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return, I will repay you.'

         "Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robber's hands?"

         And he said , "The one who showed mercy toward him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same."

         Now as they were traveling along, He entered a certain village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.

         And she had a sister called Mary, who moreover was listening to the Lord's word, seated at His feet.

         But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him, and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving along? Then tell her to help me."

         But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only a few things are necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

         And it came about that while He was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples."

         And He said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come.  Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.'"

         And He said to them, "Suppose one of you shall have a friend, and shall go to him at midnight, and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and from inside he shall answer and say, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.'

          "I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

         "And I say to you, ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.

         "For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it shall be opened.

         "Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he?

         "Or if he asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he?

         "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"

         And He was casting out a demon, and it was dumb; and it came about that when the demon had gone out, the dumb man spoke; and the multitudes marveled.

         But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons." And others, to test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven.

         But He knew their thoughts, and said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls.

         "And if Satan also is divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.

         "And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Consequently they shall be your judges.

         "But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

         "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own homestead, his possessions are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he relied, and distributes his plunder.

         "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.

         "When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order.

         "Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first."

         And it came about while He said these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice, and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts at which You nursed."

         But He said, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and observe it."

         And as the crowds were increasing, He began to say, "This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah.

         "For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so shall the Son of Man be to this generation.

         "The Queen of the South shall rise up with the men of this generation at the judgment and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

         "The men of Nineveh shall stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

         "No one , after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar, nor under a peck-measure, but on the lampstand, in order that those who enter may see the light.

         "The lamp of your body is your eye; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness.

         "If therefore your whole body is full of light, with no dark part in it, it shall be wholly illumined, as when the lamp illumines you with its rays."

         Now when He had spoken, a Pharisee asked Him to have lunch with him; and He went in, and reclined at the table.

         And when the Pharisee saw it, he was surprised that He had not first ceremonially washed before the meal.

         But the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness.

         "You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But give that which is within as charity, and then all things are clean for you.

         "But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

         "Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the front seats in the synagogues, and the respectful greetings in the market places.

         "Woe to you! For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it."

         And  one of the lawyers said to Him in reply, "Teacher, when You say this, You insult us too."

         But He said, "Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers.

         "Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them.

         "Consequently, you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs.

         "For this reason also the wisdom of God said, 'I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute, in order that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Able to the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation.'

         "Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered."

         And when He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to become very hostile and to question Him closely on many subjects, plotting against Him, to catch Him in something He might say.

         Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of the multitude had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

         "But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

         "Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

         "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

         "But I will warn you whom to fear; fear the One who after He has killed has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!

         "Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? And yet not one of them is forgotten before God.

         "Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows.

         "And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man shall confess him also before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.

         "And everyone who will speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him.

         "And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not become anxious about how or what you should speak in your defense, or what you should say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

         And someone in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me."

         But He said to him, "Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbiter over you?"

         And He said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions."

         And He told them a parable, saying, "The land of a certain rich man was very productive.

         "And he began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?'

         "And He said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

         'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."'

         "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?'

         "So is the man who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

         And He said to His disciples, "For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on.

         "For life is more than food, and the body than clothing.

         "Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; and they have no storeroom nor barn; and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!

         "And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span?

         "If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why are you anxious about other matters?

         "Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these.

         "But if God so arrays the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you, O men of little faith!

         "And do not seek what you shall eat, and what you shall drink, and do not keep worrying.

         "For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things.

         "But seek for His kingdom, and these things shall be added to you.

         "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.

         "Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves purses which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near, nor moth destroys.

         "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

          Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps alight. And be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks.

         "Blessed are those slaves whom the master shall find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them.

         "Whether he come in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

         "And be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

         "You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect."

         And Peter said, "Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?"

         And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time?

         "Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you, that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

         "But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master will be a long time in coming,' and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

         "And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, shall receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but a few. And from everyone who has been given much shall much be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

         "I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled!

         "But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!

         "Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on the earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two, and two against three.

         "They will be divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."

         And He was also saying to the multitudes, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming,' and so it turns out.

         "And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, 'It will be a hot day,' and it turns out that way.

         "You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?

         "And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right?

         "For while you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate, on your way there make an effort to settle with him, in order that he may not drag you before the judge, and the judge turn you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison.

         "I say to you, you shall not get out of there until you have paid the very last cent."

         Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

         And He answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered this fate?

         "I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

         "Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, were worse culprits than all the men who lived in Jerusalem?

         "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."

         And He began telling this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it, and did not find any.

         "And he said to the vineyard-keeper, 'Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?'

         "And he answered and said to him, 'Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'"

         And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.

         And behold, there was a woman who for eighteen years had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all.

         And when Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your sickness."

         And He laid His hands upon her; and immediately she was made erect again, and began glorifying God.

         And the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the multitude in response, "There are six days in which work should be done; therefore come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day."

         But the Lord answered him and said, "You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall, and lead him away to water him?

         "And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?"

         And as He said this, all His opponents were being humiliated; and the entire multitude was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him.

         Therefore He was saying, "What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it?

         "It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his own garden; and it grew and became a tree; and THE BIRDS OF THE AIR NESTED IN ITS BRANCHES."

         And again He said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?

         "It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of meal, until it was all leavened."

         And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem.

         And someone said to Him, "Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?" and He said to them, "Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

         "Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, 'Lord, open up to us!' then He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know where you are from.'

         "Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets'; and He will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.'

         "There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being cast out.

         "And they will come from the east and west, and from the north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.

         "And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last."

         Just at that time some Pharisees came up, saying to Him, "Go away and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You."

         And He said to them, "Go and tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.'

         "Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.

         "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!

         "Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!'"

         And it came about when He went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread, that they were watching Him closely.

         And there, in front of Him was a certain man suffering from dropsy.

         And Jesus answered and spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?"

         But they kept silent. And He took hold of him, and healed him, and sent him away.

         And He said to them, "Which one of you shall have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?"

         And they could make no reply to this.

         And He began speaking a parable to the invited guests when He noticed how they had been picking out the places of honor at the table; saying to them, "When you are invited by someone to wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, least someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, and he who invited you both shall come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place.

         "But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher'; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you.

         "For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted."

         And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, least they also invite you in return, and repayment come to you.

         "But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

         And when one of those who were reclining at the table with Him heard this, he said to Him, "Blessed is everyone who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"

         But He said to him, "A certain man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, 'Come; for everything is ready now.'

         "But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, 'I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.'

         "And another one said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.'

         "And another one said, 'I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.'

         "And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, 'Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.'

         "And the slave said, 'Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.'

         "And the master said to the slave, 'Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 'For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.'"

         Now great multitudes were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.

         "For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?

         "Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'

         "Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and take counsel whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand?

         "Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks terms of peace.

         "So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.

         "Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has becomes tasteless, with what will it be seasoned?

         "It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

         Now all the tax-gathers and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him.

         And both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them."

         And He told them this parable, saying, "What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

         "And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'

         "I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

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

         "And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!'

         "In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

         And He said, "A certain man had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.' And he divided his wealth between them.

         "And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.

         "Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be in need.

         "And he went and attached himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

         "And he was longing to fill his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him.

         "But when he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more that enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!

         'I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight;

         "I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men."'

         "And he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him, and kissed him.

         "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

         "But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put in on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet;

         and bring the fattened calf, and kill it, and let us eat and be merry;

         for this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.' And they began to be merry.

         "Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.

         "And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things might be.

         "And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.'

         "But he became angry, and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began entreating him.

         "But he answered and said to his father, 'Look! For so many years I have been serving you, and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a kid, that I might be merry with my friends;

         but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with harlots, you killed the fattened calf for him.'

         "And he said to him, 'My child, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours.

         'But we had to be merry and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.'"

         Now He was also saying to the disciples, "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and this steward was reported to him as squandering his possessions.

         "And he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'

         "And the steward said to himself, 'What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg.

         'I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the stewardship, they will receive me into their homes.'

         "And he summoned each one of his master's debtors, and he began saying to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'

         "And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'

         "Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'

         "And his master praised the unrighteous steward because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.

         "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

         "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.

         "If therefore you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous mammon, who will intrust the true riches to you?

         "And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?

         "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

         Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things, and they were scoffing at Him.

         And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.

         "The Law and Prophets were proclaimed until John; since then the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.

         "But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.

         "Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.

         "Now there was a certain rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, gaily living in splendor every day.

         "And a certain poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.

         "Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.

         "And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom.

         "And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue; for I am in agony in this flame.'

         "But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, in order that those who wish to go over from here to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.'

         "And he said, 'Then I beg you, Father, that you send him to my father's house — for I have five brothers — that he may warn them, lest they also come to this place of torment.'

         "But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them here them.'

         "But he said, 'No, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!'

         "But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.'"

         And He said to His disciples, "It is inevitable that stumbling blocks should come, but woe to him through whom they come!

         "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.

         "Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

         "And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him."

         And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"

         And the Lord said, "If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and be planted in the sea'; and it would obey you.

         "But which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come immediately and sit down to eat'?

         "But will he not say to him, 'Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me until I have eaten and drunk; and afterward you will eat and drink'?

         "He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he?

         "So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.'"

         And it came about while He was on the way to Jerusalem, that He was passing between Samaria and Galilee.   

         And as He entered a certain village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; and they raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"

         And when He saw them, He said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And it came about that as they were going, they were cleansed.

         Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan.

         And Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine — where are they?

         "Was no one found who turned back to give glory to God, except this foreigner?"

         And He said to him, "Rise, and go your way; your faith has made you well."

         Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst."

         And He said to the disciples, ""The days shall come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.

         "And they will say to you, 'Look there! Look here!' Do not go away, and do not runafter them.

         "For just as the lighting, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day.

         "But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

         "And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it shall be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

         "It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building;

         but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.

         "It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.

         "On that day, let not the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house go down to take them away; and likewise let not the one who is in the field turn back.

         "Remember Lot's wife.

         "Whoever seeks to keep his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life shall preserve it.

         "I tell you, on that night there will be two men in one bed; one will be taken, and the other will be left.

         And answering they said to Him, "Where, Lord?" And He said to them, "Where the body is, there also will the vultures be gathered."

         Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God, and did not respect man.

         "And there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, 'Give me legal protection from my opponent.'

         "And for a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, 'Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, lest by continually coming she wear me out.'"

         And the Lord said, "Here what the unrighteous judge said; now shall not God bring about justice for His elect, who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?

         "I tell you that He will bring about justice for them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"

         And He also told this parable to certain ones who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:

         "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer.

         "The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself, 'God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer.

         'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.'

         "But the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'

         "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted."

         And it came about that when Jesus had finished these words, He departed from Galilee, and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan; and great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.

         And some Pharisees came to Him, testing Him, and saying, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause at all?"

         And He answered and said, "Have you not read, that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE, and said, 'FOR THIS CAUSE A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER, AND SHALL CLEAVE TO HIS WIFE; AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH            '?

      "Consequently they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together let no man separate."

      They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE AND DIVORCE HER?"

         He said to them, Because of your hardness of heart, Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way.

         "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery."

         The disciples said to Him, "If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry."

         But He said to them, "Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given.

         "For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother's womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it."

         And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; and the disciples rebuked them.

         But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, "Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

         "Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it at all."

         and He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands upon them.

         And as He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him,and began asking Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

         And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.

         "You know the commandments, 'DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, DO not defraud, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.'"

         And he said to Him, "Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up."

         And looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him, and said to him, "One thing you lack; go and sell all you possess, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."

         But at these words his face fell, and he went away grieved, for he was one who owned much property.

         And Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard is it for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!

         "For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

         And when the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, "Then who can be saved?"

         And looking upon them Jesus said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

         Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?"

         And Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

         And He said to them, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.

         "But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.

         "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

         "And when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.

         "And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place;

         and to those he said, 'You too go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' And so they went out.

         "Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing.

         "And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing; and he said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day long?'

         "They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said to them, 'You too go into the vineyard.'

         "And when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.'

         "And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius.

         "And when those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; and they also received each one a denarius.

         "And when they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have born the burden and the scorching heat of the day.'

         "But he answered and said to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius?

         'Take what is yours and go your way, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.

         'Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?'

         "Thus the last shall be first, and the first last."

         And as Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way He said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and will deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up."

         And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him.

         And He took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished."

         saying, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and will deliver Him to the Gentiles.

         "And they will mock Him and spit upon Him, and scourge Him, and Kill Him, and three days later He will rise again."

         And they understood none of these things, and this saying was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said.

         Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Him with her sons, bowing down, and making a request of Him.

         And He said to her, "What do you wish?" She said to Him, "Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left."

         And James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, came up to Him, saying to Him, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You."

         And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?"

         And they said to Him, "Grant that we may sit in Your glory, one on Your right, and one on Your left."

         But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking for. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"

         And they said to Him, "We are able."

         And Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized.

         "But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared."

         And hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John.

         And calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, "You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and there great men exercise authority over them.

         "But it is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.

         "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

         And it came about that as He was approaching Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting by the road, begging.

         And they came to Jericho. And as He was going out from Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son Timaeus, was sitting by the road.

         Now hearing a multitude going by, he began to inquire what this might be.

         And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.

         And when he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

         And many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

         And Jesus stopped and said, "Call him here." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take courage, arise! He is calling for you."

         And casting aside his cloak, he jumped up, and came to Jesus.

         And answering him, Jesus said, "What do you want Me to do for you?" And the blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!"

         And Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well."

         And immediately he regained his sight, and began following Him, glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.

         And He entered and was passing through Jericho. And behold, there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; and he was a chief tax-gather, and he was rich.

         And he was trying to see who Jesus was, and he was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature.

         And he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way.

         And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house."

         And he hurried and came down, and received Him gladly.

         And when they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner."

         And Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much."

         And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.

         "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

         And while they were listening to these things, He went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately.

         He said therefore, "A certain nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom to himself, and then return.

         "And he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business with this until I come back.'

         "But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to reign over us.'

         "And it came about that when he returned, after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves, to whom he had given the money, be called to him in order that he might know what business they had done.

         "And the first appeared, saying, 'Master, your mina has made ten minas more.'

         "And he said to him, 'Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, be in authority over ten cities.'

         "And the second came, saying, 'Your mina, master, has made five minas.'

         "And he said to him also, 'And you are to be over five cities.'

         "And another came, saying, 'Master, behold your mina, which I kept put away in a handkerchief;

         for I was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man; you take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow.'

         "He said to him, 'By your own words I will judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know that I am an exacting man, taking up what I did not lay down, and reaping what I did not sow?

         'Then why did you not put the money in the bank, and having come, I would have collected it with interest?'

         "And he said to the bystanders, 'Take the mina away from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.'

         "And they said to him, 'Master, he has ten minas already.'

         "I tell you, that to everyone who has shall more be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.

         "But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence."

         And after He had said these things, He was going on ahead, ascending to Jerusalem.

         And as they were going out from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

         And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!"

         And the multitude sternly told them to be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!"

         And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"

         They said to Him, "Lord, we want our eyes to be opened."

         And moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.

         Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

         So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him.

         Mary therefore took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

         But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, said, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii, and given to poor people?"

         Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it.

         Jesus therefore said, "Let her alone, in order that she may keep it for the day of My burial.

         "For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me."

         The great multitude therefore of the Jews learned that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus's sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead.

         But the chief priests took counsel that they might put Lazarus to death also;

         because on account of him many of the Jews were going away, and were believing in Jesus.

         On the next day the great multitude who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

         took the branches of the palm trees, and went out to meet Him, and began to cry out, "Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel."

         And as they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples,

         and said to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them, and bring them to Me.

         "And if anyone says something to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."

         Now this took place that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, "SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, 'BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, GENTLE, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, EVEN ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A BEAST OF BURDEN.'"

         And the disciples went and did just as Jesus had directed them, and they went away and found a colt tied at the door outside in the street; and they untied it.

         And some of the bystanders were saying to them, "What are you doing, untying the colt?"

         And they spoke to them just as Jesus had told them, and they gave them permission; and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid on them their garments, on which He sat.

         And Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, "FEAR NOT, DAUGHTER OF ZION; BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING, SEATED ON A DONKEY'S COLT."

         These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him.

         And most of the multitude spread their garments in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees, and spreading them in the road.

         And the multitudes going before Him, and those who followed after were crying out, saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David; BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD;          Hosanna in the highest!"

         And as He was now approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, saying,   "BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD;  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

         And some of the Pharisees in the multitude said to Him, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples."

         And He answered and said, "I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!"

         And when He approached, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.

         "For the days shall come upon you when your enemies will throw up a bank before you, and surround you, and hem you in on every side, and will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation."

         And when He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, "Who is this?"

         And the multitudes were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee."

         And so the multitude who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb, and raised him from the dead, were bearing Him witness.

         For this cause also the multitude went and met Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign.

         The Pharisees therefore said to one another, "You see that you are not doing any good; look, the world has gone after Him."

         And Jesus entered the temple and cast out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who were selling doves.

         And He said to them, "It is written, 'MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER'; but you are making it a ROBBERS' DEN".

         And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.

         But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they became indignant, and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read, 'OUT OF THE MOUTH  OF  INFANTS AND NURSING BABES THOU HAST PREPARED  PRAISE  FOR  THYSELF'?"

         And He entered Jerusalem and came into the temple; and after looking all around, He departed for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late.

         And He left them and when out of the city to Bethany, and lodged there.

         Now in the morning, when He returned to the city, He became hungry.

         And on the next day, when they had departed from Bethany, He became hungry.

         And seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

         And He answered and said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again!" And His disciples were listening.

         And they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to cast out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who were selling doves; and He would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple.

         And He began to teach and say to them, "It is written, 'MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL THE NATIONS'? But you have made it a ROBBERS DEN."

         And the chief priests and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for all the multitude was astonished at His teaching.

         And He was teaching daily in the temple; but the chief priests and the scribes and the leading men among the people were trying to destroy Him, and they could not find anything that they might do, for all the people were hanging upon His words.

         And whenever evening came, they would go out of the city.

         And as they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up.

         And being reminded, Peter said to Him, "Rabbi, behold, the fig tree which You cursed has withered."

         And Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith, and do not doubt, you shall not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it shall happen.

         "And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive."

         And Jesus answered saying to them, "Have faith in God.

         "Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it shall be granted him.

         "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you.

         "And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions.

         And when He had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?"

         And Jesus answered and said to them, "I will ask you one thing too, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.

         "The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?" And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Then why did you not believe him?'

         "But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude; for they all hold John to be a prophet."

         And answering Jesus, they said, "We do not know." He also said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

         "But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go work today in the vineyard.'

         "And he answered and said, 'I will, sir'; and he did not go.

         "And he came to the second and said the same thing. But he answered and said, 'I will not'; yet he afterward regretted it and went.

         "Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The latter." Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you that the tax-gatherers and harlots will get into the kingdom of God before you.

         "For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax-gatherers and harlots did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him.

         "Listen to another parable, There was a landowner who PLANTED  A  VINEYARD  AND  PUT A WALL  AROUND  IT  AND  DUG A WINE  PRESS  IN  IT, AND BUILT A TOWER,  and  rented  it out to vine-growers, and went on a journey.

         "And when the harvest time approached, he sent his slaves to the vine-growers to receive his produce.

         "And the vine-growers took his slaves and beat one, and killed another, and stoned a third.

         "Again he sent another group of slaves larger than the first; and they did the same thing to them.

         "But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'

         "But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and seize his inheritance.'

         "And they took him, and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

         "Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?"

         They said to Him, "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers, who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons."

         Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures, 'THE   STONE  WHICH  THE BUILDERS  REJECTED, THISBECAME  THE  CHIEF  CORNER   stone;  THIS  CAME  ABOUT  FROM THE LORD, AND  IT  IS  MARVELOUS  IN  OUR  EYES'?

         "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it.

         "And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust."

         And when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them.

         And when they sought to seize Him, they feared the multitudes, because they held Him to be a prophet.

         And Jesus answered and spoke to them again in parables, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king, who gave a wedding feast for his son.

         "And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come.

         "Again he sent out other slaves saying, 'Tell those who had been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast." '

         "But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them.

         "But the king was enraged and sent his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and set their city on fire.

         "Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.

         'Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.'

         "And those slaves went out into the streets, and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.

         "But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw there a man not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?' And he was speechless.

         "Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen."

         And the scribes and the chief priests tried to lay hands on Him that very hour, and they feared the people; for they understood that He spoke this parable against them.

         And they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order that they might catch Him in some statement, so as to deliver Him up to the ruler and the authority of the governor.

         And they were seeking to seize Him; and yet they feared the multitude; for they understood that He spoke the parable against them. And so they left Him, and went away.

         Then the Pharisees went and counseled together how they might trap Him in what He said.

         And they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Him, in order to trap Him in a statement.

         And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any.

         "Tell us therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?"

         But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, "Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax."   And they brought Him a denarius. And he said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?"

         And they said to Him, "Caesar's." Then He said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's."

         And they were unable to catch Him in a saying in the presence of the people; and marveling at His answer, they became silent.

         And hearing this, they all marveled, and leaving Him, they went away.

         On that day some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to Him and questioned Him, saying, "Teacher, Moses said, 'IF A  MAN  DIES,  HAVING  NO  CHILDREN, HIS  BROTHER  AS NEXT  OF  KIN  SHALL  MARRY  HIS  WIFE,  AND  RAISE  UP  AN  OFFSPRING  TO  HIS  BROTHER .'

         "Now there were seven brothers with us; and the first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother; so also the second, and the third, down to the seventh. And last of all, the woman died. In the resurrection therefore whose wife of the seven shall she be? For they all had her."

         But Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures, or the power of God.

         "For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

         "But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB'?

He is not the God of the dead but of the living."

         And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.

         But when the Pharisees heard that He had put the Sadducees to silence, they gathered themselves together.

         And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"

         And He said to him, "'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH  ALL  YOUR  HEART,  WITH  ALL  YOUR  SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."

         And some Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection) came to Him, and began questioning Him, saying,

         "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that IF A MAN'S BROTHER DIES, and leaves behind a wife, AND LEAVES NO CHILD, HIS BROTHER SHOULD TAKE THE WIFE, AND RAISE UP OFFSPRING TO HIS BROTHER.

         "There were seven brothers; and the first took a wife, and died, leaving no offspring. And the second one took her, and died, leaving behind no offspring; and the third likewise; and so all seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also.

         "In the resurrection, when they rise again, which one's wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife."

         Jesus said to them, "Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures, or the power of God?

         "For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

         "But regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB'?

         "He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken."

         And one of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?"

         Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD;

         AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR  HEART,  AND  WITH  ALL  YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.'

         "The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

         And the scribe said to Him, "Right, Teacher, You have truly stated that HE IS ONE; AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM; AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING  AND  WITH  ALL  THE  STRENGTH,  AND TO LOVE  ONE'S  NEIGHBOR  AS  HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

         And when Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And after that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions.

         Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, "What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?" They said to Him, "The son of David."

         And Jesus answering began to say, as He taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?

         "For David himself says in the book of Psalms, 'THE LORD SAID  TO MY LORD, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE THINE  ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR THY FEET."'

         "David therefore calls Him 'Lord'; and so in what since is He his son?" And the great crowd enjoyed listening to Him.

         And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question.

         Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things, and do not do them.

         "And they tie up heavy loads, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.

         "But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments.

         "And they love the place of honor at banquets, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called by men, Rabbi.

         "But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers.

         "And do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.

         "And do not be called leaders; for one is your Leader, that is, Christ.

         "But the greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

         "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from men; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

         "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel about on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

         "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but who ever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.'

         "You fools and blind men; which is more important, the gold, or the temple that sanctified the gold?

         "And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering upon it, he is obligated.'

         "You blind men, which is more important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering?

         "Therefore he who swears, swears both by the altar and by everything on it.

         "And he who swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells within it.

         "And he who swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.

         "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

         "You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

         "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.

         "You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.

         "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.

         "Even so you too outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

         "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, 'If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'

         "Consequently you bear witness against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.

         "Fill up then the measure of the guilt of your fathers.

         "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how shall you escape the sentence of hell?

         "Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Able to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

         "Truly I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation.

         "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.

         "Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!

         "For I say to you, from now on you shall not see Me until you say, 'BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!'"

         And as he sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the multitude were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums.

         And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent.

         And calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury;

         for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on."

         And Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him.

         And as He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!"

         And while some were talking about the temple, that it was adorned with beautiful stones and votive gifts, He said,

         "As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down."

         And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew were questioning Him privately,

         "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?"

         And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"

         And they questioned Him, saying, "Teacher, when therefore will these things be? And what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?"

         And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you.

         "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many."

         And He said, "See to it that you be not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time is at hand'; do not go after them.

         "And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end."

         Then He continued by saying to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

         "But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name's sake. It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony.

         "But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.

         "And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.

         "And when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not be anxious beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit.

         "So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves;

         for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute.

         "But you will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by all on account of My name. Yet not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives.

         "And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many.

         "And because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved.

         "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come.

         "Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),

         then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains;

         let him who is on the housetop not go down to get the things out that are in his house;

         and let him who is in the field not turn back to get his cloak.

         "But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days!

         "But pray that your flight may not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath;

         for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall.

         "For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created, until now, and never shall.

         "And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect whom He chose, He shortened the days.

         "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is at hand.

         "Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are in the midst of the city depart, and let not those who are in the country enter the city;

         because these are days of vengeance, in order that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

         "Woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land, and wrath to this people, and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

         "And if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ'; or, 'Behold, He is there'; do not believe him;

         "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.

         "Behold, I have told you in advance.

         "If therefore they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the wilderness,' do not go forth, or, 'Behold, He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe them.

         "For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.

         "Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

         "And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

         "But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL  BE  DARKENED, AND  THE  MOON  WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE  STARS  WILL  FALL  from  the  sky,  and the powers of the heavens will be shaken, and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.

         "And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER  His  elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

         "But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

         "For false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order, if possible, to lead the elect astray.

         "But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.

         "But in those days, after the tribulation, THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED,  AND   THE   MOON   WILL  NOT  GIVE  ITS  LIGHT,  AND  THE  STARS  WILL  BE  FALLING  from  heaven,  and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.

         "And then they will see THE  SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory.

         "And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth, to the farthest end of heaven.

         "Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.

         "Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door.

         "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

         "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

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

         "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.

         "For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.

         "Then there shall be two men in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left.

         "Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left.

         "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.

         "But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

         "For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

         "Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time?

         "Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.

         "Truly I say to you, that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

         "But if that evil slave says in his heart, 'My master is not coming for a long time,' and shall begin to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards;

         the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know,

         and shall cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; weeping shall be there and the gnashing of teeth.

         "Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom.

         "And five of them were foolish, and five were prudent.

         "For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps.

         "Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep.

         "But at midnight there was a shout, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.'

         "Then all those virgins rose, and trimmed their lamps.

         "And the foolish said to the prudent, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'

         "But the prudent answered, saying, 'No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.'

         "And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut.

         "And later the other virgins also came, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open up for us.'

         "But he answered and said, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.'

         "Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

         "For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves, and entrusted his possessions to them.

         "And to one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.

         "Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents.

         "In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more.

         "But he who received the one talent went away and dug in the ground, and hid his master's money.

         "Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.

         "And the one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, 'Master, you entrusted five talents to me; see, I have gained five more talents.'

         "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'

         "The one also who had received the two talents came up and said, 'Master, you entrusted to me two talents; see, I have gained two more talents.'

         "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'

         "And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed.

         'And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground; see, you have what is yours.'

         "But his master answered and said to him, 'You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I scattered no seed.

         'Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest.

         'Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.'

         "For to everyone who has shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.

         "And cast out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

         "But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.

         "And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

         "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

         'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'

         "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink?

         'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?

         'And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'

         "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'

         "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;

         for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;

         I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.'

         "Then they themselves also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?'

         "Then He will answer them, saying, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'

         "And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

         "Be on guard, that your hearts may not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day come on you suddenly like a trap;

         for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth.

         "But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

         And it came about that when Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His disciples, "You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be delivered up for crucifixion."

         Now during the day He was teaching in the temple, but at evening He would go out and spend the night on the mount that is called Olivet.

         And all the people would get up early in the morning to come to Him in the temple to listen to Him.

         Now there were certain Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast;

         these therefore came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."

         Philip came and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip came, and told Jesus.

         And Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

         "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

         "He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal.

         "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

         "Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour.'? But for this purpose I came to this hour.

         "Father, glorify Thy name." There came therefore a voice out of heaven: "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again."

         The multitude therefore, who stood by and heard it, were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, "An angel has spoken to Him."

         Jesus answered and said, "This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes.

         "Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world shall be cast out.

         "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself."

         But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die.

         The multitude therefore answered Him, "We have heard out of the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?"

         Jesus therefore said to them, "For a little while longer the light is among you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness may not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes.

         "While you have the light, believe in the light, in order that you may become sons of light."

         These things Jesus spoke, and He departed and hid Himself from them.

         But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him;

         that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, "LORD, WHOHAS  BELIEVED  OUR  REPORT? AND TO WHOM  HAS  THE  ARM  OF  THE  LORD  BEEN  REVEALED?"

         For this cause they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, "HE HAS  BLINDED  THEIR  EYES,  AND  HE  HARDENED  THEIR   HEART;  LEST  THEY  SEE  WITH  THEIR  EYES, AND  PERCEIVE  WITH  THEIR  HEART,  AND  BE  CONVERTED,  AND  I  HEAL  THEM."

         Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue;

         for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.

         And Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me does not believe in Me, but in Him who sent Me.

         "And he who beholds Me beholds the One who sent Me.

         "I have come as light into the world, that everyone who believes in Me may not remain in darkness.

         "And if anyone hears My sayings, and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.

         "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.

         "For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me commandment, what to say, and what to speak.

         "And I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me."

         Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest, named Caiaphas; and they plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth, and kill Him.

         But they were saying, "Not during the festival, lest a riot occur among the people."

         Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head.

         But some were indignantly remarking to one another, "Why has this perfume been wasted?

         "For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor." And they were scolding her.

         But Jesus said, "Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me.

         "For the poor you always have with you, and whenever you wish, you can do them good; but you do not always have Me.

         "She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial.

         "And truly I say to you, whenever the gospel is preached in the whole world, that also which this woman has done shall be spoken of in memory of her."

         And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve.

         And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them. And said, "What are you willing to give me to deliver Him up to you?" And they weighed out to him thirty pieces of silver.

         And he consented, and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them apart from the multitude.

         Now before the feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

         Then came the first day of  Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.

         Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?"

         And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was being sacrificed, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?"

         And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it."

         And they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare it?"

         And He sent two of His disciples, and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house that he enters.

         "And you shall say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "My time is at hand; I am to keep the Passover at your house with My disciples, where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'

         "And he will show you a large, furnished, upper room; prepare it there."

         And they departed and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

         And when it was evening He came with the twelve.

         And when the hour had come He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him.

         And He said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;

         for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."

And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

         And as they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said, "Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me—one who is eating with Me."

         They began to be grieved and to say to Him one by one, "Surely not I?"

         And He said to them, "It is one of the twelve, one who dips with Me in the bowl.

         "For the Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."

And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.

And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.

And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.

         And Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Surely it is not I, Rabbi?" He said to him, "You have said it yourself."

         And while they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."

         And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you;

         for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.

         "But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink new with you in My Father's kingdom."

         And during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him,

         Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God, and was going back to God,

         rose from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself about.

         Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.

         And so He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, "Lord, do You wash my feet?"

         Jesus answered and said to him, "What I do you do not realize now, but you shall understand hereafter."

         Peter said to Him, "Never shall You wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you."

         For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, "Not all of you are clean."

         And so when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments, and reclined at the table again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you?

         "You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am,

         "If then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.

         "For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.

         "Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master; neither is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.

         "If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

         "I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, 'HE WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.'

         "Form now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He.

         "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me."

         When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me."

         The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking.

         There was reclining on Jesus' breast one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.

         Simon peter therefore gestured to him, and said to him, "Tell us who it is of whom He was speaking."

         He, leaning back thus on Jesus' breast, said to Him, "Lord, who is it?"

         Jesus therefore answered, "That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him." So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.

         And after the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Jesus therefore said to him, "What you do, do quickly."

         Now no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him.

         For some were supposing, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus was saying to him, "Buy the things we have need of for the feast"; or else, that he should give something to the poor.

         And so after receiving the morsel he went out immediately; and it was night.

         When therefore he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him;

         if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately.

         "Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You shall seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, I now say to you also, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.'

         "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

         "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

         Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?" Jesus answered, "Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you shall follow later."

         Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You."

         Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a cock shall not crow, until you deny Me three times.

         And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be the greatest.

         And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called 'Benefactors.'

         "But not so with you, but let him who is the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as the servant.

         "For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table, or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

         "And you are those who stood by Me in My trials;

         and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

         "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat;

         but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."

         And he said to Him, "Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!"

         And He said, "I say to you, Peter, the cock will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.

         "Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.

         "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.

         "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

         "And you know the way where I am going."

         Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?"

         Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.

         "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him."

         Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us."

         Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, 'Show us the Father'?

         "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.

         "Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me; otherwise believe on account of the work's themselves.

         "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.

         "And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

         "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

         "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

         "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;

         that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you.

         "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

         "After a little while the world will behold Me no more; but you will behold Me; because I live, you shall live also.

         "In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

         "He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and He who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him."

         Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us, and not to the world?"

         Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him.

         "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.

         "These things I have spoken to you, while abiding with you.

         "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

         "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

         "You heard that I said to you, 'I go away, and I will come to you.' If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater then I.

         "And now I have told you before it comes to pass, that when it comes to pass, you may believe.

         "I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me;

         but that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go from here.

         And He said to them, "When I sent you out without purse and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?" And they said, "No, nothing."

         And He said to them, "But now, let him who has a purse take it along, likewise also a bag, and let him who has no sword sell his robe and buy one.

         "For I tell you, that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, 'AND HE WAS NUMBERED WITH TRANSGRESSORS'; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment."

         And they said, "Lord, look, here are two swords." And He said to them, "It is enough."

         And after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

         And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him.

         And Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away, because it is written, 'I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP SHALL BE SCATTERED.'

         "But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee."

         But Peter said to Him, "Even though all may fall away, yet I will not."

         And Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you, that you yourself this very night, before a cock crows twice, shall three times deny Me."

         But Peter kept saying insistently, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And they all were saying the same thing, too.

         And Jesus said to them, "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

         "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.

         "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

         "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

         "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.

         "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

         "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you.

         "By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

         "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.

         "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love.

         "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

         "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

         "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

         "You are My friends, if you do what I command you.

         "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

         "You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you.

         "This I command you, that you love one another.

         "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.

         "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

         "But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.

         "If I had not come and spoke to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

         "He who hates Me hates My Father also.

         "If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.

         "But they have done this in order that the word may be fulfilled that is written in their Law, 'THEY  HATED  ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.'

         "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me, and you will bear witness also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

         "These things I have spoken to you, that you may be kept from stumbling.

         "They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he offering service to God.

         "And these things they will do, because they have not known the Father, or Me.

         "But these things I have spoken to you, that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.

         "But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?'

         "But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.

         "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

         "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment;

         concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you no longer behold me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

         "I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

         "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.

         "He shall glorify Me; for He shall take of Mine, and shall disclose it to you.

         "A little while, and you will no longer behold Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me."

         Some of His disciples therefore said to one another, "What is this thing He is telling us, 'A little while, and you will not behold Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and, 'because I go to the Father'?"

         And so they were saying, "What is this that He says, 'A little while'? We do not know what He is talking about."

         Jesus knew that they wished to question Him, and He said to them, "Are you deliberating together about this, that I said, 'A little while, and you will not behold Me, and again a little while, and you will see me'?

         "Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned to joy.

         "Whenever a woman is in travail she has sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she remembers the anguish no more, for joy that a child has been born into the world.

         "Therefore you too now have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you.

         "And in that day you will ask Me no question. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you shall ask the Father for anything, He will give it to you in My name.

         "Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full.

         "These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will speak no more to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father.

         "In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request the Father on your behalf;

         for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from the Father.

         "I came forth from the Father, and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again, and going to the Father."

         His disciples said, "Lo, now You are speaking plainly, and are not using a figure of speech.

         "Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that you came from God."

         Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?

         "Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.

         "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

         These things Jesus spoke; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify Thy Son, that the Son may glorify Thee, even as Thou gavest Him authority over all mankind, that to all whom Thou hast given Him, He may give eternal life.

         "And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.

         "I glorified Thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which Thou hast given Me to do.

         "And now, glorify Thou Me together with Thyself, Father, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.

         "I manifested Thy name to the men whom Thou gavest Me out of the world; Thine they were, and Thou gavest them to Me, and they have kept Thy word.

         "Now they have come to know that everything Thou hast given Me is from Thee;

         for the words which Thou gavest Me I have given to them; and they received them, and truly understood that I came forth from Thee, and they believed that Thou didst send Me.

         "I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom Thou hast given Me; for they are Thine;

         and all things that are Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine; and I have been glorified in them.

         "And I am no more in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to Thee. Holy Father, keep them in Thy name, the name which Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, even as We are.

         "While I was with them, I was keeping them in Thy name which Thou hast given Me; and I guarded them, and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

         "But now I come to Thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have joy made full in themselves.

         "I have given them Thy word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

         "I do not ask Thee to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.

         "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

         "Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth.

         "As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

         "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.

         "I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;

         that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me.

         "And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one;

         I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me.

         "Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am, in order that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me; for Thou didst love Me before the foundation of the world.

         "O righteous Father, although the world has not known Thee, yet I have known Thee; and these have known that Thou didst send Me;

         and I have made Thy name known to them, and will make it known; that the love wherewith Thou didst love Me may be in them, and I in them."

         When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden, into which He Himself entered, and His disciples.

         And they came to a place named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, "Sit here until I have prayed."

         And He took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled.

         And He said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me."

         And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground, and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by.

         And He was saying, "Abba! Father! All things are possible for Thee; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what Thou wilt."

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

         "Keep watching and praying, that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

         And again He went away and prayed, saying the same words.

         He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, "My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Thy will be done."

         And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him.

         And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more.

         Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.

         And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.

         And when He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, and said to them, "Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation."

         And He came the third time, and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.

         "Arise, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!"

         Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place; for Jesus had often met there with His disciples.

         Judas then, having received the Roman cohort, and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.

         Jesus therefore, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth, and said to them, "Whom do you seek?"

         They answered Him, "Jesus the Nazarene." He said to them, "I am He." And Judas also who was betraying Him, was standing with them.

         When therefore He said to them, "I am He," they drew back, and fell to the ground.

         Again therefore He asked them, "Whom do you seek?" And they said, "Jesus the Nazarene."

         Jesus answered, "I told you that I am he; if therefore you seek Me, let these go their way."

         that the word might be fulfilled which He spoke, "Of those whom Thou hast given Me I lost not one."

         And immediately while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, came up, accompanied by a multitude with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.

         Now he who was betraying Him had given them a signal, saying, "Whomever I shall kiss, He is the one; seize Him, and lead Him away under guard."

         And after coming, he immediately went to Him, saying, "Rabbi!" and kissed Him.

         But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"

         And they laid hands on Him, and seized Him.

         And when those who were around Him saw what was going to happen, they said, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?"

         Simon Peter therefore having a sword, drew it, and struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave's name was Malchus.

         But Jesus answered and said, "Stop! No more of this." And He touched his ear and healed him.

         Jesus therefore said to Peter, "Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?"

         Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword,

         "Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?

         "How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen this way?"

         At that time Jesus said to the multitudes, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as against a robber? Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me.

         "While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me; but this hour and the power of darkness are yours.

         "But all this has take place that the Scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled."

         Then all the disciples left Him and fled.

         So the Roman cohort and the commander, and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him;

         and a certain young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they seized him.

         But he left the linen sheet behind, and escaped naked.

         And they led Him to Annas first; for he was father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.

         Now Caiaphas was the one who advised the Jews that it was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people.

         And Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest.

         But Peter also was following Him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and entered in, and sat down with the officers to see the outcome.

         But Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought in Peter.

         And after they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them.

         And Peter had followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the officers, and warming himself at the fire.

         The slave-girl therefore who kept the door said to Peter, "You are not also one of this man's disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not."

         Now the slaves and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire, for it was cold and they were warming themselves; and Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.

         And a certain servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight, and looking intently at him, said, "This man was with Him too."

         But he denied it, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him."

         Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a certain servant-girl came to him and said, "You too were with Jesus the Galilean."

         But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are talking about."

         And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came,

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

         But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you are talking about." And he went out onto the porch.

         The high priest therefore questioned Jesus about His disciples, and about His teaching.

         Jesus answered him, "I have spoken openly to the world; I always taught in the synagogues, and in the temple, where all the Jews come together; and I spoke nothing in secret.

         "Why do you question Me? Question those who have heard what I spoke to them; behold, these know what I said."

         And when He had said this, one of the officers standing by gave Jesus a blow, saying, "Is that the way You answer the high priest?"

         Jesus answered him, "If I have spoken wrongly, bear witness of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?"

         Annas therefore sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

         Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said therefore to him, "You are not also one of His disciples, are you?" He denied it, and said, "I am not."

         And a little later, another saw him and said, "You are one of them too!" But Peter said, "Man, I am not!"

         And the maid saw him, and began once more to say to the bystanders, "This is one of them!"

         And when he had gone out to the gateway, another servant-girl saw him and said to those who were there, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth."

         And again he denied it with an oath, "I do not know the man."

         Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death; and they were not finding any.

         For many were giving false testimony against Him, and yet their testimony was not consistent.

         And some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying, "We heard Him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.'"

         And they did not find any, even though many false witness came forward. But later on two came forward, and said, "This man stated, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.'"

         And not even in this respect was their testimony consistent.

         And the high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, "Do You make no answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?"

         But He kept silent, and made no answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?"

         And the high priest stood up and said to Him, "Do You make no answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?"

         But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, "I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God."

         Jesus said to him, "I am; you have said it yourselves; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING  AT  THE  RIGHT  HAND  OF  POWER, and  COMING  ON THE  CLOUDS  OF  HEAVEN."

         Then the high priest tore his robes, saying, "He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy;

         what do you think?" They answered and said, "He is deserving of death!"

         "You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?" And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.

         And after about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, "Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too."

         But again he was denying it. And after a little while the bystanders were again saying to Peter, "Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean too."

         And a little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Surely you too are one of them; for the way you talk gives you away."

         One of the slave's of the high priest, being a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, said, "Did I not see you in the garden with Him?"

         But he began to curse and swear, "I do not know this man you are talking about!" And immediately, while he was still speaking, a cock crowed a second time.

         And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, "Before a cock crows twice, you will deny Me three times."

         And he went out and wept bitterly.

         And the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him, and beating Him,

         and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, "Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?"

         Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him,

         and said, "Prophesy to us, You Christ; who is the one who hit You?"

         And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming.

         And when it was day, the Council of elders of the people assembled, both chief priests and scribes, and they led Him away to their council chamber, saying,

         "If You are the Christ, tell us." But He said to them, "If I tell you, you will not believe; and if I ask a question, you will not answer.

         "But from now on THE  SON  OF MAN  WILL BE SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND of the power of GOD."

         And they all said, "Are You the Son of God, then?" And He said to them, "Yes, I am."

         And they said, "What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth."

         They led Jesus therefore from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium in order that they might not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.

         Pilate therefore went out to them, and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?"

         They answered and said to him, "If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you."

         Pilate therefore said to them, "Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law." The Jews said to him, "We are not permitted to put anyone to death,"

         that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled, which He spoke, signifying by what kind of death He was about to die.

         And they began to accuse Him, saying, "We found this Man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King."

         And Pilate asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?" And He answered him and said, "It is as you say."

         And while He was being accused by the chief priest and elders, He made no answer.

         Then Pilate said to Him, "Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?"

         And He did not answer him with regard to even a single charge, so that the governor was quite amazed.

         And the chief priests began to accuse Him harshly.

         And Pilate was questioning Him again, saying, "Do You make no answer? See how many charges they bring against You!"

         But Jesus made no further answer; so that Pilate was amazed.

         Pilate therefore entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"

         Jesus answered, "Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did other's tell you about Me?"

         Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You up to me; what have You done?"

         Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm."

         Pilate therefore said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."

         Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?"

         And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no guilt in Him."

         And Pilate said to the chief priests and the multitudes, "I find no guilt in this man."

         But they kept on insisting, saying, "He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, starting from Galilee, even as far as this place."

         But when Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean.

         And when he learned that He belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time.

         Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him.

         And he questioned Him at some length; but He answered him nothing.

         And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently.

         And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate.

         Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been at enmity with each other.

         And Pilate summoned the chief priests and the rulers and the people,

         and said to them, "You brought this man to me as one who incites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I have found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him.

         "No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him.

         "I will therefore punish Him and release Him."

         Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the multitude any one prisoner whom they wanted.

         And they were holding at that time a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas.

         "But you have a custom, that I should release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?"

         But they cried out all together, saying, "Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas!" (He was one who had been thrown into prison for a certain insurrection made in the city, and for murder.)

         Therefore they cried out again, saying, "Not this Man, but Barabbas." Now Barabbas was a robber.

         And the man named Barabbas had been imprisoned with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the insurrection.

         And the multitude went up and began asking him to do as he had been accustomed to do for them.

         And Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?"

         For he was aware that the chief priests had delivered Him up because of envy.

         But the chief priests stirred up the multitude to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead.

         When therefore they were gathered together, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?"

         For he knew that because of envy they had delivered Him up.

         And while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him."

         But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes to ask for Barabbas, and to put Jesus to death.

         But the governor answered and said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas."

         Pilate said to them, "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said, "Let Him be crucified!"

         And answering again, Pilate was saying to them, "Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?"

         And they shouted back, "Crucify Him!"

         But Pilate was saying to them, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they shouted all the more, "Crucify Him!"

         And Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again,

         but they kept on calling out, saying, "Crucify, crucify Him!"

         And he said to them the third time, "Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; I will therefore punish Him and release Him."

         But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail.

         And he said, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they kept shouting all the more, saying, "Let Him be crucified!"

         And when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of this Man's blood; see to that yourselves."

         And all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children!"

         Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged Him.

         And the soldiers took Him away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium), and they called together and gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him.

         And they stripped Him, and put a scarlet robe on Him.

         And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and arrayed Him in a purple robe and a reed in His right hand;

         and they kneeled down before Him and mocked Him, and they began to come up to Him, and say, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and to give Him blows in the face. And they spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head.

         And wishing to satisfy the multitude, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus scourged, he delivered Him to be crucified.

         Jesus therefore came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, "Behold, the Man!"

         When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, "Crucify, crucify!" Pilate said to them, "Take Him yourselves, and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him."

         The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God."

         When Pilate therefore heard this statement, he was the more afraid;

         and he entered into the Praetorium again, and said to Jesus, "Where are You from?" But Jesus gave him no answer.

         Pilate therefore said to Him, "You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?"

         Jesus answered, "You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me up to you has the greater sin."

         As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, "If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar."

         When Pilate therefore heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.

         Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour (6:00 am). And he said to the Jews, "Behold, Your King!"

         They therefore cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar."

         And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand should be granted.

         And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, but he delivered Jesus to their will. So he then delivered Him to them to be crucified.

         And after they had mocked Him, they took the purple robe off Him, and put His garments on Him. And they led Him out to crucify Him.

         Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

         saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But they said, "What is that to us? See to that yourself!"

         And he threw the pieces of silver into the sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself.

         And the chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, "It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood."

         And they counseled together and with the money bought the Potter's Field as a burial place for strangers.

         For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.

         Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying,"AND  THEY TOOK THE THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER, THE  PRICE  OF  THE   ONE   WHOSE   PRICE  HAD  BEEN  SET by the sons of Israel;

         AND  THEY  GAVE  THEM  FOR  THE  POTTER'S  FIELD,  AS  THE  LORD  DIRECTED  ME."

         They took Jesus therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha.

         And as they were coming out, they pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), and they placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.

         And there were following Him a great multitude of the people, and of women who were mourning and lamenting Him.

         But Jesus turning to them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

         "For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.'

         "Then they will began TO  SAY  TO THE MOUNTAINS, 'FALL ON US,' AND TO THE HILLS, 'COVER US.'

         "For if they do these things in the green tree, what will happen in the dry?"

         And two others also, who were criminals, were being led away to be put to death with Him.

         And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull,

         they gave Him wine to drink mingled with gall (or myrrh); and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink.

         And when they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left, and Jesus in between.

         And it was the third hour (9:00 am), when they crucified Him.

         And Pilate wrote an inscription of the charge against Him also, and they put it up above His head on the cross. And it was written, "JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS."

         Therefore this inscription many of the Jews read, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and in Greek.

         And so the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The king of the Jews'; but that He said, 'I am King of the Jews.'"

         Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."

         And they crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left.

         And the Scripture was fulfilled which say, "And He was numbered with transgressors."

         But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."

         The soldiers therefore, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece.

         They said therefore to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be"; that the Scripture might be fulfilled, "THEY  DIVIDED  MY  OUTER  GARMENTS  AMONG THEM,  AND  FOR  MY  CLOTHING  THEY  CAST  LOTS."

         Therefore the soldiers did these things. And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there. But there were standing by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Marythe wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

         When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son!"

         Then He said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her into his own household.

          And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads,

         and saying, "Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross."

         In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him, among themselves and saying,

         "He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we shall believe in Him.

         "HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET HIM DELIVER Him now, IF HE TAKES PLEASURE IN HIM; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.'"

         And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One."

         And the soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine,

         and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!"

         And those who were crucified with Him were casting the same insult at Him.

         And one of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, "Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!"

         But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?

         "And we indeed justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong."

         And he was saying, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!"

         And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."

         And it was about the sixth hour (12 noon), and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour (3 p.m.).

         And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHAN?" which is translated, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?"

         And when some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, "Behold, He is calling for Elijah."

         After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I am thirsty."

         A jar full of sour wine was standing there; and immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink.

         But the rest of them said, "Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him."

         When Jesus therefore had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!"

         And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, "Father, INTO THY HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT." And having said this, He breathed His last.

         The son being obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook; and the rocks were split,

         and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;

         and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.

         Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, "Truly this was the Son of God!"

         And when the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"

         Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, "Certainly this man was innocent."

         And all the multitudes who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, began to return, beating their breasts.

         And all His acquaintances and the women who accompanied Him from Galilee, were standing at a distance, seeing these things.

         And many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him,

         among whom was Mary Magdalene, along with Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

         And there were also some women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and Joses, and Salome.

         And when He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and minister to Him; and there were many other women who had come up with Him to Jerusalem.

         The Jews therefore, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day ), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

         The soldiers therefore came, and broke the legs of the first man, and of the other man who was crucified with Him;

         but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs;

         but one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water.

         And he who has seen has borne witness, and his witness is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.

         For these things came to pass, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, "NOT  A  BONE  OF  HIM  SHALL  BE  BROKEN."

         And again another Scripture says, "THEY  SHALL LOOK ON HIM  WHOM  THEY  PIERCED."

         And when it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.

         And when evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, a man named Joseph, who was a member of the Council, a good and righteous man (he had not consented to their plan and action), a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was waiting for the kingdom of God;

         Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.

         And Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead.

         And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.

         And Nicodemus came also, who had first come to Him by night; bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight.

         And so they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.

         Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been laid.

         Therefore on account of the Jewish day of preparation, because the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away.

         Now the women who had come with Him out of Galilee followed after, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid.

         And Mary Magdalene was there, and  Mary the mother of Joses, sitting opposite the grave looking on to see where He was laid.

         And it was the preparation day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.

         And they returned and prepared spices and perfumes.

         And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

         Now on the next day, which is the one after the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate,

         and said, "Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I am to rise again.'

         "Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, lest the disciples come and steal Him away and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead.' and the last deception will be worse than the first."

         Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how."

         And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone.

         Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.

         But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, bringing  the spices which they had prepared.

         Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them.

         And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?"

         And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred.

         And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large.

         For an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.

         And his appearance was like lightning, and his garment as white as snow;

         and the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.

         And the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who had been crucified.

         "He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.

         "And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going before you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you."

         But when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

         And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed.

         And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.

         "But go, tell His disciples and Peter, 'He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He said to you.'"

         And it happened that while they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling apparel;

         and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living One among the dead?

         "He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee,

         saying that the Son of Man must be delivered in to the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again."

         And they remembered His words.

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

         And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples.

         And returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

         And so she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him."

         Peter therefore went forth, and the other disciple, and they were going to the tomb.

         And the two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter, and came to the tomb first;

         and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in.

         Simon Peter therefore also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he beheld the linen wrappings lying there,

         and the face-cloth, which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself.

         So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb entered then also, and he saw and believed.

         For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.

         So the disciples went away again to their own homes.

         But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb;

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

         And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have take away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him."

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

         Jesus said to her, "Women, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away."

         Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" (which means, Teacher).

         Jesus said to her, "Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren, and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'"

         And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshipped Him.

         Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they shall see Me."

         Now while they were on their way, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened.

         And when they had assembled with the elders and counseled together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,

         and said, "You are to say, 'His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.'

         "And if this should come to the governor's ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble."

         And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.

         She went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping.

         Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and that He had said these things to her.

         Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles.

         And these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them.

         And when they heard that He was alive, and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it.

         And after that, He appeared in a different form to two of them, while they were walking along on their way to the country.

         And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem.

         And they were conversing with each other about all these things which had taken place.

         And it came about that while they were conversing and discussing, Jesus Himself approached, and began traveling with them.

         But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him.

         And He said to them, "What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?" And they stood still, looking sad.

         And one of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, "Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?"

         And He said to them, "What things?" And they said to Him, "The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people,

         and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him up to the sentence of death, and crucified Him.

         "But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened.

         "But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning,

         and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, who said that He was alive.

         "And some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see."

         And He said to them, "O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!

         "Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?"

         And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

         And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He would go farther.

         And they urged Him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over." And He went in to stay with them.

         And it came about that when He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them.

         And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.

         And they said to one another, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?"

         And they arose that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them,

         saying, "The Lord has really risen, and has appeared to Simon."

         But they did not believe them either.

         And they began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by the in them in the breaking of the bread.

         And while they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst.

         When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you."

         But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit.

         And He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?

         "See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have."

         And when he had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples therefore rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

         And while they still could not believe it for joy they were marveling, He said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?"

         And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish;

         and He took it and ate it before them.

         Jesus therefore said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me; I also send you."

         And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

         "If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained."

         But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

         The other disciples therefore were saying to him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I shall see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put My finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."

         And after eight days again His disciples were inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst, and said, "Peace be with you."

         Then He said to Thomas, "Reach here your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand, and put it into My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing."

         Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and My God!"

         Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed."

         Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;

         but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

         After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way.

         There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples.

         Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will also come with you." They went out, and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.

         But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

         Jesus therefore said to them, "Children, you do not have any fish, do you?" They answered Him, "No."

         And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you will find a catch." They cast therefore, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.

         That disciple therefore whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." And so when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was striped for work), and threw himself into the sea.

         But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.

         And so when they got out upon the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid, and fish placed on it, and bread.

         Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have now caught."

         Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.

         Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples ventured to question Him, "Who are You?" knowing that it was the Lord.

         Jesus came and took the bread, and gave them, and the fish likewise.

         This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.

         So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My lambs."

         He said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Shepherd My sheep."

         He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Tend My sheep.

         "Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself, and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go."

         Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me!"

         Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His breast at the supper, and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?"

         Peter therefore seeing him said to Jesus, "Lord, and what about this man?"

         Jesus said to him, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!"

         This saying therefore went out among the brethren that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?"

         This is the disciple who bears witness of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his witness is true.

         And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books which were written.

         But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated.

         And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him; but some were doubtful.

         And afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen.

         Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all these things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled."

         Then He opened their minds to understand the Scripture,

         and He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day;

         and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

         "You are witnesses of these things.

         "And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."

         And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

         "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.

         "And these signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues;

         they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it shall not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

         And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.

         And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

         "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

         teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

         And it came about that while He was blessing them, He parted from them.

         So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.

         And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.

         And they returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple, praising God.

         The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach,

         until the day when he was taken up, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen.

         To these He also presented Himself alive, after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.

         And gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "You heard from Me;

         for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

         And so when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?"

         He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;

         but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

         And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

         And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was departing, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them;

         and they also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven."

         Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away.

         And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.

         These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

         And at this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together), and said,

         "Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.

         "For he was counted among us, and received his portion in this ministry."

         (Now this man acquired a field with the price of his wickedness; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out.

         And it became known to all who were living in Jerusalem; so that in their own language that field was called Hakeldama, that is, Field of blood.)

         For it is written in the book of Psalms,

         'LET   HIS    HOMESTEAD  BE  MADE  DESOLATE,  AND  LET  NO   MAN   DWELL  IN  IT'; and, 'HIS   OFFICE   LET   ANOTHER   MAN TAKE.'

         "It is therefore necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us—

         beginning with the baptism of John, until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these should become a witness with us of His resurrection."

         And they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias.

         And they prayed, and said, "Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show which one of these two Thou hast chosen to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place."

         And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

         And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.

         And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the hole house where they were sitting.

         And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.

         And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

         Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men, from every nation under heaven.

         And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because they were each one hearing them speak in his own language.

         And they were amazed and marveled, saying, "Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans?

         "And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born?

         "Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God."

         And they continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, "What does this mean?"

         But others were mocking and saying, "They are full of sweet wine."

         But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: "Men of Judea, and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give heed to my words.

         "For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour (9:00 am) of the day;

         but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:

         'AND  IT  SHALL  BE  IN  THE  LAST  DAYS,'  GOD  SAYS,  'THAT  I  WILL  POUR  FORTH  OF  MY  SPIRIT  UPON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS; EVEN UPON MY BONDSLAVES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, I WILL IN THOSE DAYS POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT And they shall prophesy.

         'AND I WILL GRANT WONDERS IN THE SKY ABOVE, AND SIGNS  ON  THE  EARTH  BENEATH,  BLOOD,  AND FIRE, AND VAPOR OF SMOKE.

         'THE SUN SHALL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS, AND THE MOON  INTO  BLOOD,  BEFORE   THE  GREAT  AND  GLORIOUS   DAY OF THE LORD SHALL COME.

         'AND IT SHALL BE, THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.'

         "Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know—

         this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.

         "And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

         "For David says of Him, 'I WAS ALWAYS BEHOLDING THE LORD IN MY PRESENCE; FOR HE IS AT MY RIGHT HAND, THAT I MAY  NOT BE SHAKEN. THEREFORE MY HEART WAS GLAD AND MY  TONGUE  EXULTED;  MOREOVER  MY  FLESH  ALSO  WILL ABIDE  IN  HOPE;  BECAUSE  THOU  WILT  NOT  ABANDON MY SOUL TO HADES, NORALLOW THY HOLY ONE TO UNDERGO DECAY. THOU WILT MAKE ME FULL OF GLADNESS WITH THY PRESENCE.'

         "Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

         "And so, because he was a prophet, and knew that GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO SEAT one OF HIS DESCENDANTS UPON HIS THRONE,

         he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE  WAS  NEITHER  ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY.

         "This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.

         "Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.

         "For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: 'THE  LORD  SAID  TO  MY  LORD, "SIT  AT  MY  RIGHT, UNTIL  I  MAKE  THINE  ENEMIES  A  FOOTSTOOL  FOR  THY FEET."'

         "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified."

         Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?"

         And Peter said to them, "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

         "For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself."