J. Vernon McGee Thru the Bible Radio - (40) Book of Matthew

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The Book of Matthew - Summary

Matthew's Gospel (good news) is in the Bible's New Testament.

Matthew knew well the Bible's Old Testament. In the past, God appointed people (called 'prophets') to write about the future. Many prophets described Jesus' life and work. The things that the prophets wrote actually happened during Jesus' life on earth. Matthew explained this to prove that Jesus is the Christ. (The 'Christ' means God's king. The prophets said that the Christ would save us from the punishment for our evil deeds.)

Matthew's Gospel is a book about Jesus' life. Matthew wrote about the things that Jesus taught. His book includes a speech by Jesus, in Matthew chapters 5-7. This speech is called 'The Sermon on the Mount'.

Matthew's Gospel also explains that Jesus cured many ill people. Jesus caused blind people to see again (Matthew 20:29-34). He caused deaf people to hear again (Matthew 11:5). He freed people who had evil spirits (Matthew 8:28).

But some important people hated Jesus. They killed Jesus on the cross. But Jesus knew that this would happen (Matthew 16:21). The prophets had written that the Christ would die (Isaiah 53; Matthew 12:40). When Jesus died, he suffered the punishment for our evil deeds (Matthew 20:28, Matthew 26:28).

But Jesus did not remain dead. God caused Jesus to live again (Matthew 28). And Jesus is alive today, in heaven.
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Listen	Download	Introduction to Matthew
Listen	Download	Chapter 1 The Genealogy of Jesus Christ; From Abraham to David; From David to Babylonian Exile; From the Exile to the Messiah; The Nativity of the messiah.
Listen	Download	Chapter 2 Wise Men Seek the King;The Flight into Egypt; The Massacre of the Innocents; The Holy Family in Nazareth.
Listen	Download	Chapter 3 The Messiah's Herald; The Baptism of Jesus.
Listen	Download	Chapter 4 The Temtation of Jesus; Ministry in Galilee; The First Disciples; Teaching, Preaching, and Healing.
Listen	Download	Chapter 5 The Beatitudes; Believers Are Salt and Light; Christ Fulfills the Law; Murder Begins in the Heart; Adultery in the Heart; Divorce Practices Censured; Tell the Truth; Go the Second Mile; Love Your Enemies.
Listen	Download	Chapter 6 How to Give; How to Pray; The Model Prayer; How to Fast; God and Possessions; The Cure for Anxiety.
Listen	Download	Chapter 7 Do Not Judge; Keep Asking, Searching, Knocking; Entering the Kingdom; The Two Foundations.
Listen	Download	Chapter 8 Cleansing a Leper; A Centurion's Faith; Healings at Capernaum; Following Jesus; Wind and Wave Obey the Master; Demons Driven Out by the Master.
Listen	Download	Chapter 9 The Son of Man Forgives and Heals; The Call of Matthew; A Question about Fasting; A Girl Restored and a Woman Healed; Healing the Blind; Driving Out a Demon; The Lord of the Harvest.
Listen	Download	Chapter 10 Commissioning the Twelve; Persecutions Predicted; Fear God; Acknowleging Christ; A Cup of Cold Water.
Listen	Download	Chapter 11 In Praise of John the Baptist; An Unresponsive Generation; The Son Gives Knowledge and Rest.
Listen	Download	Chapter 12 Lord of the Sabbath. The Man with the Paralyzed Hand; The Servant of the Lord; A House Divided; A Tree and Its Fruit; The Sign of Jonah; An Unclean Spirit's Return; True Relationships.
Listen	Download	Chapter 13 The Parable of the Sower; Why Jesus Used Parables; The Parable of the Sower Explained; The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds (Tars); The Parables of th Mustard Seed and the Yeast; Using Parables Fulfills Prophecy; Jesus Interprets the Wheat and the Weeds (Tars); The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Priceless Pearl; The Parable of the Net; The storehouse of Truth; Rejection at Nazareth.
Listen	Download	Chapter 14 John the Baptist Beheaded; Feeding the 5,000; Walking on the Water; Miraculous Healings.
Listen	Download	Chapter 15 The Tradition of the Elders; Defilement is from Within; A Gentile Mother's Faith.
Listen	Download	Chapter 16 The Yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees; Peter's Confession of the Messiah; His Death and Resurrection Predicted; Take Up Your Cross.
Listen	Download	Chapter 17 The Transfiguration; the Power of Faith over a Demon; The Second Prediction of His Death; Paying the temple Tax.
Listen	Download	Chapter 18 Who Is the Greatest?; The Parable of the Lost Sheep; Restoring a Brother; The Parable of the Unforgiving Slave.
Listen	Download	Chapter 19 The Question of Divorce; Blessing the Children; The Rich Young Ruler; Possessions and the Kingdom.
Listen	Download	Chapter 20 The Parable of the Vinyard Workers; The Third Prediction of His Death; Suffering and Service; Two Blind Men Healed.
Listen	Download	Chapter 21 The Triumphal Entry; Cleansing the Temple Complex; Children Cheer Jesus; The Barren Fig Tree; Messiah's Authority Challenged; The Parable of the Two Sons; The Parable of the Vinyard Owner.
Listen	Download	Chapter 22 The Parable of the Wedding Banquet; God and Caesar; The Sadducees and the Resurrection; The Primary Commandments; The Question about the Messiah.
Listen	Download	Chapter 23 Religious Hyocrites Denounced; Jesus' Lamentation over Jerusalem.
Listen	Download	Chapter 24 Destruction of the Temple Predicted; Signs of the End of the Age; Persecutions Predicted; The Great Tribulation; The Coming of the Son of Man; The Parable of the Fig Tree; No One Knows the Day or Hour; Faithful Service to the Messiah.
Listen	Download	Chapter 25 The Parable of the 10 Virgins; Parable of the Talents; The Sheep and the Goats.
Listen	Download	Chapter 26 The Plot to Kill Jesus; The Anointing at Bethany; Betrayal at the Passover; The First Lord's Supper; Peter's Denial Predicted; The Prayer in the Garden; The Judas Kiss; Jesus Faces the Sanhedrin; Peter Denies His Lord.
Listen	Download	Chapter 27 Jesus Handed Over to Pilate; Judas Hangs Himself; Jesus Faces the Governor; Jesus or Barabbas; Mocked by the Military; Crucified Between Two Criminals; The Death of Jesus; The Burial of Jesus; The Closely Guarded Tomb.
Listen	Download	Chapter 28 Resurrection Morning; The Soldiers are Bribed to Lie; The Great Commission.

Book of Matthew Outlines by J.Vernon McGee PDF format <Link>

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This is about the book that Matthew wrote

Chapter 1

The *ancestors of Jesus

v1 These are the names of people in the family of Jesus Christ. Jesus was in the family of King David. David was in the family of Abraham.

v2        Abraham was the father of Isaac.

            Isaac was the father of Jacob.

            Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers.

v3        Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah. Their mother was called Tamar.

            Perez was the father of Hezron.

            Hezron was the father of Ram.

v4        Ram was the father of Amminadab.

            Amminadab was the father of Nahshon.

            Nahshon was the father of Salmon.

v5        Salmon was the father of Boaz (his mother was called Rahab).

            Boaz was the father of Obed (his mother was called Ruth).

            Obed was the father of Jesse.

v6        Jesse was the father of King David.

            David was Solomon’s father. Solomon’s mother was the wife of Uriah.

v7        Solomon was the father of Rehoboam.

            Rehoboam was the father of Abijah.

            Abijah was the father of Asa.

v8        Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat.

            Jehoshaphat was the father of Jehoram.

            Jehoram was the father of Uzziah.

v9        Uzziah was the father of Jotham.

            Jotham was the father of Ahaz.

            Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah.

v10      Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh.

            Manasseh was the father of Amon.

            Amon was the father of Josiah.

            Josiah was the father of Jeconiah and his brothers.

v11 This was when soldiers from Babylon took the *Jews away to Babylon.

v12 Here is a list of the people who lived after that time:

            Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel.

            Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel.

v13      Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud.

            Abiud was the father of Eliakim.

            Eliakim was the father of Azor.

v14      Azor was the father of Zadok.

            Zadok was the father of Akim.

            Akim was the father of Eliud.

v15      Eliud was the father of Eleazar.

            Eleazar was the father of Matthan.

            Matthan was the father of Jacob.

v16      Jacob was the father of Joseph.

Joseph married Mary. Mary was the mother of Jesus Christ. Jesus was the special person that God sent to save his people.

v17 So then, there were 14 generations from Abraham to David. There were 14 generations from David to the time the *Jews went to Babylon. There were 14 generations from then until Jesus was born.

Jesus is born

v18 Now this is how Jesus Christ was born. His mother’s name was Mary. She had promised to marry a man called Joseph. Then she discovered that a baby was growing inside her. This happened before she married Joseph. The powerful *Holy Spirit had caused this to happen to her. v19 Joseph always wanted to do what was right. He did not want everyone to know about Mary’s baby. He did not want her to be ashamed. So he had a plan to stop the marriage secretly.

v20 Joseph thought about what to do. Then an *angel came from God to see him. While he was dreaming, the *angel said, ‘Joseph, you who are from the family of King David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. The baby that is growing inside her is from God’s *Holy Spirit. v21 Mary’s baby will be a boy. He will save his people from the wrong things that they have done. Because of this, you must name him Jesus.’

v22 Many years before, God had spoken to one of his *prophets about this. Now God’s words would soon become true. The *prophet called Isaiah had said, v23 ‘There will be a young woman who has never had sex. A baby boy will grow inside her. People will call him Immanuel [Isaiah 7.4]. This name means “God is with us”.’

v24 Then Joseph woke up from his sleep. He did what God’s *angel had asked him to do. He married Mary. v25 Joseph did not have sex with Mary before the baby boy was born. Joseph said that the baby should be called Jesus.

Chapter 2

Some men come to visit Jesus

v1 Jesus was born in the town called Bethlehem in Judea. At that time, King Herod ruled Judea. Soon after Jesus was born, some clever men came from the east to Jerusalem.

v2 The men arrived in Jerusalem and they asked people, ‘Where is the baby who was born a short time ago as the King of the *Jews? We ask because we saw a special star. This star rose in the east. We knew about the baby king when we saw this star. We want to bend our knees in front of him. We want to tell him how great and important he is.’

v3 Herod heard what the men were saying. And he became *anxious. Many people in Jerusalem were also *anxious. v4 Then Herod asked all the leaders of the *priests and the teachers of the *Law to meet with him. He asked them, ‘God promised to send a special person. Where will that special person be born?’ v5 Then the leaders of the *priests and the teachers of the *Law replied, ‘The special person will be born in Bethlehem in Judea. This is what the *prophet wrote about Bethlehem.

v6 “God said:

            People in Bethlehem,

            your town is one of the most important towns in Judea.

            A person born in your town will rule my people *Israel. He will guide my people.” ’ [Micah 5:2]

v7 Herod listened to all these things. So he asked the visitors to meet with him by himself. Herod asked them some questions. And he discovered the time that the star had appeared. v8 Then Herod sent the men to Bethlehem. ‘Go and look everywhere for this child’, he said. ‘And when you find him, come back here. Then you can tell me where he is. After that, I can also bend my knees in front of him. I can tell him how great and important he is.’

v9 After the men had heard the king, they continued their journey. While they were travelling, the same star appeared again. v10 The star moved along in front of them. Then it stopped above the place where the child was staying. The men were very happy when they saw the star. v11 They went into the house and they saw the child. He was with Mary, his mother. They went down on their knees in front of the child. They said to him, ‘You are very great and important.’ Then they opened their bags. They took out valuable gifts and they gave them to the child. The gifts were gold, incense called frankincense and myrrh. v12 God said to them in a dream, ‘Do not go back to see Herod.’ So the men returned to their own country by a different road.

Mary, Joseph and Jesus go to Egypt

v13 That night, after the men had gone away, Joseph had a dream. He saw one of God’s *angels who said to him, ‘Herod will be looking for the child, so that his soldiers can kill him. You must get up and take the child and his mother with you. Go immediately to the country called Egypt. You will all be safe there. I will tell you when you can leave. You must remain there until then.’

v14 So Joseph got up and he took the child and the child’s mother with him. They started on the journey to Egypt that same night. v15 They all remained in Egypt until Herod died. This happened to cause the words of the *prophet to become true. God had said by the *prophet, ‘I have brought my son out of Egypt.’ [Hosea 11:1]

Herod’s soldiers kill the baby boys in Bethlehem

v16 Then Herod understood that his visitors from the east would not return to him. He was very angry. He sent his soldiers to Bethlehem. He said to them, ‘Kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem. Kill those boys also who live near there. Kill all those who are not more than 2 years old.’ The visitors had told Herod that they had first seen the star 2 years ago. So he chose to kill the baby boys of that age. v17 In this way, the words that Jeremiah the *prophet spoke became true.

v18 He had said,

            ‘People heard a noise in the town called Ramah.

            They heard someone weeping with a loud voice.

            It is Rachel and she is crying for her children.

            Her children are dead,

            So nobody can help her to feel better.’ [Jeremiah 31:15]

Joseph, Mary and Jesus return to *Israel from Egypt

v19 After Herod died, Joseph saw one of God’s *angels in a dream. v20 ‘Get up’, said the *angel. ‘The people who wanted to kill the child are dead. Take the child and his mother. You can return with them to *Israel.’

v21 So Joseph got up. He took the child and the child’s mother and they travelled to *Israel. v22 But then, Joseph heard that Archelaus, Herod’s son, was now king of Judea. So Joseph was afraid to go to Judea. Joseph had another dream. An *angel explained to him what to do. ‘Go to Galilee instead’, he said. v23 Joseph made his home in a town called Nazareth. So what the *prophets had said became true. ‘He will be called a person from Nazareth.’

Chapter 3

John the *Baptist prepares a way for Jesus

v1 Some years later, a man called John the *Baptist went to the *desert in Judea. He began to tell people a message from God.

v2 John said, ‘Stop doing wrong things. Say sorry to God and obey him. You must do this because the *Kingdom of heaven is coming soon.’

v3 John the *Baptist is the man that the *prophet Isaiah spoke about. Isaiah said,

            ‘You will hear someone shouting in the *desert these words:

            “The *Lord is coming, so prepare a road for him to travel on.

            Make the path straight.” ’ [Isaiah 40:3]

v4 Now John always wore a coat that he had made out of hair from a camel. He also wore a leather belt. His usual food was large insects and honey from the *desert.

v5 Many of the people went to listen to John. They lived in Jerusalem and Judea and all the other places near the river Jordan. v6 The people told God about all the wrong things that they had done. Then John *baptised the people in the river Jordan.

v7 Many *Pharisees and *Sadducees came to John. They wanted John to *baptise them. He said to them, ‘You are like dangerous snakes. You are trying to run away from God because he is angry with you. He will soon *punish people who do wrong things. v8 Stop doing the things that God does not like. Do things to show God that you are sorry. v9 Do not say to yourselves, “We are in the family of Abraham. So God will not *punish us.” Listen! God can make children for Abraham out of these stones! v10 You are like trees. God has an axe ready at the lowest part of the trees. He will cut down every tree that does not make good fruit. He will throw these trees into the fire.’

v11 ‘I *baptise you with water. This shows God that you are sorry. You are sorry about the wrong things that you have done. It shows him that you now want to obey his rules. But a person is coming soon. He is more important than I am. I am not at all good like he is. I am no good even to carry his shoes for him. He will *baptise you with the *Holy Spirit and he will *baptise you with fire. v12 He is like a farmer with a special tool in his hand. A farmer throws the *wheat up in the air with this tool. He does this to remove the dry hard part that is outside of the seed. He cannot use this hard part for anything, so he burns it in a fire. Nobody can put out this fire. But he will put the seeds in a building to keep them safe.’

John *baptises Jesus

v13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the river Jordan. He wanted John to *baptise him. v14 But John did not want to *baptise Jesus. He said to Jesus, ‘I should come to you instead, and then you can *baptise me. But you are asking me to *baptise you.’

v15 Jesus replied, ‘This time, do what I ask you. God wants you to *baptise me. And we must do everything that is proper.’ So John did what Jesus asked him to do.

v16 When John *baptised him, Jesus came up out of the water. Then God opened the sky and Jesus saw God’s Spirit coming down. He came down like a bird, which sat on Jesus. v17 Then Jesus heard a voice in the sky. ‘This man is my Son. I love him and he makes me very happy.’

Chapter 4

The *devil tries to cause Jesus to do wrong things

v1 God’s Spirit led Jesus into the *desert. Here the *devil tried to cause Jesus to do wrong things.

v2 Jesus did not eat anything for 40 days and 40 nights. He was very hungry at the end of this time. v3 Then the *devil came to Jesus and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, you can talk to these stones. Tell the stones that they must become bread.’

v4 But Jesus answered the *devil, ‘Moses wrote this in God’s book. “People need more than bread to really live. They need to hear every word that God speaks. Then they can really live.” ’ [Deuteronomy 8:3]

v5 Then the *devil led Jesus to Jerusalem. He took Jesus to stand on the highest point of God’s Great House. v6 He said to Jesus, ‘If you are God’s Son, jump down from here to the ground. Someone wrote in God’s book,

            “God will ask his *angels to take *care of you.

            They will hold you in their hands while you fall. And so you will be safe.

            They will not even let you hurt your feet on a stone”.’ [Psalm 91:11-12]

v7 Jesus answered the *devil, ‘Moses also wrote in God’s book. “You must not do something dangerous to see if God will save you”.’ [Deuteronomy 6.16]

v8 Then the *devil led Jesus up a very high mountain. He showed Jesus all the countries in the whole world. They were all very great and beautiful. v9 ‘I will give you everything that you can see’, said the *devil. ‘Go down on your knees in front of me. Say that I am great and important and beautiful. And I will give it all to you.’

v10 Jesus then said to him, ‘Go away. Moses also wrote this in God’s book. “We must only go down on our knees in front of God. We must only tell him, ‘You are great and important’. We must obey him first”.’ [Deuteronomy 6:13]

v11 Then the *devil left Jesus alone. After that, *angels came to Jesus and they took *care of him.

Jesus starts his work in Galilee

v12 Now Jesus heard that Herod’s soldiers had put John the *Baptist in prison. So Jesus returned to Galilee.

v13 He did not stay in Nazareth. He went to live in a town called Capernaum. Capernaum is on the shore of Lake Galilee. It was in the part of *Israel called Zebulun and Naphtali.

v14 Jesus went to live in Capernaum. And this caused the words of God to become true. God had said this to his *prophet who was called Isaiah.

v15      ‘I am speaking to you people who live in Zebulun and Naphtali.

            Your part of this country is on the way to Lake Galilee.

            It is across the River Jordan in the part of the country called Galilee.

            Some people who are not *Jews live there.

v16      They are like people who are living in the dark.

            They live in the shadow which death brings.

            God will send a light to shine on them.’ [Isaiah 9:1-2]

v17 Then Jesus began to teach the people. ‘Stop doing wrong things. Say to God that you are sorry’, Jesus said. ‘Begin to obey God. You must do all this because the *Kingdom of *Heaven is coming soon.’

Jesus asks some men to be his *disciples

v18 One day, Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee. He saw two men. One man was called Simon, and he was also called Peter. The other man’s name was Andrew, and he was Simon’s brother. Their job was to catch fish. They were throwing their *nets into the lake to catch some fish. v19 ‘Come with me and be my *disciples’, Jesus said to them. ‘And I will teach you how to catch people.’

v20 Peter and Andrew immediately stopped working with their *nets. They went with Jesus and they became his *disciples.

v21 Then Jesus continued to walk along the shore of Lake Galilee. Soon he saw two more men. Their job also was to catch fish. They were called James and John. They were brothers and their father was called Zebedee. John, James and Zebedee were in their boat and they were mending their *nets. Jesus said to James and John, ‘Come with me and be my *disciples.’ v22 Then the brothers immediately left the boat and their father behind. They went with Jesus and they became his *disciples.

Jesus teaches the people about God and he makes sick people well again

v23 Jesus went everywhere in Galilee. He went into the building where the *Jews met to pray. Then he taught the people the good news about the *Kingdom. People who had many different illnesses and problems came to Jesus. He caused all these people to become well again. v24 So people began to hear about Jesus more and more. People in Syria also heard about Jesus, so they brought all the sick people to see him. They wanted Jesus to cause them to become well again. They had many different illnesses and some had pains. Bad *spirits were living inside some of them. Some people had sick minds, and some people could not move. Jesus caused all these people to become well again. v25 Because of this, large crowds followed him. These people came from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem. They also came from the part of Judea that is on the other side of the River Jordan.

Chapter 5

Jesus teaches those who followed him

v1 Jesus saw all the crowds following him. So he went up a hill and he sat down there to teach. Jesus’ *disciples went close to listen to him. v2 And he began to teach them.

v3        ‘Some people’, he said, ‘know that they need God very much. God will cause those people to be happy because they will be part of the *Kingdom of *Heaven.

v4        Some people are sad now. God will help them to feel better. They will be happy.’

v5        ‘Some people know that they are not powerful. They will be happy. God will give them what he has promised them.

v6        Some people want to obey God more than they want to do anything else. God will give to them all that they need.

v7        Some people are kind and they *forgive other people. They will be happy. God will be kind to them and he will *forgive them.

v8        Some people do not want to do wrong things. They will be happy because they will see God.

v9        Some people help other people to be friends and to agree together. They will be happy because God will call them his children.

v10      Some people will have pain because they obey God. They will be happy because they are part of the *Kingdom of *Heaven.

v11 You will be happy when people say bad things about you. Sometimes people will hurt you. Sometimes people will say things about you that are not true. People will do these things to you because you are my *disciples. v12 You should be very happy when people do these things to any of you. You should shout because you are so happy. God has kept many good things for you. He will give you these things when you go to *heaven. People did all these same things to the *prophets who lived a long time ago.’

Jesus’ *disciples are like salt and light

v13 ‘You are like salt’, Jesus said, ‘for all people to taste and use. Salt is good. But sometimes it does not taste like salt any longer. That salt cannot become good again. It is not good for people to use for anything. They throw it outside and they walk on it.

v14 You are like the light that everybody needs in this world. If people build a city on a hill, then other people can see it easily. v15 Nobody lights a *lamp and then puts it under a can. He will put the *lamp in a high place. Everybody who is in the house can then see the light from the *lamp. v16 You must be sure that you shine like that light. Then everybody will be able to see. People will see all the lovely things that you do. Then they will say good things about God. He is your Father in *heaven.’

Jesus talks about the *Laws that Moses gave to the *Jews

v17 Jesus said, ‘You should not think that I have come to destroy the *Law. Also, I have not come to destroy the messages that the *prophets wrote down. No, I have not come to destroy their words. I have come to cause what they taught to become true. v18 Remember my words. The sky and the earth will remain for a long time. While they remain, the *Law will also remain. Not even a small change in the *Law will happen. When everything in it has happened, then the *Law will finish. v19 So then a person may think to himself, “This rule is not very important. I will not obey it.” He may also teach other people to think like that. But this teacher will be the least important person in the *Kingdom of *Heaven. On the other hand, a person who obeys all God’s rules will be important. He teaches other people also to obey, so he will be great in God’s *Kingdom. v20 I am telling you this. You will be able to come into the *Kingdom of *Heaven if you obey him. But you must obey him better than the teachers of the *Law and the *Pharisees do.’

Jesus teaches about angry people

v21 ‘You have heard the words to your people long ago. “You must not kill another person. And any person who does kill will stand in front of a *judge. This *judge will say that he has done something wrong. And he will *punish him.” v22 But now, I say this to you about it. Anybody who is angry with his brother without a good reason will stand in front of a *judge. The *judge may say that this angry person has done a wrong thing. Someone might call his brother by a bad name. Then, the most important rulers will *judge him. They may say that he must be *punished. But whoever says, “You are a fool”, to their brother, God will *judge him. He may say to him, “You should go into the fire in *hell.” ’

v23 ‘Maybe you go to give your gift to God’, said Jesus to them. ‘You take it to the special table in God’s Great House. But then you remember that your brother is angry with you. v24 You must leave your gift there in front of God’s special table. And you must first go and find your brother. Say to him that you are sorry. Then you can both become friends with each other again. After that, you can go back and give your gift to God.

v25 A person may say that you have done something wrong. So he will take you to stand in front of the *judge. You should try to agree with this person. You should decide with him what is right. Do this even while you are going with him to the *judge. Do it so that he will not speak against you to the *judge. The *judge may agree with him that you have done a wrong thing. Then he will give you to his officer who will put you in prison. v26 What I say is true. You will remain in prison until you have paid all the money.’

Jesus teaches people about not doing wrong things

v27 ‘You know what God said to your people long ago. “You must not have sex with a person who is not your husband or wife. If you do, then you have done a wrong thing.” v28 But I tell you this. A man looks at a woman who is not his wife. And he wants to have sex with her. Now this man has also done a wrong thing. v29 If your right eye makes you do wrong things, then you should take it out. You should throw it away. You will lose one eye. But it will be much worse if God throws you with your two eyes into *hell. v30 If your right hand makes you do wrong things, then you should cut it off. You should throw it away. You will lose one hand. But it is much worse if God sends you with your two hands into *hell.’

Jesus talks about when a man sends his wife away

v31 ‘These words are also in God’s *Law. “Any man who wants to stop being married to his wife must give her a paper. This paper shows that they are now separate.” [Deuteronomy 24:1-4] v32 But now, I tell you this. A man must only become separate from his wife because of one reason. This reason is that his wife has had sex with another man. If his wife has not done this, then she is still his wife. The paper does not cause the man and his wife to be separate. Now, if his wife marries another man she is doing a wrong thing. And the other man who marries her is also doing a wrong thing.’

Jesus teaches people about promises to God

v33 ‘You know what God also said to your people long ago. “If you make a promise to God and use his name, do what you have said.” [Numbers 30:2] v34 But I tell you this. Do not use God’s name to make a promise. Do not use the words “by *heaven” to make a promise. *Heaven is the place where God rules. Do not use the words “by the earth” to make a promise. The earth is the place where God rests his feet. Do not use the words “by Jerusalem” to make a promise. Jerusalem is God’s city. He is the great King there. v36 Do not use the words “my head” to make a promise. You cannot make the colour of your hair black or white. v37 You should say only “Yes” if you mean, “Yes, I will do it.” And you should say only “No” if you mean, “No, I will not do it.” If you say more than this, what you say comes from the *Devil.’

Jesus teaches them about how to love people

v38 ‘So, this is also in God’s *Law. “If a man destroys somebody’s eye, then somebody should destroy that man’s eye. If a man destroys a man’s tooth, then somebody should destroy that man’s tooth.” [Exodus 21:24] v39 But I tell you this. If somebody does something bad to you, do not try to do something bad back to him. Somebody may slap you on one side of your face. Then you should let him slap you on the other side of your face also.’

v40 ‘Maybe somebody wants to take you to the *judge. He says to the *judge, “This man has done a wrong thing against me. So I want him to give me his shirt.” Give the man your shirt. Give him also your coat. v41 A soldier may say to you, “Carry my luggage for one mile (1500 metres).” Help him. Carry it for two miles (3000 metres). v42 When somebody asks you for something, you should give it to him. If somebody asks you to lend him something, then you should not refuse.

v43 You hear people say, “Love the people who are your friends. Do not love those who want to hurt you.” v44 But I tell you this. You should love the people who want to hurt you. Some people hurt you because you obey God. You should pray to God that he would help them. v45 If you do this, you will be sons and daughters of your Father above. He causes the sun to shine on people who obey him. He also causes the sun to shine on people who do not obey him. God causes the rain to fall on people who obey him. He also causes the rain to fall on people who do not obey him. v46 You might only love people who love you. But then, God will not pay you for doing that. Even men who take the *taxes do it!’

v47 ‘When you only speak to your friends’, said Jesus, ‘then you are not doing anything extra. Even people who do not believe in God do that. v48 So you must be good in every way, as your Father above is good in every way.’ [See Leviticus 19:2.]

Chapter 6

Jesus teaches people how to help poor people

v1 Jesus still spoke to them. ‘You may do good things and help somebody. But be careful that you do not want other people to see you. Let it be a secret. If you do these things to show people, God, your Father in *heaven will not pay you back.

v2 When you give something to a poor person, do not tell anyone about it. The *hypocrites do this in the buildings where people meet to pray. They also do it outside in the busy streets of the town. They do this so that other people will say, “These men are good.” What I say is true. They have already received good words from other people. So, God will not give them anything more.’

v3 ‘When you give something to a poor person, keep it a secret. Do not tell even your best friend. Let it be as if your left hand did not know about your right hand’s actions. v4 Nobody else will know about what you gave to the person. It will be a secret. God sees things that are secret. And he will give you good things.’

Jesus teaches people how to pray

v5 ‘So, you must not pray like the *hypocrites pray. They like to stand and pray in the *Jewish meeting places and on the busy corners of the streets. Then many people can see them praying. What I say is true. They have already received good words from people and they will not get anything more.’

v6 ‘I will tell you how to pray. Go to a place in your house where you can be alone. There you can pray to God your Father. He is in that secret place. And he sees what you do. He will give you good things. v7 When you pray, do not say the same words many times. And do not use many words that mean nothing. People who do not believe in God do that. And they think that God will hear them. v8 Do not be like them. God your Father already knows what you need. He knows this even before you ask him.

v9 This then is how you should pray,

            “God our Father, you live in *heaven.

            You are powerful and important.

            We want more and more people to know that your name has great authority.

v10      We want you to rule everyone.

            We want everyone to obey you on earth, like everyone in *heaven obeys you.

v11      Please give us the food that we need each day.

v12      Please *forgive us for all the wrong things that we have done.

            We have *forgiven everyone who has done wrong things to us.

            *Forgive us in the same way.

v13      Do not let anything cause us to do wrong things.

            Keep us safe from the *Devil.” ’

v14 Then Jesus said, ‘You must *forgive other people for the wrong things that they have done to you. Then God, your Father in *heaven will also *forgive you for the wrong things that you have done to him. v15 But if you do not *forgive other people, then your Father will not *forgive you.’

Jesus teaches the people about how to stop eating for some time

v16 ‘Be careful when you stop eating for some time. Do not look sad. Then people will not know what you are doing. That is what the *hypocrites do. A *hypocrite wants people to think about how good he is. He will let his face become dirty. Then other people can see that he has stopped eating. You should remember that God will not give the *hypocrites anything else. Other people think that they are good. And that is all that they will get. v17 But when you stop eating for some time, you should wash your face. You should cause your hair to look nice. v18 Then other people will not know that you have stopped eating for some time. But God your Father knows. He sees what you do in that secret place. So he will give you good things.’

Jesus teaches the people about the valuable things that they have in God’s place above

v19 ‘Do not have many valuable things here in the world. Here there are insects and water that can destroy them. There are also men who can come into your house. They can rob you of all your valuable things. v20 Instead, you should put all your valuable things in God’s place above. The insects and water cannot destroy your valuable things there. Men cannot rob you of all your things. v21 You will always think about the place where you keep your valuable things. You will want to be there in *heaven.’

v22 ‘Eyes are like *lamps and your body is like a room. If your eyes are like a clean *lamp, then your whole body will have light. v23 If your eyes are not good, then your whole body will be in the dark. If the light in your body has become dark, you will live in a very dark place.’

Jesus teaches the people about God and the things that we have

v24 ‘A slave cannot work for two masters at the same time. He will not like one of the masters, but he will love the other master. He will always say good things about one of the masters and say bad things about the other master. You cannot have God as a master and have money also as your master.’

v25 Jesus said to his *disciples, ‘What I say is true. Do not be *anxious about food and drink to stay alive. Do not be *anxious about clothes to wear either. Your life is more important than your food, and your body is more important than your clothes. v26 Think about the wild birds. They do not plant seeds in the ground. They do not cut down plants to eat. And they have no buildings to store food. God gives them food. And you are much more valuable than the birds. v27 Perhaps you are *anxious about how long you will live. But you cannot live one hour longer, even if you are always thinking about it. No, you cannot do even a small thing like that. So do not be *anxious about all these other things.

v28 You should not be *anxious about your clothes. Think about how the wild flowers grow. They do not work or make clothes for themselves. v29 But this is true. King Solomon wore very beautiful clothes. But even one wild flower is more beautiful than he was. v30 God gives beautiful clothes to the grass and to the wild flowers. They are alive in the field today, but tomorrow people will burn them. God will certainly give you clothes to wear. You should know that God will take *care of you.’

v31 Then Jesus said, ‘Do not always be thinking about where you will find your food and drink and clothes. Do not be *anxious. v32 People who do not know about God are always thinking about these things. God, your Father in *heaven, knows that you need them. v33 Instead, think about the things that are important in the *Kingdom of God. You should do everything that you can to obey God. Then God will also give you the other things that you need. v34 So do not be *anxious about what might happen tomorrow. Tomorrow there will be enough problems for you to be *anxious about. It is enough for you to be *anxious each day about the problems of that day.’

Chapter 7

We should not *judge other people

v1 Jesus was still speaking to the people. ‘Do not say to anybody, “You are a bad person.” Then God will not say to you, “You are a bad person.” v2 God will speak to you in the same way that you speak to other people. He will use the same rules for you as you use for other people.

v3 Do not look at the small piece of wood dirt that is in your brother’s eye. You should first see the big piece of wood that is in your own eye. v4 You should not say to your brother, “Please let me take the small piece of wood dirt out of your eye.” But you yourself have not seen the big piece of wood that is in your own eye. v5 You think that you are better than your brother. But you are not. First, you must take the big piece of wood out of your own eye. Then your eyes will be clear and you will see well. After that, you can take the small piece of wood dirt out of your brother’s eye.’

v6 ‘Do not give really good things that are for God to dogs. The dogs will turn round and attack you. Do not throw valuable things to pigs. The pigs will only stand on them and bury them in the dirt.’

Jesus teaches his *disciples more about God

v7 ‘Go on asking God for what you need. And then you will receive. Go on looking for what you need. And then you will find it. Go on knocking at the door. And then God will open it for you. v8 Everyone who asks for something will receive it. Everyone who looks for something will find it. God will open the door for everyone who knocks on it.

v9 Some of you are fathers. You would not give your son a stone when he asks you for some bread. v10 You would not give your son a snake if he asks you for a fish. v11 Even if you are bad, you know how to give good things to your children. Your Father above knows much better than you do how to give good things. So he will give good things to those people who ask him.’

v12 ‘In the same way that you want other people to do things to you, do things to other people. This is what the *Law of Moses teaches us. It is also what the *prophets wrote in their books.’

Jesus teaches people how to get true life

v13 ‘You should go in through the narrow gate to get true life. The wide gate is easy to go through. The wide path is easy to travel on. Many people find that wide gate, but it is the way to *hell. v14 It is difficult to go through the small gate. It is difficult to walk on the narrow road. But when you do go that way, you will get true life. Not many people find that narrow gate.’

Jesus teaches the story about a tree and its fruit

v15 ‘Watch out for *prophets who tell you wrong things about God. These people seem to be like sheep that are not dangerous. But they are really like hungry wild dogs. What they teach will hurt you.

v16 You will know these people by what they do. People do not pick good fruit from weeds. And they do not pick fruit to eat from wild plants.’

v17 ‘Good fruit grows on a tree that is good. Bad fruit grows on a tree that is not good. v18 A good tree cannot make bad fruit. A bad tree cannot make good fruit. v19 The farmer will cut down any tree that does not make good fruit. He will burn that tree on a fire. v20 So you will know if a person is good or bad. Look at what they do. And look at what they say. A good person does good things. And a bad person does bad things.

v21 Some people say to me, “Master, Master!” But not all of them will come into the *Kingdom of *Heaven. Only the people who obey God, my Father in *heaven, will come in. They do what he wants them to do. v22 On the day when God *judges, people will say, “Master, Master! We used your authority and we told people a message from you. We used your authority and we caused bad *spirits to come out of people. We used your authority to do many powerful things.” v23 Then I will say to these people, “I never knew you. You do not obey God; you are bad. So go away from me.” ’

Jesus tells a story about two men who each built a house

v24 ‘I will tell you about a man. He hears my message and he obeys it. Now, this person understands my words. He is like a man who built his house on rock. v25 Then a storm came and brought a lot of water. The water hit the house and strong winds blew hard against that house. But the house did not fall down because the man had built it on rock. v26 Another man hears my message and he does not obey it. He is like a man who built his house on sand. v27 Then a storm came and brought a lot of water. The water hit the house and strong winds blew hard against it. The house fell down. The storm destroyed it completely.’

v28 Jesus finished speaking. All the people were very surprised about the things that he taught them. v29 Jesus did not teach them in the same way as the teachers of the *Law. Jesus had his own authority when he taught them.

Chapter 8

A man who had an illness of the skin comes to meet Jesus

v1 A large crowd followed Jesus when he came down from the hill. v2 Then a man with an illness of the skin came to meet Jesus. The illness was called leprosy. The man went down on his knees in front of him. ‘Sir, if you want’, he said, ‘you can make me well. Please do it.’

v3 Jesus put out his hand towards him and touched him. ‘I do want to help you. Be well’, he said. Immediately, the illness left the man. v4 ‘You must not tell anyone about this’, Jesus said to him. ‘Instead, go and show yourself to the *priest. Take him a gift for God, as Moses said. “Do this to thank God for what has happened. And this will also show everyone that you are now well.” ’ [Leviticus 14:1-32]

An officer in the army believes that Jesus can help him

v5 When Jesus went into Capernaum, an officer in the army came to meet him. He asked Jesus to help him.

v6 ‘Sir, my servant is lying in bed at home. He cannot move and he has a lot of pain.’

v7 Jesus said to the officer, ‘I will go with you to your house and I will make your servant well again.’

v8 But the officer said to Jesus, ‘Sir, you are too important to come into my house. You have authority. Instead, you can say that he will be well. And I know that my servant will be well again. v9 Someone has authority over me. I also have authority over other soldiers. I say to this soldier, “Go!” and he goes. I say to that soldier, “Come!” so, he comes. I say to one of my servants, “Do this!” so, he does it.’

v10 Jesus heard what the officer said. And Jesus was very surprised. He spoke to the crowd that was following him. ‘What I say is true. I have not found anybody like this man in *Israel. Nobody else believes so well in me.’

v11 ‘What I say is true. Many people will come from all over the world. They will take their place in the *Kingdom of *Heaven. They will sit down to eat with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. v12 Some people were born to belong to the *Kingdom. But God’s *angels will throw them into the dark places outside his *kingdom. There the people will cry. And they will bite their teeth together because they are angry.’

v13 Then Jesus said to the officer, ‘Go home. You believed that I would make your servant well again. So I will do it for you.’ And at that moment, Jesus made the servant well again.

Jesus makes many people well again

v14 Jesus went into Peter’s house. There, he saw the mother of Peter’s wife. She was ill in bed and she felt very hot. v15 Jesus touched her hand and immediately she did not feel hot any longer. She got up and she prepared food and drink for Jesus.

v16 That evening, some people brought other people to see Jesus. Bad *spirits lived in many of these people. Jesus spoke a word and he caused the bad *spirits to leave them. He made everybody who was ill well again. v17 Jesus did all this to cause the *prophet Isaiah’s words to become true:

            ‘He took away all our weaknesses.

            He took away everything that makes us sick.’ [Isaiah 53:4]

v18 One day, Jesus saw a large crowd round him. So he said to his *disciples, ‘Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.’ v19 A teacher of the *Law came to Jesus and said to him, ‘Teacher, I want to become one of your *disciples. I will go with you everywhere that you go.’

v20 Jesus said to him, ‘Wild dogs have a place to live. Wild birds also have their own places to live. But the Son of Man has no regular place to lie down and sleep.’

v21 Another man who was already a *disciple of Jesus spoke to him. ‘Sir, I will come with you. But first, let me go home to bury my father. After that, I will come with you.’

v22 Jesus said to him, ‘Let those people who are dead bury their own dead people.’

Jesus stops a storm

v23 Then Jesus climbed into a boat and his *disciples followed him. v24 A great storm soon started on the lake. Water began to fill the boat, so that soon the boat was almost under the water. Jesus was sleeping. v25 The *disciples went to him and they woke him. ‘Save us, Master’, they said. ‘We will soon die in the water.’

v26 ‘You should not be so frightened. You do not believe in me very much!’ Jesus said. Then he stood up and he spoke to the wind and the water. ‘Be quiet!’ he said. ‘Stop moving!’ Then the wind stopped and the water became flat again.

v27 The *disciples were very surprised. ‘What kind of man is this?’ they asked each other. ‘Even the wind and the water obey him!’

Jesus makes two men well again

v28 Jesus arrived at the other side of Lake Galilee. He was in the part of the country called Gadara. The people who lived there were called Gadarenes. Jesus arrived near the place where they buried dead people. Two men came to meet Jesus. Bad *spirits lived in these two men. The men were very dangerous. Everyone was too afraid to walk near this place because of them. v29 When the two men saw Jesus, they immediately shouted to him, ‘What are you going to do with us? You are the Son of God. Have you come to *punish us before the right time?’

v30 A large group of pigs was feeding near to this place. v31 The bad *spirits asked Jesus, ‘If you cause us to leave these men, please send us to those pigs. Let us go into them.’

v32 ‘Go!’ said Jesus to the bad *spirits. So the bad *spirits came out of the men and went into the pigs. All the pigs rushed down the hill. They ran into the lake and they all died in the water. v33 There were some men there, who took *care of the pigs. Those men ran away into the town, when this happened. They told people there everything that had happened to the men with bad *spirits. v34 So everybody came out of the town to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they said, ‘Please leave our part of the country.’

Chapter 9

Jesus helps a man who cannot walk

v1 Jesus then climbed back into the boat and he sailed across to the other side of the lake again. He returned to Capernaum, the town where he was living.

v2 Some men from the town came to see Jesus. They brought another man with them who could not move his legs. He was lying on a flat piece of wood. Jesus saw the men. And he knew what they were thinking. They believed that Jesus could cause the man on the bed to be well again. Jesus said to the man who could not move, ‘Do not be afraid, my friend. I *forgive you for all the wrong things that you have done.’

v3 Then some teachers of the *Law began to speak to each other. ‘This man should not have said this’, they said to themselves. ‘He is speaking as if he is God.’

v4 Jesus knew what the teachers were thinking. So he said to them, ‘You should not think these bad things. v5 I said to this man, “I *forgive you for all the wrong things that you have done.” I could have said to him, “Stand up and walk.” v6 But I want you to know this. The Son of Man has authority on earth. He can *forgive people for all the wrong things that they have done.’ Then he said to the man who could not move his legs, ‘Stand up. Pick up the bed where you are lying. And go home.’ v7 So then the man stood up and he went home. v8 The people saw what had happened. They were very surprised and afraid. They saw that God had given much authority to men. So they said, ‘God, how great and powerful you are.’

Jesus asks Matthew to come with him

v9 Jesus walked away from that place. While he walked, he saw a man called Matthew. He was one of the men who received *taxes for the government. He was sitting in his office. ‘Come with me and be my *disciple’, Jesus said. So Matthew stood up and he went with Jesus.

v10 Later, Jesus went into the house. Many other men who received money for the government came to the house. Jesus was eating a meal there. Many people who had done bad things also came. All these people came to eat a meal with Jesus and his *disciples.

v11 Some *Pharisees saw all these people eating a meal with Jesus. They asked Jesus’ *disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat a meal with these people? They are people who have done bad things. And some of them take *tax money.’

v12 Jesus heard what the *Pharisees were saying. ‘People who are well do not need a doctor’, he said to them. ‘People who are ill need a doctor. v13 Go. And learn what the *prophets wrote down in God’s book. God says, “I want people to be kind to each other. I do not only want them to give me gifts in my house.” Some people think that they have not done anything wrong. I do not ask such people to be my *disciples. Many people know that they have done wrong things. It is these people that I am asking be my *disciples.’

v14 Then some of the *disciples of John the *Baptist came to meet Jesus. They asked him, ‘We, and the *disciples of the *Pharisees, often stop eating so that we can pray. Why do your *disciples never do that?’

v15 Jesus answered them with a picture story. ‘When the friends of a *bridegroom are with him at his marriage, they do not stop eating. The time will come when people will take the *bridegroom away from his friends. Then his friends will stop eating.’

v16 Then Jesus said, ‘Nobody uses a piece of new cloth to repair an old coat. If he did, the hole would grow bigger. When someone washed the coat, the new piece of cloth would become smaller. The new cloth would tear the old cloth again and it would make a bigger hole than before.

v17 Nobody pours new *wine into an old *wineskin. If he does, then the new *wine will tear the old *wineskin. The *wine will run out and he will lose it. And he will destroy the *wineskin. Instead of this, you must put new *wine into a new *wineskin. Then there will be nothing to destroy the *wine or the *wineskin.’

Jesus causes a dead girl to become alive again

v18 While Jesus was saying these things to the people, an important *Jew came to him. The man went down on his knees in front of Jesus and said to him, ‘My daughter has just died. Come to my house. Touch her with your hand and then she will be well again.’ v19 So Jesus started to go along with the man. And his *disciples also went along with them.

v20 A woman was in the crowd near to Jesus. She had lost blood every day for 12 years. She came close behind Jesus and she touched the edge of his coat. v21 The woman thought, ‘If I only touch his coat, Jesus will cause me to become well again.’

v22 Jesus turned round and he saw the woman. ‘Young woman, do not be afraid’, he said. ‘You are well again because you believed in me.’ And immediately the woman became well again.

v23 Then Jesus walked on until he arrived at the house of the important *Jew. He went into the man’s house. People there were making music with pipes made out of wood. The crowd in the house was also making a loud noise.

v24 Jesus spoke to everybody in the house. ‘Get out of here’, he said. ‘This girl is not dead. She is only sleeping.’ The people *laughed at Jesus. v25 But the family sent the crowd out of the house. Then Jesus went into the room where the girl was lying. He held her hand, and she stood up. v26 After that, people began to tell about what had happened. They told other people in all that part of the country.

Jesus causes two men to see again

v27 Jesus left the house. While he walked along, two men began to follow him. They could not see. They were shouting out to him, ‘Son of David, be kind to us and help us.’

v28 Jesus went into a house. And the men who could not see came to him. Jesus asked them, ‘Do you believe that I can cause your eyes to become well?’

The men replied, ‘Yes, Master, we believe that you can do this.’

v29 So Jesus touched the men’s eyes and he said, ‘Because you believed in me, your eyes will become well again.’ v30 Then immediately the men could see again. Jesus said to them, ‘You must not tell anybody about this.’ v31 So the men went away. But then they told everybody in that part of the country all about what Jesus had done for them.

Jesus causes a man to speak again

v32 While those two men were leaving Jesus, some people brought another man to him. This man could not talk because a bad *spirit was living inside him. v33 Jesus said to the bad *spirit, ‘Leave this man.’ The *spirit left him, and the man began to speak. Everybody there was very surprised. They said, ‘Nobody has seen anything like this happen in *Israel before.’

v34 The *Pharisees said, ‘Because *Satan makes him powerful, this man can send bad *spirits out of people.’ v35 Jesus went to visit many towns and villages in that part of the country. He taught the people in the places where they met to talk to God. He taught the good news about the *Kingdom. He also caused sick people to become well again from all their illnesses.

Jesus wants God to send out more *disciples

v36 When Jesus saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them. The people were *anxious. They had nobody to help them. Jesus thought, “These people are like sheep with nobody to take *care of them.” v37 Then Jesus said to his *disciples, ‘These people are like many good plants in the fields. The plants are ready for the workers to cut down. But there are not many workers. v38 You should ask the master of these fields to send out more workers. Then they can bring in all the plants.’

Chapter 10

Jesus chooses 12 men to be his *apostles

v1 One day, Jesus asked 12 of his *disciples to come to him. He gave them authority over bad *spirits that were living in people. These *disciples could then cause the *spirits to leave people. Jesus also gave them authority to cause sick people to become well again. They could remove all their illnesses.

v2 These are the names of the 12 *apostles:

            The first *apostle is Simon, who is also called Peter.

            Then next is Simon’s brother called Andrew.

            There were James and his brother John, who were Zebedee’s sons.

v3        There were Philip and Bartholomew.

            There were Thomas and Matthew. (Matthew received *tax money before he became a *disciple.)

            And there was James who was the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus.

v4        Simon, who was called the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot.

            Judas Iscariot helped the leaders of the *Jews to take hold of Jesus.

Jesus sends out his 12 *apostles

v5 Jesus sent out these 12 men. Before they left, he said to them, ‘Go only to places where *Jews live. Do not go to any place where the people are not *Jews. And you must not go to any towns where only *Samaritans live.’

v6 ‘Instead, you must go to the people of *Israel’, he said. ‘They are like lost sheep with nobody to take *care of them. v7 While you travel, you must tell people about the *Kingdom of *Heaven. You must tell them that it has become near. v8 Make sick people well again. Cause dead people to become alive again. And cause people with an illness of the skin to become well again. Say to bad *spirits that are living in a person, “Come out of him.” Then they will leave the person. I gave you the authority to do all these things. Now, go and do all these things for other people. This authority did not cost you anything. So do not ask them to pay you any money for what you do. v9 Do not take any money of any kind in your purse. v10 Do not take a bag with you, or an extra set of clothes. Do not take shoes or a stick. People should give a worker everything that he needs.’

v11 ‘When you are travelling, go into towns and villages. Look for a good person who will take *care of you. You should live in his house until you leave that town. v12 When you go into that man’s house, say to the people inside, “I pray that you will be well.” v13 If the master of the house accepts you, then everyone in the house will be well. But there may not be anybody in the house that accepts you. Then ask God not to cause them to be well. v14 Sometimes you will go into a home or a town and the people will not accept you. And they will not listen to your message. Then you should leave that home or that town. And say to the people, “There is dirt from your town on our feet. We will clean it off before we leave.” v15 I am speaking what is true’, Jesus said to his *disciples. ‘One day God will *punish the people who refuse me. God will *punish them more than he will *punish the people from Sodom and Gomorrah.’

v16 ‘Listen well. I am sending you to people who will want to kill you. Your journey will be dangerous. You will be like sheep among wild dogs. You must watch carefully, like a snake watches. But you must also be good and kind like a quiet bird.

v17 Watch carefully! People will take hold of you and they will cause you to stand in front of the important *Jews. They will take you into the places where they meet to talk to God. Then they will hit you with a *whip. v18 People will cause you to stand in front of kings and rulers. This will happen because of me. This is the moment to tell them and those who are not *Jews about me. Tell them the Good News about me. v19 When the people cause you stand in front of kings and rulers, do not be afraid. Do not think about what you should say. Do not be afraid about how you will say things. At that moment, God will tell you the right words to speak. v20 You will say words that do not come from you. God the *Holy Spirit will tell you what to say.

v21 Men will cause their own brothers to stand in front of kings and rulers. And these men will say, “Kill him because he believes in Jesus.” Fathers will do the same to their own children. Some children will be against their parents. The children will cause their parents to stand in front of kings and rulers and they will say, “Kill my parents because they believe in Jesus.” v22 Many people will not like you because you believe in me. But you should never stop believing in me. Then God will save you. v23 If people in one town hurt you because of me, you should leave that town immediately. You should go to another town. What I say is true. You will not have enough time to speak your message in all the towns of *Israel. No, not before the Son of Man comes again.

v24 A *disciple is not more important than his teacher is. A servant is not more important than his master is. v25 A *disciple should be happy if he knows as much as his teacher. A servant should be happy if he is as important as me, his master. Some people call the master of the house Beelzebub (that is “*Satan”). These people will call the people in his house even worse names.

v26 Do not be afraid of these people. God will remove the cover from everything that people have covered. He will tell everybody all the secrets. v27 I tell you secret things. But you must tell these things to the whole world. They must not be secret any longer. I have said things to you that other people did not hear. But now you must shout all these things from the tops of the houses.’

v28 ‘Do not be afraid of those people who can only kill your body. These people cannot kill your *soul. I say to you that you should be afraid of God. He can kill your body, and then he can also kill your *soul in *hell. v29 Think about this. People sell two small birds for a small coin of little value. One small bird may fall to the ground. But this can only happen if God lets it happen. v30 God even knows how many hairs there are on your head. v31 So do not be afraid of people. God thinks that you are more valuable than many small birds.

v32 If a person says to everybody, “I believe in Jesus”, then I will speak to God, my Father in *heaven. I will say, “I know that person; he is one of my *disciples.” v33 If someone else says to everybody, “I do not believe in Jesus”, I will then speak to God, my Father in *heaven. I will say, “I do not know that person; he is not one of my *disciples.”

v34 I will tell you why I have come into the world. I did not come so that everyone would agree with each other. I came to cause people to be in separate groups that fight against each other.

v35      A man will fight against his father.

            A daughter will fight against her mother.

            A woman will fight against her husband’s mother.

v36      A man’s family will fight against him.’

v37 ‘A man must love his own father and mother less than he loves me’, said Jesus. ‘Then he can be my *disciple. He must also love his own son or daughter less than he loves me. If he does not do this, then he cannot be my *disciple.’ v38 Jesus then spoke to the crowd and to his *disciples. ‘Perhaps some of you want to be my *disciples’, he said. ‘If you do, then you cannot think first about yourself. And you cannot think about what you want to do. You must only do what God wants you to do. You must do this every day. You might even have to die. Then you can be one of my *disciples. v39 If a person wants to keep himself safe, then he will never have true life. But instead, he may die because he believes in me. And then he will have true life for always.’

Jesus teaches the people about God’s gifts

v40 ‘If anyone accepts you in his home, then he also accepts me. Anyone who accepts me in his home also accepts God. v41 A person accepts a *prophet into his home because the visitor is a *prophet of God. God will give him the same gift that he gives to a *prophet. A person accepts into his home a good man who obeys God. He only does this because the good man obeys God. God will give that person the same gift that he gives to the good man. v42 A person gives a drink of cold water to one of my least important *disciples. He only does this because that person is one of my *disciples. But it is also true that God will give that man good gifts.’

Chapter 11

Jesus talks about John the *Baptist

v1 When Jesus had finished telling all these things to his *disciples, he went away from that place. And he went to teach people in their towns.

v2 At that time, John the *Baptist was in prison. But people told him about all the things that Jesus Christ was doing. So John sent some of his own *disciples to ask Jesus some questions.

v3 Then some of the *disciples of John came to Jesus. They said to him, ‘John the *Baptist has sent us to you. He wants us to ask you a question. Are you the special person that God has sent to us? If you are not that person, should we wait for someone else?’

v4 Jesus replied, ‘Go back to John. Tell him what you have seen. Also, tell him what you have heard. v5 People who could not see can see again. People who could not walk can now walk again. Some people who were ill with an illness of the skin are now well again. Some people who could not hear can now hear again. Some people who were dead now live again. Poor people are hearing the good news. v6 If people are sure about me, they will be happy.’

v7 John’s *disciples went away again. Then Jesus spoke to the crowd about John. ‘You went out to the *desert. You certainly did not go to see the wind blowing against a tall piece of grass. No, you did not go to see that. v8 You certainly did not go to see a man who was wearing expensive soft clothes. No, people like that have many beautiful things and they live in the houses of kings. v9 You went to see a man who receives messages from God’s *Holy Spirit. And John was even more important than that. v10 A long time ago, God said this about him:

            “I will send someone before you.

            He will tell you my message.

            He will prepare the road in front of you.” ’ [Malachi 3:1]

v11 Jesus said, ‘John is a very important man. He is greater than any man who has ever lived. But a person who is not great in the *Kingdom of *Heaven, is more important than John.’

v12 ‘From the time that John the *Baptist began to teach until now’, Jesus said, ‘the *Kingdom of *Heaven is becoming very strong. Strong people who really believe God are taking hold of it. v13 All the *prophets and the books of the *Law spoke God’s word. They spoke until the time that John the *Baptist came. v14 The *prophets wrote that Elijah would come back again. They were writing about John, if you can believe it. v15 Everyone who can hear must listen. They must listen to what I say.’

v16 Jesus said, ‘I will talk to you about the people who are alive today. They are like children who are sitting in the market place. They shout to each other,

v17      “We played happy music on a pipe for you, but you did not dance.

            We sang a sad song but you did not cry.” ’

v18 ‘John the *Baptist often stopped eating for some time. He never drank *wine. So you said that a bad *spirit was living inside him. v19 And I, the Son of Man, both eat and drink. So you say about me, “He eats too much and he drinks too much. He is a friend of men who receive *taxes and other bad people.” God is good and he understands everything. People who understand my words know this. And they agree with God.’

v20 Jesus had done many powerful things for the people to see. But some people in the cities did not believe in him. These people did not want to stop doing wrong things. And they did not want to start obeying God. v21 So Jesus said to them, ‘Things will be bad for you, people in Chorazin. And things will be bad for you, people in Bethsaida. I have done great and powerful things in your cities. I did not do them a long time ago in the towns called Tyre and Sidon. If I had done them, the people there would have listened to me. They would then have put on clothes made out of goat’s hair. They would also have put ash on their heads. This would have shown God that they were sorry. They would have stopped doing wrong things. And they would have started to obey God. v22 Yes, when God *judges everyone, he will *punish the people from Tyre and Sidon. But he will *punish much more the people from Chorazin and Bethsaida. v23 I will tell you what will happen to the people in Capernaum. They try to lift themselves up to *heaven. He will throw them down to *hell. If I had done these powerful things in Sodom, Sodom would still be standing today. v24 What I say is true. God will *punish the people from Sodom. But he will not *punish them as much as he will *punish the people from Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum.’

v25 At this moment, Jesus said, ‘Father, you rule over everything in the sky and on the earth! You have taught people who do not know many things. And so I thank you. But you have kept these things a secret from some other people. These people think that they know a lot. And they think that they understand everything. v26 Yes, Father, you chose everything to happen in this way.’

v27 ‘My Father has given me all things. And only he knows who I am. Nobody else really knows that I am the Son. Only I know who my Father is. Nobody else knows him. But I choose to tell some people about him.

v28 Come to me all of you who are tired. You are like people who have worked for a long time. You are like people who have carried heavy things. Come to me and you will find a place to rest.

v29 Do what I teach you to do. Learn from me everything that is true. I am very kind and I obey God. Then you will have true life and you will not be *anxious. v30 I will only ask you to do good things. I will not ask you to carry anything that is too heavy for you. And I will not ask you to do things that are too difficult.’

Chapter 12

The *Pharisees watch what Jesus does on the *Sabbath day

v1 On one *Sabbath day, Jesus was walking through some fields where *wheat was growing. His *disciples were hungry. So they began to pick some of the seeds of *wheat and to eat them. v2 Some *Pharisees were with them. And they saw Jesus’ *disciples eating the *wheat seeds. ‘Look at what your *disciples are doing’, they said to Jesus. ‘It is against God’s *Law to do this on the day that we rest.’

v3 Jesus said to the *Pharisees, ‘King David and his friends were hungry once. Remember what they did then. You have read about this. v4 David went into God’s Great House. And he ate the special bread that was there. He also gave some of it to his friends. But it is against the *Law for anyone except the *priests to eat this bread.’

v5 ‘Also, you should know what God’s *Law says. The *priests are not obeying this *Law when they work in God’s Great House on the *Sabbath day. But God’s *Law does not tell them that they are doing something wrong. v6 What I say is true. There is someone here more important than God’s Great House. v7 A long time ago, a *prophet wrote, “God wants people to be kind to each other. He does not only want you to give him gifts” [Hosea 6:6]. You do not understand what this really means. If you had understood this, then you would not have said to me, “Your *disciples are doing something wrong.” v8 The Son of Man has authority over the *laws about the *Sabbath day.’

v9 Jesus left that place in the fields. He went into the place where the *Jews met to pray. v10 A man was in there who had a small hand. It was very weak, so he could not use it. The *Pharisees wanted to say to Jesus that he was doing wrong things. So they asked him, ‘Is it right to make someone well again on the *Sabbath?’

v11 Jesus replied to them, ‘One of you may have a sheep that falls into a deep hole on the *Sabbath day. You will take hold of it and you will lift it out of the deep hole. v12 Now, a man is much more valuable than a sheep. So our *Law says that we can do good things on the *Sabbath day.’

v13 Then Jesus said to the man with the weak hand, ‘Hold out your hand.’ So the man held out his hand. It was now the right size and it was strong. It was the same as his other hand. v14 Then the *Pharisees went away from that building where they met. They began to talk to each other about how to kill Jesus.

God chose Jesus to do an important job

v15 Jesus knew that the *Pharisees wanted to kill him. So he went away from that place. Many people followed him and he caused all the sick people to become well again. v16 He said to all these people, ‘You must not tell anyone about me.’ v17 So what the *prophet Isaiah said became true.

v18      ‘Here is my servant.

            I have chosen him to work for me.

            I love him and he makes me very happy.

            I will give him my Spirit so that he will be powerful.

            He will tell people everywhere that I will *judge them.

v19      He will not argue or shout at people.

            People will not hear him shouting in the streets.

v20      He will not hurt weak people.

            He will be kind to people who are not strong.

            He will do this until there is *justice everywhere.

v21      And all people, everywhere, will believe that he can save them.’ [Isaiah 42:1-4]

Jesus talks about *Satan

v22 After that, some people brought a man to Jesus. The man could not see and he could not speak because of a bad *spirit in him. Jesus caused the man to become well again. So then the man could see and speak again. v23 All the people were very surprised about what Jesus did. They asked each other, ‘Can Jesus really be the person that God sent to save us?’

v24 The *Pharisees also heard about what had happened. ‘This man can cause bad *spirits to come out of people’, they said. ‘Beelzebub is the ruler of all the bad *spirits. So he is helping Jesus to do this.’

v25 Jesus knew what the *Pharisees were thinking. So he said to them, ‘Maybe groups of people start fighting other groups of people in the same country. If they do this, then they will destroy their own country. Or perhaps the people in one city or one family start fighting each other. Then they will destroy their own city or family. v26 So, *Satan would not fight against himself. If *Satan fights against himself, he will soon destroy his own *kingdom. v27 Some of you *Jews can also send bad *spirits out of people. Certainly you do not say that Beelzebub (*Satan) helps them. So your own people show you that you are wrong about this. v28 I do send bad *spirits out of people. I use the authority of the Spirit of God to do this. If I do this, then God is ruling among you. And certainly you must know that he is.

v29 Nobody can go into the house of a strong man easily to rob him. To do this, he must first tie up the strong man. Then he can take away all that man’s valuable things.’

v30 Jesus then said, ‘If someone is not working with me, then he is really working against me. If he is not helping me to bring the sheep together, he is against me. He is causing the sheep to run away in different directions. v31 God will *forgive all the wrong things that people do against other people. Some people even say bad things against God. And he will *forgive them. Some people say bad things against the *Holy Spirit. But God will never *forgive them for that. v32 God will *forgive people who say bad things about me, the Son of Man. But God will not *forgive, now or ever, people who say bad things against the *Holy Spirit.’

Jesus talks about a tree and its fruit

v33 Then Jesus said, ‘To have good fruit you must have a good tree. If you have a bad tree, then you will get bad fruit from it. You can know all about every tree by the fruit that it makes. v34 You are like the children of dangerous snakes. You cannot say good things when your thoughts are bad. When you speak, your words show what is in your mind. v35 The good man says good things because he keeps good thoughts in his mind. The bad man says bad things because he keeps bad thoughts in his mind. v36 What I say is true. One day, God will *judge everybody. On that day, you must tell God why you spoke each careless word.

v37 God will then say to you, “The words that you spoke are good. I will not *punish you.” Or God may say to you, “The words that you spoke are bad. So I must *punish you.” ’

The *Pharisees want to see Jesus do something powerful

v38 Then some teachers of the *Law and some *Pharisees spoke to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we want to see you do something powerful. This will show us that God sent you.’

v39 Jesus replied, ‘The people who are alive today are very bad. They do not obey God, but they want him to show them something powerful. But he will not do this. They will see only the same powerful thing that God did to Jonah. v40 Jonah stayed inside a big fish for three days and three nights. In the same way, the Son of Man will remain in the ground for three days and three nights. v41 On the day that God *judges everyone, the people who lived in Nineveh will be there. They also will speak against you who are alive today. They will say that you are bad people. They stopped doing bad things when Jonah spoke to them. And then they obeyed God. Listen! Now there is someone here who is more important than Jonah.’

v42 Jesus then said, ‘Many years ago, the queen of a country in the south travelled a long way to see King Solomon. She wanted to hear about everything that Solomon knew. So, when God *judges all people, that queen will stand in front of him. And she will speak against you who are alive today. She will say that you are bad people. She listened to Solomon. But there is someone here today. And that person understands things much better than Solomon did. And you are not listening to that person.’

v43 And Jesus said, ‘When a bad *spirit leaves a person, it travels through dry places. It is looking for somewhere new to live. But it does not find anywhere. So, it says to itself, “I will return to the person, to the place where I lived before.” v44 Then it goes back to that person. It finds that the place is clean. Everything inside the place is good, but the place is empty. v45 So the bad *spirit goes out and it brings back 7 worse *spirits. They all go into the person and they live there. Now the person has more bad *spirits than he had before. The same thing will happen to the bad people who are alive today.’

Jesus’ mother and brothers come to see him

v46 While he was still speaking to the crowds, Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. And they stood outside the house. They sent someone inside with a message. ‘Tell Jesus that we want to speak to him’, they said. v47 A crowd was sitting there with Jesus. Someone told him, ‘Your mother and brothers are outside the house. They want to speak to you.’

v48 Jesus replied, ‘I will tell you who my mother and brothers are.’ v49 Then Jesus pointed to his *disciples. ‘Look! Here are my mother and my brothers’, he said. v50 ‘My brothers and sisters and mother are those people who obey God, my Father in *heaven’, said Jesus.

Chapter 13

Jesus tells a story about a farmer who planted seeds

v1 Again Jesus left the house and he went down to the Lake Galilee. He sat down to teach. The crowd that came together was very large. So, he climbed into a boat and he sat down. The boat was in the water, and the people stood on the shore. v2 Jesus used stories to teach them many things. v3 ‘Listen to me’, said Jesus. ‘A farmer went out to plant seed in his field. v4 While he was throwing the seeds, some fell on the path. The wild birds came and they ate those seeds. v5 Some seeds fell on ground with rocks in it. There was not much *soil. The seeds quickly began to grow, because the *soil was not deep. v6 But when the sun rose, it burned the young plants. They soon dried up because the *soil was not deep enough for them. v7 Some seeds fell among bushes with sharp branches. These weeds grew up with the young plants. The bushes stopped the seeds from growing into strong plants, so the plants did not make any new seeds. v8 Some seeds fell on good *soil and good strong plants grew from those seeds. Some plants made 100 new seeds. Some plants made 60 new seeds and some plants made 30 new seeds.’ v9 After Jesus had finished the story, he told the crowd, ‘You have ears. So listen well to what I say!’

Jesus explains to his *disciples why he teaches with stories

v10 Then Jesus’ *disciples came to him. ‘Why do you speak to the crowd with stories?’ they asked.

v11 ‘God has helped you to understand what the stories about the *Kingdom of *Heaven mean. But God has not helped these people to understand about these things. v12 Listen well. God will help the person who wants to understand my words. He will then really understand a lot more. Another person understands very little. God will take away the little that he has. So then he will understand nothing at all. v13 The reason I use stories to talk to other people is this:

            “So these people look. But they do not see.

            So they listen. But they do not hear or understand.” ’ [Isaiah 6:9-10]

v14 ‘Isaiah, the *prophet, wrote a message from God about this. And now that message has become true.

            “This people will listen and listen. But they will not understand.

            They will look and look. But they will not see anything.

v15      The people do not really want to understand.

            They are like people who have shut their ears.

            They are like people who have shut their eyes.

            If they did want to look, then they would see.

            If they did want to listen, then they would hear.

            And then they would understand everything and they would turn back.

            And if they did turn back, then I would make them well.” [Isaiah 6:9-10]

v16 You should be happy because God has helped you to see. And he has helped you to hear. v17 What I say is true. Many *prophets and good people from a long time ago wanted to see these things. But they did not see the things that you can see. They wanted to hear the things that you are hearing. But they did not hear them.’

Jesus explains the story about the farmer who planted his seeds

v18 ‘Listen to me now. I will explain to you what this story about the farmer means. v19 Some seeds fell on the path. The path is like people who do not understand the message. They hear it but they do not understand it. Then the *devil comes quickly to them. And he takes away what they have heard. v20 Some of the seeds fell on *soil with rocks in it. This *soil is like some people who hear the message from God. They are happy to believe it for a while. But it does not go into their lives and thoughts. v21 They believe in God for a while. But they are like plants that do not grow down in the *soil. Because they obey God’s words, other people give them problems. So when they meet trouble or difficulty, they stop believing. v22 Some seeds fell among weeds. This *soil is like other people who hear the message from God. But they have many *anxieties. They think that more money and other valuable things will cause them to be happy. These thoughts stop them obeying God. They are like plants that do not grow new seeds. v23 But some seeds fell on good *soil. This *soil is like other people who hear the message from God. They understand it and they obey God. These people are like good plants. From one seed, the good plants make 30 seeds. Other good plants make 60 new seeds, and some good plants make 100 new seeds.’

Jesus tells a story about some weeds

v24 Then Jesus told the people another story. ‘This is what the *Kingdom of *Heaven is like’, he said. ‘A farmer planted some good *wheat seeds into his field. v25 But one night, when everyone was sleeping, a bad person came to the farmer’s field. He did not like the farmer. This bad person planted seeds from weeds among the good seeds. Then the bad person went away again. v26 The good seeds grew and the plants began to make seeds. But when this happened, the weeds also grew.

v27 So the farmer’s servants came to speak to him. “Master, many weeds are now growing in the ground where you planted the *wheat seeds. How did this happen?” they asked him.

v28 The farmer said to his servants, “A bad person who does not like me has done this.”

“Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?” the servants then asked the farmer.

v29 “No”, replied the farmer. “I do not want you to do that. If you pull up the weeds, you will also pull up some of the *wheat plants. v30 Let the good plants and the weeds grow up together. After that, it will be time for the workers to cut the plants that have large seeds. They will bring them inside from the fields. I will ask the workers to cut the weeds down first. They can tie them together and burn them. Then they can cut the *wheat and bring it into my building. I can store it there.” ’

Jesus tells a story about a small seed

v31 Jesus told the people another story. ‘I will tell you again what the *Kingdom of *Heaven is like’, he said. ‘It is like a very small seed. A man took this seed and he planted it in his field. v32 It is the smallest seed in the world. But when it starts to grow, it becomes bigger than the largest bush. It will become a tree. The wild birds will come and they will make places to live among the branches of that tree.’

Jesus tells a story about *yeast

v33 Jesus told the people another story. ‘I will tell you another story about what the *Kingdom of *Heaven is like’, he said. ‘It is like some *yeast and flour. A woman took the *yeast and she mixed it in three large bowls of flour. The *yeast grew and it caused all the bread to rise.’

v34 Jesus told the crowd all these things. But he only used stories to teach them. v35 So what the *prophet had said became true:

            ‘I will use stories when I speak to them.

            And I will teach them secret things.

            People have never learned these things before.’ [Psalm 78:2]

v36 Then Jesus went away from the place where the crowd was. He went into the house where he was staying. And his *disciples also came into the house with him. ‘Explain to us the story about the weeds in the *soil’, they said to Jesus.

Jesus explains the story about the weeds

v37 Jesus replied to his *disciples, ‘The Son of Man is like the farmer who planted the *wheat seed in the field. v38 The field is like the world. The good *wheat seeds are like the people who belong to the *Kingdom. The weeds are like the people who belong to *Satan. v39 *Satan is the bad person who planted the weed seeds in the field. The moment when the workers cut down all the plants is like the end of time. God’s *angels are the workers who cut the plants down.

v40 The workers cut the weeds and they burn them in the fire. In the same way, the *angels will do this at the end of time. They will do it to the people who belong to *Satan. v41 The Son of Man will send his *angels. They will take away all the people who are not really part of his *Kingdom. They have caused other people not to obey God. And the *angels will take away all the people who have not obeyed God. v42 The *angels will throw the bad people into the great fire. There the people will cry. And they will bite their teeth together because they are angry. v43 The people who obeyed God will shine like the sun. They will be in the *Kingdom of their Father. You have ears, so listen well to what I say.’

Jesus tells a story about a man who found valuable things in the ground

v44 ‘I can tell you again what the *Kingdom of *Heaven is like’, Jesus said. ‘The *Kingdom of *Heaven is like something valuable that a man buried in a field. Another man found it, but then he covered it over again with dirt. Then that second man was very happy and he went away. He sold everything that he had. Then he went and bought the field with the valuable things in it.’

Jesus tells a story about some valuable stones

v45 ‘I will tell you again what the *Kingdom of *Heaven is like’, Jesus said. ‘A man has a business. He looks for beautiful valuable stones that he can buy. v46 One day he found a very beautiful and very valuable stone that someone wanted to sell. So he went away. And he sold everything that he had. Then he went and he bought that very beautiful and very valuable stone.

v47 I can tell you again what the *Kingdom of *Heaven is like’, Jesus said. ‘Some men had *nets to catch fish in. They threw their *nets into the lake and they caught many different kinds of fish. v48 When the *net was full of fish, the men pulled it up on to the shore. Then they sat down. Some of the fish were good to eat, and they put these fish into baskets. Some of the fish were not good to eat, and they threw these fish away. v49 This is what will happen at the end of time. God will send his *angels. They will put the people who did not obey God in one place. And they will put the people who obey God in another place. v50 The *angels will throw the people who did not obey God into the great fire. There the people will cry. They will also bite their teeth together because they are angry.’

v51 Then Jesus asked his *disciples, ‘Have you understood all these things?’

‘Yes, we have’, they replied.

v52 ‘Some teachers of the *Law have learned about the *Kingdom of *Heaven’, Jesus said. ‘These men are like the master of a house. The master takes out some old things and also some new things from the place where he stores them.’

v53 When Jesus had finished telling these stories, he went away from that place.

Jesus goes to Nazareth

v54 Jesus went to the town called Nazareth. He had lived in Nazareth when he was a boy. He taught the people in the building where they met to pray. The people were very surprised about the things that he was teaching them. ‘Where did this man learn all these things?’ they asked each other. ‘How does he know so much? How does he do all these powerful things?’ they said. v55 ‘We know who this man is. He is the son of a man who makes things out of wood. And Mary is his mother. We also know his brothers, James, Joseph, Simon and Judas. v56 All his sisters also live here in this town among us. So then, where did he learn to do all these things? Who caused him to be so powerful?’ So the people were not happy with Jesus.

v57 ‘People do not believe a *prophet who comes from their own town’, Jesus said to them. ‘His own people and his own family do not believe that he receives messages from God. Only people in other places believe him.’

v58 Jesus did not do many powerful things in Nazareth because the people did not believe in him.

Chapter 14

Herod’s soldiers kill John the *Baptist

v1 At that time, Herod the ruler heard reports about the things that Jesus was doing.

v2 ‘That man Jesus is really John the *Baptist’, said Herod to his men. ‘John was dead but he has become alive again. That is the reason that Jesus can do all these powerful things.’

v3 Herod himself had said to his soldiers, ‘Take hold of John. Tie his hands and feet and put him in prison.’ Herod had done this because of his wife Herodias. Before Herod married her, she was the wife of Herod’s brother Philip. v4 Because Herod had married her, John had said to him, ‘Herodias was your brother’s wife. So you did not do the right thing when you married her.’

v5 Herod wanted to tell his soldiers that they must kill John. But the people thought that John was a *prophet. So Herod was afraid to kill him.

v6 But when it was Herod’s birthday, he had a special meal. The daughter of Herodias danced in front of him and his visitors. Her dance caused Herod to become very happy. v7 ‘Ask me for anything that you want’, Herod said. ‘And I will give it to you. God is listening to me say this.’ v8 Herodias suggested to her daughter, ‘Ask Herod to give you John’s head.’ So her daughter asked Herod to give her the head of John the *Baptist on a plate. v9 Then Herod was sad, but he had spoken a special promise in front of God. So he could not refuse her. And his visitors had heard him. So he sent his men to give Herodias’s daughter what she had asked for. v10 He immediately said to a soldier, ‘Cut off John’s head and bring it here.’ So, the soldier went to the prison and he cut off John’s head. v11 Then he brought it back on a plate and he gave it to the girl. She then gave it to her mother. v12 John’s *disciples heard the news that John was dead. So, they went to the prison and they took away his body. And then they buried it. After that, they went to see Jesus. And they told him what had happened.

Jesus gives food to 5000 men and their families

v13 Jesus heard about what had happened to John. After that, he went away from that place. He sailed in a boat to a quiet place where he could be alone. But the crowd heard where Jesus had gone. So they left their towns and they followed Jesus. They walked to the place where he was. v14 Jesus climbed out of the boat to the shore. He saw a large crowd there. He loved them and he felt sorry for them. He saw that there were sick people in the crowd. So he made them well again.

v15 When it was almost evening, Jesus’ *disciples came to speak to him. They said to him, ‘We are in a place where there are no houses. And it will soon be dark. So send the crowd away now, so that they can go to the villages near here. There they can buy some food for themselves to eat.’

v16 ‘The people do not need to go away. You give them some food to eat’, Jesus replied.

v17 ‘But we only have 5 small loaves of bread and two fish’, they said.

v18 ‘Bring the bread and fish here to me’, Jesus said. v19 Then Jesus said to the large crowd, ‘Sit down on the grass.’ Jesus received the 5 loaves of bread and two fish from his *disciples. He looked up to the sky and he thanked God for the bread and the fish. Then he broke the bread into pieces. And he gave it to his *disciples to give to the crowd. v20 Then everybody ate, and they all had enough. Then the *disciples picked up all the food that the people had not eaten. And they filled 12 baskets with broken pieces of bread and fish. v21 About 5000 men ate the bread and fish. The women and children also ate it with them.

Jesus walks on the water

v22 Immediately after this, Jesus said to his *disciples, ‘Get in the boat and sail across the lake. Go on in front of me while I send the crowd away.’ v23 Then he sent the crowd away. After they had gone, he went up on a mountain alone to pray. And he was still there alone when it became dark. v24 Now, the boat was in the middle of the lake. The wind was blowing against the boat and the water was hitting it.

v25 Then, when it was very early in the morning, Jesus walked across the water towards his *disciples. v26 And the *disciples saw him walking on top of the water. They were very frightened. ‘It is a spirit’, they said. And they shouted with loud voices because they were afraid.

v27 But immediately, Jesus spoke to them. ‘Be brave! Do not be afraid! It is I, Jesus’, he said to them.

v28 Peter replied, ‘Sir’, he said, ‘are you really Jesus? Then say to me, “Come here! Walk on top of the water.” ’

v29 ‘Come to me’, said Jesus.

So Peter climbed out of the boat. He walked on top of the water and he came towards Jesus. v30 But then Peter saw that the wind was still blowing against him. He became afraid and he began to go down into the water. He shouted to Jesus, ‘Master, save me!’

v31 Immediately, Jesus put out his hand and he took hold of Peter. ‘Why do you not really believe in me to help you?’ he said to Peter. ‘Why did you not believe that I could cause you to walk on the water?’

v32 When Jesus and Peter climbed into the boat, the strong wind stopped blowing. v33 The *disciples who were in the boat went down on their knees in front of Jesus. ‘It is true. You are the person that God calls his son’, they said.

v34 When they had sailed across the lake to the shore, they climbed out of the boat. They were in the part of the country called Gennesaret.

v35 The people who lived in that part of the country recognised Jesus. So they sent people to tell everyone in that part of the country that Jesus was there. They brought all their sick people to see him. v36 They asked Jesus to let them touch the edge of his clothes. And Jesus caused every sick person who touched his clothes to become well again.

Chapter 15

Jesus tells the *Pharisees and teachers of the *Law to obey God

v1 After that, a group of *Pharisees and teachers of the *Law came from Jerusalem to talk to Jesus. v2 These men spoke to Jesus. ‘Our *ancestors taught us the right way to do everything. Why do your *disciples not obey the things that our *ancestors taught us? They do not wash their hands in the right way before they eat a meal.’

v3 ‘Yes, God tells us the right way to obey him’, Jesus replied. ‘But you do not obey God. Instead, you do the things that you have taught the people to do. v4 Moses wrote in his *law, “God says that you must love your father and mother. Do good things for them and only say good things about them.” [Exodus 20:12] God also said, “Someone should kill a person who says bad things about his own father or mother.” [Exodus 21:17] v5 But instead of obeying this, you teach people something different. You let a person say to his father or mother, “I would have given these good gifts to you, but I cannot. Instead, I have given them to God.” Then, you let him give nothing to his mother and father. v6 When you let a person do this, you have not obeyed God’s *Law. You have obeyed the *laws of your *ancestors instead. You do many other things like this. v7 You are *hypocrites! What Isaiah said about you is true. He wrote down these words from God:

v8        “These people say good things about me,

            but they do not really want to obey me.

v9        They say that I am powerful and important.

            But what they say has no purpose.

            They teach their own rules, which I did not give to them.” [Isaiah 29:13]’

Jesus talks about the wrong things that people do

v10 Jesus asked all the people to come together near him. ‘Listen to me’, he said, ‘so that you can understand my words. v11 God will not say to a person, “I will not accept you because you ate a certain food.” It is not the food that a person eats. Food does not cause God to say, “I cannot accept you.” Instead, what comes out of his mouth is important. This can cause God to say, “I will not accept you.” ’

v12 Jesus’ *disciples went near to him and they said, ‘The *Pharisees heard what you said to them. They are not happy with what you said. Do you know that?’

v13 Jesus replied to his *disciples, ‘Those *Pharisees are like plants that God, my Father in *heaven, did not put in the *soil. He will pull all these plants out of the *soil. v14 Do not be *anxious about them. They cannot see, but they are telling people which way to go. A man who cannot see does not show another man like himself where to go. If he does this, then both men will fall into a deep hole in the road.’

v15 Peter said to Jesus, ‘Explain to us what you just said.’

v16 ‘You still cannot understand what I am saying. You are like the *Pharisees and the teachers of the *Law’, replied Jesus. v17 ‘The food that a person eats first goes into his mouth. Then it goes into his stomach, and then it goes out of his body. v18 The words that a person speaks come from their thoughts. So what a person says can cause God to say to him, “I will not accept you.” v19 A person can think bad thoughts. These thoughts may cause him to kill somebody. Or they may cause him to have sex with another man’s wife. He might rob somebody. He might say things that are not true about someone. Or he might say bad things about somebody.’

v20 ‘All these bad things cause God to say to a person, “I cannot accept you.” But perhaps a man does not wash his hands before he eats. This does not cause God to say, “I will not accept you.” ’

Jesus makes a girl well again

v21 After that, Jesus left Gennesaret and he went to some places near to the cities called Tyre and Sidon.

v22 A woman was living in this part of the country. She was one of the people from the group called the Canaanites. She went to see Jesus and she continued to shout with a loud voice to him. ‘Son of David, help me, sir. A bad *spirit is living inside my daughter. It is making her very ill.’

v23 Jesus did not reply to the woman. So his *disciples came to him. ‘Please, please send this woman away’, they said. ‘She is following us and she is making a lot of noise.’

v24 Jesus replied to his *disciples, ‘God sent me only to the people of *Israel, because they are like lost sheep.’

v25 The woman came to Jesus and she went down on her knees in front of him. ‘Sir, please help me’, she said.

v26 Jesus did answer the woman this time. ‘It is not right to take bread from the children and then to throw it to the dogs.’

v27 The woman replied to Jesus. ‘Yes sir, that is true. But even the dogs eat the small pieces of bread that fall from their master’s table.’

v28 ‘You are a woman who believes very well in me’, said Jesus. ‘So God will do what you asked.’ And immediately, the woman’s daughter became well again.

v29 Jesus travelled on from that place and he walked along the shore of Lake Galilee. He climbed up a hill and he sat down there. v30 A large crowd came to him and they brought sick people with them. Some of these sick people could not walk very well, and some of them could not see. Some of the sick people had arms or legs that hurt. And some of them could not speak. There were also many other sick people who had different illnesses. Their friends put the sick people in front of Jesus. And Jesus caused them all to become well again. v31 The large crowd were very surprised about what they saw. People who could not speak could now speak again. Those people who could not walk very well could now walk well. The people who could not see could now see. They were all saying to God, ‘God of *Israel, you are powerful. You are great. You are very important. We thank you because you are so kind.’

Jesus feeds 4000 men and their families

v32 Then Jesus spoke to his *disciples, ‘Come near to me. I feel sorry for this crowd’, he said. ‘They have stayed with me now for three days and they have no more food. I do not want to send them away while they are hungry. They may fall down on the way because they are weak and hungry.’

v33 The *disciples said to Jesus, ‘We are in a place that is a long way from any town. Where can we find enough bread here to feed so many people?’

v34 ‘How many loaves of bread do you have?’ asked Jesus.

‘We have 7 loaves of bread and a few small fish’, they replied.

v35 Jesus said to the crowd, ‘Sit down on the ground.’ v36 Then he held the 7 loaves and the fish in his hands and he thanked God for them. Then he broke the bread and the fish into pieces and he gave the food to his *disciples. ‘Give this food to the people’, he said. v37 All the people ate and they all had enough. After the people had finished eating, there remained a lot of extra food. Jesus’ *disciples filled 7 baskets with the extra pieces of bread and fish. v38 4000 men ate the bread and fish. This number did not include the women and children who also ate. v39 Then Jesus spoke to the large crowd again. ‘Now you should all go home’, he said. After that, Jesus got into the boat. And they sailed away to the part of the country called Magadan.

Chapter 16

The *Pharisees ask again to see something powerful

v1 Some *Pharisees and *Sadducees went to see Jesus. They wanted to make Jesus do something wrong. ‘Do something powerful for us to see’, they asked him. ‘Then we will know that God sent you.’

v2 Jesus answered them. ‘Sometimes the sky is red in the evening. Then you say that tomorrow the weather will be good. v3 Sometimes the sky is red in the morning and the sky has dark clouds in it. Then you say that today there will be a storm. You can look at the sky. And then you know what weather is coming. But special things are happening now. And you do not understand what they mean. v4 The people who are alive today are very bad. They do not obey God. They want God to show them something powerful. No! God will not show you anything. You will only see the same powerful thing that God did to Jonah.’ So Jesus went away and left them.

Jesus talks about the *yeast of the *Pharisees and the *Sadducees

v5 Then Jesus and his *disciples went over to the other side of the lake. His *disciples forgot to take any bread with them. v6 ‘Be careful’, Jesus said to them. ‘You must be careful and watch for the *yeast of the *Pharisees and *Sadducees.’

v7 The *disciples began to talk to each other about this. ‘Jesus is saying this because we did not bring any bread with us’, they said.

v8 Jesus knew what they were talking about. So he said to them, ‘You should not be talking about the fact that you did not bring any bread with you. You still do not believe very much in me. v9 You still do not understand. You should remember when I used 5 loaves of bread to give food to 5000 men and their families. You should remember how many baskets of bread you filled after the meal. v10 You should remember when I used 7 loaves of bread to give food to 4000 men and their families. You should remember how many baskets of bread you filled after the meal. v11 I spoke about the *yeast of the *Pharisees and the *Sadducees. I said that you must be careful about it. You should have understood that this time I was not really speaking about bread.’ v12 Then the *disciples understood what Jesus was talking about. They did not need to be careful about the *yeast that they used in their bread. They must be careful about what the *Pharisees and *Sadducees taught.

Peter says who Jesus is

v13 Jesus went into the part of the country called Caesarea Philippi. While he was there, he asked his *disciples a question. ‘Tell me’, he said. ‘When people talk about the Son of Man, what do they say?’

v14 ‘Some people say that you are John the *Baptist’, they replied. ‘Other people say that you are Elijah. And some other people say that you are Jeremiah, or another *prophet.’

v15 ‘What do you think’, he asked them. ‘Who am I?’

v16 Simon Peter answered him. ‘You are the *Christ. God sent you. You are the Son of the God who is alive.’

v17 Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, God has given help to you. No person on earth taught you that. God, my Father, who rules in *heaven, taught you this. v18 What I say is true. You are called Peter, which means a rock. And I will build my Church on this rock. Not even the power of death can beat and destroy my Church. v19 I will give you the keys to the *Kingdom where God rules in *heaven. Perhaps you will say, “No, you cannot do that” to something that people want on earth. Then God will say “No” to it where he rules in *heaven. Maybe you will say, “Yes, you can do that” to something that people want on earth. Then God will say “Yes” to it where he rules in *heaven.’

v20 Jesus spoke with authority to his *disciples. ‘Do not tell anyone that I am the *Christ.’

Jesus tells his *disciples how he would die

v21 After this, Jesus began to explain everything to his *disciples. ‘I must go to Jerusalem’, he told them. ‘There, people will cause me to have great pain. The leaders of the *Jews, the important *priests, and the teachers of the *Law will hurt me. And then people will kill me. But three days later, God will cause me to be alive again.’

v22 Then Peter led Jesus away from the other *disciples. Peter did not agree with what Jesus had said. He spoke with strong words to Jesus. ‘No, Sir’, he said. ‘You must not say these things. I pray that God will never let this happen!’

v23 Jesus turned towards Peter and said to him, ‘Go away from me, *Satan. I must obey God. But you are trying to stop me. Your thoughts do not come from God. Instead, you are thinking as men think.’

v24 Then Jesus said to his *disciples, ‘Someone may want to come with me’, he said. ‘Then he must leave what he himself wants to do. He must carry a *cross and he must be ready to die with me. v25 If a person wants to keep his life safe, he will lose it. But instead, he may die because he believes in me. And then he will have true life, which has no end. v26 A person could get the whole world for himself. This would not be good for him if he died as a result. There is nothing that a person can give to get back his life. v27 I tell you all this because I, the Son of Man, will come back here with God’s *angels. When I come, I will be powerful and important like God my Father. I will pay each person for what he has done on earth. v28 What I am saying now is true. I will tell you something about the people who are standing here. Some of them will not die until they see the Son of Man’s kingdom begin.’

Chapter 17

God causes Jesus to become different to look at

v1 Six days later, Jesus took Peter and the brothers James and John with him. He led them up a high mountain where they were alone together. v2 Peter, James and John watched Jesus and they saw him become different to look at. His face was bright and it shone like the sun. His clothes became very white and they shone. v3 Then Peter, James and John saw two men appear in front of them. These two men were Moses and Elijah and they were talking with Jesus.

v4 Peter said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, it is a good thing that we are here. Let us build three huts. One hut will be for you. One hut will be for Moses and one hut will be for Elijah.’

v5 While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud appeared. And it covered them all. They heard a voice, which came out from the cloud. ‘This is my Son’, it said. ‘I love him and he makes me very happy. Listen to him.’

v6 When the *disciples heard the person speaking, they threw themselves down. And their faces touched the ground. They were very frightened. v7 But Jesus came to them and he touched them. ‘Stand up again’, he said. ‘Do not be afraid.’ v8 When they looked up, they could not see anyone else. Only Jesus was there.

v9 While they were walking down the mountain again, Jesus spoke to Peter, James and John. ‘You must not tell anyone about what you have just seen’, he said. ‘One day, the Son of Man will die and then become alive again. Then you can tell people about these things.’

v10 Then the three *disciples asked Jesus a question. ‘The teachers of the *Law say, “Elijah will return to earth first before anything else happens.” Why do they say this?’

v11 ‘Yes, Elijah does come first’, said Jesus. ‘He causes everything to be ready. v12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come. People did not recognise him. They did all the bad things to him that they wanted to do. In the same way, they will also hurt me, the Son of Man.’ v13 Then the *disciples understood that he was really talking about John the *Baptist.

Jesus makes a boy well

v14 Then Jesus, Peter, James and John returned to the place where the crowd was waiting for them. A man came to see Jesus. He went down on his knees in front of him. v15 ‘Teacher’, he said. ‘please be kind to my son. His mind is sick. Sometimes he does not know what he is doing. Often he falls into the fire, or he falls into water. v16 I brought the boy to your *disciples. But they could not make him well.’

v17 ‘You people today still do not believe in me’, Jesus said. ‘You have turned away from God. I have lived here among you for a long time. I cannot remain with you much longer. Now it is difficult for me to be patient with you.’ Jesus then said to the man, ‘Bring your son here to me.’ v18 Jesus said to the bad *spirit, ‘Stop!’ Then the bad *spirit left the boy and immediately he became well.

v19 When the *disciples were alone with Jesus, they asked him, ‘Why could we not cause the bad *spirit to leave the boy?’

v20 ‘You could not do it because you do not believe well in me’, Jesus replied. ‘What I say is true. If you believe in God even a little bit, then you can do great things. You can say to this mountain, “Move from this place to that other place.” And it will move. You can do anything. v21 But you must pray and not eat for a time. That will cause this kind of *spirit to leave a person’, said Jesus.

v22 When Jesus and his *disciples all met together in Galilee, he said, ‘Soon people will put the Son of Man into the hands of powerful men. v23 These men will kill him. But he will be alive again three days later.’ The *disciples were very sad.

v24 After that, Jesus and his *disciples arrived at Capernaum. Some men who received *taxes went to talk to Peter. They asked him, ‘Does your teacher pay the *tax for God’s Great House?’

v25 ‘Yes’, said Peter to them. ‘My teacher does pay the *tax.’

Then Peter returned to the house where Jesus was staying. He wanted to tell Jesus what had just happened. But Jesus spoke first. ‘Here is a question for you to answer, Simon’, he said. ‘Who are the people who must pay *taxes and money to the rulers of the world? Do the rulers take *taxes from their own sons? Or do they take *taxes from other people?’

v26 ‘The kings take the *taxes from other people’, Simon replied.

Jesus said to him, ‘This means that people from the ruler’s own country do not need to pay anything. v27 But we do not want to make these men who take the *tax angry. So go to the lake and throw out a line to fish with. And pull up the first fish that you catch on your line. Open the mouth of the fish and you will find a gold coin inside it. Take the coin and give it to those who receive *tax. This will be enough money for both my *tax and yours.’

Chapter 18

Jesus says who is the most important person

v1 Soon after this, the *disciples came to Jesus and they asked him, ‘Who is the most important person in the *Kingdom of *Heaven?’

v2 There was a little child there. Jesus said to the child, ‘Come here. Stand in front of everybody.’ v3 ‘What I say is true’, Jesus said. ‘Unless you become like a child, you cannot come into the *Kingdom of *Heaven. v4 This little child does not think that he is very important. You must also think as he does. A person who does this will be the most important person in the *Kingdom of *Heaven.

v5 Any person who accepts a child because of me also accepts me.’

Jesus talks about causing people to do wrong things

v6 ‘Maybe someone will cause a little person to stop believing in me’, said Jesus. ‘It would be better for this person if other people hung a big stone round his neck. Then they could throw that bad person into the deep sea together with the stone.

v7 It is very bad that some things in the world cause people to do wrong things. You can be sure that bad things will come. But God will *punish the person who makes these bad things happen.’

v8 ‘Maybe your hand or your foot causes you to do wrong things. Then you should cut it off. And you should throw it away. It is better to have only one hand or one foot and to have God’s true life. It is much worse to keep both hands and both feet and do wrong things. Then God will throw you into *hell. v9 If your eye causes you to do wrong things, then you should take it out. You should throw it away. It is better to have only one of your eyes and have God’s true life. It is much worse if God throws you with your two eyes into *hell. There the fire does not ever stop burning.

v10 Be careful that you do not think that these little people are not important. What I say is true. The *angels who watch over them always remain with my Father in his home. And those *angels speak to him.’

[v11 The Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.]

v12 ‘Think about a man who has 100 sheep. He counts them. And he discovers that one of his sheep is not there. So he leaves all the other sheep on the hills. Then he goes to look for the lost sheep. v13 What I say is true. The man will be very happy if he finds that lost sheep. All the other sheep are safe on the hill. But they do not make him as happy as this sheep does. They were never lost. v14 God, who is my Father in *heaven, is like this man. He does not want even one of these little people to be lost.’

A friend does wrong things against you

v15 ‘If your brother has done wrong things against you, then you must go to him. You can talk about it together when you are alone with him. Then he may understand that you are right. If he does understand, then you can call him your friend again.’

v16 ‘Maybe he does not want to listen to you. Then take one or two other people with you to him. These one or two people then know what wrong things your brother has done. They will know what you said to him. They will know that it is true. God’s word said that we should do this. v17 If your brother will not listen to the two or three of you, go to the Church. Tell other people what has happened. Let those who obey me speak to your brother. If he is not sorry, stop being his friend. He is like somebody who refuses to obey God.’

v18 ‘What I say is true. Maybe you will say, “No, you cannot do that” to something that people on earth want to do. God will say “No” to it where he rules in *heaven. Maybe you will say, “Yes, you can do that” to something that people want on earth. God will then say “Yes” to it where he rules in *heaven.

v19 Two people may agree together to ask God for the same thing. Then my Father above will give them what they ask for.

v20 Two or more people come together to speak to me because they believe in me. I am there with them.’

Jesus tells the people about the servant who did not *forgive

v21 Then Peter came to talk to Jesus. ‘Teacher’, he asked. ‘If my brother does wrong things against me many times, how many times must I *forgive him? Must I *forgive him as many as 7 times for the wrong things that he has done against me?’

v22 ‘I do not say 7 times’, Jesus replied. ‘I say, 7 times, and then again and again until you cannot count.’

v23 ‘I will tell you what the *Kingdom of *Heaven is like. A king wanted to check how much money his servants should give to him. v24 So the king began to check. Then his men led a servant to him who had a big debt. He must pay back 10 000 gold coins to the king.’

v25 ‘The servant could not pay his debt to the king. So the king said to his men, “Sell the servant and his wife and children and all his things. Then I will keep the money to pay his debt.”

v26 Then the servant went down on his knees in front of the king. He said to him, “Please, please give me some more time, then I will pay you everything.” v27 Then the king felt sorry for his servant and said to him, “You do not need to give me the money. You are free of the debt.”

v28 But then that same servant went away and he met another servant of the king. This other servant had to pay back a debt of 100 cheap coins to the first servant. The first servant took hold of the neck of the other servant. “Give me the money that is mine”, he said.

v29 The other servant went down on his knees in front of the first servant. “Please, please give me some more time”, he said to the first servant. “Then I will give you the money.”

v30 But the first servant said, “I refuse to do that!” And he put the other servant in prison until he could pay his debt to him. v31 The other servants of the king saw what had happened. They were not happy about it. So they went to see the king. And they told him about everything that had happened.

v32 So the king then sent a message to bring the first servant to him. “You are a very bad person”, said the king to the servant. “I told you that you did not need to give me my money. I did this because you asked me. v33 You should be kind to the other servant in the same way that I was kind to you.” v34 The king was very angry with the first servant. His men put the first servant in prison and they *punished him. He would remain there until he could pay all his debt to the king.’

v35 Then Jesus finished the story and he said, ‘You must *forgive your friend completely. If you do not *forgive him completely, then, in the same way, my Father above will not *forgive you.’

Chapter 19

Jesus teaches about when a man sends his own wife away

v1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he went away from Galilee. He went to the part of Judea that is on the other side of the river Jordan. v2 Large crowds followed Jesus there. Jesus caused the sick people in the crowds to become well again.

v3 Some *Pharisees came to talk to Jesus. They tried to cause Jesus to give the wrong answers to their questions. They asked, ‘Can a man send his own wife away and say to her, “You are no longer my wife.” Does the *Jewish *Law let him do this for any reason he chooses?’

v4 ‘You surely have read about this in God’s book’, Jesus replied. ‘At the start of the world, God made men and he also made women.’

v5 ‘Because of this, a man leaves his father and his mother. God joins him and his wife together. The man and the woman become like one person. v6 They are not two separate people any longer. They are like one person. God has joined them together to be husband and wife. So nobody must separate them.’

v7 Then the *Pharisees said to Jesus, ‘Moses said that a man could give his own wife a paper. The paper shows that the man and woman are now separate. Then the man can send the woman away. Why did Moses say this?’

v8 Jesus answered them. ‘Moses said this because you people did not want to obey God. All these things were different at the start, when he made the world. v9 What I say is true. A man must not send his wife away unless she has had sex with another man. A man can only marry another woman if that has happened. If not, then he does a wrong thing if he marries another woman.’

v10 Jesus’ *disciples replied, ‘This is what it is like for a man and a woman to marry. Maybe it is better if a man does not marry.’

v11 Jesus then answered, ‘Not everyone can agree with this idea. God has not given it to everyone. v12 What I say is true. There are several different reasons why a man cannot marry. Some men cannot have sex. They were born like that. Some other men also cannot have sex. This is because men did something to them. And now they cannot have sex. Some men do not marry because they can work better for God without a wife. Anyone who can understand this can agree with it.’

Jesus wants children to come to him

v13 Then some people brought their children to Jesus. They wanted him to put his hands on their children’s heads. They wanted him to pray for their children. But the *disciples did not like this. They said to them, ‘Take your children away from here.’

v14 But Jesus said, ‘Do not stop the children. Let them come to me. People who are like these children can come into the *Kingdom of *Heaven.’ v15 So Jesus put his hands on each of the children’s heads and he prayed for them. Then, after that, he went away from that place.

Jesus meets a rich man

v16 One day a man came to see Jesus. ‘Teacher’, he asked. ‘What good thing must I do so that I can live for always?’

v17 Jesus replied, ‘You should not ask me about a good thing! Only God is good. If you want to live for always, then you must obey all God’s *laws.’

v18 The man asked Jesus, ‘Which *laws must I obey?’

So Jesus replied, ‘Do not kill anyone. Do not have sex with anyone who is not your wife. Do not rob anyone. Always say true things about people. v19 Love your father and your mother and only say good things about them. Love other people as much as you love yourself.’

v20 ‘I have always obeyed these *laws’, the young man replied. ‘What else must I do?’

v21 ‘If you want to be completely good’, Jesus said to him, ‘then you must do this. You must sell everything that you have. Give the money to poor people and then you will have valuable things in *heaven. Come back when you have done that. And then follow me.’

v22 When the young man heard this, he was not happy. Then he went away. He was feeling sad because he was a very rich man.

v23 Then Jesus said to his *disciples, ‘What I say is true. It is very difficult for a rich man to come into the *Kingdom of *Heaven. v24 Yes, it is difficult for a big animal to go through the hole in a *needle. But it is much more difficult than that for a rich man to come into the *Kingdom of *Heaven.’

v25 When the *disciples heard this, they were even more surprised. ‘Who then can God save?’ they asked.

v26 Jesus looked at them and he replied, ‘Men cannot save themselves. But God can do it. God can do everything.’

v27 ‘Listen!’ Peter said to Jesus. ‘We have left everything that we had. And now we are your *disciples. What will we receive because we have done this?’

v28 Jesus said to his *disciples, ‘What I say is true. The Son of Man will rule in the new world that will start one day. You who are my *disciples will also rule. You will *judge the 12 families of *Israel. v29 Some people may leave their house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields. They leave them to go and tell other people the good news about me. Those people will receive 100 times more than they already have in this world. That is, they will receive many homes, many brothers and sisters, many mothers and children and fields. People will also hurt them because they are obeying God. But after they die, they will live with God for always. v30 But many people who are very important now will become the least important. Many who are now the least important people will become very important.’

Chapter 20

Jesus tells a story about some workers in a field

v1 ‘I will tell you what the *Kingdom of *Heaven is like. The master of the house went out early in the morning. He wanted to find some people who would work in his field. He would pay these workers. v2 The master agreed with the workers that he would pay them one small *silver coin a day. And he sent them to work in the field.’

v3 ‘The master went out again about three hours later. He saw some other men standing in the market place. They had nothing to do. v4 So the master said to these men, “You also go and work in my field. I will pay you the right amount of money.” v5 So the workers went to the master’s field.

The master went out again at noon, and again he went out three hours after that. Both times he sent men to his field to work. v6 Two hours later, he went out again. And he still found men who were standing there. And they were doing nothing. The master asked them, “Why are you standing here all day and you are doing nothing?”

v7 The men said to the master, “Nobody has asked us to work for him.”

So the master said to them, “You also go and work in my field.”

v8 Then the evening came. And the master of the field went to see the man who watched the workers. “Tell the workers that they must come here”, the master said to him. “And pay them their money. Begin with the workers who came last. Finish with the workers who came first.”

v9 The workers who had come last to work received one small *silver coin each. v10 The workers who had come first to work also received a small *silver coin. They thought that they would receive more than the other workers. v11 But when they received their money, they were not happy. And they told the master that they were not happy. v12 They said to him, “Some of these other workers came last and only worked for one hour. But you have paid them the same as you paid us. And we have worked all day in the hot sun.”

v13 Then the master said to one of the workers, “My friend, I am being fair to you. You did agree to work for one day and to receive one small *silver coin. v14 Take your money and go home. I choose to give this last man the same amount of money as I gave to you. v15 It is my money. I can choose what to do with it. I want to be kind and give plenty of money to everyone. You should be happy about this.” ’

v16 Jesus said, ‘So, one day, those people who are the least important will be the most important. And those who are most important now will be least important.’

Jesus talks again about how he will die

v17 Jesus was going to Jerusalem. They walked along. Then he led his 12 *disciples to a quiet place where he could speak to them alone. v18 ‘Listen!’ he said. ‘When we arrive in Jerusalem, someone will help people to take hold of me, the Son of Man. These people will take me to the leaders of the *priests and the teachers of the *Law. These important *Jews will say that I must die. v19 Then these important *Jews will take me. And they will give me to those who are not *Jews. They will *laugh at me and hit me with a *whip. Then they will kill me on a *cross. After three days, I will come back to life.’

The wife of Zebedee asks Jesus for something

v20 Then Zebedee’s wife came to see Jesus. She brought her two sons, James and John, with her. She went down on her knees in front of Jesus. She wanted to ask him to do something good for her.

v21 ‘What do you want?’ Jesus asked her.

‘One day, you will be king and you will rule your *kingdom’, she said. ‘Then I want one of my two sons to sit at your right side. I want the other son to sit at your left side. Please will you do this?’

v22 Jesus replied to James and John. ‘You do not understand what you are asking me to do’, he said to them. ‘Can you have pain and trouble in the same way that I will have pain and trouble?’

‘Yes, we can do this’, said James and John.

v23 Jesus said to them, ‘Yes, that is true. You will have pain and trouble in the same way that I will have pain and trouble. But I cannot promise that you will sit at my right side or at my left side. God has chosen who will sit there. He has prepared the places for them.’

v24 When the other 10 *disciples heard about this, they were angry with the two brothers. v25 But Jesus asked the 12 men to come near him. ‘You know how the rulers of other countries rule’, Jesus said. ‘They have great power over the people. Their leaders have great authority over them. v26 I do not want you to be like that. The person who wants to be most important person among you must be a servant to the other *disciples. v27 The person who wants to be the most important person must be like the least important servant to everyone. v28 The Son of Man himself came to earth to be a servant to other people. He did not come here to have servants who would work for him. He came to die so that many people can be free.’

Jesus causes two men to see again

v29 When Jesus and his *disciples left Jericho, a large crowd followed him. v30 Now, two men were sitting at the side of the road. These men could not see. But they heard that Jesus was walking along near them. So they shouted, ‘Jesus, Son of David, please be kind to us.’

v31 The people who were in the crowd were angry with them. And they tried to stop the men shouting. ‘Be quiet!’ they said. But the men shouted even louder, ‘Son of David, please be kind to us.’

v32 Jesus stopped walking and he spoke to the two men. ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ he asked.

v33 ‘Sir’, the men replied, ‘we want to see again.’

v34 Then Jesus felt sorry for the two men. He touched their eyes and immediately the men could see again. So they followed him along the road.

Chapter 21

Jesus goes into Jerusalem

v1 Jesus and his 12 *disciples were coming near to Jerusalem. They came first to the village called Bethphage. They were on the hill called the Hill of *Olives.

v2 ‘Go into the village that is in front of you’, Jesus said to two of his *disciples. ‘As you go into the village, you will find a *donkey tied there with her young donkey. Undo the *ropes and bring them both here to me.’

v3 ‘Someone may ask you, “Why are you taking the *donkeys?” Say to him, “The Master needs them. He will send them back to you soon.” ’

v4 This happened to cause the words that the *prophet had spoken to become true,

v5        ‘Say to the people in Jerusalem,

            “Look, your king is coming.

            He does not come like someone who thinks that he is important.

            And he is riding on a *donkey.

            He is riding on the foal of a *donkey.” ’ [Zechariah 9:9]

v6 So the two *disciples went to the village. They did everything that Jesus had asked them to do. v7 They brought the *donkey and the young donkey to Jesus. They put their coats on the *donkeys. And then Jesus climbed up and he sat on one of them. v8 Many people in the crowd put their coats down on the road. Other people cut down some branches from the trees. And they put these branches down on the road.

v9 Many people went in front of Jesus and many people followed him. All the people shouted,

‘Welcome! We pray that God will be good to you, the Son of David!

            Happy is the king who comes with God’s authority.

            Let us say how good is our God in *heaven.’

v10 When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, everybody in the city was very happy. They were asking each other, ‘Who is this man?’

v11 The people in the crowd replied, ‘This is Jesus. He comes from Nazareth in Galilee. He is the *prophet that God promised to send.’

Jesus visits God’s Great House

v12 Jesus went to the place outside God’s Great House. People were buying and selling things there. Jesus caused them all to leave. He pushed over the tables of the men who bought and sold money. He pushed over the seats of the men who sold birds.

v13 Jesus spoke to them all. He said, ‘The *prophets wrote God’s words in a book. “My House”, God said, “will be a place where people can come to pray [Isaiah 56:7].” But you have caused it to be a place where people rob other people.’

v14 People who could not see went to meet Jesus at the place outside God’s Great House. People who could not walk very well also went there. And Jesus caused them all to become well. v15 The important *priests and teachers of the *Law saw all the powerful things that Jesus did. They also saw children in the place outside God’s Great House. The children were shouting, ‘Welcome! We pray that God will be good to you, Son of David!’ All these things caused the important *Jews to become very angry.

v16 They asked Jesus, ‘Can you hear what these children are saying?’

‘Yes’, Jesus replied. ‘I am sure that you have read this message from God,

            “Babies and children say how important you are.

            Their words will be completely beautiful and correct.” ’ [Psalm 8:2]

v17 Then Jesus left everyone and he went out of Jerusalem. He stayed that night in Bethany.

Jesus causes a fruit tree to die

v18 The next day, Jesus returned from Bethany to Jerusalem early in the morning. He was hungry. v19 And while he was walking along, he saw a fruit tree near to the road. He went to look for fruit on it. But there were only leaves on the tree, and no fruit. Jesus said to the tree, ‘No fruit will ever grow on you again.’ Then, immediately, the tree dried up and it died.

v20 The *disciples saw it happen and they were very surprised. And they asked Jesus, ‘How did the tree dry up so quickly?’

v21 ‘What I say to you is true’, Jesus said to them. ‘You must really believe in God. You must believe how powerful God really is. If you believe this, then you could do the same thing to this fruit tree. And also, you could say to this mountain, “Stand up and throw yourself into the sea.” If you said that to the mountain, it would happen. v22 If you really believe, then pray. Ask him to give you something. And he will give you the thing that you ask him for.’

v23 Then Jesus returned to the place outside God’s Great House. While he was teaching the people, the leaders of the *priests and important *Jews went to him. ‘What authority do you have to do these things?’ they asked him. ‘Tell us. Who gave you the authority to do them?’

v24 ‘I also will ask you something’, replied Jesus. ‘If you tell me the right answer, then I will answer your question. I will tell you where my authority comes from. v25 John had authority to *baptise people. Did this authority come from God or did a man tell him to do it?’ Then all the *Jewish leaders talked to each other about Jesus’ question. ‘We might say that John’s authority came from God’, they said. ‘But then Jesus will ask us why we did not believe John. v26 We might say that a man gave John his authority. But the people all think that John was a *prophet. We would be afraid that they might attack us.’

v27 So the *Jewish leaders answered Jesus. ‘We do not know who gave John his authority.’

Jesus said to them, ‘And I will not tell you who gave me authority to do these things.’

Jesus tells a story about two sons

v28 Jesus said to the important *Jews, ‘Tell me what you think about this story. A man had two sons. He went to the older son and said, “Son, go and work in the field today.”

v29 The older son replied, “I do not want to go and work in the field today.” But after he had said that, he decided to go to the field.

v30 The man went to his other son and he said the same thing to him. The second son replied, “Yes father, I will go.” But then he did not go to work in the field.

v31 Now which of the man’s sons did what his father wanted?’ Jesus asked the important *Jews.

They replied, ‘The older son did what his father wanted.’

‘What I say to you is true’, said Jesus. ‘The men who take *taxes will go into the *Kingdom of God before you. Also the women who have sex with men for money will go into the *Kingdom of God before you. v32 I say this because of the way that John came to you. He explained to you the right way to obey God. You did not believe him. But those people who did really bad things believed John. You knew that these people believed him. But, even then, you would not believe John’s message. You have done wrong things. But you would not tell God that you were sorry. And you would not obey him.’

Jesus tells a story about a farmer

v33 Then Jesus spoke again to the important *Jews. ‘Listen to another story that I want to tell you. There was a man who had his own farm. He planted *vines in his field, and then he built a wall round it. He dug a hole in the ground to put the *grapes in. Later, he would make them into *wine. He also made a tall building. From the top of the building, a servant would watch the field.’

‘The man then found some farmers who would take *care of his *vines for him. He then went away to another country. v34 When it was time for the farmers to cut the *grapes, the master sent his servants to them. The servants said to the farmers, “Please give us the fruit that is for our master.”

v35 Then the farmers took hold of the servants. They hit one servant with sticks. They killed another of the servants and they threw stones at the other servant. v36 So the master sent other servants to the field. He sent more servants than the first time. But the farmers did the same thing to these servants also. v37 After that, the master sent his own son to the farmers. He thought that the farmers would be kind to his son.

v38 The farmers saw the master’s son coming. “This is the master’s own son”, they said to each other. “When our master dies, his son will have this field. So, let us kill the master’s son and then we can have the field.” v39 Then the farmers took hold of the son. They pushed him out of the field and then they killed him.

v40 One day, the master will return’, said Jesus. ‘What do you think he will do to those farmers?’

v41 The important *Jews said to Jesus, ‘The master will ask someone to kill those bad people in a bad way. Then he will ask someone else to be the farmers in his field. Those new farmers will give the master the fruit that is for him.’

v42 Jesus said to them, ‘I am sure that you have read this. The *prophets wrote,

            “The people who built the house did not want to use one special stone.

            They thought it had no value.

            Now that stone is the most important stone.

            It makes the corner of the wall strong.

            God did this.

            And we can see that he did something great.” [Psalm 118:22-23]

v43 I am telling you this because God will take his *kingdom away from you. He will give it to people who will obey God.

v44 When a person falls on to that stone, he will break his body. When that stone falls on top of someone, it will break him completely.’

v45 The leaders of the *priests and the *Pharisees heard what Jesus said. They understood that he was speaking against them in his stories. v46 They wanted to take hold of Jesus and put him in prison. But the people thought that Jesus was a *prophet. So they did not try to do it because they were afraid of the people.

Chapter 22

Jesus tells a story about a meal at a marriage

v1 Jesus continued to teach the people with stories. v2 ‘I will tell you again what the *Kingdom of *Heaven is like’, he said. ‘A king prepared to have a special meal for his son when he got married. He sent his servants to prepare a big meal for everyone to eat at the marriage. v3 He had asked many people to come. So he sent his servants out to tell them that the meal was ready. But many people refused to come.

v4 So the king then sent out other servants. He said to them, “Please tell this message to all those people that I have asked to come. Say that the master says: ‘My servants have prepared the meal. They have killed my large cow and some fat young cows. Everything is ready. Come to the meal at the marriage!’ ”

v5 But none of the people was interested in the king’s message. They went away to do their usual work. One man went to his farm and another man went to his business. v6 Other people took hold of the king’s servants. They hurt them and then they killed them. v7 The king was very angry and he said to his soldiers, “Go out into the city where these people live. Kill those people who killed my servants. And burn down their city!”

v8 Then the king said to his other servants, “The meal that my servants have prepared for the marriage is ready. But the people that I asked to come had no value. v9 Go out now to the wide streets in the town. Ask all the people that you meet there to come to the meal. The king has prepared it for his son.” v10 Then those servants went out into the streets. And they brought to the king’s house all the people that they met. Some were good people and some were bad people. Many people came so that the room for the marriage was full.

v11 Then the king came into the room to see all the people. He saw one man who was not wearing the right clothes for a marriage. v12 The king said to the man, “So, how did you come in here, my friend? You are not wearing the right clothes for a marriage.” The man did not answer.

v13 The king said to his servants, “Tie him up so that he cannot move his hands or his feet. Throw him into the dark place outside. There, people will cry. They will also bite their teeth against each other because they are angry.”

v14 God asks many people to come under his rule. But he only chooses a few people.’

The *Pharisees ask Jesus about paying *taxes

v15 After this, the *Pharisees thought about what they could do. They wanted to ask Jesus difficult questions. They wanted to hear him say something bad about the *Roman ruler. v16 So the *Pharisees sent their own *disciples to Jesus. And they also sent people who were in Herod’s group. They all said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we know that you are an honest man. It really is true that you teach the right things about God. It does not matter to you what other people think. It does not matter to you if someone is an important person or not. v17 Here is a question for you, Jesus. Tell us what you think about this. Should we pay our *taxes to the *Roman ruler, called Caesar? Or should we not pay them?’

v18 Jesus knew why they had asked him this question. It was because they wanted to do bad things to him. So he said to them, ‘You are trying to cause me to say something wrong. You are *hypocrites! v19 Show me the coin that you use for the *tax.’ They brought him a coin. v20 Then Jesus asked them, ‘Whose picture and name are on the coin?’

v21 They replied, ‘It is Caesar’s picture and Caesar’s name.’

So Jesus said to them, ‘Give to Caesar the things that are for Caesar. And give to God the things that are for God.’

v22 When they heard Jesus’ answer, they were very surprised. So they left him and they went away.

The *Sadducees ask Jesus a question

v23 On that day, some *Sadducees also came to Jesus. These men did not believe that anyone will live again after his death. The *Sadducees asked Jesus a question.

v24 ‘Teacher’, they said to Jesus, ‘Moses wrote these things for us in the *Law. A woman marries a man. But the man dies before the woman has any children. That man’s brother must then marry her. They can have children for the man who died. If they have children, the children will be called the children of the first husband. v25 Once, there were seven brothers who lived here. The oldest brother married a woman. Then he died before the woman had any children. v26 The next younger brother then married her. And then he also died. So a third brother married this woman. And the same thing happened to all the brothers down to the seventh brother. They all died before the woman had any children. v27 After this, the woman also died. v28 Now some people say that one day dead people will become alive again. On that day, whose wife will that woman be? She had married all seven of those brothers.’

v29 Jesus said to the *Sadducees, ‘You are wrong. You do not know what God says in his book. You do not know how powerful God is. v30 One day, people who are dead will become alive again. But then men and women will not marry. They will be like the *angels in *heaven. They do not marry. v31 It is true that one day dead people will live again. You have read about what God said to you, v32 “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” [Exodus 3:6] God is not God of people who are dead. He is the God of people who are now alive.’

v33 The crowd heard this. They were very surprised about what Jesus had told the *Sadducees.

Jesus teaches the *Pharisees about the most important *Law

v34 The *Pharisees heard that Jesus had said these things to the *Sadducees. Now the *Sadducees had stopped asking Jesus any questions. So the *Pharisees met together in one place.

v35 One of the *Pharisees was also a teacher of the *Law. He asked Jesus a question. He wanted Jesus to say something wrong. v36 ‘Teacher’, he said to Jesus, ‘which of our *Laws is the most important *Law for us to obey?’

v37 Jesus replied to the *Pharisee, ‘You must completely love the *Lord your God. You should love him with all that you are. Love him in all that you think. Love him in all that you do. v38 This is the greatest *Law and the most important of all the *Laws. v39 The second *Law is as important as the first. You must love other people as much as you love yourself. v40 All the *Laws of Moses teach us that. And also all the things that the *prophets teach about God are in these two *Laws.’

Jesus teaches people about the *Christ

v41 While the *Pharisees were together with Jesus, he asked them, v42 ‘What do you think about the *Christ, the special person that God will send to us? Whose Son is he?’

The *Pharisees replied, ‘He will be from the family of King David.’

v43 Jesus asked them, ‘Can you explain this to me then? God’s *Holy Spirit told David that the special person from God was called *Lord. David says, v44 “The *Lord said to my *Lord:

            ‘Sit at the important place at my right side.

            Remain there until I beat your enemies down to the ground.

            I will put them down like a place to rest your feet.’ ” [Psalm 110:1]

v45 So’, Jesus said, ‘we know that David calls this special person, “*Lord”. So how can he be a man from the family of King David?’ v46 Nobody could answer the question that Jesus asked. After this, everyone was afraid to ask Jesus any more questions.

Chapter 23

Jesus talks about dangerous teachers

v1 After that, Jesus spoke to the crowd and to his *disciples. v2 ‘The teachers of the *Law and the *Pharisees have authority to explain the *Law of Moses. v3 You must obey everything that they teach you. But you must not do the same things that they do. They teach you what the *Law of Moses is. But then they themselves do not obey these rules. v4 The rules that they give you are hard to obey. They are like heavy luggage, which they tie on your shoulders. But they will not help you even a little bit to carry these heavy things.’

v5 ‘They do everything so that the people will see them. They make their phylacteries very large and they make their tassels long.’

v6 ‘But the teachers of the *Law and the *Pharisees like to sit in the important places at special meals. They also sit in the important places in the buildings where people meet to pray. v7 They like people to call them “My teacher.” In the market place, they want many people to speak to them as people would speak to an important person.

v8 You all believe in God. You have only one teacher. So nobody should call another person, “My teacher”.’

v9 ‘Do not call another person in the world “Father”. You have only one Father, and he lives in *heaven.’

v10 ‘Do not call each other “Leader”. You have only one leader. And he is the *Christ that God will send to you. v11 The person among you who is most important will be your servant. v12 Someone may think that he himself is very important. But God will cause that person to become the least important person. Someone may think that he is the least important person. But God will cause that person to become very important.’

Jesus tells the teachers of the *Law and the *Pharisees that they are *hypocrites

v13 Jesus spoke to the teachers of the *Law and the *Pharisees. ‘Trouble will come to you’, he said. ‘You are *hypocrites! You have taken away the key that opens a door. It is the door to where people learn about God. They want to go in and find out how God rules. You yourselves will not go into the *Kingdom of *Heaven. Nor will you let other people go in who want to.’

v14 ‘Trouble will come to you, teachers of the *Law and *Pharisees. You are *hypocrites! You take things away from women whose husbands have died. You want people to think good things about you, so you pray for a long time. God will *punish you more than people who have not done these things.’

v15 ‘Trouble will come to you, teachers of the *Law and *Pharisees. You are *hypocrites. You travel across land and across the sea. You do this to make one person believe what you believe. Then when he does believe it, he is even worse than you. He does more bad things than you do. So you cause him to go to *hell.

v16 Trouble will come to you, teachers. You cannot see, but you are teaching people which way to go.’

‘You say this to people. “Maybe you make a promise like this. ‘I promise by the name of God’s Great House’. Then you do not need to do what you promised to do. But then you make a different promise. You say, ‘I promise by the gold on God’s Great House.’ Then you must do what you promised to do.” v17 You are like a man who cannot see. And you are fools. I will tell you which of these two things is most important. The gold on God’s Great House is not important. But God’s Great House is really important and it makes the gold important. v18 You also teach the people this: “Maybe you make a promise like this. ‘I promise by the name of the special table in God’s House.’ Then you do not need to do what you promised to do. But then you make a different promise. You say, ‘I promise by the gift on the special table.’ Then you should do what you promised to do.” v19 You are like people who cannot see. You are fools. I will tell you which of these two things is most important. The gift on the special table is not important. But the special table is really important and it makes the gift important. v20 Maybe a person makes a promise like this. He says, “I promise by the name of the special table in God’s Great House”. Then he is making a promise to God. It is God’s table. All the gifts on it are for God. v21 Perhaps a person says this. “I promise by the name of God’s Great House”. Then he is making a promise to God. It is his House with everything in it. v22 Perhaps a person says, “I promise by the sky above”. The sky is God’s. It is the place where he sits. And he rules there.’

v23 ‘Teachers of the *Law and *Pharisees, trouble is coming to you. You are *hypocrites! You only obey the very small matters in the *Law. You grow special small plants to use when you cook. You give to God one part out of ten parts of these plants. This is a small matter in the *Law which you obey. But the more important parts of the *Law you forget to obey. It is important to be good and kind to other people. It is also important to believe and to obey God. You should do all these important things as well as the other things that are not so important. v24 You are like a man who cannot see, but you are showing other people the way. You take a small fly out of your cup so that you do not drink it. But you do not see the large animal that is swimming in it.’

v25 ‘Teachers of the *Law and *Pharisees, trouble is coming to you. You are *hypocrites! You are like someone who is careful to wash the outside of a cup and a plate. The inside of the cup and plate are also dirty. But you do not wash that. The dirt is like the things you do. You want more things than you should have. You hurt people to get what you want. v26 *Pharisees, you are like men who cannot see. You must first clean the inside of the cup and plate. Then the outside will also be clean.

v27 Teachers of the *Law and *Pharisees, trouble is coming to you. You are *hypocrites! You bury dead people in holes in the rock. You put white paint outside the holes on the stones. You are like these white stones outside these holes. They look beautiful on the outside, but they are full of the bones of dead people and bad things. v28 You are the same as these holes. Other people look at you. They think that you obey God. But really, you are *hypocrites and you do many very bad things.

v29 Teachers of the *Law and *Pharisees, things will be bad for you. You are *hypocrites! You build beautiful places. You bury the *prophets in these places after they have died. You cause the places where you have buried good people to be beautiful. v30 You say, “Our *ancestors killed God’s *prophets. If we had lived at that time, we would not have helped them to kill the *prophets.” v31 So you are speaking against yourselves. You are saying that you are the sons of these people. These people killed God’s *prophets. v32 Finish then the work that your *ancestors began!

v33 You are like snakes, and like a family of dangerous snakes. You will not be able to run away. I am sure that God will *judge you. And he will send you to *hell. v34 So I tell you this. I will send *prophets to you. I will also send people who know many things. And I will send people to teach you. But you will kill some of these people. You will kill some of them on a *cross. In the places where you meet to pray, you will hit some of them with *whips. They will run from one town to another town, but you will follow them. v35 Let me tell you why I send these people to you. Because of the things that you will do, God will *punish you. You will receive the *punishment for the murder of Abel. He was a good man. You killed many other good men. You also murdered Zechariah, the son of Berechiah. He also was a good man, but your leaders killed him. He died between God’s Great House and God’s special table.’

v36 ‘What I am saying is true. God will *punish all you people who are alive today. He will do this because of all the bad things that your *ancestors did.

v37 Oh, you people who live in Jerusalem! Oh, you people who live in Jerusalem! When God sends *prophets to you, you throw stones at them. And you kill them. Many times, I have wanted to bring all of you near to me. A bird brings all her little birds together and she covers them with her body. But you would not let me take *care of you like that. v38 So listen! Soon nobody will remain here to live in this place. This is true. v39 One day you will say, “Happy is the man whom God sends here with his authority.” But you will not see me again until you say that.’ [Psalm 118:26]

Chapter 24

Jesus talks about things that would happen soon

v1 Jesus left God’s Great House, and his *disciples came to him. They began to talk to Jesus about the buildings of God’s Great House. v2 So Jesus said to them, ‘Yes, you can see all these beautiful buildings now. But what I say is true. The day is coming soon when enemies will completely destroy them. They will not leave one stone on top of another stone. They will throw every stone down from the buildings.’

v3 Jesus then sat on the hill called the Hill of *Olives. While he was alone, his *disciples came to him. ‘Tell us when this will happen’, they said to him. ‘What will we see just before you return? What will show that God will soon end the world?’

v4 Jesus said, ‘Be careful and watch. Some people will tell you things that are not true. But do not believe them. v5 Many people will come and say, “I am the *Christ.” Many other people will believe that this is true. v6 You will hear the noise of wars near where you are. You will hear about people who are fighting wars in places a long way away. Do not be afraid. These things must happen first, but it is not yet the end of everything. v7 People in one country will attack the people in another country. Kings and their people will fight against other kings and their people. The ground will move in many different places. Some people will not have any food to eat because the plants for food will not grow. v8 These things will be like the first pains that start before a baby is born.

v9 Then people will take hold of you because you believe in me. They will *punish some of you and they will kill some of you. Some people in every country will *hate you because you obey me. v10 At that time, many people who believe in me will stop believing. They will put some of those who follow me in the power of their rulers. And they will *hate all those who still follow me. v11 Also at that time, many people will say that they are *prophets. This will not be true, but many people will believe them. v12 More and more people everywhere will be doing very bad things. Because of this many people will no longer love each other in the way that they did. v13 But you must never stop believing in me. Then God will save you. v14 People will tell the good news about the *Kingdom to people all over the world. People will know that the message is true. And they will tell it to other people in every country in the world. Only then will God cause the world to come to an end.

v15 Long ago Daniel, the *prophet, wrote in God’s book. He said that one day people would put something very bad in God’s Great House. They would put it in the special place for God. This will then happen. At that time, you must understand what Daniel wrote. v16 When you see this very bad thing, people in Judea must run to the hills. They must run so that their enemies do not catch them.

v17 A man who is on the roof of his house must not go down into his house. He must not waste time to fetch anything in his home to take with him.’

v18 ‘People who are outside the city in their fields must not go back home. They must not waste any time. So they must not even go to fetch their coats. v19 Those days will be bad for women who have a baby inside them! And those days will be bad for those women who have little babies! v20 You must pray to God and say, “Please do not let these things happen in winter. Please do not let them happen on the day when we rest.” v21 People will have great troubles. From the time that God made the world, nothing so bad has ever happened. After this bad time has finished, it will never ever be so bad again. v22 God will make this time of great trouble shorter. If he did not do that, there would be nobody still alive. God will cause this time of trouble to be shorter to help the people that he has chosen. v23 Someone may say to you, “Look, here is the *Christ.” Or they may say, “Look, there is the *Christ.” When they say that, do not believe them. v24 Some people will say to you, “I am the special man. God has sent me.” Other people will come and they will say, “I am a *prophet of God.” None of the things that these people say is true. They will do powerful things that people cannot usually do. They will be trying to cause people to believe that their words are true. They will even try to cause the people that God has chosen to believe in them. v25 So be careful and watch out! I have told you about all these things before they happen.

v26 Some people may say to you, “Look, the *Christ is out there in the *desert.” But you must not go out to see who is there. Some people may say to you, “Look, the *Christ is in there in that secret room.” You must not believe these people. v27 *Lightning shines quickly and it lights up the whole of the sky. It will be like that when the Son of Man returns. v28 Big birds that eat meat arrive together. They all arrive where there is a dead body.’

v29 ‘Then after all these bad things have happened,

            “The sun will become dark.

            The moon will stop shining.

            Stars will fall down out of the sky,

            and God will cause all the powerful things in the sky to move from their usual places.” [Isaiah 13.10]

v30 Then people will see something powerful in the sky. This will show them that the Son of Man is coming. All the people in the world will weep because they are very sad. Then people will see the Son of Man coming down in the clouds. He will be very powerful. He will be great and very beautiful. v31 The sound of a loud *trumpet will go out. The Son of Man will send out God’s *angels in every direction. They will bring together all the people that God has chosen from every part of the world.’

Jesus tells a story about a *fig tree

v32 ‘I will tell you a story about a *fig tree. You can learn something from what the tree does. When the new branches on the tree start to grow, the leaves appear. Then you know that the summer is coming soon. v33 In the same way, you will see all these things happen. Then you will know that the Son of Man is coming soon. He is like someone at the door who is ready to come in. v34 The things that I say to you are true. The people who are living then will see all these things. They will not die before all these things have happened. v35 One day, the earth and the sky will finish. But my words will never finish.’

Nobody will know when the Son of Man will return to the world

v36 ‘Nobody knows the day or the time when all these things will happen. Even the *angels in *heaven do not know. Even God’s Son does not know. Only God the Father knows when they will happen. v37 It was the same as this when Noah was alive. And it will be the same again when the Son of Man returns. v38 In the days before the rain came, people were eating. People were drinking. Men married women and women married men. They did all these things until the day that Noah climbed into his big boat. v39 The people did not know what would happen. Then rain fell for a long time and all these people died in the deep water. When the Son of Man returns, it will be the same. People will not know that it is going to happen at that moment. v40 At that time, it will be like this. Two men will be working in a field. God will take one man away, but he will leave the other man behind. v41 Two women will be working together in the same place. God will take one woman away, but he will leave the other woman behind.’

v42 ‘Be careful and watch! You do not know the day or time when your Master will come. v43 You can be sure about this. The master of the house did not know at what time of night a man would come to rob him. If the master had known the time, he would have watched his house more carefully. Then the man would not have robbed his house. v44 So you must also be ready. It will be a surprise for you when the Son of Man returns.’

Jesus tells a story about two servants

v45 Then Jesus finished teaching them. ‘I will tell you about a good servant. His master knows that he will obey. He knows how to do everything well. The master chooses him to rule over all his other servants. He will give everyone the food that they need each day. v46 The master will come home. And he will see this servant obeying all that he told him to do. So the master will be kind to his servant. v47 What I say is true. The master will then ask the servant to rule over everything in his house. v48 But perhaps the servant is bad and he says to himself, “My master will not come yet.” v49 So, he begins to hit the other servants. He hits both the men and the women. He eats too much. He also drinks with drunks.’

v50 ‘Then the master of that servant will come home and he will surprise the servant. He did not think that his master would come home on that day or at that time. v51 Then the master will *punish him a lot. He will put the servant with those people who do not obey him. The people in that place will cry. And they will bite their teeth together because they are angry.’

Chapter 25

Jesus tells a story about ten young women

v1 ‘I will tell you again what the *Kingdom of *Heaven is like. There were ten young women who were going to a marriage. They took their *lamps with them and they went to meet the *bridegroom. v2 Five of these young women were silly. They were not careful about what they were doing. Five of these young women understood well. They were careful about what they were doing. v3 The silly young women took their *lamps with them, but they did not take any extra oil with them. v4 The other five young women took jars of oil with them. These young women were careful about what they were doing. v5 The *bridegroom did not come for a long time. So all the young women became tired, and they went to sleep.

v6 In the middle of the night, someone shouted out, “The *bridegroom is coming. Come out to meet him.”

v7 The ten young women woke up. Then they got up and they looked at their *lamps. They tried to make their *lamps work well. v8 The five young women who had not brought extra oil said to the other five young women, “Give us some of your oil, because our *lamps are not burning well.”

v9 The careful young women who had extra oil replied, “If we did that, then there would not be enough oil for all of us. You must go instead to the people who sell oil. You must buy some oil for your *lamps.” ’

v10 ‘So these five women went to buy some oil. While they were away, the *bridegroom arrived. He would soon marry. The five women who understood well were ready. They went with him into the house. Here the servants had prepared the meal for the marriage. Then the servants shut the door.

v11 Later, the five silly women also came to the house. They said, “Sir, Sir, please open the door for us.”

v12 But he replied, “What I say is true. I do not know you.” ’

v13 Then Jesus said, ‘So you must watch well. You do not know on what day or at what time I will come.’

Jesus tells a story about three servants

v14 ‘I will tell you again what the *Kingdom of *Heaven is like. A man was going on a journey. Before he went away, he asked his servants to come to him. He said to them, “Take *care of all my money and all my things for me.” v15 The master gave one servant 5000 gold coins. He gave another servant 2000 gold coins, and to another servant he gave 1000 gold coins. He gave to each servant what he would be able to use well. Then the master went away on his journey.’

v16 ‘The servant who had received 5000 gold coins went out immediately. He bought and sold things with the money. This servant got 5000 more gold coins. v17 The servant who had received 2000 gold coins also went out immediately. He also bought and sold things with the money. This servant got 2000 more gold coins. v18 The servant who had received 1000 gold coins did something different. He went outside and he dug a hole in the ground. He buried the money that his master had given him.

v19 After a long time, the master came home. He asked the servants to come to him. He wanted to know how much money they had now. v20 The servant who had received 5000 gold coins came to his master. The servant said to him, “Master, you gave me 5000 gold coins. And now I have another 5000 gold coins.”

v21 The master said to this servant, “You are a good servant; you have done really well. You were careful with a little money. I will give you much more money to use. I am really happy about this and I want you to be happy with me.”

v22 The servant who had received 2000 gold coins also came to his master. The servant said to him, “Master, you gave me 2000 gold coins. And now I have another two thousand gold coins.”

v23 The master said to his servant, “You are a good servant; you have done really well. You were careful with a little money. I will give you much more to use. I am really happy about this and I want you to be happy with me.”

v24 The servant who had received 1000 gold coins also came to his master. The servant said to him, “Master, I know what you are like. You ask people to do things all the time. You get seeds back from the ground, which you did not plant. You get fruit from trees that you did not plant. v25 I was afraid of you, so I buried your money in the ground. See, here it is. You can have it back again.”

v26 The master said to him, “You are a bad and lazy servant. You said that you know about me. I get seeds back that I did not plant. I get fruit from trees that I did not plant. And you knew all that. v27 You should have put the money into the bank. Then, when I came home, I could have received my money back from the bank again, with extra money also.”

v28 Then the master said to his other servants, “Take the 1000 gold coins from this man. Give them to the man who now has 10 thousand coins.” v29 Then the master said, “What I say is true. I will give more to every person who already has something. He will have much more than he needs. Another person has almost nothing. I will take away even the small amount that he has. v30 This servant cannot work for me any longer. So you can throw him into a dark place outside. People will weep there. And they will bite their teeth together because they are angry.” ’

God *judges everybody

v31 ‘When I, the Son of Man return, I will be powerful and great and important and beautiful. All the *angels will come with me. I will sit on my seat as king. v32 All the people in the world will be together in front of me. I will put them into two groups. I will do it in the same way that a shepherd puts his sheep and goats into two groups. v33 He puts the sheep on his right side and the goats on his left side.’

v34 ‘The king will say to those people who are on his right side, “Come here. My Father has given you good things. He has prepared a place for you in his *Kingdom. From the time that God made the world, he made a place ready for you.” v35 Then the king said to them, “I was hungry and you gave me some food to eat. I needed to drink and you gave me some water. I was alone and you asked me to come to your home. v36 I did not have enough clothes and you gave me some more to wear. I was ill and you took *care of me. I was in prison and you came to visit me there.”

v37 The people who did good things will speak to him. “Master, when did we see that you were hungry? And when did we give you some food? When did we see that you needed to drink? And when did we give you some water? v38 When did we see that you were alone? And when did we ask you to come to our home? When did we see that you did not have enough clothes? And when did we give you some more clothes? v39 When did we see you that you were ill? And when did we take *care of you? When did we know that you were in prison? And when did we come to visit you?”

v40 The king will answer them, “What I say to you is true. You did all these things to help people. They were not important people, but they were my friends. If you helped them, then you also helped me.”

v41 Then the king will say to those people who are at his left side, “Go away from me. God has said that bad things will happen to you. God has prepared a fire that will burn for always. He has prepared it for *Satan and those who help him. You will also go into that fire.” v42 Then the king said to them, “I was hungry but you did not give me any food to eat. I needed to drink but you did not give me anything. v43 I was alone but you did not ask me to come to your home. I did not have enough clothes but you did not give me anything to wear. I was ill but you did not take *care of me. I was in prison but you did not come to visit me.”

v44 Then these other people will speak to the king. “Master, when did we see you hungry, or needing something to drink? Or when did we see you alone, or without enough clothes? Or when did we see you ill, or in prison and we did not give you any help?”

v45 Then the king will reply, “What I say to you is true. You did not do these things for people. They were not important people. But when you did not help them, you also did not help me.”

v46 These people who did not help other people will go away. God will *punish them for always. But those good people who obey God will live for always.’

Chapter 26

Those who are against Jesus want to take hold of him

v1 When Jesus finished saying these things, he said to his *disciples. v2 ‘Now you know that after two days we will eat the *Passover meal. Then those people who are against me will put me into the power of the rulers. They will fix me to a *cross.’

v3 Then the leaders of the *priests and the important *Jews met together in the house of Caiaphas. Caiaphas was the most important *priest in Jerusalem. v4 They talked about the best way to take hold of Jesus. But they did not want other people to know about their idea. v5 They said to each other, ‘We do not want to take hold of him during the *Passover. The people may fight against us if we do that.’

A woman pours oil that has a beautiful smell on Jesus’ head

v6 Then Jesus went to Bethany and he visited Simon at his house. At one time, Simon had had an illness of the skin.

v7 While Jesus was eating a meal, a woman came into the house. She brought a small stone jar with her. The jar contained very expensive oil. It had a very nice smell. She poured the oil over Jesus’ head.

v8 Jesus’ *disciples saw what the woman had done. They became angry and they said, ‘This woman should not have wasted the oil. v9 She could have sold it for a lot of money. Then she could have given the money to poor people.’

v10 Jesus knew what his *disciples were saying. So he said to them, ‘Do not be angry with her. Stop speaking to her like that. She has done a beautiful thing for me. v11 You will always have poor people with you. But I will not always be with you. v12 She poured oil over my body to prepare it. So, now my body is ready for people to bury me. v13 What I say to you is true. Everywhere people will tell this good news. They will also tell about what this woman did. Then other people will think about her because of what she did.’

Judas Iscariot promises to sell Jesus for money

v14 Judas Iscariot was one of Jesus’ 12 *disciples. He went to see the important *priests v15 and he asked them, ‘How much money will you give me if I help you to take hold of Jesus?’ The *priests gave Judas 30 *silver coins. v16 Judas then waited for the right moment to help them take hold of Jesus.

Jesus eats his last meal with his 12 *disciples

v17 It was now the first day of the *Passover. On this day, people ate bread that they had made without *yeast in it. Jesus *disciples came to talk to him. ‘Where do you want us to prepare the *Passover meal for you to eat?’ they said to him.

v18 Jesus replied, ‘Go to a certain man in the city and say to him, “The teacher says: This is the moment that God has prepared for me. I will eat the *Passover meal with my *disciples in your house.” ’ v19 So Jesus’ *disciples did what he had asked them to do. And they prepared the *Passover meal.

v20 That evening, Jesus and the 12 *disciples sat down to eat the *Passover meal together. v21 While they were eating, Jesus said, ‘What I say is true. One of you will help the *Jewish rulers to take hold of me.’

v22 They were very sad about what Jesus had said. Each one of them said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, I am sure that you do not mean me.’

v23 Jesus said to them ‘It is the man who is putting the end of his bread into the same dish as me. That man will help the *Jewish rulers to take hold of me.’

v24 ‘The Son of Man will die in the way that God’s *prophets wrote. But trouble will come to the man who causes this to happen. He should not have helped the rulers to take hold of me. It would be better for that man if he had never come into this world.’

v25 It was Judas who would help the *Jewish rulers. But he said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, it cannot be me who will do this.’

‘Yes, it is you who will do this’, Jesus replied to him.

v26 While Jesus and his *disciples were eating, he took a loaf of bread. He thanked God for it and then he broke the bread into pieces. He then gave it to each of them and he said, ‘Take this bread and eat it. This bread is my body.’

v27 Then Jesus took a cup. He thanked God for the *wine in the cup. Then he gave it to them and each *disciple drank from the cup. v28 ‘This *wine is my blood’, he said. ‘This is the new promise between God and his people. When I die, my blood will come out. Then God can *forgive people for all the wrong things that they have done. v29 I am telling you this. I will not drink *wine again until I drink it with you again in my Father’s *kingdom.’

v30 Then Jesus and his *disciples sang a song to God. Then they all went out to the Hill of *Olives.

Jesus tells Peter what will happen

v31 Then Jesus spoke to his *disciples. ‘Tonight, you will all run away and you will stop believing in me. The *prophets wrote this down:

            “I will kill the man who takes *care of the sheep.

            Then all the sheep that he had will run away to different places.” [Zechariah 13:7]

v32 But after I die, God will cause me to become alive again. Then I will go before you to Galilee.’

v33 Peter said to Jesus, ‘Even if everyone else runs away, I will not leave you.’

v34 Jesus replied to Peter, ‘What I say is true. Tonight, you will say three times that you do not know me. This will happen before the *rooster makes a noise for the first time in the morning.’

v35 But Peter said, ‘Jesus, I will never tell anyone that I do not know you. Even if that means that I must die with you.’ All the other *disciples said the same thing.

Jesus prays in the garden called Gethsemane on the Hill of *Olives

v36 Then they arrived at a large garden called Gethsemane. Jesus said to the *disciples who were with him, ‘Sit here while I go over there to pray.’ v37 Jesus then took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him. He became very sad and troubled in his mind. v38 ‘I am very sad. I could die because I feel so sad. Please wait here and watch with me’, Jesus said to them.

v39 Jesus went a short way in front of them. He went down on his knees with his face on the ground. He prayed, ‘Father, if it is possible, please save me from this time of great pain. But Father, do not give me what I want. But give me what you want for me.’

v40 Jesus returned and he found the *disciples. They were sleeping. He said to Peter, ‘Simon, you are asleep! You could not stay awake with me for even one hour! v41 You must stay awake and pray. God can help you, so that you will not do the wrong thing. You really want to do the right thing, but you are too weak to stay awake.’

v42 Jesus went away a second time and he prayed again. ‘My Father, if you want, you can take away this pain. If it is not possible to save me from this time of great pain, then I want to obey you.’

v43 Jesus returned again to them. He saw that they were sleeping. They could not keep their eyes open. v44 So Jesus went away again and he prayed a third time. He said the same words to God.

v45 When he returned to them, he said, ‘You should not be sleeping and resting. You have slept enough. The time has come for me to have much pain. Look! Someone will now help bad men to take hold of me. v46 Stand up now, because it is time to meet them. Look! Here is the man who will help them to take hold of me.’

The soldiers take hold of Jesus

v47 While Jesus was still speaking, Judas arrived. He was one of Jesus’ *disciples. A crowd also appeared with him. They were all carrying long sharp knives and heavy sticks. The important *priests, the teachers of the *Law and the important *Jews had sent these people with Judas. v48 Now, Judas would help the rulers of the *Jews to take hold of Jesus. He had told the people, ‘I will kiss one of the men. He is the man. Take hold of him.’ v49 Judas went immediately to Jesus when they arrived. ‘Teacher’, he said to him. Then he kissed Jesus.

v50 Jesus said to Judas, ‘My friend, you must do what you have come here to do.’

Then the crowd of men came and they took hold of Jesus. v51 Then one of Jesus’ *disciples put out his hand and he took hold of his long sharp knife. He hit the servant of the most important *priest with it and he cut off the servant’s ear.

v52 Then Jesus said to the man, ‘Put your long sharp knife away in its place. Some people use a long sharp knife to kill. They will die. Someone will kill them with a long sharp knife. v53 You should know that I could ask my Father to help me. He would immediately send more than 12 large groups of *angels to fight for me. v54 They would save me. But then everything that God said in his book would not happen. And the *prophets have said how all these things must happen.’

v55 Then Jesus spoke to the crowd. ‘You have come out here with sharp knives and heavy sticks to take hold of me’, he said. ‘So you must believe that I am leading people to fight against the rulers. That is how you would take hold of a man like that. I was with you every day in the place outside God’s Great House when I was teaching. But you did not take hold of me then. v56 The *prophets wrote down that all this would happen to me. Now it has become true.’ Then all of Jesus’ *disciples ran away and left him.

Jesus stands in front of all the important rulers

v57 Then those men who had taken hold of Jesus took him to Caiaphas’s house. Caiaphas was the most important *priest. The teachers of the *Law and the important *Jews were meeting together there with Caiaphas.

v58 Peter followed the men who were taking Jesus to the house of the most important *priest. But he was not very near to them. When everyone went into the place outside Caiaphas’s house, Peter went in too. He sat down with the police who worked in God’s Great House. He wanted to see what would happen.

v59 The leaders of the *priests and the important rulers wanted people to say things about Jesus that were not true. They wanted to kill Jesus. v60 Many people did come. And they said things about Jesus that were not true. But still they could not find a reason to kill Jesus. Then two men said, v61 ‘We heard this man say, “I can destroy God’s Great House and in 3 days I can build it again.” ’

v62 Then Caiaphas stood up in front of everybody and he said to Jesus, ‘Will you not reply? These people have said that you have done many bad things. What do you say about this?’ v63 But Jesus did not say anything.

And so Caiaphas said, ‘I use God’s authority to say to you, “Tell us what is true.” Are you the *Christ? Are you the Son of God?’

v64 ‘I am’, Jesus replied. ‘And you will all see the Son of Man. He will be sitting at the right side of the Most Powerful God in the most important place. You will also see him coming to earth. And he will be riding on the clouds.’ [Daniel 7:13]

v65 Caiaphas tore his coat. ‘Jesus spoke against God. We do not need anyone else to tell us about him’, he said. ‘You have heard him speak against God. v66 What have you decided to do with him?’

‘Jesus must die because of the things that he has said’, they replied.

v67 Then some of the men began to send water from their mouths into Jesus’ face. They also hit him with their fists, v68 and they said, ‘Tell us who hit you! If you were a *prophet, you could certainly do that!’ They also hit him with their open hands.

Peter says three times that he does not know Jesus

v69 Now, while all these things were happening, Peter was still sitting outside the house. One of the girls who worked for most important *priest went to talk to him. ‘You were also with Jesus, the man from Galilee’, she said.

v70 Peter said in front of everyone who was there, ‘That is not true. I do not know what you are talking about.’

v71 Peter then walked to the gate, and another girl saw him. This girl said to the people who were standing there, ‘This man was with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.’

v72 Peter answered everyone again. ‘I promise that I do not know that man from Nazareth. I will speak God’s name to promise that.’

v73 After a little while, other people who were standing at the gate spoke to Peter. ‘We are sure that you are one of the friends of that man from Nazareth. We know this because you also speak like people who live in Galilee.’

v74 Peter said to them, ‘I do not know the man from Nazareth. If this is not true, then God should *punish me!’

Immediately after Peter said this, the *rooster made a noise. v75 Then Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, ‘Tonight you will say three times that you do not know me. After that, the *rooster will make a noise.’ So Peter went outside the house alone. He had a very troubled mind and he began to weep a lot.

Chapter 27

The important *Jews take Jesus to stand in front of Pilate

v1 Early the next morning, all the leaders of the *priests and the important *Jews talked together. They decided to ask the *Roman rulers to kill Jesus. v2 They tied Jesus’ hands and feet and then they led him away to Pilate’s house. The soldiers put Jesus under the authority of Pilate, the ruler.

Judas dies

v3 Judas heard that the *Jews had asked the *Roman rulers to kill Jesus. Judas had told the *Jews where Jesus was. Now he was very sorry about what he had done. So he took back the 30 valuable coins to the leaders of the *priests and the important *Jews. v4 Judas said to them, ‘I have done the wrong thing. I helped you to take hold of a man who has done nothing wrong.’

They replied to Judas, ‘That is not important to us. That is your problem.’

v5 Judas threw the money down on the floor in God’s Great House. Then he went away. He hung himself from a *rope so that he died.

v6 The leaders of the *priests picked up the coins. They said, ‘We used this money to catch and kill a man. So it is against our *Law to now use this same money for God’s Great House.’ v7 They talked together. And they decided to use the money to buy a field. They would use this field to bury foreign people who died in the city. The man who once had this field had made pots and jars out of *soil.

v8 After this, the field was called ‘The Field of Blood’. And it is still called that until today. v9 So the words of the *prophet Jeremiah became true. He had said a long time before, ‘Then they took the 30 *silver coins. v10 This was how much money the people of *Israel had agreed to pay for him. They used this money to buy a field from a man who made pots. God said that I must do this.’ [Zechariah 11:12-13] When the leaders of the *priests bought the field, all these things happened.

Pilate asks Jesus some questions

v11 At that time, Jesus stood in front of the *Roman ruler. Pilate asked Jesus, ‘Are you the king of the *Jews?’

Jesus replied, ‘Yes, it is as you say.’

v12 The leaders of the *priests and the important *Jews told Pilate that Jesus had done many bad things. Jesus did not answer them. v13 So then, Pilate said to Jesus, ‘These man say that you have done many bad things. You can hear what they are saying.’ v14 But Jesus did not answer Pilate. He did not say anything about any of the bad things that the men were talking about. Pilate was very surprised about this.

v15 Each year at the time for the *Passover meal, Pilate let one person come out of the prison. The people could choose which person should be free. v16 At that time, there was a man called Barabbas in prison. Everyone knew about what he had done. v17 Then the crowd came together at Pilate’s house. Pilate asked them, ‘Do you want me to let Barabbas come out of the prison? Or do you want me to let Jesus out instead? Jesus is called the *Christ.’ v18 Pilate knew very well why the rulers of the *Jews had given Jesus to him. They did not like the way that the people listened to Jesus. Many people listened to Jesus more than to their rulers.

v19 Pilate was deciding what to do. Then his wife sent him a message. She said, ‘Do not do anything to that man. He is a good man and he has done nothing wrong. Last night, when I was sleeping, I had a dream about him. The dream made me very *anxious.’

v20 But the leaders of the *priests and the important *Jews talked to the people. ‘You must ask Pilate to let Barabbas come out of the prison’, they said. ‘Ask Pilate to kill Jesus.’

v21 Pilate asked the people again, ‘Which of these two men should come out of the prison?’ The people answered, ‘Barabbas.’

v22 Then Pilate asked the people, ‘What then should I do with Jesus, who is called the *Christ?’ The people all shouted, ‘Kill him! Kill him on a *cross.’

v23 So Pilate said, ‘Why should I kill him? What bad things has he done?’

But the people were shouting many times even louder, ‘Kill him on a *cross! Kill him on a *cross!’

v24 Then Pilate knew that he could not do anything to make them quiet. He thought that the people would start to fight his soldiers. So, Pilate took a dish of water and he washed his hands in front of the people. He said, ‘It is not because of me that this man will die. You have caused it to happen.’

v25 All the people answered Pilate, ‘We and our children will answer to God. He can *punish us, if we have done the wrong thing.’

v26 Then Pilate sent Barabbas out of the prison. Pilate said to the soldiers, ‘Hit Jesus with a *whip. Then fix him to a *cross.’

v27 Then Pilate’s soldiers took Jesus into a large room in the ruler’s house. All the other soldiers in their group were there. v28 They removed Jesus’ clothes from him, and they put a dark red coat on him instead. v29 They used plants with sharp branches and they made a crown for him. Then they put it on his head. And they put a long stick in his right hand. They went down on their knees in front of him. They *laughed at him and they said, ‘Welcome! You are the King of the *Jews. We go down on our knees in front of you. We hope that you will live for a long time.’

v30 Then the soldiers sent water from their mouths into Jesus’ face. They took the stick and they hit Jesus on his head with it again and again. v31 After they had finished *laughing at him, they removed the dark red coat. And they put Jesus’ own clothes back on him. Then they led him to the place where they would kill him. They would fix him to a *cross made out of wood.

The soldiers kill Jesus on a *cross

v32 On the way to that place, they took hold of a man called Simon. He was walking past Jesus and the soldiers. He came from the city called Cyrene. The *Roman soldiers said to Simon, ‘Carry this *cross!’ Then they pushed him to it. v33 The soldiers led Jesus to the place that is called Golgotha. (Golgotha means the place of a skull.)

v34 The soldiers tried to give Jesus some *wine to drink. They had put something like medicine in it. Jesus tasted it, but he would not drink it. v35 Then the *Roman soldiers fixed Jesus on to the *cross and they took his clothes. They played a game among themselves. They did this to find out who would receive each piece of his clothes. v36 Then the soldiers sat down and they watched Jesus carefully. v37 Above his head they fixed a notice. They had written on it the reason why they were killing him. The words on the notice were, ‘This man is Jesus, the king of the *Jews.’ v38 Then the soldiers also fixed two other men to *crosses. Those men had robbed people. One man was at Jesus’ right side, and one man was at his left side. v39 Those people who walked past Jesus said bad things to him. They moved their heads from one side to the other side while they looked at him. v40 And they said, ‘You said that you could destroy God’s Great House. You said that in three days you could build it again. If you really are the Son of God, save yourself. Come down from the *cross.’

v41 The leaders of the *priests and the teachers of the *Law and the important *Jews were all *laughing at him too. v42 ‘This man saved other people, but he cannot save himself. He says that he is the king of *Israel. If he came down from the *cross now, then we would believe in him. v43 He believes in God. So if God wants him, let God save him now. He did say that he is the Son of God.’ v44 Then the two men on *crosses next to Jesus said the same bad things to him.

Jesus dies

v45 It was now about noon. The whole country became dark for three hours. v46 About three hours after noon, Jesus shouted with a loud voice. He said, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ That means, ‘My God, my God, why have you left me alone?’

v47 Some people were standing near to Jesus. They heard what he had shouted. And they said to each other, ‘He is shouting to Elijah the *prophet.’

v48 One of these people ran quickly and he brought a piece of soft material. He poured *wine that was not sweet on it. And then he put it on the end of a stick. He lifted it up to Jesus so that he could drink the *wine from it. v49 The other people said, ‘Wait a moment and watch. We will see if Elijah comes. He might save Jesus.’

v50 Then Jesus shouted again with a loud voice. And after that, he died.

v51 At that moment, something caused the curtain inside God’s Great House to tear completely into two parts. It tore from the top to the other end. God caused the ground to move about and the rocks broke. v52 God opened up the places where people had buried dead bodies. Many of God’s people who had died became alive again. v53 They came out of those places after Jesus became alive again. They went into Jerusalem city and many people saw them.

v54 The officer and the soldiers were still watching Jesus. They all saw the ground moving. And they saw the rocks breaking. They were very frightened and they said, ‘It is true that this man really was the Son of God.’

v55 There were also many women there. They were watching a short way from the *cross and they saw all these things happen. They had come from Galilee with Jesus to help prepare food for him. v56 Mary from Magdala was there. Mary, the mother of James and Joses, and Mary, the mother of Zebedee’s sons, were also there.

Joseph from Arimathea buries Jesus’ body

v57 That evening a rich man who came from a town called Arimathea went to Pilate. The man’s name was Joseph, and he had become a *disciple of Jesus. v58 Joseph said to Pilate, ‘I would like to take the dead body of Jesus.’ Pilate said to his soldiers, ‘Give the dead body of Jesus to Joseph.’ v59 So Joseph took the body of Jesus. He put a clean piece of soft white cloth round it. v60 And he buried the body in a large hole in a rock. He had made the hole to bury his own body when he died. After he buried Jesus’ body, he put a very big stone across the hole to shut it. Then he went away. v61 Mary from Magdala and Mary, the mother of James, were there and they were watching. They were sitting outside the hole in the rock where Joseph had buried Jesus.

Soldiers watch the place where Joseph had buried Jesus

v62 The next day was the *Sabbath day. The leaders of the *priests and the *Pharisees met together with Pilate. v63 ‘Sir’, they said, ‘that man tried to cause people to believe things that are not true. He said, “I will come back three days after I die.” He said that he would be alive again. We remember that. v64 Please would you put soldiers outside the rock where Joseph buried him? They should wait there for the next three days. Then his *disciples cannot come to take his body away from the hole. If they took the body away, then they could say to the people, “God has caused Jesus to become alive again.” This will be the second thing that is not true. And it will be worse than the first thing.’

v65 Pilate said to them all, ‘You can take a group of soldiers to watch the place. Let them fix the rock well, so that no person can open it.’ v66 So the leaders of the *priests and the *Pharisees went to the rock. They said to the group of soldiers, ‘Watch this hole in the rock well. Do not let anyone go in.’ Then they put a mark on the big stone. So, they would know if someone had moved it.

Chapter 28

Jesus becomes alive again

v1 Early, on the first day of the week, Mary from Magdala and Mary the mother of James got up early. They went to the hole in the rock where Joseph had buried the dead body of Jesus.

v2 At that moment, the ground moved about. One of God’s *angels came from *heaven and he went to the rock. He rolled the big stone away from outside the hole and then he sat on top of the big stone. v3 His face shone like *lightning. His clothes were very white like snow. v4 The soldiers who were watching the stone in front of the rock were very frightened. They fell down on the ground like dead men. They were so frightened that they could not move.

v5 Then the *angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid. I know that you are looking for Jesus. The soldiers killed him on a *cross. v6 But Jesus is not here. He has become alive again. He said that this would happen to him. Come here. You can see the place where he was lying. v7 After you have seen that, you must go quickly to his *disciples. Tell them, “Jesus is alive again, and he is going to Galilee before you. You will see him there.” That is the message that I have brought for you.’

v8 So the women went away quickly from the hole in the rock. They were very frightened, but also very happy. They ran to tell the *disciples the *angel’s message. v9 At that moment, Jesus met the two women. ‘Hello’, he said, and they went close to him. They held on to his feet and they said to him, ‘You are so powerful. You are very important and beautiful.’ v10 Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Go and speak to my *disciples. Say to them, “Brothers, Jesus says to you, ‘Go to Galilee. You will see me there.’ ” ’

The soldiers tell the leaders of the *priests what happened

v11 The women went to tell the *disciples Jesus’ message. Some of the soldiers who had watched the rock also went into the city. These soldiers told the leaders of the *priests everything that had happened at the rock. v12 The leaders of the *priests and the important *Jews met together. They talked about what they should do now. They decided to give the soldiers a lot of money so that they would obey them. v13 The leaders of the *priests and the important *Jews said to the soldiers, ‘You must say this to the people. “Jesus *disciples came in the night and they took his body away. We were asleep when they did this.” v14 If Pilate hears about this, we will explain things to him. He will know that you did not do anything wrong.’

v15 The soldiers took the money. And they told the people, ‘Jesus’ *disciples took the body away from the hole.’ The *Jews still believe that this really happened.

Jesus appears to his *apostles

v16 After this, the 11 *disciples went to Galilee. They went to the mountain where Jesus had asked them to go. v17 When they arrived at the place, they saw Jesus. Then they went down on their knees. They told Jesus how powerful and beautiful and important he is. But some of his *disciples were not sure that it really was Jesus. v18 Jesus went close to them and he said to them, ‘God has given me all authority. I have authority over everyone and everything. I have all authority in *heaven and in this world. v19 Go to the people in every country. Teach them how to become my *disciples. *Baptise them by the authority of God the Father, his Son and the *Holy Spirit. v20 Teach them to obey everything that I have taught you. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will be with you until the end of time.’

 

Word List

AD ~ AD 50 means the year that was 50 years after Jesus came, and so on.

ancestors ~ the people in a family who lived a long time ago.

angel ~ a servant from God who brings his messages.

anxious, anxiety ~ when a person has troubled thoughts.

apostle ~ a special *disciple of Jesus. These men had a special job to do for him. Their job was to tell other people about Jesus.

baptise, baptism ~ to put someone under water for a moment. They have done bad things. This shows God that they are sorry about all these bad things. Now they are going to obey God.

Baptist ~ a man who *baptises people.

bridegroom ~ a man who will soon marry.

care, take care of ~ help someone who cannot help himself; do the good things that someone or something needs.

Christ ~ The *Jews were waiting for God to send a special person to them. They called this person the Messiah. God had promised to send him. It means the person whom God sent to save people from *punishment. He would also be the king of the *Jews. He is the only person who can put us right with God. In the *Greek language, the special person was called Christ.

cross ~ two pieces of wood fixed together.

desert ~ a desert is a very dry place. Often there is a lot of sand and stones. There are not many plants. Not many people live there.

devil ~ another name for *Satan.

disciple ~ a person who wants to do the same things as another person, and learn from him; a person who agrees with Jesus; a person who does what Jesus teaches.

donkey ~ an animal like a small horse.

fig ~ a fruit that is good to eat.

forgive, forgiven ~ to show love and not remember bad things against someone. When God does not remember the wrong things that we do. He chooses to do this.

God’s Great House ~ the special big house in Jerusalem. The people met there to pray.

grapes ~ a fruit that people eat or make into *wine.

Greek ~ the language that people from Greece speak.

hate ~ not like or love.

heaven ~ the place where God and Christ rule; the future home of the people who know God; the place where people will always be happy and without troubles.

Hell ~ a place where people are not happy; a place where people who do not know God go after death.

Holy Spirit ~ the name of one of the 3 persons who are God. He helps Christians to be more like God. We cannot see him. He makes people strong in their *spirits.

hypocrites ~ these people say that they do one thing. But really they do something different. They want people to think that they are good. But really they are bad people.

Israel ~ all the people in the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God chose Israel to be his special people. The word can also mean the country that God gave to these people.

Jew, Jewish ~ a person that is born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.

judge ~ a person with authority to say if another person is right or wrong.

judge ~ to say what is right or wrong, good or bad.

justice ~ what is right and fair.

kingdom ~ the people and places that a king rules are his kingdom. The people that God rules are his kingdom. They are the Kingdom of God.

lamp ~ a light to use when it is dark; people burned oil in a dish to make a light; they called this a lamp.

laugh at ~ to laugh against someone.

Law ~ the Law of the *Jewish people. God gave the Law to Moses for his people to obey.

laws ~ the rulers of countries make rules that people must obey.

lightning ~ bright light that shines quickly in a storm, before a loud noise.

Lord ~ someone whom we obey; a name for God or for Jesus.

needle ~ a thin sharp piece of metal. It has a small hole at one end.

net ~ people tie thin *ropes together to make nets. People use nets to catch fish or birds.

olive ~ a tree that has fruit on it called olives. People make oil from olives.

Passover ~ an important holiday for the *Jews. They eat a special meal on this day every year. They remember that God took them away from Egypt. They were slaves in Egypt and Moses led them away.

Pharisees ~ a group of *Jews. Pharisees went to a special school to learn God’s *Laws. They thought that they obeyed all God’s rules. They did not like the things that Jesus taught. They thought that they did not do any wrong things. So they thought that they were very important and clever.

priest ~ a man that gave gifts and burned animals to God for the *Jews. A man that God chose to do things for him.

prophet ~ a person that tells people messages from God; people that spoke for God a long time ago.

punish, punishment ~ to cause someone pain because they have done wrong things.

Roman ~ a person or thing from the city called Rome.

rooster ~ a large male bird; it makes a loud noise, early in the morning.

rope ~ a long thin piece of material; strong material that people use to tie things together.

Sabbath ~ the day when the *Jews rested. They did no work.

Sadducees ~ a group of *Jews who did not believe in *heaven. They believed that dead people could not become alive again.

Samaria ~ a part of the country called *Israel. It was between Galilee and Judea.

Samaritan ~ a person who lived in *Samaria.

Satan ~ the bad *angel that God sent away from *heaven a long time ago.

silver ~ a valuable metal, but not as valuable as gold.

soil ~ the top part of the ground. Plants grow in it.

soul ~ the soul is a part of a person that we cannot see. Our soul is in us while we are alive. It lives on after we die.

spirit ~ the part of a person that is alive, but which we cannot see. It can speak to other spirits and to the *soul. There are bad spirits and good spirits.

tax ~ the money that people must pay to the Government. People gave their taxes to men who worked for the government. They then gave this money to their rulers.

trumpet ~ thing which makes music, a loud noise; used to tell people to get ready for something.

vine ~ a plant that grows a fruit called *grapes.

wheat ~ a plant that has many seeds. Farmers grow wheat and people make bread with the seeds.

whip ~ something used as a *punishment to hit someone who has done wrong things.

wine ~ a drink made from *grapes. It has alcohol in it.

wineskin ~ people kept *wine in wineskins after they had made it. These were like bottles and they made them from the skin of animals.

yeast ~ people put yeast into flour and water to make bread. It grows in the bread. It makes the bread rise.

Book List

William Barclay ~ The Gospel of Matthew, Volumes 1 and 2 ~ Daily Study Bible

R. V. G. Tasker ~ The Gospel according to St Matthew ~ Tyndale Bible Commentaries

Barclay M. Newman and Philip C. Stine ~ A handbook on the Gospel of Matthew ~ United Bible Societies

Alfred Marshall ~ The interlinear NRSV-NIV. Parallel New Testament in Greek and English ~ Zondervan

Ruth Davies and Shirley Chapman ~ Hear this Good News for Everybody! An EasyEnglish Version with Notes (1200 word vocabulary) of the Gospel of Luke

Ruth Davies and Shirley Chapman ~ Mark tells us the Good News about Jesus. An EasyEnglish Version with Notes (1200 word vocabulary) of the Gospel of Mark

Bibles ~ N.I.V, R.S.V, G.N.V, C.E.V & T.E.V

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Book 40	Matthew

King James Version

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001:001	The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
001:002	Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;
001:003	And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;
001:004	And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon;
001:005	And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;
001:006	And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;
001:007	And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;
001:008	And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias;
001:009	And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias;
001:010	And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias;
001:011	And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:
001:012	And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel;
001:013	And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor;
001:014	And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud;
001:015	And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob;
001:016	And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
001:017	So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.
001:018	Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
001:019	Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
001:020	But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
001:021	And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
001:022	Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
001:023	Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
001:024	Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
001:025	And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

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002:001	Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
002:002	Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
002:003	When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
002:004	And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
002:005	And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
002:006	And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
002:007	Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
002:008	And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
002:009	When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
002:010	When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
002:011	And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
002:012	And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
002:013	And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
002:014	When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
002:015	And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
002:016	Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
002:017	Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,
002:018	In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
002:019	But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
002:020	Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.
002:021	And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
002:022	But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:
002:023	And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

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003:001	In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
003:002	And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
003:003	For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
003:004	And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
003:005	Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
003:006	And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
003:007	But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
003:008	Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
003:009	And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
003:010	And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
003:011	I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
003:012	Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
003:013	Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
003:014	But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
003:015	And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
003:016	And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
003:017	And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

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004:001	Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
004:002	And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
004:003	And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
004:004	But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
004:005	Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
004:006	And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
004:007	Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
004:008	Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
004:009	And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
004:010	Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
004:011	Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
004:012	Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;
004:013	And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
004:014	That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
004:015	The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
004:016	The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
004:017	From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
004:018	And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
004:019	And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
004:020	And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
004:021	And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.
004:022	And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.
004:023	And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
004:024	And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.
004:025	And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.

---

005:001	And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
005:002	And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
005:003	Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
005:004	Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
005:005	Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
005:006	Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
005:007	Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
005:008	Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
005:009	Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
005:010	Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
005:011	Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
005:012	Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
005:013	Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
005:014	Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
005:015	Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
005:016	Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
005:017	Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
005:018	For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
005:019	Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
005:020	For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
005:021	Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
005:022	But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
005:023	Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
005:024	Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
005:025	Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
005:026	Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
005:027	Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
005:028	But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
005:029	And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
005:030	And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
005:031	It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
005:032	But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
005:033	Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
005:034	But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:
005:035	Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
005:036	Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
005:037	But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
005:038	Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
005:039	But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
005:040	And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
005:041	And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
005:042	Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
005:043	Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
005:044	But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
005:045	That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
005:046	For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
005:047	And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
005:048	Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

---

006:001	Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
006:002	Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
006:003	But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
006:004	That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
006:005	And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
006:006	But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
006:007	But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
006:008	Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
006:009	After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
006:010	Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
006:011	Give us this day our daily bread.
006:012	And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
006:013	And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
006:014	For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
006:015	But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
006:016	Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
006:017	But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
006:018	That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
006:019	Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
006:020	But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
006:021	For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
006:022	The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
006:023	But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
006:024	No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
006:025	Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
006:026	Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
006:027	Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
006:028	And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
006:029	And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
006:030	Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
006:031	Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
006:032	(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
006:033	But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
006:034	Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

---

007:001	Judge not, that ye be not judged.
007:002	For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
007:003	And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
007:004	Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
007:005	Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
007:006	Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
007:007	Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
007:008	For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
007:009	Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
007:010	Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
007:011	If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
007:012	Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
007:013	Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
007:014	Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
007:015	Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
007:016	Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
007:017	Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
007:018	A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
007:019	Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
007:020	Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
007:021	Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
007:022	Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
007:023	And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
007:024	Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
007:025	And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
007:026	And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
007:027	And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
007:028	And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
007:029	For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

---

008:001	When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.
008:002	And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
008:003	And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
008:004	And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
008:005	And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
008:006	And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
008:007	And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
008:008	The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.
008:009	For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
008:010	When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
008:011	And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
008:012	But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
008:013	And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
008:014	And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever.
008:015	And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.
008:016	When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:
008:017	That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
008:018	Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.
008:019	And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
008:020	And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
008:021	And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
008:022	But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
008:023	And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
008:024	And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
008:025	And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
008:026	And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
008:027	But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
008:028	And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.
008:029	And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
008:030	And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.
008:031	So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.
008:032	And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.
008:033	And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.
008:034	And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.

---

009:001	And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.
009:002	And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
009:003	And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.
009:004	And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?
009:005	For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?
009:006	But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.
009:007	And he arose, and departed to his house.
009:008	But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.
009:009	And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.
009:010	And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.
009:011	And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?
009:012	But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
009:013	But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
009:014	Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?
009:015	And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
009:016	No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.
009:017	Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.
009:018	While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.
009:019	And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.
009:020	And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:
009:021	For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.
009:022	But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
009:023	And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,
009:024	He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.
009:025	But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.
009:026	And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.
009:027	And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us.
009:028	And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
009:029	Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
009:030	And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.
009:031	But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.
009:032	As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.
009:033	And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.
009:034	But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.
009:035	And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
009:036	But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
009:037	Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
009:038	Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

---

010:001	And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
010:002	Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
010:003	Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
010:004	Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
010:005	These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
010:006	But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
010:007	And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
010:008	Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
010:009	Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
010:010	Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.
010:011	And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.
010:012	And when ye come into an house, salute it.
010:013	And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
010:014	And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
010:015	Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
010:016	Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
010:017	But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
010:018	And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
010:019	But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
010:020	For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
010:021	And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
010:022	And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
010:023	But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
010:024	The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
010:025	It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?
010:026	Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
010:027	What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
010:028	And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
010:029	Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
010:030	But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
010:031	Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
010:032	Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
010:033	But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
010:034	Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
010:035	For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
010:036	And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
010:037	He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
010:038	And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
010:039	He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
010:040	He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
010:041	He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.
010:042	And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

---

011:001	And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.
011:002	Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
011:003	And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
011:004	Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:
011:005	The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
011:006	And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
011:007	And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
011:008	But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
011:009	But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
011:010	For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
011:011	Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
011:012	And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
011:013	For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
011:014	And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
011:015	He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
011:016	But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,
011:017	And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.
011:018	For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.
011:019	The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.
011:020	Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:
011:021	Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
011:022	But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.
011:023	And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
011:024	But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.
011:025	At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
011:026	Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.
011:027	All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
011:028	Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
011:029	Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
011:030	For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

---

012:001	At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat.
012:002	But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
012:003	But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
012:004	How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?
012:005	Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
012:006	But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
012:007	But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
012:008	For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
012:009	And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue:
012:010	And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.
012:011	And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
012:012	How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.
012:013	Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.
012:014	Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.
012:015	But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;
012:016	And charged them that they should not make him known:
012:017	That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
012:018	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 shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
012:019	He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.
012:020	A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
012:021	And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.
012:022	Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.
012:023	And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?
012:024	But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
012:025	And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
012:026	And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
012:027	And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
012:028	But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
012:029	Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
012:030	He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
012:031	Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
012:032	And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
012:033	Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
012:034	O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
012:035	A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
012:036	But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
012:037	For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
012:038	Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
012:039	But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
012:040	For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
012:041	The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
012:042	The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
012:043	When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
012:044	Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
012:045	Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
012:046	While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.
012:047	Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.
012:048	But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
012:049	And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
012:050	For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

---

013:001	The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.
013:002	And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
013:003	And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
013:004	And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
013:005	Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
013:006	And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
013:007	And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
013:008	But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
013:009	Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
013:010	And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
013:011	He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
013:012	For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
013:013	Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
013:014	And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
013:015	For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
013:016	But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
013:017	For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
013:018	Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
013:019	When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
013:020	But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
013:021	Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
013:022	He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
013:023	But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
013:024	Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
013:025	But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
013:026	But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
013:027	So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
013:028	He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
013:029	But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
013:030	Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
013:031	Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
013:032	Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
013:033	Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
013:034	All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:
013:035	That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.
013:036	Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
013:037	He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
013:038	The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
013:039	The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
013:040	As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
013:041	The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
013:042	And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
013:043	Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
013:044	Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
013:045	Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
013:046	Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
013:047	Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
013:048	Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
013:049	So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
013:050	And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
013:051	Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
013:052	Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
013:053	And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.
013:054	And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?
013:055	Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
013:056	And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?
013:057	And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.
013:058	And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

---

014:001	At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,
014:002	And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.
014:003	For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife.
014:004	For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.
014:005	And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.
014:006	But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.
014:007	Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.
014:008	And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger.
014:009	And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.
014:010	And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.
014:011	And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.
014:012	And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.
014:013	When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.
014:014	And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.
014:015	And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.
014:016	But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.
014:017	And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.
014:018	He said, Bring them hither to me.
014:019	And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
014:020	And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.
014:021	And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.
014:022	And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
014:023	And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
014:024	But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
014:025	And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
014:026	And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
014:027	But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
014:028	And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
014:029	And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
014:030	But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
014:031	And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
014:032	And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
014:033	Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
014:034	And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret.
014:035	And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased;
014:036	And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.

---

015:001	Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
015:002	Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
015:003	But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
015:004	For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
015:005	But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
015:006	And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
015:007	Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
015:008	This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
015:009	But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
015:010	And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:
015:011	Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
015:012	Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?
015:013	But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
015:014	Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
015:015	Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.
015:016	And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?
015:017	Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
015:018	But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
015:019	For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
015:020	These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.
015:021	Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.
015:022	And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
015:023	But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
015:024	But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
015:025	Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
015:026	But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.
015:027	And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.
015:028	Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
015:029	And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there.
015:030	And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them:
015:031	Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.
015:032	Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.
015:033	And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?
015:034	And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.
015:035	And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.
015:036	And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
015:037	And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.
015:038	And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.
015:039	And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala.

---

016:001	The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
016:002	He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
016:003	And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
016:004	A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
016:005	And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.
016:006	Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
016:007	And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.
016:008	Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?
016:009	Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
016:010	Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
016:011	How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?
016:012	Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
016:013	When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
016:014	And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
016:015	He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
016:016	And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
016:017	And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
016:018	And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
016:019	And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
016:020	Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
016:021	From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
016:022	Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
016:023	But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
016:024	Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
016:025	For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
016:026	For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
016:027	For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
016:028	Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

---

017:001	And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
017:002	And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
017:003	And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
017:004	Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
017:005	While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
017:006	And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
017:007	And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.
017:008	And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.
017:009	And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.
017:010	And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?
017:011	And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
017:012	But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.
017:013	Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.
017:014	And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,
017:015	Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
017:016	And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
017:017	Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
017:018	And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
017:019	Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
017:020	And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
017:021	Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
017:022	And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men:
017:023	And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.
017:024	And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?
017:025	He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?
017:026	Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.
017:027	Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.

---

018:001	At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
018:002	And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
018:003	And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
018:004	Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
018:005	And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
018:006	But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
018:007	Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
018:008	Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
018:009	And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.
018:010	Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
018:011	For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
018:012	How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
018:013	And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
018:014	Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
018:015	Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
018:016	But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
018:017	And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
018:018	Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
018:019	Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
018:020	For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
018:021	Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
018:022	Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
018:023	Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
018:024	And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
018:025	But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
018:026	The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
018:027	Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
018:028	But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
018:029	And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
018:030	And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
018:031	So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
018:032	Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
018:033	Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
018:034	And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
018:035	So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

---

019:001	And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan;
019:002	And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.
019:003	The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
019:004	And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
019:005	And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
019:006	Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
019:007	They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
019:008	He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
019:009	And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
019:010	His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.
019:011	But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.
019:012	For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
019:013	Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.
019:014	But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
019:015	And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.
019:016	And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
019:017	And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
019:018	He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
019:019	Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
019:020	The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
019:021	Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
019:022	But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
019:023	Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
019:024	And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
019:025	When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
019:026	But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
019:027	Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?
019:028	And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
019:029	And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
019:030	But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

---

020:001	For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
020:002	And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
020:003	And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
020:004	And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
020:005	Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
020:006	And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
020:007	They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.
020:008	So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
020:009	And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
020:010	But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
020:011	And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,
020:012	Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
020:013	But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
020:014	Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.
020:015	Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
020:016	So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
020:017	And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,
020:018	Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,
020:019	And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.
020:020	Then came to him the mother of Zebedees children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.
020:021	And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.
020:022	But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
020:023	And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.
020:024	And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.
020:025	But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
020:026	But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
020:027	And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
020:028	Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
020:029	And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.
020:030	And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.
020:031	And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.
020:032	And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?
020:033	They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.
020:034	So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.

---

021:001	And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,
021:002	Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.
021:003	And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.
021:004	All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,
021:005	Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
021:006	And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,
021:007	And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.
021:008	And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.
021:009	And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
021:010	And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
021:011	And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.
021:012	And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
021:013	And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
021:014	And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.
021:015	And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were sore displeased,
021:016	And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?
021:017	And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.
021:018	Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.
021:019	And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.
021:020	And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!
021:021	Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
021:022	And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
021:023	And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?
021:024	And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things.
021:025	The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?
021:026	But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.
021:027	And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.
021:028	But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.
021:029	He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.
021:030	And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.
021:031	Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
021:032	For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
021:033	Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
021:034	And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
021:035	And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
021:036	Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
021:037	But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
021:038	But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
021:039	And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
021:040	When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
021:041	They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
021:042	Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
021:043	Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
021:044	And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
021:045	And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.
021:046	But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.

---

022:001	And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
022:002	The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
022:003	And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
022:004	Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
022:005	But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
022:006	And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
022:007	But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
022:008	Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
022:009	Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
022:010	So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
022:011	And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
022:012	And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
022:013	Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
022:014	For many are called, but few are chosen.
022:015	Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.
022:016	And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.
022:017	Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
022:018	But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
022:019	Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.
022:020	And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?
022:021	They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.
022:022	When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.
022:023	The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,
022:024	Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
022:025	Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:
022:026	Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.
022:027	And last of all the woman died also.
022:028	Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
022:029	Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
022:030	For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
022:031	But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
022:032	I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
022:033	And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.
022:034	But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
022:035	Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
022:036	Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
022:037	Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
022:038	This is the first and great commandment.
022:039	And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
022:040	On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
022:041	While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
022:042	Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David.
022:043	He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,
022:044	The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?
022:045	If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?
022:046	And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

---

023:001	Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
023:002	Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
023:003	All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
023:004	For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
023:005	But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
023:006	And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
023:007	And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
023:008	But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
023:009	And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
023:010	Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
023:011	But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
023:012	And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
023:013	But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
023:014	Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
023:015	Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
023:016	Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
023:017	Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
023:018	And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
023:019	Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
023:020	Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.
023:021	And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.
023:022	And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
023:023	Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
023:024	Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
023:025	Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
023:026	Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
023:027	Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
023:028	Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
023:029	Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
023:030	And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
023:031	Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.
023:032	Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
023:033	Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
023:034	Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
023:035	That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
023:036	Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
023:037	O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
023:038	Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
023:039	For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

---

024:001	And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
024:002	And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
024:003	And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
024:004	And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
024:005	For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
024:006	And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
024:007	For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
024:008	All these are the beginning of sorrows.
024:009	Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
024:010	And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
024:011	And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
024:012	And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
024:013	But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
024:014	And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
024:015	When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
024:016	Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
024:017	Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
024:018	Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
024:019	And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
024:020	But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
024:021	For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
024:022	And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
024:023	Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
024:024	For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
024:025	Behold, I have told you before.
024:026	Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
024:027	For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
024:028	For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
024:029	Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
024:030	And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
024:031	And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
024:032	Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
024:033	So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
024:034	Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
024:035	Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
024:036	But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
024:037	But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
024:038	For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
024:039	And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
024:040	Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
024:041	Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
024:042	Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
024:043	But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
024:044	Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
024:045	Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
024:046	Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
024:047	Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
024:048	But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
024:049	And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
024:050	The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
024:051	And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

---

025:001	Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
025:002	And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
025:003	They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
025:004	But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
025:005	While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
025:006	And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
025:007	Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
025:008	And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
025:009	But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
025:010	And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
025:011	Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
025:012	But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
025:013	Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
025:014	For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
025:015	And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
025:016	Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
025:017	And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
025:018	But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
025:019	After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
025:020	And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
025:021	His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
025:022	He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
025:023	His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
025:024	Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
025:025	And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
025:026	His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
025:027	Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
025:028	Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
025:029	For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
025:030	And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
025:031	When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
025:032	And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
025:033	And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
025:034	Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
025:035	For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
025:036	Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
025:037	Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
025:038	When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
025:039	Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
025:040	And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
025:041	Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
025:042	For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
025:043	I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
025:044	Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
025:045	Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
025:046	And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

---

026:001	And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,
026:002	Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
026:003	Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,
026:004	And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.
026:005	But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.
026:006	Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,
026:007	There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.
026:008	But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?
026:009	For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.
026:010	When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.
026:011	For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.
026:012	For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.
026:013	Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.
026:014	Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,
026:015	And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
026:016	And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.
026:017	Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?
026:018	And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.
026:019	And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.
026:020	Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.
026:021	And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
026:022	And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?
026:023	And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.
026:024	The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.
026:025	Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.
026:026	And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
026:027	And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
026:028	For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
026:029	But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.
026:030	And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
026:031	Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.
026:032	But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.
026:033	Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.
026:034	Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
026:035	Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.
026:036	Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
026:037	And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
026:038	Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
026:039	And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
026:040	And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
026:041	Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
026:042	He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
026:043	And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.
026:044	And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
026:045	Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
026:046	Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.
026:047	And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.
026:048	Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.
026:049	And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.
026:050	And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus and took him.
026:051	And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear.
026:052	Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
026:053	Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
026:054	But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?
026:055	In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.
026:056	But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.
026:057	And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.
026:058	But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end.
026:059	Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;
026:060	But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,
026:061	And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.
026:062	And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
026:063	But Jesus held his peace, And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
026:064	Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
026:065	Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
026:066	What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.
026:067	Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,
026:068	Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?
026:069	Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.
026:070	But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.
026:071	And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.
026:072	And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.
026:073	And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.
026:074	Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.
026:075	And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

---

027:001	When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:
027:002	And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
027:003	Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
027:004	Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
027:005	And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
027:006	And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.
027:007	And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.
027:008	Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.
027:009	Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;
027:010	And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me.
027:011	And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.
027:012	And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.
027:013	Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee?
027:014	And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.
027:015	Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.
027:016	And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.
027:017	Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?
027:018	For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.
027:019	When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.
027:020	But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.
027:021	The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas.
027:022	Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.
027:023	And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.
027:024	When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.
027:025	Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.
027:026	Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
027:027	Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.
027:028	And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.
027:029	And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
027:030	And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.
027:031	And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.
027:032	And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.
027:033	And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,
027:034	They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
027:035	And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
027:036	And sitting down they watched him there;
027:037	And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
027:038	Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.
027:039	And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,
027:040	And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
027:041	Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,
027:042	He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.
027:043	He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.
027:044	The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.
027:045	Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
027:046	And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
027:047	Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.
027:048	And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.
027:049	The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.
027:050	Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
027:051	And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
027:052	And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
027:053	And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
027:054	Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
027:055	And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:
027:056	Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedees children.
027:057	When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:
027:058	He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
027:059	And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
027:060	And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.
027:061	And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.
027:062	Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,
027:063	Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.
027:064	Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.
027:065	Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.
027:066	So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

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028:001	In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
028:002	And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
028:003	His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
028:004	And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
028:005	And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
028:006	He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
028:007	And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
028:008	And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.
028:009	And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.
028:010	Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.
028:011	Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.
028:012	And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,
028:013	Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.
028:014	And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.
028:015	So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
028:016	Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
028:017	And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
028:018	And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
028:019	Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
028:020	Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

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Note: Chapter topic headings from "The Holman Illustrated Study Bible"; Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A. ISBN: 978-1-58640-275-4.

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