Chapter 4

The Temptation of Jesus

1 aJesus, full of the Holy Spirit, breturned from the Jordan and was led around 1by the Spirit in the wilderness

2 for aforty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry.

3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘aMan shall not live on bread alone.’ ”

5 aAnd he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of 1bthe world in a moment of time.

6 And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and 1its glory; afor it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.

7 “Therefore if You 1worship before me, it shall all be Yours.”

8 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘aYou shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’ ”

9 aAnd he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here;

10 for it is written,

‘aHe will command His angels concerning You to guard You,’

11 and,

‘aOn their hands they will bear You up,

So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’ ”

12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘aYou shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”

13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

Jesus’ Public Ministry

14 And aJesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and bnews about Him spread through all the surrounding district.

15 And He began ateaching in their synagogues and was praised by all.

16 And He came to aNazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, bHe entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and cstood up to read.

17 And the 1book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the 1book and found the place where it was written,

18 “aThe Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,

Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.

He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives,

And recovery of sight to the blind,

To set free those who are oppressed,

19 aTo proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

20 And He aclosed the 1book, gave it back to the attendant and bsat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him.

21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your 1hearing.”

22 And all were 1speaking well of Him, and wondering at the 2gracious words which 3were falling from His lips; and they were saying, “aIs this not Joseph’s son?”

23 And He said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we heard was done aat Capernaum, do here in byour hometown as well.’ ”

24 And He said, “Truly I say to you, ano prophet is welcome in his hometown.

25 “But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel ain the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land;

26 and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but aonly to 1Zarephath, in the land of bSidon, to a woman who was a widow.

27 “And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but aonly Naaman the Syrian.”

28 And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things;

29 and they got up and adrove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff.

30 But apassing through their midst, He went His way.

31 And aHe came down to bCapernaum, a city of Galilee, and He was teaching them on the Sabbath;

32 and athey were amazed at His teaching, for bHis 1message was with authority.

33 In the synagogue there was a man 1possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice,

34 “Let us alone! 1aWhat business do we have with each other, Jesus 2of bNazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—bthe Holy One of God!”

35 But Jesus arebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, he came out of him without doing him any harm.

36 And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking with one another saying, “What is 1this message? For awith authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they come out.”

37 And athe report about Him was spreading into every locality in the surrounding district.

Many Are Healed

38 aThen He got up and left the synagogue, and entered Simon’s home. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was bsuffering from a high fever, and they asked Him 1to help her.

39 And standing over her, He arebuked the fever, and it left her; and she immediately got up and 1waited on them.

40 aWhile bthe sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and claying His hands on each one of them, He was dhealing them.

41 Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, “You are athe Son of God!” But brebuking them, He would cnot allow them to speak, because they knew Him to be 1the Christ.

42 aWhen day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him, and came to Him and tried to keep Him from going away from them.

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

44 So He kept on preaching in the synagogues aof 1Judea.

Chapter 5

The First Disciples

1 aNow it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by bthe lake of Gennesaret;

2 and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets.

3 And aHe got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the 1people from the boat.

4 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and alet down your nets for a catch.”

5 Simon answered and said, “aMaster, bwe worked hard all night and caught nothing, but 1I will do as You say and let down the nets.”

6 When they had done this, athey enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break;

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

8 But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ 1feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”

9 For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken;

10 and so also were 1James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “aDo not fear, from now on you will be bcatching men.”

11 When they had brought their boats to land, athey left everything and followed Him.

The Leper and the Paralytic

12 aWhile He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man 1covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

13 And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him.

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

15 But athe news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.

16 But Jesus Himself would often slip away 1to the 2wilderness and apray.

17 1One day He was teaching; and athere were some Pharisees and bteachers of the law sitting there, who had ccome from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and dthe power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing.

18 aAnd some men were carrying on a 1bed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him.

19 But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on athe roof and let him down bthrough the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus.

20 Seeing their faith, He said, “1Friend, ayour sins are forgiven you.”

21 The scribes and the Pharisees abegan to reason, saying, “bWho is this man who speaks blasphemies? cWho can forgive sins, but God alone?”

22 But Jesus, 1aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?

23 “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?

24 “But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”—He said to the aparalytic—“I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.”

25 Immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home aglorifying God.

26 1They were all struck with astonishment and began aglorifying God; and they were filled bwith fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Call of Levi (Matthew)

27 aAfter that He went out and noticed a tax collector named 1bLevi sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.”

28 And he aleft everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him.

29 And aLevi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of btax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them.

30 aThe Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and 1sinners?”

31 And Jesus answered and said to them, “aIt is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.

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

33 And they said to Him, “aThe disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do 1the same, but Yours eat and drink.”

34 And Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the 1attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you?

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

36 And He was also telling them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old.

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

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

39 “And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough.’ ”

Chapter 6

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

1 aNow it happened that He was passing through some grainfields on a Sabbath; and His disciples bwere picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating the grain.

2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why do you do what ais not lawful on the Sabbath?”

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

4 how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the 1consecrated bread which ais not lawful for any to eat except the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?”

5 And He was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

6 abOn another Sabbath He entered cthe synagogue and was teaching; and there was a man there 1whose right hand was withered.

7 The scribes and the Pharisees awere watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him.

8 But He aknew 1what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and 2come forward!” And he got up and 3came forward.

9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?”

10 After alooking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored.

11 But they themselves were filled with 1rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.

Choosing the Twelve

12 It was 1at this time that He went off to athe mountain to bpray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.

13 And when day came, aHe called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as bapostles:

14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and 1James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew;

15 and aMatthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot;

16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

17 Jesus acame down with them and stood on a level place; and there was ba large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of cTyre and Sidon,

18 who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured.

19 And all the 1people were trying to atouch Him, for bpower was coming from Him and healing them all.

The Beatitudes

20 And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “aBlessed are 1you who are poor, for byours is the kingdom of God.

21 “Blessed are 1you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

22 “aBlessed are you when men hate you, and bostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.

23 “Be glad in that day and aleap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For bin the same way their fathers used to 1treat the prophets.

24 “But woe to ayou who are rich, for byou are receiving your comfort in full.

25 “Woe to you who 1are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

26 “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to 1treat the afalse prophets in the same way.

27 “But I say to you who hear, alove your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

28 bless those who curse you, apray for those who 1mistreat you.

29 “aWhoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your 1coat, do not withhold your 2shirt from him either.

30 “Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.

31 “1aTreat others the same way you want 2them to treat you.

32 “aIf you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

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

34 “aIf you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.

35 “But alove your enemies, and do good, and lend, 1expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be bsons of cthe Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.

36 “1Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

37 “aDo not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; 1bpardon, and you will be pardoned.

38 “Give, and it will be given to you. They will 1pour ainto your lap a bgood measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

39 And He also spoke a parable to them: “aA blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit?

40 “aA 1pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will 2be like his teacher.

41 “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

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

43 “aFor there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, 1on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit.

44 “aFor each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush.

45 “aThe good man out of the good 1treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; bfor his mouth speaks from 2that which fills his heart.

Builders and Foundations

46 “aWhy do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

47 “aEveryone who comes to Me and hears My words and 1acts on them, I will show you whom he is like:

48 he is like a man building a house, who 1dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the 2torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

49 “But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the 1torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

Chapter 7

Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant

1 aWhen He had completed all His discourse in the hearing of the people, bHe went to Capernaum.

2 And a centurion’s slave, 1who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die.

3 When he heard about Jesus, ahe sent some 1Jewish elders asking Him to come and 2save the life of his slave.

4 When they came to Jesus, they earnestly implored Him, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this to him;

5 for he loves our nation and it was he who built us our synagogue.”

6 Now Jesus started on His way with them; and when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, “1Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof;

7 for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just 1say the word, and my 2servant will be healed.

8 “For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”

9 Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, anot even in Israel have I found such great faith.”

10 When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

11 Soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, 1accompanied by a large crowd.

12 Now as He approached the gate of the city, 1a dead man was being carried out, the 2only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her.

13 When athe Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, “1Do not weep.”

14 And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!”

15 The 1dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

16 aFear gripped them all, and they began bglorifying God, saying, “A great cprophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has 1visited His people!”

17 aThis report concerning Him went out all over Judea and in all the surrounding district.

A Deputation from John

18 aThe disciples of John reported to him about all these things.

19 Summoning 1two of his disciples, John sent them to athe Lord, saying, “Are You the 2Expected One, or do we look for someone else?”

20 When the men came to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, to ask, ‘Are You the 1Expected One, or do we look for someone else?’ ”

21 At that 1very time He acured many people of diseases and bafflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind.

22 And He answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the ablind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the bpoor have the gospel preached to them.

23 “Blessed is he 1who does not take offense at Me.”

24 When the messengers of John had left, He began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

25 “1But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft 2clothing? Those who are splendidly clothed and live in luxury are found in royal palaces!

26 “But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and one who is more than a prophet.

27 “This is the one about whom it is written,

‘aBehold, I send My messenger 1ahead of You,

Who will prepare Your way before You.’

28 “I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is 1least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

29 When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they 1acknowledged aGod’s justice, bhaving been baptized with cthe baptism of John.

30 But the Pharisees and the 1alawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by 2John.

31 “To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like?

32 “They are like children who sit in the market place and call to one another, and they say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’

33 “For John the Baptist has come aeating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’

34 “The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a 1drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and 2sinners!’

35 “Yet wisdom ais vindicated by all her children.”

36 Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to 1dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.

37 aAnd there was a woman in the city who was a 1sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume,

38 and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume.

39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were aa prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a 1sinner.”

Parable of Two Debtors

40 And Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he 1replied, “Say it, Teacher.”

41 “A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred 1adenarii, and the other fifty.

42 “When they awere unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?”

43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.”

44 Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you agave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

45 “You agave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet.

46 “aYou did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume.

47 “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

48 Then He said to her, “aYour sins have been forgiven.”

49 Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say 1to themselves, “aWho is this man who even forgives sins?”

50 And He said to the woman, “aYour faith has saved you; bgo in peace.”

Chapter 8

Ministering Women

1 Soon afterwards, He began going around from one city and village to another, aproclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him,

2 and also asome women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: bMary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,

3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, aHerod’s bsteward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means.

Parable of the Sower

4 aWhen a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable:

5 “The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the 1air ate it up.

6 “Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.

7 “Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out.

8 “Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “aHe who has ears to hear, 1let him hear.”

9 aHis disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable meant.

10 And He said, “aTo you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that bseeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.

11 “Now the parable is this: athe seed is the word of God.

12 “Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not 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 firm root; 1they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.

14 “The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

15 “But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with 1perseverance.

Parable of the Lamp

16 “Now ano one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.

17 “aFor nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.

18 “So take care how you listen; afor whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he 1thinks he has shall be taken away from him.”

19 aAnd His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd.

20 And it was reported to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You.”

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

Jesus Stills the Sea

22 aNow on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of bthe lake.” So they launched out.

23 But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on athe lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger.

24 They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “aMaster, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and brebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and 1it became calm.

25 And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”

The Demoniac Cured

26 aThen they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.

27 And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs.

28 Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “1aWhat business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of bthe 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 bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.

30 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “aLegion”; for many demons had entered him.

31 They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into athe abyss.

32 Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter 1the swine. And He gave them permission.

33 And the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into athe lake and was drowned.

34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country.

35 The people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down aat the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened.

36 Those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was ademon-possessed had been 1made well.

37 And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into a boat and returned.

38 aBut the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might 1accompany Him; but He sent him away, saying,

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

Miracles of Healing

40 aAnd as Jesus returned, the 1people welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him.

41 aAnd there came a man named Jairus, and he was an 1bofficial of the synagogue; and he fell at Jesus’ feet, and began to implore Him to come to his house;

42 for he had an 1only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as He went, the crowds were pressing against Him.

43 And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone,

44 came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His 1cloak, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped.

45 And Jesus said, “Who is the one who touched Me?” And while they were all denying it, Peter said, “aMaster, the 1people are crowding and pressing in on You.”

46 But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that apower had gone out of Me.”

47 When the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling and fell down before Him, and declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed.

48 And He said to her, “Daughter, ayour faith has 1made you well; bgo in peace.”

49 While He was still speaking, someone * came from the house of athe synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; do not trouble the Teacher anymore.”

50 But when Jesus heard this, He answered him, “aDo not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she will be 1made well.”

51 When He came to the house, He did not allow anyone to enter with Him, except Peter and John and James, and the girl’s father and mother.

52 Now they were all weeping and alamenting for her; but He said, “Stop weeping, for she has not died, but bis asleep.”

53 And they began laughing at Him, knowing that she had died.

54 He, however, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Child, arise!”

55 And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately; and He gave orders for something to be given her to eat.

56 Her parents were amazed; but He ainstructed them to tell no one what had happened.

Chapter 9

Ministry of the Twelve

1 aAnd He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases.

2 And He sent them out to aproclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing.

3 And He said to them, “aTake nothing for your journey, bneither a staff, nor a 1bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have 2two tunics apiece.

4 “Whatever house you enter, stay there 1until you leave that city.

5 “And as for those who do not receive you, as you go out from that city, ashake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

6 Departing, they began going 1throughout the villages, apreaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

7 aNow bHerod the tetrarch heard of all that was happening; and he was greatly perplexed, because it was said by some that cJohn had risen from the dead,

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

9 Herod said, “I myself had John beheaded; but who is this man about whom I hear such things?” And ahe kept trying to see Him.

10 aWhen the apostles returned, they gave an account to Him of all that they had done. bTaking them with Him, He withdrew by Himself to a city called cBethsaida.

11 But the crowds were aware of this and followed Him; and welcoming them, He began speaking to them about the kingdom of God and curing those who had need of healing.

Five Thousand Fed

12 Now the day 1was ending, and the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the crowd away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and get 2something to eat; for here we are in a desolate place.”

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 perhaps we go and buy food for all these people.”

14 (For there were about five thousand men.) And He said to His disciples, “Have them 1sit down to eat ain groups of about fifty each.”

15 They did so, and had them all 1sit down.

16 Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them, and broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the 1people.

17 And they all ate and were satisfied; and 1the broken pieces which they had left over were picked up, twelve abaskets full.

18 aAnd it happened that while He was bpraying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the 1people say that I am?”

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

20 And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and said, “aThe 1Christ of God.”

21 But He 1awarned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone,

22 asaying, “bThe Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.”

23 And He was saying to them all, “aIf anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

24 “For awhoever wishes to save his 1life will lose it, but whoever loses his 1life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.

25 “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and aloses or forfeits himself?

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

27 “But I say to you truthfully, athere are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

The Transfiguration

28 aSome eight days after these sayings, He took along bPeter and John and James, and cwent up on the mountain dto pray.

29 And while He was apraying, the appearance of His face bbecame different, and His clothing became white and 1gleaming.

30 And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah,

31 who, appearing in 1glory, were speaking of His adeparture which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

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

33 And as 1these were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, “aMaster, it is good for us to be here; blet us make three 2tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—cnot realizing what he was saying.

34 While he was saying this, a cloud 1formed and began to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.

35 Then aa voice came out of the cloud, saying, “bThis is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!”

36 And when the voice 1had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And athey kept silent, and reported to no one in those days any of the things which they had seen.

37 aOn the next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met Him.

38 And a man from the crowd shouted, saying, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my 1only boy,

39 and a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams, and it throws him into a convulsion with foaming at the mouth; and only with difficulty does it leave him, mauling him as it leaves.

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

41 And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”

42 While he was still approaching, the demon 1slammed him to the ground and threw him into a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy and gave him back to his father.

43 And they were all amazed at the 1agreatness of God.

bBut while everyone was marveling at all that He was doing, He said to His disciples,

44 “Let these words sink into your ears; afor the Son of Man is going to be 1delivered into the hands of men.”

45 But athey 1did not understand this statement, and it was concealed from them so that they would not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this statement.

The Test of Greatness

46 aAn argument 1started among them as to which of them might be the greatest.

47 But Jesus, aknowing 1what they were thinking in their heart, took a child and stood him by His side,

48 and said to them, “aWhoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; bfor the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great.”

49 aJohn answered and said, “bMaster, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow along with us.”

50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not hinder him; afor he who is not against you is 1for you.”

51 When the days were approaching for aHis 1ascension, He 2was determined bto go to Jerusalem;

52 and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the aSamaritans to 1make arrangements for Him.

53 But they did not receive Him, abecause 1He was traveling toward Jerusalem.

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

55 But He turned and rebuked them, [1and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of;

56 for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”] And they went on to another village.

Exacting Discipleship

57 aAs they were going along the road, bsomeone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.”

58 And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the 1air have 2nests, but athe Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

59 And He said to another, “aFollow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.”

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

61 Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but afirst permit me to say good-bye to those at home.”

62 But Jesus said to him, “aNo one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Chapter 10

The Seventy Sent Out

1 Now after this athe Lord appointed 1seventy bothers, and sent them cin pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come.

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

3 “Go; abehold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.

4 “aCarry no money belt, no 1bag, no shoes; and greet no one on the way.

5 “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’

6 “If a 1man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.

7 “Stay in 1that house, eating and drinking 2what they give you; for athe laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house.

8 “Whatever city you enter and they receive you, aeat what is set before you;

9 and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘aThe kingdom of God has come near to you.’

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

11 ‘aEven the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off in protest against you; yet 1be sure of this, that bthe kingdom of God has come near.’

12 “I say to you, ait will be more tolerable in that day for bSodom than for that city.

13 “aWoe to you, bChorazin! Woe to you, bBethsaida! For if the 1miracles had been performed in bTyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in 2csackcloth and ashes.

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

15 “And you, aCapernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will be brought down to Hades!

16 “aThe one who listens to you listens to Me, and bthe one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”

The Happy Results

17 The 1seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even athe demons are subject to us in Your name.”

18 And He said to them, “I was watching aSatan fall from heaven like lightning.

19 “Behold, I have given you authority to atread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.

20 “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that ayour names are recorded in heaven.”

21 aAt that very 1time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I 2praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight.

22 “aAll things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and bno one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”

23 aTurning to the disciples, He said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see,

24 for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them.”

25 aAnd a 1blawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? 1How does it read to you?”

27 And he answered, “aYou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”

28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; ado this and you will live.”

29 But wishing ato justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

The Good Samaritan

30 Jesus replied and said, “A man was agoing down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and 1beat him, and went away leaving him half dead.

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

32 “Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

33 “But a aSamaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion,

34 and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him.

35 “On the next day he took out two 1denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’

36 “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?”

37 And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do 1the same.”

Martha and Mary

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

39 She had a sister called aMary, who was bseated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word.

40 But aMartha was distracted with 1all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.”

41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “aMartha, Martha, you are bworried and bothered about so many things;

42 abut only one thing is necessary, for bMary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Chapter 11

Instruction about Prayer

1 It happened that while 1Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.”

2 And He said to them, “aWhen you pray, say:

‘1Father, hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

3 ‘Give us aeach day our 1daily bread.

4 ‘And forgive us our sins,

For we ourselves also forgive everyone who ais indebted to us.

And lead us not into temptation.’ ”

5 Then He said to them, “1Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves;

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

7 and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children 1and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’

8 “I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet abecause of his 1persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

9 “So I say to you, 1aask, and it will be given to you; 2seek, and you will find; 3knock, 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 “Now 1suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a 2fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he?

12 “Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he?

13 “aIf you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your 1heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

Pharisees’ Blasphemy

14 aAnd He was casting out a demon, and it was mute; when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed.

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

16 Others, 1to test Him, awere demanding of Him a 2sign from heaven.

17 aBut He knew their thoughts and said to them, “1Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against 2itself falls.

18 “If aSatan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by bBeelzebul.

19 “And if I by aBeelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? So they will be your judges.

20 “But if I cast out demons by the afinger of God, then bthe kingdom of God has come upon you.

21 “When 1a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are 2undisturbed.

22 “But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder.

23 “aHe who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.

24 “aWhen the unclean spirit goes out of 1a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’

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

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

27 While 1Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “aBlessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed.”

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

The Sign of Jonah

29 As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, “aThis generation is a wicked generation; it bseeks for a 1sign, and yet no 1sign will be given to it but the 1sign of Jonah.

30 “For just as aJonah became a 1sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.

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

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

33 “aNo one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.

34 “aThe eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is 1clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is 2bad, your body also is full of darkness.

35 “Then watch out that the light in you is not darkness.

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

Woes upon the Pharisees

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

38 When the Pharisee saw it, he was surprised that He had not first 1aceremonially washed before the 2meal.

39 But athe Lord said to him, “Now byou Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but 1inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness.

40 “aYou foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also?

41 “But agive that which is within as charity, and 1then all things are bclean for you.

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

43 “Woe to you Pharisees! For you alove the chief seats in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the market places.

44 “aWoe to you! For you are like 1concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it.”

45 One of the 1alawyers * said to Him in reply, “Teacher, when You say this, You insult us too.”

46 But He said, “Woe to you alawyers as well! For byou weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, 1while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers.

47 “aWoe to you! For you build the 1tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them.

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

49 “For this reason also athe wisdom of God said, ‘bI will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will 1persecute,

50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed asince the foundation of the world, may be 1charged against this generation,

51 from athe blood of Abel to bthe blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be 1charged against this generation.’

52 “Woe to you 1alawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; byou yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering.”

53 When He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to question Him closely on many subjects,

54 aplotting against Him bto catch 1Him in something He might say.

Chapter 12

God Knows and Cares

1 Under these circumstances, after 1so many thousands of 2people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “aBeware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

2 “aBut there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

3 “Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have 1whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon athe housetops.

4 “I say to you, aMy 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 1warn you whom to fear: afear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into 2bhell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!

6 “Are not afive sparrows sold for two 1cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God.

7 “aIndeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

8 “And I say to you, everyone who aconfesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God;

9 but ahe who denies Me before men will be denied bbefore the angels of God.

10 “aAnd everyone who 1speaks 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 “When they bring you before athe synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not bworry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say;

12 for athe Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Covetousness Denounced

13 Someone 1in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.”

14 But He said to him, “aMan, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?”

15 Then He said to them, “aBeware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”

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

17 “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’

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

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

20 “But God said to him, ‘aYou fool! This very night 1byour soul is required of you; and cnow who will own what you have prepared?’

21 “So is the man who astores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

22 And He said to His disciples, “aFor this reason I say to you, 1do not worry about your 2life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.

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

24 “Consider the aravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor bbarn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!

25 “And which of you by worrying can add a single 1ahour to his 2life’s span?

26 “If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters?

27 “Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even aSolomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.

28 “But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? aYou men of little faith!

29 “And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not akeep worrying.

30 “For 1all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things.

31 “But seek His kingdom, and athese things will be added to you.

32 “aDo not be afraid, blittle flock, for cyour Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.

33 “aSell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, ban unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.

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

Be in Readiness

35 “1aBe dressed in breadiness, and keep your lamps lit.

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

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

38 “aWhether he comes in the 1second watch, or even in the 2third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

39 “aBut 1be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be 2bbroken into.

40 “aYou too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not 1expect.”

41 Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or ato everyone else as well?”

42 And athe Lord said, “bWho then is the faithful and sensible csteward, whom his master will put in charge of his 1servants, to give them their rations at the proper time?

43 “Blessed is that aslave whom his 1master finds so doing when he comes.

44 “Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

45 “But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master 1will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk;

46 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

47 “And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will areceive many lashes,

48 but the one who did not aknow it, and committed deeds worthy of 1a flogging, will receive but few. bFrom everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

Christ Divides Men

49 “I 1have come to cast fire upon the earth; and 2how I wish it were already kindled!

50 “But I have a abaptism to 1undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!

51 “aDo you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division;

52 for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three.

53 “They will be divided, afather against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

54 And He was also saying to the crowds, “aWhen you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out.

55 “And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a ahot day,’ and it turns out that way.

56 “You hypocrites! aYou know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but 1why do you not analyze this present time?

57 “And awhy do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right?

58 “For awhile you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate, on your way there make an effort to 1settle with him, so that he may not drag you before the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.

59 “I say to you, you will not get out of there until you have paid the very last 1acent.”