Chapter 1

Introduction

1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of those ^a things that have been believed among us,

2 just as they were ^b delivered to us by those who ^c from the beginning were ^d eyewitnesses and ministers of the word,

3 it seemed good to me also, having an accurate understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, ^e most excellent Theophilus,

4 ^f that you might know the certainty of those things you have been taught.

Prophecy of John’s Birth

5 There was ^g in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, ^h of the division of ⁱ Abijah. And his ^j wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

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

7 And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren. And they were both advanced in years.

8 Now it came to pass while he was performing the priestly service before God in the order of his division,

9 according to the custom of the priest’s office, his turn was ^k to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.

10 And ^l the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the time of incense.

11 Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing on the right side of ^m the altar of incense.

12 And when Zacharias saw him, ⁿ he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

13 But the angel said to him, “Do not fear, Zacharias, for your prayer has been heard. And your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and ^o you will call his name John.

14 “And you will have joy and gladness, and ^p many will rejoice at his birth.

15 “For he will be ^q great in the sight of the Lord, and ^r will drink neither wine nor strong drink. And he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, ^s even from his mother’s womb.

16 “And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.

17 “And ^t he will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

18 Then Zacharias said to the angel, ^u “How will I know this? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.”

19 And the angel answered and said to him, “I am ^v Gabriel who stands in the presence of God. And I have been sent to speak to you and to show you these glad ^w tidings.

20 “And behold, ^x you will be mute and not able to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words that will be fulfilled in their proper time.”

21 Now the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he tarried so long in the temple.

22 And when he came out, he could not speak to them. And they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.

23 Now it came to pass as soon as ^y the days of his service were accomplished, he departed to his own house.

24 And after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived. And she hid herself five months, saying,

25 “Thus the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked on me, to ^z take away my disgrace among men.”

Prophecy of Jesus’ Birth

26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

27 to a virgin ^a engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.

28 Now the angel came to her and said, ^b “Hail, you who are highly favored. ^c The Lord is with you.”

29 And ^d she was troubled at his saying, and pondered in her mind what manner of greeting this was.

30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not fear, Mary, for you have found ^e favor with God.

31 ^f “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son. And you ^g will call His name JESUS.

32 “He will be great ^h and will be called the Son of the Most High. And ⁱ the Lord God will give to Him the ^j throne of His ^k father David.

33 ^l “And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How will this be since I do not know a man?”

35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The ^m Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy One who will be born of you will be called ⁿ the Son of God.

36 “And behold, your cousin Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age. And this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

37 “For ^o with God nothing will be impossible.”

38 And Mary said, “Behold the bondservant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 Then Mary arose in those days and went in a hurry into the hill country, into a ^p city of Judah.

40 And she entered into the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.

41 Now it came to pass when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was ^q filled with the Holy Spirit.

42 And she spoke out with a loud voice and said, ^r “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

43 “And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

44 “For behold, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

45 ^s “And blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things that were told her from the Lord.”

The Song of Mary

46 Then Mary said, ^t “My soul magnifies the Lord,

47 “and my spirit has ^u rejoiced in ^v God my Savior.

48 “For ^w He has regarded the low estate of His bondservant. For behold, from now on ^x all generations will call me blessed.

49 “For He who is mighty ^y has done to me great things. ^z Holy is His name.

50 “And ^a His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.

51 ^b “He has shown strength with His arm. ^c He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

52 ^d “He has put down the mighty from their seats and exalted them of low degree.

53 “He has ^e filled the hungry with good things. And the rich, He has sent away empty.

54 “He has helped His ^f servant Israel, ^g in remembrance of His mercy,

55 ^h “as He spoke to our ⁱ fathers, to Abraham and to his ^j seed forever.”

56 And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her own house.

Birth of John

57 Now Elizabeth’s full time came to give birth, and she gave birth to a son.

58 And her neighbors and her cousins heard how the Lord had showed great mercy to her. And they ^k rejoiced with her.

59 Now it came to pass ^l on the eighth day that they came to circumcise the child. And they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.

60 But his mother answered and said, ^m “No. He will be called John.”

61 And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.”

62 And they made signs to his father as to what he would have him called.

63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, “His name is John.” And they all marveled.

64 Then his mouth was opened immediately and his tongue loosed, and he spoke and praised God.

65 And fear came on all who dwelt around about them. And all these sayings were talked about throughout all the hill country of Judea.

66 And all those who heard them ⁿ laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What manner of child will this be?” And ^o the hand of the Lord was with him.

The Song of Zechariah

67 Then his father Zacharias ^p was filled with the Holy Spirit. And he prophesied, saying,

68 “Blessed ^q is the Lord God of Israel, for ^r He has visited and redeemed His people.

69 ^s “And He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David,

70 ^t “as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets who have been ^u since the world began,

71 “that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,

72 ^v “to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant,

73 ^w “the oath that He swore to our father Abraham,

74 “to grant us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might ^x serve Him without fear,

75 ^y “in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.

76 “And you, child, will be called the ^z prophet of the Most High, for ^a you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,

77 “to give ^b knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins,

78 “through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,

79 ^c “to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to ^d guide our feet into the way of peace.”

80 And ^e the child grew and became strong in spirit. And he ^f was in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

Chapter 2

Birth of Jesus

1 Now it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that a census be taken of all the world.

2 ^a This census was first made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

3 And all went to register for the census, everyone to his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to ^b the city of David which is called Bethlehem, ^c because he was of the house and lineage of David,

5 to be registered with Mary, who was ^d engaged to him, who was with child.

6 And so it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.

7 And ^e she brought forth her firstborn Son and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Angels Announce Jesus’ Birth

8 Now there were in the same country shepherds dwelling in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

9 Then the angel of the Lord came before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, ^f and they were greatly afraid.

10 And the angel said to them, ^g “Do not fear, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy ^h that will be to all people.

11 ⁱ “For to you a ^j Savior is born this day in the city of David, ^k who is Christ the Lord.

12 “And this will be a sign to you: You will find the babe wrapped in cloths, lying in a manger.”

13 ^l Then suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory ^m to God in the highest, and on earth ⁿ peace toward men of ^o goodwill.”

15 Now it came to pass, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”

16 So they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 Now when they had seen this, they made known abroad the saying that was told them concerning this child.

18 And all those who heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 ^p But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.

20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and ^q praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told to them.

Jesus Presented at the Temple

21 Now ^r when eight days were completed for His circumcision, His name was called ^s JESUS, the name given by the angel ^t before He was conceived in the womb.

22 And when ^u the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord,

23 ^v (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ^w “Every male that opens the womb will be called holy to the Lord”),

24 and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, ^x “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was just and devout, ^y waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

26 Now it was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not ^z see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

27 He came ^a by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law,

28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God, and said,

29 “Lord, ^b now You are letting Your bondservant depart in peace, according to Your word;

30 “For my eyes ^c have seen Your salvation,

31 “which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,

32 ^d a light to enlighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”

33 Now His father and mother marveled at those things which were spoken about Him.

34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the ^e fall and rising of many in Israel, and for ^f a sign which will be spoken against,

35 “so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. And ^g a sword will also pierce through your own soul.”

36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of ^h Asher. She was of great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her marriage,

37 and she was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple but served God with fastings and prayers ⁱ night and day.

38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to God, and spoke of Him to all those who ^j looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

39 Now when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth.

40 ^k And the Child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

Jesus at the Temple

41 Now His parents went to ^l Jerusalem ^m every year for the Feast of the Passover.

42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the ⁿ custom of the feast.

43 When they had fulfilled ^o the days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, and His parents did not know it.

44 But supposing Him to be in the company, they went a day’s journey, and began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances.

45 And when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him.

46 After three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both hearing them and asking them questions.

47 And ^p all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.

48 When they saw Him, they were amazed. And His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have anxiously sought You.”

49 He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be ^q about ^r My Father’s business?”

50 But ^s they did not understand the saying which He spoke to them.

51 So He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. But His mother ^t kept all these sayings in her heart.

52 Now Jesus ^u increased in wisdom and stature, ^v and in favor with God and man.

Chapter 3

John Prepares the Way

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

2 during the high priesthood of ^b Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to ^c John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness.

3 And ^d he came into all the country around the Jordan, preaching the baptism ^e of repentance for the remission of sins,

4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying, ^f “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord. Make His paths straight.

5 Every valley will be filled and every mountain and hill will be brought low. And the crooked will be made straight and the rough ways will be made smooth.

6 And ^g all flesh will see the salvation of God.’”

7 Then he said to the multitude that came out to be baptized by him, “O ^h generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

8 “Therefore, bring forth fruits ⁱ worthy of repentance. And do not begin to say within yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham.

9 “And indeed the ax is now laid at the root of the trees. Therefore, ^j every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire.”

10 And the people asked him, saying, ^k “What will we do then?”

11 He answered and said to them, ^l “He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. And he who has food, ^m let him do likewise.”

12 Then the ⁿ tax collectors came also to be baptized, and said to him, “Master, what will we do?”

13 And he said to them, ^o “Collect no more than that which is appointed you.”

14 And the soldiers likewise asked of him, saying, “And what will we do?” And he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone, ^p nor accuse any falsely. And be content with your wages.”

15 Now as the people were in expectation, and all men wondered in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ,

16 John answered, saying to them all, ^q “I indeed baptize you with water. But One mightier than I is coming, the straps of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie. He will ^r baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

17 “His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean His threshing floor. And He will ^s gather the wheat into His barn, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”

18 And he preached many other things in his exhortation to the people.

19 But ^t Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him for Herodias his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils that Herod had done,

20 added also this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.

Baptism and Genealogy of Jesus

21 Now when all the people were baptized, ^u it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized. And while praying, the heaven was opened,

22 And the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form like a dove upon Him. And a voice came from heaven, which said, “You are My beloved Son. In You I am ^v well pleased.”

23 Now when He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was ^w about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, ^x the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,

24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,

25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Hesli, the son of Naggai,

26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,

27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of ^y Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,

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

29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,

30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim,

31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of ^z Nathan, ^a the son of David,

32 ^b the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,

33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,

34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, ^c the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,

35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,

36 ^d the son of Cainan, the son of ^e Arphaxad, ^f the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,

37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan,

38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, ^g the son of God.

Chapter 4

Temptation of Jesus

1 And ^a Jesus, being full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and ^b was led by the Spirit into the wilderness

2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And ^c in those days He ate nothing. Now when they were ended, He was hungry.

3 Then the devil said to Him, “If You are ^d the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

4 And Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ^e ‘Man will not live by bread alone.’”

5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

6 And the devil said to Him, “All this dominion I will give You and its glory; for ^f it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I desire.

7 “Therefore, if You will worship me, all will be Yours.”

8 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is written, ^g ‘You will worship the Lord your God, and Him only will you serve.’”

9 ^h Then he brought Him to Jerusalem and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple. And he said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, cast Yourself down from here.

10 “For it is written, ⁱ ‘He will give His angels charge over You, to guard You,’

11 “and, ^j ‘In their hands they will bear You up, lest at any time You dash Your foot against a stone.’”

12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ^k ‘You will not tempt the Lord your God.’”

13 Now when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from Him ^l until an opportune time.

Nazareth Rejects Jesus

14 ^m So Jesus returned ⁿ in the power of the Spirit into ^o Galilee. And His ^p fame went throughout all the surrounding region.

15 And He ^q taught in their synagogues, ^r being glorified by all.

16 Now He came to ^s Nazareth where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, ^t He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read.

17 Then there was handed to Him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had unrolled the scroll, He found the place where it was written,

18 “The ^u Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to ^v set free those who are oppressed,

19 to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

20 Then He rolled up the scroll and gave it again to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all those who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.

21 Then He began to say to them, “This day this ^w Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

22 And all spoke well of Him and ^x wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, ^y “Is not this Joseph’s son?”

23 Then He said to them, “You will surely say to Me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal Yourself! Whatever we have heard done in ^z Capernaum, do also here in ^a Your country.’”

24 And He said, “Truly I say to you, no ^b prophet is accepted in his own country.

25 “But I tell you a truth. ^c Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when a great famine was throughout all the land.

26 “But to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, a city of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.

27 ^d “And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet. And none of them was cleansed, except Naaman the Syrian.”

28 Now all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were ^e filled with wrath.

29 ^f And they rose up and cast Him out of the city. And they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, so that they might cast Him down the cliff.

30 But ^g passing through their midst, He went His way.

Driving Out an Unclean Spirit

31 Then ^h He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And He taught them on the Sabbath.

32 And they were ⁱ astonished at His teaching, ^j for His word was with authority.

33 ^k Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice,

34 saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? ^l I know who You are — ^m the Holy One of God!”

35 Then Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Hold your peace and come out of him.” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him and did not hurt him.

36 Now they were all amazed, and spoke among themselves, saying, “What word is this! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they come out.”

37 And His fame went out into every place in the surrounding area.

Healing of the Multitudes

38 Then ⁿ He arose from the synagogue and entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was sick with a great fever. And they ^o asked Him concerning her.

39 Then He stood over her and ^p rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and ministered to them.

40 Now ^q when the sun was setting, all those who had any sick with various diseases brought them to Him. And He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.

41 ^r And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, ^s “You are the Son of God!” And ^t rebuking them, He would not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.

42 ^u Now when it was day, He departed and went into a desert place. And the people sought Him, and came to Him. And they tried to keep Him from leaving them.

43 Then He said to them, “I must ^v preach the kingdom of God to other cities also, because for this purpose I was sent.”

44 And ^w He preached in the synagogues of Galilee.

Chapter 5

Calling the First Disciples

1 Now ^a it came to pass as the people crowded Him to ^b hear the word of God, He stood by the lake of Gennesaret,

2 and saw two boats standing by the lake. But the fishermen were gone from them and were washing their nets.

3 And He entered into one of the boats that was Simon’s, and asked him to launch out a little way from the land. And He ^c sat down and taught the people out of the boat.

4 Now when He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, ^d “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

5 And Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have worked all night and have taken ^e nothing. Nevertheless, ^f at Your word I will let down the nets.”

6 Now when they had done this, they caught a great multitude of fish. And their nets began to break.

7 So they signaled to their partners who were in the other boat that they should come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.

8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ^g “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

9 For he and all who were with him were ^h astonished at the catch of the fish that they had taken,

10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear. ⁱ From now on you will catch men.”

11 Now when they had brought their boats to land, ^j they left all and followed Him.

Healing a Leper

12 ^k Now it came to pass when He was in a certain city, there was a man full of ^l leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and asked Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

13 And He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing. Be cleansed.” And ^m immediately the leprosy departed from him.

14 Then ⁿ He ordered him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing ^o just as Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.”

15 But ^p His fame was spreading even farther. And ^q great multitudes came together to hear Him and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.

16 Then ^r He withdrew Himself into the wilderness and ^s prayed.

Healing a Paralytic

17 Now it came to pass on a certain day as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by who had come out of every town of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal.

18 ^t And behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed. And they tried to bring him in and to lay him before Him.

19 Now when they could not find how they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop and let him down through the tiling with his bed into the midst ^u before Jesus.

20 And when He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”

21 Then ^v the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? ^w Who can forgive sins, but God alone?”

22 But when Jesus ^x perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?

23 “Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’?

24 “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, ^y “I say to you, arise, and take up your bed and go to your house.”

25 And immediately he rose up before them and took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, ^z glorifying God.

26 And they were all amazed and ^a glorified God. And they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today.”

Call of Levi

27 Now ^b after these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And He said to him, ^c “Follow Me.”

28 And he left all, rose up and ^d followed Him.

29 Then ^e Levi made Him a great feast in his own house. And ^f there was a great company of tax collectors and others who sat down with them.

30 But the Pharisees and their scribes complained against His disciples, saying, ^g “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

31 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but those who are sick.

32 ^h “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Questions About Fasting

33 And they said to Him, ⁱ “The disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees. But Yours eat and drink.”

34 Then He said to them, “Can you make the attendants of the bridegroom fast while the ^j bridegroom is with them?

35 “But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.”

36 And ^k He also spoke a parable to them: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old, otherwise, the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old.

37 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins, else the new wine will burst the skins and be spilled, and the skins will be ruined.

38 “But new wine must be put into new wineskins.

39 “No one, having drunk old wine first, desires new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’”

Chapter 6

Lord of the Sabbath

1 Now ^a it came to pass on one Sabbath that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate, rubbing them in their hands.

2 Then some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why do you do that ^b which is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”

3 But Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read ^c what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him,

4 how he went into the house of God and took and ate the showbread ^d that is not lawful to eat except for the priests alone. And he gave also to those who were with him?”

5 Then He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

Healing on the Sabbath

6 ^e Now it also came to pass on another Sabbath that He entered into the synagogue and taught. And there was a man there whose right hand was withered.

7 Now the scribes and Pharisees watched Him, whether He would ^f heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find an ^g accusation against Him.

8 But He ^h knew their thoughts. And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Rise up and stand forward.” And he arose and stood forward.

9 Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: ⁱ Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”

10 And looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.

11 Then they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

The Twelve Apostles

12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out into a mountain to pray. And He continued all night in ^j prayer to God.

13 And when it was day, He called His disciples. ^k And from them He chose ^l twelve, whom also He named apostles:

14 Simon, ^m whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew;

15 Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zealot;

16 and Judas ⁿ the brother of James, and ^o Judas Iscariot, who also was the traitor.

Blessings and Woes

17 Then He came down with them and stood in the plain. And there was a large crowd of His disciples ^p and a great multitude of people out of all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases.

18 And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were healed.

19 Now the whole multitude ^q sought to ^r touch Him, for ^s power went out of Him and healed them all.

20 Then He lifted up His eyes on His disciples and said, ^t “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

21 ^u Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be ^v filled. ^w Blessed are you who weep now, for you will ^x laugh.

22 ^y Blessed are you when men will hate you, and when they will ^z exclude you and scorn you, and cast out your name as evil for the Son of Man’s sake.

23 ^a Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For ^b in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.

24 But ^c woe to you ^d who are rich, for ^e you have received your comfort.

25 ^f Woe to you who are full, for you will hunger. ^g Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and ^h weep.

26 ⁱ Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

Loving Enemies

27 ^j “But I say to you who hear; love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you.

28 ^k Bless those who curse you and ^l pray for those who mistreat you.

29 And ^m to him who smites you on the one cheek, offer also the other. ⁿ And whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your tunic either.

30 ^o Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods, do not ask them back.

31 ^p Do to others as you would have them do to you.

32 ^q For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.

34 ^r And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive repayment, what credit is that to you? For sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.

35 But ^s love your enemies, and ^t do good, and ^u lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great. ^v You will then be the children of the Most High, for He is kind to the ungrateful and to the evil.

36 ^w Therefore, be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

Judging Others

37 ^x Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. ^y Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

38 ^z Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, it will be poured into your ^a lap. For ^b with the same measure that you use, it will be measured to you again.

39 And He spoke a parable to them: ^c “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?

40 ^d A disciple is not above his teacher. But everyone who is fully trained will be as his teacher.

41 ^e And why do you behold the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the plank that is in your own eye?

42 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not behold the beam that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, remove first the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

Judgment by Fruit

43 ^f For a good tree does not bring forth corrupt fruit, nor does a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

44 For ^g every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.

45 ^h The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good. And an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth that which is evil. For out ⁱ of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Wise and Foolish Builders

46 ^j And why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things that I say?

47 ^k Whoever comes to Me and hears My words, and does them, I will show you whom he is like:

48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on a rock. And when the flood arose, the torrent beat vehemently against that house and could not shake it, because it was well built on a rock.

49 But he who hears and does nothing is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation, against which the torrent beat vehemently, and immediately it collapsed. And the ruin of that house was great.

Chapter 8

Parable of the Sower

1 Now it came to pass afterward that He went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him,

2 and ^a certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, ^b out of whom had gone seven demons,

3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who ministered to Him from their substance.

4 Now ^c when many people had gathered together and had come to Him out of every city, He spoke by a parable:

5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside. And it was trodden down and the birds of the air devoured it.

6 “Then some fell upon rocky soil. And as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.

7 “Then some fell among thorns and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.

8 “Then others fell on good ground and sprang up, and produced a crop a hundredfold.” And when He had said these things, He cried out, ^d “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

9 ^e And His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?”

10 And He said, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God. But to the rest it is given in parables so that ^f ‘seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.’”

11 ^g “Now the parable is this: The seed is the ^h word of God.

12 “Those by the wayside are those who hear. Then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts lest they should believe and be saved.

13 “Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy. And these have no root, who believe for a while, and in time of trials fall away.

14 “And the seed that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares and ⁱ riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

15 “But the seed that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with an honest and good heart, keep it and bring forth fruit with ^j patience.”

Light of a Lamp

16 ^k “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed. But he sets it on a lampstand so that those who enter in may see the ^l light.

17 ^m “For nothing is secret that will not be ⁿ revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.

18 “Therefore, take heed how you hear, for whoever has, to him will be given. And ^o whoever does not have, from him ^p will be taken even that which he thinks he has.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

19 ^q Then His mother and His brothers came to Him. And they could not get to Him because of the crowd.

20 Then it was told Him by some who said, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You.”

21 And He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”

Calming of a Storm

22 ^r Now it came to pass on a certain day that He went into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out.

23 But as they sailed He fell asleep. Now there descended on the lake a storm of wind. And they were filling with water and were in danger.

24 Then they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm.

25 Then He said to them, ^s “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid and amazed, saying one to another, ^t “Who is this! For He commands even the winds and water and they obey Him.”

Healing a Demon-possessed Man

26 ^u Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes that is opposite Galilee.

27 Now when He went out on the land, there met Him a certain man out of the city who had demons. And for a long time he wore no clothes, nor stayed in a house, but in the tombs.

28 When he saw Jesus, he ^v cried out and fell down before Him. And with a loud voice he said, ^w “What have I to do with ^x You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!”

29 For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man, for it had seized him many times. And he was kept bound with chains and shackles, and yet he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.

30 And Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered into him.

31 Then they asked Him that He not command them to go out ^y into the abyss.

32 Now there was there a herd of many ^z swine feeding on the mountain. And they begged Him that He would permit them to enter into them. And He permitted them.

33 Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine. And the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake and drowned.

34 When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and went and told it in the city and in the country.

35 Then they went out to see what happened. And they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, ^a sitting at the ^b feet of Jesus, clothed and in ^c his right mind. And they were afraid.

36 They also who saw it told them by what means he who was possessed of the demons had been healed.

37 ^d Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gerasenes ^e asked Him to ^f depart from them, for they were seized with great ^g fear. So He got into the boat and returned.

38 Now ^h the man out of whom the demons had departed was begging Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying,

39 “Return to your own house and show what great things God has done for you.” So he went his way, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

Healing of a Woman

40 Now it came to pass that when Jesus returned the people welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.

41 ⁱ And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him that He come to his house,

42 for he had only one daughter about twelve years of age, and she ^j lay dying. But as He went, the crowds were pressing Him.

43 Now a ^k woman who had a ^l hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone,

44 came behind Him and ^m touched the border of His garment. And immediately her hemorrhage of blood stopped.

45 Then Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” And while they were all denying it, Peter said, “Master, the multitude is crowding and pressing against You.”

46 But Jesus said, “Somebody has touched Me, for I perceived that ⁿ power has gone out of Me.”

47 Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling. And falling down before Him, she declared to Him before all the people the reason she had touched Him, and how she was immediately healed.

48 Then He said to her, “Daughter, ^o your faith has made you well. ^p Go in peace.”

Raising of a Dead Girl

49 ^q While He was still speaking, there came one from the house of the ruler of the synagogue, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher anymore.”

50 But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not fear. ^r Only believe and she will be made well.”

51 Now when He came into the house, He did not let anyone go in with Him except Peter, John and James, and the father and mother of the girl.

52 And all wept and lamented for her. But He said, ^s “Do not weep. She is not dead, ^t but is asleep.”

53 And they laughed at Him, knowing that she was dead.

54 Then He took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, ^u arise.”

55 And her spirit returned and she immediately rose up. And He ordered for something to be given her to eat.

56 And her parents were astonished. But ^v He instructed them that they tell no one what had happened.

Chapter 9

Mission Trip of the Twelve

1 Then ^a He called His twelve disciples together. And He ^b gave them power and authority over all demons and to heal diseases.

2 Then ^c He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

3 And ^d He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, neither staffs, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have two tunics apiece.

4 ^e “And whatever house you enter, stay there until you depart.

5 ^f “And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, ^g shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.”

6 Then ^h they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

Herod’s Perplexity

7 Now ⁱ Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him. And he was perplexed because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead,

8 and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.

9 Then Herod said, “John I have beheaded. But who is this of whom I hear such things?” And ^j he kept trying to see Him.

Feeding of the Five Thousand

10 Then ^k when the apostles returned, they told Him all that they had done. And ^l He took them and withdrew by Himself to a city called Bethsaida.

11 But when the people were aware of this, they followed Him. And He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.

12 Now ^m when the day began to end, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away so that they may go into the surrounding towns and country and lodge and get provisions, for we are in a desolate place here.”

13 But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.”

14 For there were about five thousand men. And He said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.”

15 And they did so, and made them all sit down.

16 Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He ⁿ blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.

17 And they all ate and were filled. And there was taken up by them twelve baskets of the leftover fragments.

Confession of Peter

18 ^o Now it came to pass as He was alone praying, His disciples were with Him. And He asked them, saying, “Who do the people say that I am?”

19 They answered and said, ^p “John the Baptist. But some say Elijah; and others that one of the old prophets has risen again.”

20 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ^q Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.”

21 ^r But He warned and commanded them to tell this to no one,

22 saying, ^s “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised the third day.”

The Cost of Following Jesus

23 Then ^t He said to them all, “If anyone will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

24 ^u “For whoever will save his life will lose it. But whoever will lose his life for My sake will save it.

25 ^v “For what is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?

26 ^w “For whoever will be ashamed of Me and of My words, of him will the Son of Man be ^x ashamed when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

27 ^y “But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

The Transfiguration

28 ^z Now it came to pass about eight days after these sayings that He took Peter and John and James and went up on a mountain to pray.

29 Now as He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His clothing became white and glistening.

30 And behold, two men talked with Him, who were ^a Moses and ^b Elijah,

31 who appeared in glory and spoke of His departure that He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

32 But Peter and those who were with Him ^c were heavy with sleep. And when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.

33 Now as they departed from Him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three tabernacles, one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said.

34 While he was saying this, there came a cloud and it began to overshadow them. And they feared as they entered the ^d cloud.

35 Then there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, ^e “This is My Son, My chosen One! ^f Hear Him!”

36 When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. ^g And they kept silent and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.

Healing a Boy with an Unclean Spirit

37 ^h Now it came to pass on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, many people met Him.

38 And behold, a man from the multitude cried out, saying, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only child.

39 “For behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth. And it leaves him with great difficulty, bruising him.

40 “I asked Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not.”

41 And Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.”

42 Now as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.

43 They were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But while everyone marveled at all things that Jesus did, He said to His disciples,

44 ⁱ “Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of men.”

45 ^j But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask Him about it.

Dispute About the Greatest

46 ^k Then there arose a dispute among them as to which of them should be the greatest.

47 And Jesus, ^l perceiving the thought of their heart, took a ^m child and set him by Him.

48 And He said to them, ⁿ “Whoever will receive this child in My name receives Me; and ^o whoever receives Me ^p receives Him who sent Me. ^q For he who is least among you all, the same will be great.”

49 ^r Then John answered and said, “Master, we saw one casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.”

50 And Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for ^s he who is not against us is for us.”

Journey to Jerusalem

51 Now it came to pass when the time had come for ^t Him to be received up, He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.

52 So He sent messengers before Him, and they entered a village of the Samaritans to prepare for Him.

53 But ^u they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.

54 When His disciples, ^v James and John, saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”

55 But He turned and rebuked them.

56 Then they went to another village.

The Cost of Discipleship

57 ^w Now it came to pass as they went along the road, a certain man said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”

58 Then Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has ^x nowhere to lay His head.”

59 And ^y He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father.”

60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”

61 And another also said, “Lord, ^z I will follow You, but let me first go and say goodbye to those at my house.”

62 Then Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is ^a fit for the kingdom of God.”

Chapter 10

Mission Trip of the Seventy

1 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also. And He ^a sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was going to come.

2 Then He said to them, ^b “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few. Therefore, ^c plead with the Lord of the harvest that He send out laborers into His harvest.

3 “Go your way. ^d Behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.

4 ^e “Carry no money bag, no wallet, no sandals. And do not ^f greet anyone along the way.

5 ^g “And into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’

6 “And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it. If not, it will return to you.

7 ^h “And remain in the same house, ⁱ eating and drinking such things as they give you, for ^j the laborer is worthy of his hire. Do not go from house to house.

8 “And into whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.

9 ^k “And heal the sick that are in it, and say to them, ^l ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’

10 “But into whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say,

11 ^m ‘Even the very dust of your city that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near to you.’

12 “I say to you that ⁿ it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city.

Woe to Unrepentant Cities

13 ^o “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! ^p For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon that have been done in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

14 “But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.

15 ^q “And you, Capernaum, will you be ^r exalted to heaven? ^s You will be brought down to Hades!

16 ^t “The one who hears you hears Me. And the ^u one who rejects you rejects Me. And ^v the one who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”

Return of the Seventy

17 Then ^w the seventy returned again with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”

18 And He said to them, ^x “I saw Satan fall from heaven as lightning.

19 “Behold, ^y I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. And nothing will by any means hurt you.

20 “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you. But rejoice because ^z your names are written in heaven.”

Jesus Rejoices in the Spirit

21 ^a In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit. And He said, “I thank You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.

22 ^b “All things are delivered to Me by My Father. And ^c no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”

23 Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, ^d “Blessed are the eyes that see the things that you see,

24 for I tell you ^e that many prophets and kings have desired to see the things that you see, and have not seen them, and to hear the things that you hear, and have not heard them.”

Parable of the Good Samaritan

25 “And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, ^f ‘Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?’”

26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? How does it read to you?”

27 And he answered and said, ^g “‘You will love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and ^h your neighbor as yourself.’”

28 Then He said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and ⁱ you will live.”

29 But wanting to ^j justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 And Jesus answered and said, “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

31 “Now by chance there came down that way a certain priest. And when he saw him, ^k he passed by on the other side.

32 “And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked at him, and passed by on the other side.

33 “But a certain ^l Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had ^m compassion on him.

34 “Then he went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. And he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

35 “Now on the next day he took out two ⁿ denarii and gave them to the host. And he said to him, ‘Take care of him. And what more you spend, when I come again I will repay you.’

36 “Now which of these three do you think was neighborly to him who fell among the thieves?”

37 Then he said, “He who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, ^o “Go and do likewise.”

The Home of Mary and Martha

38 Now it came to pass as they traveled that He entered into a certain village. And a certain woman named ^p Martha welcomed Him into her house.

39 And she had a sister called Mary, ^q who also ^r sat at the Lord’s feet and heard His word.

40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she came to Him, and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore, tell her that she must help me.”

41 And the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.

42 “But ^s one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part that will not be taken away from her.”

Chapter 11

Teaching on Prayer

1 Now it came to pass that as He was praying in a certain place, when He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples.”

2 Then He said to them, “When you pray, say:
‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.

3 ‘Give us each day our daily bread.

4 ‘And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation.’”

5 Then He said to them, “Which of you will have a friend and will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves,

6 ‘for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey and I have nothing to set before him’;

7 “and from within he will answer and say, ‘Do not trouble me. The door is now shut and my children are with me in bed. I cannot rise and give to you’?

8 “I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as much as he needs.

9 “And I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you.

10 “For everyone who asks receives. And he who seeks finds. And to him who knocks it will be opened.

11 “If a son will ask for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?

12 “Or if he will ask for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

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

Jesus and Beelzebul

14 Now He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. And it came to pass when the demon had gone out, the mute spoke and the people marveled.

15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”

16 And others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.

17 But knowing their thoughts, He said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. And a house divided against itself falls.

18 “If Satan is also divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? I say this because you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.

19 “Now if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges.

20 “But if I with the finger of God cast out demons, certainly the kingdom of God has come upon you.

21 “When an armed strong man keeps his palace, his goods are undisturbed.

22 “But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.

23 “He who is not with Me is against Me. And he who does not gather with Me, scatters.

24 “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walks through waterless places, seeking rest. And finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’

25 “And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order.

26 “Then he goes and takes along 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.”

27 Now it came to pass as He spoke these things, a certain woman of the crowd lifted up her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts that nursed You!”

28 But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”

The Sign of Jonah

29 Now when the people were gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. They seek a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.

30 “For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation.

31 “The Queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them. For she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

32 “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it. For they repented unto the preaching of Jonah. And behold, a greater than Jonah is here.

The Lamp of the Body

33 “No man, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand so that those who come in may see the light.

34 “The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is evil, your body also is full of darkness.

35 “Therefore, take heed that the light that is in you is not darkness.

36 “If therefore your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be full of light, as when the bright lamp gives you light.”

Six Woes

37 Now as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. And He went in and reclined to eat.

38 Now when the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.

39 Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.

40 “You foolish ones! Did not He who made that which is outside also make that which is inside?

41 “But rather give alms of such things as you have. And then, all things are clean to you.

42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all kinds of herbs, and disregard justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone.

43 “Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the markets.

44 “Woe to you because you are like unmarked graves, and men who walk over them are not aware of them.”

45 Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, “Teacher, by saying this, You insult us also.”

46 And He said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.

47 “Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.

48 “Therefore, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers. For they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.

49 “Therefore, the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’

50 “so that the blood of all the prophets that was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation,

51 “from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Truly, I say to you, it will be required of this generation.

52 “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You entered not in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.”

53 Now when He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to vehemently rail at Him and to provoke Him to speak on many things,

54 plotting against Him to catch Him in something He might say.

Chapter 12

Exhortations

1 In ^a the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together so that they trampled upon one another, He began to say to His disciples first, ^b “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees which is hypocrisy.

2 ^c For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.

3 Therefore, whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light. And what you have spoken in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

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

5 “But I will forewarn you whom you should fear. Fear Him who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I say to you, ^f fear Him!

6 “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings? And ^g not one of them is forgotten before God.

7 “But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear. You are of more value than many sparrows.

8 ^h “Also I say to you, whoever will confess Me ⁱ before men, him will the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God.

9 “But he who ^j denies Me before men, will be denied before the angels of God.

10 “And ^k whoever will speak a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.

11 ^l “And when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and powers, do not worry how or what you will answer, or what you will say.

12 “For the Holy Spirit will ^m teach you in the same hour what you ought to say.”

Parable of the Rich Fool

13 Then one of the company said to Him, “Teacher, speak to my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

14 And He said to him, ⁿ “Man, who made Me a judge or arbitrator over you?”

15 Then He said to them, ^o “Take heed and beware of all covetousness, for a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things that he possesses.”

16 And He spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully.

17 “Now he thought within himself, saying, ‘What will I do, because I have no room to store my crops?’

18 “Then he said, ‘This I will do. I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

19 ‘And I will say to my soul, ^p “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease, ^q eat, drink and be merry.”’

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This night ^r your soul will be required of you; ^s then whose will those things be that you have provided?’

21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself ^t and is not rich toward God.”

Teaching on Anxiety

22 Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, ^u do not take thought for your life, what you will eat; nor for the body, what you will put on.

23 “The life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.

24 “Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap. They have neither storehouse nor barn. And ^v God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than the birds?

25 “And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

26 “If you then are not able to do that thing which is least, why are you anxious for the rest?

27 “Consider the lilies, how they grow. They toil not, nor do they spin. And yet, I say to you that even ^w Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.

28 “If God then so clothes the grass that is today in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of ^x little faith?

29 “And do not seek what you will eat, or what you will drink, nor be worrisome.

30 “For all these things the nations of the world seek after. But your Father ^y knows that you have need of these things.

31 ^z “But rather seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

32 “Do not fear, little flock, for ^a it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

33 ^b “Sell what you have and give ^c alms. ^d Provide yourselves money bags that do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches, nor moth destroys.

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

Being Watchful

35 ^e “Let your waist be girded and ^f your lights burning.

36 “Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding, so that when he comes and knocks, they may immediately open to him.

37 ^g “Blessed are those bondservants whom the lord, when he comes, will find watching. Truly I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.

38 “Now if he comes in the second watch, or comes in the third watch, and finds them so, blessed are those bondservants.

39 ^h “Now know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

40 ⁱ “Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him.”

Faithful and Unfaithful Servants

41 Then Peter said to Him, “Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to everyone else?”

42 Then the Lord said, ^j “Who then is that faithful and wise steward whom his lord will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time?

43 “Blessed is that bondservant whom his lord, when he comes, will find so doing.

44 ^k “Of a truth I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.

45 ^l “But if that bondservant says in his heart, ‘My lord delays his coming,’ and will begin to beat both the men and women bondservants, and to eat and drink and be drunk,

46 “the lord of that bondservant will come in a ^m day when he does not look for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

47 “But ⁿ that bondservant who ^o knew his master’s will and did not prepare, nor did according to his will, will be beaten with many stripes.

48 ^p “But he who did not know, and did commit things deserving of stripes, will be beaten with few stripes. For to whomever much is given, of him will much be required. And to whom they have entrusted much, of him they will ask the more.

Peace Among Disciples

49 ^q “I have come to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!

50 “But ^r I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and how distressed I am until it is ^s accomplished!

51 ^t “Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, no, ^u but rather division.

52 ^v “For from now on there will be five in one house divided, three against two and two against three.

53 ^w “The father will be divided against the son and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter and the daughter against the mother; the mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

Discerning the Times

54 And He said also to the people, ^x “When you see a cloud rise out of the west, immediately you say, ‘There is coming a shower,’ and so it is.

55 “Now when you see the ^y south wind blow, you say, ‘There will be hot weather,’ and it comes to pass.

56 “Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it that you do not discern ^z this present time?

57 “Yes, and why even of yourselves do you not judge what is right?

58 ^a “When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, ^b as you are on the way there, make every effort to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.

59 “I tell you, you will not depart from there until you have paid the very last mite.”

Chapter 13

Repent or Perish

1 There were present at that time some who told Him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

2 Then Jesus said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans because they suffered such things?

3 “I tell you, no. But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

4 “Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were sinners above all the men who dwelt in Jerusalem?

5 “I tell you, no. But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

6 He spoke also this parable: ^a “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. And he came looking for fruit on it and found none.

7 “Then he said to the dresser of his vineyard, ‘Behold, I have come these three years seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down. Why does it use up the ground?’

8 “Then he answered and said to him, ‘Lord, let it alone this year also, until I will dig around it and fertilize it.

9 ‘And if it bears fruit after that, fine. But if not, you can ^b cut it down.’”

Healing on the Sabbath

10 Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.

11 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years. And she was bowed together and could in no way straighten herself up.

12 Now when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your ^c infirmity.”

13 ^d Then He laid His hands on her. And immediately she was made straight and glorified God.

14 Then the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation because Jesus had ^e healed on the Sabbath. And he said to the people, ^f “There are six days in which men ought to work. Therefore, in them come and be healed, and ^g not on the Sabbath day.”

15 The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrites! ^h Does not each one of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead it away to water him?

16 “So ought not this woman, ⁱ being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for these eighteen long years, be released from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

17 Now when He had said these things, all His adversaries were ashamed. And all the people rejoiced over all the glorious things that were ^j done by Him.

Parable of the Mustard Seed

18 ^k Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like, and to what will I compare it?

19 “It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and threw into his garden. And it grew and became a tree. And the birds of the air lodged in its branches.”

Parable of the Leaven

20 And again He said, “To what will I compare the kingdom of God?

21 “It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three ^l measures of meal until the whole was leavened.”

The Narrow Door

22 Now ^m He went through the cities and villages, teaching and traveling toward Jerusalem.

23 Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there ⁿ few who are saved?” And He said to them,

24 ^o “Strive to enter in through the narrow gate. For ^p many, I say to you, will seek to enter in and will not be able.

25 ^q “Once the owner of the house rises up and ^r shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ^s ‘Lord, Lord, open to us,’ then He will answer and say to you, ^t ‘I do not know from where you are.’

26 “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’

27 ^u “But He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know you, or from where you come. ^v Depart from Me all you workers of iniquity.’

28 ^w “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth ^x when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrown out.

29 “And they will come from the east and from the west and from the north and from the south, and will sit down in the kingdom of God.

30 ^y “And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.”

Lament Over Jerusalem

31 The same day there came some of the Pharisees, saying to Him, “Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You.”

32 Then He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and do healing today and tomorrow, and the third day ^z I will be finished.’

33 “Nevertheless, I must walk today and tomorrow, and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside Jerusalem.

34 ^a “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you. How often I would have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

35 “Behold, ^b your house is left to you desolate. And indeed I say to you that you will not see Me until the time comes when you will say, ^c ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

Chapter 14

Teaching in a Pharisee’s House

1 Now it came to pass as He went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they closely watched Him.

2 And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy.

3 Then Jesus answered and spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, ^a “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”

4 But they held their peace. And He took him and healed him, and let him go.

5 He then answered them, saying, ^b “Which of you will have a son or an ox fall into a pit, and will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?”

6 Now they could not answer Him again concerning these things.

Parable of the Guests

7 Then He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose out the chief places, saying to them,

8 “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding, do not sit in the highest places, lest a more honorable man than you are invited by him,

9 “and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give this place to this man,’ and then with embarrassment you take the lowest place.

10 ^c “But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place so that when he who invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have honor in the presence of those who sit at the table with you.

11 ^d “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled. And he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Feast for the Poor

12 Then He said also to him who invited Him, “When you prepare a dinner or a supper, do not call your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you are repaid.

13 “But when you prepare a feast, call ^e the poor, crippled, lame and blind.

14 “And you will be ^f blessed because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

Parable of the Great Banquet

15 Now when one of those who reclined at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, ^g “Blessed is he who will eat the bread in the kingdom of God!”

16 ^h Then He said to him, “A certain man made a great supper and invited many.

17 “And he ⁱ sent his bondservant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’

18 “But they all with one accord began to make excuse. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’

19 “And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’

20 “Then another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’

21 “So that bondservant came and reported these things to his lord. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his bondservant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and crippled and lame and blind.’

22 “Then the bondservant said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’

23 “And the master said to the bondservant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in so that my house may be filled.

24 ‘For I say to you ^j that none of those men who were invited will taste of my supper.’”

The Cost of Discipleship

25 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them,

26 ^k “If anyone comes to Me ^l and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, ^m yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.

27 “And ⁿ whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me, cannot be My disciple.

28 “For ^o which one of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it?

29 “Otherwise, after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish it, all who see it begin to mock him,

30 “saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

31 “Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to encounter him who comes against him with twenty thousand?

32 “Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.

33 “So likewise, whoever of you who ^p does not forsake all that he has, cannot be My disciple.

Salt Without Flavor

34 ^q “Salt is good. But if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will it be seasoned?

35 “It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill. It is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Chapter 15

Parable of the Lost Sheep

1 Then ^a all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.

2 But the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This man receives sinners ^b and eats with them.”

3 Then He spoke this parable to them, saying,

4 ^c “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?

5 “Now when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

6 “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ^d ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep ^e that was lost!’

7 “I say to you, that likewise more joy will be in heaven over one sinner who repents ^f than over ninety-nine righteous persons who ^g need no repentance.”

Parable of the Lost Coin

8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and diligently seek until she finds it?

9 “And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost!’

10 “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Parable of the Prodigal Son

11 And He said, “A certain man had two sons.

12 “Now the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of the inheritance that falls to me.’ And he divided to them ^h his livelihood.

13 “And not many days after, the younger son gathered everything together and took his journey to a far country. And there he wasted his inheritance with wild living.

14 “Now when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land. And he began to be in need.

15 “Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country. And he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

16 “Now he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, for no one gave anything to him.

17 “Now when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have enough bread and to spare, and I am dying with hunger!

18 ‘I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, ⁱ I have sinned against heaven and before you,

19 “and I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.”’

20 “Then he arose and came to his father. But ^j when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion. And he ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.

21 “Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven ^k and in your sight, and am no more worthy to be called your son.’

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him. And put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet.

23 “And bring here the fattened calf and kill it. Let us eat and be merry,

24 ^l ‘for this my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

25 “Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.

26 “Then he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.

27 “And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’

28 “Then he became angry and would not go in. Therefore, his father came out and pleaded with him.

29 “And he answered and said to his father, ‘Look, these many years I have been serving you. I have never transgressed your commandment at any time. And yet, you never gave me a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends.

30 ‘But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you have killed for him the fattened calf.’

31 “Then he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me and all that I have is yours.

32 ‘It was right that we should celebrate and be glad, ^m for this your brother was dead and is alive again. And he was lost and is found.’”

Chapter 16

Parable of the Unjust Steward

1 Then He also said to His disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a steward. And it was reported to him that the steward was wasting his goods.

2 “And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear of you? Give an ^a account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’

3 “Then the steward said within himself, ‘What will I do? For my lord takes away from me the stewardship. I cannot dig. I am ashamed to beg.

4 ‘I know what to do, so that when I am removed from the stewardship they may receive me into their houses.’

5 “So he called every one of his master’s debtors and said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

6 “And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill and sit down quickly and write fifty.’

7 “Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill and write eighty.’

8 “Then the master commended the unjust steward because he had acted shrewdly. For the children of this age are more shrewd in relation to their generation than ^b the children of light.

9 “Now I say to you, ^c make friends for yourselves through worldly wealth, so that when it fails, they may receive you into everlasting dwellings.

10 ^d “He who is faithful in that which is a little is also faithful in much. And he who is unrighteous in a little is also unrighteous in much.

11 “Therefore, if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

12 “And if you have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who will give you that which is your ^e own?

13 ^f “No servant 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. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

14 And the Pharisees ^g who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they scoffed at Him.

15 Then He said to them, “You are those who ^h justify yourselves ⁱ before men. But ^j God knows your hearts. For ^k that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”

Teaching on the Law and Marriage

16 ^l “The law and the prophets were preached until John. Since that time the kingdom of God is preached and everyone is forcing his way into it.

17 ^m “But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than one tittle of the law to fail.

18 ⁿ “Whoever puts away his wife and marries another, commits adultery. And he who marries one who has been put away from a husband commits adultery.”

The Rich Man and Lazarus

19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen. And he lived in luxury every day.

20 “Now there was a certain beggar named Lazarus who was laid at his gate, covered with sores,

21 “and desiring to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 “Now it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into ^o Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.

23 “And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torments. And he saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 “Then he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and ^p cool my tongue, for I ^q am tormented in this flame.’

25 “But Abraham said, ‘Son, ^r remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things. But now he is comforted and you are suffering.

26 ‘And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you cannot come, nor can those from there cross over to us.’

27 “Then he said, ‘Therefore, I beg you, father, that you would send him to my father’s house.

28 ‘For I have five brothers to whom he may testify, lest they also come to this place of torment.’

29 “Abraham said to him, ^s ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them.’

30 “But he said, ‘No, father Abraham. But if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’

31 “Then he said to him, ^t ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, ^u neither will they be persuaded even if one rises from the dead.’”

Chapter 18

Parable of the Persistent Widow

1 And He spoke a parable to them that men should ^a always pray and not lose heart.

2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God nor respect man.

3 “Now there was a widow in that city. And she came to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’

4 “But he would not for a while. But afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God, nor respect man,

5 ^b yet because this widow troubles me, I will give her justice, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’”

6 Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said.

7 “And ^c will not God bring about justice for His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He forbears long with them?

8 “I tell you ^d that He will bring about justice for them quickly. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

Parable of the Pharisee & Tax Collector

9 Now He spoke this parable to some ^e who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

11 “The Pharisee ^f stood and prayed thus with himself, ^g ‘God, I thank You that I am not as other men: extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.

12 ‘I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I possess.’

13 “But the tax collector, standing far away, would not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven. But he beat his breast, saying, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner!’

14 “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. ^h For everyone who exalts himself will be abased. And he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus and Little Children

15 ⁱ Now they also brought to Him babies so that He might touch them. But when His disciples saw it, they rebuked them.

16 But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Permit little children to come to Me, and do not forbid them, ^j for of such is the kingdom of God.

17 ^k “Truly I say to you, whoever will not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will in no way enter into it.”

The Rich Young Ruler

18 And ^l a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”

19 Then Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No ^m one is good except God alone.

20 “You know the commandments: ⁿ ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not kill,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ^o ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”

21 And he said, “All ^p these I have kept from my youth.”

22 Now when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. ^q Sell all that you possess and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow Me.”

23 Then when he heard this, he was very sorrowful, for he was very rich.

24 Now when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, He said, ^r “How hard it is for those who are rich to enter the kingdom of God!

25 “For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”

26 Then those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?”

27 And He said, ^s “The things that are impossible with men are possible with God.”

28 ^t Then Peter said, “Behold, we have left all and followed You.”

29 And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, ^u there is no one who has left house or parents or wife or brothers or children for the sake of the kingdom of God,

30 ^v “who will not receive manifold more in this present time and in the world to come eternal life.”

Jesus Speaks of His Death

31 ^w Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem. And all things ^x that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.

32 “For ^y He will be delivered to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and spitefully mistreated and spit upon.

33 “And they will scourge Him and put Him to death. And the third day He will rise again.”

34 ^z But they understood none of these things. The meaning of this saying was hidden from them. Neither did they comprehend the things that were spoken.

Healing of a Blind Man

35 ^a Now it came to pass that as He came near to Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the road begging.

36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.

37 And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.

38 Then he cried out, saying, “Jesus, ^b Son of David, have mercy on me.”

39 But those who went ahead rebuked him that he should hold his peace. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

40 Then Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him,

41 saying, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And he said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”

42 Then Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight. ^c Your faith has made you well.”

43 And immediately he received his sight and followed Him, ^d glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

Chapter 19

Zacchaeus

1 Then Jesus entered and passed through ^a Jericho.

2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was the chief among the tax collectors. And he was rich.

3 And he sought to ^b see who Jesus was. But he could not because of the crowd, for he was short in stature.

4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was about to pass that way.

5 Now when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately, for today I must stay at your house.”

6 Now he came down immediately and received Him joyfully.

7 And when they saw it, they all complained, saying, ^c “He has gone to be the guest with a man who is a sinner.”

8 Then Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the ^d poor. And if I have taken anything from anyone by ^e false accusation, ^f I restore to him fourfold.”

9 Then Jesus said to him, “This day salvation has come to this house, because ^g he also is ^h a son of Abraham.

10 ⁱ “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Parable of the Ten Minas

11 And while they heard these things, He went on to tell a parable because He was near Jerusalem, and because ^j they thought that the kingdom of God would immediately appear.

12 ^k Therefore He said, “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.

13 “And he called his ten bondservants and delivered to them ten minas. And he said to them, ‘Do business until I come.’

14 ^l “But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’

15 “When he returned after receiving the kingdom, he commanded these bondservants to whom he had given the money to be called to him so that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.

16 “Then came the first, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has gained ten minas.’

17 “And he said to him, ^m ‘Well done, good bondservant. Because you have been ⁿ faithful in very little, you have authority over ten cities.’

18 “And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has gained five minas.’

19 “And he said likewise to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’

20 “Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, behold, here is your mina which I have kept laid up in a handkerchief,

21 ^o ‘for I feared you, because you are an exacting man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’

22 “Then he said to him, ^p ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked bondservant. ^q You knew that I am an exacting man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow.

23 ‘Then why did you not put my money in the bank, so that at my coming I might have required my own with interest?’

24 “And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take from him the mina and give it to him who has ten minas.’

25 “But they said to him, ‘Lord, he already has ten minas.’

26 ‘For I say to you, ^r that to everyone who has will be given. And from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

27 ‘But these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me.’”

The Triumphal Entry

28 And when He had thus spoken, ^s He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

29 ^t Now it came to pass when He came near to Bethphage and ^u Bethany, at the mount called ^v Olivet, He sent two of His disciples,

30 saying, “Go into the village opposite you, where, as you enter, you will find a colt tied on which no one yet has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.

31 “And if anyone asks you, ‘Why do you untie it?’ thus you will say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of him.’”

32 Then those who were sent went their way and found it as He had said to them.

33 And as they were untying the colt, the owners of it said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

34 Then they said, “The Lord has need of him.”

35 And they brought him to Jesus. ^x And they cast their garments on the colt, and they set Jesus on him.

36 Now as He went, they spread their garments on the road.

37 And when He was approaching near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to ^y rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen,

38 saying, ^z “‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ^a Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

39 But some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”

40 And He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should hold their peace, ^b the stones would immediately cry out.”

Jesus Weeps Over Jerusalem

41 Now when He had come near, He looked at the city and ^c wept over it,

42 saying, “If you had known, even you, at least in ^d your day, the things that ^e make for your ^f peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

43 “For the days will come on you that your enemies will ^g cast a barricade around you, and encompass you and hem you in on every side,

44 ^h “and will level you to the ground and your children within you. And ⁱ they will not leave in you one stone upon another, ^j because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

Jesus at the Temple

45 ^k Then He went into the temple and began to throw out those who were selling,

46 saying to them, “It is written, ^l ‘My house will be the house of prayer.’ But you have made it a ^m den of thieves.”

47 Now He ⁿ taught daily in the temple. But ^o the chief priests and the scribes and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him.

48 But they could not find anything that they might do, for all the people were very attentive to ^p hear Him.

Chapter 20

Jesus’ Authority Questioned

1 ^a Now it came to pass on one of those days as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders confronted Him.

2 And they spoke to Him, saying, “Tell us, ^b by what authority do You do these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?”

3 And He answered and said to them, “I will also ask you one thing, and then answer Me:

4 “The ^c baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men?”

5 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we will say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’

6 But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, ^d for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”

7 And they answered that they could not tell from where it was.

8 Then Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Parable of the Wicked Tenants

9 Then He began to speak to the people this parable: ^e “A certain man planted a vineyard and let it out to vinedressers. And he went into a far country for a long time.

10 “And at the harvest time he ^f sent a bondservant to the vinedressers so that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty.

11 “And again he sent another bondservant. And they beat him also and treated him shamefully. And they sent him away empty.

12 “And again he sent a third. And they wounded him also and threw him out.

13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What will I do? I will send my beloved son. Perhaps, they will respect him when they see him.’

14 “But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the ^g heir. Come, ^h let us kill him so that the inheritance may be ⁱ ours.’

15 “So they threw him out of the vineyard and ^j killed him. Therefore, what will the lord of the vineyard do to them?

16 “He will come and destroy these vinedressers, and will give the vineyard to ^k others.” And when they heard this, they said, “Certainly not!”

17 But He looked at them and said, “What is this then that is written, ^l ‘The stone that the builders rejected, the same has become the cornerstone’?

18 “Whoever will fall on that stone will be ^m broken. But ⁿ on whomever it will fall, it will grind him to powder.”

19 Then the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on Him. But they feared the people, for they understood that He had spoken this parable against them.

Paying Taxes to Caesar

20 ^o Now they watched Him. And they sent out spies who pretended to be righteous men, so that they might catch Him in some statement in order to deliver Him to the rule and authority of the governor.

21 And they asked Him, saying, ^p “Teacher, we know that You say and teach correctly, and You do not show partiality, but teach the way of God in truth.

22 “Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

23 But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, “Why do you test Me?

24 “Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?” They answered and said, “Caesar’s.”

25 Then He said to them, ^q “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”

26 So they could not catch Him in His words before the people. And they marveled at His answer and held their peace.

The Resurrection and Marriage

27 ^r Then some of the Sadducees ^s who deny that there is any resurrection, came to Him and asked Him,

28 saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote to us, ‘If any man’s brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up seed for his brother.’

29 “Therefore, there were seven brothers. The first took a wife and died without children.

30 “And the second took her as wife, and he died childless.

31 “Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also left no children, and died.

32 “Last of all the woman also died.

33 “Therefore, in the resurrection whose wife will she be, for all seven had her as a wife?”

34 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “The children of this world marry and are given in marriage.

35 “But those who are ^t considered worthy to take part in that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage.

36 “Nor can they die anymore. For ^u they are equal to the angels and are the sons of God, ^v being the sons of the resurrection.

37 “But in the record of the burning bush, Moses showed that the dead rise when he calls the Lord ^w ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’

38 “For He is not a God of the dead, but of the living, for ^x all live to Him.”

39 Then some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.”

40 Now after that they did not question Him any longer.

David Prophesied the Son

41 Then He said to them, ^y “How is it that they say the Christ is the Son of David?

42 “Now David himself says in the book of Psalms, ^z ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand

43 until I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’

44 “Therefore, David calls Him ‘Lord.’ ^a How is He his Son?”

Beware of the Scribes

45 ^b Then in the hearing of all the people He said to His disciples,

46 ^c “Beware of the scribes who desire to walk around in long robes, and ^d love greetings in the markets, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts,

47 ^e “who devour widows’ houses, and for a ^f show make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

Chapter 21

A Widow’s Offering

1 ^a Now He looked up and saw the rich men putting their gifts into the treasury.

2 Then He saw also a certain ^b poor widow putting in two small ^c copper coins.

3 And He said, “Of a truth I say to you ^d that this poor widow has put in more than all,

4 for all these have out of their abundance put into the offering. But she out of her poverty has put in ^e all the livelihood that she had.”

Consummation of National Israel

5 ^f Then as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts, He said,

6 “As for these things that you behold, the days will come in ^g which there will not be left one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

7 And they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things will come to pass?”

8 Then He said, ^h “Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and ‘The time draws near.’ Do not go after them.

9 “But when you hear of ⁱ wars and conflicts, do not be terrified. For these things must first come to pass, but the end does not immediately follow.”

10 ^j Then He said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

11 “And there will be great ^k earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.

12 ^l “But before all these, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and ^m prisons, bringing you ⁿ before kings and rulers for ^o My name’s sake.

13 “And ^p it will turn out for you as an opportunity for your testimony.

14 ^q “Therefore, determine in your hearts not to consider beforehand what you will answer,

15 “for I will give you a mouth and wisdom ^r that all your adversaries will not be able to refute or resist.

16 ^s “And you will be betrayed both by parents and brothers and relatives and friends. And they will put ^t some of you to death.

17 “And ^u you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.

18 ^v “But not a hair of your head will be lost.

19 “In your endurance you will gain your souls.

Destruction of Jerusalem Foretold

20 ^w “Now when you see Jerusalem surrounded with armies, then know that her desolation is near.

21 “Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. And let those who are in the midst of it depart. And do not let those who are in the country enter into her.

22 “For these are the days of vengeance, so that ^x all things that are written may be fulfilled.

23 ^y “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people.

24 “And they will fall by the edge of the sword. And they will be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles ^z until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The Coming of the Son of Man

25 ^a “And there will be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars. And on the earth, there will be distress among nations and perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves.

26 “Men’s hearts will be failing them for fear, and for expecting those things that are coming on the earth. ^b For the powers of heaven will be shaken.

27 “And then they will see the Son of Man ^c coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

28 “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads, for ^d your redemption draws near.”

The Parable of the Fig Tree

29 Then ^e He spoke to them a parable: “Behold the fig tree and all the trees.

30 “When they sprout leaves, you see and know of your own selves that summer is now near.

31 “So you also, when you see these things come to pass, know that the kingdom of God is near.

32 “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things are fulfilled.

33 ^f “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My ^g words will not pass away.

Watchfulness and Prayer

34 “And ^h take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts are weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness, and ⁱ cares of this life, and that day come on you unexpectedly.

35 “For ^j it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.

36 “Therefore, ^k watch and always ^l pray so that you may be ^m able to escape all these things that are about to take place, and ⁿ to stand before the Son of Man.”

37 Now ^o in the daytime He was teaching in the temple. And ^p at night He went out and stayed on the mount that is called Olivet.

38 And all the people came early in the morning to Him in the temple to hear Him.

Chapter 22

The Betrayal Scheme

1 Now the ^a Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, drew near.

2 And ^b the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill Him, but they feared the people.

3 ^c Then Satan entered into Judas, surnamed Iscariot, belonging to the number of the ^d twelve.

4 So he went his way and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them.

5 And they were glad and ^e agreed to give him money.

6 And he consented. Then he sought an opportunity to ^f betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.

The Last Passover

7 ^g Then the day of Unleavened Bread came when the Passover lamb must be killed.

8 And He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare for us the Passover so that we may eat.”

9 And they said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare it?”

10 And He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered into the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him into the house which he enters.

11 “And you will say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room in which I will eat the Passover with My disciples?”’

12 “And he will show you a large, furnished upper room. There make ready.”

13 Now they went and ^h found as He had said to them. And they made ready the Passover.

14 Then ⁱ when the hour had come, He sat down, and the apostles with Him.

15 And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

16 “For I say to you, I will no longer eat of it ^j until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

17 Then He took the cup and gave thanks. And He said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves.

18 “For ^k I say to you, from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

19 ^l And He took bread and gave thanks. And He broke it and gave to them, saying, “This is My ^m body which is given for you. ⁿ Do this in remembrance of Me.”

20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, ^o “This cup is the new covenant in My blood which is poured out for you.

21 ^p “But behold, the hand of him who is betraying Me is with Mine on the table.

22 ^q “And truly the Son of Man goes ^r as it was determined. But woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”

23 ^s Then they began to inquire among themselves which of them it was who would do this thing.

Who Is the Greatest?

24 ^t Now there was also a dispute among them as to which one of them should be considered the greatest.

25 Then ^u He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them. And those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’

26 ^v “But you will not be this way. But ^w he who is greatest among you, let him be as the youngest. And he who leads, as he who serves.

27 ^x “For who is greater, the one reclining at the table or the one serving? Is it not the one reclining at the table? But ^y I am among you as the one who serves.

28 “You are those who have continued with Me in ^z My trials.

29 “And ^a I grant to you a kingdom just as My Father has granted to Me,

30 “so that ^b you may eat and drink at My table, ^c and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

31 “Simon, Simon, behold, ^d Satan has desired to have you so that he may ^e sift you as wheat.

32 “But ^f I have prayed for you so that your faith not fail. And when you return to Me, ^g strengthen your brethren.”

33 And he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.”

34 Then ^h He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”

A Warning of Coming Conflict

35 And ⁱ He said to them, “When I sent you without money bag and knapsack and sandals, did you lack anything?” And they said, “Nothing.”

36 Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise his knapsack. And he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.

37 “For I say to you that this which is written must yet be fulfilled in Me, ^j ‘And He was numbered among the transgressors.’ For the things concerning Me have a fulfillment.”

38 And they said, “Lord, behold, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”

Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives

39 Then He ^k came out and went as was His custom ^l to the Mount of Olives. And His disciples also followed Him.

40 Now ^m when He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you do not enter into temptation.”

41 Then ⁿ He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw. And He kneeled down and prayed,

42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me. Nevertheless, ^o not My will, but Yours be done.”

[43 And there ^p an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.

44 ^q And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. And His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.]

45 And when He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.

46 Then He said to them, “Why ^r do you sleep? Rise and ^s pray, lest you enter into temptation.”

The Arrest of Jesus

47 Now while He was still speaking, ^t behold, a multitude came. And he who was called ^u Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.

48 But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a ^v kiss?”

49 When they who were around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, “Lord, should we strike them with the sword?”

50 And ^w one of them smote the bondservant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.

51 But Jesus answered and said, “Permit even this.” And He touched his ear and healed him.

52 Then ^x Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against a ^y thief?

53 “When I was daily with you in the ^z temple, you did not lay hands on Me. But this is your ^a hour and the power of darkness.”

The Denials of Peter

54 Then ^b they took Him and led Him into the high priest’s house. And ^c Peter followed at a distance.

55 And ^d when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the hall, and had sat down together, Peter sat down among them.

56 But a certain servant girl saw him as he sat by the fire. And she earnestly stared at him, and said, “This man was also with Him.”

57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.”

58 ^e And after a little while another saw him and said, “You are also of them.” And Peter said, “Man, I am not!”

59 ^f Now after about the space of one hour another insisted, saying, “Of a truth this man also was with Him, for he is a ^g Galilean.”

60 Then Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.

61 Then the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And ^h Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, ⁱ “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.”

62 Then Peter went out and wept bitterly.

The Mocking of Jesus

63 And ^j the men who held Jesus began mocking and ^k beating Him.

64 And when they had blindfolded Him, they asked Him, saying, “Prophesy! Who is the one who hit You?”

65 And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.

Jesus Before Pilate and Herod

66 Now ^l as soon as it was day, ^m the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together and led Him into their Council, saying,

67 ⁿ “Are You the Christ? Tell us.” And He said to them, “If I tell you, ^o you will not believe.

68 “And if I ask you, you will not answer Me or let Me go.

69 ^p “From now on the Son of Man will sit at the right hand of the power of God.”

70 Then they all said, “Are You then the Son of God?” And He said to them, ^q “You say that I am.”

71 ^r Then they said, “What further witness do we need? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.”

Chapter 23

Jesus Before Pilate

1 Now ^a the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to ^b Pilate.

2 Then they began to ^c accuse Him, saying, “We found this man ^d perverting our nation and ^e forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying ^f that He Himself is Christ, a King.”

3 ^g Then Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him and said, “It is as you say.”

4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and to the people, ^h “I find no fault in this man.”

5 But they were the more fierce, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from ⁱ Galilee to this place.”

6 When Pilate heard this he asked whether the man was a Galilean.

7 Now as soon as he knew that He belonged to ^j Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who also was in Jerusalem at that time.

Jesus Before Herod

8 Now when Herod saw Jesus, ^k he was exceedingly glad, for he had desired to see Him for a long time because ^l he had heard many things about Him. And he hoped to see some miracle done by Him.

9 Then he questioned Him with many words. But He answered him ^m nothing.

10 Then the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him.

11 ⁿ After treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, Herod, with his soldiers, clothed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate.

12 And that same day ^o Pilate and Herod became friends together, for before they had been enemies with each other.

Pilate Sentences Jesus

13 Now ^p when Pilate had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people,

14 he said to them, ^q “You have brought this man to me as one who incites the people. But behold, ^r having examined Him before you, I have found no fault in this man concerning those things of which you accuse Him.

15 “No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us. And behold, nothing deserving of death has been done by Him.

16 “Therefore, ^s I will punish Him and release Him.”

17 ^t [For it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast.]

18 And ^u they all cried out at once, saying, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas!”

19 (He was a certain man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection made in the city, and for murder.)

20 Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spoke again to them.

21 But they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

22 And he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. Therefore, I will punish Him and let Him go.”

23 And they were insistent with loud voices, demanding that He be crucified. And their voices prevailed.

24 Then ^v Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they demanded.

25 ^w And he released the one they had desired who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder. But he delivered Jesus to their will.

The Crucifixion of Jesus

26 ^x Now as they led Him away, they laid hold on one Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country. And they laid on him the cross so that he might bear it behind Jesus.

27 And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and of women who were mourning and lamenting Him.

28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

29 ^y “For behold, the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’

30 “Then they will begin ^z to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’

31 ^a “For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will be done when it is dry?”

32 And ^b there were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.

33 Now ^c when they had come to the place that is called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.

34 Then Jesus said, “Father, ^d forgive them, for ^e they do not know what they are doing.” And ^f they parted His clothing and cast lots.

35 And ^g the people stood looking on. And even the ^h rulers with them were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others. Let Him save Himself, if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.”

36 And the soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him and offering Him ⁱ sour wine,

37 and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”

38 And ^j an inscription also was written above Him, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

39 ^k And one of the criminals who hung there railed at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save us.”

40 But the other answered and rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?

41 “And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward for our deeds. But this Man has done ^l nothing wrong.”

42 Then he said to Jesus, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

43 And Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in ^m Paradise.”

The Death of Jesus

44 And ⁿ it was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.

45 And the sun was darkened, and ^o the veil of the temple was torn in two.

46 And crying out with a loud voice, Jesus said, “Father, ^p into Your hands I commend My spirit!” And ^q having said this, He breathed His last.

47 ^r Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous Man!”

48 And all the people who came together for this spectacle, when they saw the things that had happened, beat their breasts, and returned.

49 ^s And all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, seeing these things.

The Burial of Jesus

50 And ^t behold, there was a man named Joseph, a Council member and a good and just man.

51 He had not consented to their plan and action. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, ^u who also himself was waiting for the kingdom of God.

52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

53 And ^v he took it down and wrapped it in linen. And he laid it in a tomb that was cut in stone, in which no man was before laid.

54 Now that day was ^w the preparation, and the Sabbath drew near.

55 And the women also, ^x who came with Him from Galilee, followed behind. And ^y they observed the tomb and how His body was laid.

56 Then they returned and ^z prepared spices and ointments. Then they rested on the Sabbath ^a according to the commandment.

Chapter 24

The Resurrection of Jesus

1 Now ^a on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the tomb, ^b bringing the spices that they had prepared.

2 ^c But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.

3 ^d So they entered in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

4 Now it came to pass as they were perplexed about this, ^e behold, two men stood by them in shining clothing.

5 And as they were afraid and bowed down their faces to the ground, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?

6 “He is not here, but is risen. ^f Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,

7 “saying, ‘The Son of Man must be ^g delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’”

8 And ^h they remembered His words.

9 Then ⁱ they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

10 It was Mary Magdalene, ^j Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women who were with them, who told these things to the apostles.

11 ^k But their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they did not believe them.

12 Then ^l Peter arose and ran to the tomb. And stooping down, he saw the linen clothes by themselves. And he departed, wondering to himself at what had happened.

Encounter on the Road to Emmaus

13 And ^m behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem.

14 And they talked together about all these things that had happened.

15 Now it came to pass while they talked and reasoned, ⁿ Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.

16 But ^o their eyes were restrained so that they would not know Him.

17 And He said to them, “What manner of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad.

18 Then one of them, ^p whose name was Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem and have not known the things that have come to pass there in these days?”

19 And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, ^q who was a prophet ^r mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,

20 ^s “and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death and crucified Him.

21 “But we were hoping ^t that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. And beside all this, today is the third day since these things happened.

22 “Yes, and ^u some women among us amazed us. When they were early at the tomb,

23 and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive.

24 “And ^v some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it even as the women had said. But Him they did not see.”

25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.

26 ^w “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His ^x glory?”

27 And beginning with ^y Moses and ^z all the prophets, He explained to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going. And ^a He acted as though He would have gone farther.

29 But ^b they constrained Him, saying, ^c “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them.

30 Now it came to pass as ^d He sat at the table with them, He took bread and blessed it and broke it, and gave it to them.

31 Then their eyes were opened, and they knew Him. And He vanished from their sight.

32 Then they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened to us the Scriptures?”

33 Then they rose up that same hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them,

34 saying, “The Lord is indeed risen, and ^e has appeared to Simon!”

35 And they told the things that had happened on the road, and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.

Appearance & Commission

36 ^f Now as they spoke these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them and said, “Peace to you.”

37 But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed that they had seen ^g a spirit.

38 But He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?

39 “Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. ^h Touch Me and see, for a ⁱ spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

40 Now when He had spoken this, He showed them His hands and His feet.

41 And while they still did not believe ^j for joy, and marveled, He said to them, ^k “Do you have any food here?”

42 And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish.

43 ^l Then He took it and ate before them.

44 And He said to them, ^m “These are the words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled that were written in the law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.”

45 Then ⁿ He opened their understanding so that they might understand the Scriptures.

46 Then He said to them, ^o “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day,

47 “and that repentance and ^p remission of sins would be preached in His name ^q among all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

48 “And ^r you are witnesses of these things.

49 “And ^s behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you. But stay in the city of Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high.”

The Ascension of Jesus

50 Then He led them out ^t as far as Bethany. And He lifted up His hands and blessed them.

51 ^u Now it came to pass while He blessed them, He departed from them and was carried up into heaven.

52 And ^v they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.

53 And they were continually ^w in the temple, praising God.