1. The book of the ^a genealogy of Jesus Christ, the ^b son of David, the ^c son of Abraham.
2. ^d Abraham begot Isaac, and ^e Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot ^f Judah and his brothers.
3. And ^g Judah begot Perez and Zarah of Tamar, and ^h Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.
4. And Ram begot Amminadab, and Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon.
5. And Salmon begot ⁱ Boaz of Rahab, and Boaz begot Obed of Ruth, and Obed begot Jesse.
6. And ^j Jesse begot David the king. ^k David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.
7. And ^l Solomon begot Rehoboam, and Rehoboam begot ^m Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa.
8. And Asa begot ⁿ Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot ^o Uzziah.
9. And Uzziah begot Jotham, and Jotham begot Ahaz, and ^p Ahaz begot Hezekiah.
10. And ^q Hezekiah begot Manasseh, and Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot ^r Josiah.
11. And ^s Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were ^t carried away to Babylon.
12. And after they were deported to Babylon, ^u Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot ^v Zerubbabel.
13. And Zerubbabel begot Abihud, and Abihud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor.
14. And Azor begot Zadok, and Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud.
15. And Eliud begot Eleazar, and Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob.
16. And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of ^wMary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
17. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, and from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until Christ are fourteen generations.

1. Now when ^a Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men ^b from the East to Jerusalem,
2. saying, ^c “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen ^d His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
3. When Herod the king heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4. And when he had gathered all the ^e chief priests and ^f scribes of the people together, ^g he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5. Then they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet,
6. ‘And ^h you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the princes of Judah, for out of you will come a Ruler ⁱ who will rule My people Israel.’”
7. Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, diligently inquired from them what time the ^j star appeared.
8. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child. And when you have found Him, bring me word again so that I may come and worship Him also.”
9. When they heard the king, they departed. And behold, the star that they saw in the East went before them until it came and stood over where the young Child was.
10. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
11. Now when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother. And they fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, ^k they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
12. And having been warned by God ^l in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed to their own country another way.

1. In those days ^a John the Baptist came preaching ^b in the wilderness of Judea,
2. and saying, “Repent, for ^c the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
3. For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, ^d “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ^e ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make His paths straight.’”
4. And the same ^f John had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. And his food was ^g locusts and ^h wild honey.
5. ⁱ Then Jerusalem and all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan, went out to him.
6. ^j And they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
7. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “O ^k generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the ^l wrath to come?
8. Therefore, bring forth fruits worthy of repentance.
9. And do not think to say within yourselves, ^m ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I say to you that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
10. And now the ax is already laid at the root of the trees. ⁿ Therefore, every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire.
11. ^o “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. But He who comes after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to bear. ^p He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
12. ^q “His winnowing fan is in His hand. And He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn. But He will ^r burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

1. Then ^a Jesus was led up by the ^b Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2. Now when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.
3. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4. But He answered and said, “It is written, ^c ‘Man will not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”
5. Then the devil took Him up ^d into the holy city and stood Him on the pinnacle of the temple.
6. And he said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, cast Yourself down, for it is written, ^e ‘He will give His angels charge over You,’ and, ^f ‘In their hands they will bear You up, lest at any time You dash Your foot against a stone.’”
7. Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ^g ‘You will not tempt the Lord your God.’”
8. Again, the devil took Him up into an exceedingly high mountain and ^h showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
10. Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan, for it is written, ⁱ ‘You will worship the Lord your God and Him only will you serve.’”
11. Then the devil ^j left Him, and behold, ^k angels came and ministered to Him.
12. ^l Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, He departed into Galilee.
13. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is on the sea coast, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
14. so that it might be fulfilled that was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying,
15. “The ^m land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
16. ⁿ the people who sat in darkness saw great light. And those who were sitting in the region and shadow of death, upon them a light dawned.”
17. ^o From that time Jesus began to preach and say, ^p “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

1. And seeing the multitudes, ^a He went up on a mountain. And when He sat down, His disciples came to Him.
2. Then He opened His mouth and ^b taught them, saying,
3. ^c “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4. ^d “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5. ^e “Blessed are the meek, for ^f they will inherit the earth.
6. “Blessed are those who ^g hunger and thirst after righteousness, ^h for they will be filled.
7. “Blessed are the merciful, ⁱ for they will obtain mercy.
8. ^j “Blessed are the pure in heart, ^k for they will see God.
9. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.
10. ^l “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11. ^m “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of ⁿ evil against you for My sake.
12. ^o “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, ^p for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

1. “Take heed that you do not do your deeds of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2. Therefore, ^a when you do good deeds, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be glorified by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward.
3. But when you do good deeds, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4. so that your good deeds may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret ^b will Himself reward you.

1. ^a “Do not judge so that you be not judged.
2. “For in the way you judge, you will be judged. ^b And with what standard you measure, it will be measured to you.
3. ^c “And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the beam that is in your own eye?
4. “Or how will you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ and behold, a beam is in your own eye?
5. “You hypocrite, first remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
6. ^d “Do not give what is holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn and tear you in pieces.”

1. When He came down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.
2. ^a And behold, there came a leper and ^b worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
3. So Jesus put forth His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing. Be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy ^c was cleansed.
4. Then Jesus said to him, ^d “See that you tell no one. But go your way. Show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that ^e Moses ^f commanded, as a testimony to them.”

1. Now He entered into a boat and crossed over the sea and ^a came to His own city.
2. And ^b behold, they brought to Him a paralytic man lying on a bed. And ^c seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”
3. And behold, some of the scribes said within themselves, “This man blasphemes.”
4. And Jesus, ^d knowing their thoughts, said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?
5. “For which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, and walk’?”
6. “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”
7. Then he arose and departed to his house.
8. But when the multitude saw it, they ^e feared and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

1. ^a Now when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.
2. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, ^b who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
3. Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
4. ^c Simon the Canaanite, and Judas ^d Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

1. Now it came to pass when Jesus had finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He departed from there to ^a teach and to preach in their cities.
2. ^b Now when John had heard ^c in the prison concerning the works of the Christ, he sent word through his disciples,
3. asking Him, “Are You the One who is ^d to come, or do we look for another?”
4. Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and show John again those things that you hear and see.
5. ^e The blind receive their sight and the lame walk. The lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear. The dead are raised up and ^f the poor have the gospel preached to them.
6. “And blessed is he who does not take ^g offense because of Me.”

1. At that time ^a Jesus went on the Sabbath through the grainfields. And His disciples were hungry and began to ^b pluck the ears of grain and to eat.
2. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Behold, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”
3. But He said to them, “Have you not read ^c what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him,
4. how he entered into the house of God and ate ^d the showbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, ^e but only for the priests?
5. “Or have you not read in the ^f law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent?
6. “But I say to you, that in this place is ^g One greater than the temple.
7. “But if you had known what this means, ^h ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.
8. “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

1. The same day Jesus went out of the house and ^a sat by the sea shore.
2. And ^b great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that ^c He went into a boat and sat. And the whole multitude stood on the shore.
3. And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, ^d “Behold, a sower went forth to sow.
4. “And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside. And the birds came and devoured them.
5. “Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much soil. And they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of soil.
6. “And when the sun was up, they were scorched. And because they had no root they withered away.
7. “And some fell among thorns. And the thorns sprang up and choked them.
8. “But others fell on good ground and brought forth fruit, some ^e a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
9. ^f “He who has ears, let him hear.”

1. At that time ^a Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,
2. and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works are at work in him.”
3. ^b For Herod had laid hold of John, bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife.
4. ^c For John said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”
5. And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.
6. But when Herod’s birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod.
7. Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.
8. So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
9. And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her.
10. So he sent and had John beheaded in prison.
11. And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.
12. Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

1. ^a Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying,
2. ^b “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
3. But He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?
4. “For God commanded, saying, ^c ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ^d ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’
5. “But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, ^e “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”—
6. ‘then he need not honor his father.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.
7. “^f Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
8. ‘^g These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.
9. And in vain they worship Me, ^h teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
10. ⁱ When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand:
11. ^j Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”
12. Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”
13. But He answered and said, ^k “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.
14. “Let them alone. ^l They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”
15. ^m Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”
16. So Jesus said, ⁿ “Are you also still without understanding?
17. “Do you not yet understand that ^o whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?
18. “But ^p those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.
19. ^q “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
20. “These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

1. ^a Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.
2. He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’;
3. “And in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.
4. ^b “A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and departed.

1. ^a After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves.
2. Then He was transfigured before them. His face shone as the sun, and His garments became white as the light.
3. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with Him.
4. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You wish, I will make three tabernacles here — one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5. ^b While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And behold, a voice out of the cloud said, ^c “This is My beloved Son, ^d in whom I am well pleased. ^e Hear Him.”
6. ^f When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.
7. Then Jesus came and ^g touched them, and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.”
8. And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus only.
9. As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen again from the dead.”
10. Then His disciples asked Him, saying, ^h “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must first come?”
11. Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will ⁱ restore all things.
12. ^j “But I say to you that Elijah has already come, and they ^k did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise, ^l the Son of Man will also suffer at their hands.”
13. ^m Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

1. ^a At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2. Then Jesus called a little ^b child to Him, set him in the midst of them,
3. and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, ^c unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
4. ^d “Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5. ^e “Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.
6. ^f “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
7. “Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but ^g woe to that man by whom the offense comes!

1 Now it came to pass ^a when Jesus had finished these sayings, He departed from Galilee and came into the region of Judea beyond Jordan.
2 And ^b great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.
3 The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?”
4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who created them in the beginning ^c ‘made them male and female.’”
5 And He said, ^d “‘For this cause a man will leave his father and mother and will cleave to his wife. And ^e the two will become one flesh?’
6 “Therefore, they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
7 They said to Him, ^f “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?”
8 He said to them, “Because of the ^g hardness of your hearts Moses permitted you to put away your ^h wives. But from the beginning it was not so.
9 “Now ⁱ I say to you, whoever puts away his wife except for fornication, and marries another, commits adultery.”
10 His disciples said to Him, ^j “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”
11 But He said to them, ^k “All men cannot receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given.
12 “For there are some eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb. And ^l there are some eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men. And there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.”

1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
2 “And when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3 “And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace.
4 “And he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And they went their way.
5 “Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour and did likewise.
6 “And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’
7 “They said to him, ‘Because no man has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’
8 “So when evening had come, the lord of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’
9 “And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a denarius.
10 “But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more. And everyone likewise received one denarius.
11 “And when they had received it, they grumbled against the landowner,
12 “saying, ‘These last have worked only one hour and you have made them equal to us, who have borne the burden and heat of the day.’
13 “But he answered one of them, and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?
14 ‘Take what is yours and go your way. I want to give to this last even as to you.
15 ^a ‘Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own? ^b Is your eye evil because I am good?’
16 ^c “So the last will be first and the first last.”

1 Now ^a when they drew near to Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, to the ^b Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,
2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with it. Untie them and bring them to Me.
3 “And if anyone says anything to you, you will say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”
4 This was done so that it might be fulfilled that was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 “Tell ^c the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King comes to you, gentle, and sitting upon a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
6 And ^d the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.
7 And they brought the donkey and the colt, and ^e put on them their garments. And He sat on them.
8 Now a great multitude spread their garments on the road. ^f Others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
9 The multitudes that went before and that followed cried out, saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David! ^g Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
10 And ^h when He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?”
11 And the multitude said, “This is Jesus, ⁱ the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.”

1 Then Jesus answered and ^a spoke to them again in parables and said,
2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who prepared a marriage for his son.
3 “And he sent forth his bondservants to call those who were invited to the wedding. And they would not come.

4 “Again, he sent forth other bondservants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner. ^b My oxen and my fattened cattle are killed and all things are ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’
5 “But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his business.
6 “And the rest seized his bondservants, and treated them spitefully, and killed them.
7 “But when the king heard of this, he was furious. And he sent forth ^c his armies and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
8 “Then he said to his bondservants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not ^d worthy.
9 ‘Therefore, go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding feast.’
10 “So those bondservants went out into the highways and ^e gathered together all they found, both bad and good. And the wedding was filled with guests.
11 “And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there ^f who did not have on a wedding garment.
12 “And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was ^g speechless.
13 “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him ^h into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14 ⁱ “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

1 Then Jesus spoke to the multitude and to His disciples,
2 saying, ^a “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.
3 “Therefore, all that they tell you, that observe and do. But do not do according to their works, for ^b they say and do not.
4 ^c “For they bind up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders. But they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
5 “But all their works they do to ^d be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.
6 ^e “They love the best places at feasts and the chief seats in the synagogues,
7 “and greetings in the markets, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi.’
8 ^f “But do not be called ‘Rabbi,’ for One is your Teacher, and all of you are brothers.
9 “And call no one your father on the earth, ^g for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
10 “Do not be called masters, for one is your Master, the Christ.
11 ^h “But he who is greatest among you will be your servant.
12 ⁱ “And whoever will exalt himself will be humbled. And he who will humble himself will be exalted.

13 ^j “But woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men, for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
14 [Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! ^k For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore, you will receive greater condemnation.]
15 “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel sea and land to make one proselyte. And when he is made, you make him twice as much the son of hell as yourselves.

16 “Woe to you ^l blind guides who say, ^m ‘Whoever will swear by the temple, it is nothing. But whoever will swear by the gold of the temple, he is obligated to do it.’
17 “You fools and blind men. Which is more important, the gold ⁿ or the temple that sanctified the gold?
18 “And, ‘Whoever will swear by the altar, it is nothing. But whoever swears by the gift that is upon it, he is obligated.’
19 “You fools and blind men. Which is more important, the gift ^o or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
20 “Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears by it, and by all things on it.
21 “And whoever swears by the temple, swears by it and by ^p Him who dwells in it.
22 “And he who will swear by heaven, swears by ^q the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

23 “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! ^r For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and ^s have neglected the weightier matters of the law: judgment, mercy and faith. These you should have done without neglecting the others.
24 “You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel.

25 “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! ^t For you clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.
26 “You blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and platter so that the outside of them may be clean also.

27 “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! ^u For you are like whitewashed tombs that indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but within are full of dead men’s bones and of all uncleanness.
28 “Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 ^v “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,
30 “Then you say, ‘If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’
31 “Therefore, you are witnesses against yourselves, that ^w you are the sons of those who killed the prophets.
32 ^x “Fill you up, then, the measure of your fathers.
33 “You serpents, you ^y generation of vipers, how can you escape the condemnation of hell?

34 ^z “Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets and wise men and scribes. And ^a some of them you will kill and crucify. And ^b some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,
35 ^c “so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, ^d from the blood of righteous Abel to ^e the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you killed between the temple and the altar.
36 “Truly I say to you, all these things will come on this generation.

37 ^f “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets ^g and stones those who are sent to her. How often ^h I wanted to gather your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks ⁱ under her wings, and you would not.
38 “Behold, your house is left to you desolate.
39 “For I say to you, you will not see Me from now on until you will say, ^j ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

1 Then ^a Jesus went out and departed from the temple. And His disciples came to show Him the buildings of the temple.
2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, there will ^b not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, ^c the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ^d “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming and the end of the age?”
4 And Jesus answered and said to them, ^e “Take heed that no one deceives you.
5 “For ^f many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ ^g and will deceive many.
6 “And you will hear of ^h wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 “For ⁱ nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be ^j famines and earthquakes in various places.
8 “All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 ^k “Then they will deliver you up to be afflicted and will kill you. And you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.
10 “Then many will be offended, betray one another, and hate one another.
11 “And ^l many false prophets will arise and will ^m deceive many.
12 “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow ⁿ cold.
13 ^o “But he who endures to the end will be saved.
14 “And this ^p gospel of the kingdom ^q will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come.

15 ^r “Therefore, when you see the ^s abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place — ^t (whoever reads, let him understand) —
16 “Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
17 “Let him who is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house.
18 “Nor let him who is in the field go back to get his clothes.
19 “And ^u woe to those who are with child and to those nursing infants in those days.
20 “But pray that your flight not be in the winter or on the Sabbath.
21 “For ^v then there will be great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall be.
22 “And except those days were shortened, no life would be saved. ^w But for the elect’s sake, those days will be shortened.

23 ^x “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There,’ do not believe it.
24 “For there will arise ^y false christs and false prophets, showing great signs and wonders to deceive, ^z if possible, even the elect.
25 “Behold, I have told you in advance.
26 “Therefore, if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Behold, He is in the secret chambers,’ do not believe it.
27 ^a “For as the lightning comes from the east and shines to the west, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man.
28 ^b “For wherever the carcass is, there the vultures will be gathered together.

Chapter 25

Parable of the Virgins

1 “Then will the kingdom of heaven be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet ^a the bridegroom. 2 “And ^b five of them were wise and five were foolish. 3 “Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them. 4 “But the wise took oil in their jars with their lamps. 5 “While the bridegroom tarried, ^c they all slumbered and slept. 6 “And at midnight there was ^d a cry made, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Go out to meet him.’ 7 “Then all those virgins arose and ^e trimmed their lamps. 8 “And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 “But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there not be enough for us and you. But go instead to those who sell and buy for yourselves.’ 10 “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came. And those who were ready went in with him to the marriage. And ^f the door was shut. 11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ^g ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 “But he answered and said, ‘Truly I say to you, ^h I do not know you.’ 13 “Therefore, ⁱ watch, for you ^j know neither the day nor the hour.

Parable of the Talents

14 ^k “For it is ^l like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own bondservants and delivered to them his goods. 15 “And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, ^m to everyone according to his own ability. And immediately he went on his journey. 16 “Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with the same and made another five talents. 17 “And likewise he who had received two gained two more. 18 “But he who had received one went and dug in the earth and hid his master’s money. 19 “After a long time the master of those bondservants came and settled accounts with them. 20 “And so he who had received five talents came and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents. Behold, besides them, I have gained five more talents.’ 21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful bondservant. You were ⁿ faithful over a few things. ^o I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into ^p the joy of your master.’ 22 “He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents. Behold, besides them, I have gained two other talents.’ 23 “His master said to him, ^q ‘Well done, good and faithful bondservant. You were faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into ^r the joy of your lord.’ 24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 “And I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the earth. See, here you have what is yours.’ 26 “His master answered and said to him, ‘You ^s wicked and lazy bondservant. You knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I have scattered no seed. 27 ‘Therefore, you should have put my money in the bank, and then at my coming I would have received my own with interest. 28 ‘Therefore, take the talent from him and give it to him who has ten talents. 29 ^t ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance. But from him who does not have, even what he does have will be taken away. 30 ‘Cast the unprofitable bondservant ^u into outer darkness. ^v There will be weeping and ^w gnashing of teeth.’

Sheep and Goats

31 ^x “When the Son of Man will come in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 “And ^y before Him will be gathered all nations. And ^z He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 “And He will set the ^a sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, ^b inherit the kingdom ^c prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 ^d ‘For I was hungry and you gave Me food. I was thirsty and you gave Me drink. ^e I was a stranger and you took Me in. 36 ‘I was ^f naked and you clothed Me. I was sick and you visited Me. ^g I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 37 “Then will the righteous answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 ‘When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 ‘Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, ^h inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you have done it to Me.’ 41 “Then He will say also to those on the left hand, ⁱ ‘Depart from Me you cursed ^j into everlasting fire that is prepared for ^k the devil and his angels. 42 ‘For I was hungry and you gave Me no food. I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink. 43 ‘I was a stranger and you did not take Me in. I was naked and you did not clothe Me; sick and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44 “Then they will also answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 “Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly I say to you, ^l inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me. 46 “And ^m these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Chapter 26

Murder Plot Against Jesus

¹ Now it came to pass when Jesus had finished all these sayings, He said to His disciples, ² “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man is to be handed over to be crucified.” ³ Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered together at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas. ⁴ And they plotted to take Jesus secretly and kill Him. ⁵ But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”

⁶ Now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, ⁷ there came to Him a woman having an alabaster vial of very precious ointment. She poured it on His head as He reclined at the table. ⁸ But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? ⁹ For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.” ¹⁰ When Jesus was aware of this, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me. ¹¹ For you have the poor always with you, but you do not always have Me. ¹² For when she poured this ointment on My body, she did it for My burial. ¹³ Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.”

¹⁴ Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and said, “What will you give me, and I will deliver Him to you?” And they weighed out to him thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶ Then from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

¹⁷ Now on the first day of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?” ¹⁸ And He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.’” ¹⁹ So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover. ²⁰ Now when the evening came, He reclined with the twelve. ²¹ And as they were eating, He said, “Truly I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” ²² And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each one of them began to say to Him, “Lord, is it I?” ²³ He answered and said, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish, the same will betray Me. ²⁴ The Son of Man goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” ²⁵ Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, “Teacher, is it I?” He said to him, “You have said it.” ²⁶ And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it, broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat. This is My body.” ²⁷ Then He took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, “All of you drink of it. ²⁸ For this is My blood of the covenant that is shed for many for the remission of sins. ²⁹ But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” ³⁰ And having sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

³¹ Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will fall away this night because of Me, for it is written, ‘I will strike the Shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ ³² But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.” ³³ Peter answered and said to Him, “Though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.” ³⁴ Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, this night before the cock crows, you will deny Me three times.” ³⁵ Peter said to Him, “Though I have to die with You, I will not deny You.” Likewise, all the disciples said the same thing.

³⁶ Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” ³⁷ And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and distressed. ³⁸ Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death. Remain here and watch with Me.” ³⁹ Then He went a little farther and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” ⁴⁰ And He came to the disciples and found them asleep, and said to Peter, “What, could you not watch with Me one hour? ⁴¹ Watch and pray so that you do not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ⁴² Again, He went away a second time and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” ⁴³ He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. ⁴⁵ Then He came to His disciples and said, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Rise, let us be going. Behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand.”

⁴⁷ While He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and clubs from the chief priests and elders of the people. ⁴⁸ Now he who betrayed Him gave them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.” ⁴⁹ Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. ⁵⁰ But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him. ⁵¹ And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. ⁵² Then Jesus said to him, “Put up your sword into its place, for all those who take the sword will perish by the sword. ⁵³ Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me more than twelve legions of angels? ⁵⁴ But how then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen this way?” ⁵⁵ In that same hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out as against a thief, with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me. ⁵⁶ But all this has taken place so that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.

⁵⁷ Those who had laid hold on Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders were assembled. ⁵⁸ But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest’s palace, and went in and sat with the guards to see the end. ⁵⁹ Now the chief priests and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, ⁶⁰ but found none. Though many false witnesses came, they found none. At last two came forward ⁶¹ and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.’” ⁶² The high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” ⁶³ But Jesus held His peace. The high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” ⁶⁴ Jesus said to him, “You have said it. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” ⁶⁵ Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, now you have heard His blasphemy. ⁶⁶ What do you think?” They answered and said, “He is deserving of death.” ⁶⁷ Then they spat in His face and beat Him; others struck Him with the palms of their hands, ⁶⁸ saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who hit You?”

⁶⁹ Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him, saying, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.” ⁷⁰ But he denied before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.” ⁷¹ When he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This man was also with Jesus of Nazareth.” ⁷² Again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the man!” ⁷³ After a while, bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.” ⁷⁴ Then he began to curse and to swear, saying, “I do not know the man.” Immediately a cock crowed. ⁷⁵ And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who said to him, “Before the cock crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Chapter 28

The Resurrection of Jesus

¹ Now a after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and b the other Mary came to see the tomb.

² And behold, there was a great earthquake, for c an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat upon it.

³ d His appearance was like lightning and his garment white as snow.

⁴ The guards shook because of fear of him and became as e dead men.

⁵ Then the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not fear, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.

⁶ He is not here, for He is risen f as He said. Come, see the place where He lay.

⁷ Now go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead. And behold, g He is going before you into Galilee. There you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”

⁸ Then they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to bring word to His disciples.

⁹ And behold, h Jesus met them, saying, “Hello.” And they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.

¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell i My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

The Cover Up

¹¹ Now when they were going, behold, some of the guards came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened.

¹² And when they were assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,

¹³ saying, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we slept.’

¹⁴ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him and keep you out of trouble.”

¹⁵ So they took the money and did as they were told. And this saying is commonly reported among the Jews unto this day.

The Great Commission

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain j which Jesus had designated.

¹⁷ And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him. But some k doubted.

¹⁸ Then Jesus came near and spoke to them, saying, l “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

¹⁹ m “Going, therefore, n disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

²⁰ o “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And lo, I am p with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Chapter 1

Prepared Way for Jesus

1 The ^a beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, ^b the Son of God.

2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, ^c “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.”

3 “The ^d voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord. Make His paths straight.’”

4 ^e John came in the wilderness baptizing and preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

5 And ^f there went out to him all the land of Judea and those from Jerusalem. And they were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

6 Now John was ^g clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist. And he ate locusts and wild honey.

7 And he preached, saying, ^h “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.

8 ⁱ I indeed have baptized you with water, but He will baptize you ^j with the Holy Spirit.”

Baptism and Temptation of Jesus

9 Now ^k it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

10 And ^l immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening and the Spirit like a dove ^m descending upon Him.

11 Then there came a voice from heaven, saying, ⁿ “You are My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”

12 And ^o immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.

13 Now He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan. And He was with the wild beasts and ^p the angels ministered to Him.

Calling of First Disciples

14 ^q Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, ^r preaching the gospel of God,

15 and saying, ^s “The time is fulfilled and ^t the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel.”

16 Now ^u as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

17 Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me and I will make you ^v fishers of men.”

18 And ^w immediately they left their nets and followed Him.

19 Now when He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.

20 Then immediately He called them. And they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and went after Him.

Casting Out of an Unclean Spirit

21 Then ^x they went into Capernaum. Immediately on the Sabbath, He entered into the ^y synagogue and taught.

22 And ^z they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

23 Now there was in their synagogue a man with an ^a unclean spirit. And he cried out,

24 saying, “Let us alone! ^b What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I ^c know who You are, the ^d Holy One of God!”

25 Then Jesus ^e rebuked him, saying, “Hold your peace and come out of him.”

26 Now when the unclean spirit ^f had torn him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.

27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? What new teaching is this? With authority He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey Him.”

28 So immediately His ^g fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

Healing the Multitudes

29 ^h Now as soon as they came out of the synagogue they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.

30 But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever, and at once they told Him about her.

31 So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she ministered to them.

32 ⁱ Now at evening when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were diseased and those who were possessed with demons.

33 Then all the city was gathered together at the door.

34 And He healed many who were sick of various diseases, and ^j cast out many demons. And He ^k did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

Retreat to a Solitary Place

35 ^l In the early morning, while it was still dark, He got up, went out, and departed into a solitary place. And there He ^m prayed.

36 And Simon and those who were with Him followed after Him.

37 Now when they had found Him, they said to Him, ⁿ “Everyone ^o is seeking You.”

38 Then He said to them, ^p “Let us go into the next towns so that I may preach there also, ^q for that is why I have come forth.”

39 So ^r He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and ^s casting out demons.

Healing a Leper

40 Then ^t there came a leper to Him, begging Him and kneeling down to Him, and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”

41 So Jesus, moved with ^u compassion, put forth His hand and touched him. And He said to him, “I am willing. Be cleansed.”

42 Now as soon as He had spoken, ^v immediately the leprosy departed from him and he was cleansed.

43 Then He sternly warned him, and immediately sent him away.

44 Now He said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone. But go your way. Show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing those things ^w that Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.”

45 ^x But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread abroad the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter into the city. But He was outside in desert places. And ^y they came to Him from every direction.

Chapter 2

Healing a Paralytic

1 And again ^a He entered into Capernaum after some days. It was heard that He was at home.

2 Now many were gathered together, so that there was no room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them.

3 Then they came to Him, bringing to Him a ^b paralytic who was carried by four men.

4 Now when they could not come near to Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. And when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.

5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

6 But there were some of the scribes sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,

7 “Why does this Man speak blasphemies this way? ^c Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?

9 ^d Which is easier to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, and take up your bed and walk’?

10 “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic,

11 “I say to you, arise, and take up your bed and go to your house.”

12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went in the sight of them all, so that they were all amazed and ^e glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

Call of Matthew

13 So ^f He went out again by the seashore. And all the multitude came to Him and He taught them.

14 Now ^g as He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, ^h “Follow Me.” And he arose and ⁱ followed Him.

15 ^j Now it came to pass that as He was dining in his house, many tax collectors and sinners also reclined together with Jesus and His disciples, for there were many and they followed Him.

16 But when the scribes and the Pharisees saw Him eat with tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “Why is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”

17 When Jesus heard it, He said to them, ^k “Those who are whole have no need of the physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Questions Concerning Fasting

18 ^l Now the disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. And they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”

19 So Jesus said to them, “Can the children of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

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

21 “No one sews a piece of new cloth on an old garment, otherwise the new piece pulls away from the old and the tear is made worse.

22 “And no man puts new wine into old wineskins, otherwise the new wine bursts the wineskins and the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

Lord of the Sabbath

23 ⁿ Now it came to pass that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And as they went, His disciples began ^o to pluck the heads of grain.

24 So the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is ^p not lawful on the Sabbath?”

25 Then He said to them, “Have you never read ^q what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those who were with him?

26 “How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest and ate the showbread, ^r which is not lawful to eat, except for the priests. And he also gave to those who were with him?”

27 So He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the ^s Sabbath.”

28 Therefore, ^t the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath.

Chapter 3

Healing on the Sabbath

1 Then ^a He entered again into the synagogue. And there was a man there who had a withered hand.

2 Now they carefully ^b watched Him, whether He would ^c heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.

3 And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Stand forward.”

4 Then He said to them, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they held their peace.

5 So when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the ^d hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch forth your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.

6 ^e Then the Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with ^f the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

Multitudes Follow Jesus

7 But Jesus withdrew Himself with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude followed Him ^g from Galilee and from Judea,

8 and from Jerusalem and from Idumea and beyond Jordan. And those around Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what ^h great things He did, came to Him.

9 Then He told His disciples that a small boat should wait for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crowd Him.

10 For He had healed ⁱ many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed upon Him in order to ^j touch Him.

11 And ^k unclean spirits, when they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, ^l “You are the Son of God.”

12 And ^m He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.

Calling of the Apostles

13 ⁿ Then He went up into a mountain and called to Him those whom He Himself wanted. And they came to Him.

14 Then He designated twelve so that they should be with Him, and that He might send them out to preach,

15 and to have power to cast out demons.

16 And He designated the twelve: Simon (^o to whom He gave the name Peter),

17 and James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, “The Sons of Thunder”);

18 and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot,

19 and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

Jesus and Beelzebul

20 Then they went into a house. And the multitude came together again, ^p so that they could not even eat bread.

21 Now when His ^q own people heard of this, they went out to lay hold on Him, ^r for they said, “He is beside Himself.”

22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ^s “He has Beelzebul,” and, “By the ^t ruler of the demons He casts out demons.”

23 Then ^u He called them to Himself and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?

24 “And if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

25 “And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

26 “And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.

27 ^v “No man can enter into a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.

28 ^w “Truly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they will utter.

29 “But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is in danger of an eternal sin”—

30 because they ^x said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

31 ^y Then there came His brothers and His mother. And standing outside, they sent to Him, calling Him.

32 Now the multitude was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers and Your sisters are outside looking for You.”

33 Then He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?”

34 So He looked around about at those who sat around Him and said, “Behold My mother and My brothers!

35 “For whoever will do the ^z will of God, he is My brother and My sister and mother.”

Chapter 4

Parable of the Sower

1 And He began ^a again to teach by the sea. And there a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He entered into a boat on the sea and sat down. And the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.

2 Then He taught them many things by parables. And ^b He said to them in His teaching,

3 “Listen! Behold, there went out a sower to sow.

4 “Now it came to pass as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured it.

5 “And some seed fell on stony ground where it did not have much earth. And immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.

6 “But when the sun was up, it was scorched, and because it did not have root, it withered away.

7 “Then some seed fell among thorns. And the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.

8 “And other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up and increased and brought forth, some thirty, some sixty, and some a hundredfold.”

9 Then He said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

10 Now ^c when He was alone, those who were around Him, with the twelve, asked Him about the parable.

11 So He said to them, “To you it is given to ^d know the mystery of the kingdom of God. But to ^e those who are outside, all things are said in parables,

12 “so that ^f ‘seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest they should return and their sins be forgiven them.’”

13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?

14 ^g “The sower sows the word.

15 “And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. But when they have heard, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.

16 “Now these are the ones who are sown on stony ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

17 “But they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a while. Afterward, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, they immediately fall away.

18 “And others are the ones who are sown among thorns. These are the ones who have heard the word,

19 “but the ^h cares of this world, and ⁱ the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

20 “Now these are the ones who are sown on good ground. They hear the word and receive it, and bring forth ^j fruit, some thirty, some sixty, and some a hundredfold.”

Shining Light

21 Then ^k He said to them, “Is a candle brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not brought to be set on a lampstand?

22 ^l “For there is nothing hidden that will not be manifested, nor has anything been kept secret that is meant to come to light.

23 ^m “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. ⁿ With what standard you measure, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.

25 ^o “For he who has, to him will be given. And he who does not have, from him will be taken even that which he has.”

Parable of the Scattered Seed

26 So He said, ^p “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed on the ground,

27 “and should sleep at night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and ^q grow, though he does not know how.

28 “For the earth ^r produces grain by itself; first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.

29 “But when the grain is ripe, immediately ^s he puts in the sickle because the harvest has come.”

Parable of the Mustard Seed

30 Then He said, ^t “To what will we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable will we compare it?

31 “It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the ground, is less than all the seeds that are on the ground.

32 “But when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs. And it shoots out great branches so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”

33 And ^u with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.

34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, ^v He explained all things to His disciples.

Calming of the Sea

35 ^w On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”

36 So when they had sent the multitude away, they took Him along in the boat just as He was. And there were also other boats with Him.

37 Then there arose a great storm of wind. And the waves were breaking into the boat, so that it was already filling up.

38 Now He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, ^x “Teacher, ^y do You not care that we are perishing?”

39 Then He arose and ^z rebuked the wind, and He said to the sea, ^a “Peace, be still.” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

40 Then He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? ^b Have you still no faith?”

41 So they feared exceedingly and said to one another, “What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

Chapter 5

Healing a Demon-Possessed Man

1 Then ^a they came over to the other side of the sea into the country of the Gerasenes.

2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an ^b unclean spirit,

3 who had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with chains,

4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces. No one could tame him.

5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out, and cutting himself with stones.

6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and bowed down before Him.

7 And he cried out with a loud voice, and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I ^c implore You by God that You do not torment me!”

8 For He said to him, ^d “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit.”

9 Then He asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”

10 And he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them away out of the country.

11 Now there was a large herd of ^e swine feeding nearby on the mountain.

12 Then all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us into the swine so that we may enter into them.”

13 So He gave them permission. And the unclean spirits went out and entered into the swine. And the herd, about two thousand in number, ran violently down a steep place into the sea and were drowned in the sea.

14 Now those who fed the swine fled and told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what had happened.

15 Then they came to Jesus and saw the man who had been ^f possessed with the demon and had the legion, ^g sitting and ^h clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.

16 Then those who saw it told them how it had happened to him who was possessed with the demon, and all about the swine.

17 Then ⁱ they began to implore Him to depart out of their region.

18 Now as He was getting into the boat, ^j he who had been possessed with the demon begged Him that he might be with Him.

19 However, Jesus did not permit him. But He said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had compassion on you.”

20 So he departed and began to ^k proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him. And all ^l marveled.

Healing and Resurrection

21 Now ^m when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, many people gathered to Him. And He was near by the sea.

22 ⁿ And behold, there came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet.

23 Then he begged Him greatly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and ^o lay Your hands on her so that she may be healed, and she will live.”

24 So Jesus went with him, and many people followed Him and pressed against Him.

25 Now a certain woman ^p had a flow of blood for twelve years,

26 and she had suffered many things by many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was not better, but rather grew worse.

27 When she had heard of Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and ^q touched His garment.

28 For she said, “If I only touch His clothes, I will be well.”

29 Then immediately the flow of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.

30 Now Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that ^r power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd. And He said, “Who touched My clothes?”

31 Then His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude pressing against You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’”

32 So He looked around to see her who had done this thing.

33 But the woman, ^s fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.

34 Then He said to her, “Daughter, ^t your faith has made you whole. ^u Go in peace, and be whole of your affliction.”

35 ^v While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the ruler of the synagogue, saying, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”

36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid, only ^w believe.”

37 Now He allowed no one to follow Him, except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.

38 Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue and saw the commotion and people loudly ^x weeping and wailing.

39 Now when He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but is ^y asleep.”

40 Then they ridiculed Him. ^z But when He had put them all out, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those with Him, and entered in where the child was lying.

41 Then He took the child by the hand. And He said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.”

42 And immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years old. And they were ^a overcome with great astonishment.

43 Then ^b He strictly charged them that no one should know it. And He commanded that something should be given her to eat.

Chapter 6

A Prophet Without Honor

1 Now ^a He went out from there and came to His own country. And His disciples followed Him.

2 Then when the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were ^b astonished, saying, ^c “Where did this man receive these things? And what wisdom is this that is given to Him, that such mighty deeds are worked by His hands?

3 “Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, the ^d brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” And they ^e were offended in Him.

4 But Jesus said to them, ^f “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and among his own relatives and in his own house.”

5 ^g Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.

6 And ^h He marveled because of their unbelief. And ⁱ He went around the villages, teaching.

Mission Trip of the Twelve

7 Then ^j He called the twelve and began to send them out ^k two by two. And He gave them power over unclean spirits.

8 And He commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bag, no bread, no money in their belt;

9 but ^l to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.

10 Then ^m He said to them, “In whatever place you enter a house, remain there until you depart from that place.

11 ⁿ “And whatever place will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, ^o shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them.”

12 Then they went out and preached that men should repent.

13 And they cast out many demons and ^p anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

Beheading of John the Baptist

14 Now ^q King Herod heard of Him, for His name became well known. And he said, “John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and therefore ^r powers are at work in him.”

15 ^s Others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet ^t like one of the prophets.”

16 But ^u when Herod heard of it, he said, “It is John, whom I beheaded. He is risen from the dead!”

17 For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John and bound him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, for he had married her.

18 For John had said to Herod, ^v “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

19 Therefore, Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to kill him. But she could not,

20 for Herod ^w feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man. And he kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was very puzzled, but he gladly heard him.

21 ^x Finally, an opportune day came when Herod ^y on his birthday made a feast for his lords, high captains and chief men of Galilee.

22 And when the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and those who sat with him. And the king said to the damsel, “Ask of me whatever you want and I will give it to you.”

23 Then he swore to her, ^z “Whatever you will ask of me, I will give it to you, even to half of my kingdom.”

24 Then she went out and said to her mother, “What will I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.”

25 Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”

26 ^a Now the king was exceedingly sorry. But because of his oaths and because of those who sat with him, he was unwilling to refuse her.

27 So immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. Then he went and beheaded him in the prison.

28 And he brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother.

29 Now when his disciples heard this, they came and ^b took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Feeding of the Five Thousand

30 Then ^c the apostles gathered themselves together to Jesus and told Him all that they had done and taught.

31 Then ^d He said to them, “Come away by yourselves into a desert place and rest a while.” For ^e there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.

32 ^f So they departed to a desert place by boat by themselves.

33 Now the people saw them departing, and many ^g recognized Him, and ran on foot out of all cities. They arrived there together before them.

34 And ^h Jesus, when He came out, saw many people and was moved with compassion for them because they were as ⁱ sheep not having a shepherd. And ^j He began to teach them many things.

35 Now ^k when the day was almost over, His disciples came to Him and said, “This is a desert place, and now it is already late.

36 “Send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and into the villages and buy something to eat.”

37 He answered and said to them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to Him, ^l “Will we go and buy two hundred denarii of bread and give them something to eat?”

38 He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they found out, they said, ^m “Five, and two fish.”

39 Then He ⁿ commanded them to make all sit down in groups on the green grass.

40 And they sat down in ranks by hundreds and by fifties.

41 Now when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He ^o looked up to heaven and ^p blessed and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to His disciples to set before them. And He divided the two fish among them all.

42 So they all ate and were filled.

43 Now they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish.

44 And those who ate of the loaves were five thousand men.

Jesus Walks on Water

45 Then ^q immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He sent the people away.

46 Now when He had sent them away, He ^r departed to a mountain to pray.

47 Then when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land.

48 Now He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and ^s would have passed by them.

49 But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ^t spirit. And they cried out,

50 for they all saw Him and were terrified. And immediately He spoke with them, and said to them, ^u “Be of good cheer. It is I. Do not be ^v afraid.”

51 Then He went up to them into the boat, and the wind ^w ceased. And they were greatly ^x astonished,

52 for ^y they had not understood the miracle of the loaves because their ^z heart was hardened.

53 ^a Now when they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored to the shore.

54 Now when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him.

55 So they ran throughout that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick, to the place they heard He was.

56 Wherever He entered villages, or cities, or the countryside, they laid the sick in the streets and begged Him that ^b they might just touch the ^c border of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made whole.

Chapter 7

The Clean and the Unclean

1 And having come from Jerusalem, ^a the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him.

2 And they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with ^b unwashed hands.

3 For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands, thus holding the ^c tradition of the elders.

4 And when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they wash themselves. And there are many other things that they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.

5 Then ^d the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?”

6 He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you ^e hypocrites, as it is written, ^f ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

7 In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

8 “For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men — [the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.]”

9 Then He said to them, “All too well ^g you reject the commandment of God so that you may keep your own tradition.

10 “For Moses said, ^h ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ⁱ ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’

11 “But you say, ‘If a man will say to his father or mother, ^j “Whatever I have that would help you is Corban”’ (that is to say, given to God),

12 “then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother,

13 “making the word of God of no effect through your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

14 Now ^k when He had called all the people to Himself, He said to them, “Listen to Me everyone, and ^l understand.

15 “There is nothing outside a man that enters into him that can defile him. But the things that come out of him, those are the things that defile the man.

16 ⁿ “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

17 Now ^o when He had entered into the house away from the people, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.

18 Then He said to them, ^p “Are you so without understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever thing from outside that enters into the man, it cannot defile him,

19 “because it does not enter into his heart, but into the stomach, and is eliminated?” (Jesus thus declared all foods clean.)

20 Then He said, ^q “That which comes out of the man, that defiles the man.

21 ^r “For from within, out of the heart of men, ^s proceed evil thoughts, ^t adulteries, ^u fornications, murders,

22 “thefts, ^v covetousness, wickedness, ^w deceit, ^x lewdness, an evil eye, ^y blasphemy, ^z pride, and foolishness.

23 “All these evil things come from within and defile the man.”

The Syrophoenician Woman

24 And ^a from there He arose and went to the region of Tyre. And He entered into a house and wanted no one to know it. But He could not be ^b hidden.

25 A woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of Him, and came and ^c fell at His feet.

26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by race. And she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

27 But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and to cast it to the dogs.”

28 Then she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs.”

29 So He said to her, “For this saying go your way. The demon has gone out of your daughter.”

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

Healing a Deaf and Speechless Man

31 And ^d again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came to the sea of Galilee through the middle of the region of Decapolis.

32 And ^e they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech. And they begged Him to put His hand on him.

33 Then He took him aside from the multitude and put His fingers into his ears. And ^f He spit and touched his tongue.

34 Then ^g looking up to heaven, ^h He sighed. And He said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened.”

35 And ⁱ immediately his ears were opened and the impediment of his tongue was removed, and he spoke plainly.

36 Then ^j He commanded them that they should tell no one. But the more He commanded them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it.

37 So they were utterly ^k astonished, saying, “He has done all things well. He ^l makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

Chapter 8

Feeding of the Four Thousand

1 In those days ^a the multitude was again very great. And having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples and said to them,

2 “I have ^b compassion on the multitude because they have now been with Me three days and have nothing to eat.

3 “And if I send them away to their own houses fasting, they will faint on the way, for some of them came from a great distance.”

4 Then His disciples answered Him, “How can anyone satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?”

5 And ^c He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.”

6 So He commanded the people to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, and broke them, and gave to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the people.

7 Now they also had a few small fish. And He ^d blessed them and commanded to set them also before them.

8 So they ate and were filled. And they took up seven baskets full of leftover fragments.

9 Now those who had eaten were about four thousand. And He sent them away.

10 Then ^e immediately He entered into a boat with His disciples and came into the district of Dalmanutha.

The Pharisees Seek a Sign

11 Now ^f the Pharisees came out and began to question Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.

12 So He ^g sighed deeply in His spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek after a sign? Truly I say to you, ^h no sign will be given to this generation.”

13 And He left them. Then entering into the boat again, He departed to the other side.

The Leaven of the Pharisees

14 ⁱ Now they had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf in the boat.

15 And ^j He charged them, saying, “Take heed. Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

16 Now they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have no bread.”

17 And when Jesus knew it, He said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? ^k Do you not yet see nor understand? Are your hearts hardened?

18 Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?

19 ^l When I broke the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.”

20 “And ^m when I broke the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?” And they said, “Seven.”

21 Then He said to them, “How is it that ⁿ you do not understand?”

Healing a Blind Man

22 Then He came to Bethsaida. And they brought a ^o blind man to Him and begged Him to ^p touch him.

23 So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. And when ^q He had spit on his eyes, and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.

24 Then he looked up and said, “I see men as trees, walking.”

25 After that He put His hands again on his eyes and made him look up. And he was restored and saw every man clearly.

26 Then He sent him away to his house, saying, ^r “Do not tell anyone in the village.”

Peter’s Confession

27 Then ^s Jesus went out with His disciples into the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?”

28 And they answered, ^t “John the Baptist. But some say, ^u Elijah, and others, one of the prophets.”

29 Then He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and said to Him, ^v “You are the Christ.”

30 Then ^w He commanded them that they should tell no man about Him.

Jesus Prophesies His Death

31 ^x So He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be ^y rejected by the elders and the chief priests and scribes, and be ^z killed and after three days rise again.

32 And He spoke this matter openly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.

33 But when He had turned around and looked on His disciples, He ^a rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things that are of men.”

The Cost of Discipleship

34 Now when He had called the people to Himself with His disciples also, He said to them, ^b “Whoever wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.

35 “For ^c whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever wishes to lose his life for My sake and the gospel’s, the same will save it.

36 “For what will it profit a man if he will gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

37 “Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

38 ^d “For whoever ^e is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

Chapter 9

The Transfiguration

1 Then He said to them, ^a “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste of death until they have seen ^b the kingdom of God come with power.”

2 ^c Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up onto a high mountain apart by themselves. And He was transfigured before them.

3 And His garments became shining, exceedingly ^d white as snow, as no launderer on earth can whiten them.

4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses. And they were talking with Jesus.

5 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

6 (He did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.)

7 Then there came a ^e cloud that overshadowed them. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is ^f My beloved Son! ^g Hear Him.”

8 Then suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no man anymore, but Jesus alone with themselves.

9 ^h Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no man what things they had seen until the Son of Man was risen from the dead.

10 So they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one another ⁱ what the rising from the dead meant.

11 And they asked Him, saying, “Why do the scribes say ^j that Elijah must first come?”

12 Then He answered and told them, “Elijah truly comes first and restores all things. And ^k yet why is it written of the Son of Man that He must suffer many things and ^l be treated with contempt?

13 “But I say to you that ^m Elijah has indeed come, and they have done to him whatever they desired, as it was written of him.”

Healing a Boy with an Evil Spirit

14 Now ⁿ when He came to His disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.

15 Then immediately all the people, when they saw Him, were greatly amazed and began running to Him to greet Him.

16 Then He asked the scribes, “What are you disputing with them?”

17 Now ^o one of the multitude answered and said, “Teacher, I brought to You my son who has a mute spirit.

18 “And whenever it seizes him, it tears him. And he foams and gnashes with his teeth and stiffens. And I spoke to Your disciples that they should cast him out, but they could not.”

19 He answered him and said, “O ^p faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I bear with you? Bring him to Me.”

20 So they brought him to Him. And ^q when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.

21 Then He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.

22 “And often it has cast him into the fire and into the waters, to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

23 Jesus said to him, ^r “‘If you can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.”

24 Then immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe! ^s Help my unbelief!”

25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He ^t rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to him, “You deaf and mute spirit, I command you to come out of him and enter no more into him.”

26 Then the spirit cried out, greatly convulsed him, and came out of him. And he was as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.”

27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up. And he arose.

28 Now ^u when He came into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”

29 Then He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but ^v prayer.”

Struggles over Greatness

30 Now they departed from there and passed through Galilee. And He did not want anyone to know about it.

31 ^w For He taught His disciples and said to them, “The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will ^x kill Him. And after He is killed, He will ^y rise the third day.”

32 But they ^z did not understand this saying and were afraid to ask Him.

33 ^a Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house, He asked them, “What was it that you disputed among yourselves on the way?”

34 But they held their peace, for on the way they had ^b disputed among themselves who was the ^c greatest.

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

36 Then ^e He took a child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them,

37 “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name, receives Me. And ^f whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”

Sectarian Spirit of the Disciples

38 ^g Then John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw one casting out demons in Your name, and he did not follow us. And we forbade him because he did not follow us.”

39 But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, ^h for there is no one who will do a mighty work in My name who can afterward speak evil of Me.

40 “For ⁱ he who is not against us is on our side.

41 ^j “For whoever will give you a cup of water to drink in My name because you belong to Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.

42 ^k “And whoever will offend one of these little ones who believe in Me, it would be better for him that a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea.

43 ^l “And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than having two hands to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire—

44 [“where ^m ‘their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’]

45 “And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter lame into life than having two feet, to be cast into hell—

46 [“where ⁿ ‘their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’]

47 “And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than having two eyes to be cast into hell,

48 “where ^o ‘their worm does not die and the ^p fire is not quenched.’

49 “For everyone will be ^q salted with fire.

50 ^r “Salt is good. But if the salt has lost its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? ^s Have salt in yourselves, and ^t have peace one with another.”

Chapter 10

Divorce

1 Then ^a He arose from there and came into the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan. And the people gathered to Him again. And according to His custom, He once again taught them.

2 Then ^b the Pharisees came to Him, testing Him. And they asked Him, “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife?”

3 So He answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?”

4 And they said, ^c “Moses permitted a man to write a bill of divorcement and send her away.”

5 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this commandment.

6 “But from the beginning of the creation God ^d made them male and female.

7 ^e ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife.

8 “And the two will be one flesh. So then they are no longer two, but one flesh.

9 “Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

10 Now in the house His disciples asked Him again about the same matter.

11 Then He said to them, ^f “Whoever puts away his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her.

12 “And if a woman puts away her husband and is married to another, she commits adultery.”

Jesus and Children

13 Then ^g they brought young children to Him so that He might touch them. And His disciples rebuked those who brought them.

14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased. And He said to them, “Permit the little children to come to Me and do not forbid them, ^h for of such is the kingdom of God.

15 “Truly I say to you, ⁱ whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child ^j will not enter it.”

16 Then He took them up in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them.

The Rich Young Ruler

17 ^k Now when He was going out to the road, there came one running and kneeling before Him. And he asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I ^l do so that I may inherit eternal life?”

18 Then Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? There is none good but one, that is, ^m God.

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

20 And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these I have ^o observed from my youth.”

21 Then looking at him, Jesus loved him. And He said to him, “One thing you lack. Go your way and ^p sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have ^q treasure in heaven. And come, ^r take up the cross, and follow Me.”

22 But he was sad at this saying and went away grieving, for he had great possessions.

23 Then ^s Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter into the kingdom of God!”

24 Now the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!

25 “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a ^t rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”

26 Then they were more astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?”

27 Then looking at them, Jesus said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God. For ^u with God all things are possible.”

28 Then ^v Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left all and have followed You.”

29 And Jesus answered and said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for My sake and the gospel’s sake,

30 ^w “who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with ^x persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.

31 ^y “But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Jesus Speaks of His Death

32 ^z Then they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus went before them. And they were amazed. And as they followed, they were afraid. And ^a He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what things would happen to Him.

33 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and to the scribes. And they will condemn Him to death and will deliver Him to the Gentiles.

34 “Then they will mock Him and will scourge Him and will spit on Him and will kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.”

Request of James and John

35 Now ^b James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”

36 Then He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

37 They said to Him, “Grant to us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left hand in Your glory.”

38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the ^c cup that I drink and be baptized with the ^d baptism with which I am baptized?”

39 Then they said to Him, “We can.” And Jesus said to them, ^e “You will indeed drink of the cup that I drink and you will be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized.

40 “But to sit on My right hand and on My left hand is not Mine to give, but it is for those ^f for whom it has been prepared.”

41 Now ^g when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John.

42 But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “^h You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them. And their great ones exercise authority over them.

43 ⁱ “But it will not be so among you. But whoever desires to be great among you will be your servant.

44 “And whoever of you desires to be the first will be the bondservant of all.

45 “For even ^j the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and ^k to give His life a ransom for many.”

Healing of Bartimaeus

46 Then ^l they came to Jericho. And as He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road.

47 Now when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, ^m Son of David, ⁿ have mercy on me.”

48 Then many commanded him that He should hold his peace. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me.”

49 Then Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise. He calls you.”

50 Then casting away his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.

51 So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Lord, that I might receive my sight.”

52 Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way. ^o Your faith has made you whole.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus in the way.

Chapter 11

Triumphal Entry

1 Now ^a when they came near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples.

2 And He said to them, “Go into the village opposite you. And as soon as you have entered it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here.

3 “Now if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ you say, ‘The Lord has need of it.’ And immediately he will send it back here.”

4 So they went their way and found a colt tied at the door, outside in the street. And they untied it.

5 Now some of them who stood there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?”

6 Then they said to them as Jesus had commanded. And they let them go.

7 Then ^b they brought the colt to Jesus and cast their garments on it. And He sat on it.

8 Then ^c many spread their garments on the road. And others cut down branches off the trees and spread them on the road.

9 Now those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying, “Hosanna! ^d Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

10 “Blessed is the kingdom of our father David. ^e Hosanna in the highest!”

11 Then ^f Jesus entered into Jerusalem and into the temple. And when He had looked around at everything, and since it was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.

Jesus and the Temple

12 Now ^g on the next day, when they had come from Bethany, He was hungry.

13 ^h Then seeing a fig tree from a distance having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He might find something on it. And when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

14 Then Jesus answered and said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.

15 Then ⁱ they came to Jerusalem. And Jesus went into the temple and began to cast out those who sold and bought in the temple. And He overthrew the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold ^j doves.

16 And He would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple.

17 Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ^k ‘My house will be called the house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a ^l den of thieves.”

18 Now ^m the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him, for they feared Him because ⁿ all the people were astonished at His teaching.

19 Now when evening had come, He went out of the city.

The Withering Fig Tree

20 ^o So in the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.

21 Then Peter, being reminded, said to Him, “Teacher, behold, the fig tree that You cursed has withered away.”

22 Then Jesus answering said to them, “Have faith in God.

23 “For ^p truly I say to you that whoever will say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and will not doubt in his heart, but will believe that those things that he said will come to pass, he will have whatever he says.

24 “Therefore, I say to you, ^q whatever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them and you will have them.

25 “And when you stand praying, forgive ^r if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

26 [“But ^s if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”]

Jesus’ Authority Questioned

27 Then they came again to Jerusalem. ^t And as He was walking in the temple, there came to Him the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.

28 And they said to Him, “By what ^u authority do You do these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?”

29 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “I will also ask of you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

30 “The ^v baptism of John, was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me.”

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

32 “But if we will say, ‘From men...’”—they feared the people, for ^w everyone considered John to have been a prophet indeed.

33 Then they answered and said to Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus answering said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Chapter 12

Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers

1 Then ^a He began to speak to them in parables. “A certain man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, and dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it out to vinedressers and went into a far country.

2 “And at the harvest time he sent to the vinedressers a bondservant so that he might receive from the vinedressers the fruit from the vineyard.

3 “But they caught and beat him and sent him away empty.

4 “Then again he sent to them another bondservant. And they wounded him in the head and sent him away shamefully treated.

5 “Then again he sent another, and they killed him; and many others, ^b beating some and killing some.

6 “Therefore, having still one son, his beloved, he sent him also to them last, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

7 “But those vinedressers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and the inheritance will be ours.’

8 “So they took him and ^c killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.

9 “Therefore, what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.

10 “Have you not read this Scripture, ^d ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

11 ‘This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

12 Then ^e they sought to lay hold on Him, but feared the people, for they knew that He had spoken the parable against them. And they left Him and went their way.

Taxes for Caesar

13 Then ^f they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to catch Him in His words.

14 Now when they had come, they said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are true and not swayed by anyone, for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the ^g way of God in truth. Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?

15 “Should we pay, or should we not pay?” But He, knowing their ^h hypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius so that I may see it.”

16 So they brought it. And He said to them, “Whose is this image and inscription?” And they said to Him, “Caesar’s.”

17 Then Jesus answering said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to ⁱ God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at Him.

Questions on the Resurrection

18 ^j Then some Sadducees, ^k who say there is no resurrection, came to Him. And they asked Him,

19 “Teacher, ^l Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up children to his brother.

20 “Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died leaving no children.

21 “Then the second took her and died, and he did not leave any children; and the third likewise.

22 “So the seven had her and left no children. Last of all the woman died also.

23 “Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For the seven men had her as a wife.”

24 Then Jesus answering said to them, “Do you not err because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?

25 “For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage. But ^m they are as the angels who are in heaven.

26 “Now concerning the dead, that they ⁿ rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spoke to him, saying, ^o ‘I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob’?

27 “He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. Therefore, you are greatly mistaken.”

The Greatest Commandment

28 ^p Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together and seeing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What is the first commandment of all?”

29 And Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is, ^q ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.

30 ‘And you will ^r love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

31 “And the second is like it, namely this, ^s ‘You will love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than ^t these.”

32 Then the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher, You have said the truth. For there is one God ^u and there is no other besides Him.

33 “And to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as himself, ^v is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

34 Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” ^w And no man after that dared ask Him any question.

Jesus and David

35 Then ^x Jesus answered and said while He taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that Christ is the Son of David?

36 “David himself said ^y by the Holy Spirit, ^z ‘The Lord said to My Lord, “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’

37 “Therefore, David himself called Him ‘Lord.’ So in what sense is He then his ^a Son?” And the common people heard Him gladly.

38 Then ^b He said to them in His teaching, ^c “Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and ^d like greetings in the marketplaces,

39 “and the ^e chief seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts.

40 ^f “They devour widows’ houses, and for show make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

The Widow’s Offering

41 ^g Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and observed how the people cast money ^h into the treasury. And many who were rich cast in much.

42 Then there came a certain poor widow and she put in two coins that make a quadrans.

43 Now He called to Himself His disciples and said to them, “Truly I say to you that ⁱ this poor widow has put in more than all those who have cast into the treasury,

44 “for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, even ^j all her living.”

Chapter 13

Signs of the Consummation of Israel

1 Now ^a as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what kind of stones and what buildings are here!”

2 Then Jesus answering said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? ^b Not one stone will be left upon another that will not be thrown down.”

3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, ^c Peter, ^d James, ^e John and ^f Andrew asked Him privately,

4 ^g “Tell us when these things will be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?”

5 Then Jesus answering them began to say, ^h “Take heed lest anyone deceives you.

6 “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many.

7 “And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled, for such things must take place. But this is not the end.

8 “For nation will rise against nation and ⁱ kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines. ^j These are the beginnings of sorrows.

9 “But ^k take heed to yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils. And in the synagogues you will be beaten. And you will stand before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.

10 “But ^l the gospel must first be preached to all nations.

11 ^m “But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand what you will say. But just speak whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, ⁿ but the Holy Spirit.

12 “Now ^o brother will betray brother to death, and the father the son. And children will rise up against their parents and will cause them to be put to death.

13 ^p “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But ^q he who will endure to the end, the same will be saved.

14 ^r “But when you see the ^s abomination of desolation standing where it should not—let him who reads understand—then ^t let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

15 “And let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor go inside to take anything out of his house.

16 “And let him who is in the field not turn back to get his garment.

17 ^u “But woe to those who are with child, and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

18 “And pray that your flight not be in the winter.

19 ^v “For in those days there will be tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation that God created until this time, and never will be.

20 “And except the Lord had shortened those days no flesh would have been saved. But for the elect’s sake, whom He has chosen, He has shortened the days.

21 “Now then, ^w if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ’; or, ‘Behold, He is there’; do not believe him.

22 “For false christs and false prophets will rise and will show signs and ^x wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

23 “But ^y take heed. Behold, I have told you all things in advance.

24 “But ^z in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light,

25 “and the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers that are in heaven will be ^a shaken.

26 “And ^b then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

27 “And then He will send His messengers and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of the earth to the farthest part of heaven.

The Parable of the Fig Tree

28 “Now ^c learn a parable from the fig tree. When its branch is yet tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.

29 “So you in like manner, when you will see these things come to pass, know that it is near, even at the doors.

30 “Truly I say to you, that this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

31 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but ^d My words will not pass away.

Watchfulness Commanded

32 “But of that day and hour ^e no one knows, not even the angels who are in heaven, nor the Son, but the ^f Father only.

33 ^g “Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.

34 ^h “It is like a man going on a journey, who left his house and gave ⁱ authority to his bondservants and to each one his work. And he commanded the doorkeeper to watch.

35 “Therefore, you ^j watch, for you do not know when the master of the house comes, in the evening, or at midnight, or at the cock crow, or in the morning—

36 “lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.

37 “And what I say to you I say to all, Watch!”

Chapter 14

Jesus Anointed

1 After ^a two days was the Passover and ^b the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death.

2 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people.”

3 ^c While in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as He reclined at the table, there came a woman having an alabaster vial of very costly oil of spikenard. And she broke the vial and poured it on His head.

4 Now there were some who were indignant among themselves. And they said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted?

5 “For it might have been sold for more than three hundred ^d denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they harshly ^e rebuked her.

6 But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good deed to Me.

7 ^f For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do good to them. ^g But you do not always have Me.

8 “She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for the burial.

9 “Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is ^h preached throughout the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.”

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

10 Then ⁱ Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.

11 When they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.

The Last Passover Meal

12 ^j On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?”

13 Then He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and there a man will meet you bearing a pitcher of water. Follow him.

14 “And wherever he goes in, you say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher said, Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?’”

15 “And he will show you a large upper room furnished and prepared. There make ready for us.”

16 So His disciples went out and came into the city and found as He had said to them. And they made ready the Passover.

17 ^k Now in the evening, He came with the twelve.

18 And as they reclined and ate, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you that ^l one of you who eats with Me will betray Me.”

19 Then they began to be sorrowful and to say to Him one by one, “Is it I?”

20 Then He answered and said to them, “It is one of the twelve who dips with Me in the dish.

21 ^m The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him. But woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had never been born.”

Institution of the Lord’s Supper

22 ⁿ While they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, “Take, eat; this is My ^o body.”

23 Then He took the cup. And when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

24 Then He said to them, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is shed for many.

25 “Truly I say to you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

Prophesy of Peter’s Denials

26 ^p Now after singing a hymn, they went out onto the Mount of Olives.

27 Then ^q Jesus said to them, “All of you will be offended, for it is written, ^r ‘I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’

28 “But ^s after I have been raised, I will go before you into Galilee.”

29 But ^t Peter said to Him, “Although all will be offended, yet I will not.”

30 Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you that this day, even in this night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny Me three times.”

31 But he spoke more emphatically, “If I have to die with You, I will not deny You.” And they all said likewise.

Prayer in Gethsemane

32 ^u They came to a place that was named Gethsemane. And He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”

33 Then He ^v took Peter and James and John with Him, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled.

34 So He said to them, ^w “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.”

35 Then He went a little farther, fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.

36 Then He said, ^x “Abba, Father, ^y all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; ^z nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”

The Arrest of Jesus

43 ^e Immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived with a great multitude with swords and clubs from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.

44 Now he who betrayed Him had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; take Him and lead Him away safely.”

45 Then, as soon as he came, he went immediately to Him and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed Him.

46 Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him.

Trial Before the Sanhedrin

53 ^k They led Jesus away to the high priest. And with Him were ^l assembled all the ^m chief priests and the elders and the scribes.

54 Now ⁿ Peter followed Him afar off, even into the courtyard of the high priest. And he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.

55 Then ^o the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none.

61 But ^t He held His peace and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”

62 Then Jesus said, “I am. ^v And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

Denial by Peter

66 ^z As Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came.

67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with ^a Jesus of Nazareth.”

68 But he denied it, saying, “I do not know nor understand what you are saying.” And he went out onto the porch, and the cock crowed.

69 Now ^b a servant girl saw him again, and began to say to those who stood by, “This is one of them!”

70 But he denied it again. ^c And a little later those who stood by said again to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, ^d for you are a Galilean.”

71 But he began to curse and to swear, saying, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.”

72 Then ^e the second time the cock crowed. And Peter remembered the word that Jesus said to him, “Before the cock crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And when he thought about this, he wept.

Chapter 15

Jesus Before Pilate

1 Then immediately ^a in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and carried Him away and ^b delivered Him to Pilate.

2 ^c Now Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him, “It is as you say.”

3 Then the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He ^d answered nothing.

4 ^e So Pilate asked Him again, saying, “Do You answer nothing? See how many things they testify against You.”

5 ^f But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.

6 Now ^g at the feast he released to them one prisoner, whomever they requested.

7 Now there was one named Barabbas, who was imprisoned with those who had made insurrection with him. He had committed murder in the insurrection.

8 Then the multitude came up and began to ask him to do as he had always done for them.

9 But Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

10 For he knew that the chief priests had delivered Him because of envy.

11 But ^h the chief priests stirred the people so that he should rather release Barabbas to them.

12 But Pilate answered and said again to them, “What then do you want me to do to Him whom you call the ⁱ King of the Jews?”

13 And they cried out again, “Crucify Him!”

14 Then Pilate said to them, “Why, ^j what evil has He done?” And they cried out all the more, “Crucify Him!”

15 Then ^k Pilate, willing to satisfy the people, released Barabbas to them. And he delivered Jesus, when He had scourged Him, to be ^l crucified.

Mocking of Jesus

16 ^m So the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium. And they called together the whole Roman cohort.

17 Then they clothed Him with purple and twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head.

18 And they began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

19 Now they kept ⁿ beating Him on the head with a reed, and spitting on Him. And bowing their knees, they paid homage to Him.

20 Then when they had ^o mocked Him, they took off the purple from Him and put His own clothes on Him. And they led Him out to crucify Him.

The Crucifixion

21 Then ^p they compelled one passing by who was coming from the country, Simon a Cyrenian (the father of Alexander and Rufus), to bear His cross.

22 Then ^q they brought Him to the place called Golgotha, which is, being translated, Place of a skull.

23 Then ^r they gave Him to drink wine mixed with myrrh. But He did not take it.

24 Now when they had crucified Him, ^s they divided His garments, casting lots for them to decide what every man should take.

25 Now ^t it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.

26 And ^u the inscription of His accusation was written above Him: THE KING OF THE JEWS.

27 Now ^v with Him they crucified two thieves, the one on His right hand and the other on His left.

28 So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ^w “And He was numbered with the transgressors.”

29 Now ^x those who passed by blasphemed Him, ^y wagging their heads and saying, “Ha! ^z You who destroy the temple and build it in three days,

30 “save Yourself, and come down from the cross.”

31 Likewise the chief priests also ^a mocking said among themselves with the scribes, “He saved ^b others. Himself He cannot save.

32 “Let the Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, so that we may see and believe.” And ^c those who were crucified with Him insulted Him.

Death on the Cross

33 Now ^d when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

34 Then at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”, that is translated, ^e “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

35 Now some of those who stood by, when they heard it, said, “Behold, He calls for Elijah.”

36 Then ^f one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar and put it on a reed. And he ^g gave Him a drink, saying, “Let Him alone. Let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down.”

37 Then ^h Jesus cried out with a loud voice and breathed His last.

38 And ⁱ the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom.

39 Now ^j when the centurion who stood opposite Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!”

40 ^k There were also women looking on ^l from afar, among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Younger and of Joses, and Salome.

41 When He was in Galilee, they ^m followed Him and ministered to Him, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

The Burial

42 And ⁿ now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath,

43 Joseph of Arimathaea, a prominent council member ^o who also waited for the kingdom of God, came and went in boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

44 And Pilate marveled that He was already dead. And calling to him the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead.

45 Now when he found out from the centurion, ^p he gave the body to Joseph.

46 Then ^q he bought fine linen. And he took Him down and wrapped Him in the linen and laid Him in a tomb that was cut out of a rock. And he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.

47 Then Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid.

Chapter 15

Jesus Before Pilate

1 Then immediately ^a in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and carried Him away and ^b delivered Him to Pilate.

2 ^c Now Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him, “It is as you say.”

3 Then the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He ^d answered nothing.

4 ^e So Pilate asked Him again, saying, “Do You answer nothing? See how many things they testify against You.”

5 ^f But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.

6 Now ^g at the feast he released to them one prisoner, whomever they requested.

7 Now there was one named Barabbas, who was imprisoned with those who had made insurrection with him. He had committed murder in the insurrection.

8 Then the multitude came up and began to ask him to do as he had always done for them.

9 But Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

10 For he knew that the chief priests had delivered Him because of envy.

11 But ^h the chief priests stirred the people so that he should rather release Barabbas to them.

12 But Pilate answered and said again to them, “What then do you want me to do to Him whom you call the ⁱ King of the Jews?”

13 And they cried out again, “Crucify Him!”

14 Then Pilate said to them, “Why, ^j what evil has He done?” And they cried out all the more, “Crucify Him!”

15 Then ^k Pilate, willing to satisfy the people, released Barabbas to them. And he delivered Jesus, when He had scourged Him, to be ^l crucified.

Mocking of Jesus

16 ^m So the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium. And they called together the whole Roman cohort.

17 Then they clothed Him with purple and twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head.

18 And they began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

19 Now they kept ⁿ beating Him on the head with a reed, and spitting on Him. And bowing their knees, they paid homage to Him.

20 Then when they had ^o mocked Him, they took off the purple from Him and put His own clothes on Him. And they led Him out to crucify Him.

The Crucifixion

21 Then ^p they compelled one passing by who was coming from the country, Simon a Cyrenian (the father of Alexander and Rufus), to bear His cross.

22 Then ^q they brought Him to the place called Golgotha, which is, being translated, Place of a skull.

23 Then ^r they gave Him to drink wine mixed with myrrh. But He did not take it.

24 Now when they had crucified Him, ^s they divided His garments, casting lots for them to decide what every man should take.

25 Now ^t it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.

26 And ^u the inscription of His accusation was written above Him: THE KING OF THE JEWS.

27 Now ^v with Him they crucified two thieves, the one on His right hand and the other on His left.

28 So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ^w “And He was numbered with the transgressors.”

29 Now ^x those who passed by blasphemed Him, ^y wagging their heads and saying, “Ha! ^z You who destroy the temple and build it in three days,

30 “save Yourself, and come down from the cross.”

31 Likewise the chief priests also ^a mocking said among themselves with the scribes, “He saved ^b others. Himself He cannot save.

32 “Let the Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, so that we may see and believe.” And ^c those who were crucified with Him insulted Him.

Death on the Cross

33 Now ^d when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

34 Then at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”, that is translated, ^e “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

35 Now some of those who stood by, when they heard it, said, “Behold, He calls for Elijah.”

36 Then ^f one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar and put it on a reed. And he ^g gave Him a drink, saying, “Let Him alone. Let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down.”

37 Then ^h Jesus cried out with a loud voice and breathed His last.

38 And ⁱ the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom.

39 Now ^j when the centurion who stood opposite Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!”

40 ^k There were also women looking on ^l from afar, among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Younger and of Joses, and Salome.

41 When He was in Galilee, they ^m followed Him and ministered to Him, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

The Burial

42 And ⁿ now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath,

43 Joseph of Arimathaea, a prominent council member ^o who also waited for the kingdom of God, came and went in boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

44 And Pilate marveled that He was already dead. And calling to him the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead.

45 Now when he found out from the centurion, ^p he gave the body to Joseph.

46 Then ^q he bought fine linen. And he took Him down and wrapped Him in the linen and laid Him in a tomb that was cut out of a rock. And he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.

47 Then Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid.

Chapter 16

The Resurrection

1 Now ^a when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, ^b bought sweet spices so that they might come and anoint Him.

2 And ^c very early in the morning on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb at the rising of the sun.

3 And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?”

4 But when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away, for it was very great.

5 ^d When entering into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment. And they were astonished.

6 ^e Then he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He is risen. He is not here. Behold the place where they laid Him.

7 “But go your way. Tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you into Galilee. There you will see Him ^f as He said to you.”

8 Then they went out and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. ^g And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

9 Now when Jesus was risen early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, ^h out of whom He had cast seven demons.

10 ⁱ She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.

11 And ^j they, when they had heard that He was alive, and had been seen by her, did not believe.

Jesus Appears to Two Disciples

12 After that He appeared in another form ^k to two of them as they walked and went into the country.

13 Then they went and told it to the rest. They did not believe them either.

The Commission to All the World

14 ^l Afterward He appeared to the eleven as they reclined at the table. And He rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He was risen.

15 ^m And He said to them, “Go into all the world ⁿ and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 ^o He who believes and is baptized will be saved; ^p but he who does not believe will be condemned.

17 “And these ^q signs will follow those who believe: ^r In My name they will cast out demons; ^s they will speak with new languages.

18 ^t They will take up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them. ^u They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

19 So then, ^v after the Lord had spoken to them, He was ^w received up into heaven and ^x sat at the right hand of God.

20 And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them ^y and confirming the word by the signs that followed.

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.

Chapter 1

The Word Became Flesh

1 In the beginning ^a was the ^b Word, and the Word was ^c with God, and the Word was ^d God.

2 ^e He was in the beginning with God.

3 ^f All things were made by Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

4 ^g In Him was life, and ^h the life was the light of men.

5 And ⁱ the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not understand it.

6 There was a ^j man sent from God whose name was John.

7 He came for a ^k witness, to bear witness of the Light so that all through him might ^l believe.

8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that ^m Light.

9 ⁿ That was the true Light that enlightens every man who comes into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and ^o the world did not know Him.

11 ^p He came to His own and His own did not receive Him.

12 But ^q as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, even to those who believe in His name,

13 ^r who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 ^s And the Word ^t was made ^u flesh and dwelt among us. And ^v we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, ^w full of grace and truth.

15 ^x John bore witness of Him, and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I spoke, ^y ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, ^z for He was before me.’”

16 For from His ^a fullness we all have received, and grace upon grace.

17 For ^b the law was given through Moses, but ^c grace and ^d truth came through Jesus Christ.

18 ^e No man has seen God at any time. ^f The only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

John and the Christ

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

20 And ^h he confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

21 And they asked him, “Who then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you ⁱ the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”

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

23 He said, ^j “I am ^k the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

24 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.

25 And they asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

26 John answered them, saying, ^l “I baptize in water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.

27 ⁿ “It is He who comes after me and is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”

28 These things were done ^o in Bethany beyond Jordan where John was baptizing.

The Lamb of God

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming to him. And he said, ^p “Behold, the Lamb of God ^q who takes away the sin of the world!”

30 “This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’

31 “And I did not know Him. But that He might be made manifest to Israel, ^r therefore, I came baptizing in water.”

32 ^s And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained upon Him.

33 “And I did not know Him. But He who sent me to baptize with water, the same said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, ^t the same is He who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’

34 “And I have seen and have testified that this is the ^u Son of God.”

The First Disciples

35 Again the next day John stood with two of his disciples.

36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, ^v “Behold the Lamb of God!”

37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they ^w followed Jesus.

38 Then Jesus turned and saw them following. And He said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi,” (which is to say when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?”

39 He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He dwelt, and remained with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.

40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was ^x Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

41 He first found his own brother Simon. And he said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ).

42 Then he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of John. ^y You will be called Cephas” (which is translated, Peter).

Calling of Philip and Nathanael

43 The following day Jesus wanted to go into Galilee. And He found ^z Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.”

44 Now ^a Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

45 Philip found ^b Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom ^c Moses in the law, and the ^d Prophets, wrote, Jesus ^e of Nazareth, the ^f son of Joseph.”

46 Then Nathanael said to him, ^g “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him. And He said of him, “Behold ^h an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile!”

48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, ⁱ You are the Son of God! You are the ^j King of Israel!”

50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”

51 Then He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^k you will see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

Chapter 2

Water to Wine

1 Now the ^a third day there was a marriage in ^b Cana of Galilee, and the ^c mother of Jesus was there.

2 Both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the marriage.

3 Now when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”

4 Jesus said to her, ^d “Woman, ^e what have I to do with you? ^f My hour has not yet come.”

5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, ^g according to the custom of the purification of the Jews, containing two or three gallons each.

7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.

8 Then He said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it to him.

9 When the master of the feast had tasted ^h the water that was made wine, and did not know from where it came — but the servants who drew the water knew — the master of the feast called the bridegroom,

10 And said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the people have drunk freely, then that which is inferior. But you have kept the good wine until now.”

11 This ⁱ beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, ^j and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed in Him.

12 After this He went down to ^k Capernaum, He and His mother and ^l His brothers and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

13 ^m Now the Jews’ Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

14 And ⁿ He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.

15 Now when He had made a whip of small cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overthrew the tables.

16 Then He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make ^o My Father’s house a house of merchandise!”

17 And His disciples remembered that it was written, ^p “The zeal for Your house will eat Me up.”

18 Then the Jews answered and said to Him, ^q “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?”

19 Jesus answered and said to them, ^r “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

20 Then the Jews said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and You will raise it up in three days?”

21 But He spoke ^s of the temple of His body.

22 Therefore, when He was risen from the dead, ^t His disciples remembered that He had said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast day, many believed in His name when they saw the ^u signs which He did.

24 But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He ^v knew all men.

25 And He did not need that anyone should testify concerning man, for ^w He knew what was in man.

Chapter 3

Nicodemus

1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

2 ^a The same man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God, for ^b no one can do these signs that You do unless ^c God is with him.”

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^d unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^e unless one is born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

6 “That which is born of the flesh is ^f flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

8 ^g “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know from where it comes and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, ^h “How can these things be?”

10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you a teacher of Israel and do not know these things?

11 ⁱ “Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak what we know and testify what we have seen, and ^j you do not receive our witness.

12 “If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you of heavenly things?

13 ^k “And no one has ascended to heaven except He who came down from heaven, even the Son of Man.

14 ^l “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so ^m must the Son of Man be lifted up,

15 “so that whoever ⁿ believes in Him will ^o have eternal life.

16 ^p “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten ^q Son, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 ^r “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

18 ^s “He who believes in Him is not condemned. But he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

19 “And this is the condemnation, ^t that light has come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.

20 “For ^u everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light lest his deeds should be exposed.

21 “But he who does the truth comes to the light so that his deeds may be made manifest, that they have been ^v done in God.”

Testimony of John

22 After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and He stayed there with them and ^w baptized.

23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to ^x Salim because there was much water there, and ^y they came and were baptized—

24 ^z for John was not yet cast into prison.

25 Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification.

26 So they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, ^a to whom you have testified, behold, the same is baptizing and all ^b are coming to Him.”

27 John answered and said, ^c “A man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven.

28 “You yourselves bear me witness that I said, ^d ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ^e ‘I have been sent before Him.’

29 ^f “He who has the bride is the bridegroom. But ^g the friend of the bridegroom who stands and hears him rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine is fulfilled.

30 ^h “He must increase, but I must decrease.

31 ⁱ “He who comes from above ^j is above all. ^k He who is of the earth is earthly and speaks from the earth. ^l He who comes from heaven is above all.

32 “And ^m what He has seen and heard, that He testifies. And no one receives His testimony.

33 “He who has received His testimony ⁿ has certified that God is truthful.

34 ^o “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit ^p by measure.

35 ^q “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.

36 ^r “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life. And He who does not believe the Son will not see life, but the ^s wrath of God abides on him.”

Chapter 4

The Samaritan Woman

1 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and ^a baptized more disciples than John—

2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples—)

3 He left Judea and departed again into Galilee.

4 Now He needed to go through Samaria.

5 So He came to a city of Samaria that is called Sychar, near to the parcel of land that ^b Jacob ^c gave to his son Joseph.

6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Therefore, Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

7 There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”

8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink, since I am a woman of Samaria?” (For ^d Jews have no dealings with the ^e Samaritans.)

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

11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. From where then do You get that living water?

12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?”

13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,

14 But ^h whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water that I will give him ⁱ will be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

15 ^j The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not thirst or come here to draw.”

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

17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have said well, ‘I have no husband,’

18 for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband. This you have truthfully said.”

19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, ^k I perceive that You are a prophet.

20 Our fathers worshiped on ^l this mountain, and You say that in ^m Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”

21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming ⁿ when you will neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem worship the Father.

22 You worship ^o what you do not know. We know what we worship, for ^p salvation is from the Jews.

23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will ^q worship the Father in ^r spirit ^s and in truth, for the Father seeks such to worship Him.

24 ^t God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

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

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

The Disciples Return

27 And at this time His disciples came. And they marveled that He talked with a woman. However, no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why do You talk with her?”

28 The woman then left her waterpot and went her way into the city and said to the men,

29 “Come, see a Man ^x who told me all things I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”

30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him.

31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”

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

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

34 Jesus said to them, ^y “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to ^z finish His work.”

35 “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months and then comes the ^a harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, ^b for they are white already for harvest!

36 ^c And he who reaps receives wages and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that ^d both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.

37 For in this the saying is true, ^e ‘One sows and another reaps.’

38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; ^f other men labored, and you have entered into their labors.”

Samaritans Believe

39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him ^g because of the saying of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I have done.”

40 So when the Samaritans came to Him, they urged Him to stay with them, and He stayed there two days.

41 And many more believed because of His ^h word.

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

Healing a Nobleman’s Son

43 Now after two days He departed from there and went into Galilee.

44 For ^j Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.

45 Then when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, ^k having seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast, ^l for they also went to the feast.

46 So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, ^m where He made the water into wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.

47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him that He would come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.

48 Then Jesus said to him, ⁿ “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”

49 The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

50 Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken to him, and he went his way.

51 As he was going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!”

52 Then he inquired of them the hour when he began to improve. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.”

53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole house.

54 This is again the second sign that Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

Chapter 5

Healing at Bethesda

1 After ^a this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus ^b went up to Jerusalem.

2 Now there is in Jerusalem ^c by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.

3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.

4 [For it was supposed that an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred the water. Then whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was made well of whatever disease he had.]

5 And a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.

6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made whole?”

7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, when the water is troubled, I have no man to put me into the pool. But while I am coming, another steps down before me.”

8 Jesus said to him, ^d “Rise, take up your bed and walk.”

9 And immediately the man was made whole, and he took up his bed and walked. Now ^e that day was the Sabbath.

10 Therefore the Jews said to him who was healed, “It is the Sabbath; ^f it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.”

11 He answered them, “He who made me whole said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’”

12 Then they asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?”

13 But he who was ^g healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.

14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you are made whole. ^h Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”

15 The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him whole.

Life in the Son

16 For this reason the Jews ⁱ persecuted Jesus, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.

17 But Jesus answered them, ^j “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

18 Therefore the Jews ^k sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, ^l making Himself equal with God.

19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^m the Son can do nothing by Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

20 “For ⁿ the Father loves the Son and ^o shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.

21 “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, ^p even so the Son gives life to whom He will.

22 “For the Father judges no one, but has ^q committed all judgment to the Son,

23 “that all men should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. ^r He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^s he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, ^t but has passed from death into life.

25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when ^u the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

26 “For ^v as the Father has life in Himself, so He has ^w granted the Son to have life in Himself,

27 “and has ^x given Him authority to execute judgment also, ^y because He is the Son of Man.

28 “Do not marvel at this, for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will ^z hear His voice

29 “and come forth—^a those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

30 ^c “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because ^d I do not seek My own will, but the will of the Father who sent Me.”

Witness of Jesus

31 ^e “If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.

32 ^f “There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.

33 “You sent to John, ^g and he has borne witness to the truth.

34 “Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.

35 “He was the burning and ^h shining lamp, and ⁱ you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.

36 “But ^j I have a greater witness than John’s; for ^k the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very ^l works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.

37 “And the Father Himself, who sent Me, ^m has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time ⁿ nor seen His form.

38 “But you do not have His word abiding in you, because you do not believe the One whom He sent.

39 ^o “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and ^p these are they which testify of Me.

40 ^q “But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

41 ^r “I do not receive honor from men.

42 “But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.

43 “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.

44 ^s “How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek ^t the honor that comes from God only?

45 “Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; ^u there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust.

46 “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, ^v for he wrote about Me.

47 “But if you ^w do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

Chapter 6

Feeding of the Five Thousand

1 After ^a these things Jesus crossed over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of ^b Tiberias.

2 And a great crowd followed Him because they saw His signs that He did on those who were ^c sick.

3 Then Jesus went up on a mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.

4 Now ^d the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.

5 ^e Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing a great crowd coming to Him, said to ^f Philip, “Where will we buy bread so that these may eat?”

6 This He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.

7 Philip answered Him, ^g “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, so that every one may take a little.”

8 One of His disciples, ^h Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him,

9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish. ⁱ But what are they among so many?”

10 Then Jesus said, “Make the men sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.

12 When they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain so that nothing is lost.”

13 Therefore they gathered them together and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves that remained over by those who had eaten.

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

Walking on Water

15 Therefore, when Jesus perceived that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him a ^k king, He departed again onto a mountain by Himself alone.

16 And ^l when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea,

17 And entering into a boat, they started to cross the sea toward Capernaum. It was already dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.

18 Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.

19 So when they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty furlongs, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat. And they were ^m afraid.

20 But He said to them, ⁿ “It is I. Do not be afraid.”

21 Then they willingly received Him into the boat. And immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

22 The following day the people who stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there except one, and that Jesus had not entered with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone away alone.

23 There came other boats from Tiberias near to the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks.

24 Therefore, when the people saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, ^o seeking Jesus.

The Bread of Life

25 And when they had found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?”

26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you do not seek Me because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.

27 ^p “Do not labor for the food that perishes, but ^q for the food that endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give to you, ^r for on Him God the Father has set His seal.”

28 Then they said to Him, “What should we do so that we might work the works of God?”

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

30 Therefore, they said to Him, ^t “What sign then do You show so that we may see and believe You? What work will You do?

31 ^u “Our fathers ate manna in the desert, as it is written, ^v ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

32 Then Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, Moses did not give you that bread from heaven, but ^w My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

33 “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

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

35 And Jesus said to them, ^y “I am the bread of life. ^z He who comes to Me will never hunger, and he who believes in Me will never ^a thirst.

36 ^b “But I said to you that you have seen Me and still ^c do not believe.

37 ^d “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and ^e the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.

38 “For I came down from heaven, ^f not to do My own will, ^g but the will of Him who sent Me.

39 “And this is the Father’s will who sent Me, ^h that of all that He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up in the last day.

40 “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, ⁱ that everyone who sees the Son and believes on Him may have everlasting life. And I will raise him up in the last day.”

41 The Jews then murmured at Him because He said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”

42 Then they said, ^j “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He said, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

43 Therefore Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves.

44 ^k “No one can come to Me except the Father who has sent Me ^l draws him. And I will raise him up in the last day.

45 “It is written in the prophets, ^m ‘And they will all be taught of God.’ ⁿ Therefore, everyone who has heard and has learned from the Father comes to Me.

46 ^o “Not that anyone has seen the Father, ^p except He who is from God. He has seen the Father.

47 “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^q he who believes has everlasting life.

48 ^r “I am that bread of life.

49 ^s “Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness and are dead.

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

51 “I am the living bread ^u that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And ^v the bread that I will give is My flesh that I will give for the life of the world.”

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

53 Then Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, except ^x you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.

54 ^y “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life. And I will raise Him up in the last day.

55 “For My flesh is true food and My blood is true drink.

56 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood ^z dwells in Me and I in him.

57 “As the living Father has sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, even he will live because of Me.

58 ^a “This is the bread that came down from heaven, not ^b as your fathers ate manna and are dead. He who eats of this bread will live forever.”

Many Disciples Turn Away

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

60 ^c Therefore, many of His disciples, when they had heard this, said, “This is a hard saying. Who can hear it?”

61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples grumbled at this, He said to them, “Does this offend you?

62 ^d “What then if you will see the Son of Man ascending up where He was before?

63 ^e “It is the spirit that gives life. The ^f flesh profits nothing. The ^g words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life.

64 “But ^h there are some of you who do not believe.” For ⁱ Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe and who would betray Him.

65 Then He said, “Therefore ^j I said to you, that no one can come to Me except it has been given to him by My Father.”

66 ^k From that time many of His disciples went back and no longer walked with Him.

67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Will you also go away?”

68 Then Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom will we go? You have ^l the words of eternal life.

69 ^m “And we believe and are sure that You are the Holy One of God.”

70 Jesus answered them, ⁿ “Have I not chosen you twelve, ^o and yet one of you is a devil?”

71 He spoke of ^p Judas Iscariot the son of Simon, for it was he who would ^q betray Him, being one of the twelve.

Chapter 7

Feast of the Tabernacles

1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea ^a because the Jews sought to kill Him.

2 ^b Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.

3 Therefore, ^c His brothers said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea so that Your disciples may also see the works that You are doing.

4 “For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.”

5 For ^d even His ^e brothers did not believe in Him.

6 Then Jesus said to them, ^f “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.

7 ^g “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me ^h because I testify of it, that its works are evil.

8 “You go up to this feast. I am not going up to this feast at this time, ⁱ for My time has not yet fully come.”

9 When He had said these words to them, He stayed in Galilee.

10 But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He also went up, not openly, but as if in secret.

11 Then ^j the Jews sought Him at the feast and said, “Where is He?”

12 Now ^k there was much whispering among the people concerning Him, for ^l some said, “He is a good man.” Others said, “No, He deceives the people.”

13 However, no one spoke openly of Him ^m for fear of the Jews.

Teaching at the Feast

14 Now about the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and ⁿ taught.

15 And ^o the Jews marveled, saying, “How has this Man become learned, having never been educated?”

16 So Jesus answered them and said, ^p “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.

17 ^q “If anyone wills to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is from God or whether I speak from Myself.

18 ^r “He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory. But He who ^s seeks the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and ^t no unrighteousness is in Him.

19 ^u “Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keeps the law? ^v Why do you seek to kill Me?”

20 The people answered and said, ^w “You have a demon. Who seeks to kill You?”

21 Jesus answered and said to them, “I have done one work and you all marvel.

22 ^x “Moses therefore gave to you circumcision (not because it is from Moses, ^y but from the fathers), and you on the Sabbath circumcise a man.

23 “If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry with Me because ^z I have made a man completely whole on the Sabbath?

24 ^a “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”

Questions about Messiahship

25 Then some of them of Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to ^b kill?”

26 “But behold, He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. ^c Do the rulers really know that this is the Christ?

27 ^d “However, we know where this Man is from. But when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.”

28 Then Jesus cried out in the temple as He taught, saying, ^e “You both know Me and you know where I am from. And ^f I have not come on My own, but He who sent Me ^g is true, ^h whom you do not know.

29 ⁱ “I know Him, for I am from Him and He has sent Me.”

30 Then ^j they sought to take Him. But ^k no one laid hands on Him because His hour had not yet come.

31 And ^l many of the people believed in Him. And they said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these that this One has done?”

32 The Pharisees heard the people whispering such things concerning Him, so the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to seize Him.

33 Then Jesus said, ^m “For a little while longer I am with you, and then I ⁿ go to Him who sent Me.

34 “You ^o will seek Me and will not find Me. And where I am, you ^p cannot come.”

35 Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where does He go that we will not find Him? Will He go to ^q the Dispersion among the Gentiles and teach the Greeks?

36 “What is this statement that He said, ‘You will seek Me and will not find Me, and where I am you cannot come’?”

Rivers of Living Water

37 ^r In the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ^s “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.

38 ^t “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ^u from within him will flow rivers of living water.”

39 ^v But this He spoke of the Spirit whom they who believed in Him would receive, for the Spirit had not yet come because Jesus was not yet ^w glorified.

40 Some of the people, therefore, when they heard this saying, said, “This is certainly ^x the Prophet.”

41 Others said, ^y “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee?

42 ^z “Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and out of the village of Bethlehem ^a where David was?”

43 So ^b there was a division among the people because of Him.

44 ^c Some of them would have taken Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

Unbelief of Religious Leaders

45 Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees and they said to them, “Why have you not brought Him?”

46 The officers answered, ^d “Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.”

47 Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are you also deceived?

48 “Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?

49 “But this people who do not know the law are cursed.”

50 Nicodemus—^e he who came to Jesus earlier, being one of them—said to them,

51 ^f “Does our law judge anyone before it hears him and knows what he is doing?”

52 They answered and said to him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search and see, for out of Galilee ^g no prophet is to rise.”

53 [Then every man went to his own house.]

Chapter 8

Woman Caught in Adultery

1 Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him. And He sat down and taught them.

3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,

4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.

5 Now in the law, Moses commanded us that such a person should be stoned. But what do You say?”

6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have grounds to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground.

7 So when they continued asking Him, He lifted Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to cast a stone at her.”

8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9 And those who heard it went out one by one, beginning at the oldest, and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

10 When Jesus had lifted Himself up, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers? Has no one condemned you?”

11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you. Go. From now on, sin no more.”

Jesus Testifies of Himself

12 Then Jesus spoke again to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, “You bear witness of Yourself. Your witness is not true.”

14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Though I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true. For I know from where I came and where I am going. But you cannot tell from where I come and where I am going.

15 You judge after the flesh. I judge no one.

16 And yet even if I do judge, My judgment is true, for I am not alone. But I am with the Father who sent Me.

17 It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.

18 I am one who bears witness of Myself. And the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.”

19 Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You neither know Me, nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.”

20 These words Jesus spoke in the treasury as He taught in the temple courtyard. And no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.

Jesus Warns of Unbelief

21 Then Jesus said again to them, “I go My way, and you will seek Me, and you will die in your sins. Where I go, you cannot come.”

22 Then the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself because He said, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?”

23 And He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

25 Then they said to Him, “Who are You?” And Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.

26 I have many things to say and to judge concerning you. But He who sent Me is true, and I speak to the world those things that I have heard from Him.”

27 They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.

28 Then Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself. But as My Father has taught Me, I speak these things.

29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”

30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.

Sons of Abraham

31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed in Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples.

32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s seed and were never in bondage to anyone. How is it that You say, ‘You will be made free’?”

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is the bondservant of sin.

35 The bondservant does not abide in the house forever, but the Son abides forever.

36 Therefore, if the Son will make you free, you will be free indeed.

37 I know that you are Abraham’s seed. But you seek to kill Me because My word has no place in you.

38 I speak what I have seen with the Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”

39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.

40 But now you seek to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth that I have heard from God. Abraham did not do this.

41 You do the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God Himself.”

Sons of the Devil

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

43 Why do you not understand My speech? It is because you cannot hear My word.

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

45 And because I tell you the truth, you do not believe Me.

46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I speak the truth, why do you not believe Me?

47 He who is of God hears God’s words. Therefore, you do not hear them because you are not of God.”

Jesus Glorifies the Father

48 Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?”

49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon. But I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.

50 And I do not seek My own glory. There is One who seeks and judges.

51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if one keeps My word, he will never see death.”

52 Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham is dead, and the prophets, and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death.’

53 Are You greater than our father Abraham who died? And the prophets also died. Who do You make Yourself to be?”

54 Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’

55 However, you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I should say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I will be a liar like you. But I know Him and keep His word.

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

57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”

58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus concealed Himself and went out of the temple, going through them, and so passed by.

Chapter 9

Healing a Blind Man

1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from his birth.

2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Teacher, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

3 Jesus answered, “Neither has this man sinned, nor his parents, but that the works of God should be manifested in him.

4 We must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day. The night is coming when no one can work.

5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

6 When He had spoken these things, He spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle. And He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.

7 Then He said to him, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went his way and washed, and he came back seeing.

8 Therefore, the neighbors and those who had previously seen him as a beggar said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?”

9 Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He is like him.” But he said, “I am he.”

10 Therefore, they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”

11 He answered and said, “A man who is called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and I received sight.”

12 Then they said to him, “Where is He?” He said, “I do not know.”

Doubt of the Pharisees

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind.

14 Now it was the Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.

15 Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes and I washed, and now I see.”

16 Therefore, some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them.

17 They said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him, since He has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight.

19 And they asked them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”

20 His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind.”

21 “But by what means he now sees we do not know, nor who has opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.”

22 His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was the Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.

23 Therefore, his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

The Man’s Testimony

24 Then again they called the man who was blind and said to him, “Give God the glory! We know that this man is a sinner.”

25 He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: though I was blind, now I see.”

26 Then they said to him again, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?”

27 He answered them, “I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Will you also become His disciples?”

28 Then they reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples.

29 We know that God spoke to Moses. As for this man, we do not know where He is from.”

30 The man answered and said to them, “This is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes.

31 Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.

32 Since the world began it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of one born blind.

33 If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

34 They answered and said to him, “You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?” And they cast him out.

Spiritual Blindness

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out. And when He had found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”

36 He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?”

37 And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and it is He who is talking with you.”

38 Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him.

39 Then Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.”

40 Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words and said to Him, “Are we also blind?”

41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.”

Chapter 10

The Good Shepherd

1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber.

2 But he who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3 To him the doorkeeper opens and the sheep hear his voice. And he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

4 And when he puts forth his own sheep, he goes before them and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

5 And they will never follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

6 This parable Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand the things that He spoke to them.

7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

8 All who came before Me are thieves and robbers. But the sheep did not hear them.

9 I am the door. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

12 But he who is a hireling and not the shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. And the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.

13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care for the sheep.

14 I am the good shepherd. And I know My sheep and My own know Me.

15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father. And I lay down My life for the sheep.

16 And other sheep I have who are not of this fold. Them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice. And there will be one fold and one shepherd.

17 Therefore, My Father loves Me because I lay down My life so that I may take it up again.

18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it up again. This commandment I have received from My Father.”

19 Therefore, there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings.

20 And many of them said, “He has a demon and is mad. Why do you hear Him?”

21 Others said, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

Unbelief of the Jews

22 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem. And it was winter.

23 And Jesus walked in the temple courtyard in Solomon’s porch.

24 Then the Jews came around Him and said to Him, “How long will You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

25 Jesus answered them, “I told you and you did not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.

26 But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.

27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

28 And I give to them eternal life. And they will never perish, neither will anyone snatch them out of My hand.

29 My Father, who gave them to Me, is greater than all. And no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.

30 I and My Father are one.”

31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.

32 Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”

33 The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a man, make Yourself God.”

34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods?’

35 If He called them gods to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken),

36 do you say of Him whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?’

37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me.

38 But if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me and I in Him.”

39 Therefore, they sought again to take Him. But He escaped out of their hand.

40 And He went away again beyond the Jordan into the place where John at first baptized. And He stayed there.

41 Now many came to Him and said, “John did no sign, but all things that John spoke of this Man were true.”

42 So many believed in Him there.

Chapter 11

Death of Lazarus

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

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

3 Therefore, his sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”

4 When Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

6 So when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two days longer in the place where He was.

7 Then after this He said to His disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”

8 His disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?”

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

10 But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”

12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get well.”

13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.

14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.”

15 “And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless, let us go to him.”

16 Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”

Comforting Mary and Martha

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

18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs away.

19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.

20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.

21 Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.

22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

28 And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.”

29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.

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

31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.”

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

33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.

34 And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”

35 Jesus wept.

36 Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”

37 And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?”

Resurrection of Lazarus

38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.

39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”

41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.

42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”

43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”

44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

The Murder Plot

45 Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.

46 But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.

47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs.

48 If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.”

49 And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all,

50 nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.”

51 Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation,

52 and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.

53 Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.

54 Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.

55 And the Jews’ Passover was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.

56 Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, “What do you think—that He will not come to the feast?”

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

Chapter 12

Mary Anoints Jesus

1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.

2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.

3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said,

5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”

6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.

7 But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.

8 For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”

9 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.

10 But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also,

11 because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

The Triumphal Entry

12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:

“Hosanna!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
The King of Israel!”

14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:

15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion;
Behold, your King is coming,
Sitting on a donkey’s colt.”

16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.

17 Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.

18 For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.

19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!”

Jesus Predicts His Death

20 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.

21 Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”

22 Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.

23 But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.

24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.

25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

26 If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.

27 “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.

28 Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”

29 Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.”

30 Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.

31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.

32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”

33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die.

34 The people answered Him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”

35 Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.

36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.

Unbelief and Fulfillment of Prophecy

37 But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him,

38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke:

“Lord, who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

39 Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again:

40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts,
Lest they should see with their eyes,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.”

41 These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.

42 Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue;

43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

Jesus’ Final Public Appeal

44 Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me.

45 And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.

46 I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.

47 And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.

48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him — the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.

49 For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.

50 And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”

Chapter 13

Washing of the Disciples’ Feet

1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He would depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

2 And during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him,

3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going back to God,

4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments. And He took a towel and girded Himself.

5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.

6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?”

7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”

8 Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”

9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”

10 Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”

11 For He knew who was betraying Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”

12 So after He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?

13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.

14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.

15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.

16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.

17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

18 I do not speak concerning all of you; I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’

19 Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He.

20 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

21 When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”

22 Then the disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom He spoke.

23 Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.

24 Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke.

25 He, leaning back on Jesus’ breast, said to Him, “Lord, who is it?”

26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.” And when He had dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.

27 Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”

28 But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him.

29 For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor.

30 Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night.

Prophecy of Peter’s Denials

31 So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him.

32 If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately.

33 Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you.

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

36 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.”

37 Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.”

38 Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.”

Chapter 14

Promises to the Apostles

1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

7 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.

11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

The Promise of the Spirit

12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.

16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—

17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.

20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”

23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

Peace and Comfort

25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.

26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

28 You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.

29 And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.

30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.

31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.”

Chapter 15

The Vine and the Branches

1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

9 As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.

10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.

15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.

16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

17 These things I command you, that you love one another.

Rejection by the World

18 If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.

19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.

22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

23 He who hates Me hates My Father also.

24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father.

25 But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’

26 But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.

27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

Chapter 16

Promises About the Spirit

1 “These things I have spoken to you so that you should not be made to stumble.

2 They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.

3 And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.

4 But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.

The Spirit’s Work through the Apostles

5 “But now I go My way to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’

6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.

7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me;

10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;

11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.

15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

16 “A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.”

Sorrow Turned into Joy

17 Then some of His disciples said among themselves, “What is this that He says to us, ‘A little while and you will not see Me; and again a little while and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?”

18 They said therefore, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is saying.”

19 Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while and you will not see Me; and again a little while and you will see Me’?

20 Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.

21 A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.

22 Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.

23 “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.

24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Christ Overcomes the World

25 “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father.

26 In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you;

27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.

28 I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.”

29 His disciples said to Him, “See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech!

30 Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.”

31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?

32 Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.

33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Chapter 17

The Prayer of Jesus

Prayer of Jesus for Himself

1 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,

2 as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.

3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.

5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”

Prayer of Jesus for the Apostles

6 “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.

7 Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.

8 For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.

9 I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.

10 And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.

11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.

12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

13 But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.

14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.

16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

Prayer of Jesus for All Believers

20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;

21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:

23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

25 O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.

26 And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

Chapter 18

The Arrest and Trial of Jesus

The Arrest of Jesus

1 When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered.

2 And Judas also, who betrayed Him, knew the place, for Jesus often met there with His disciples.

3 Then Judas, having received a detachment of soldiers and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.

4 Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?”

5 They answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am He.” And Judas, who betrayed Him, stood with them.

6 As soon as He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

7 Then He asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”

8 Jesus answered, “I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way.”

9 That the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke: “Of those whom You gave Me I have lost none.”

10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.

11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?”

Jesus Before Annas

12 Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him.

13 And they led Him away to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas who was high priest that year.

14 Now it was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.

Peter’s First Denial

15 And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. That disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.

16 But Peter stood at the door outside. Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in.

17 Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, “You are not also one of this Man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”

18 Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves. And Peter stood with them and warmed himself.

The High Priest Questions Jesus

19 The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine.

20 Jesus answered him, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing.

21 Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed, they know what I said.”

22 And when He had said these things, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, “Do You answer the high priest like that?”

23 Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?”

24 Then Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Peter’s Second and Third Denials

25 Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not!”

26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?”

27 Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed.

Jesus Before Pilate

28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover.

29 Pilate then went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?”

30 They answered and said to him, “If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you.”

31 Then Pilate said to them, “You take Him and judge Him according to your law.” Therefore the Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,”

32 that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die.

33 Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

34 Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself on this, or did others tell you this about Me?”

35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?”

36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”

37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

38 Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all.

39 But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

40 Then they all cried again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

Chapter 19

Sentencing to Crucifixion

Jesus Sentenced to Be Crucified

1 Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him.

2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head. And they put on Him a purple robe.

3 Then they came up to Him and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they kept on striking Him with their hands.

4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “Behold, I bring Him out to you so that you may know that I find no fault in Him.”

5 Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold, the Man!”

6 Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.”

7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by the law He ought to die because He made Himself the Son of God.”

8 Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was more afraid.

9 So he went again into the judgment hall and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.

10 Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not speak to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You and I have power to release You?”

11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore, he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

12 From then on Pilate sought to release Him. But the Jews cried out, saying, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.”

13 Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.

14 Now it was the preparation of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!”

15 But they cried out, “Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”

16 Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. And they took Jesus.

The Crucifixion of Jesus

17 And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha.

18 There they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the middle.

19 Then Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

20 Many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.

21 Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.’”

22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also His tunic. Now the tunic was seamless, woven from the top throughout.

24 They said therefore among themselves, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: “They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” Therefore the soldiers did these things.

25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clophas, and Mary Magdalene.

26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!”

27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her into his own household.

The Death of Jesus

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst.”

29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.

30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

The Piercing of Jesus’ Side

31 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, so that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him.

33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.

34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.

36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.”

37 And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”

The Burial of Jesus

38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus.

39 And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.

40 Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.

41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.

42 So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.

Chapter 20

The Resurrection of Jesus

The Empty Tomb

1 On the ^a first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb while it was still dark. And she saw that the ^b stone had been taken away from the tomb.

2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the ^c other disciple ^d whom Jesus loved. And she said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb and we do not know where they have laid Him.”

3 Therefore, ^e Peter went out, and the other disciple, and came to the tomb.

4 So they both ran together. And the other disciple ran ahead of Peter and came to the tomb first.

5 And stooping down and looking in, he saw ^f the linen clothes lying there, but he did not go in.

6 Then Simon Peter also came, following him. And he went into the tomb and saw the linen clothes lying there,

7 and ^g the face-cloth that was around His head, not lying with the linen clothes, but folded together in a place by itself.

8 Then ^h the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also. And he saw and believed.

9 For as yet they did not know the ⁱ Scripture that He must rise again from the dead.

10 Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.

Appearance to Mary Magdalene

11 ^j But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the tomb.

12 Then she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

13 Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”

14 Now ^k when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but ^l did not realize that it was Jesus.

15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him and I will take Him away.”

16 Jesus said to her, ^m “Mary.” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher).

17 Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ⁿ ascended to My Father. But go to ^o My brethren and say to them, ^p ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and to ^q My God and your God.’”

18 ^r Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had spoken these things to her.

Appearance to His Disciples

19 ^s Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were for ^t fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst. And He said to them, ^u “Peace be to you.”

20 And when He had said this, He ^v showed to them His hands and His side. ^w Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

21 Then Jesus said to them again, “Peace be to you. ^x As My Father has sent Me, even so I send you.”

22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them. And He said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

23 ^y If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them. And if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Thomas Doubts and Believes

24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, ^z called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

25 Therefore, the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside and Thomas with them. Then Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst. And He said, “Peace be to you!”

27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger and behold My hands. And ^a reach here your hand and thrust it into My side. And do not be ^b unbelieving, but believing.”

28 Then Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God.”

29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed. ^c Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The Purpose of This Book

30 And Jesus did ^d many other signs in the presence of His disciples that are not written in this book.

31 ^e But these are written so that ^f you might believe that Jesus ^g is the Christ, the Son of God, ^h and that believing you might have life through His name.

Chapter 21

Beach Breakfast With Jesus

Jesus Appears at the Sea of Tiberias

1 After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the ^a Sea of Tiberias. In this way He showed Himself:

2 Simon Peter, and ^b Thomas called Didymus, and ^c Nathanael of ^d Cana in Galilee, and ^e the sons of Zebedee, and two other of His disciples were together.

3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We also are going with you.” They went out and entered into a boat. And that night they caught nothing.

4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore. But the ^f disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

5 Then ^g Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught any fish?” They answered Him, “No.”

6 And He said to them, ^h “Cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find fish.” Therefore, they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.

7 Therefore, ⁱ that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he was naked), and threw himself into the sea.

8 And the other disciples came in a little boat, for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits, dragging the net with fish.

9 Then as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread.

10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have now caught.”

11 Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land full of great fish, a hundred and fifty-three. And although there were so many, the net was not torn.

12 Jesus said to them, ^j “Come and have breakfast.” And none of the disciples asked Him, “Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord.

13 Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise.

14 This is now ^k the third time that Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was risen from the dead.

Commission to Peter

15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you truly love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord. You know that I love You.” He said to him, ^l “Feed My lambs.”

16 He said to him again the second time, “Simon, son of John, do you truly love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord. You know that I love You.” ^m He said to him, “Shepherd My ⁿ sheep.”

17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, ^o You know all things. You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.

18 ^p “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you dressed yourself and walked wherever you wished. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and another will dress you and carry you where you do not wish to go.”

19 This He spoke, signifying ^q by what death he should glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, ^r “Follow Me.”

The Other Disciple

20 Then turning around, Peter saw the disciple following ^s whom Jesus loved, ^t who also leaned on His breast at the supper. And he said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?”

21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?”

22 Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain ^u until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”

23 Then this saying went abroad among the brethren that that disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”

24 This is the disciple who ^v testifies of these things and wrote these things. And we know that his testimony is true.

25 And ^w there are also many other things that Jesus did, the which, if they were written one by one, I ^x suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written. Amen.

Chapter 1

Ascension and Reign of Jesus

The Ascension of Jesus

1 The former account I made, O ^a Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

2 ^b until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit ^c had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen,

3 ^d To these men He also showed Himself alive by many infallible proofs after His suffering, being seen by them forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.

4 ^e And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have ^f heard from Me;

5 ^g for John indeed baptized with water, ^h but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

7 And He said to them, ⁱ “It is not for you to ^j know the times or the seasons that the Father has set by His own authority.

8 ^k But you will receive power ^l when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And ^m you will be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in ⁿ Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

9 ^o Now when He had spoken these things, while they were looking, ^p He was taken up and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in ^q white clothing,

11 who also said, “You men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven ^r will come in like manner as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

Replacement for Judas

12 ^s Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is a Sabbath day’s journey from Jerusalem.

13 And when they had entered the city, they went up ^t to an upper room where they were staying: ^u Peter and James and John and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and ^v Simon the Zealot, and ^w Judas the son of James.

14 ^x These all continued with one mind in prayer with ^y the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with ^z His brothers.

15 Now in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers (the number ^a of the group was about a hundred and twenty), and said,

16 “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled ^b that the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, ^c who was a guide to those who took Jesus.

17 “For ^d he was numbered with us and had obtained a part in ^e this ministry.”

18 ^f (Now this man purchased a field with ^g the reward of iniquity, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out.

19 And it became known to all who were living in Jerusalem, so that the field is called in their own language, Akeldama, that is to say, The Field of Blood.)

20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms, ^h ‘Let his habitation be desolate, and let no one dwell in it,’ and, ⁱ ‘Let another take his place.’

21 “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us—

22 beginning from the baptism of John to that day when ^j He was taken up from us—one of these must ^k become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

23 And they set forth two, Joseph called ^l Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.

24 Then they prayed and said, “You, Lord, ^m who know the hearts of all men, show which of these two You have chosen,

25 ⁿ so that he may take part in this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, so that he might go to his own place.”

26 Then they cast their lots and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Chapter 2

The Spirit Comes upon the Apostles

The Holy Spirit Descends at Pentecost

1 Now when ^a the day of Pentecost came, ^b they were all together in one place.

2 Then suddenly there came a sound from heaven like a rushing mighty wind. And ^c it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3 Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire being distributed, and it sat upon each of them.

4 And ^d they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began ^e to speak with other languages as the Spirit gave them the ability.

International Visitors

5 Now there were Jews dwelling in Jerusalem, ^f devout men out of every nation under heaven.

6 And when this sound occurred, the ^g multitude came together. And they were confused because everyone heard them speaking in his own language.

7 And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, “Behold, are not all these who speak ^h Galileans?

8 And how is it that we each one hear them in our own native dialects where we were born?

9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents in Mesopotamia, Judea and ⁱ Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,

10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, Jews and proselytes,

11 Cretans and Arabians; we hear them speaking in our languages the wonderful works of God.”

12 And they were all amazed and were in doubt, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”

13 Others mocking, said, “These men are full of new wine.”

Peter’s Sermon: The Kingdom Reign of Jesus

14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and said to them, “You men of Judea and all you who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words.

15 For these men are not drunken as you suppose, ^j since it is only the third hour of the day.

16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 ‘And ^k it will come to pass in the last days,’ God says, ^l ‘that I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh. And your sons and ^m your daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.

18 And on My men and women bondservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. ⁿ And they will prophesy.

19 And ^o I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapor of smoke.

20 ^p The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before that great and glorious day of the Lord comes.

21 And it will come to pass that ^q whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

Jesus Confirmed by God

22 You men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth was a Man approved by God among you ^r by mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know.

23 He ^s was delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, and ^t you by lawless hands have crucified and killed.

24 But ^u God raised Him up, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.

25 For David says concerning Him, ^v ‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for He is at my right hand, so that I should not be shaken.

26 Therefore, my heart rejoiced and my tongue was glad. Moreover, my flesh will also rest in hope

27 because You will not leave My soul in ^w Hades, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see ^x decay.

28 You have made known to me the ways of life. You will make me full of joy with Your presence.’

29 Brethren, let me freely speak to you ^y of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

30 Therefore, being a prophet, ^z he knew that God had sworn to him with an oath that of the fruit of his body, He would seat one on his throne.

31 Foreseeing this, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, ^a that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see decay.

32 ^b This Jesus God has raised up, ^c to which we all are witnesses.

33 Therefore, ^d being exalted at ^e the right hand of God, and ^f having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has ^g poured out this that you now see and hear.

34 For David did not ascend into the heavens. But he says himself, ^h ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand

35 until I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’

36 Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this same Jesus whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

The Church Begins

37 Now when they heard this, ⁱ they were cut to the heart. And they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what will we do?”

38 Then Peter said to them, ^j “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

39 For the promise is to you and ^k to your children, and ^l to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted, saying, “Save yourselves from this perverse generation.”

41 Then those who received his word were baptized. And the same day there were added to them about three thousand souls.

42 ^m And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching, and fellowship in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

43 And fear came upon every soul. And ⁿ many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

44 Now all who believed were together and ^o had all things in common.

45 And they sold their possessions and goods and ^p divided them to all, as everyone had need.

46 And ^q continuing daily with one accord ^r in the temple and ^s breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and sincerity of heart,

47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And ^t the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Chapter 3

Healing of a Cripple

The Lame Man Healed at the Temple Gate

1 Now Peter and John went up together ^a into the temple at the hour of prayer, ^b the ninth hour.

2 And ^c a certain man who was lame from his mother’s womb was carried to the temple, whom they laid daily at the gate that is called Beautiful, ^d to ask alms of those who entered into the temple.

3 When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms.

4 Then Peter, fixing his eyes on him with John, said, “Look at us.”

5 And he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.

6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give to you. ^e In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.”

7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up. And immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

8 And ^f leaping up, he stood and walked. Then he entered with them into the temple, walking and leaping and praising God.

9 ^g Now all the people saw him walking and praising God.

10 And they knew that it was he who ^h sat for alms at the gate called Beautiful of the temple. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Peter Speaks at Solomon’s Porch

11 Now as the lame man who was healed held to Peter and John, all the people, full of amazement, ran together to them at what was ⁱ called the Porch of Solomon.

12 And when Peter saw it, he answered to the people, “You men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why do you look so earnestly at us as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man walk?

13 ^j The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has ^k glorified His Son Jesus, whom you ^l delivered up and ^m denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go.

14 But you denied ⁿ the Holy and ^o Just One, and ^p asked for a murderer to be granted to you.