# verses

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Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath On the Sabbath day, Jesus was walking through some grainfields. His followers were with him and picked some grain to eat.


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The Pharisees saw this and said to Jesus, “Why are your followers doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”


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Jesus answered, “You have read what David did when he and those with him were hungry and needed food.


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It was during the time of Abiathar the high priest. David went into God’s house and ate the bread that was made holy for God. The law of Moses says that only priests may eat that bread. But David also gave some of the bread to those who were with him.”


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Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, “The Sabbath day was made to help people. They were not made to be ruled by the Sabbath day.


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Jesus Heals a Man’s Crippled Hand Another time when Jesus went into a synagogue, a man with a crippled hand was there.


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Some people there wanted to see Jesus do something wrong so they could accuse him. They watched him closely to see if he would heal the man on the Sabbath day.


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Then Jesus asked the people, “Which is right on the Sabbath day: to do good, or to do evil? Is it right to save a life or to destroy one?” But they said nothing to answer him.


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Jesus was angry as he looked at the people. But he felt very sad because they were stubborn. Then he said to the man, “Let me see your hand.” The man put his hand out for Jesus, and it was healed.


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Many People Follow Jesus Jesus left with his followers for the lake. A large crowd from Galilee followed him.


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Also many people came from Judea, from Jerusalem, from Idumea, from the lands across the Jordan River, and from the area of Tyre and Sidon. They came because they had heard about all the things Jesus was doing.


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Jesus saw the crowds. So he told his followers to get a boat ready for him. He wanted the boat so that the many people would not crowd themselves against him.


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Some had evil spirits in them. When the evil spirits saw Jesus, they fell down before him and shouted, “You are the Son of God!”


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Jesus Chooses His 12 Apostles Then Jesus went up on a hill and called some men to come to him. These were the men Jesus wanted, and they went up to him.


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Jesus chose 12 men and called them apostles. He wanted these 12 to be with him, and he wanted to send them to other places to preach.


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James and John, the sons of Zebedee (Jesus gave them the name Boanerges, which means “Sons of Thunder”);


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


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People Say Jesus Has a Devil Then Jesus went back home. But again a crowd gathered. There were so many people that Jesus and his followers could not eat.


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His family heard about all these things. They went to get him because people were saying that Jesus was out of his mind.


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And the teachers of the law from Jerusalem were saying, “Beelzebul is living inside him! He uses power from the ruler of demons to force demons out.”


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So Jesus called the people together and used stories to teach them. He said, “Satan will not force his own demons out of people.


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And if Satan is against himself and fights against his own people, then he cannot continue. And that is the end of Satan.


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If a person wants to enter a strong man’s house and steal his things, first he must tie up the strong man. Then the thief can steal the things from the strong man’s house.


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I tell you the truth. All sins that people do can be forgiven. And all the bad things people say against God can be forgiven.


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But any person who says bad things against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. He is guilty of a sin that continues forever.”


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Jesus’ True Family Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. They stood outside and sent someone in to tell him to come out.


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Many people were sitting around Jesus. They said to him, “Your mother and brothers are waiting for you outside.”


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A Story About Planting Seed Another time Jesus began teaching by the lake. A great crowd gathered around him. So he got into a boat and went out on the lake. All the people stayed on the shore close to the water.


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Some seed fell on rocky ground where there wasn’t much dirt. The seed grew very fast there because the ground was not deep.


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Some other seed fell among thorny weeds. The weeds grew and choked the good plants. So those plants did not make grain.


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Some other seed fell on good ground. In the good ground, the seed began to grow. It grew and made a crop of grain. Some plants made 30 times more grain, some 60 times more grain, and some 100 times more grain.”


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Jesus Tells Why He Used Stories Later, when Jesus was alone, the 12 apostles and others around him asked him about the stories.


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Jesus said, “Only you can know the secret truth about the kingdom of God. But to other people I tell everything by using stories.


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I do this so that: ‘They will look and look, but they will not learn. They will listen and listen, but they will not understand. If they did learn and understand, they would come back to me and be forgiven.’”


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Jesus Explains the Seed Story Then Jesus said to the followers, “Do you understand this story? If you don’t, then how will you understand any story?


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Sometimes the teaching falls on the road. This is like some people. They hear the teaching of God. But Satan quickly comes and takes away the teaching that was planted in them.


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Others are like the seed planted on rocky ground. They hear the teaching and quickly accept it with joy.


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But they don’t allow the teaching to go deep into their lives. They keep it only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the teaching, they quickly give up.


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But then other things come into their lives: worries, the love of money, and wanting all kinds of other things. These things stop the teaching from growing. So that teaching does not produce fruit in their lives.


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Others are like the seed planted in the good ground. They hear the teaching and accept it. Then they grow and produce fruit—sometimes 30 times more, sometimes 60 times more, and sometimes 100 times more.”


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Use What You Have Then Jesus said to them, “Do you hide a lamp under a bowl or under a bed? No! You put the lamp on a lampstand.


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“Think carefully about the things you hear. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you. But God will give you more than you give.


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The person who has something will be given more. But the person who does not have much, even what he has will be taken from him.”


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Jesus Uses a Story About Seed Then Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who plants seed in the ground.


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The seed comes up and grows night and day. It doesn’t matter whether the man is asleep or awake; the seed still grows. The man does not know how it grows.


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Without any help, the earth produces grain. First the plant grows, then the head, and then all the grain in the head.


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A Story About Mustard Seed Then Jesus said, “How can I show you what the kingdom of God is like? What story can I use to explain it?


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The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. The mustard seed is the smallest seed you plant in the ground.


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But when you plant this seed, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants. It produces large branches. Even the wild birds can make nests in it and be protected from the sun.”


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He always used stories to teach them. But when he and his followers were alone together, Jesus explained everything to them.


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He and the followers left the people there. They went in the boat that Jesus was already sitting in. There were also other boats with them.


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A very strong wind came up on the lake. The waves began coming over the sides and into the boat. It was almost full of water.


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Jesus was at the back of the boat, sleeping with his head on a pillow. The followers went to him and woke him. They said, “Teacher, do you care about us? We will drown!”


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Jesus stood up and commanded the wind and the waves to stop. He said, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind stopped, and the lake became calm.


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The followers were very afraid and asked each other, “What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”


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A Man with Demons Inside Him Jesus and his followers went across the lake to the region of the Gerasene people.


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When Jesus got out of the boat, a man came to him from the caves where dead people were buried. This man, who lived in the caves, had an evil spirit living in him.


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Many times people had used chains to tie the man’s hands and feet. But he always broke the chains off. No one was strong enough to control him.


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Day and night he would wander around the burial caves and on the hills, screaming and cutting himself with stones.


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Jesus said to the man, “You evil spirit, come out of that man.” But the man shouted in a loud voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, promise God that you will not punish me!”


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Then Jesus asked the man, “What is your name?” The man answered, “My name is Legion, because I have many spirits in me.”


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So Jesus allowed them to do this. The evil spirits left the man and went into the pigs. Then the herd of pigs rushed down the hill into the lake and were drowned. There were about 2,000 pigs in that herd.


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The men who took care of the pigs ran away. They went to the town and to the countryside, telling everyone about this. So people went out to see what had happened.


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They came to Jesus and saw the man who had had the many evil spirits. The man was sitting there, clothed and in his right mind. The people were frightened.


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Some people were there who saw what Jesus had done. They told the others what had happened to the man who had the demons living in him. And they also told about the pigs.


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Jesus was getting ready to leave in the boat. The man who was freed from the demons begged to go with him.


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But Jesus would not allow the man to go. Jesus said, “Go home to your family and friends. Tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.”


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So the man left and told the people in the Ten Towns about the great things Jesus had done for him. All the people were amazed.


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Jesus Gives Life to a Dead Girl and Heals A Sick Woman Jesus went in the boat back to the other side of the lake. There, a large crowd gathered around him.


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A ruler from the synagogue, named Jairus, came to that place. Jairus saw Jesus and bowed before him.


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The ruler begged Jesus again and again. He said, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her. Then she will be healed and will live.”


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So Jesus went with the ruler, and many people followed Jesus. They were pushing very close around him.


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She had suffered very much. Many doctors had tried to help her. She had spent all the money she had, but she was not improving. She was getting worse.


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At once Jesus felt power go out from him. So he stopped and turned around. Then he asked, “Who touched my clothes?”


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The woman knew that she was healed. So she came and bowed at Jesus’ feet. Shaking with fear, she told him the whole story.


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Jesus said to the woman, “Dear woman, you are made well because you believed. Go in peace. You will have no more suffering.”


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Jesus was still speaking to her when some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. The men said, “Your daughter is dead. There is now no need to bother the teacher.”


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But Jesus paid no attention to what the men said. He said to the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; only believe.”


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They came to the house of the synagogue ruler, and Jesus found many people there crying loudly. There was much confusion.


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Jesus entered the house and said to the people, “Why are you crying and making so much noise? This child is not dead. She is only asleep.”


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But they only laughed at Jesus. He told all the people to leave. Then he went into the room where the child was. He took the child’s father and mother and his three followers into the room with him.


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Then he took hold of the girl’s hand and said to her, “Talitha, koum!” (This means, “Little girl, I tell you to stand up!”)


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The girl stood right up and began walking. (She was 12 years old.) The father and mother and the followers were amazed.


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Jesus gave the father and mother strict orders not to tell people about this. Then he told them to give the girl some food.


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Jesus Goes to His Hometown Jesus left there and went back to his hometown. His followers went with him.


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On the Sabbath day he taught in the synagogue. Many people heard him and were amazed. They said, “Where did this man get these teachings? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? And where did he get the power to work miracles?


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He is only the carpenter. His mother is Mary. He is the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters are here with us.” The people did not accept Jesus.


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Jesus said to them, “Other people give honor to a prophet. But in his own town with his own people and in his own home, a prophet does not receive honor.”


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Jesus was not able to work many miracles there. The only miracles he did were to heal some sick people by putting his hands on them.


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He called the 12 followers together and sent them out in groups of 2. He gave them authority over evil spirits.


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This is what Jesus told them: “Take nothing for your trip except a walking stick. Take no bread, no bag, and no money in your pockets.


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If any town refuses to accept you or its people refuse to listen to you, then leave that town. Shake its dust off your feet. This will be a warning to them.”


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How John the Baptist Was Killed King Herod heard about Jesus, because Jesus was now well known. Some people said, “He is John the Baptist. He is risen from death. That is the reason he can work these miracles.”


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Others said, “He is Elijah.” Other people said, “Jesus is a prophet. He is like the prophets who lived long ago.”


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Herod heard all these things about Jesus. He said, “I killed John by cutting off his head. Now he has been raised from death!”


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Herod himself had ordered his soldiers to arrest John, and John was put in prison. Herod did this to please his wife, Herodias. Herodias was the wife of Philip, Herod’s brother. But then Herod married her.


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Herod was afraid to kill John because he knew John was a good and holy man. So Herod protected John. Also, Herod enjoyed listening to John preach. But John’s preaching always bothered him.


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Then the perfect time came for Herodias to cause John’s death. It happened on Herod’s birthday. Herod gave a dinner party for the most important government leaders, the commanders of his army, and the most important people in Galilee.


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The daughter of Herodias came to the party and danced. When she danced, Herod and the people eating with him were very pleased. So King Herod said to the girl, “I will give you anything you want.”


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He promised her, “Anything you ask for I will give to you. I will even give you half of my kingdom.”


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The girl went to her mother and asked, “What should I ask the king to give me?” Her mother answered, “Ask for the head of John the Baptist.”


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Quickly the girl went back to the king. She said to him, “Please give me the head of John the Baptist. Bring it to me now on a platter.”


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The king was very sad. But he had promised to give the girl anything she wanted. And the people eating there with him had heard his promise. So Herod could not refuse what she asked.


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Immediately the king sent a soldier to bring John’s head. The soldier went and cut off John’s head in the prison


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More Than 5,000 People Fed The apostles that Jesus had sent out to preach returned. They gathered around him and told him about all the things they had done and taught.


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Crowds of people were coming and going. Jesus and his followers did not even have time to eat. He said to them, “Come with me. We will go to a quiet place to be alone. There we will get some rest.”


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But many people saw them leave and recognized them. So people from all the towns ran to the place where Jesus was going. They got there before Jesus arrived.


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When he landed, he saw a great crowd waiting. Jesus felt sorry for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he taught them many things.


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It was now late in the day. Jesus’ followers came to him and said, “No one lives in this place. And it is already very late.


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But Jesus answered, “You give them food to eat.” They said to him, “We can’t buy enough bread to feed all these people! We would all have to work a month to earn enough money to buy that much bread!”


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Jesus asked them, “How many loaves of bread do you have now? Go and see.” When they found out, they came to him and said, “We have five loaves and two fish.”


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Jesus took the five loaves and two fish. He looked up to heaven and thanked God for the bread. He divided the bread and gave it to his followers for them to give to the people. Then he divided the two fish among them all.


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Jesus Walks on the Water Then Jesus told his followers to get into the boat and go to Bethsaida on the other side of the lake. Jesus said that he would come later. He stayed there to tell the people they could go home.


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He saw the followers working hard to row the boat because the wind was blowing against them. At some time between three and six o’clock in the morning, Jesus came to them, walking on the water. He continued walking until he was almost past the boat.


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They all saw him and were terrified. But Jesus spoke to them and said, “Have courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.”


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They had seen Jesus make more bread from the five loaves. But they did not understand what it meant. Their minds were closed.


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They ran to tell others everywhere in that area that Jesus was there. They brought sick people on mats to every place Jesus went.


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Jesus went into towns and cities and farms around that area. And everywhere he went, the people brought the sick to the marketplaces. They begged him to let them just touch the edge of his coat. And all who touched him were healed.


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Obey God’s Law Not Men’s Some Pharisees and some teachers of the law came from Jerusalem. They gathered around Jesus.


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They saw that some of Jesus’ followers ate food with hands that were not clean. (“Not clean” means that they did not wash their hands in the way the Pharisees said people must.


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The Pharisees and all the Jews never eat before washing their hands in this special way. They do this to follow the teaching given to them by their great people who lived before them.


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And when the Jews buy something in the market, they never eat it until they wash it in a special way. They also follow other rules of their great people who lived before them. They follow rules about the washing of cups, pitchers, and pots.)


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The Pharisees and the teachers of the law said to Jesus, “Your followers don’t follow the rules given to us by our great people who lived before us. Your followers eat their food with hands that are not clean. Why do they do this?”


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Jesus answered, “You are all hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he spoke about you. Isaiah wrote, ‘These people show honor to me with words. But their hearts are far from me.


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Their worship of me is worthless. The things they teach are nothing but human rules they have memorized.’


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Then Jesus said to them: “You think you are clever! You ignore the commands of God so that you can follow your own teachings!


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Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother.’ Then Moses also said, ‘Anyone who says cruel things to his father or mother must be put to death.’


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But you teach that a person can say to his father or mother, ‘I have something I could use to help you. But I will not use it for you. I will give it to God.’


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So you are teaching that it is not important to do what God said. You think that it is more important to follow your own rules, which you teach people. And you do many things like that.”


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Jesus called the people to him again. He said, “Every person should listen to me and understand what I am saying.


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There is nothing a person puts into his body that makes him unclean. A person is made unclean by the things that come out of him.


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Jesus said, “Do you still have trouble understanding? Surely you know that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him unclean.


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Food does not go into a person’s mind. Food goes into his stomach. Then that food goes out of his body.” (When Jesus said this, he meant that there is no food that is unclean for people to eat.)


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All these evil things begin inside a person, in the mind: evil thoughts, sexual immorality, stealing, murder, adultery,


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selfishness, doing bad things to other people, lying, doing sinful things, jealousy, saying bad things about people, pride, and foolish living.


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Jesus Helps a Non-Jewish Woman Jesus left that place and went to the area around Tyre. He went into a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. But Jesus could not stay hidden.


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A woman heard that he was there. Her little daughter had an evil spirit in her. So the woman quickly came to Jesus and fell at his feet.


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She was not Jewish. She was Greek, born in Phoenicia, in Syria. She begged Jesus to force the demon out of her daughter.


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Jesus told the woman: “It is not right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs. First let the children eat all they want.”


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She answered, “That is true, Lord. But the dogs under the table can eat the pieces of food that the children don’t eat.”


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Jesus Heals a Deaf Man Then Jesus left the area around Tyre. He went through Sidon to Lake Galilee, to the area of the Ten Towns.


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While he was there, some people brought a man to him. This man was deaf and could not talk. The people begged Jesus to put his hand on the man to heal him.


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Jesus led the man away from the crowd, to be alone with him. Jesus put his fingers in the man’s ears. Then Jesus spit and touched the man’s tongue.


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Jesus looked up to heaven and took a deep breath. He said to the man, “Ephphatha!” (This means, “Be opened.”)


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When Jesus did this, the man was able to hear. He was also able to use his tongue, and he spoke clearly.


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Jesus commanded the people not to tell anyone about what happened. But the more he commanded them, the more they told about it.


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They were really amazed. They said, “Jesus does everything well. He makes the deaf hear! And those who can’t talk—Jesus makes them able to speak.”


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More Than 4,000 People Fed Another time there was a great crowd with Jesus. They had nothing to eat. So Jesus called his followers to him. He said,


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“I feel sorry for these people. They have been with me for three days, and now they have nothing to eat.


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I cannot send them home hungry. If they leave without eating, they will faint on the way home. Some of them live a long way from here.”


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Jesus’ followers answered, “But we are far away from any towns. Where can we get enough bread to feed all these people?”


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Jesus told the people to sit on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and gave thanks to God. Jesus divided the bread and gave the pieces to his followers. He told them to pass out the bread to the people, and they did so.


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The followers also had a few small fish. Jesus gave thanks for the fish and told his followers to give the fish to the people.


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All the people ate and were satisfied. Then the followers filled seven baskets with the pieces of food that were not eaten.


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The Leaders Ask for a Miracle The Pharisees came to Jesus and asked him questions. They wanted to trap him. So they asked Jesus to do a miracle to show that he was from God.


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Jesus sighed deeply. He said, “Why do you people ask for a miracle as proof? I tell you the truth. No miracle will be given to you.”


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Guard Against Wrong Teachings The followers had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat. They had forgotten to bring more bread.


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Among themselves, his disciples discussed the meaning of this. They said, “He said this because we have no bread.”


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Jesus knew what his followers were talking about. So he asked them, “Why are you talking about having no bread? You still don’t see or understand? Are your minds closed?


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You have eyes, but you don’t really see. You have ears, but you don’t really listen. Remember what I did before, when we did not have enough bread?


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I divided five loaves of bread for 5,000 people. Remember how many baskets you filled with pieces of food that were not eaten?” They answered, “We filled 12 baskets.”


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“And remember that I divided seven loaves of bread for 4,000 people. Remember how many baskets you filled with pieces of food that were not eaten?” They answered, “We filled 7 baskets.”


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Jesus Heals a Blind Man Jesus and his followers came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged him to touch the man.


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So Jesus took the blind man’s hand and led him out of the village. Then he spit on the man’s eyes. He put his hands on the blind man and asked, “Can you see now?”


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Again Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then the man opened his eyes wide. His eyes were healed, and he was able to see everything clearly.


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Peter Says Jesus Is the Christ Jesus and his followers went to the towns around Caesarea Philippi. While they were traveling, Jesus asked them, “Who do people say I am?”


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They answered, “Some people say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah. And others say that you are one of the prophets.”


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Then Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things. He taught that the Son of Man would not be accepted by the Jewish elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law. He taught that the Son of Man must be killed and then rise from death after three days.


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But Jesus turned and looked at his followers. Then he criticized Peter and said, “Go away from me, Satan! You don’t care about the things of God. You care only about things men think are important.”


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Then Jesus called the crowd to him, along with his followers. He said, “If anyone wants to follow me, he must say ‘no’ to the things he wants. He must be willing to die on a cross, and he must follow me.


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Whoever wants to save his life will give up true life. But whoever gives up his life for me and for the Good News will have true life forever.


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The people who live now are living in a sinful and evil time. If anyone is ashamed of me and my teaching, then I will be ashamed of him. I will be ashamed of him when I come with the glory of my Father and the holy angels.”


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Then Jesus said to the people, “I tell you the truth. Some of you standing here will see the kingdom of God come with power before you die.”


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Jesus with Moses and Elijah Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John and went up on a high mountain. They were all alone there. While these followers watched, Jesus was changed.


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Peter said to Jesus, “Teacher, it is good that we are here. We will put three tents here—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”


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Then a cloud came and covered them. A voice came from the cloud. The voice said, “This is my Son, and I love him. Obey him!”


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As Jesus and his followers were walking back down the mountain, he commanded them, “Don’t tell anyone about the things you saw on the mountain. Wait till the Son of Man rises from death. Then you may tell.”


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So the followers obeyed Jesus and said nothing about what they had seen. But they discussed what Jesus meant about rising from death.


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Jesus answered, “They are right to say that Elijah must come first. Elijah makes all things the way they should be. But why does the Scripture say that the Son of Man will suffer much and that people will treat him as if he were nothing?


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I tell you that Elijah has already come. And people did to him whatever they wanted to do. The Scriptures said this would happen to him.”


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Jesus Heals a Sick Boy Then Jesus, Peter, James, and John went to the other followers. They saw a great crowd around them. The teachers of the law were arguing with them.


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A man answered, “Teacher, I brought my son to you. He has a spirit from the devil in him. This spirit stops him from talking.


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The spirit attacks him and throws him on the ground. My son foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes very stiff. I asked your followers to force the evil spirit out, but they couldn’t.”


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Jesus answered, “You people don’t believe! How long must I stay with you? How long must I go on being patient with you? Bring the boy to me!”


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So the followers brought him to Jesus. As soon as the evil spirit saw Jesus, it attacked the boy. He fell down and rolled on the ground, foaming from his mouth.


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Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been happening?” The father answered, “Since he was very young.


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The spirit often throws him into a fire or into water to kill him. If you can do anything for him, please have pity on us and help us.”


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Jesus saw that a crowd was running there to see what was happening. So he spoke to the evil spirit, saying, “You deaf and dumb spirit—I command you to come out of this boy and never enter him again!”


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The evil spirit screamed and caused the boy to fall on the ground again. Then the spirit came out. The boy looked as if he were dead. And many people said, “He is dead!”


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Jesus went into the house. His followers were alone with him there. They said, “Why couldn’t we force that evil spirit out?”


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Jesus Talks About His Death Then Jesus and his followers left that place and went through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where he was


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because he wanted to teach his followers alone. He said to them, “The Son of Man will be given to men who will kill him. After three days, he will rise from death.”


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Who Is the Greatest? Jesus and his followers went to Capernaum and went into a house there. Then Jesus said to them, “What were you arguing about on the road?”


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But the followers did not answer, because their argument on the road was about which one of them was the greatest.


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Jesus sat down and called the 12 apostles to him. He said, “If anyone wants to be the most important, then he must be last of all and servant of all.”


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“If anyone accepts children like these in my name, then he is also accepting me. And if he accepts me, then he is also accepting the One who sent me.”


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Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us Then John said, “Teacher, we saw a man using your name to force demons out of a person. We told him to stop, because he does not belong to our group.”


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Jesus said, “Don’t stop him. Anyone who uses my name to do powerful things will not say evil things about me.


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I tell you the truth. If anyone helps you by giving you a drink of water because you belong to the Christ, then he will truly get his reward.


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“If one of these little children believes in me, and someone causes that child to sin, then it will be very bad for him. It would be better for him to have a large stone tied around his neck and be drowned in the sea.


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If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to lose part of your body but have life forever. That is much better than to have two hands and go to hell. In that place the fire never goes out.


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If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to lose part of your body but have life forever. That is much better than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.


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If your eye causes you to sin, take it out. It is better for you to have only one eye but have life forever. That is much better than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell.


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“Salt is good. But if the salt loses its salty taste, then you cannot make it salty again. So, be full of goodness. And have peace with each other.”


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Jesus Teaches About Divorce Then Jesus left that place. He went into the area of Judea and across the Jordan River. Again, crowds came to him. And Jesus taught them as he always did.


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Some Pharisees came to Jesus and tried to trick him. They asked, “Is it right for a man to divorce his wife?”


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Later, the followers and Jesus were in the house. They asked Jesus again about the question of divorce.


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He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman is guilty of adultery against her.


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Jesus Accepts Children Some people brought their small children to Jesus so he could touch them. But his followers told the people to stop bringing their children to him.


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When Jesus saw this, he was displeased. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them. The kingdom of God belongs to people who are like these little children.


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I tell you the truth. You must accept the kingdom of God as a little child accepts things, or you will never enter it.”


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A Rich Young Man’s Question Jesus started to leave, but a man ran to him and fell on his knees before Jesus. The man asked, “Good teacher, what must I do to get the life that never ends?”


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You know the commands: ‘You must not murder anyone. You must not be guilty of adultery. You must not steal. You must not tell lies about your neighbor in court. You must not cheat. Honor your father and mother.’”


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Jesus looked straight at the man and loved him. Jesus said, “There is still one more thing you need to do. Go and sell everything you have, and give the money to the poor. You will have a reward in heaven. Then come and follow me.”


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Then Jesus looked at his followers and said, “How hard it will be for those who are rich to enter the kingdom of God!”


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The followers were amazed at what Jesus said. But he said again, “My children, it is very hard to enter the kingdom of God!


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And it will be very hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. It would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle!”


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Jesus looked straight at them and said, “For people this is impossible. But for God all things are possible.”


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Jesus said, “I tell you the truth. Everyone who has left his home, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or fields for me and for the Good News


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will get a hundred times more than he left. Here in this world he will have more homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields. And with those things, he will also suffer for his belief. But in the age that is coming he will have life forever.


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Many who are first now will be last in the future. And those who are last now will be first in the future.”


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Jesus Talks About His Own Death Jesus and the people with him were on the road to Jerusalem. Jesus was leading the way. The followers were amazed, but those who followed behind them were afraid. Jesus took the 12 apostles aside and talked with them alone. He told them what would happen in Jerusalem.


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He said, “We are going to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be given to the leading priests and teachers of the law. They will say that he must die. They will give him to the non-Jewish people,


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who will laugh at him and spit on him. They will beat him with whips and kill him. But on the third day after his death, he will rise to life again.”


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Two Followers Ask Jesus a Favor Then James and John, sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus. They said, “Teacher, we want to ask you to do something for us.”


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They answered, “You will have glory in your kingdom. Let one of us sit at your right, and let one of us sit at your left.”


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Jesus said, “You don’t understand what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I must drink? And can you be baptized with the same kind of baptism that I must have?”


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They answered, “Yes, we can!” Jesus said to them, “You will drink the same cup that I will drink. And you will be baptized with the same baptism that I must have.


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But I cannot choose who will sit at my right or my left. These places are for those for whom they are prepared.”


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Jesus called all the followers together. He said, “The non-Jewish people have men they call rulers. You know that those rulers love to show their power over the people. And their important leaders love to use all their authority.


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But it should not be that way among you. If one of you wants to become great, then he must serve you like a servant.


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In the same way, the Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve. The Son of Man came to give his life to save many people.”


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Jesus Heals a Blind Man Then they came to the town of Jericho. As Jesus was leaving there with his followers and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting by the road.


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He heard that Jesus from Nazareth was walking by. The blind man cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, please help me!”


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Many people scolded the blind man and told him to be quiet. But he shouted more and more, “Son of David, please help me!”


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Jesus stopped and said, “Tell the man to come here.” So they called the blind man. They said, “Cheer up! Get to your feet. Jesus is calling you.”


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Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man answered, “Teacher, I want to see again.”


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Jesus said, “Go. You are healed because you believed.” At once the man was able to see again, and he followed Jesus on the road.


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Jesus Enters Jerusalem as a King Jesus and his followers were coming closer to Jerusalem. They came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives. There Jesus sent two of his followers.


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He said to them, “Go to the town you see there. When you enter it, you will find a colt tied which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here to me.


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If anyone asks you why you are doing this, tell him, ‘The Master needs the colt. He will send it back soon.’”


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The followers went into the town. They found a colt tied in the street near the door of a house, and they untied it.


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Many people spread their coats on the road. Others cut branches in the fields and spread the branches on the road.


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Some of the people were walking ahead of Jesus. Others were following him. All of them were shouting, “Praise God! God bless the One who comes in the name of the Lord!


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Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple. When he had looked at everything, and since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the 12 apostles.


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He saw a fig tree in leaf. So he went to the tree to see if it had any figs on it. But he found no figs, only leaves. It was not the right season for figs to grow.


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So Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” Jesus’ followers heard him say this.


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Jesus Goes to the Temple Jesus returned to Jerusalem and went into the Temple. He began to throw out those who were buying and selling things there. He overturned the tables that belonged to the men who were exchanging different kinds of money. And he turned over the benches of the men who were selling doves.


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Then Jesus taught the people. He said, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘My Temple will be a house where people from all nations will pray.’ But you are changing God’s house into a ‘hideout for robbers.’”


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The leading priests and the teachers of the law heard all this. They began trying to find a way to kill Jesus. They were afraid of him because all the people were amazed at his teaching.


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The Power of Faith The next morning, Jesus was passing by with his followers. They saw the fig tree, and it was dry and dead, even to the roots.


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Peter remembered the tree and said to Jesus, “Teacher, look! Yesterday, you cursed the fig tree. Now it is dry and dead!”


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I tell you the truth. You can say to this mountain, ‘Go, mountain, fall into the sea.’ And if you have no doubts in your mind and believe that the thing you say will happen, then God will do it for you.


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So I tell you to ask for things in prayer. And if you believe that you have received those things, then they will be yours.


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When you are praying, and you remember that you are angry with another person about something, then forgive him. If you do this, then your Father in heaven will also forgive your sins.”


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Leaders Doubt Jesus’ Authority Jesus and his followers went again to Jerusalem. Jesus was walking in the Temple. The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the Jewish elders came to him.


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They said to him, “Tell us! What authority do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?”


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Jesus answered, “I will ask you one question. You answer it. Then I will tell you whose authority I use to do these things.


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They argued about Jesus’ question. They said to each other, “If we answer, ‘John’s baptism was from God,’ then Jesus will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe John?’


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But if we say, ‘From man,’ then the people will be against us.” (These leaders were afraid of the people. All the people believed that John was a prophet.)


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So the leaders answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus said, “Then I will not tell you what authority I use to do these things.”


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God Sends His Son Jesus used stories to teach the people. He said, “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it and dug a hole for a winepress. Then he built a tower. He leased the vineyard to some farmers and left for a trip.


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Later, it was time for the grapes to be picked. So the man sent a servant to the farmers to get his share of the grapes.


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So the man sent another servant. They killed this servant. The man sent many other servants. The farmers beat some of them and killed others.


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“The man had one person left to send, his son whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘The farmers will respect my son.’


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“But they said to each other, ‘This is the owner’s son. This vineyard will be his. If we kill him, then it will be ours.’


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“So what will the man who owns the vineyard do? He will go to the vineyard and kill those farmers. Then he will give the vineyard to other farmers.


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Surely you have read this Scripture: ‘The stone that the builders did not want became the cornerstone.


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The Jewish leaders knew that the story was about them. So they wanted to find a way to arrest Jesus, but they were afraid of the people. So the leaders left him and went away.


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The Leaders Try to Trap Jesus Later, the Jewish leaders sent some Pharisees and some men from the group called Herodians to Jesus. They wanted to catch Jesus saying something wrong.


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They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are an honest man. You are not afraid of what other people think about you. All men are the same to you. And you teach the truth about God’s way. Tell us: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar? Should we pay them, or not?”


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But Jesus knew what these men were really trying to do. He said, “Why are you trying to trap me? Bring me a silver coin. Let me see it.”


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They gave Jesus a coin, and he asked, “Whose picture is on the coin? And whose name is written on it?” They answered, “Caesar’s.”


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Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. And give to God the things that are God’s.” The men were amazed at what Jesus said.


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Sadducees Try to Trick Jesus Then some Sadducees came to Jesus. (Sadducees believe that no person will rise from death.) The Sadducees asked Jesus a question.


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They said, “Teacher, Moses wrote that a man’s brother might die. He leaves a wife but no children. Then that man must marry the widow and have children for the dead brother.


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So the second brother married the widow. But he also died and had no children. The same thing happened with the third brother.


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All seven brothers married her and died. None of the brothers had any children. The woman was last to die.


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But all seven brothers had married her. So at the time people rise from death, whose wife will the woman be?”


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Jesus answered, “Why did you make this mistake? Is it because you don’t know what the Scriptures say? Or is it because you don’t know about the power of God?


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When people rise from death, there will be no marriage. People will not be married to each other but will be like angels in heaven.


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Surely you have read what God said about people rising from death. In the book in which Moses wrote about the burning bush, it says that God told Moses this: ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’


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The Most Important Command One of the teachers of the law came to Jesus. He heard Jesus arguing with the Sadducees and the Pharisees. He saw that Jesus gave good answers to their questions. So he asked Jesus, “Which of the commands is most important?”


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Jesus answered, “The most important command is this: ‘Listen, people of Israel! The Lord our God, he is the only Lord.


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Love the Lord your God. Love him with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’


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The second most important command is this: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ These two commands are the most important commands.”


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The man answered, “That was a good answer, Teacher. You were right when you said these things. God is the only Lord, and there is no other God besides him.


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One must love God with all his heart, all his mind, and all his strength. And one must love his neighbor as he loves himself. These commands are more important than all the animals and sacrifices we offer to God.”


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Jesus saw that the man answered him wisely. So Jesus said to him, “You are close to the kingdom of God.” And after that, no one was brave enough to ask Jesus any more questions.


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Jesus was teaching in the Temple. He asked, “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Christ is the son of David?


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David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, said: ‘The Lord said to my Lord: Sit by me at my right side, until I put your enemies under your control.’


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David himself calls the Christ ‘Lord.’ So how can the Christ be David’s son?” The large crowd listened to Jesus with pleasure.


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Jesus continued teaching. He said, “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around wearing clothes that look important. And they love for people to show respect to them in the marketplaces.


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They love to have the most important seats in the synagogues. And they love to have the most important seats at the feasts.


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They cheat widows and steal their homes. Then they try to make themselves look good by saying long prayers. God will punish these people terribly.”


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True Giving Jesus sat near the Temple money box where people put their gifts. He watched the people put in their money. Many rich people gave large sums of money.


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Then a poor widow came and gave two very small copper coins. These coins were not worth even a penny.


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Jesus called his followers to him. He said, “I tell you the truth. This poor widow gave only two small coins. But she really gave more than all those rich people.


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The rich have plenty; they gave only what they did not need. This woman is very poor. But she gave all she had. And she needed that money to help her live.”


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The Temple Will Be Destroyed Jesus was leaving the Temple. One of his followers said to him, “Look, Teacher! This Temple has beautiful buildings with very big stones.”


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Jesus said, “Do you see all these great buildings? Every stone will be thrown to the ground. Not one stone will be left on another.”


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Later, Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives. He was alone with Peter, James, John, and Andrew. They could all see the Temple. They asked Jesus,


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“Tell us, when will all these things happen? And what will show us that the time has come for them to happen?”


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Nations will fight against other nations. Kingdoms will fight against other kingdoms. There will be times when there is no food for people to eat. And there will be earthquakes in different places. These things are like the first pains when something new is about to be born.


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“You must be careful. People will arrest you and take you to court. They will beat you in their synagogues. You will be forced to stand before kings and governors, to tell them about me. This will happen to you because you follow me.


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When you are arrested and judged, don’t worry about what you should say. Say the things God gives you to say at that time. It will not really be you speaking. It will be the Holy Spirit.


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“Brothers will turn against their own brothers and give them over to be killed. Fathers will turn against their own children and give them over to be killed. Children will fight against their own parents and cause their parents to be killed.


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All people will hate you because you follow me. But the person who continues to be strong until the end will be saved.


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“You will see ‘the horrible thing that destroys.’ You will see this thing standing in the place where it should not be.” (You who read this should understand what it means.) “At that time, the people in Judea should run away to the mountains.


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This is because those days will be full of trouble. There will be more trouble than there has ever been since the beginning, when God made the world. And nothing as bad will ever happen again.


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God has decided to make that terrible time short. If that time were not made short, then no one would go on living. But God will make that time short to help his special people whom he has chosen.


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False Christs and false prophets will come and perform great wonders and miracles. They will do these things to the people God has chosen. They will do these things to try to fool them, if that is possible.


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“During the days after this trouble comes, ‘The sun will grow dark. And the moon will not give its light.


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The Son of Man will send his angels all around the earth. They will gather his chosen people from every part of the earth.


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So also when you see all these things happening, then you will know that the time is near, ready to come.


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The whole world, earth and sky, will be destroyed, but the words I have said will never be destroyed.


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“No one knows when that day or time will be. The Son and the angels in heaven don’t know. Only the Father knows.


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It is like a man who goes on a trip. He leaves his house and lets his servants take care of it. He gives each servant a special job to do. One servant has the work of guarding the door. The man tells this servant always to be watchful. This is what I am now telling you.


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You must always be ready. You don’t know when the owner of the house will come back. He might come in the evening, or at midnight, or in the early morning, or when the sun rises.


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The Plan to Kill Jesus It was now only two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The leading priests and teachers of the law were trying to find a way to use some trick to arrest Jesus and kill him.


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A Woman with Perfume for Jesus Jesus was in Bethany. He was at dinner in the house of Simon, who had a harmful skin disease. While Jesus was there, a woman came to him. She had an alabaster jar filled with very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. The woman opened the jar and poured the perfume on Jesus’ head.


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Some of those who were there saw this and became angry. They complained to each other, saying, “Why waste that perfume?


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It was worth a full year’s work. It could be sold, and the money could be given to the poor.” They spoke to the woman sharply.


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You will always have the poor with you. You can help them anytime you want. But you will not always have me.


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This woman did the only thing she could do for me. She poured perfume on my body. She did this before I die to prepare me for burial.


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I tell you the truth. The Good News will be told to people in all the world. And in every place it is preached, what this woman has done will be told. And people will remember her.”


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Judas Becomes an Enemy of Jesus One of the 12 followers, Judas Iscariot, went to talk to the leading priests. Judas offered to give Jesus to them.


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The leading priests were pleased about this. They promised to pay Judas money. So he waited for the best time to give Jesus to them.


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Jesus Eats the Passover Feast It was now the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This was a time when the Jews always sacrificed the Passover lambs. Jesus’ followers came to him. They said, “We will go and prepare everything for the Passover Feast. Where do you want to eat the feast?”


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Jesus sent two of his followers and said to them, “Go into the city. A man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him.


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He will go into a house. Tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks that you show us the room where he and his followers can eat the Passover Feast.’


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So the followers left and went into the city. Everything happened as Jesus had said. So they prepared the Passover Feast.


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While they were all eating, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth. One of you will give me to my enemies—one of you eating with me now.”


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Jesus answered, “The man who is against me is 1 of the 12. He is the 1 who dips his bread into the bowl with me.


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The Son of Man must go and die. The Scriptures say this will happen. But how terrible it will be for the person who gives the Son of Man to be killed. It would be better for that person if he had never been born.”


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The Lord’s Supper While they were eating, Jesus took some bread. He thanked God for it and broke it. Then he gave it to his followers and said, “Take it. This bread is my body.”


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Then Jesus took a cup. He thanked God for it and gave it to the followers. All the followers drank from the cup.


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Then Jesus said, “This is my blood which begins the new agreement that God makes with his people. This blood is poured out for many.


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I tell you the truth. I will not drink of this fruit of the vine again until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”


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Jesus’ Followers Will All Leave Him Then Jesus told the followers, “You will all lose your faith in me. It is written in the Scriptures: ‘I will kill the shepherd, and the sheep will scatter.’


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Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth. Tonight you will say you don’t know me. You will say this three times before the rooster crows twice.”


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But Peter answered strongly, “I will never say that I don’t know you! I will even die with you!” And all the other followers said the same thing.


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Jesus Prays Alone Jesus and his followers went to a place called Gethsemane. He said to his followers, “Sit here while I pray.”


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Jesus walked a little farther away from them. Then he fell on the ground and prayed. He prayed that, if possible, he would not have this time of suffering.


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He prayed, “Abba, Father! You can do all things. Let me not have this cup of suffering. But do what you want, not what I want.”


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Then Jesus went back to his followers. He found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, why are you sleeping? You could not stay awake with me for one hour?


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Stay awake and pray that you will not be tempted. Your spirit wants to do what is right, but your body is weak.”


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Then he went back to the followers. Again he found them asleep because their eyes were very heavy. And they did not know what to say to Jesus.


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After Jesus prayed a third time, he went back to his followers. He said to them, “You are still sleeping and resting? That’s enough! The time has come for the Son of Man to be given to sinful people.


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Jesus Is Arrested While Jesus was still speaking, Judas came up. Judas was 1 of the 12 followers. He had many people with him. They were sent from the leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the Jewish elders. Those with Judas had swords and clubs.


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Judas had planned a signal for them. He had said, “The man I kiss is Jesus. Arrest him and guard him while you lead him away.”


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One of the followers standing near drew his sword. He struck the servant of the high priest with the sword and cut off his ear.


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Every day I was with you teaching in the Temple. You did not arrest me there. But all these things have happened to make the Scriptures come true.”


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Jesus Before the Leaders The people who arrested Jesus led him to the house of the high priest. All the leading priests, the Jewish elders, and the teachers of the law were gathered there.


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Peter followed far behind and entered the courtyard of the high priest’s house. There he sat with the guards, warming himself by the fire.


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The leading priests and all the Jewish council tried to find something that Jesus had done wrong so they could kill him. But the council could find no proof against him.


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Many people came and told false things about him. But all said different things—none of them agreed.


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“We heard this man say, ‘I will destroy this Temple that men made. And three days later, I will build another Temple—a Temple not made by men.’”


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Then the high priest stood before them and said to Jesus, “Aren’t you going to answer the charges these men bring against you?”


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But Jesus said nothing. He did not answer. The high priest asked Jesus another question: “Are you the Christ, the Son of the blessed God?”


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Jesus answered, “I am. And in the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right side of the Powerful One. And you will see the Son of Man coming on clouds in the sky.”


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When the high priest heard this, he was very angry. He tore his clothes and said, “We don’t need any more witnesses!


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You all heard him say these things against God. What do you think?” They all said that Jesus was guilty and should be killed.


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Some of the people there spit at Jesus. They covered his eyes and hit him with their fists. They said, “Prove that you are a prophet!” Then the guards led Jesus away and beat him.


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Peter Says He Doesn’t Know Jesus Peter was still in the courtyard when a servant girl of the high priest came there.


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She saw Peter warming himself at the fire. She looked closely at him. Then the girl said, “You were with Jesus, that man from Nazareth.”


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But Peter said that he was never with Jesus. He said, “I don’t know or understand what you are talking about.” Then Peter left and went toward the entrance of the courtyard.


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The servant girl saw Peter there. Again she said to the people who were standing there, “This man is one of those who followed Jesus.”


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Again Peter said that it was not true. A short time later, some people were standing near Peter. They said, “We know you are one of those who followed Jesus. You are from Galilee, too.”


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As soon as Peter said this, the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had told him: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” Then Peter was very sad and began to cry.


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Pilate Questions Jesus Very early in the morning, the leading priests, the Jewish elders, the teachers of the law, and all the Jewish council decided what to do with Jesus. They tied him, led him away, and turned him over to Pilate, the governor.


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So Pilate asked Jesus another question. He said, “You can see that these people are accusing you of many things. Why don’t you answer?”


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Pilate Tries to Free Jesus Every year at the Passover time the governor would free one person from prison. He would free any person the people wanted him to free.


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At that time, there was a man named Barabbas in prison. He was a rebel and had committed murder during a riot.


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Pilate asked, “Why? What wrong has he done?” But they shouted louder and louder, “Kill him on a cross!”


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Pilate wanted to please the crowd. So he freed Barabbas for them. And Pilate told the soldiers to beat Jesus with whips. Then he gave Jesus to the soldiers to be killed on a cross.


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Pilate’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s palace (called the Praetorium). They called all the other soldiers together.


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They put a purple robe on Jesus. Then they used thorny branches to make a crown. They put it on his head.


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The soldiers beat Jesus on the head many times with a stick. They also spit on him. Then they made fun of him by bowing on their knees and worshiping him.


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After they finished making fun of him, the soldiers took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led Jesus out of the palace to be killed on a cross.


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Jesus Is Killed on a Cross There was a man from Cyrene coming from the fields to the city. The man was Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus. The soldiers forced Simon to carry the cross for Jesus.


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At Golgotha the soldiers tried to give Jesus wine to drink. This wine was mixed with myrrh. But he refused to drink it.


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The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross. Then they divided his clothes among themselves. They threw lots to decide which clothes each soldier would get.


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There was a sign with the charge against Jesus written on it. The sign read: “THE KING OF THE JEWS.”


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People walked by and insulted Jesus. They shook their heads, saying, “You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days.


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The leading priests and the teachers of the law were also there. They made fun of Jesus just as the other people did. They said among themselves, “He saved other people, but he can’t save himself.


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If he is really the Christ, the king of Israel, then let him come down from the cross now. We will see this, and then we will believe in him.” The robbers who were being killed on the crosses beside Jesus also insulted him.


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At three o’clock Jesus cried in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani.” This means, “My God, my God, why have you left me alone?”


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One man there ran and got a sponge. He filled the sponge with vinegar and tied it to a stick. Then he used the stick to give the sponge to Jesus to drink from it. The man said, “We should wait now and see if Elijah will come to take him down from the cross.”


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When Jesus died, the curtain in the Temple split into two pieces. The tear started at the top and tore all the way to the bottom.


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The army officer that was standing there before the cross saw what happened when Jesus died. The officer said, “This man really was the Son of God!”


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Some women were standing at a distance from the cross, watching. Some of these women were Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph. (James was her youngest son.)


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These were the women who followed Jesus in Galilee and cared for him. Many other women were also there who had come with Jesus to Jerusalem.


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Jesus Is Buried This was Preparation Day. (That means the day before the Sabbath day.) It was becoming dark.


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A man named Joseph from Arimathea was brave enough to go to Pilate and ask for Jesus’ body. Joseph was an important member of the Jewish council. He was one of the people who wanted the kingdom of God to come.


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Pilate wondered if Jesus was already dead. Pilate called the army officer who guarded Jesus and asked him if Jesus had already died.


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Joseph bought some linen cloth, took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in the linen. He put the body in a tomb that was cut in a wall of rock. Then he closed the tomb by rolling a very large stone to cover the entrance.


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Jesus Rises from Death The day after the Sabbath day, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought some sweet-smelling spices to put on Jesus’ body.


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Very early on that day, the first day of the week, the women were on their way to the tomb. It was soon after sunrise.


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They said to each other, “There is a large stone covering the entrance of the tomb. Who will move the stone for us?”


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Then the women looked and saw that the stone was already moved. The stone was very large, but it was moved away from the entrance.


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The women entered the tomb and saw a young man wearing a white robe. He was sitting on the right side, and the women were afraid.


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But the man said, “Don’t be afraid. You are looking for Jesus from Nazareth, the one who was killed on a cross. He has risen from death. He is not here. Look, here is the place they laid him.


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Now go and tell his followers and Peter, ‘Jesus is going into Galilee. He will be there before you. You will see him there as he told you before.’”


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The women were confused and shaking with fear. They left the tomb and ran away. They did not tell anyone about what happened, because they were afraid.


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Some Followers See Jesus Jesus rose from death early on the first day of the week. He showed himself first to Mary Magdalene. One time in the past, he had forced seven demons to leave Mary.


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But Mary told them that Jesus was alive. She said that she had seen him, but the followers did not believe her.


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Later, Jesus showed himself to two of his followers while they were walking in the country. But Jesus did not look the same as before.


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These followers went back to the others and told them what had happened. Again, the followers did not believe them.


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Jesus Talks to the Apostles Later Jesus showed himself to the 11 followers while they were eating. He criticized them because they had little faith. They were stubborn and refused to believe those who had seen him after he had risen from death.


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Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But he who does not believe will be judged guilty.


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And those who believe will be able to do these things as proof: They will use my name to force demons out of people. They will speak in languages they never learned.


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They will pick up snakes without being hurt. And they will drink poison without being hurt. They will touch the sick, and the sick will be healed.”


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After the Lord Jesus said these things to the followers, he was carried up into heaven. There, Jesus sat at the right side of God.


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The followers went everywhere in the world and told the Good News to people. And the Lord helped them. The Lord proved that the Good News they told was true by giving them power to work miracles.


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Luke Writes About Jesus’ Life To Theophilus: Many have tried to give a history of the things that happened among us.


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They have written the same things that we learned from others—the people who saw those things from the beginning and served God by telling people his message.


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I myself studied everything carefully from the beginning, your Excellency. I thought I should write it out for you. So I put it in order in a book.


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Zechariah and Elizabeth During the time Herod ruled Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah. He belonged to Abijah’s group. Zechariah’s wife came from the family of Aaron. Her name was Elizabeth.


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Zechariah and Elizabeth truly did what God said was good. They did everything the Lord commanded and told people to do. They were without fault in keeping his law.


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But Zechariah and Elizabeth had no children. Elizabeth could not have a baby; and both of them were very old.


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According to the custom of the priests, he was chosen to go into the Temple of the Lord and burn incense.


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But the angel said to him, “Zechariah, don’t be afraid. Your prayer has been heard by God. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give birth to a son. You will name him John.


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John will be a great man for the Lord. He will never drink wine or beer. Even at the time John is born, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.


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He himself will go first before the Lord. John will be powerful in spirit like Elijah. He will make peace between fathers and their children. He will bring those who are not obeying God back to the right way of thinking. He will make people ready for the coming of the Lord.”


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Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I know that what you say is true? I am an old man, and my wife is old, too.”


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The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand before God. God sent me to talk to you and to tell you this good news.


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Now, listen! You will not be able to talk until the day these things happen. You will lose your speech because you did not believe what I told you. But these things will really happen.”


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Outside, the people were still waiting for Zechariah. They were surprised that he was staying so long in the Temple.


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Then Zechariah came outside, but he could not speak to them. So they knew that he had seen a vision in the Temple. Zechariah could not speak. He could only make signs to them.


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Later, Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant. She did not go out of her house for five months. Elizabeth said,


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“Look what the Lord has done for me! My people were ashamed of me, but now the Lord has taken away that shame.”


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The Virgin Mary During Elizabeth’s sixth month of pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to a virgin who lived in Nazareth, a town in Galilee. She was engaged to marry a man named Joseph from the family of David. Her name was Mary.


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He will be great, and people will call him the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of King David, his ancestor.


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The angel said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you. The baby will be holy. He will be called the Son of God.


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Now listen! Elizabeth, your relative, is very old. But she is also pregnant with a son. Everyone thought she could not have a baby, but she has been pregnant for six months.


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Mary said, “I am the servant girl of the Lord. Let this happen to me as you say!” Then the angel went away.


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When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the unborn baby inside Elizabeth jumped. Then Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.


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She cried out in a loud voice, “God has blessed you more than any other woman. And God has blessed the baby which you will give birth to.


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I am not important, but God has shown his care for me, his servant girl. From now on, all people will say that I am blessed,


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When the baby was eight days old, they came to circumcise him. They wanted to name him Zechariah because this was his father’s name.


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Zechariah asked for something to write on. Then he wrote, “His name is John.” Everyone was surprised.


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And all their neighbors became alarmed. In all the mountains of Judea people continued talking about all these things.


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The people who heard about these things wondered about them. They thought, “What will this child be?” They said this because the Lord was with him.


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Zechariah Praises God Then Zechariah, John’s father, was filled with the Holy Spirit. He told the people what would happen:


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“Let us thank the Lord, the God of Israel. God has come to help his people and has given them freedom.


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“Now you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High God. You will go first before the Lord to prepare the people for his coming.


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You will make his people know that they will be saved. They will be saved by having their sins forgiven.


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God will help those who live in darkness, in the fear of death. He will guide us into the path that goes toward peace.”


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And so the child grew up and became strong in spirit. John lived away from other people until the time when he came out to preach to Israel.


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The Birth of Jesus At that time, Augustus Caesar sent an order to all people in the countries that were under Roman rule. The order said that they must list their names in a register.


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So Joseph left Nazareth, a town in Galilee. He went to the town of Bethlehem in Judea. This town was known as the town of David. Joseph went there because he was from the family of David.


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She gave birth to her first son. There were no rooms left in the inn. So she wrapped the baby with cloths and laid him in a box where animals are fed.


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Some Shepherds Hear About Jesus That night, some shepherds were in the fields nearby watching their sheep.


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An angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord was shining around them, and suddenly they became very frightened.


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The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, because I am bringing you some good news. It will be a joy to all the people.


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Then a very large group of angels from heaven joined the first angel. All the angels were praising God, saying:


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Then the angels left the shepherds and went back to heaven. The shepherds said to each other, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened. We will see this thing the Lord told us about.”


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And the shepherds saw the baby lying in a feeding box. Then they told what the angels had said about this child.


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Then the shepherds went back to their sheep, praising God and thanking him for everything that they had seen and heard. It was just as the angel had told them.


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When the baby was eight days old, he was circumcised, and he was named Jesus. This name had been given by the angel before the baby began to grow inside Mary.


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Jesus Is Presented in the Temple The time came for Mary and Joseph to do what the law of Moses taught about being made pure. They took Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.


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Mary and Joseph also went to offer a sacrifice, as the law of the Lord says: “You must sacrifice two doves or two young pigeons.”


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Simeon Sees Jesus A man named Simeon lived in Jerusalem. He was a good man and very religious. He was waiting for the time when God would help Israel. The Holy Spirit was in him.


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The Spirit led Simeon to the Temple. Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the Temple to do what the law said they must do.


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He is a light for the non-Jewish people to see. He will bring honor to your people, the Israelites.”


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Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, “Many in Israel will fall and many will rise because of this child. He will be a sign from God that many people will not accept.


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The things they think in secret will be made known. And the things that will happen will make your heart sad, too.”


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Anna Sees Jesus Anna, a prophetess, was there at the Temple. She was from the family of Phanuel in the tribe of Asher. Anna was very old. She had once been married for seven years.


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Then her husband died and she lived alone. She was now 84 years old. Anna never left the Temple. She worshiped God by going without food and praying day and night.


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She was standing there at that time, thanking God. She talked about Jesus to all who were waiting for God to free Jerusalem.


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Joseph and Mary Return Home Joseph and Mary finished doing everything that the law of the Lord commanded. Then they went home to Nazareth, their own town in Galilee.


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When the feast days were over, they went home. The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it.


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Joseph and Mary traveled for a whole day. They thought that Jesus was with them in the group. Then they began to look for him among their family and friends,


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After three days they found him. Jesus was sitting in the Temple with the religious teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.


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When Jesus’ parents saw him, they were amazed. His mother said to him, “Son, why did you do this to us? Your father and I were very worried about you. We have been looking for you.”


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Jesus asked, “Why did you have to look for me? You should have known that I must be where my Father’s work is!”


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Jesus went with them to Nazareth and obeyed them. His mother was still thinking about all that had happened.


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Jesus continued to learn more and more and to grow physically. People liked him, and he pleased God.


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The Preaching of John It was the fifteenth year of the rule of Tiberius Caesar. These men were under Caesar: Pontius Pilate was the ruler of Judea. Herod was the ruler of Galilee. Philip, Herod’s brother, was the ruler of Iturea and Trachonitis. And Lysanias was the ruler of Abilene.


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Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time, a command from God came to John son of Zechariah. John was living in the desert.


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He went all over the area around the Jordan River and preached to the people. He preached a baptism of changed hearts and lives for the forgiveness of their sins.


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As it is written in the book of Isaiah the prophet: “This is a voice of a man who calls out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way for the Lord. Make the road straight for him.


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Every valley should be filled in. Every mountain and hill should be made flat. Roads with turns should be made straight, and rough roads should be made smooth.


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Crowds of people came to be baptized by John. He said to them, “You poisonous snakes! Who warned you to run away from God’s anger that is coming?


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You must do the things that will show that you really have changed your hearts. Don’t say, ‘Abraham is our father.’ I tell you that God can make children for Abraham from these rocks here.


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The ax is now ready to cut down the trees. Every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”


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John answered, “If you have two shirts, share with the person who does not have one. If you have food, share that too.”


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The soldiers asked John, “What about us? What should we do?” John said to them, “Don’t force people to give you money. Don’t lie about them. Be satisfied with the pay you get.”


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All the people were hoping for the Christ to come, and they wondered about John. They thought, “Maybe he is the Christ.”


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John answered everyone, “I baptize you with water, but there is one coming later who can do more than I can. I am not good enough to untie his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.


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He will come ready to clean the grain. He will separate the good grain from the chaff. He will put the good part of the grain into his barn. Then he will burn the chaff with a fire that cannot be put out.”


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But John spoke against Herod, the governor, because of his sin with Herodias, the wife of Herod’s brother. John also criticized Herod for the many other evil things Herod did.


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Jesus Is Baptized by John When all the people were being baptized by John, Jesus also was baptized. While Jesus was praying, heaven opened and


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the Holy Spirit came down on him. The Spirit was in the form of a dove. Then a voice came from heaven and said, “You are my Son and I love you. I am very pleased with you.”


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The Family History of Jesus When Jesus began to teach, he was about 30 years old. People thought that Jesus was Joseph’s son. Joseph was the son of Heli.


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Heli was the son of Matthat. Matthat was the son of Levi. Levi was the son of Melki. Melki was the son of Jannai. Jannai was the son of Joseph.


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Joseph was the son of Mattathias. Mattathias was the son of Amos. Amos was the son of Nahum. Nahum was the son of Esli. Esli was the son of Naggai.


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Naggai was the son of Maath. Maath was the son of Mattathias. Mattathias was the son of Semein. Semein was the son of Josech. Josech was the son of Joda.


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Joda was the son of Joanan. Joanan was the son of Rhesa. Rhesa was the son of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the grandson of Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the son of Neri.


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Neri was the son of Melchi. Melchi was the son of Addi. Addi was the son of Cosam. Cosam was the son of Elmadam. Elmadam was the son of Er.


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Er was the son of Joshua. Joshua was the son of Eliezer. Eliezer was the son of Jorim. Jorim was the son of Matthat. Matthat was the son of Levi.


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Levi was the son of Simeon. Simeon was the son of Judah. Judah was the son of Joseph. Joseph was the son of Jonam. Jonam was the son of Eliakim.


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Eliakim was the son of Melea. Melea was the son of Menna. Menna was the son of Mattatha. Mattatha was the son of Nathan. Nathan was the son of David.


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David was the son of Jesse. Jesse was the son of Obed. Obed was the son of Boaz. Boaz was the son of Salmon. Salmon was the son of Nahshon.


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Nahshon was the son of Amminadab. Amminadab was the son of Admin. Admin was the son of Arni. Arni was the son of Hezron. Hezron was the son of Perez. Perez was the son of Judah.


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Judah was the son of Jacob. Jacob was the son of Isaac. Isaac was the son of Abraham. Abraham was the son of Terah. Terah was the son of Nahor.


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Nahor was the son of Serug. Serug was the son of Reu. Reu was the son of Peleg. Peleg was the son of Eber. Eber was the son of Shelah.


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Shelah was the son of Cainan. Cainan was the son of Arphaxad. Arphaxad was the son of Shem. Shem was the son of Noah. Noah was the son of Lamech.


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Lamech was the son of Methuselah. Methuselah was the son of Enoch. Enoch was the son of Jared. Jared was the son of Mahalalel. Mahalalel was the son of Kenan.


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Kenan was the son of Enosh. Enosh was the son of Seth. Seth was the son of Adam. Adam was the son of God.


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Jesus Is Tempted by the Devil Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. The Spirit led Jesus into the desert


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where the devil tempted Jesus for 40 days. Jesus ate nothing during that time. When those days were ended, he was very hungry.


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The devil said to Jesus, “I will give you all these kingdoms and all their power and glory. It has all been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish.


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Jesus answered, “It is written in the Scriptures: ‘You must worship the Lord your God. Serve only him!’”


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Then the devil led Jesus to Jerusalem and put him on a high place of the Temple. He said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, jump off!


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It is written in the Scriptures: ‘He has put his angels in charge of you. They will watch over you.’


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Jesus Teaches the People Jesus went back to Galilee with the power of the Holy Spirit. Stories about Jesus spread all through the area.


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Jesus traveled to Nazareth, where he had grown up. On the Sabbath day he went to the synagogue as he always did. Jesus stood up to read.


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The book of Isaiah the prophet was given to him. He opened the book and found the place where this is written:


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“The Spirit of the Lord is in me. This is because God chose me to tell the Good News to the poor. God sent me to tell the prisoners of sin that they are free, and to tell the blind that they can see again. God sent me to free those who have been treated unfairly,


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Jesus closed the book, gave it back, and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue was watching Jesus closely.


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All the people praised Jesus. They were amazed at the beautiful words he spoke. They asked, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”


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Jesus said to them, “I know that you will tell me the old saying: ‘Doctor, heal yourself.’ You want to say, ‘We heard about the things you did in Capernaum. Do those things here in your own town!’”


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What I say is true. During the time of Elijah it did not rain in Israel for three and a half years. There was no food anywhere in the whole country. And there were many widows in Israel during that time.


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But Elijah was sent to none of those widows. He was sent only to a widow in Zarephath, a town in Sidon.


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And there were many with a harmful skin disease living in Israel during the time of the prophet Elisha. But none of them were healed except Naaman, who was from the country of Syria.”


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They got up and forced Jesus out of town. The town was built on a hill. They took Jesus to the edge of the hill and wanted to throw him off.


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Jesus Removes an Evil Spirit Jesus went to Capernaum, a city in Galilee. On the Sabbath day, Jesus taught the people.


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In the synagogue there was a man who had an evil spirit from the devil inside him. The man shouted in a loud voice,


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“Jesus of Nazareth! What do you want with us? Did you come here to destroy us? I know who you are—God’s Holy One!”


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But Jesus warned the evil spirit to stop. He said, “Be quiet! Come out of the man!” The evil spirit threw the man down to the ground before all the people. Then the evil spirit left the man and did not hurt him.


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The people were amazed. They said to each other, “What does this mean? With authority and power he commands evil spirits, and they come out.”


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Jesus Heals Many People Jesus left the synagogue and went to Simon’s house. Simon’s mother-in-law was very sick with a high fever. They asked Jesus to do something to help her.


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He stood very close to her and commanded the fever to leave. It left her immediately, and she got up and began serving them.


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When the sun went down, the people brought their sick to Jesus. They had many different diseases. Jesus put his hands on each sick person and healed every one of them.


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Demons came out of many people. The demons would shout, “You are the Son of God.” But Jesus gave a strong command for the demons not to speak. They knew Jesus was the Christ.


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At daybreak, Jesus went to a place to be alone, but the people looked for him. When they found him, they tried to keep him from leaving.


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But Jesus said to them, “I must tell the Good News about God’s kingdom to other towns, too. This is why I was sent.”


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Jesus’ First Followers One day Jesus was standing beside Lake Galilee. Many people were pressing all around him. They wanted to hear the word of God.


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Jesus saw two boats at the shore of the lake. The fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.


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Jesus got into one of the boats, the one which belonged to Simon. Jesus asked Simon to push off a little from the land. Then Jesus sat down in the boat and continued to teach the people on the shore.


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When Jesus had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Take the boat into deep water. If you will put your nets in the water, you will catch some fish.”


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Simon answered, “Master, we worked hard all night trying to catch fish, but we caught nothing. But you say to put the nets in the water; so I will.”


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They called to their friends in the other boat to come and help them. The friends came, and both boats were filled so full that they were almost sinking.


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The fishermen were all amazed at the many fish they caught. When Simon Peter saw what had happened, he bowed down before Jesus and said, “Go away from me, Lord. I am a sinful man!”


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James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were amazed too. (James and John were Simon’s partners.) Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will be fishermen for men.”


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Jesus Heals a Sick Man One time Jesus was in a town where a very sick man lived. The man was covered with a harmful skin disease. When he saw Jesus, he bowed before Jesus and begged him, “Lord, heal me. I know you can if you want to.”


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Then Jesus said, “Don’t tell anyone about what happened. But go show yourself to the priest. And offer a gift to God for your healing as Moses commanded. This will prove to everyone that you are healed.”


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But the news about Jesus was spreading more and more. Many people came to hear Jesus and to be healed of their sicknesses.


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Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man One day Jesus was teaching the people. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were there, too. They had come from every town in Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. The Lord was giving Jesus the power to heal people.


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There was a man who was paralyzed. Some men were carrying him on a mat. They tried to bring him in and put him down before Jesus.


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But because there were so many people there, they could not find a way to Jesus. So the men went up on the roof and made a hole in the ceiling. They lowered the mat so that the paralyzed man was lying right before Jesus.


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The Jewish teachers of the law and the Pharisees thought to themselves, “Who is this man? He is saying things that are against God! Only God can forgive sins.”


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But Jesus knew what they were thinking. He said, “Why do you have thoughts like that in your hearts?


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But I will prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, stand up! Take your mat and go home.”


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All the people were fully amazed and began to praise God. They were filled with much respect and said, “Today we have seen amazing things!”


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Levi Follows Jesus After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax office. Jesus said to him, “Follow me!”


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Then Levi gave a big dinner for Jesus. The dinner was at Levi’s house. At the table there were many tax collectors and other people, too.


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But the Pharisees and the men who taught the law for the Pharisees began to complain to the followers of Jesus. They said, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”


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I have not come to invite good people. I have come to invite sinners to change their hearts and lives!”


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Jesus Answers a Question They said to Jesus, “John’s followers often give up eating and pray, just as the Pharisees do. But your followers eat and drink all the time.”


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Jesus said to them, “When there is a wedding, you cannot make the friends of the bridegroom give up eating while he is still with them.


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Jesus told them this story: “No one takes cloth off a new coat to cover a hole in an old coat. If he does, he ruins the new coat, and the cloth from the new coat will not be the same as the old cloth.


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People never pour new wine into old leather bags for holding wine. If they do, the new wine will break the bags, and the wine will spill out. Then the leather bags for holding wine will be ruined.


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Jesus Is Lord over the Sabbath One Sabbath day Jesus was walking through some grainfields. His followers picked the heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them.


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Some Pharisees said, “Why are you doing that? It is against the law of Moses to do that on the Sabbath day.”


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David went into God’s house. He took the bread that was made holy for God and ate it. And he gave some of the bread to the people with him. This was against the law of Moses. It says that only priests can eat that bread.”


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Jesus Heals a Man’s Crippled Hand On another Sabbath day Jesus went into the synagogue and was teaching. A man with a crippled right hand was there.


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The teachers of the law and the Pharisees were watching to see if Jesus would heal on the Sabbath day. They wanted to see Jesus do something wrong so that they could accuse him.


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But he knew what they were thinking. He said to the man with the crippled hand, “Get up and stand before these people.” The man got up and stood there.


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Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is it right to do on the Sabbath day: to do good, or to do evil? Is it right to save a life or to destroy one?”


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Jesus looked around at all of them. He said to the man, “Let me see your hand.” The man stretched out his hand, and it was completely healed.


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The Pharisees and the teachers of the law became very angry. They said to each other, “What can we do to Jesus?”


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Jesus Chooses His Apostles At that time Jesus went off to a mountain to pray. He stayed there all night, praying to God.


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The next morning, Jesus called his followers to him. He chose 12 of them, whom he named “apostles.” They were


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Jesus Teaches and Heals Jesus and the apostles came down from the mountain. Jesus stood on level ground where there was a large group of his followers. Also, there were many people from all around Judea, Jerusalem, and the seacoast cities of Tyre and Sidon.


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They all came to hear Jesus teach and to be healed of their sicknesses. He healed those who were troubled by evil spirits.


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Jesus looked at his followers and said, “Poor people, you are happy, because God’s kingdom belongs to you.


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You people who are now hungry are happy, because you will be satisfied. You people who are now crying are happy, because you will laugh with joy.


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“You are happy when people hate you and are cruel to you. You are happy when they say that you are evil because you belong to the Son of Man.


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At that time be full of joy, because you have a great reward in heaven. Their fathers were cruel to the prophets in the same way these people are cruel to you.


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How terrible it will be for you who are full now, because you will be hungry. How terrible it will be for you who are laughing now, because you will be sad and cry.


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“How terrible when all people say only good things about you. Their fathers always said good things about the false prophets.


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Love Your Enemies “I say to you who are listening to me, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you.


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If anyone slaps you on one cheek, let him slap the other cheek too. If someone takes your coat, do not stop him from taking your shirt.


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If you love only those who love you, should you get some special praise for doing that? No! Even sinners love the people who love them!


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If you do good only to those who do good to you, should you get some special praise for doing that? No! Even sinners do that!


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If you lend things to people, always hoping to get something back, should you get some special praise for that? No! Even sinners lend to other sinners so that they can get back the same amount!


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So love your enemies. Do good to them, and lend to them without hoping to get anything back. If you do these things, you will have a great reward. You will be sons of the Most High God. Yes, because God is kind even to people who are ungrateful and full of sin.


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Look at Yourselves “Don’t judge other people, and you will not be judged. Don’t accuse others of being guilty, and you will not be accused of being guilty. Forgive other people, and you will be forgiven.


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Give, and you will receive. You will be given much. It will be poured into your hands—more than you can hold. You will be given so much that it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you.”


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Jesus told them this story: “Can a blind man lead another blind man? No! Both of them will fall into a ditch.


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A student is not better than his teacher. But when the student has fully learned all that he has been taught, then he will be like his teacher.


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“Why do you notice the little piece of dust that is in your brother’s eye, but you don’t see the big piece of wood that is in your own eye?


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You say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take that little piece of dust out of your eye.’ Why do you say this? You cannot see that big piece of wood in your own eye! You are a hypocrite! First, take the piece of wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to take the dust out of your brother’s eye.


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Two Kinds of Fruit “A good tree does not produce bad fruit. Also, a bad tree does not produce good fruit.


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Each tree is known by its fruit. People don’t gather figs from thornbushes. And they don’t get grapes from bushes.


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A good person has good things saved up in his heart. And so he brings good things out of his heart. But an evil person has evil things saved up in his heart. So he brings out bad things. A person speaks the things that are in his heart.


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is like a man building a house. He digs deep and lays his foundation on rock. The floods come, and the water tries to wash the house away. But the flood cannot move the house, because the house was built well.


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But the one who hears my words and does not obey is like a man who builds his house on the ground without a foundation. When the floods come, the house quickly falls down. And that house is completely destroyed.”


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Jesus Heals a Soldier’s Servant When Jesus finished saying all these things to the people, he went to Capernaum.


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In Capernaum there was an army officer. He had a servant who was so sick he was nearly dead. The officer loved the servant very much.


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When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him. The officer wanted the leaders to ask Jesus to come and heal his servant.


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So Jesus went with the men. He was getting near the officer’s house when the officer sent friends to say, “Lord, you don’t need to come into my house. I am not good enough for you to be under my roof.


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That is why I did not come to you myself. You only need to say the word, and my servant will be healed.


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I, too, am a man under the authority of other men. And I have soldiers under my command. I tell one soldier, ‘Go,’ and he goes. And I tell another soldier, ‘Come,’ and he comes. And I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and my servant obeys me.”


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When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. He turned to the crowd following him and said, “I tell you, this is the greatest faith I have seen anywhere, even in Israel.”


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The men who had been sent to Jesus went back to the house. There they found that the servant was healed.


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Jesus Brings a Man Back to Life The next day Jesus went to a town called Nain. His followers and a large crowd were traveling with him.


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When he came near the town gate, he saw a funeral. A mother, who was a widow, had lost her only son. A large crowd from the town was with the mother while her son was being carried out.


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He went up to the coffin and touched it. The men who were carrying it stopped. Jesus said, “Young man, I tell you, get up!”


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All the people were amazed. They began praising God. They said, “A great prophet has come to us! God is taking care of his people.”


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John Asks a Question John’s followers told him about all these things. He called for two of his followers.


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So the men came to Jesus. They said, “John the Baptist sent us to you with this question: ‘Are you the One who is coming, or should we wait for another?’”


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At that time, Jesus healed many people of their sicknesses, diseases, and evil spirits. He healed many blind people so that they could see again.


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Then Jesus said to John’s followers, “Go tell John the things that you saw and heard here. The blind can see. The crippled can walk. People with a harmful skin disease are healed. The deaf can hear, and the dead are given life. And the Good News is told to the poor.


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When John’s followers left, Jesus began to tell the people about John: “What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed blown by the wind?


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What did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No. People who have fine clothes live in kings’ palaces.


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This was written about John: ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you. He will prepare the way for you.’


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I tell you, John is greater than any other man ever born. But even the least important person in the kingdom of God is greater than John.”


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(When the people heard this, they all agreed that God’s teaching was good. Even the tax collectors agreed. These were people who were already baptized by John.


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But the Pharisees and teachers of the law refused to accept God’s plan for themselves; they did not let John baptize them.)


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They are like children sitting in the marketplace. One group of children calls to the other group and says, ‘We played music for you, but you did not dance. We sang a sad song, but you did not cry.’


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John the Baptist came and did not eat like other people or drink wine. And you say, ‘He has a demon in him.’


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The Son of Man came eating like other people and drinking wine. And you say, ‘Look at him! He eats too much and drinks too much wine! He is a friend of the tax collectors and “sinners”!’


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Simon the Pharisee One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him. Jesus went into the Pharisee’s house and sat at the table.


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A sinful woman in the town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house. So she brought an alabaster jar of perfume.


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She stood at Jesus’ feet, crying, and began to wash his feet with her tears. She dried his feet with her hair, kissed them many times and rubbed them with the perfume.


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The Pharisee who asked Jesus to come to his house saw this. He thought to himself, “If Jesus were a prophet, he would know that the woman who is touching him is a sinner!”


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Jesus said to the Pharisee, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” Simon said, “Teacher, tell me.”


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Jesus said, “There were two men. Both men owed money to the same banker. One man owed the banker 500 silver coins. The other man owed the banker 50 silver coins.


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The men had no money; so they could not pay what they owed. But the banker told the men that they did not have to pay him. Which one of the two men will love the banker more?”


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Simon, the Pharisee, answered, “I think it would be the one who owed him the most money.” Jesus said to Simon, “You are right.”


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Then Jesus turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I came into your house, you gave me no water for my feet. But she washed my feet with her tears and dried my feet with her hair.


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I tell you that her many sins are forgiven. This is clear because she showed great love. But the person who has only a little to be forgiven will feel only a little love.”


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The people sitting at the table began to think to themselves, “Who is this man? How can he forgive sins?”


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The Group with Jesus The next day, while Jesus was traveling through some cities and small towns, he preached and told the Good News about God’s kingdom. The 12 apostles were with him.


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There were also some women with him who had been healed of sicknesses and evil spirits. One of the women was Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out.


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Also among the women were Joanna, the wife of Chuza (Herod’s helper), Susanna, and many other women. These women used their own money to help Jesus and his apostles.


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A Story About Planting Seed A great crowd gathered. People were coming to Jesus from every town. He told them this story:


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“A farmer went out to plant his seed. While he was planting, some seed fell beside the road. People walked on the seed, and the birds ate all this seed.


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And some seed fell on good ground. This seed grew and made 100 times more grain.” Jesus finished the story. Then he called out, “Let those with ears use them and listen!”


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Jesus said, “You have been chosen to know the secret truths of the kingdom of God. But I use stories to speak to other people. I do this so that: ‘They will look, but they may not see. They will listen, but they may not understand.’


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What is the seed that fell beside the road? It is like the people who hear God’s teaching, but then the devil comes and takes it away from their hearts. So they cannot believe the teaching and be saved.


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What is the seed that fell on rock? It is like those who hear God’s teaching and accept it gladly. But they don’t have deep roots. They believe for a while, but then trouble comes. They stop believing and turn away from God.


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What is the seed that fell among the thorny weeds? It is like those who hear God’s teaching, but they let the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life keep them from growing. So they never produce good fruit.


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And what is the seed that fell on the good ground? That is like those who hear God’s teaching with a good, honest heart. They obey God’s teaching and patiently produce good fruit.


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Use What You Have “No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. Instead, he puts the lamp on a lampstand so that those who come in will have enough light to see.


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So be careful how you listen. The person who has something will be given more. But to the person who has nothing, this will happen: Even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”


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Jesus’ True Family Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him. There was such a crowd that they could not get to him.


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Jesus answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who listen to God’s teaching and obey it!”


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Jesus Stops a Storm One day Jesus and his followers got into a boat. He said to them, “Come with me across the lake.” And so they started across.


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While they were sailing, Jesus fell asleep. A big storm blew up on the lake. The boat began to fill with water, and they were in danger.


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The followers went to Jesus and woke him. They said, “Master! Master! We will drown!” Jesus got up and gave a command to the wind and the waves. The wind stopped, and the lake became calm.


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Jesus said to his followers, “Where is your faith?” The followers were afraid and amazed. They said to each other, “What kind of man is this? He commands the wind and the water, and they obey him!”


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A Man with Demons Inside Him Jesus and his followers sailed across the lake from Galilee to the area where the Gerasene people live.


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When Jesus got out of the boat, a man from the town came to Jesus. This man had demons inside him. For a long time he had worn no clothes. He lived in the burial caves, not in a house.


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When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him. The man said with a loud voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Please don’t punish me!”


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He said this because Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of him. Many times it had taken hold of him. He had been kept under guard and chained hand and foot. But he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon out into the desert.


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Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” The man answered, “Legion.” (He said his name was “Legion” because many demons were in him.)


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On the hill there was a large herd of pigs eating. The demons begged Jesus to allow them to go into the pigs. So Jesus allowed them to do this.


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Then the demons came out of the man and went into the pigs. The herd of pigs ran down the hill and into the lake. All the pigs drowned.


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And people went to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man sitting there at Jesus’ feet. The man was clothed and in his right mind because the demons were gone. But the people were frightened.


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All the people of the Gerasene country asked Jesus to go away. They were all very afraid. So Jesus got into the boat and went back across the lake.


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“Go back home and tell people what God did for you.” So the man went all over town telling how much Jesus had done for him.


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Jesus Gives Life to a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman When Jesus got back to the other side of the lake, a crowd welcomed him. Everyone was waiting for him.


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A man named Jairus came to Jesus. Jairus was a ruler of the synagogue. He bowed down at Jesus’ feet and begged him to come to his house.


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Jairus had only one daughter. She was 12 years old, and she was dying. While Jesus was on his way to Jairus’ house, the people were crowding all around him.


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A woman was there who had been bleeding for 12 years. She had spent all her money on doctors, but no doctor was able to heal her.


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The woman came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his coat. At that moment, her bleeding stopped.


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Then Jesus said, “Who touched me?” All the people said they had not touched Jesus. Peter said, “Master, the people are all around you and are pushing against you.”


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When the woman saw that she could not hide, she came forward, shaking. She bowed down before Jesus. While all the people listened, she told why she had touched him. Then, she said, she was healed immediately.


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While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of the synagogue ruler and said to the ruler, “Your daughter has died! Don’t bother the teacher now.”


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When Jesus heard this, he said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just believe, and your daughter will be well.”


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Jesus went to the house. He let only Peter, John, James, and the girl’s father and mother go inside with him.


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All the people were crying and feeling sad because the girl was dead. But Jesus said, “Don’t cry. She is not dead; she is only sleeping.”


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Her spirit came back into her, and she stood up immediately. Jesus said, “Give her something to eat.”


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Jesus Sends Out the Apostles Jesus called the 12 apostles together. He gave them power to heal sicknesses and power over all demons.


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He said to them, “When you travel, don’t take a walking stick. Also, don’t carry a bag, or food, or money. Take for your trip only the clothes you are wearing.


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If the people in the town will not welcome you, go outside the town and shake the dust off of your feet. This will be a warning to them.”


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So the apostles went out. They traveled through all the towns. They told the Good News and healed people everywhere.


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Herod Is Confused About Jesus Herod, the governor, heard about all these things that were happening. He was confused because some people said, “John the Baptist is risen from death.”


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Others said, “Elijah has come to us.” And still others said, “One of the prophets from long ago has risen from death.”


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Herod said, “I cut off John’s head. So who is this man I hear these things about?” And Herod kept trying to see Jesus.


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More Than 5,000 People Fed When the apostles returned, they told Jesus all the things they had done on their trip. Then Jesus took them away to a town called Bethsaida. There, Jesus and his apostles could be alone together.


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But the people learned where Jesus went and followed him. Jesus welcomed them and talked with them about God’s kingdom. He healed those who needed to be healed.


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Late in the afternoon, the 12 apostles came to Jesus and said, “No one lives in this place. Send the people away. They need to find food and places to sleep in the towns and countryside around here.”


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But Jesus said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish. Do you want us to go buy food for all these people?”


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(There were about 5,000 men there.) Jesus said to his followers, “Tell the people to sit in groups of about 50 people.”


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Then Jesus took the five loaves of bread and two fish. He looked up to heaven and thanked God for the food. Then Jesus divided the food and gave it to the followers to give to the people.


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All the people ate and were satisfied. And there was much food left. Twelve baskets were filled with pieces of food that were not eaten.


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Jesus Is the Christ One time when Jesus was praying alone, his followers came together there. Jesus asked them, “Who do the people say I am?”


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They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah. And others say you are one of the prophets from long ago who has come back to life.”


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“The Son of Man must suffer many things. He will be rejected by the Jewish elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law. The Son of Man will be killed. But after three days he will be raised from death.”


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Jesus went on to say to all of them, “If anyone wants to follow me, he must say ‘no’ to the things he wants. Every day he must be willing even to die on a cross, and he must follow me.


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If anyone is ashamed of me and my teaching, then I will be ashamed of him. I will be ashamed of him at the time I come with my glory and with the glory of the Father and the holy angels.


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Jesus with Moses and Elijah About eight days after Jesus said these things, he took Peter, James, and John and went up on a mountain to pray.


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They appeared in heavenly glory, talking with Jesus about his death which would happen in Jerusalem.


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Peter and the others were asleep. But they woke up and saw the glory of Jesus. They also saw the two men who were standing with him.


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When Moses and Elijah were about to leave, Peter said, “Master, it is good that we are here. We will put three tents here—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (Peter did not know what he was saying.)


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While Peter was saying these things, a cloud came down all around them. Peter, James, and John became afraid when the cloud covered them.


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A voice came from the cloud. The voice said, “This is my Son. He is the One I have chosen. Obey him.”


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When the voice finished speaking, only Jesus was there. Peter, James, and John said nothing. At that time they told no one about what they had seen.


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Jesus Heals a Sick Boy The next day, Jesus, Peter, James, and John came down from the mountain. A large crowd met Jesus.


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A man in the crowd shouted to Jesus, “Teacher, please come and look at my son. He is the only child I have.


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An evil spirit comes into my son, and then he shouts. He loses control of himself, and he foams at the mouth. The evil spirit keeps on hurting him and almost never leaves him.


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Jesus answered, “You people who live now have no faith. Your lives are all wrong. How long must I be with you and be patient with you?” Then Jesus said to the man, “Bring your son here.”


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While the boy was coming, the demon threw him on the ground. The boy lost control of himself. But Jesus gave a strong command to the evil spirit. Then the boy was healed, and Jesus gave him back to his father.


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All the people were amazed at the great power of God. Jesus Talks About His Death The people were all wondering about the things Jesus did. But he said to his followers,


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“Don’t forget the things I tell you now: The Son of Man will be handed over into the control of men.”


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But the followers did not understand what Jesus meant. The meaning was hidden from them so that they could not understand it. But they were afraid to ask Jesus about what he said.


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The Most Important Person Jesus’ followers began to have an argument about which one of them was the greatest.


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Then Jesus said, “If anyone accepts a little child like this in my name, then he accepts me. And when he accepts me, he accepts the One who sent me. He who is least among you all—he is the greatest.”


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Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us John answered, “Master, we saw someone using your name to force demons out of people. We told him to stop because he does not belong to our group.”


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A Samaritan Town The time was coming near when Jesus would leave and be taken to heaven. He was determined to go to Jerusalem


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and sent some men ahead of him. The men went into a town in Samaria to make everything ready for Jesus.


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James and John, the followers of Jesus, saw this. They said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven and destroy those people?”


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But Jesus turned and scolded them. [And Jesus said, “You don’t know what kind of spirit you belong to.


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The Son of Man did not come to destroy the souls of men but to save them.”] Then he and his followers went to another town.


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Following Jesus They were all going along the road. Someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you any place you go.”


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Jesus answered, “The foxes have holes to live in. The birds have nests to live in. But the Son of Man has no place to rest his head.”


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Jesus said to another man, “Follow me!” But the man said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”


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But Jesus said to him, “Let the people who are dead bury their own dead! You must go and tell about the kingdom of God.”


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Jesus said, “Anyone who begins to plow a field but keeps looking back is of no use in the kingdom of God.”


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Jesus Sends the 72 Men After this, the Lord chose 72 others. He sent them out in pairs. He sent them ahead of him into every town and place where he planned to go.


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He said to them, “There are a great many people to harvest. But there are only a few workers to harvest them. God owns the harvest. Pray to God that he will send more workers to help gather his harvest.


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If a peaceful man lives there, your blessing of peace will stay with him. If the man is not peaceful, then your blessing of peace will come back to you.


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Stay in the same house. Eat and drink what the people there give you. A worker should be given his pay. Don’t move from house to house.


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But if you go into a town, and the people don’t welcome you, then go out into the streets of that town. Say to them,


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‘Even the dirt from your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. But remember that the kingdom of God is coming soon.’


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I tell you, on the Judgment Day it will be worse for the people of that town than for the people of Sodom.


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Jesus Warns Unbelievers “How terrible for you, Korazin! How terrible for you, Bethsaida! I did many miracles in you. If those same miracles had happened in Tyre and Sidon, those people would have changed their lives and stopped sinning long ago. They would have worn rough cloth and put ashes on themselves to show that they had changed.


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“He who listens to you is really listening to me. He who refuses to accept you is really refusing to accept me. And he who refuses to accept me is refusing to accept the One who sent me.”


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Satan Falls When the 72 men came back from their trip, they were very happy. They said, “Lord, even the demons obeyed us when we used your name!”


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Listen! I gave you power to walk on snakes and scorpions. I gave you more power than the Enemy has. Nothing will hurt you.


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You should be happy, but not because the spirits obey you. You should be happy because your names are written in heaven.”


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Jesus Prays to the Father Then the Holy Spirit made Jesus rejoice. He said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the people who are wise and smart. But you have shown them to those who are like little children. Yes, Father, you did this because this is what you really wanted.


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“My Father has given me all things. No one knows the Son—only the Father knows. And only the Son knows the Father. The only people who will know about the Father are those whom the Son chooses to tell.”


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I tell you, many prophets and kings wanted to see what you now see. But they did not see these things. And many prophets and kings wanted to hear what you now hear. But they did not hear these things.”


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The Good Samaritan Then a teacher of the law stood up. He was trying to test Jesus. He said, “Teacher, what must I do to get life forever?”


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The man answered, “Love the Lord your God. Love him with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.” Also, “You must love your neighbor as you love yourself.”


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But the man wanted to show that the way he was living was right. So he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”


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To answer this question, Jesus said, “A man was going down the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Some robbers attacked him. They tore off his clothes and beat him. Then they left him lying there, almost dead.


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It happened that a Jewish priest was going down that road. When the priest saw the man, he walked by on the other side of the road.


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Next, a Levite came there. He went over and looked at the man. Then he walked by on the other side of the road.


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Then a Samaritan traveling down the road came to where the hurt man was lying. He saw the man and felt very sorry for him.


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The Samaritan went to him and poured olive oil and wine on his wounds and bandaged them. He put the hurt man on his own donkey and took him to an inn. At the inn, the Samaritan took care of him.


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The next day, the Samaritan brought out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. The Samaritan said, ‘Take care of this man. If you spend more money on him, I will pay it back to you when I come again.’”


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Then Jesus said, “Which one of these three men do you think was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by the robbers?”


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The teacher of the law answered, “The one who helped him.” Jesus said to him, “Then go and do the same thing he did!”


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Mary and Martha While Jesus and his followers were traveling, Jesus went into a town. A woman named Martha let Jesus stay at her house.


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Martha became angry because she had so much work to do. She went in and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me alone to do all the work? Tell her to help me!”


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But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are getting worried and upset about too many things.


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Only one thing is important. Mary has chosen the right thing, and it will never be taken away from her.”


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Jesus Teaches About Prayer One time Jesus was praying in a place. When he finished, one of his followers said to him, “John taught his followers how to pray. Lord, please teach us how to pray, too.”


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Jesus said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, we pray that your name will always be kept holy. We pray that your kingdom will come.


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Forgive us the sins we have done, because we forgive every person who has done wrong to us. And do not cause us to be tested.’”


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Continue to Ask Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose one of you went to your friend’s house at midnight and said to him, ‘A friend of mine has come into town to visit me. But I have nothing for him to eat. Please loan me three loaves of bread.’


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Your friend inside the house answers, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already locked. My children and I are in bed. I cannot get up and give you the bread now.’


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I tell you, maybe friendship is not enough to make him get up to give you the bread. But he will surely get up to give you what you need if you continue to ask.


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So I tell you, continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you.


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Yes, if a person continues asking, he will receive. If he continues searching, he will find. And if he continues knocking, the door will open for him.


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Even though you are bad, you know how to give good things to your children. So surely your heavenly Father knows how to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”


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Jesus’ Power Is from God One time Jesus was sending a demon out of a man who could not talk. When the demon came out, the man was able to speak. The people were amazed.


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But some of them said, “Jesus uses the power of Beelzebul to force demons out of people. Beelzebul is the ruler of demons.”


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But Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he said to them, “Every kingdom that is divided and fights against itself will be destroyed. And a family that fights against itself will break apart.


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So if Satan is fighting against himself, then how will his kingdom last? You say that I use the power of Beelzebul to force out demons.


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But if I use the power of Beelzebul to force out demons, then by what power do your people force out demons? So your own people prove that you are wrong.


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But suppose a stronger man comes and defeats him. The stronger man will take away the weapons that the first man trusted to keep his house safe. Then the stronger man will do what he wants with the first man’s things.


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The Empty Man “When an evil spirit comes out of a person, it travels through dry places, looking for a place to rest. But that spirit finds no place to rest. So it says, ‘I will go back to the home I left.’


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Then the evil spirit goes out and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself. Then all the evil spirits go into that person and live there. And he has even more trouble than he had before.”


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People Who Are Truly Blessed When Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd spoke out. She said to Jesus, “Your mother is blessed because she gave birth to you and nursed you.”


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But Jesus said, “Those who hear the teaching of God and obey it—they are the ones who are truly blessed.”


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Give Us Proof! The crowd grew larger. Jesus said, “The people who live today are evil. They ask for a miracle as a sign from God. But they will have no sign—only the sign of Jonah.


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Jonah was a sign for those people who lived in Nineveh. In the same way the Son of Man will be a sign for the people of this time.


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On the Judgment Day the Queen of the South will stand up with the men who live now. She will show that they are guilty because she came from far away to listen to Solomon’s wise teaching. And I tell you that someone greater than Solomon is here!


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On the Judgment Day the men of Nineveh will stand up with the people who live now. And they will show that you are guilty, because when Jonah preached to those people, they changed their hearts and lives. And I tell you that someone greater than Jonah is here!


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Be a Light to the World “No one takes a light and puts it under a bowl or hides it. Instead, he puts the light on a lampstand so that the people who come in can see.


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Your eye is a light for the body. If your eyes are good, then your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are evil, then your whole body will be full of darkness.


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If your whole body is full of light, and none of it is dark, then you will shine bright, as when a lamp shines on you.”


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Jesus Accuses the Pharisees After Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee asked Jesus to eat with him. So Jesus went in and sat at the table.


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The Lord said to him, “You Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the dish. But inside you are full of greed and evil.


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But how terrible for you Pharisees! You give God one-tenth of even your mint, your rue, and every other plant in your garden. But you forget to be fair to other people and to love God. These are the things you should do. And you should also continue to do those other things—like giving one-tenth.


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How terrible for you Pharisees, because you love to get the most important seats in the synagogues. And you love people to show respect to you in the marketplaces.


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Jesus Talks to Teachers of the Law One of the teachers of the law said to Jesus, “Teacher, when you say these things, you are insulting us, too.”


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Jesus answered, “How terrible for you, you teachers of the law! You make strict rules that are very hard for people to obey. But you yourselves don’t even try to follow those rules.


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How terrible for you, because you build tombs for the prophets. But these are the prophets that your fathers killed!


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And now you show that you approve of what your fathers did. They killed the prophets, and you build tombs for the prophets!


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This is why in his wisdom God said, ‘I will send prophets and apostles to them. Some of my prophets and apostles will be killed, and others will be treated cruelly.’


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So you who live now will be punished for the deaths of all the prophets who were killed since the beginning of the world.


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You will be punished for the killing of Abel and for the killing of Zechariah. Zechariah was killed between the altar and the Temple. Yes, I tell you that you people who live now will be punished for them all.


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“How terrible for you, you teachers of the law. You have hidden the key to learning about God. You yourselves would not learn, and you stopped others from learning, too.”


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When Jesus was leaving, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees began to give him trouble, asking him questions about many things.


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Don’t Be Like the Pharisees Many thousands of people had gathered. There were so many people that they were stepping on each other. Before Jesus spoke to them, he said to his followers, “Be careful of the yeast of the Pharisees. They are hypocrites.


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The things you say in the dark will be told in the light. The things you have whispered in an inner room will be shouted from the top of the house.”


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Fear Only God Then Jesus said to the people, “I tell you, my friends, don’t be afraid of people. People can kill the body, but after that they can do nothing more to hurt you.


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I will show you the One to fear. You should fear him who has the power to kill you and also to throw you into hell. Yes, he is the One you should fear.


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Yes, God even knows how many hairs you have on your head. Don’t be afraid. You are worth much more than many sparrows.


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Don’t Be Ashamed of Jesus “I tell you, if anyone stands before others and says that he believes in me, then I will say that he belongs to me. I will say this before the angels of God.


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But if anyone stands before others and says he does not believe in me, then I will say that he does not belong to me. I will say this before the angels of God.


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“If a person says something against the Son of Man, he can be forgiven. But a person who says bad things against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.


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“When men bring you into the synagogues before the leaders and other important men, don’t worry about how to defend yourself or what to say.


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Jesus Warns Against Selfishness One of the men in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide with me the property our father left us.”


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But Jesus said to him, “Who said that I should be your judge or decide how to divide the property between you two?”


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Then Jesus said to them, “Be careful and guard against all kinds of greed. A man’s life is not measured by the many things he owns.”


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Then Jesus used this story: “There was a rich man who had some land, which grew a good crop of food.


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Then he said, ‘I know what I will do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones! I will put all my grain and other goods together in my new barns.


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Then I can say to myself, I have enough good things stored to last for many years. Rest, eat, drink, and enjoy life!’


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“But God said to that man, ‘Foolish man! Tonight you will die. So who will get those things you have prepared for yourself?’


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“This is how it will be for anyone who stores things up only for himself and is not rich toward God.”


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Don’t Worry Jesus said to his followers, “So I tell you, don’t worry about the food you need to live. Don’t worry about the clothes you need for your body.


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Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest. They don’t save food in houses or barns. But God takes care of them. And you are worth much more than birds.


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Look at the wild flowers. See how they grow. They don’t work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that even Solomon, the great and rich king, was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers.


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God clothes the grass in the field like that. That grass is living today, but tomorrow it will be thrown into the fire. So you know how much more God will clothe you. Don’t have so little faith!


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The thing you should seek is God’s kingdom. Then all the other things you need will be given to you.


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Sell the things you have and give to the poor. Get for yourselves purses that don’t wear out. Get the treasure in heaven that never runs out. Thieves can’t steal it in heaven, and moths can’t destroy it.


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Be like servants who are waiting for their master to come home from a wedding party. The master comes and knocks. The servants immediately open the door for him.


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Those servants will be blessed when their master comes home, because he sees that his servants are ready and waiting for him. I tell you the truth. The master will dress himself to serve and tell the servants to sit at the table. Then the master will serve them.


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Those servants might have to wait until midnight or later for their master. But they will be happy when he comes in and finds them still waiting.


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“Remember this: If the owner of the house knew what time a thief was coming, then the owner would not allow the thief to enter his house.


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The Lord said, “Who is the wise and trusted servant? Who is the servant the master trusts to give the other servants their food at the right time?


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When the master comes and finds his servant doing the work he gave him, that servant will be very happy.


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But what will happen if the servant is evil and thinks that his master will not come back soon? That servant will begin to beat the other servants, men and women. He will eat and drink and get drunk.


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Then the master will come when that servant is not ready. It will be a time when the servant is not expecting him. Then the master will cut him in pieces and send him away to be with the others who don’t obey.


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“The servant who knows what his master wants but is not ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows!


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But the servant who does not know what his master wants and does things that should be punished will be beaten with few blows. Everyone who has been given much will be responsible for much. Much more will be expected from the one who has been given more.”


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Jesus Causes Division Jesus continued speaking, “I came to set fire to the world. I wish it were already burning!


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A father and son will be divided: The son will be against his father. The father will be against his son. A mother and her daughter will be divided: The daughter will be against her mother. The mother will be against her daughter. A mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law will be divided: The daughter-in-law will be against her mother-in-law. The mother-in-law will be against her daughter-in-law.”


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Understanding the Times Then Jesus said to the people, “When you see clouds coming up in the west, you say, ‘It’s going to rain.’ And soon it begins to rain.


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When you feel the wind begin to blow from the south, you say, ‘It will be a hot day.’ And you are right.


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When someone is suing you, and you are going with him to court, try hard to settle it on the way. If you don’t settle it, he may take you to the judge. The judge might turn you over to the officer. And the officer might throw you into jail.


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Change Your Hearts At that time some people were there with Jesus. They told him about what had happened to some people from Galilee. Pilate killed those people while they were worshiping. He mixed their blood with the blood of the animals they were sacrificing to God.


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Jesus answered, “Do you think this happened to them because they were more sinful than all others from Galilee?


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No, they were not! But if all of you don’t change your hearts and lives, then you will be destroyed as they were!


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What about those 18 people who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them? Do you think they were more sinful than all the others who live in Jerusalem?


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They were not! But I tell you, if you don’t change your hearts and lives, then you will all be destroyed too!”


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The Useless Tree Jesus told this story: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. He came looking for some fruit on the tree, but he found none.


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So the man said to his servant who took care of his vineyard, ‘I have been looking for fruit on this tree for three years, but I never find any. Cut it down! Why should it waste the ground?’


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But the servant answered, ‘Master, let the tree have one more year to produce fruit. Let me dig up the dirt around it and put on some fertilizer.


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Maybe the tree will produce fruit next year. If the tree still doesn’t produce fruit, then you can cut it down.’”


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In the synagogue there was a woman who had an evil spirit in her. This spirit had made the woman a cripple for 18 years. Her back was always bent; she could not stand up straight.


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The synagogue leader was angry because Jesus healed on the Sabbath day. He said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come to be healed on one of those days. Don’t come for healing on the Sabbath day.”


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The Lord answered, “You people are hypocrites! All of you untie your work animals and lead them to drink water every day—even on the Sabbath day!


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This woman that I healed is our Jewish sister. But Satan has held her for 18 years. Surely it is not wrong for her to be freed from her sickness on a Sabbath day!”


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When Jesus said this, all the men who were criticizing him were ashamed. And all the people were happy for the wonderful things Jesus was doing.


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Stories of Mustard Seed and Yeast Then Jesus said, “What is God’s kingdom like? What can I compare it with?


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God’s kingdom is like the seed of the mustard plant. A man plants this seed in his garden. The seed grows and becomes a tree. The wild birds build nests on its branches.”


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The Narrow Door Jesus was teaching in every town and village. He continued to travel toward Jerusalem.


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“Try hard to enter through the narrow door that opens the way to heaven! Many people will try to enter there, but they will not be able.


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A man gets up and closes the door of his house. You can stand outside and knock on the door. You can say, ‘Sir, open the door for us!’ But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you! Where did you come from?’


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But he will say to you, ‘I don’t know you! Where did you come from? Go away from me! All of you do evil!’


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You will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in God’s kingdom. But you will be thrown outside. Then you will cry and grind your teeth with pain.


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People will come from the east, west, north, and south. They will sit down at the table in the kingdom of God.


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Those who are last now will be first in the future. And those who are first now will be last in the future.”


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Jesus Will Die in Jerusalem At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Go away from here! Herod wants to kill you!”


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Jesus said to them, “Go tell that fox Herod, ‘Today and tomorrow I am forcing demons out of people and finishing my work of healing. Then, on the third day, I will reach my goal.’


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Yet I must be on my way today and tomorrow and the next day. Surely it cannot be right for a prophet to be killed anywhere except in Jerusalem.


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“Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets. You kill with stones those men that God has sent you. Many times I wanted to help your people. I wanted to gather them together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you did not let me.


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Now your home will be left completely empty. I tell you, you will not see me again until that time when you will say, ‘God bless the One who comes in the name of the Lord.’”


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Is It Right to Heal on the Sabbath? On a Sabbath day, Jesus went to the home of a leading Pharisee to eat with him. The people there were all watching Jesus very closely.


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Jesus said to the Pharisees and teachers of the law, “Is it right or wrong to heal on the Sabbath day?”


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Jesus said to the Pharisees and teachers of the law, “If your son or ox falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not pull him out quickly?”


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Don’t Make Yourself Important Then Jesus noticed that some of the guests were choosing the best places to sit. So Jesus told this story:


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“When someone invites you to a wedding feast, don’t take the most important seat. The host may have invited someone more important than you.


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And if you are sitting in the most important seat, the host will come to you and say, ‘Give this man your seat.’ Then you will begin to move down to the last place. And you will be very embarrassed.


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So when you are invited, go sit in a seat that is not important. Then the host will come to you and say, ‘Friend, move up here to a more important place!’ Then all the other guests will respect you.


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Everyone who makes himself great will be made humble. But the person who makes himself humble will be made great.”


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You Will Be Rewarded Then Jesus said to the man who had invited him, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, don’t invite only your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. At another time they will invite you to eat with them. Then you will have your reward.


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Then you will be blessed, because they cannot pay you back. They have nothing. But you will be rewarded when the good people rise from death.”


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A Story About a Big Banquet One of the men sitting at the table with Jesus heard these things. The man said to Jesus, “The people who will eat a meal in God’s kingdom are blessed.”


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“But all the guests said they could not come. Each man made an excuse. The first one said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go look at it. Please excuse me.’


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Another man said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen; I must go and try them. Please excuse me.’


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So the servant returned. He told his master what had happened. Then the master became angry and said, ‘Go at once into the streets and alleys of the town. Bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’


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Later the servant said to him, ‘Master, I did what you told me to do, but we still have places for more people.’


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The master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes. Tell the people there to come. I want my house to be full!


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“If anyone comes to me but loves his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, or sisters more than he loves me, then he cannot be my follower. A person must love me more than he loves himself!


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If you wanted to build a tower, you would first sit down and decide how much it would cost. You must see if you have enough money to finish the job.


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If you don’t do that, you might begin the work, but you would not be able to finish. And if you could not finish it, then all who would see it would laugh at you.


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“If a king is going to fight against another king, first he will sit down and plan. If the king has only 10,000 men, he will plan to see if he is able to defeat the other king who has 20,000 men.


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If he cannot defeat the other king, then he will send some men to speak to the other king and ask for peace.


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In the same way, you must give up everything you have to follow me. If you don’t, you cannot be my follower!


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Don’t Lose Your Influence “Salt is a good thing. But if the salt loses its salty taste, then it is worth nothing. You cannot make it salty again.


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It is no good for the soil or for manure. People throw it away. “Let those with ears use them and listen!”


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The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to complain: “Look! This man welcomes sinners and even eats with them!”


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“Suppose one of you has 100 sheep, but he loses 1 of them. Then he will leave the other 99 sheep alone and go out and look for the lost sheep. The man will keep on searching for the lost sheep until he finds it.


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and goes home. He calls to his friends and neighbors and says, ‘Be happy with me because I found my lost sheep!’


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In the same way, I tell you there is much joy in heaven when 1 sinner changes his heart. There is more joy for that 1 sinner than there is for 99 good people who don’t need to change.


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“Suppose a woman has ten silver coins, but she loses one of them. She will light a lamp and clean the house. She will look carefully for the coin until she finds it.


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And when she finds it, she will call her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Be happy with me because I have found the coin that I lost!’


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The younger son said to his father, ‘Give me my share of the property.’ So the father divided the property between his two sons.


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Then the younger son gathered up all that was his and left. He traveled far away to another country. There he wasted his money in foolish living.


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He spent everything that he had. Soon after that, the land became very dry, and there was no rain. There was not enough food to eat anywhere in the country. The son was hungry and needed money.


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The son was so hungry that he was willing to eat the food the pigs were eating. But no one gave him anything.


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The son realized that he had been very foolish. He thought, ‘All of my father’s servants have plenty of food. But I am here, almost dying with hunger.


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I will leave and return to my father. I’ll say to him: Father, I have sinned against God and against you.


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So the son left and went to his father. “While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. He felt sorry for his son. So the father ran to him, and hugged and kissed him.


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The son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against God and against you. I am not good enough to be called your son.’


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But the father said to his servants, ‘Hurry! Bring the best clothes and put them on him. Also, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.


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My son was dead, but now he is alive again! He was lost, but now he is found!’ So they began to celebrate.


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“The older son was in the field. As he came closer to the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing.


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The servant said, ‘Your brother has come back. Your father killed the fat calf to eat because your brother came home safely!’


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The older son was angry and would not go in to the feast. So his father went out and begged him to come in.


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The son said to his father, ‘I have served you like a slave for many years! I have always obeyed your commands. But you never even killed a young goat for me to have a feast with my friends.


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But your other son has wasted all your money on prostitutes. Then he comes home, and you kill the fat calf for him!’


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We had to celebrate and be happy because your brother was dead, but now he is alive. He was lost, but now he is found.’”


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True Wealth Jesus also said to his followers, “Once there was a rich man. He had a manager to take care of his business. Later, the rich man learned that his manager was cheating him.


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So he called the manager in and said to him, ‘I have heard bad things about you. Give me a report of what you have done with my money. You can’t be my manager any longer!’


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Later, the manager thought to himself, ‘What will I do? My master is taking my job away from me! I am not strong enough to dig ditches. I am too proud to beg.


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“So the manager called in everyone who owed the master any money. He said to the first man, ‘How much do you owe my master?’


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The man answered, ‘I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil.’ The manager said to him, ‘Here is your bill; sit down quickly and make the bill less. Write 400 gallons.’


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Then the manager said to another man, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ The man answered, ‘I owe him 1,000 bushels of wheat.’ Then the manager said to him, ‘Here is your bill; you can make it less. Write 800 bushels.’


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Later, the master praised the dishonest manager for being smart. Yes, worldly people are smarter with their own kind than spiritual people are.


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“I tell you, make friends for yourselves using worldly riches. Then, when those things are gone, you will be welcomed in that home that continues forever.


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Whoever can be trusted with small things can also be trusted with large things. Whoever is dishonest in little things will be dishonest in large things too.


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And if you cannot be trusted with the things that belong to someone else, then you will not be given things of your own.


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“No servant can serve two masters. He will hate one master and love the other. Or he will follow one master and refuse to follow the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”


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God’s Law Cannot Be Changed The Pharisees were listening to all these things. They made fun of Jesus because they all loved money.


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Jesus said to them, “You make yourselves look good in front of people. But God knows what is really in your hearts. The things that are important to people are worth nothing to God.


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“God wanted the people to live by the law of Moses and the writings of the prophets. But ever since John came, the Good News about the kingdom of God is being told. Now everyone is trying hard to get into the kingdom.


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Even the smallest part of a letter in the law cannot be changed. It would be easier for heaven and earth to pass away.


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Divorce and Remarriage “If a man divorces his wife and marries another woman, he is guilty of adultery. And the man who marries a divorced woman is also guilty of adultery.”


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The Rich Man and Lazarus Jesus said, “There was a rich man who always dressed in the finest clothes. He lived in luxury every day.


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There was also a very poor man named Lazarus, whose body was covered with sores. Lazarus was often placed at the rich man’s gate.


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He wanted to eat only the small pieces of food that fell from the rich man’s table. And the dogs would come and lick his sores!


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Later, Lazarus died. The angels took Lazarus and placed him in the arms of Abraham. The rich man died, too, and was buried.


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But he was sent to where the dead are and had much pain. The rich man saw Abraham far away with Lazarus in his arms.


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He called, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to me so that he can dip his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am suffering in this fire!’


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But Abraham said, ‘My child, remember when you lived? You had all the good things in life, but all the bad things happened to Lazarus. Now Lazarus is comforted here, and you are suffering.


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Also, there is a big pit between you and us. No one can cross over to help you. And no one can leave there and come here.’


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I have five brothers. Lazarus could warn my brothers so that they will not come to this place of pain.’


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But Abraham said, ‘They have the law of Moses and the writings of the prophets to read; let them learn from them!’


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The rich man said, ‘No, father Abraham! If someone came to them from the dead, they would believe and change their hearts and lives.’


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But Abraham said to him, ‘No! If your brothers won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, then they won’t listen to someone who comes back from death.’”


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Sin and Forgiveness Jesus said to his followers, “Things will surely happen that cause people to sin. But how terrible for the one who causes them to happen.


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It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large stone around his neck than to cause one of these weak people to sin.


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So be careful! “If your brother sins, tell him he is wrong. But if he is sorry and stops sinning, forgive him.


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If your brother sins against you seven times in one day, but he says that he is sorry each time, then forgive him.”


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The Lord said, “If your faith is as big as a mustard seed, then you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Dig yourself up and plant yourself in the sea!’ And the tree will obey you.


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Be Good Servants “Suppose one of you has a servant who has been plowing the ground or caring for the sheep. When the servant comes in from working in the field, would you say, ‘Come in and sit down to eat’?


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No, you would say to your servant, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Then get yourself ready and serve me. When I finish eating and drinking, then you can eat and drink.’


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It is the same with you. When you do everything you are told to do, you should say, ‘We don’t deserve any special thanks. We have only done the work we should do.’”


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he came into a small town. Ten men met him there. These men did not come close to Jesus, because they all had a harmful skin disease.


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When Jesus saw the men, he said, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” While the ten men were going, they were healed.


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God’s Kingdom Is Within You Some of the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the kingdom of God come?” Jesus answered, “God’s kingdom is coming, but not in a way that you will be able to see with your eyes.


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People will not say, ‘Look, God’s kingdom is here!’ or, ‘There it is!’ No, God’s kingdom is within you.”


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Then Jesus said to his followers, “The time will come when you will want very much to see one of the days of the Son of Man. But you will not be able to see it.


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People will say to you, ‘Look, there he is!’ or, ‘Look, here he is!’ Stay where you are; don’t go away and search.


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When Jesus Comes Again “The Son of Man will come again. On the day he comes he will shine like lightning, which flashes across the sky and lights it up from one side to the other.


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In the time of Noah, people were eating, drinking, and getting married even on the day when Noah entered the boat. Then the flood came and killed all the people.


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It will be the same as during the time of Lot. Those people were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, and building.


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They were doing these things even on the day Lot left Sodom. Then fire and sulfur rained down from the sky and killed them all.


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“On that day, if a man is on his roof, he will not have time to go inside and get his things. If a man is in the field, he cannot go back home.


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Whoever tries to keep his life will give up true life. But whoever gives up his life will have true life.


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At the time when I come again, there may be two people sleeping in one bed. One will be taken and the other will be left.


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The followers asked Jesus, “Where will this be, Lord?” Jesus answered, “People can always find a dead body by looking for the vultures.”


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God Will Answer His People Then Jesus used this story to teach his followers that they should always pray and never lose hope.


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“Once there was a judge in a town. He did not care about God. He also did not care what people thought about him.


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In that same town there was a widow who kept coming to this judge. She said, ‘There is a man who is not being fair to me. Give me my rights!’


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But the judge did not want to help the widow. After a long time, he thought to himself, ‘I don’t care about God. And I don’t care about what people think.


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But this widow is bothering me. I will see that she gets her rights, or she will bother me until I am worn out!’”


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God’s people cry to him night and day. God will always give them what is right, and he will not be slow to answer them.


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I tell you, God will help his people quickly! But when the Son of Man comes again, will he find those on earth who believe in him?”


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Being Right with God There were some people who thought that they were very good and looked down on everyone else. Jesus used this story to teach them:


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The Pharisee stood alone, away from the tax collector. When the Pharisee prayed, he said, ‘God, I thank you that I am not as bad as other people. I am not like men who steal, cheat, or take part in adultery. I thank you that I am better than this tax collector.


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“The tax collector stood at a distance. When he prayed, he would not even look up to heaven. He beat on his chest because he was so sad. He said, ‘God, have mercy on me. I am a sinner!’


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I tell you, when this man went home, he was right with God. But the Pharisee was not right with God. Everyone who makes himself great will be made humble. But everyone who makes himself humble will be made great.”


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Who Will Enter God’s Kingdom Some people brought their small children to Jesus so that he could touch them. When the followers saw this, they told the people not to do this.


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But Jesus called the little children to him and said to his followers, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to people who are like these little children.


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I tell you the truth. You must accept God’s kingdom like a little child, or you will never enter it!”


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A Rich Man’s Question A Jewish leader asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get the life that continues forever?”


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You know the commands: ‘You must not be guilty of adultery. You must not murder anyone. You must not steal. You must not tell lies about your neighbor in court. Honor your father and mother.’”


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When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “But there is still one more thing you need to do. Sell everything you have and give the money to the poor. You will have a reward in heaven. Then come and follow me!”


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When Jesus saw that the man was sad, he said, “It will be very hard for rich people to enter the kingdom of God!


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It would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God!”


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Jesus said, “I tell you the truth. Everyone who has left his house, wife, brothers, parents, or children for God’s kingdom


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will get much more than he left. He will receive many times more in this life. And after he dies, he will live with God forever.”


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Jesus Will Rise from Death Then Jesus talked to the 12 apostles alone. He said to them, “Listen! We are going to Jerusalem. Everything that God told the prophets to write about the Son of Man will happen!


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He will be turned over to the non-Jewish people. They will laugh at him, insult him, and spit on him.


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They will beat him with whips and then kill him. But on the third day after his death, he will rise to life again.”


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Jesus Heals a Blind Man Jesus was coming near the city of Jericho. There was a blind man sitting beside the road, begging for money.


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The people who were in front, leading the group, told the blind man to be quiet. But the blind man shouted more and more, “Son of David, please help me!”


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At once the man was able to see, and he followed Jesus, thanking God. All the people who saw this praised God.


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He ran ahead to a place where he knew Jesus would come. He climbed a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus.


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When Jesus came to that place, he looked up and saw Zacchaeus in the tree. He said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down! I must stay at your house today.”


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All the people saw this and began to complain, “Look at the kind of man Jesus stays with. Zacchaeus is a sinner!”


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But Zacchaeus said to the Lord, “I will give half of my money to the poor. If I have cheated anyone, I will pay that person back four times more!”


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Jesus said, “Salvation has come to this house today. This man truly belongs to the family of Abraham.


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A Story About Three Servants Jesus traveled closer to Jerusalem. Some of the people thought that God’s kingdom would appear soon.


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Jesus knew that the people thought this, so he told them this story: “A very important man was preparing to go to a country far away to be made a king. Then he planned to return home and rule his people.


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So the man called ten of his servants together. He gave a bag of money to each servant. He said, ‘Do business with this money till I get back.’


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But the people in the kingdom hated the man. So they sent a group to follow him and say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king!’


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“But the man became king. When he came home, he said, ‘Call those servants who have my money. I want to know how much they earned with it.’


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The king said to the servant, ‘Fine! You are a good servant. I see that I can trust you with small things. So now I will let you rule over ten of my cities.’


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“Then another servant came in. The servant said to the king, ‘Sir, here is your bag of money. I wrapped it in a piece of cloth and hid it.


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I was afraid of you because you are a hard man. You even take money that you didn’t earn and gather food that you didn’t plant.’


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Then the king said to the servant, ‘You evil servant! I will use your own words to condemn you. You said that I am a hard man. You said that I even take money that I didn’t earn and gather food that I didn’t plant.


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If that is true, then you should have put my money in the bank. Then, when I came back, my money would have earned some interest.’


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“Then the king said to the men who were watching, ‘Take the bag of money away from this servant and give it to the servant who earned ten bags of money.’


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The king said, ‘The one who uses what he has will get more. But the one who does not use what he has will have everything taken away from him.


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Jesus came near Bethphage and Bethany, towns near the hill called the Mount of Olives. Then he sent out two of his followers.


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He said, “Go into the town you can see there. When you enter it, you will find a colt tied there. No one has ever ridden this colt. Untie it, and bring it here to me.


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The followers untied it, but the owners of the colt came out. They asked the followers, “Why are you untying our colt?”


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Jesus was coming close to Jerusalem. He was already near the bottom of the Mount of Olives. The whole crowd of followers was very happy. They began shouting praise to God for all the powerful works they had seen. They said,


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But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if my followers don’t say these things, then the stones will cry out.”


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Jesus said to Jerusalem, “I wish you knew today what would bring you peace! But you can’t know it, because it is hidden from you.


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They will destroy you and all your people. Not one stone of your buildings will be left on another. All this will happen because you did not know the time when God came to save you.”


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Jesus Goes to the Temple Jesus went into the Temple. He began to throw out the people who were selling things there.


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He said, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘My Temple will be a house where people will pray.’ But you have changed it into a ‘hideout for robbers’!”


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Jesus taught in the Temple every day. The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and some of the leaders of the people wanted to kill Jesus.


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But all the people were listening closely to him and were interested in all the things he said. So the leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the leaders did not know how they could kill him.


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The Leaders Question Jesus One day Jesus was in the Temple, teaching the people and telling them the Good News. The leading priests, teachers of the law, and Jewish elders came up to talk with him.


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The priests, the teachers of the law, and the Jewish leaders all talked about this. They said to each other, “If we answer, ‘John’s baptism was from God,’ then Jesus will say, ‘Then why did you not believe John?’


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But if we say, ‘John’s baptism was from man,’ then all the people will kill us with stones because they believe that John was a prophet.”


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God Sends His Son Then Jesus told the people this story: “A man planted a vineyard. The man leased the land to some farmers. Then he went away for a long time.


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Later, it was time for the grapes to be picked. So the man sent a servant to those farmers to get his share of the grapes. But they beat the servant and sent him away with nothing.


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Then he sent another servant. They beat this servant too. They showed no respect for him and sent him away with nothing.


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The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What will I do now? I will send my son whom I love very much. Maybe they will respect him!’


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When they saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the owner’s son. This vineyard will be his. If we kill him, then it will be ours!’


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So the farmers threw the son out of the vineyard and killed him. “What will the owner of this vineyard do?


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He will come and kill those farmers! Then he will give the vineyard to other farmers.” The people heard this story. They said, “No! Let this never happen!”


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But Jesus looked at them and said, “Then what does this verse mean: ‘The stone that the builders did not want became the cornerstone’?


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The teachers of the law and the priests heard this story that Jesus told. They knew the story was about them. So they wanted to arrest Jesus at once. But they were afraid of what the people would do.


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The Leaders Try to Trap Jesus So they waited for the right time to get Jesus. They sent some spies who acted as if they were good men. They wanted to trap Jesus in what he said so they could hand him over to the authority and power of the governor.


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So the spies asked Jesus, “Teacher, we know that what you say and teach is true. You teach the same to all people. You always teach the truth about God’s way.


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Jesus said to them, “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. And give to God the things that are God’s.”


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The men were amazed at his answer. They could say nothing. They were not able to trap Jesus in anything he said before the people.


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Sadducees Try to Trick Jesus Some Sadducees came to Jesus. (Sadducees believe that people will not rise from death.) They asked,


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“Teacher, Moses wrote that a man’s brother might die. He leaves a wife but no children. Then that man must marry the widow and have children for his dead brother.


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And the third brother married the widow, and he died. The same thing happened with all the other brothers. They all died and had no children.


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In that life they are like angels and cannot die. They are children of God, because they have been raised from death.


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Moses clearly showed that the dead are raised to life. When Moses wrote about the burning bush, he said that the Lord is ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’


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Is the Christ the Son of David? Then Jesus said, “Why do people say that the Christ is the Son ofDavid?


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David calls the Christ ‘Lord.’ But the Christ is also the son of David. How can both these things be true?”


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“Be careful of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around wearing clothes that look important. And they love for people to show respect to them in the marketplaces. They love to have the most important seats in the synagogues and at the feasts.


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But they cheat widows and steal their houses. Then they try to make themselves look good by saying long prayers. God will punish these men very much.”


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He said, “I tell you the truth. This poor widow gave only two small coins. But she really gave more than all those rich people.


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The rich have plenty; they gave only what they did not need. This woman is very poor, but she gave all she had. And she needed that money to live on.”


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The Temple Will Be Destroyed Some of the followers were talking about the Temple and how it was decorated with beautiful stones and gifts offered to God.


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But Jesus said, “The time will come when all that you see here will be destroyed. Every stone will be thrown down to the ground. Not one stone will be left on another!”


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Some followers asked Jesus, “Teacher, when will these things happen? What will show us that it is time for them to take place?”


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Jesus said, “Be careful! Don’t be fooled. Many people will come using my name. They will say, ‘I am the Christ’ and, ‘The right time has come!’ But don’t follow them.


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When you hear about wars and riots, don’t be afraid. These things must happen first. Then the end will come later.”


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Then he said to them, “Nations will fight against other nations. Kingdoms will fight against other kingdoms.


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There will be great earthquakes, sicknesses, and other terrible things in many places. In some places there will be no food for the people to eat. Fearful events and great signs will come from heaven.


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“But before all these things happen, people will arrest you and treat you cruelly. They will judge you in their synagogues and put you in jail. You will be forced to stand before kings and governors. They will do all these things to you because you follow me.


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I will give you the wisdom to say things so that none of your enemies will be able to show that you are wrong.


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Even your parents, brothers, relatives and friends will turn against you. They will kill some of you.


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Jerusalem Will Be Destroyed “When you see armies all around Jerusalem, then you will know that it will soon be destroyed.


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At that time, the people in Judea should run away to the mountains. The people in Jerusalem must get out. If you are near the city, don’t go in!


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At that time, it will be hard for women who are pregnant or have nursing babies! Great trouble will come upon this land, and God will be angry with these people.


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Some will be killed by the sword and taken as prisoners to all nations. Jerusalem will be crushed by non-Jewish people until their time is over.


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Don’t Fear “Amazing things will happen to the sun, moon, and stars. On earth, nations will be afraid because of the roar and fury of the sea. They will not know what to do.


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People will be so afraid they will faint. They will wonder what is happening to the whole world. Everything in the sky will be changed.


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When these things begin to happen, don’t fear. Look up and hold your heads high because the time when God will free you is near!”


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My Words Will Live Forever Then Jesus told this story: “Look at the fig tree and all the other trees.


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In the same way, when you see all these things happening, then you will know that God’s kingdom is coming very soon.


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The whole world, earth and sky, will be destroyed; but the words I have said will never be destroyed!


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Be Ready All the Time “Be careful! Don’t spend your time feasting and drinking. Or don’t be too busy with worldly things. If you do that, you will not be able to think straight. And then that day might come when you are not ready.


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So be ready all the time. Pray that you will be strong enough to escape all these things that will happen. And pray that you will be able to stand before the Son of Man.”


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During the day, Jesus taught the people in the Temple. At night he went out of the city and stayed on the Mount of Olives.


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Plans to Kill Jesus It was almost time for the Jewish Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover Feast.


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The leading priests and teachers of the law were trying to find a way to kill Jesus. But they were afraid of the people.


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the leading priests and some of the soldiers who guarded the Temple. He talked to them about a way to give Jesus to them.


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Judas agreed. Then he waited for the best time to turn Jesus over to them without the crowd knowing it.


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Preparation of the Passover Meal The Day of Unleavened Bread came. This was the day the Passover lambs had to be sacrificed.


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“Listen! After you go into the city, you will see a man carrying a jar of water. Follow him into the house that he enters.


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Tell the person who owns that house, ‘The Teacher asks that you please show us the room where he and his followers may eat the Passover meal.’


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Then he will show you a large room upstairs. This room is ready for you. Prepare the Passover meal there.”


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Then Jesus took a cup. He gave thanks to God for it and said, “Take this cup and give it to everyone here.


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Then Jesus took some bread. He thanked God for it, broke it, and gave it to the apostles. Then Jesus said, “This bread is my body that I am giving for you. Do this to remember me.”


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In the same way, after supper, Jesus took the cup and said, “This cup shows the new agreement that God makes with his people. This new agreement begins with my blood which is poured out for you.”


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Who Will Turn Against Jesus? Jesus said, “One of you will turn against me. His hand is by my hand on the table.


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The Son of Man will do what God has planned. But how terrible it will be for that man who gives the Son of Man to be killed.”


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But Jesus said to them, “The kings of the world rule over their people. Men who have authority over others are called ‘very important.’


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But you must not be like that. The greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the leader should be like the servant.


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Who is more important: the one sitting at the table or the one serving him? You think the one at the table is more important. But I am like a servant among you!


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You will eat and drink at my table in my kingdom. You will sit on thrones and judge the 12 tribes of Israel.


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Don’t Lose Your Faith! “Satan has asked to test all of you as a farmer tests his wheat. Simon, Simon,


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I have prayed that you will not lose your faith! Help your brothers be stronger when you come back to me.”


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But Jesus said, “Peter, before the rooster crows tonight, you will say you don’t know me. You will say this three times!”


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Be Ready for Trouble Then Jesus said to the apostles, “When I sent you out without money, a bag, or sandals, did you need anything?” They said, “No.”


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He said to them, “But now if you have money or a bag, carry that with you. If you don’t have a sword, sell your coat and buy one.


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The Scripture says, ‘He was treated like a criminal.’ This scripture must have its full meaning. It was written about me, and it is happening now.”


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Jesus Prays Alone Jesus left the city and went to the Mount of Olives. His followers went with him. (Jesus went there often.) He said to his followers, “Pray for strength against temptation.”


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“Father, if it is what you want, then let me not have this cup of suffering. But do what you want, not what I want.”


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When he finished praying, he went to his followers. They were asleep. (Their sadness had made them very tired.)


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Jesus Is Arrested While Jesus was speaking, a crowd came up. One of the 12 apostles was leading them. He was Judas. He came close to Jesus so that he could kiss him.


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The followers of Jesus were standing there too. They saw what was happening. They said to Jesus, “Lord, should we use our swords?”


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Those who came to arrest Jesus were the leading priests, the soldiers who guarded the Temple, and the Jewish elders. Jesus said to them, “Why did you come out here with swords and sticks? Do you think I am a criminal?


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I was with you every day in the Temple. Why didn’t you try to arrest me there? But this is your time—the time when darkness rules.”


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Peter Says He Doesn’t Know Jesus They arrested Jesus and took him away. They brought him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed them, but he did not go near Jesus.


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A servant girl saw Peter sitting there near the light. She looked closely at Peter’s face and said, “This man was also with him!”


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A short time later, another person saw Peter and said, “You are also one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”


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But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about!” Immediately, while Peter was still speaking, a rooster crowed.


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Then the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. And Peter remembered what the Lord had said: “Before the rooster crows tonight, you will say three times that you don’t know me.”


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The People Laugh at Jesus Some men were guarding Jesus. They made fun of him like this: They covered his eyes so that he could not see them. Then they hit him and said, “Prove that you are a prophet, and tell us who hit you!”


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Jesus Before the Leaders When day came, the elders of the people, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law came together. They led Jesus away to their highest court.


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They said, “If you are the Christ, then tell us that you are!” Jesus said to them, “If I tell you I am the Christ, you will not believe me.


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They all said, “Then are you the Son of God?” Jesus said to them, “Yes, you are right when you say that I am.”


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They began to accuse Jesus. They told Pilate, “We caught this man telling things that were confusing our people. He says that we should not pay taxes to Caesar. He calls himself the Christ, a king.”


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They said again and again, “But Jesus is making trouble with the people! He teaches all around Judea. He began in Galilee, and now he is here!”


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If so, Jesus was under Herod’s authority. Herod was in Jerusalem at that time; so Pilate sent Jesus to him.


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When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad. He had heard about Jesus and had wanted to meet him for a long time. Herod was hoping to see Jesus work a miracle.


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The leading priests and teachers of the law were standing there. They were shouting things against Jesus.


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Then Herod and his soldiers made fun of Jesus. They dressed him in a kingly robe and then sent him back to Pilate.


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Jesus Must Die Pilate called all the people together with the leading priests and the Jewish leaders.


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He said to them, “You brought this man to me. You said that he was making trouble among the people. But I have questioned him before you all, and I have not found him guilty of the things you say.


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Also, Herod found nothing wrong with him; he sent him back to us. Look, he has done nothing for which he should die.


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(Barabbas was a man who was in prison because he started a riot in the city. He was guilty of murder.)


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A third time Pilate said to them, “Why? What wrong has he done? I can find no reason to kill him. So I will have him punished and set him free.”


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But they continued to shout. They demanded that Jesus be killed on the cross. Their yelling became so loud that


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They wanted Barabbas to go free, the man who was in jail for starting a riot and for murder. Pilate let Barabbas go free and gave Jesus to them to be killed.


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Jesus Is Killed on a Cross The soldiers led Jesus away. At that time, there was a man coming into the city from the fields. His name was Simon, and he was from the city of Cyrene. The soldiers forced Simon to carry Jesus’ cross and walk behind him.


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But Jesus turned and said to them, “Women of Jerusalem, don’t cry for me. Cry for yourselves and for your children too!


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The time is coming when people will say, ‘Happy are the women who cannot have children! Happy are the women who have no babies to nurse.’


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Jesus and the two criminals were taken to a place called the Skull. There the soldiers nailed Jesus to his cross. They also nailed the criminals to their crosses, one beside Jesus on the right and the other beside Jesus on the left.


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Jesus said, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.” The soldiers threw lots to decide who would get his clothes.


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The people stood there watching. The leaders made fun of Jesus. They said, “If he is God’s Chosen One, the Christ, then let him save himself. He saved other people, didn’t he?”


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One of the criminals began to shout insults at Jesus: “Aren’t you the Christ? Then save yourself! And save us too!”


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But the other criminal stopped him. He said, “You should fear God! You are getting the same punishment as he is.


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Many people had gathered there to watch this thing. When they saw what happened, they returned home. They beat their chests because they were so sad.


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Those who were close friends of Jesus were there. Some were women who had followed Jesus from Galilee. They all stood far away from the cross and watched.


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Joseph of Arimathea A man from the Jewish town of Arimathea was there, too. His name was Joseph. He was a good, religious man. He wanted the kingdom of God to come. Joseph was a member of the Jewish council, but he had not agreed when the other leaders decided to kill Jesus.


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So Joseph took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in cloth. Then he put Jesus’ body in a tomb that was cut in a wall of rock. This tomb had never been used before.


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The women who had come from Galilee with Jesus followed Joseph. They saw the tomb and saw inside where the body of Jesus was laid.


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Then the women left to prepare perfumes and spices. On the Sabbath day they rested, as the law of Moses commanded.


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Jesus Rises from Death Very early on the first day of the week, the women came to the tomb where Jesus’ body was laid. They brought the spices they had prepared.


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The women were very afraid; they bowed their heads to the ground. The men said to the women, “Why are you looking for a living person here? This is a place for the dead.


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He said that the Son of Man must be given to evil men, be killed on a cross, and rise from death on the third day.”


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These women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and some other women. The women told the apostles everything that had happened at the tomb.


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But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. He looked in, but he saw only the cloth that Jesus’ body had been wrapped in. Peter went away to be alone, wondering about what had happened.


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On the Road to Emmaus That same day two of Jesus’ followers were going to a town named Emmaus. It is about seven miles from Jerusalem.


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Then he said, “What are these things you are talking about while you walk?” The two followers stopped. Their faces were very sad.


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The one named Cleopas answered, “You must be the only one in Jerusalem who does not know what just happened there.”


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Jesus said to them, “What are you talking about?” The followers said, “It is about Jesus of Nazareth. He was a prophet from God to all the people. He said and did many powerful things.


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Our leaders and the leading priests gave him up to be judged and killed. They nailed him to a cross.


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And today some women among us told us some amazing things. Early this morning they went to the tomb,


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but they did not find his body there. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels. The angels said that Jesus was alive!


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So some of our group went to the tomb, too. They found it just as the women said, but they did not see Jesus.”


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Then Jesus said to them, “You are foolish and slow to realize what is true. You should believe everything the prophets said.


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Then Jesus began to explain everything that had been written about himself in the Scriptures. He started with Moses, and then he talked about what all the prophets had said about him.


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But they begged him, “Stay with us. It is late; it is almost night.” So he went in to stay with them.


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Jesus sat down with them and took some bread. He gave thanks for the food and divided it. Then he gave it to them.


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They said to each other, “When Jesus talked to us on the road, it felt like a fire burning in us. It was exciting when he explained the true meaning of the Scriptures.”


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So the two followers got up at once and went back to Jerusalem. There they found the 11 apostles and others gathered.


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Then the two followers told what had happened on the road. They talked about how they recognized Jesus when he divided the bread.


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Jesus Appears to His Followers While the two followers were telling this, Jesus himself stood among those gathered. He said to them, “Peace be with you.”


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Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me. You can see that I have a living body; a ghost does not have a body like this.”


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The followers were amazed and very happy. They still could not believe it. Jesus said to them, “Do you have any food here?”


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He said to them, “Remember when I was with you before? I said that everything written about me must happen—everything in the law of Moses, the books of the prophets, and the Psalms.”


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He said to them, “It is written that the Christ would be killed and rise from death on the third day.


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You saw these things happen—you are witnesses. You must tell people to change their hearts and lives. If they do this, their sins will be forgiven. You must start at Jerusalem and preach these things in my name to all nations.


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Listen! My Father has promised you something; I will send it to you. But you must stay in Jerusalem until you have received that power from heaven.”


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Jesus Goes Back to Heaven Jesus led his followers out of Jerusalem almost to Bethany. He raised his hands and blessed them.


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Christ Comes to the World Before the world began, there was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.


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He came to tell people about the Light. Through him all people could hear about the Light and believe.


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But some people did accept him. They believed in him. To them he gave the right to become children of God.


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They did not become his children in the human way. They were not born because of the desire or wish of some man. They were born of God.


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The Word became a man and lived among us. We saw his glory—the glory that belongs to the only Son of the Father. The Word was full of grace and truth.


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John told about him. He said, “This is the One I was talking about. I said, ‘The One who comes after me is greater than I am. He was living before me.’”


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No man has ever seen God. But God the only Son is very close to the Father. And the Son has shown us what God is like.


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John Tells People About Jesus The Jews in Jerusalem sent some priests and Levites to John. The Jews sent them to ask, “Who are you?”


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So they asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He answered, “No, I am not Elijah.” Then they asked, “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No, I am not the Prophet.”


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Then they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to tell those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”


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John told them in the words of the prophet Isaiah: “I am the voice of a man calling out in the desert: ‘Make the road straight for the Lord.’”


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They said to John: “You say you are not the Christ. You say you are not Elijah or the Prophet. Then why do you baptize people?”


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This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan River. This is where John was baptizing people.


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The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him. John said, “Look, the Lamb of God. He takes away the sins of the world!


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This is the One I was talking about. I said, ‘A man will come after me, but he is greater than I am, because he was living before me.’


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Even I did not know who he was. But I came baptizing with water so that the people of Israel could know who he is.”


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Then John said, “I did not know who the Christ was. But God sent me to baptize with water. And God told me, ‘You will see the Spirit come down and rest on a man. That man is the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’” John said, “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven. The Spirit looked like a dove and rested on him.


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Jesus turned and saw them following him. He asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” (“Rabbi” means “Teacher.”)


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Jesus answered, “Come with me and you will see.” So the two men went with Jesus. They saw the place where Jesus was staying and stayed there with him that day. It was then about four o’clock.


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These two men followed Jesus after they heard about him from John. One of the men was Andrew. He was Simon Peter’s brother.


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The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother, Simon. He said to Simon, “We have found the Messiah.” (“Messiah” means “Christ.”)


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Then Andrew took Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at Simon and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas.” (“Cephas” means “Peter.”)


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Philip found Nathanael and told him, “Remember that Moses wrote in the law about a man who was coming, and the prophets also wrote about him. We have found him. He is Jesus, the son of Joseph. He is from Nazareth.”


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But Nathanael said to Philip, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip answered, “Come and see.”


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Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him. He said, “Here is truly a person of Israel. There is nothing false in him.”


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Nathanael asked, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you when you were under the fig tree. That was before Philip told you about me.”


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Jesus said to Nathanael, “You believe in me because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. But you will see greater things than that!”


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And Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth. You will all see heaven open. You will see ‘angels of God going up and coming down’ on the Son of Man.”


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The Wedding at Cana Two days later there was a wedding in the town of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there.


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In that place there were six stone water jars. The Jews used jars like these in their washing ceremony. Each jar held about 20 or 30 gallons.


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Then he said to them, “Now take some out and give it to the master of the feast.” So the servants took the water to the master.


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When he tasted it, the water had become wine. He did not know where the wine came from. But the servants who brought the water knew. The master of the wedding called the bridegroom


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and said to him, “People always serve the best wine first. Later, after the guests have been drinking a lot, they serve the cheaper wine. But you have saved the best wine till now.”


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So in Cana of Galilee, Jesus did his first miracle. There he showed his glory, and his followers believed in him.


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Jesus in the Temple Then Jesus went to the town of Capernaum with his mother, brothers and his followers. They all stayed in Capernaum for a few days.


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In the Temple he found men selling cattle, sheep, and doves. He saw others sitting at tables, exchanging money.


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Jesus made a whip out of cords. Then he forced all these men, with the sheep and cattle, to leave the Temple. He turned over the tables and scattered the money of the men who were exchanging it.


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Then he said to those who were selling pigeons, “Take these things out of here! Don’t make my Father’s house a place for buying and selling!”


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When this happened the followers remembered what was written in the Scriptures: “My strong love for your Temple completely controls me.”


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The Jews said to Jesus, “Show us a miracle for a sign. Prove that you have the right to do these things.”


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The Jews answered, “Men worked 46 years to build this Temple! Do you really believe you can build it again in three days?”


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After Jesus was raised from death, his followers remembered that Jesus had said this. Then they believed the Scripture and the words Jesus said.)


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Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. Many people believed in him because they saw the miracles he did.


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Jesus and Nicodemus There was a man named Nicodemus who was one of the Pharisees. He was an important Jewish leader.


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One night Nicodemus came to Jesus. He said, “Teacher, we know that you are a teacher sent from God. No one can do the miracles you do, unless God is with him.”


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Nicodemus said, “But if a man is already old, how can he be born again? He cannot enter his mother’s body again. So how can he be born a second time?”


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But Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth. Unless you are born from water and the Spirit, you cannot enter God’s kingdom.


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A person’s body is born from his human parents. But a person’s spiritual life is born from the Spirit.


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The wind blows where it wants to go. You hear the wind blow. But you don’t know where the wind comes from or where it is going. It is the same with every person who is born from the Spirit.”


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I tell you the truth. We talk about what we know. We tell about what we have seen. But you don’t accept what we tell you.


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I have told you about things here on earth, but you do not believe me. So surely you will not believe me if I tell you about the things of heaven!


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“Moses lifted up the snake in the desert. It is the same with the Son of Man. The Son of Man must be lifted up too.


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“For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son. God gave his Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life.


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God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him.


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He who believes in God’s Son is not judged guilty. He who does not believe has already been judged guilty, because he has not believed in God’s only Son.


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People are judged by this fact: I am the Light from God that has come into the world. But men did not want light. They wanted darkness because they were doing evil things.


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Everyone who does evil hates the light. He will not come to the light because it will show all the evil things he has done.


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But he who follows the true way comes to the light. Then the light will show that the things he has done were done through God.”


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Jesus and John the Baptist After this, Jesus and his followers went into the area of Judea. There Jesus stayed with his followers and baptized people.


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John was also baptizing in Aenon, near Salim, because there was plenty of water there. People were going there to be baptized.


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So they came to John and said, “Teacher, remember the man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you spoke about? He is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”


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You yourselves heard me say, ‘I am not the Christ. I am only the one God sent to prepare the way for him.’


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The bride belongs only to the bridegroom. The friend who helps the bridegroom waits and listens for him. He is glad when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That is the same pleasure I have. And my time of joy is now here.


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The One Who Comes from Heaven “The One who comes from above is greater than all. He who is from the earth belongs to the earth and talks about things on the earth. But the One who comes from heaven is greater than all.


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He who believes in the Son has eternal life. But he who does not obey the Son will never have that life. God’s anger stays with him.”


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Jesus and a Samaritan Woman The Pharisees heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more followers than John.


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(But really Jesus himself did not baptize people. His followers did the baptizing.) Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard about him.


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In Samaria Jesus came to the town called Sychar. This town is near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.


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Jacob’s well was there. Jesus was tired from his long trip. So he sat down beside the well. It was about noon.


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The woman said, “I am surprised that you ask me for a drink. You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan.” (Jews are not friends with Samaritans.)


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Jesus said, “You don’t know what God gives. And you don’t know who asked you for a drink. If you knew, you would have asked me, and I would have given you living water.”


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The woman said, “Sir, where will you get that living water? The well is very deep, and you have nothing to get water with.


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Are you greater than Jacob, our father? Jacob is the one who gave us this well. He drank from it himself. Also, his sons and flocks drank from this well.”


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But whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again. The water I give will become a spring of water flowing inside him. It will give him eternal life.”


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The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water. Then I will never be thirsty again. And I will not have to come back here to get more water.”


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The woman answered, “But I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right to say you have no husband.


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Really you have had five husbands. But the man you live with now is not your husband. You told the truth.”


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Our fathers worshiped on this mountain. But you Jews say that Jerusalem is the place where people must worship.”


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Jesus said, “Believe me, woman. The time is coming when you will not have to be in Jerusalem or on this mountain to worship the Father.


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You Samaritans worship what you don’t understand. We Jews understand what we worship. Salvation comes from the Jews.


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The time is coming when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. That time is now here. And these are the kinds of worshipers the Father wants.


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The woman said, “I know that the Messiah is coming.” (Messiah is the One called Christ.) “When the Messiah comes, he will explain everything to us.”


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Just then his followers came back from town. They were surprised because they saw Jesus talking with a woman. But none of them asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”


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Jesus said, “My food is to do what the One who sent me wants me to do. My food is to finish the work that he gave me to do.


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You say, ‘Four more months to wait before we gather the grain.’ But I tell you, open your eyes. Look at the fields that are ready for harvesting now.


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Even now, the one who harvests the crop is being paid. He is gathering crops for eternal life. So now the one who plants can be happy along with the one who harvests.


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I sent you to harvest a crop that you did not work for. Others did the work, and you get the profit from their work.”


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Many of the Samaritans in that town believed in Jesus. They believed because of what the woman said: “He told me everything I have ever done.”


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They said to the woman, “First we believed in Jesus because of what you told us. But now we believe because we heard him ourselves. We know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”


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When Jesus arrived in Galilee, the people there welcomed him. They had seen all the things he did at the Passover Feast in Jerusalem. They had been at the Passover Feast, too.


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Jesus went to visit Cana in Galilee again. This is where Jesus had changed the water into wine. One of the king’s important officers lived in the city of Capernaum. This man’s son was sick.


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The man heard that Jesus had come from Judea and was now in Galilee. He went to Jesus and begged him to come to Capernaum and heal his son. His son was almost dead.


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The man asked, “What time did my son begin to get well?” They answered, “It was about one o’clock yesterday when the fever left him.”


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The father knew that one o’clock was the exact time that Jesus had said, “Your son will live.” So the man and all the people of his house believed in Jesus.


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In Jerusalem there is a pool with five covered porches. In the Jewish language it is called Bethzatha. This pool is near the Sheep Gate.


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Many sick people were lying on the porches beside the pool. Some were blind, some were crippled, and some were paralyzed [and they waited for the water to move.


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Sometimes an angel of the Lord came down to the pool and stirred up the water. After the angel did this, the first person to go into the pool was healed from any sickness he had].


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Jesus saw the man and knew that he had been sick for a very long time. So Jesus asked him, “Do you want to be well?”


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The sick man answered, “Sir, there is no one to help me get into the pool when the water starts moving. I try to be the first one into the water. But when I try, someone else always goes in before I can.”


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And immediately the man was well. He picked up his mat and began to walk. The day all this happened was a Sabbath day.


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So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “Today is the Sabbath. It is against our law for you to carry your mat on the Sabbath day.”


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But the man who had been healed did not know who it was. There were many people in that place, and Jesus had left.


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Later, Jesus found the man at the Temple. Jesus said to him, “See, you are well now. But stop sinning or something worse may happen to you!”


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Then the man left and went back to the Jews. He told them that Jesus was the one who had made him well.


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This made the Jews try harder to kill him. They said, “First Jesus was breaking the law about the Sabbath day. Then he said that God is his own Father! He is making himself equal with God!”


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Jesus Has God’s Authority But Jesus said, “I tell you the truth. The Son can do nothing alone. The Son does only what he sees his Father doing. The Son does whatever the Father does.


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The Father loves the Son, and the Father shows the Son all the things he himself does. But the Father will show the Son greater things than this to do. Then you will all be amazed.


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The Father raises the dead and gives them life. In the same way, the Son gives life to those he wants to.


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God did this so that all people will respect the Son the same way they respect the Father. He who does not respect the Son does not respect the Father. The Father is the One who sent the Son.


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“I tell you the truth. Whoever hears what I say and believes in the One who sent me has eternal life. He will not be judged guilty. He has already left death and has entered into life.


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I tell you the truth. The time is coming and is already here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God. And those who hear will have life.


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Don’t be surprised at this. A time is coming when all who are dead and in their graves will hear his voice.


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Then they will come out of their graves. Those who did good will rise and have life forever. But those who did evil will rise to be judged guilty.


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Jesus Is God’s Son “I can do nothing alone. I judge only the way I am told, so my judgment is right. I don’t try to please myself. I try to please the One who sent me.


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“But I have a proof about myself that is greater than that of John. The things I do are my proof. These are the things my Father gave me to do. They show that the Father sent me.


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And the Father who sent me has given proof about me himself. You have never heard his voice. You have never seen what he looks like.


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You carefully study the Scriptures because you think that they give you eternal life. Those are the same Scriptures that tell about me!


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I have come from my Father—I speak for him. But you don’t accept me. But when another person comes, speaking only for himself, you will accept him.


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You like to have praise from each other. But you never try to get the praise that comes from the only God. So how can you believe?


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Don’t think that I will stand before the Father and say that you are wrong. Moses is the one who says that you are wrong. And he is the one that you hoped would save you.


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Jesus looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him. He said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread for all these people to eat?”


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Philip answered, “Someone would have to work almost a year to buy enough bread for each person here to have only a little piece.”


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“Here is a boy with five loaves of barley bread and two little fish. But that is not enough for so many people.”


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Jesus said, “Tell the people to sit down.” This was a very grassy place. There were about 5,000 men who sat down there.


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Then Jesus took the loaves of bread. He thanked God for the bread and gave it to the people who were sitting there. He did the same with the fish. He gave them as much as they wanted.


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They all had enough to eat. When they had finished, Jesus said to his followers, “Gather the pieces of fish and bread that were not eaten. Don’t waste anything.”


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So they gathered up the pieces that were left. They filled 12 large baskets with the pieces that were left of the five barley loaves.


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The people saw this miracle that Jesus did. They said, “He must truly be the Prophet who is coming into the world.”


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Jesus knew that the people planned to come and take him by force and make him their king. So he left and went into the hills alone.


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It was dark now and Jesus had not yet come to them. The followers got into a boat and started across the lake to Capernaum.


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They rowed the boat about three or four miles. Then they saw Jesus walking on the water, coming toward the boat. The followers were afraid.


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Then they were glad to take him into the boat. At once the boat came to land at the place where they wanted to go.


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The People Seek Jesus The next day came. Some people had stayed on the other side of the lake. They knew that Jesus had not gone in the boat with his followers but that they had left without him. And they knew that only one boat had been there.


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But then some boats came from Tiberias. They landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.


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The people saw that Jesus and his followers were not there now. So they got into boats and went to Capernaum. They wanted to find Jesus.


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Jesus, the Bread of Life The people found Jesus on the other side of the lake. They asked him, “Teacher, when did you come here?”


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Jesus answered, “Are you looking for me because you saw me do miracles? No! I tell you the truth. You are looking for me because you ate the bread and were satisfied.


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Earthly food spoils and ruins. So don’t work to get that kind of food. But work to get the food that stays good always and gives you eternal life. The Son of Man will give you that food. God the Father has shown that he is with the Son of Man.”


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So the people asked, “What miracle will you do? If we can see a miracle, then we will believe you. What will you do?


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Our ancestors ate the manna in the desert. This is written in the Scriptures: ‘God gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”


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Jesus said, “I tell you the truth. Moses was not the one who gave you bread from heaven. But my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.


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Then Jesus said, “I am the bread that gives life. He who comes to me will never be hungry. He who believes in me will never be thirsty.


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The Father gives me the people who are mine. Every one of them will come to me, and I will always accept them.


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I must not lose even one of those that God has given me, but I must raise them up on the last day. This is what the One who sent me wants me to do.


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Everyone who sees the Son and believes in him has eternal life. I will raise him up on the last day. This is what my Father wants.”


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The Jews began to complain about Jesus. They complained because he said, “I am the bread that comes down from heaven.”


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The Jews said, “This is Jesus. We know his father and mother. He is only Joseph’s son. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”


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The Father is the One who sent me. No one can come to me unless the Father draws him to me. And I will raise him up on the last day.


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It is written in the prophets, ‘God will teach all the people.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.


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I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh. I will give my flesh so that the people in the world may have life.”


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Then the Jews began to argue among themselves. They said, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”


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Jesus said, “I tell you the truth. You must eat the flesh of the Son of Man. And you must drink his blood. If you don’t do this, then you won’t have real life in you.


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The Father sent me. The Father lives, and I live because of the Father. So he who eats me will live because of me.


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I am not like the bread our ancestors ate. They ate that bread, but still they died. I am the bread that came down from heaven. He who eats this bread will live forever.”


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The Words of Eternal Life The followers of Jesus heard this. Many of them said, “This teaching is hard. Who can accept it?”


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Jesus knew that his followers were complaining about this. So he said, “Does this teaching bother you?


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It is not the flesh that gives a person life. It is the spirit that gives life. The words I told you are spirit, and so they give life.


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But some of you don’t believe.” (Jesus knew who did not believe. He knew this from the beginning. And he knew who would turn against him.)


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Jesus said, “That is the reason I said, ‘If the Father does not let a person come to me, then he cannot come.’”


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Jesus was talking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Judas was 1 of the 12. But later he was going to turn against Jesus.


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Jesus and His Brothers After this, Jesus traveled around Galilee. He did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jews there wanted to kill him.


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So Jesus’ brothers said to him, “You should leave here and go to Judea. Then your followers there can see the miracles you do.


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Anyone who wants to be well known does not hide what he does. If you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.”


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So Jesus’ brothers left to go to the feast. When they had gone, Jesus went, too. But he did not let people see him.


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There was a large crowd of people there. Many of them were whispering to each other about Jesus. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others said, “No, he fools the people.”


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Jesus Teaches at the Feast The feast was about half over. Then Jesus went to the Temple and began to teach.


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If anyone chooses to do what God wants, then he will know that my teaching comes from God. He will know that this teaching is not my own.


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He who teaches his own ideas is trying to get honor for himself. But he who tries to bring honor to the one who sent him—that person speaks the truth. There is nothing false in him.


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Moses gave you the law about circumcision. (But really Moses did not give you circumcision. Circumcision came from our ancestors.) And yet you circumcise a baby boy on a Sabbath day.


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This shows that a baby boy can be circumcised on a Sabbath day to obey the law of Moses. So why are you angry at me for healing a person’s whole body on the Sabbath day?


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Is Jesus the Christ? Then some of the people who lived in Jerusalem said, “This is the man they are trying to kill.


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But he is teaching where everyone can see and hear him. And no one is trying to stop him. Maybe the leaders have decided that he really is the Christ.


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But we know where this man is from. Yet when the real Christ comes, no one will know where he comes from.”


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Jesus was still teaching in the Temple. He cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. But I have not come by my own authority. I was sent by the One who is true. You don’t know him.


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When Jesus said this, they tried to seize him. But no one was able to touch him. It was not yet the right time.


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But many of the people believed in Jesus. They said, “When the Christ comes, will he do more miracles than this man has done?”


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Some Leaders Try to Arrest Jesus The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Jesus. So the leading priests and the Pharisees sent some Temple guards to arrest him.


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Then Jesus said, “I will be with you a little while longer. Then I will go back to the One who sent me.


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The Jews said to each other, “Where will this man go so we cannot find him? Will he go to the Greek cities where our people live? Will he teach the Greek people there?


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This man says, ‘You will look for me but you will not find me.’ He also says, ‘You cannot come where I am.’ What does this mean?”


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Jesus Talks About the Spirit The last day of the feast came. It was the most important day. On that day Jesus stood up and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.


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If a person believes in me, rivers of living water will flow out from his heart. This is what the Scripture says.”


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Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit. The Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been raised to glory. But later, those who believed in Jesus would receive the Spirit.


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The People Argue About Jesus The people heard these things that Jesus said. Some of them said, “This man really is the Prophet.”


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The Scripture says that the Christ will come from David’s family. And the Scripture says that the Christ will come from Bethlehem, the town where David lived.”


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The Leaders Won’t Believe The Temple guards went back to the leading priests and the Pharisees. The priests and the Pharisees asked, “Why didn’t you bring Jesus?”


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But Nicodemus was there in that group. He was the one who had gone to see Jesus before. Nicodemus said,


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“Our law does not judge a man without hearing him. We cannot judge him until we know what he has done.”


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They answered, “Are you from Galilee too? Study the Scriptures. You will learn that no prophet comes from Galilee.”


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But early in the morning he went back to the Temple. All the people came to Jesus, and he sat and taught them.


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The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought a woman there. She had been caught in adultery. They forced the woman to stand before the people.


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They said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught having physical relations with a man who is not her husband.


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The law of Moses commands that we kill with stones every woman who does this. What do you say we should do?”


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They were asking this to trick Jesus so that they could have some charge against him. But Jesus knelt down and started writing on the ground with his finger.


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They continued to ask Jesus their question. So he stood up and said, “Is there anyone here who has never sinned? The person without sin can throw the first stone at this woman.”


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Those who heard Jesus began to leave one by one. The older men left first, and then the others. Jesus was left there alone with the woman. She was standing before him.


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Jesus stood up again and asked her, “Woman, all of those people have gone. Has no one judged you guilty?”


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She answered, “No one has judged me, sir.” Then Jesus said, “So I also don’t judge you. You may go now, but don’t sin again.”


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Jesus Is the Light of the World Later, Jesus talked to the people again. He said, “I am the light of the world. The person who follows me will never live in darkness. He will have the light that gives life.”


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But the Pharisees said to Jesus, “When you talk about yourself, you are the only one to say these things are true. We cannot accept these things you say.”


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Jesus answered, “Yes, I am saying these things about myself, but they are true. I know where I came from. And I know where I am going. You don’t know where I came from or where I am going.


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But if I judge, I judge truthfully. When I judge, I am not alone. The Father who sent me is with me.


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They asked, “Where is your father?” Jesus answered, “You don’t know me or my Father. But if you knew me, then you would know my Father, too.”


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Jesus said these things while he was teaching in the Temple. He was near the place where the money that the people give is kept. But no one arrested him. The right time for Jesus had not yet come.


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The People Misunderstand Jesus Again, Jesus said to the people, “I will leave you. You will look for me, but you will die in your sins. You cannot come where I am going.”


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But Jesus said, “You people are from here below. But I am from above. You belong to this world, but I don’t belong to this world.


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So I told you that you would die in your sins. Yes, you will die in your sins if you don’t believe that I am he.”


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I have many things to say about you and to judge you for. But I tell people only the things I have heard from the One who sent me. And he speaks the truth.”


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So Jesus said to them, “You will lift up the Son of Man. Then you will know that I am he. You will know that these things I do are not by my own authority. You will know that I say only what the Father has taught me.


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Freedom from Sin So Jesus said to the Jews who believed in him, “If you continue to obey my teaching, you are truly my followers.


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They answered, “We are Abraham’s children. And we have never been slaves. So why do you say that we will be free?”


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They answered, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said, “If you were really Abraham’s children, you would do the things that Abraham did.


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I am a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. But you are trying to kill me. Abraham did nothing like that.


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So you are doing the things that your own father did.” But they said, “We are not like children who never knew who their father was. God is our Father. He is the only Father we have.”


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Jesus said to them, “If God were really your Father, you would love me. I came from God and now I am here. I did not come by my own authority. God sent me.


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Your father is the devil. You belong to him and want to do what he wants. He was a murderer from the beginning. He was against the truth, for there is no truth in him. He is a liar, and he is like the lies he tells. He is the father of lies.


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He who belongs to God accepts what God says. But you don’t accept what God says, because you don’t belong to God.”


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Jesus and Abraham The Jews answered, “We say you are a Samaritan! We say a demon has come into you. Are we not right?”


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I am not trying to get honor for myself. There is One who wants this honor for me, and he is the judge.


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The Jews said to Jesus, “Now we know that you have a demon in you! Even Abraham and the prophets died. But you say, ‘Whoever obeys my teaching will never die.’


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Do you think that you are greater than our father Abraham? Abraham died. And the prophets died, too. Who do you think you are?”


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Jesus answered, “If I give honor to myself, that honor is worth nothing. The One who gives me honor is my Father. And you say that he is your God.


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But you don’t really know him. I know him. If I said I did not know him, then I would be a liar as you are liars. But I do know him, and I obey what he says.


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When Jesus said this, the people picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus hid himself, and then he left the Temple.


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His followers asked him, “Teacher, whose sin caused this man to be born blind—his own sin or his parents’ sin?”


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Jesus answered, “It is not this man’s sin or his parents’ sin that made him blind. This man was born blind so that God’s power could be shown in him.


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While it is daytime, we must continue doing the work of the One who sent me. The night is coming. And no one can work at night.


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After Jesus said this, he spit on the ground and made some mud with it. He put the mud on the man’s eyes.


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Then he told the man, “Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam.” (Siloam means Sent.) So the man went to the pool. He washed and came back. And he was able to see.


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Some people had seen this man begging before. They and the man’s neighbors said, “Look! Is this the same man who always sits and begs?”


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Some said, “Yes! He is the one.” But others said, “No, he’s not the same man. He only looks like him.” So the man himself said, “I am the man.”


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He answered, “The man named Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. Then he told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed and came back seeing.”


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So now the Pharisees asked the man, “How did you get your sight?” He answered, “He put mud on my eyes. I washed, and now I can see.”


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Some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man does not keep the Sabbath day. He is not from God!” Others said, “But a man who is a sinner can’t do miracles like these.” So they could not agree with each other.


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They asked the man again, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man answered, “He is a prophet.”


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The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and could now see again. So they sent for the man’s parents


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But we don’t know how he can see now. We don’t know who opened his eyes. Ask him. He is old enough to answer for himself.”


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His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews. The Jews had already decided that anyone who said that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue.


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So for the second time, they called the man who had been blind. They said, “You should give God the glory by telling the truth. We know that this man is a sinner.”


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He answered, “I don’t know if he is a sinner. But one thing I do know. I was blind, and now I can see.”


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He answered, “I have already told you that. But you would not listen to me. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his followers, too?”


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The man answered, “This is a very strange thing. You don’t know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.


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We all know that God does not listen to sinners. But God listens to anyone who worships and obeys him.


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Spiritual Blindness Jesus heard that they had thrown him out. So Jesus found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”


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Jesus said, “I came into this world so that the world could be judged. I came so that the blind could see and so that those who see will become blind.”


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Some of the Pharisees were near Jesus. When they heard him say this, they asked, “What? Are you saying that we are blind, too?”


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Jesus said, “If you were really blind, you would not be guilty of sin. But now that you say you can see, your guilt remains.”


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The Shepherd and His Sheep Jesus said, “I tell you the truth. The man who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber.


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The man who guards the door opens it for him. And the sheep listen to the voice of the shepherd. He calls his own sheep, using their names, and he leads them out.


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He brings all of his sheep out. Then he goes ahead of them and leads them. They follow him because they know his voice.


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But they will never follow a stranger. They will run away from him because they don’t know his voice.”


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I am the door. The person who enters through me will be saved. He will be able to come in and go out and find pasture.


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The worker who is paid to keep the sheep is different from the shepherd who owns them. So when the worker sees a wolf coming, he runs away and leaves the sheep alone. Then the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them.


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I have other sheep that are not in this flock here. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd.


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No one takes it away from me. I give my own life freely. I have the right to give my life, and I have the right to take it back. This is what my Father commanded me to do.”


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But others said, “A man who is crazy with a demon does not say things like this. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”


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The Jews gathered around him and said, “How long will you make us wonder about you? If you are the Christ, then tell us plainly.”


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Jesus Is the Son of God Jesus answered, “I told you already, but you did not believe. I do miracles in my Father’s name. Those miracles show who I am.


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My Father gave my sheep to me. He is greater than all, and no person can steal my sheep out of my Father’s hand.


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But Jesus said to them, “I have done many good works from the Father. Which of these good works are you killing me for?”


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The Jews answered, “We are not killing you for any good work you did. But you say things that are against God. You are only a man, but you say you are the same as God!”


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This Scripture called those people gods, the people who received God’s message. And Scripture is always true.


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So why do you say that I speak against God because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? I am the one God chose and sent into the world.


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But if I do what my Father does, even though you don’t believe in me, believe what I do. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”


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Then Jesus went back across the Jordan River to the place where John had first baptized. Jesus stayed there,


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and many people came to him. They said, “John never did a miracle. But everything John said about this man is true.”


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The Death of Lazarus There was a man named Lazarus who was sick. He lived in the town of Bethany, where Mary and her sister Martha lived.


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Mary is the woman who later put perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. Mary’s brother was Lazarus, the man who was now sick.


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When Jesus heard this he said, “This sickness will not end in death. It is for the glory of God. This has happened to bring glory to the Son of God.”


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The followers said, “But Teacher, the Jews there tried to kill you with stones. That was only a short time ago. Now you want to go back there?”


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Jesus answered, “Are there not 12 hours in the day? If anyone walks in the daylight, he will not stumble because he can see by this world’s light.


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After Jesus said this, he added, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. But I am going there to wake him.”


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Jesus meant that Lazarus was dead. But Jesus’ followers thought that he meant Lazarus was really sleeping.


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And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there so that you may believe. But let us go to him now.”


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Then Thomas (the one called Didymus) said to the other followers, “Let us go, too. We will die with him.”


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Jesus in Bethany Jesus arrived in Bethany. There he learned that Lazarus had already been dead and in the tomb for four days.


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Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will have life even if he dies.


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Martha answered, “Yes, Lord. I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God. You are the One who was coming to the world.”


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Jesus Cries After Martha said this, she went back to her sister Mary. She talked to Mary alone. Martha said, “The Teacher is here and he is asking for you.”


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The Jews were with Mary in the house, comforting her. They saw Mary stand and leave quickly. They followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb to cry there.


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But Mary went to the place where Jesus was. When she saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”


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Jesus saw that Mary was crying and that the Jews who came with her were crying, too. Jesus felt very sad in his heart and was deeply troubled.


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But some of them said, “If Jesus healed the eyes of the blind man, why didn’t he keep Lazarus from dying?”


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Jesus Raises Lazarus Again Jesus felt very sad in his heart. He came to the tomb. The tomb was a cave with a large stone covering the entrance.


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Jesus said, “Move the stone away.” Martha said, “But, Lord, it has been four days since he died. There will be a bad smell.” Martha was the sister of the dead man.


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So they moved the stone away from the entrance. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you heard me.


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I know that you always hear me. But I said these things because of the people here around me. I want them to believe that you sent me.”


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The dead man came out. His hands and feet were wrapped with pieces of cloth, and he had a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take the cloth off of him and let him go.”


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The Leaders Plan to Kill Jesus There were many Jews who had come to visit Mary. They saw what Jesus did. And many of them believed in him.


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Then the leading priests and Pharisees called a meeting of the Jewish council. They asked, “What should we do? This man is doing many miracles.


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If we let him continue doing these things, everyone will believe in him. Then the Romans will come and take away our Temple and our nation.”


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One of the men there was Caiaphas. He was the high priest that year. Caiaphas said, “You people know nothing!


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It is better for one man to die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed. But you don’t realize this.”


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Caiaphas did not think of this himself. He was high priest that year. So he was really prophesying that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation


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So Jesus no longer traveled openly among the Jews. He left there and went to a place near the desert. He went to a town called Ephraim and stayed there with his followers.


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It was almost time for the Jewish Passover Feast. Many from the country went up to Jerusalem before the Passover. They went to do the special things to make themselves pure.


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The people looked for Jesus. They stood in the Temple and were asking each other, “Is he coming to the Feast? What do you think?”


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But the leading priests and the Pharisees had given orders about Jesus. They said that if anyone knew where Jesus was, he must tell them. Then they could arrest Jesus.


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Jesus with Friends in Bethany Six days before the Passover Feast, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus lived. (Lazarus is the man Jesus raised from death.)


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There they had a dinner for Jesus. Martha served the food. Lazarus was one of the people eating with Jesus.


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Mary brought in a pint of very expensive perfume made from pure nard. She poured the perfume on Jesus’ feet, and then she wiped his feet with her hair. And the sweet smell from the perfume filled the whole house.


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Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ followers, was there. (He was the one who would later turn against Jesus.) Judas said,


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“This perfume was worth an entire year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.”


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But Judas did not really care about the poor. He said this because he was a thief. He was the one who kept the money box, and he often stole money from it.


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Jesus answered, “Let her alone. It was right for her to save this perfume for today—the day for me to be prepared for burial.


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The Plot Against Lazarus A large crowd of Jews heard that Jesus was in Bethany. So they went there to see not only Jesus but also Lazarus. Lazarus was the one Jesus raised from death.


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Jesus Enters Jerusalem The next day a great crowd in Jerusalem heard that Jesus was coming there. These were the people who had come to the Passover Feast.


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They took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Jesus. They shouted, “Praise God! God bless the One who comes in the name of the Lord! God bless the King of Israel!”


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The followers of Jesus did not understand this at first. But after Jesus was raised to glory, they remembered that this had been written about him. And they remembered that they had done these things to him.


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People Tell About Jesus There had been many people with Jesus when he raised Lazarus from death and told him to come out of the tomb. Now they were telling others about what Jesus did.


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So the Pharisees said to each other, “You can see that nothing is going right for us. Look! The whole world is following him.”


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Jesus Talks About His Death There were some Greek people, too, who came to Jerusalem to worship at the Passover Feast.


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They went to Philip. (Philip was from Bethsaida, in Galilee.) They said, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”


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I tell you the truth. A grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die. Then it makes many seeds. But if it never dies, it remains only a single seed.


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The person who loves his life will give up true life. But the person who hates his life in this world will keep true life forever.


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Whoever serves me must follow me. Then my servant will be with me everywhere I am. My Father will honor anyone who serves me.


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“Now I am very troubled. What should I say? Should I say, ‘Father, save me from this time’? No, I came to this time so that I could suffer.


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Father, bring glory to your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have brought glory to it, and I will do it again.”


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The crowd standing there heard the voice. They said it was thunder. But others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”


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The crowd said, “We have heard from the law that the Christ will live forever. So why do you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”


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Then Jesus said, “The light will be with you for a little longer. So walk while you have the light. Then the darkness will not catch you. He who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.


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So believe in the light while you still have it. Then you will become sons of light.” When Jesus had said this, he left and hid himself from them.


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Some Don’t Believe in Jesus Though Jesus had done many miracles before the people, they still did not believe in him.


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This was to make clear the full meaning of what Isaiah the prophet said: “Lord, who believed the things we told them? Who has seen the Lord’s power?”


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“He has blinded their eyes. He has closed their minds. This is so that they will not see with their eyes nor understand in their minds. This is so they will not come back to me and be forgiven.”


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But many people believed in Jesus, even many of the leaders. But because of the Pharisees, they did not say that they believed in him. They were afraid that they would be put out of the synagogue.


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I have come as light into the world. I came so that whoever believes in me would not stay in darkness.


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“If anyone hears my words and does not obey them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.


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There is a judge for the one who refuses to believe in me and does not accept my words. The word I have taught will be his judge on the last day.


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The things I taught were not from myself. The Father who sent me told me what to say and what to teach.


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And I know that eternal life comes from what the Father commands. So whatever I say is what the Father told me to say.”


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Jesus Washes His Followers’ Feet It was almost time for the Jewish Passover Feast. Jesus knew that it was time for him to leave this world and go back to the Father. He had always loved those who were his own in the world, and he loved them all the way to the end.


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Jesus and his followers were at the evening meal. The devil had already persuaded Judas Iscariot to turn against Jesus. (Judas was the son of Simon.)


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Jesus knew that the Father had given him power over everything. He also knew that he had come from God and was going back to God.


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So during the meal Jesus stood up and took off his outer clothing. Taking a towel, he wrapped it around his waist.


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Then he poured water into a bowl and began to wash the followers’ feet. He dried them with the towel that was wrapped around him.


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Peter said, “No! You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “If I don’t wash your feet, then you are not one of my people.”


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Jesus said, “After a person has had a bath, his whole body is clean. He needs only to wash his feet. And you men are clean, but not all of you.”


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When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and sat down again. Jesus asked, “Do you understand what I have just done for you?


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I tell you the truth. A servant is not greater than his master. A messenger is not greater than the one who sent him.


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“I am not talking about all of you. I know those I have chosen. But what the Scripture said must happen: ‘The man who ate at my table has now turned against me.’


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I tell you the truth. Whoever accepts anyone I send also accepts me. And whoever accepts me also accepts the One who sent me.”


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Jesus Talks About His Death After Jesus said this, he was very troubled. He said openly, “I tell you the truth. One of you will turn against me.”


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Jesus answered, “I will dip this bread into the dish. The man I give it to is the man who will turn against me.” So Jesus took a piece of bread. He dipped it and gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.


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As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered him. Jesus said to Judas, “The thing that you will do—do it quickly!”


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He was the one who kept the money box. So some of the followers thought that Jesus was telling Judas to buy what was needed for the feast. Or they thought that Jesus wanted Judas to give something to the poor.


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When Judas was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man receives his glory. And God receives glory through him.


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If God receives glory through him, then God will give glory to the Son through himself. And God will give him glory quickly.”


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Jesus said, “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me. And what I told the Jews, I tell you now: Where I am going you cannot come.


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Peter Will Say He Doesn’t Know Jesus Simon Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going you cannot follow now. But you will follow later.”


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Jesus answered, “Will you really die for me? I tell you the truth. Before the rooster crows, you will say three times that you don’t know me.”


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Jesus Comforts His Followers Jesus said, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God. And trust in me.


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There are many rooms in my Father’s house. I would not tell you this if it were not true. I am going there to prepare a place for you.


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After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back. Then I will take you to be with me so that you may be where I am.


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Jesus answered, “I am the way. And I am the truth and the life. The only way to the Father is through me.


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If you really knew me, then you would know my Father, too. But now you do know him, and you have seen him.”


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Jesus answered, “I have been with you a long time now. Do you still not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father. So why do you say, ‘Show us the Father’?


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Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I say to you don’t come from me. The Father lives in me, and he is doing his own work.


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Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or believe because of the miracles I have done.


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I tell you the truth. He who believes in me will do the same things that I do. He will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father.


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And if you ask for anything in my name, I will do it for you. Then the Father’s glory will be shown through the Son.


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I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper. He will give you this Helper to be with you forever.


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The Helper is the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him because it does not see him or know him. But you know him. He lives with you and he will be in you.


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In a little while the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live, too.


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He who knows my commands and obeys them is the one who loves me. And my Father will love him who loves me. I will love him and will show myself to him.”


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Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you plan to show yourself to us, but not to the world?”


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Jesus answered, “If anyone loves me, then he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.


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He who does not love me does not obey my teaching. This teaching that you hear is not really mine. It is from my Father, who sent me.


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But the Helper will teach you everything. He will cause you to remember all the things I told you. This Helper is the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name.


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“I leave you peace. My peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world does. So don’t let your hearts be troubled. Don’t be afraid.


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You heard me say to you, ‘I am going, but I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you should be happy that I am going back to the Father because he is greater than I am.


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But the world must know that I love the Father. So I do exactly what the Father told me to do. “Come now, let us go.


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He cuts off every branch of mine that does not produce fruit. And he trims and cleans every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce even more fruit.


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Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can produce fruit alone. It must remain in the vine. It is the same with you. You cannot produce fruit alone. You must remain in me.


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“I am the vine, and you are the branches. If a person remains in me and I remain in him, then he produces much fruit. But without me he can do nothing.


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If anyone does not remain in me, then he is like a branch that is thrown away. That branch dies. People pick up dead branches, throw them into the fire, and burn them.


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Remain in me and follow my teachings. If you do this, then you can ask for anything you want, and it will be given to you.


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I have obeyed my Father’s commands, and I remain in his love. In the same way, if you obey my commands, you will remain in my love.


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I have told you these things so that you can have the same joy I have. I want your joy to be the fullest joy.


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I don’t call you servants now. A servant does not know what his master is doing. But now I call you friends because I have made known to you everything I heard from my Father.


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You did not choose me; I chose you. And I gave you this work, to go and produce fruit. I want you to produce fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you anything you ask for in my name.


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If you belonged to the world, then it would love you as it loves its own. But I have chosen you out of the world. So you don’t belong to it. That is why the world hates you.


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Remember what I told you: A servant is not greater than his master. If people did wrong to me, they will do wrong to you, too. And if they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours, too.


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If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin.


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I did works among them that no one else has ever done. If I had not done those works, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen what I did, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.


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But this happened so that what is written in their law would be true: ‘They hated me for no reason.’


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“I will send you the Helper from the Father. He is the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father. When he comes, he will tell about me.


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People will put you out of their synagogues. Yes, the time is coming when whoever kills you will think that he is offering service to God.


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I have told you these things now. So when the time comes, you will remember that I warned you. The Work of the Holy Spirit “I did not tell you these things at the beginning, because I was with you then.


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But I tell you the truth. It is better for you that I go away. When I go away I will send the Helper to you. If I do not go away, then the Helper will not come.


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When the Helper comes, he will prove to the people of the world the truth about sin, about being right with God, and about judgment.


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He will prove to them that I am right with God, because I am going to the Father. You will not see me anymore.


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And the Helper will prove to them the truth about judgment, because the ruler of this world is already judged.


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But when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you into all truth. He will not speak his own words. He will speak only what he hears and will tell you what is to come.


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All that the Father has is mine. That is why I said that the Spirit will take what I have to say and tell it to you.


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Sadness Will Become Happiness “After a little while you will not see me. And then after a little while you will see me again.”


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Some of the followers said to each other, “What does Jesus mean when he says, ‘After a little while you will not see me, and then after a little while you will see me again’? And what does he mean when he says, ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”


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Jesus saw that the followers wanted to ask him about this. So Jesus said to the followers, “Are you asking each other what I meant when I said, ‘After a little while you will not see me. And then after a little while you will see me again’?


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I tell you the truth. You will cry and be sad, but the world will be happy. You will be sad, but your sadness will become joy.


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When a woman gives birth to a baby, she has pain, because her time has come. But when her baby is born, she forgets the pain. She forgets because she is so happy that a child has been born into the world.


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It is the same with you. Now you are sad. But I will see you again and you will be happy. And no one will take away your joy.


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In that day you will not ask me for anything. I tell you the truth. My Father will give you anything you ask for in my name.


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You have never asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive. And your joy will be the fullest joy.


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Victory over the World “I have told you these things, using words that hide the meaning. But the time will come when I will not use words like that to tell you things. I will speak to you in plain words about the Father.


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In that day you will ask the Father for things in my name. I am saying that I will not need to ask the Father for you.


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No! The Father himself loves you. He loves you because you have loved me. And he loves you because you have believed that I came from God.


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Then the followers of Jesus said, “You are speaking clearly to us now. You are not using words that are hard to understand.


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We can see now that you know all things. You can answer a person’s question even before he asks it. This makes us believe that you came from God.”


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Listen to me. A time is coming when you will be scattered. Each of you will be scattered to your own home. That time is now here. You will leave me. I will be alone. But I am never really alone. Why? Because the Father is with me.


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“I told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have trouble. But be brave! I have defeated the world!”


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Jesus Prays for His Followers After Jesus said these things he looked toward heaven. Jesus prayed, “Father, the time has come. Give glory to your Son so that the Son can give glory to you.


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You gave the Son power over all people so that the Son could give eternal life to all those people you have given to him.


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And this is eternal life: that men can know you, the only true God, and that men can know Jesus Christ, the One you sent.


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And now, Father, give me glory with you. Give me the glory I had with you before the world was made.


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“You gave me some men from the world. I have shown them what you are like. Those men belonged to you, and you gave them to me. They have obeyed your teaching.


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I gave these men the teachings that you gave me. They accepted those teachings. They know that I truly came from you.


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I pray for them now. I am not praying for the people in the world. But I am praying for those men you gave me, because they are yours.


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Now I am coming to you. I will not stay in the world now. But these men are still in the world. Holy Father, keep them safe. Keep them safe by the power of your name (the name you gave me), so that they will be one, the same as you and I are one.


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While I was with them, I kept them safe. I kept them safe by the power of your name—the name you gave me. I protected them. And only one of them, the one who is going to hell, was lost. He was lost so that what was said in the Scripture would happen.


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“I am coming to you now. But I pray these things while I am still in the world. I say these things so that these men can have my joy. I want them to have all of my joy.


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I have given them your teaching. And the world has hated them. The world hated these men, because they don’t belong to the world, the same as I don’t belong to the world.


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I am not asking you to take them out of the world. But I am asking that you keep them safe from the Evil One.


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I am making myself ready to serve. I do this for them so that they can truly be ready for your service.


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“I pray for these men. But I am also praying for all people who will believe in me because of the teaching of these men.


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Father, I pray that all people who believe in me can be one. You are in me and I am in you. I pray that these people can also be one in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me.


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I have given these people the glory that you gave me. I gave them this glory so that they can be one, the same as you and I are one.


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I will be in them and you will be in me. So they will be completely one. Then the world will know that you sent me. And the world will know that you loved these people the same as you loved me.


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“Father, I want these people that you have given me to be with me in every place I am. I want them to see my glory. This is the glory you gave me because you loved me before the world was made.


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Father, you are the One who is good. The world does not know you, but I know you. And these people know that you sent me.


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I showed them what you are like. And again I will show them what you are like. Then they will have the same love that you have for me. And I will live in them.”


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Jesus Is Arrested When Jesus finished praying, he left with his followers. They went across the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden of olive trees. Jesus and his followers went there.


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Judas knew where this place was, because Jesus met there often with his followers. Judas was the one who turned against Jesus.


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So Judas led a group of soldiers to the garden. Judas also brought some guards from the leading priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns, and weapons.


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Jesus knew everything that would happen to him. Jesus went out and asked, “Who is it you are looking for?”


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The men answered, “Jesus from Nazareth.” Jesus said, “I am Jesus.” (Judas, the one who turned against Jesus, was standing there with them.)


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This happened so that the words Jesus said before might come true: “I have not lost any of the men you gave me.”


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Simon Peter had a sword. He took out the sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)


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Jesus Is Brought Before Annas Then the soldiers with their commander and the Jewish guards arrested Jesus. They tied him


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Caiaphas was the one who had told the Jews that it would be better if one man died for all the people.


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Peter Says He Doesn’t Know Jesus Simon Peter and another one of Jesus’ followers went along after Jesus. This follower knew the high priest. So he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard.


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But Peter waited outside near the door. The follower who knew the high priest came back outside. He spoke to the girl at the door and brought Peter inside.


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The girl at the door said to Peter, “Aren’t you also one of that man’s followers?” Peter answered, “No, I am not!”


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It was cold, so the servants and guards had built a fire. They were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter was standing with them, warming himself.


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The High Priest Questions Jesus The high priest asked Jesus questions about his followers and his teaching.


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Jesus answered, “I have spoken openly to everyone. I have always taught in synagogues and in the Temple, where all the Jews come together. I never said anything in secret.


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When Jesus said this, one of the guards standing there hit him. The guard said, “Is that the way you answer the high priest?”


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Jesus answered him, “If I said something wrong, then say what was wrong. But if what I said is true, why do you hit me?”


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Peter Says Again He Doesn’t Know Jesus Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to him, “Aren’t you one of that man’s followers?” Peter denied it and said, “No, I am not.”


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One of the servants of the high priest was there. This servant was a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off. The servant said, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?”


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Jesus Is Brought Before Pilate Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas’ house to the Roman governor’s palace. It was early in the morning. The Jews would not go inside the palace. They did not want to make themselves unclean, because they wanted to eat the Passover meal.


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Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” They answered, “But we are not allowed to put anyone to death.”


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Then Pilate went back inside the palace. He called Jesus to him and asked, “Are you the king of the Jews?”


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Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew. It was your own people and their leading priests who brought you before me. What have you done wrong?”


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Jesus said, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If it belonged to this world, my servants would have fought to keep me from being given over to the Jewish leaders. But my kingdom is from another place.”


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Pilate said, “So you are a king!” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. That is true. I was born for this: to tell people about the truth. That is why I came into the world. And everyone who belongs to the truth listens to me.”


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Pilate said, “What is truth?” After he said this, he went out to the Jews again. He said to them, “I can find nothing to charge against this man.


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But it is your custom that I free one prisoner to you at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to free this ‘king of the Jews’?”


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The soldiers used some thorny branches to make a crown. They put this crown on Jesus’ head and put a purple robe around him.


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Again Pilate came out and said to them, “Look! I am bringing Jesus out to you. I want you to know that I find nothing I can charge against him.”


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Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is the man!”


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When the leading priests and the guards saw Jesus they shouted, “Kill him on a cross! Kill him on a cross!” But Pilate answered, “Take him and nail him to a cross yourselves. I find nothing I can charge against him.”


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Pilate said, “You refuse to speak to me? Don’t you know that I have power to set you free and power to have you killed on a cross?”


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Jesus answered, “The only power you have over me is the power given to you by God. The man who gave me to you is guilty of a greater sin.”


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After this, Pilate tried to let Jesus go free. But the Jews cried out, “Anyone who makes himself king is against Caesar. If you let this man go free, you are not Caesar’s friend.”


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Pilate heard what the Jews were saying. So he brought Jesus out to the place called The Stone Pavement. (In the Jewish language the name is Gabbatha.) Pilate sat down on the judge’s seat there.


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It was about six o’clock in the morning on Preparation Day of Passover week. Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your king!”


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They shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Kill him on a cross!” Pilate asked them, “Do you want me to kill your king on a cross?” The leading priests answered, “The only king we have is Caesar!”


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So Pilate gave Jesus to them to be killed on a cross. Jesus Is Killed on a Cross The soldiers took charge of Jesus.


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Carrying his own cross, Jesus went out to a place called The Place of the Skull. (In the Jewish language this place is called Golgotha.)


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There they nailed Jesus to the cross. They also put two other men on crosses, one on each side of Jesus with Jesus in the middle.


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The sign was written in the Jewish language, in Latin, and in Greek. Many of the Jews read the sign, because this place where Jesus was killed was near the city.


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The leading Jewish priests said to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews.’ But write, ‘This man said, I am the King of the Jews.’”


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After the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross, they took his clothes. They divided them into four parts. Each soldier got one part. They also took his long shirt. It was all one piece of cloth, woven from top to bottom.


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So the soldiers said to each other, “We should not tear this into parts. We should throw lots to see who will get it.” This happened to give full meaning to the Scripture: “They divided my clothes among them. And they threw lots for my clothing.” So the soldiers did this.


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Jesus’ mother stood near his cross. His mother’s sister was also standing there, with Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.


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Jesus saw his mother. He also saw the follower he loved standing there. He said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son.”


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Then he said to the follower, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this follower took her to live in his home.


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Jesus Dies After this, Jesus knew that everything had been done. To make the Scripture come true, he said, “I am thirsty.”


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There was a jar full of vinegar there, so the soldiers soaked a sponge in it. Then they put the sponge on a branch of a hyssop plant and lifted it to Jesus’ mouth.


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This day was Preparation Day. The next day was a special Sabbath day. The Jews did not want the bodies to stay on the cross on the Sabbath day. So they asked Pilate to order that the legs of the men be broken and the bodies be taken away.


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So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man on the cross beside Jesus. Then they broke the legs of the man on the other cross beside Jesus.


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But when the soldiers came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead. So they did not break his legs.


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(The one who saw this happen has told about it. The things he says are true. He knows that he tells the truth. He told about it so that you also can believe.)


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Jesus Is Buried Later, a man named Joseph from Arimathea asked Pilate if he could take the body of Jesus. (Joseph was a secret follower of Jesus, because he was afraid of the Jews.) Pilate gave his permission. So Joseph came and took Jesus’ body away.


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Nicodemus went with Joseph. Nicodemus was the man who earlier had come to Jesus at night. He brought about 75 pounds of spices. This was a mixture of myrrh and aloes.


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These two men took Jesus’ body and wrapped it with the spices in pieces of linen cloth. (This is how the Jews bury people.)


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In the place where Jesus was killed, there was a garden. In the garden was a new tomb where no one had ever been buried.


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The men laid Jesus in that tomb because it was near, and the Jews were preparing to start their Sabbath day.


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Jesus’ Tomb Is Empty Early on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. It was still dark. Mary saw that the large stone had been moved away from the tomb.


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So Mary ran to Simon Peter and the other follower (the one Jesus loved). Mary said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb. We don’t know where they have put him.”


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They were both running, but the other follower ran faster than Peter. So the other follower reached the tomb first.


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He also saw the cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up and laid in a different place from the strips of linen.


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But Mary stood outside the tomb, crying. While she was still crying, she bent down and looked inside the tomb.


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She saw two angels dressed in white. They were sitting where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and one at the feet.


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They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” She answered, “They have taken away my Lord. I don’t know where they have put him.”


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When Mary said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But she did not know that it was Jesus.


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Jesus asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Whom are you looking for?” Mary thought he was the gardener. So she said to him, “Did you take him away, sir? Tell me where you put him, and I will get him.”


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Jesus said to her, “Mary.” Mary turned toward Jesus and said in the Jewish language, “Rabboni.” (This means Teacher.)


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Jesus said to her, “Don’t hold me. I have not yet gone up to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them this: ‘I am going back to my Father and your Father. I am going back to my God and your God.’”


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Mary Magdalene went and said to the followers, “I saw the Lord!” And she told them what Jesus had said to her.


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Jesus Appears to His Followers It was the first day of the week. That evening Jesus’ followers were together. The doors were locked, because they were afraid of the Jews. Then Jesus came and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you!”


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After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. His followers were very happy when they saw the Lord.


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If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven. If you don’t forgive them, they are not forgiven.”


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Jesus Appears to Thomas Thomas (called Didymus) was not with the followers when Jesus came. Thomas was 1 of the 12.


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The other followers told Thomas, “We saw the Lord.” But Thomas said, “I will not believe it until I see the nail marks in his hands. And I will not believe until I put my finger where the nails were and put my hand into his side.”


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A week later the followers were in the house again. Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but Jesus came in and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you!”


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Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here. Look at my hands. Put your hand here in my side. Stop doubting and believe.”


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Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you see me. Those who believe without seeing me will be truly happy.”


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Why John Wrote This Book Jesus did many other miracles before his followers that are not written in this book.


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But these are written so that you can believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Then, by believing, you can have life through his name.


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Jesus Appears to Seven Followers Later, Jesus showed himself to his followers by Lake Galilee. This is how it happened:


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Some of the followers were together. They were Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the two sons of Zebedee, and two other followers.


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Simon Peter said, “I am going out to fish.” The other followers said, “We will go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat. They fished that night but caught nothing.


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He said, “Throw your net into the water on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they did this. They caught so many fish that they could not pull the net back into the boat.


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The follower whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Peter heard him say this, he wrapped his coat around himself. (Peter had taken his clothes off.) Then he jumped into the water.


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The other followers went to shore in the boat, dragging the net full of fish. They were not very far from shore, only about 100 yards.


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When the followers stepped out of the boat and onto the shore, they saw a fire of hot coals. There were fish on the fire, and there was bread.


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Simon Peter went into the boat and pulled the net to the shore. It was full of big fish. There were 153. Even though there were so many, the net did not tear.


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Jesus said to them, “Come and eat.” None of the followers dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.


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Jesus Talks to Peter When they finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John do you love me more than these?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my lambs.”


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Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”


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A third time he said, “Simon son of John do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” Peter said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you!” He said to him, “Take care of my sheep.


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I tell you the truth. When you were younger, you tied your own belt and went where you wanted. But when you are old, you will put out your hands and someone else will tie them. They will take you where you don’t want to go.”


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(Jesus said this to show how Peter would die to give glory to God.) Then Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me!”


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Peter turned and saw that the follower Jesus loved was walking behind them. (This was the follower who had leaned against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who will turn against you?”)


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Jesus answered, “Perhaps I want him to live until I come back. That should not be important to you. You follow me!”


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So a story spread among the brothers that this follower would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die. He only said, “Perhaps I want him to live until I come back. That should not be important to you.”


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That follower is the one who is telling these things. He is the one who has now written them down. We know that what he says is true.


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There are many other things that Jesus did. If every one of them were written down, I think the whole world would not be big enough for all the books that would be written.


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Luke Writes Another Book To Theophilus, The first book I wrote was about everything that Jesus did and taught.


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I wrote about the whole life of Jesus, from the beginning until the day he was taken up into heaven. Before this, Jesus talked to the apostles he had chosen. With the help of the Holy Spirit, Jesus told them what they should do.


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After his death, he showed himself to them and proved in many ways that he was alive. The apostles saw Jesus during the 40 days after he was raised from death. He spoke to them about the kingdom of God.


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Once when he was eating with them, he told them not to leave Jerusalem. He said, “The Father has made you a promise which I told you about before. Wait here to receive this promise.


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Jesus Is Taken Up into Heaven The apostles were all together. They asked Jesus, “Lord, are you at this time going to give the kingdom back to Israel?”


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Jesus said to them, “The Father is the only One who has the authority to decide dates and times. These things are not for you to know.


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But the Holy Spirit will come to you. Then you will receive power. You will be my witnesses—in Jerusalem, in all of Judea, in Samaria, and in every part of the world.”


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As he was going, they were looking into the sky. Suddenly, two men wearing white clothes stood beside them.


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They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing here looking into the sky? You saw Jesus taken away from you into heaven. He will come back in the same way you saw him go.”


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A New Apostle Is Chosen Then they went back to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. (This mountain is about half a mile from Jerusalem.)


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When they entered the city, they went to the upstairs room where they were staying. Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon (known as the Zealot), and Judas son of James were there.


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They all continued praying together. Some women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and Jesus’ brothers were also there with the apostles.


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During this time there was a meeting of the believers. (There were about 120 of them.) Peter stood up and said,


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“Brothers, in the Scriptures the Holy Spirit said through David that something must happen. The Spirit was talking about Judas, one of our own group, who served together with us. The Spirit said that Judas would lead men to arrest Jesus.


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(Judas bought a field with the money he got for his evil act. But Judas fell to his death, his body burst open, and all his intestines poured out.)


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Everyone in Jerusalem learned about this. This is why they named the field Akeldama. In their language Akeldama means “field of blood.”)


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In the book of Psalms, this is written: ‘May his place be empty. Leave no one to live in it.’ And it is also written: ‘Let another man replace him as leader.’


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“So now a man must join us and become a witness of Jesus’ being raised from death. He must be one of the men who were part of our group during all the time the Lord Jesus was with us. He must have been with us from the time John began to baptize people until the day when Jesus was taken up from us to heaven.”


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They put the names of two men before the group. One was Joseph Barsabbas, who was also called Justus. The other was Matthias.


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The apostles prayed, “Lord, you know the minds of everyone. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to do this work. Judas turned away from it and went where he belongs. Lord, show us which one should take his place as an apostle!”


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Then they used lots to choose between them, and the lots showed that Matthias was the one. So he became an apostle with the other 11.


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Suddenly a noise came from heaven. It sounded like a strong wind blowing. This noise filled the whole house where they were sitting.


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They saw something that looked like flames of fire. The flames were separated and stood over each person there.


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They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak different languages. The Holy Spirit was giving them the power to speak these languages.


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When they heard this noise, a crowd came together. They were all surprised, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.


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They were completely amazed at this. They said, “Look! Aren’t all these men that we hear speaking from Galilee?


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(both Jews and those who had become Jews), Crete and Arabia. But we hear these men telling in our own languages about the great things God has done!”


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Peter Speaks to the People But Peter stood up with the 11 apostles. In a loud voice he spoke to the crowd: “My fellow Jews, and all of you who are in Jerusalem, listen to me. Pay attention to what I have to say.


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‘God says: In the last days I will give my Spirit freely to all kinds of people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions.


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The sun will become dark. The moon will become red as blood. And then the great and glorious day of the Lord will come.


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“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus from Nazareth was a very special man. God clearly showed this to you by the miracles, wonders, and signs God did through him. You all know this, because it happened right here among you.


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Jesus was given to you, and you killed him. With the help of evil men you nailed him to a cross. But God knew all this would happen. This was God’s plan which he had made long ago.


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For David said this about him: ‘I keep the Lord before me always. Because he is close by my side, I will not be hurt.


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“Brothers, I can tell you truly about David, our ancestor. He died and was buried. His grave is still here with us today.


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David was a prophet and knew what God had said. God had promised David that he would make a person from David’s family a king just as he was.


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David knew this before it happened. That is why he said: ‘He was not left in the grave. His body did not rot.’ David was talking about the Christ rising from death.


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Jesus was lifted up to heaven and is now at God’s right side. The Father has given the Holy Spirit to Jesus as he promised. So now Jesus has poured out that Spirit. This is what you see and hear.


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David was not the one who was lifted up to heaven. But he said: ‘The Lord said to my Lord: Sit by me at my right side,


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“So, all the people of Israel should know this truly: God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ. He is the man you nailed to the cross!”


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When the people heard this, they were sick at heart. They asked Peter and the other apostles, “What shall we do?”


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Peter said to them, “Change your hearts and lives and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.


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This promise is for you. It is also for your children and for all who are far away. It is for everyone the Lord our God calls to himself.”


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Peter warned them with many other words. He begged them, “Save yourselves from the evil of today’s people!”


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Then those people who accepted what Peter said were baptized. About 3,000 people were added to the number of believers that day.


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They spent their time learning the apostles’ teaching. And they continued to share, to break bread, and to pray together.


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The Believers Share The apostles were doing many miracles and signs. And everyone felt great respect for God.


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They sold their land and the things they owned. Then they divided the money and gave it to those people who needed it.


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The believers met together in the Temple every day. They all had the same purpose. They broke bread in their homes, happy to share their food with joyful hearts.


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They praised God, and all the people liked them. More and more people were being saved every day; the Lord was adding those people to the group of believers.


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Peter Heals a Crippled Man One day Peter and John went to the Temple. It was three o’clock in the afternoon. This was the time for the daily prayer service.


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There, at the Temple gate called Beautiful Gate, was a man who had been crippled all his life. Every day he was carried to this gate to beg. He would ask for money from the people going into the Temple.


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But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold, but I do have something else I can give you: By the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth—stand up and walk!”


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Then Peter took the man’s right hand and lifted him up. Immediately the man’s feet and ankles became strong.


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He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk. He went into the Temple with them, walking and jumping, and praising God.


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All the people recognized him. They knew he was the crippled man who always sat by the Beautiful Gate begging for money. Now they saw this same man walking and praising God. The people were amazed. They could not understand how this could happen.


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Peter Speaks to the People The man was holding on to Peter and John. All the people were amazed and ran to Peter and John at Solomon’s Porch.


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When Peter saw this, he said to them, “Men of Israel, why are you surprised? You are looking at us as if it were our own power that made this man walk. Do you think this happened because we are good? No!


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The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, gave glory to Jesus, his servant. But you gave him up to be killed. Pilate decided to let him go free. But you told Pilate you did not want Jesus.


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He was pure and good, but you said you did not want him. You told Pilate to give you a murderer instead of Jesus.


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It was the power of Jesus that made this crippled man well. This happened because we trusted in the power of Jesus. You can see this man, and you know him. He was made completely well because of trust in Jesus. You all saw it happen!


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“Brothers, I know you did those things to Jesus because you did not understand what you were doing. Your leaders did not understand either.


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God said this would happen. He said through the prophets that his Christ would suffer and die. And now God has made these things come true in this way.


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Then the Lord will give you times of spiritual rest. He will give you Jesus, the One he chose to be the Christ.


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But Jesus must stay in heaven until the time comes when all things will be made right again. God told about this time long ago when he spoke through his holy prophets.


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Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will give you a prophet like me. He will be one of your own people. You must obey everything he tells you.


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You have received what the prophets talked about. You have received the agreement God made with your ancestors. He said to your father Abraham, ‘Through your descendants all the nations on the earth will be blessed.’


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God has raised up his servant and sent him to you first. He sent Jesus to bless you by turning each of you away from doing evil things.”


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Peter and John at the Council While Peter and John were speaking to the people, a group of men came up to them. There were Jewish priests, the captain of the soldiers that guarded the Temple, and some Sadducees.


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They were upset because the two apostles were teaching the people. Peter and John were preaching that people will rise from death through the power of Jesus.


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The Jewish leaders grabbed Peter and John and put them in jail. It was already night, so they kept them in jail until the next day.


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But many of those who heard Peter and John preach believed the things they said. There were now about 5,000 men in the group of believers.


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Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander were there. Everyone from the high priest’s family was there.


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They made Peter and John stand before them. The Jewish leaders asked them: “By what power or authority did you do this?”


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are you questioning us about a good thing that was done to a crippled man? Are you asking us who made him well?


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We want all of you and all the Jewish people to know that this man was made well by the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth! You nailed him to a cross, but God raised him from death. This man was crippled, but he is now well and able to stand here before you because of the power of Jesus!


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The Jewish leaders saw that Peter and John were not afraid to speak. They understood that these men had no special training or education. So they were amazed. Then they realized that Peter and John had been with Jesus.


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They saw the crippled man standing there beside the two apostles. They saw that the man was healed. So they could say nothing against them.


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The Jewish leaders told them to leave the meeting. Then the leaders talked to each other about what they should do.


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They said, “What shall we do with these men? Everyone in Jerusalem knows that they have done a great miracle! We cannot say it is not true.


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But we must warn them not to talk to people anymore using that name. Then this thing will not spread among the people.”


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So they called Peter and John in again. They told them not to speak or to teach at all in the name of Jesus.


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But Peter and John answered them, “What do you think is right? What would God want? Should we obey you or God?


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The Jewish leaders could not find a way to punish them because all the people were praising God for what had been done. (This miracle was a proof from God. The man who was healed was more than 40 years old!) So the Jewish leaders warned the apostles again and let them go free.


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The Believers’ Prayer Peter and John left the meeting of Jewish leaders and went to their own group. They told them everything that the leading priests and the Jewish elders had said to them.


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When the believers heard this, they prayed to God with one purpose. They prayed, “Lord, you are the One who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in the world.


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Our father David was your servant. With the help of the Holy Spirit he said: ‘Why are the nations so angry? Why are the people making useless plans?


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The kings of the earth prepare to fight. Their leaders make plans together against the Lord and against his Christ.’


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These things really happened when Herod, Pontius Pilate, the non-Jewish people, and the Jewish people all came together against Jesus here in Jerusalem. Jesus is your holy Servant. He is the One you made to be the Christ.


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And now, Lord, listen to what they are saying. They are trying to make us afraid! Lord, we are your servants. Help us to speak your word without fear.


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Help us to be brave by showing us your power; make sick people well, give proofs, and make miracles happen by the power of Jesus, your holy servant.”


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After they had prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke God’s word without fear.


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The Believers Share The group of believers were joined in their hearts, and they had the same spirit. No person in the group said that the things he had were his own. Instead, they shared everything.


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With great power the apostles were telling people that the Lord Jesus was truly raised from death. And God blessed all the believers very much.


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They all received the things they needed. Everyone that owned fields or houses sold them. They brought the money


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One of the believers was named Joseph. The apostles called him Barnabas. (This name means “one who encourages.”) He was a Levite, born in Cyprus.


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But he gave only part of the money to the apostles. He secretly kept some of it for himself. His wife knew about this, and she agreed to it.


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Peter said, “Ananias, why did you let Satan rule your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit. Why did you keep part of the money you received for the land for yourself?


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Before you sold the land, it belonged to you. And even after you sold it, you could have used the money any way you wanted. Why did you think of doing this? You lied to God, not to men!”


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When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. Some young men came in, wrapped up his body, carried it out, and buried it. And everyone who heard about this was filled with fear.


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Peter said to her, “Tell me how much money you got for your field. Was it this much?” Sapphira answered, “Yes, that was the price.”


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Peter said to her, “Why did you and your husband agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The men who buried your husband are at the door! They will carry you out.”


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At that moment Sapphira fell down by his feet and died. The young men came in and saw that she was dead. They carried her out and buried her beside her husband.


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Proofs from God The apostles did many signs and miracles among the people. And they would all meet together on Solomon’s Porch.


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As Peter was passing by, the people brought their sick into the streets. They put their sick on beds and mats so at least Peter’s shadow might fall on them.


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Crowds came from all the towns around Jerusalem. They brought their sick and those who were bothered by evil spirits. All of them were healed.


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The Apostles Obey God The high priest and all his friends (a group called the Sadducees) became very jealous.


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But during the night, an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail. He led the apostles outside and said,


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When the apostles heard this, they obeyed and went into the Temple. It was early in the morning, and they began to teach. The high priest and his friends arrived. They called a meeting of the Jewish leaders and all the important older men of the Jews. They sent some men to the jail to bring the apostles to them.


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When the men went to the jail, they could not find the apostles. So they went back and told the Jewish leaders about this.


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They said, “The jail was closed and locked. The guards were standing at the doors. But when we opened the doors, the jail was empty!”


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Hearing this, the captain of the Temple guards and the leading priests were confused. They wondered, “What will happen because of this?”


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Then someone came and told them, “Listen! The men you put in jail are standing in the Temple. They are teaching the people!”


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Then the captain and his men went out and brought the apostles back. But the soldiers did not use force, because they were afraid that the people would kill them with stones.


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The soldiers brought the apostles to the meeting and made them stand before the Jewish leaders. The high priest questioned them.


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He said, “We gave you strict orders not to go on teaching in that name. But look what you have done! You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching. You are trying to make us responsible for this man’s death.”


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You killed Jesus. You hung him on a cross. But God, the same God our ancestors had, raised Jesus up from death!


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Jesus is the One whom God raised to be on his right side. God made Jesus our Leader and Savior. God did this so that the people of Israel could change their hearts and lives and have their sins forgiven.


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We saw all these things happen. The Holy Spirit also proves that these things are true. God has given the Spirit to all who obey him.”


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A Pharisee named Gamaliel stood up in the meeting. He was a teacher of the law, and all the people respected him. He ordered the apostles to leave the meeting for a little while.


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Remember when Theudas appeared? He said that he was a great man, and about 400 men joined him. But he was killed. And all his followers were scattered. They were able to do nothing.


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Later, a man named Judas came from Galilee at the time of the registration. He led a group of followers, too. He was also killed, and all his followers were scattered.


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And so now I tell you: Stay away from these men. Leave them alone. If their plan comes from men, it will fail.


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But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You might even be fighting against God himself!” The Jewish leaders agreed with what Gamaliel said.


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They called the apostles in again. They beat the apostles and told them not to speak in the name of Jesus again. Then they let them go free.


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The apostles left the meeting full of joy because they were given the honor of suffering disgrace for Jesus.


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The apostles did not stop teaching people. Every day in the Temple and in people’s homes they continued to tell the Good News—that Jesus is the Christ.


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Seven Men Are Chosen More and more people were becoming followers of Jesus. But during this same time, the Greek-speaking followers had an argument with the other Jewish followers. The Greek-speaking Jews said that their widows were not getting their share of the food that was given out every day.


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The 12 apostles called the whole group of followers together. They said, “It is not right for us to stop our work of teaching God’s word in order to serve tables.


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So, brothers, choose seven of your own men. They must be men who are good. They must be full of wisdom and full of the Spirit. We will put them in charge of this work.


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The whole group liked the idea. So they chose these seven men: Stephen (a man with great faith and full of the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas (a man from Antioch who had become a Jew).


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The word of God was reaching more and more people. The group of followers in Jerusalem became larger and larger. A great number of the Jewish priests believed and obeyed.


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Stephen Is Arrested Stephen was richly blessed by God. God gave him the power to do great miracles and signs among the people.


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But some Jews were against him. They belonged to a synagogue of Free Men (as it was called). (This synagogue was also for Jews from Cyrene and from Alexandria.) Jews from Cilicia and Asia were also with them. They all came and argued with Stephen.


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But the Spirit was helping him to speak with wisdom. His words were so strong that they could not argue with him.


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This upset the people, the Jewish elders, and the teachers of the law. They came to Stephen, grabbed him and brought him to a meeting of the Jewish leaders.


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They brought in some men to tell lies about Stephen. They said, “This man is always saying things against this holy place and the law of Moses.


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We heard him say that Jesus from Nazareth will destroy this place. He also said that Jesus will change the things that Moses told us to do.”


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All the people in the meeting were watching Stephen closely. His face looked like the face of an angel.


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Stephen answered, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to Abraham, our ancestor. Abraham was in Mesopotamia before he lived in Haran.


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So Abraham left the country of Chaldea and went to live in Haran. After Abraham’s father died, God sent him to this place where you now live.


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God did not give Abraham any of this land, not even a foot of it. But God promised that he would give him and his descendants this land. (This was before Abraham had any descendants.)


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This is what God said to him: ‘Your descendants will be strangers in a land they don’t own. The people there will make them slaves. And they will do cruel things to them for 400 years.


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But I will punish the nation where they are slaves. Then your descendants will leave that land. Then they will worship me in this place.’


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God made an agreement with Abraham; the sign for this agreement was circumcision. And so when Abraham had his son Isaac, Abraham circumcised him when he was eight days old. Isaac also circumcised his son Jacob. And Jacob did the same for his sons, the 12 ancestors of our people.


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Joseph had many troubles there, but God saved him from all those troubles. The king of Egypt liked Joseph and respected him because of the wisdom that God gave him. The king made him governor of Egypt. He put Joseph in charge of all the people in his palace.


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“Then all the land of Egypt and of Canaan became so dry that nothing would grow there. This made the people suffer very much. The sons could not find anything to eat.


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But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent his sons, our ancestors, there. This was their first trip to Egypt.


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Then they went there a second time. This time, Joseph told his brothers who he was. And the king learned about Joseph’s family.


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Then Joseph sent some men to invite Jacob, his father, to come to Egypt. He also invited all his relatives (75 persons altogether).


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Later their bodies were moved to Shechem and put in a grave there. (It was the same grave that Abraham had bought in Shechem from the sons of Hamor for a sum of money.)


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“The number of people in Egypt grew large. There were more and more of our people there. (The promise that God made to Abraham was soon to come true.)


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This king tricked our people and was cruel to our ancestors. He forced them to put their babies outside to die.


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This was the time when Moses was born. He was a fine child. For three months Moses was cared for in his father’s house.


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When they put Moses outside, the king’s daughter took him. She raised him as if he were her own son.


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The Egyptians taught Moses all the things they knew. He was a powerful man in the things he said and did.


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“When Moses was about 40 years old, he thought it would be good to visit his brothers, the people of Israel.


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Moses saw an Egyptian doing wrong to a Jew. So he defended the Jew and punished the Egyptian for hurting him. Moses killed the Egyptian.


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Moses thought that his fellow Jews would understand that God was using him to save them. But they did not understand.


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The next day, Moses saw two Jewish men fighting. He tried to make peace between them. He said, ‘Men, you are brothers! Why are you hurting each other?’


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The man who was hurting the other man pushed Moses away. He said, ‘Who made you our ruler and judge?


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When Moses heard him say this, he left Egypt. He went to live in the land of Midian where he was a stranger. While Moses lived in Midian, he had two sons.


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“After 40 years Moses was in the desert near Mount Sinai. An angel appeared to him in the flames of a burning bush.


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When Moses saw this, he was amazed. He went near to look closer at it. Moses heard the Lord’s voice.


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The Lord said, ‘I am the God of your ancestors. I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ Moses began to shake with fear and was afraid to look.


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I have seen the troubles my people have suffered in Egypt. I have heard their cries. I have come down to save them. And now, Moses, I am sending you back to Egypt.’


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“This Moses was the same man the Jews said they did not want. They had said to him, ‘Who made you our ruler and judge?’ Moses is the same man God sent to be a ruler and savior, with the help of an angel. This was the angel Moses saw in the burning bush.


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So Moses led the people out of Egypt. He worked miracles and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and then in the desert for 40 years.


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This is the same Moses that said to the Jewish people: ‘God will give you a prophet like me. He will be one of your own people.’


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This is the same Moses who was with the gathering of the Jews in the desert. He was with the angel that spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and he was with our ancestors. He received commands from God that give life, and he gave those commands to us.


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“But our fathers did not want to obey Moses. They rejected him. They wanted to go back to Egypt again.


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They said to Aaron, ‘Moses led us out of Egypt. But we don’t know what has happened to him. So make us gods who will lead us.’


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So the people made an idol that looked like a calf. Then they brought sacrifices to it. The people were proud of what they had made with their own hands!


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But God turned against them. He did not try to stop them from worshiping the sun, moon and stars. This is what is written in the book of the prophets: God says, ‘People of Israel, you did not bring me sacrifices and offerings while you traveled in the desert for 40 years.


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But now you will have to carry with you the tent to worship the false god Molech and the idols of the star god Rephan that you made to worship. This is because I will send you away beyond Babylon.’


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“The Holy Tent where God spoke to our fathers was with the Jews in the desert. God told Moses how to make this Tent. He made it like the plan God showed him.


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Later, Joshua led our fathers to capture the lands of the other nations. Our people went in, and God drove the other people out. When our people went into this new land, they took with them this same Tent. They received this Tent from their fathers and kept it until the time of David.


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“But the Most High does not live in houses that men build with their hands. This is what the prophet says:


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‘Heaven is my throne. The earth is my footstool. So do you think you can build a house for me? says the Lord. There is no place where I need to rest.


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Stephen continued speaking: “You stubborn Jewish leaders! You have not given your hearts to God! You won’t listen to him! You are always against what the Holy Spirit is trying to tell you. Your ancestors were like this, and you are just like them!


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Your fathers tried to hurt every prophet who ever lived. Those prophets said long ago that the Righteous One would come. But your fathers killed them. And now you have turned against the Righteous One and killed him.


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Stephen Is Killed When the leaders heard Stephen saying all these things, they became very angry. They were so mad that they were grinding their teeth at Stephen.


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But Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit. He looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God. He saw Jesus standing at God’s right side.


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They took him out of the city and threw stones at him until he was dead. The men who told lies against Stephen left their coats with a young man named Saul.


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He fell on his knees and cried in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” After Stephen said this, he died.


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Trouble for the Believers Some religious men buried Stephen. They cried very loudly for him. On that day people began trying to hurt the church in Jerusalem and make it suffer. Saul was also trying to destroy the church. He went from house to house. He dragged out men and women and put them in jail. All the believers, except the apostles, went to different places in Judea and Samaria.


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The people there heard Philip and saw the miracles he was doing. They all listened carefully to the things he said.


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Many of these people had evil spirits in them. But Philip made the evil spirits leave them. The spirits made a loud noise when they came out. There were also many weak and crippled people there. Philip healed them, too.


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But there was a man named Simon in that city. Before Philip came there, Simon had practiced magic. He amazed all the people of Samaria with his magic. He bragged and called himself a great man.


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All the people—the least important and the most important—paid attention to what Simon said. They said, “This man has the power of God, called ‘the Great Power’!”


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But Philip told them the Good News about the kingdom of God and the power of Jesus Christ. Men and women believed Philip and were baptized.


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Simon himself believed and was baptized. He stayed very close to Philip. When he saw the miracles and the very powerful things that Philip did, Simon was amazed.


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The apostles were still in Jerusalem. They heard that the people of Samaria had accepted the word of God. So they sent Peter and John to them.


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When Peter and John arrived, they prayed that the Samaritan believers might receive the Holy Spirit.


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These people had been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. But the Holy Spirit had not yet entered any of them.


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Simon saw that the Spirit was given to people when the apostles laid their hands on them. So he offered the apostles money.


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He said, “Give me also this power so that when I lay my hands on a person, he will receive the Holy Spirit.”


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Peter said to him, “You and your money should both be destroyed! You thought you could buy God’s gift with money.


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Change your heart! Turn away from this evil thing you have done. Pray to the Lord. Maybe he will forgive you for thinking this.


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Simon answered, “Both of you pray for me to the Lord. Pray that the things you have said will not happen to me!”


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Then the two apostles told the people the things they had seen Jesus do. And after the apostles had given the message of the Lord, they went back to Jerusalem. On the way, they went through many Samaritan towns and preached the Good News to the people.


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Philip Teaches an Ethiopian An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip. The angel said, “Get ready and go south. Go to the road that leads down to Gaza from Jerusalem—the desert road.”


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So Philip got ready and went. On the road he saw a man from Ethiopia, a eunuch. He was an important officer in the service of Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians. He was responsible for taking care of all her money. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and


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now he was on his way home. He was sitting in his chariot and reading from the book of Isaiah, the prophet.


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So Philip ran toward the chariot. He heard the man reading from Isaiah, the prophet. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”


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He answered, “How can I understand? I need someone to explain it to me!” Then he invited Philip to climb in and sit with him.


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The verse of Scripture that he was reading was this: “He was like a sheep being led to be killed. He was quiet, as a sheep is quiet while its wool is being cut. He said nothing.


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He was shamed and was treated unfairly. He died without children to continue his family. His life on earth has ended.”


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The officer said to Philip, “Please tell me, who is the prophet talking about? Is he talking about himself or about someone else?”


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Philip began to speak. He started with this same Scripture and told the man the Good News about Jesus.


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While they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. The officer said, “Look! Here is water! What is stopping me from being baptized?”


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[Philip answered, “If you believe with all your heart, you can.” The officer said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”]


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Then the officer commanded the chariot to stop. Both Philip and the officer went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.


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When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away; the officer never saw him again. The officer continued on his way home, full of joy.


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But Philip appeared in a city called Azotus and preached the Good News in all the towns on the way from Azotus to Caesarea.


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Saul Is Converted In Jerusalem Saul was still trying to frighten the followers of the Lord by saying he would kill them. So he went to the high priest


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and asked him to write letters to the synagogues in the city of Damascus. Saul wanted the high priest to give him the authority to find people in Damascus who were followers of Christ’s Way. If he found any there, men or women, he would arrest them and bring them back to Jerusalem.


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So Saul went to Damascus. As he came near the city, a bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around him.


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Saul fell to the ground. He heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul! Why are you doing things against me?”


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Saul said, “Who are you, Lord?” The voice answered, “I am Jesus. I am the One you are trying to hurt.


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The men traveling with Saul stood there, but they said nothing. They heard the voice, but they saw no one.


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Saul got up from the ground. He opened his eyes, but he could not see. So the men with Saul took his hand and led him into Damascus.


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There was a follower of Jesus in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to Ananias in a vision, “Ananias!” Ananias answered, “Here I am, Lord.”


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The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight Street. Find the house of Judas. Ask for a man named Saul from the city of Tarsus. He is there now, praying.


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Saul has seen a vision. In it a man named Ananias comes to him and lays his hands on him. Then he sees again.”


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But Ananias answered, “Lord, many people have told me about this man and the terrible things he did to your people in Jerusalem.


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Now he has come here to Damascus. The leading priests have given him the power to arrest everyone who worships you.”


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But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! I have chosen Saul for an important work. He must tell about me to non-Jews, to kings, and to the people of Israel.


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So Ananias went to the house of Judas. He laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus sent me. He is the one you saw on the road on your way here. He sent me so that you can see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”


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Immediately, something that looked like fish scales fell from Saul’s eyes. He was able to see again! Then Saul got up and was baptized.


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After eating some food, his strength returned. Saul Preaches in Damascus Saul stayed with the followers of Jesus in Damascus for a few days.


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All the people who heard him were amazed. They said, “This is the man who was in Jerusalem. He was trying to destroy those who trust in this name! He came here to do the same thing. He came here to arrest the followers of Jesus and take them back to the leading priests.”


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But Saul became more and more powerful. His proofs that Jesus is the Christ were so strong that the Jews in Damascus could not argue with him.


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They were watching the city gates day and night. They wanted to kill him, but Saul learned about their plan.


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One night some followers of Saul helped him leave the city. They lowered him in a basket through an opening in the city wall.


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Saul in Jerusalem Then Saul went to Jerusalem. He tried to join the group of followers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe that he was really a follower.


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But Barnabas accepted Saul and took him to the apostles. Barnabas told them that Saul had seen the Lord on the road. He explained how the Lord had spoken to Saul. Then he told them how boldly Saul had preached in the name of Jesus in Damascus.


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And so Saul stayed with the followers. He went everywhere in Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of Jesus.


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When the brothers learned about this, they took Saul to Caesarea. From there they sent him to Tarsus.


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The church everywhere in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had a time of peace. With the help of the Holy Spirit, the group became stronger. The believers showed that they respected the Lord by the way they lived. Because of this, the group of believers grew larger and larger.


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Peter Heals Aeneas As Peter was traveling through all the area, he visited God’s people who lived in Lydda.


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There he met a paralyzed man named Aeneas. Aeneas had not been able to leave his bed for the past eight years.


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Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Stand up and make your bed!” Aeneas stood up immediately.


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Peter in Joppa In the city of Joppa there was a follower named Tabitha. (Her Greek name, Dorcas, means “a deer.”) She was always doing good and helping the poor.


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While Peter was in Lydda, Tabitha became sick and died. Her body was washed and put in a room upstairs.


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The followers in Joppa heard that Peter was in Lydda. (Lydda is near Joppa.) So they sent two men to Peter. They begged him, “Hurry, please come to us!”


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Peter got ready and went with them. When he arrived, they took him to the upstairs room. All the widows stood around Peter, crying. They showed him the shirts and coats that Tabitha had made when she was still alive.


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Peter sent everyone out of the room. He kneeled and prayed. Then he turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, stand up!” She opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.


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He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then he called the believers and the widows into the room. He showed them Tabitha; she was alive!


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Peter and Cornelius At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius. He was an officer in the Italian group of the Roman army.


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Cornelius was a religious man. He and all the other people who lived in his house worshiped the true God. He gave much of his money to the poor and prayed to God often.


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One afternoon about three o’clock, Cornelius saw a vision clearly. In the vision an angel of God came to him and said, “Cornelius!”


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Cornelius stared at the angel. He became afraid and said, “What do you want, Lord?” The angel said, “God has heard your prayers. He has seen what you give to the poor. And God remembers you.


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Simon is staying with a man, also named Simon, who is a leatherworker. He has a house beside the sea.”


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Then the angel who spoke to Cornelius left. Cornelius called two of his servants and a soldier. The soldier was a religious man who worked for Cornelius.


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He saw heaven opened and something coming down. It looked like a big sheet being lowered to earth by its four corners.


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While Peter was wondering what this vision meant, the men Cornelius sent had found Simon’s house. They were standing at the gate.


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Peter was still thinking about the vision. But the Spirit said to him, “Listen! Three men are looking for you.


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They said, “A holy angel spoke to Cornelius, an army officer. He is a good man; he worships God. All the Jewish people respect him. The angel told Cornelius to ask you to his house so that he can hear what you have to say.”


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Peter asked the men to come in and spend the night. The next day Peter got ready and went with them. Some of the brothers from Joppa joined him.


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On the following day they came to Caesarea. Cornelius was waiting for them. He had called together his relatives and close friends.


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He said, “You people understand that it is against our Jewish law for a Jew to associate with or visit anyone who is not a Jew. But God has shown me that I should not call any person ‘unholy’ or ‘unclean.’


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That is why I did not argue when I was asked to come here. Now, please tell me why you sent for me.”


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Cornelius said, “Four days ago, I was praying in my house. It was at this same time—three o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly, there was a man standing before me wearing shining clothes.


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He said, ‘Cornelius! God has heard your prayer. He has seen what you give to the poor. And God remembers you.


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So send some men to Joppa and ask Simon Peter to come. Peter is staying in the house of a man, also named Simon, who is a leatherworker. His house is beside the sea.’


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So I sent for you immediately, and it was very good of you to come. Now we are all here before God to hear everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”


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God accepts anyone who worships him and does what is right. It is not important what country a person comes from.


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You know that God has sent his message to the people of Israel. That message is the Good News that peace has come through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Lord of all people!


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You know what has happened all over Judea. It began in Galilee after John preached to the people about baptism.


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You know about Jesus from Nazareth. God made him the Christ by giving him the Holy Spirit and power. You know how Jesus went everywhere doing good. He healed those who were ruled by the devil, for God was with Jesus.


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We saw all the things that Jesus did in Judea and in Jerusalem. But they killed him by nailing him to a cross.


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But he was not seen by all the people. Only the witnesses that God had already chosen saw him, and we are those witnesses. We ate and drank with him after he was raised from death.


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He told us to preach to the people and to tell them that he is the one whom God chose to be the judge of the living and the dead.


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Everyone who believes in Jesus will be forgiven. God will forgive his sins through Jesus. All the prophets say this is true.”


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Non-Jews Receive the Holy Spirit While Peter was still saying this, the Holy Spirit came down on all those who were listening.


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The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been given even to the non-Jewish people.


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These Jewish believers heard them speaking in different languages and praising God. Then Peter said,


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“Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we did!”


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So Peter ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.


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Peter Returns to Jerusalem The apostles and the believers in Judea heard that non-Jewish people had accepted God’s teaching too.


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They said, “You went into the homes of people who are not Jews and are not circumcised! You even ate with them!”


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He said, “I was in the city of Joppa. While I was praying, I had a vision. In the vision, I saw something which looked like a big sheet coming down from heaven. It was being lowered to earth by its four corners. It came down very close to me, and


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But the voice from heaven answered again, ‘God has made these things clean. Don’t call them unholy!’


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The Spirit told me to go with them without doubting. These six believers here also went with me. We went to the house of Cornelius.


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He told us about the angel he saw standing in his house. The angel said to him, ‘Send some men to Joppa and invite Simon Peter to come.


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Then I remembered the words of the Lord. He said, ‘John baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit!’


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God gave to them the same gift that he gave to us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. So could I stop the work of God? No!”


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When the Jewish believers heard this, they stopped arguing. They praised God and said, “So God is allowing the non-Jewish people also to turn to him and live.”


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The Good News Comes to Antioch Many of the believers were scattered by the terrible things that happened after Stephen was killed. Some of them went to places as far away as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch. They were telling the message to others, but only to Jews.


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Some of these believers were men from Cyprus and Cyrene. When they came to Antioch, they spoke also to Greeks, telling them the Good News about the Lord Jesus.


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Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and full of faith. When he reached Antioch and saw how God had blessed the people, he was glad. He encouraged all the believers in Antioch. He told them, “Never lose your faith. Always obey the Lord with all your hearts.” Many people became followers of the Lord.


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When he found Saul, he brought him to Antioch. And for a whole year Saul and Barnabas met with the church. They taught many people there. In Antioch the followers were called Christians for the first time.


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One of them was named Agabus. He stood up and spoke with the help of the Holy Spirit. He said, “A very hard time is coming to the whole world. There will be no food for people to eat.” (This happened when Claudius ruled.)


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The followers all decided to help their brothers who lived in Judea. Each one planned to send them as much as he could.


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Herod Agrippa Hurts the Church During that same time King Herod began to do terrible things to some who belonged to the church.


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Herod saw that the Jews liked this, so he decided to arrest Peter, too. (This happened during the time of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.)


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After Herod arrested Peter, he put him in jail and handed him over to be guarded by 16 soldiers. Herod planned to bring Peter before the people for trial after the Passover Feast.


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Peter Leaves the Jail The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping. He was between two soldiers, bound with two chains. Other soldiers were guarding the door of the jail.


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Suddenly, an angel of the Lord stood there. A light shined in the room. The angel touched Peter on the side and woke him up. The angel said, “Hurry! Get up!” And the chains fell off Peter’s hands.


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The angel said to him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And so Peter did this. Then the angel said, “Put on your coat and follow me.”


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So the angel went out, and Peter followed him. Peter did not know if what the angel was doing was real. He thought he might be seeing a vision.


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They went past the first and the second guard. They came to the iron gate that separated them from the city. The gate opened itself for them. They went through the gate and walked down a street. And the angel suddenly left him.


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Then Peter realized what had happened. He thought, “Now I know that the Lord really sent his angel to me. He rescued me from Herod and from all the things the Jewish people thought would happen.”


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When he realized this, he went to the home of Mary. She was the mother of John. (John was also called Mark.) Many people were gathered there, praying.


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She recognized Peter’s voice, and she was very happy. She even forgot to open the door. She ran inside and told the group, “Peter is at the door!”


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They said to her, “You are crazy!” But she kept on saying that it was true. So they said, “It must be Peter’s angel.”


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Peter made a sign with his hand to tell them to be quiet. He explained how the Lord led him out of the jail. And he said, “Tell James and the other believers what happened.” Then he left to go to another place.


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Herod looked everywhere for Peter but could not find him. So he questioned the guards and ordered that they be killed. The Death of Herod Agrippa Later Herod moved from Judea and went to the city of Caesarea, where he stayed for a while.


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Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. But the people of those cities all came in a group to Herod. They were able to get Blastus, the king’s personal servant, on their side. They asked Herod for peace because their country got its food from his country.


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Herod did not give the glory to God. So an angel of the Lord caused him to become sick. He was eaten by worms and died.


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After Barnabas and Saul finished their task in Jerusalem, they returned to Antioch. John, also called Mark, was with them.


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Barnabas and Saul Are Chosen In the church at Antioch there were these prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon (also called Niger), Lucius (from the city of Cyrene), Manaen (who had grown up with Herod, the ruler) and Saul.


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They were all worshiping the Lord and giving up eating. The Holy Spirit said to them, “Give Barnabas and Saul to me to do a special work. I have chosen them for it.”


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Barnabas and Saul in Cyprus Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit. They went to the city of Seleucia. From there they sailed to the island of Cyprus.


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When they came to Salamis, they preached the Good News of God in the Jewish synagogues. John Mark was with them to help.


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They went across the whole island to Paphos. In Paphos they met a Jew who was a magician. His name was Bar-Jesus. He was a false prophet,


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who always stayed close to Sergius Paulus, the governor. Sergius Paulus was a smart man. He asked Barnabas and Saul to come to him, because he wanted to hear the message of God.


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But Elymas, the magician (that is what his name means), was against them. He tried to stop the governor from believing in Jesus.


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But Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit. (Saul’s other name was Paul.) He looked straight at Elymas


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and said, “You son of the devil! You are an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of evil tricks and lies. You are always trying to change the Lord’s truths into lies!


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Now the Lord will touch you, and you will be blind. For a time you will not be able to see anything—not even the light from the sun.” Then everything became dark for Elymas. He walked around, trying to find someone to lead him by the hand.


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Paul and Barnabas Leave Cyprus Paul and those with him sailed away from Paphos. They came to Perga, in Pamphylia. But John Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem.


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They continued their trip from Perga and went to Antioch, a city in Pisidia. On the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.


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The law of Moses and the writings of the prophets were read. Then the leaders of the synagogue sent a message to Paul and Barnabas: “Brothers, if you have any message that will encourage the people, please speak!”


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Paul stood up. He raised his hand and said, “Men of Israel and you other people who worship God, please listen!


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The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors. He made the people great during the time they lived in Egypt. He brought them out of that country with great power.


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All this happened in about 450 years. “After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.


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Then the people asked for a king. God gave them Saul son of Kish. Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin. He was king for 40 years.


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After God took him away, God made David their king. This is what God said about him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse. He is the kind of man I want. He will do all that I want him to do.’


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So God has brought one of David’s descendants to Israel to be their Savior. That descendant is Jesus. And God promised to do this.


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Before Jesus came, John preached to all the people of Israel. He told them about a baptism of changed hearts and lives.


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When he was finishing his work, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not the Christ. He is coming later. I am not worthy to untie his sandals.’


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“Brothers, sons in the family of Abraham, and you non-Jews who worship God, listen! The news about this salvation has been sent to us.


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Those who live in Jerusalem and their leaders did not realize that Jesus was the Savior. They did not understand the words that the prophets wrote, which are read every Sabbath day. But they made them come true when they said Jesus was guilty.


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They did to him all that the Scriptures had said. Then they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb.


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After this, for many days, the people who had gone with Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem saw him. They are now his witnesses to the people.


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We are their children, and God has made this promise come true for us. God did this by raising Jesus from death. We read about this also in Psalm 2: ‘You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.’


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God raised Jesus from death. He will never go back to the grave and become dust. So God said: ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings that I promised to David.’


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David did God’s will during his lifetime. Then he died and was buried with his fathers. And his body did rot in the grave!


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Brothers, you must understand what we are telling you: You can have forgiveness of your sins through Jesus. The law of Moses could not free you from your sins. But everyone who believes is free from all sins through him.


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‘Listen, you people who doubt! You can wonder, and then die. I will do something in your lifetime that will amaze you. You won’t believe it even when you are told about it!’”


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While Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people asked them to tell them more about these things on the next Sabbath.


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After the meeting, many Jews followed Paul and Barnabas from that place. With the Jews there were many who had changed to the Jewish religion and worshiped God. Paul and Barnabas were persuading them to continue trusting in God’s kindness.


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Seeing the crowd, the Jews became very jealous. They said insulting things and argued against what Paul said.


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But Paul and Barnabas spoke very boldly. They said, “We must speak the message of God to you first. But you refuse to listen. You are judging yourselves not worthy of having eternal life! So we will now go to the people of other nations!


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This is what the Lord told us to do. The Lord said: ‘I have made you a light for the non-Jewish nations. You will show people all over the world the way to be saved.’”


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When the non-Jewish people heard Paul say this, they were happy. They gave honor to the message of the Lord. And many of the people believed the message. They were the ones chosen to have life forever.


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But the Jews stirred up some of the important religious women and the leaders of the city against Paul and Barnabas. They started trouble against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their area.


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Paul and Barnabas in Iconium In Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went as usual to the Jewish synagogue. They spoke so well that a great many Jews and Greeks believed.


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But some of the Jews who did not believe excited the non-Jewish people and turned them against the believers.


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But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Iconium a long time and spoke bravely for the Lord. The Lord showed that their message about his grace was true by giving them the power to work miracles and signs.


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But some of the people in the city agreed with the Jews. Others believed the apostles. So the city was divided.


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Some non-Jewish people, some Jews, and some of their rulers wanted to harm Paul and Barnabas by killing them with stones.


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When Paul and Barnabas learned about this, they went to Lystra and Derbe, cities in Lycaonia, and to the areas around those cities.


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This man was listening to Paul speak. Paul looked straight at him and saw that the man believed God could heal him.


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When the crowds saw what Paul did, they shouted in their own Lycaonian language. They said, “The gods have become like men! They have come down to us!”


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And the people began to call Barnabas “Zeus.” They called Paul “Hermes,” because he was the main speaker.


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The temple of Zeus was near the city. The priest of this temple brought some bulls and flowers to the city gates. The priest and the people wanted to offer a sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas.


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But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, understood what they were about to do, they tore their clothes in anger. Then they ran in among the people and shouted,


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“Men, why are you doing these things? We are only men, human beings like you! We are bringing you the Good News. We are telling you to turn away from these worthless things and turn to the true living God. He is the One who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them.


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Yet he did things to prove he is real: He shows kindness to you. He gives you rain from heaven and crops at the right times. He gives you food and fills your hearts with joy.”


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Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium. They persuaded the people to turn against Paul. And so they threw stones at Paul and dragged him out of town. They thought that they had killed him.


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But the followers gathered around him, and he got up and went back into the town. The next day, he and Barnabas left and went to the city of Derbe.


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The Return to Antioch in Syria Paul and Barnabas told the Good News in Derbe and many became followers. Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch.


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In those cities they made the followers of Jesus stronger. They helped them to stay in the faith. They said, “We must suffer many things to enter God’s kingdom.”


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They chose elders for each church, by praying and giving up eating. These elders were men who had trusted the Lord. So Paul and Barnabas put them in the Lord’s care.


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And from there they sailed away to Antioch. This is where the believers had put them into God’s care and had sent them out to do this work. And now they had finished the work.


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When they arrived in Antioch, they gathered the church together. Paul and Barnabas told them all about what God had done with them. They told how God had made it possible for the non-Jews to believe!


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The Meeting at Jerusalem Then some men came to Antioch from Judea. They began teaching the non-Jewish brothers: “You cannot be saved if you are not circumcised. Moses taught us to do this.”


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Paul and Barnabas were against this teaching and argued with the men about it. So the group decided to send Paul, Barnabas, and some other men to Jerusalem. There they could talk more about this with the apostles and elders.


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The church helped the men leave on the trip. They went through the countries of Phoenicia and Samaria, telling all about how the non-Jewish people had turned to God. This made all the believers very happy.


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When they arrived in Jerusalem, the apostles, the elders, and the church welcomed them. Paul, Barnabas, and the others told about all the things that God had done with them.


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But some of the believers who had belonged to the Pharisee group came forward. They said, “The non-Jewish believers must be circumcised. We must tell them to obey the law of Moses!”


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There was a long debate. Then Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know what happened in the early days. God chose me from among you to preach the Good News to the non-Jewish people. They heard the Good News from me, and they believed.


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God, who knows the thoughts of all men, accepted them. He showed this to us by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us.


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So now why are you testing God? You are putting a heavy load around the necks of the non-Jewish brothers. It is a load that neither we nor our fathers were able to carry.


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Then the whole group became quiet. They listened to Paul and Barnabas speak. Paul and Barnabas told about all the miracles and signs that God did through them among the non-Jewish people.


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Simon has told us how God showed his love for the non-Jewish people. For the first time he has accepted them and made them his people.


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‘After these things I will return. The kingdom of David is like a fallen tent. But I will rebuild it. And I will again build its ruins. And I will set it up.


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Then those people who are left alive may ask the Lord for help. And all people from other nations may worship me, says the Lord. And he will make it happen.


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Instead, we should write a letter to them. We should tell them these things: Do not eat food that has been offered to idols. (This makes the food unclean.) Do not take part in any kind of sexual sin. Do not taste blood. Do not eat animals that have been strangled.


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They should not do these things, because there are still men in every city who teach the law of Moses. For a long time the words of Moses have been read in the synagogue every Sabbath day.”


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Letter to Non-Jewish Believers The apostles, the elders, and the whole church decided to send some of their men with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch. They chose Judas Barsabbas and Silas, who were respected by the believers.


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They sent the following letter with them: From the apostles and elders, your brothers. To all the non-Jewish brothers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Dear Brothers,


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We have heard that some of our men have come to you and said things that trouble and upset you. But we did not tell them to do this!


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We have all agreed to choose some men and send them to you. They will be with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul—


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It has pleased the Holy Spirit that you should not have a heavy load to carry, and we agree. You need to do only these things:


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Do not eat any food that has been offered to idols. Do not taste blood. Do not eat any animals that have been strangled. Do not take part in any kind of sexual sin. If you stay away from these things, you will do well. Good-bye.


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So the men left Jerusalem and went to Antioch. There they gathered the church and gave them the letter.


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Judas and Silas were also prophets, who said many things to encourage the believers and make them stronger.


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After some time Judas and Silas were sent off in peace by the believers. They went back to those who had sent them.


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But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch. They and many others preached the Good News and taught the people the message of the Lord.


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Paul and Barnabas Separate After some time, Paul said to Barnabas, “We preached the message of the Lord in many towns. We should go back to all those towns to visit the believers and see how they are doing.”


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But John Mark had left them at Pamphylia; he did not continue with them in the work. So Paul did not think it was a good idea to take him.


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Paul and Barnabas had a serious argument about this. They separated and went different ways. Barnabas sailed to Cyprus and took Mark with him.


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Timothy Goes with Paul and Silas Paul came to Derbe and Lystra. A follower named Timothy was there. Timothy’s mother was Jewish and a believer. His father was a Greek.


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Paul wanted Timothy to travel with him. But all the Jews living in that area knew that Timothy’s father was Greek. So Paul circumcised Timothy to please the Jews.


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Paul and the men with him traveled from town to town. They gave the decisions made by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.


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Paul Is Called Out of Asia Paul and the men with him went through the areas of Phrygia and Galatia. The Holy Spirit did not let them preach the Good News in Asia.


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When they came near the country of Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia. But the Spirit of Jesus did not let them.


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That night Paul had a vision. In the vision, a man from Macedonia came to him. The man stood there and begged, “Come over to Macedonia. Help us!”


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After Paul had seen the vision, we immediately prepared to leave for Macedonia. We understood that God had called us to tell the Good News to those people.


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Lydia Becomes a Christian We left Troas in a ship, and we sailed straight to the island of Samothrace. The next day we sailed to Neapolis.


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Then we went by land to Philippi, the leading city in that part of Macedonia. It is also a Roman colony. We stayed there for several days.


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On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate to the river. There we thought we would find a special place for prayer. Some women had gathered there, so we sat down and talked with them.


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There was a woman named Lydia from the city of Thyatira. Her job was selling purple cloth. She worshiped the true God. The Lord opened her mind to pay attention to what Paul was saying.


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She and all the people in her house were baptized. Then Lydia invited us to her home. She said, “If you think I am truly a believer in the Lord, then come stay in my house.” And she persuaded us to stay with her.


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Paul and Silas in Jail Once, while we were going to the place for prayer, a servant girl met us. She had a special spirit in her. She earned a lot of money for her owners by telling fortunes.


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This girl followed Paul and us. She said loudly, “These men are servants of the Most High God! They are telling you how you can be saved!”


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She kept this up for many days. This bothered Paul, so he turned and said to the spirit, “By the power of Jesus Christ, I command you to come out of her!” Immediately, the spirit came out.


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The owners of the servant girl saw this. These men knew that now they could not use her to make money. So they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the city rulers in the marketplace.


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Here they brought Paul and Silas to the Roman rulers and said, “These men are Jews and are making trouble in our city.


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The crowd joined the attack against them. The Roman officers tore the clothes of Paul and Silas and had them beaten with rods again and again.


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After being severely beaten, Paul and Silas were thrown into jail. The jailer was ordered to guard them carefully.


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When he heard this order, he put them far inside the jail. He pinned down their feet between large blocks of wood.


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About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing songs to God. The other prisoners were listening to them.


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Suddenly, there was a big earthquake. It was so strong that it shook the foundation of the jail. Then all the doors of the jail broke open. All the prisoners were freed from their chains.


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The jailer woke up and saw that the jail doors were open. He thought that the prisoners had already escaped. So he got his sword and was about to kill himself.


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The jailer told someone to bring a light. Then he ran inside. Shaking with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas.


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They said to him, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved—you and all the people in your house.”


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At that hour of the night the jailer took Paul and Silas and washed their wounds. Then he and all his people were baptized immediately.


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After this the jailer took Paul and Silas home and gave them food. He and his family were very happy because they now believed in God.


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The jailer said to Paul, “The officers have sent an order to let you go free. You can leave now. Go in peace.”


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But Paul said to the police, “They beat us in public without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens. And they threw us in jail. Now they want to make us go away quietly. No! Let them come themselves and bring us out!”


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The police told the Roman officers what Paul said. When the officers heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were afraid.


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So they came and told Paul and Silas they were sorry. They took Paul and Silas out of jail and asked them to leave the city.


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So when they came out of the jail, they went to Lydia’s house. There they saw some of the believers and encouraged them. Then they left.


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Paul and Silas in Thessalonica Paul and Silas traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica. In that city there was a Jewish synagogue.


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Paul went into the synagogue as he always did. On each Sabbath day for three weeks, Paul talked with the Jews about the Scriptures.


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He explained and proved that the Christ must die and then rise from death. He said, “This Jesus I am telling you about is the Christ.”


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Some of the Jews were convinced and joined Paul and Silas. Many of the Greeks who worshiped the true God and many of the important women joined them.


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But the Jews became jealous. They got some evil men from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot. They ran to Jason’s house, looking for Paul and Silas. The men wanted to bring Paul and Silas out to the people.


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But they did not find them. So they dragged Jason and some other believers to the leaders of the city. The people were yelling, “These men have made trouble everywhere in the world. And now they have come here too!


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Jason is keeping them in his house. All of them do things against the laws of Caesar. They say that there is another king called Jesus.”


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Paul and Silas Go to Berea That same night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. There Paul and Silas went to the Jewish synagogue.


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These Jews were better than the Jews in Thessalonica. They were eager to hear the things Paul and Silas said. These Jews in Berea studied the Scriptures every day to find out if these things were true.


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But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, they came there, too. They upset the people and made trouble.


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The men who took Paul went with him to Athens. Then they carried a message from Paul back to Silas and Timothy. It said, “Come to me as soon as you can.”


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Paul in Athens Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy in Athens. He was troubled because he saw that the city was full of idols.


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In the synagogue, he talked with the Jews and the Greeks who worshiped the true God. He also talked every day with people in the marketplace.


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Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers argued with him. Some of them said, “This man doesn’t know what he is talking about. What is he trying to say?” Paul was telling them the Good News of Jesus’ rising from death. They said, “He seems to be telling us about some other gods.”


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They got Paul and took him to a meeting of the Areopagus. They said, “Please explain to us this new idea that you have been teaching.


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(All the people of Athens and those from other countries always used their time talking about all the newest ideas.)


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Then Paul stood before the meeting of the Areopagus. He said, “Men of Athens, I can see that you are very religious in all things.


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I was going through your city, and I saw the things you worship. I found an altar that had these words written on it: “TO A GOD WHO IS NOT KNOWN.” You worship a god that you don’t know. This is the God I am telling you about!


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He is the God who made the whole world and everything in it. He is the Lord of the land and the sky. He does not live in temples that men build!


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This God is the One who gives life, breath, and everything else to people. He does not need any help from them. He has everything he needs.


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God began by making one man. From him came all the different people who live everywhere in the world. He decided exactly when and where they must live.


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God wanted them to look for him and perhaps search all around for him and find him. But he is not far from any of us:


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‘By his power we live and move and exist.’ Some of your own poets have said: ‘For we are his children.’


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We are God’s children. So, you must not think that God is like something that people imagine or make. He is not like gold, silver, or rock.


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In the past, people did not understand God, but God ignored this. But now, God tells everyone in the world to change his heart and life.


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God has decided on a day that he will judge all the world. He will be fair. He will use a man to do this. God chose that man long ago. And God has proved this to everyone by raising that man from death!”


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When the people heard about Jesus being raised from death, some of them laughed. They said, “We will hear more about this from you later.”


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But some of the people believed Paul and joined him. One of those who believed was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus. Also a woman named Damaris and some others believed.


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Here he met a Jew named Aquila. Aquila was born in the country of Pontus. But Aquila and his wife, Priscilla, had recently moved to Corinth from Italy. They left Italy because Claudius commanded that all Jews must leave Rome. Paul went to visit Aquila and Priscilla.


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Every Sabbath day he talked with the Jews and Greeks in the synagogue. Paul tried to persuade these people to believe in Jesus.


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Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia and joined Paul in Corinth. After this, Paul used all his time telling people the Good News. He showed the Jews that Jesus is the Christ.


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But they would not accept Paul’s teaching and said some evil things. So he shook off the dust from his clothes. He said to them, “If you are not saved, it will be your own fault! I have done all I can do! After this, I will go to non-Jewish people!”


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Paul left the synagogue and moved into the home of Titius Justus. It was next to the synagogue. This man worshiped the true God.


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Crispus was the leader of that synagogue. He and all the people living in his house believed in the Lord. Many others in Corinth also listened to Paul. They too believed and were baptized.


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During the night, Paul had a vision. The Lord said to him, “Don’t be afraid! Continue talking to people and don’t be quiet!


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Paul Is Brought Before Gallio Gallio became the governor of the country of Southern Greece. At that time, some of the Jews came together against Paul and took him to the court.


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Paul was about to say something, but Gallio spoke to the Jews. Gallio said, “I would listen to you Jews if you were complaining about a crime or some wrong.


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But the things you are saying are only questions about words and names—arguments about your own law. So you must solve this problem yourselves. I don’t want to be a judge of these things!”


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Then they all grabbed Sosthenes. (Sosthenes was now the leader of the synagogue.) They beat him there before the court. But this did not bother Gallio.


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Paul Returns to Antioch Paul stayed with the believers for many more days. Then he left and sailed for Syria. Priscilla and Aquila went with him. At Cenchrea, Paul cut off his hair. This showed that he had made a promise to God.


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Then they went to Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. While Paul was there, he went into the synagogue and talked with the Jews.


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He left them, but he said, “I will come back to you again if God wants me to.” And so he sailed away from Ephesus.


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Paul landed at Caesarea. Then he went and gave greetings to the church in Jerusalem. After that, Paul went to Antioch.


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He stayed there for a while and then left and went through the countries of Galatia and Phrygia. He traveled from town to town in these countries, giving strength to all the followers.


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Apollos in Ephesus and Corinth A Jew named Apollos came to Ephesus. He was born in the city of Alexandria. He was an educated man who knew the Scriptures well.


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He had been taught about the Lord. He was always very excited when he spoke and taught the truth about Jesus. But the only baptism that Apollos knew about was the baptism that John taught.


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Apollos began to speak very boldly in the synagogue, and Priscilla and Aquila heard him. So they took him to their home and helped him better understand the way of God.


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Now Apollos wanted to go to the country of Southern Greece, so the believers helped him. They wrote a letter to the followers there, asking them to accept him. These followers had believed in Jesus because of God’s grace. When Apollos went there, he helped them very much.


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He argued very strongly with the Jews before all the people. Apollos clearly proved that the Jews were wrong. Using the Scriptures, he proved that Jesus is the Christ.


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Paul in Ephesus While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul was visiting some places on the way to Ephesus. There he found some followers.


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Paul asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They said, “We have never even heard of a Holy Spirit!”


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Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of changed hearts and lives. He told people to believe in the One who would come after him. That One is Jesus.”


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Then Paul laid his hands on them, and the Holy Spirit came upon them. They began speaking different languages and prophesying.


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Paul went into the synagogue and spoke out boldly for three months. He talked with the Jews and persuaded them to accept the things he said about the kingdom of God.


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But some of the Jews became stubborn and refused to believe. These Jews said evil things about the Way of Jesus. All the people heard these things. So Paul left them and took the followers with him. He went to a place where a man named Tyrannus had a school. There Paul talked with people every day


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Some people took handkerchiefs and clothes that Paul had used and put them on the sick. When they did this, the sick were healed and evil spirits left them.


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But some Jews also were traveling around and making evil spirits go out of people. The seven sons of Sceva were doing this. (Sceva was a leading Jewish priest.) These Jews tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus to force the evil spirits out. They would say, “By the same Jesus that Paul talks about, I order you to come out!”


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But one time an evil spirit said to these Jews, “I know Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”


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Then the man, who had the evil spirit in him, jumped on these Jews. He was much stronger than all of them. He beat them and tore their clothes off, so they ran away from the house.


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All the people in Ephesus, Jews and Greeks, learned about this. They were filled with fear. And the people gave great honor to the Lord Jesus.


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Some of them had used magic. These believers brought their magic books and burned them before everyone. Those books were worth about 50,000 silver coins.


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Paul Plans a Trip After these things, Paul made plans to go to Jerusalem. He planned to go through the countries of Macedonia and Southern Greece, and then on to Jerusalem. He said, “After I have been to Jerusalem, I must also visit Rome.”


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Paul sent Timothy and Erastus, two of his helpers, ahead to Macedonia. He himself stayed in Asia for a while.


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Trouble in Ephesus But during that time, there was some serious trouble in Ephesus about the Way of Jesus.


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There was a man named Demetrius, who worked with silver. He made little silver models that looked like the temple of the goddess Artemis. The men who did this work made much money.


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Demetrius had a meeting with these men and some others who did the same kind of work. He told them, “Men, you know that we make a lot of money from our business.


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But look at what this man Paul is doing! He has convinced and turned away many people in Ephesus and in almost all of Asia! He says the gods that men make are not real.


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There is a danger that our business will lose its good name. But there is also another danger: People will begin to think that the temple of the great goddess Artemis is not important! Her greatness will be destroyed. And Artemis is the goddess that everyone in Asia and the whole world worships.”


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The whole city became confused. The people grabbed Gaius and Aristarchus. (These two men were from Macedonia and were traveling with Paul.) Then all the people ran to the theater.


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Also, some leaders of Asia were friends of Paul. They sent him a message, begging him not to go into the theater.


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Some people were shouting one thing, and some were shouting another. The meeting was completely confused. Most of the people did not know why they had come together.


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The Jews put a man named Alexander in front of the people. Some of them had told him what to do. Alexander waved his hand because he wanted to explain things to the people.


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But when they saw that Alexander was a Jew, they all began shouting the same thing. They continued shouting for two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”


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Then the city clerk made the crowd be quiet. He said, “Men of Ephesus, everyone knows that Ephesus is the city that keeps the temple of the great goddess Artemis. All people know that we also keep her holy stone that fell from heaven.


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No one can say that this is not true. So you should be quiet. You must stop and think before you do anything.


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You brought these men here, but they have not said anything evil against our goddess. They have not stolen anything from her temple.


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We have courts of law, and there are judges. Do Demetrius and the men who work with him have a charge against anyone? They should go to the courts! That is where they can argue with each other!


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Is there something else you want to talk about? It can be decided at the regular town meeting of the people.


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I say this because some people might see this trouble today and say that we are rioting. We could not explain this because there is no real reason for this meeting.”


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Paul in Macedonia and Greece When the trouble stopped, Paul sent for the followers to come to him. He encouraged them and then told them good-bye. Paul left and went to the country of Macedonia.


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He said many things to strengthen the followers in the different places on his way through Macedonia. Then he went to Southern Greece.


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He stayed there three months. He was ready to sail for Syria, but some Jews were planning something against him. So Paul decided to go back through Macedonia to Syria.


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Some men went with him. They were Sopater son of Pyrrhus, from the city of Berea; Aristarchus and Secundus, from the city of Thessalonica; Gaius, from Derbe; and Timothy; and Tychicus and Trophimus, two men from Asia.


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We sailed from Philippi after the Feast of Unleavened Bread and we met them in Troas five days later. We stayed there seven days.


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Paul’s Last Visit to Troas On the first day of the week, we all met together to break bread. Paul spoke to the group. Because he was planning to leave the next day, he kept on talking till midnight.


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A young man named Eutychus was sitting in the window. As Paul continued talking, Eutychus was falling into a deep sleep. Finally, he went sound asleep and fell to the ground from the third floor. When they picked him up, he was dead.


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Paul went down to Eutychus. He knelt down and put his arms around him. He said, “Don’t worry. He is alive now.”


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Then Paul went upstairs again, broke bread, and ate. He spoke to them a long time, until it was early morning. Then he left.


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The Trip from Troas to Miletus We sailed for the city of Assos. We went first, ahead of Paul. He wanted to join us on the ship there. Paul planned it this way because he wanted to go to Assos by land.


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The next day, we sailed from Mitylene and came to a place near Chios. The next day, we sailed to Samos. A day later, we reached Miletus.


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Paul had already decided not to stop at Ephesus. He did not want to stay too long in Asia. He was hurrying to be in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, if that was possible.


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The Elders from Ephesus Now from Miletus Paul sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church.


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When they came to him, he said, “You know about my life from the first day I came to Asia. You know the way I lived all the time I was with you.


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The Jews plotted against me. This troubled me very much. But you know that I always served the Lord. I never thought of myself first, and I often cried.


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You know I preached to you, and I did not hold back anything that would help you. You know that I taught you in public and in your homes.


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I warned both Jews and Greeks to change their lives and turn to God. And I told them all to believe in our Lord Jesus.


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I don’t care about my own life. The most important thing is that I complete my mission. I want to finish the work that the Lord Jesus gave me—to tell people the Good News about God’s grace.


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“And now, I know that none of you will ever see me again. All the time I was with you, I was preaching the kingdom of God.


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So today I can tell you one thing that I am sure of: If any of you should be lost, I am not responsible.


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Be careful for yourselves and for all the people God has given you. The Holy Spirit gave you the work of caring for this flock. You must be like shepherds to the church of God. This is the church that God bought with his own death.


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Also, men from your own group will rise up and twist the truth. They will lead away followers after them.


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So be careful! Always remember this: For three years I never stopped warning each of you. I taught you night and day. I often cried over you.


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“Now I am putting you in the care of God and the message about his grace. That message is able to give you strength, and it will give you the blessings that God has for all his holy people.


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I showed you in all things that you should work as I did and help the weak. I taught you to remember the words of Jesus. He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”


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And they all cried because Paul had said that they would never see him again. They put their arms around him and kissed him. Then they went with him to the ship.


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Paul Goes to Jerusalem We all said good-bye to them and left. We sailed straight to Cos island. The next day, we reached Rhodes, and from Rhodes we went to Patara.


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We sailed near the island of Cyprus. We could see it to the north, but we sailed on to Syria. We stopped at Tyre because the ship needed to unload its cargo there.


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We found some followers in Tyre, and we stayed with them for seven days. Through the Holy Spirit they warned Paul not to go to Jerusalem.


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When we finished our visit, we left and continued our trip. All the followers, even the women and children, came outside the city with us. We all knelt down on the beach and prayed.


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We continued our trip from Tyre and arrived at Ptolemais. We greeted the believers there and stayed with them for a day.


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We left Ptolemais and went to the city of Caesarea. There we went into the home of Philip and stayed with him. Philip had the work of telling the Good News. He was one of the seven helpers.


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He came to us and borrowed Paul’s belt. Then he used the belt to tie his own hands and feet. He said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘This is how the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man who wears this belt. Then they will give him to the non-Jewish people.’”


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But he said, “Why are you crying and making me so sad? I am ready to be tied up in Jerusalem. And I am ready to die for the Lord Jesus!”


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We could not persuade him to stay away from Jerusalem. So we stopped begging him and said, “We pray that what the Lord wants will be done.”


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Some of the followers from Caesarea went with us. They took us to the home of Mnason, a man from Cyprus. Mnason was one of the first followers. They took us to his home so that we could stay with him.


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Paul greeted them and told them everything that God had done among the non-Jewish people through him.


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When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul, “Brother, you can see that many thousands of Jews have become believers. But they think it is very important to obey the law of Moses.


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These Jews have heard about your teaching. They heard that you tell the Jews who live among non-Jews to leave the law of Moses. They heard that you tell them not to circumcise their children and not to obey Jewish customs.


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Take these men with you and share in their cleansing ceremony. Pay their expenses. Then they can shave their heads. Do this and it will prove to everyone that what they have heard about you is not true. They will see that you follow the law of Moses in your own life.


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We have already sent a letter to the non-Jewish believers. The letter said: ‘Do not eat food that has been offered to idols. Do not taste blood. Do not eat animals that have been strangled. Do not take part in any kind of sexual sin.’”


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Then Paul took the four men with him. The next day, he shared in the cleansing ceremony. Then he went to the Temple. Paul announced the time when the days of the cleansing ceremony would be finished. On the last day an offering would be given for each of the men.


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The seven days were almost over. But some Jews from Asia saw Paul at the Temple. They caused all the people to be upset, and they grabbed Paul.


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They shouted, “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who goes everywhere teaching things that are against the law of Moses, against our people, and against this Temple. And now he has brought some Greek men into the Temple. He has made this holy place unclean!”


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(The Jews said this because they had seen Trophimus with Paul in Jerusalem. Trophimus was a man from Ephesus. The Jews thought that Paul had brought him into the Temple.)


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All the people in Jerusalem became very upset. They ran and took Paul and dragged him out of the Temple. The Temple doors were closed immediately.


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The people were about to kill Paul. Now the commander of the Roman army in Jerusalem learned that there was trouble in the whole city.


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Immediately he ran to the place where the crowd was gathered. He brought officers and soldiers with him, and the people saw them. So they stopped beating Paul.


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The commander went to Paul and arrested him. He told his soldiers to bind Paul with two chains. Then he asked, “Who is this man? What has he done wrong?”


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Some in the crowd were yelling one thing, and some were yelling another. Because of all this confusion and shouting, the commander could not learn what had happened. So he ordered the soldiers to take Paul to the army building.


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The whole mob was following them. When the soldiers came to the steps, they had to carry Paul. They did this because the people were ready to hurt him. They were shouting, “Kill him!”


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The soldiers were about to take Paul into the army building. But he spoke to the commander, “May I say something to you?” The commander said, “Do you speak Greek?


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I thought you were the Egyptian who started some trouble against the government not long ago. He led 4,000 killers out to the desert.”


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Paul said, “No, I am a Jew from Tarsus in the country of Cilicia. I am a citizen of that important city. Please, let me speak to the people.”


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The commander gave permission, so Paul stood on the steps. He waved with his hand so that the people would be quiet. When there was silence, Paul spoke to them in the Jewish language.


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Paul Speaks to the People Paul said, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! I will make my defense to you.”


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“I am a Jew. I was born in Tarsus in the country of Cilicia. I grew up in this city. I was a student of Gamaliel. He carefully taught me everything about the law of our ancestors. I was very serious about serving God, just as are all of you here today.


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I hurt the people who followed the Way of Jesus. Some of them were even killed. I arrested men and women and put them in jail.


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The high priest and the whole council of Jewish elders can tell you that this is true. These leaders gave me letters to the Jewish brothers in Damascus. So I was going there to arrest these people and bring them back to Jerusalem to be punished.


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“But something happened to me on my way to Damascus. It was about noon when I came near Damascus. Suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed all around me.


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I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The voice said, ‘I am Jesus from Nazareth. I am the One you are trying to hurt.’


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I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ The Lord answered, ‘Get up and go to Damascus. There you will be told about all the things I have planned for you to do.’


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“There a man named Ananias came to me. He was a religious man; he obeyed the law of Moses. All the Jews who lived there respected him.


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Ananias came to me, stood by me, and said, ‘Brother Saul, see again!’ Immediately I was able to see him.


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Ananias told me, ‘The God of our fathers chose you long ago. He chose you to know his plan. He chose you to see the Righteous One and to hear words from him.


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Now, why wait any longer? Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away. Do this, trusting in him to save you.’


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I saw the Lord saying to me, ‘Hurry! Leave Jerusalem now! The people here will not accept the truth about me.’


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They also know that I was there when Stephen, your witness, was killed. I stood there and agreed that they should kill him. I even held the coats of the men who were killing him!’


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The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they began shouting, “Get rid of him! A man like this doesn’t deserve to live!”


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Then the commander ordered the soldiers to take Paul into the army building and beat him. The commander wanted to make Paul tell why the people were shouting against him like this.


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So the soldiers were tying him up, preparing to beat him. But Paul said to an officer there, “Do you have the right to beat a Roman citizen who has not been proven guilty?”


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When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and told him about it. The officer said, “Do you know what you are doing? This man is a Roman citizen!”


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The commander said, “I paid a lot of money to become a Roman citizen.” But Paul said, “I was born a citizen.”


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The men who were preparing to question Paul moved away from him immediately. The commander was frightened because he had already tied Paul, and Paul was a Roman citizen.


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Paul Speaks to Jewish Leaders The next day the commander decided to learn why the Jews were accusing Paul. So he ordered the leading priests and the Jewish council to meet. The commander took Paul’s chains off. Then he brought Paul out and stood him before their meeting.


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Paul looked at the Jewish council and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life in a good way before God up to this day.”


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Ananias, the high priest, heard this and told the men who were standing near Paul to hit him on his mouth.


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Paul said to Ananias, “God will hit you too! You are like a wall that has been painted white! You sit there and judge me, using the law of Moses. But you are telling them to hit me, and that is against the law.”


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The men standing near Paul said to him, “You cannot talk like that to God’s high priest! You are insulting him!”


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Paul said, “Brothers, I did not know this man was the high priest. It is written in the Scriptures, ‘You must not curse a leader of your people.’”


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Some of the men in the meeting were Sadducees, and others were Pharisees. So Paul shouted to them, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee and my father was a Pharisee! I am on trial here because I hope that people will rise from death!”


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When Paul said this, there was an argument between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The group was divided.


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(The Sadducees believe that after people die, they cannot live again. The Sadducees also teach that there are no angels or spirits. But the Pharisees believe in them all.)


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So there was a great uproar. Some of the teachers of the law, who were Pharisees, stood up and argued, “We find nothing wrong with this man! Maybe an angel or a spirit did speak to him.”


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The argument was beginning to turn into a fight. The commander was afraid that the Jews would tear Paul to pieces. So the commander told the soldiers to go down and take Paul away and put him in the army building.


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The next night the Lord came and stood by Paul. He said, “Be brave! You have told people in Jerusalem about me. You must do the same in Rome also.”


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In the morning some of the Jews made a plan to kill Paul. They made a promise that they would not eat or drink anything until they had killed him.


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They went and talked to the leading priests and the Jewish elders. They said, “We have made a promise to ourselves that we will not eat or drink until we have killed Paul!


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So this is what we want you to do: Send a message to the commander to bring Paul out to you. Tell him you want to ask Paul more questions. We will be waiting to kill him while he is on the way here.”


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Then Paul called one of the officers and said, “Take this young man to the commander. He has a message for him.”


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So the officer brought Paul’s nephew to the commander. The officer said, “The prisoner, Paul, asked me to bring this young man to you. He wants to tell you something.”


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The commander led the young man to a place where they could be alone. The commander asked, “What do you want to tell me?”


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The young man said, “The Jews have decided to ask you to bring Paul down to their council meeting tomorrow. They want you to think that they are going to ask him more questions.


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But don’t believe them! There are more than 40 men who are hiding and waiting to kill Paul. They have all made a promise not to eat or drink until they have killed him! Now they are waiting for you to agree.”


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The commander sent the young man away. He said to him, “Don’t tell anyone that you have told me about their plan.”


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Paul Is Sent to Caesarea Then the commander called two officers. He said to them, “I need some men to go to Caesarea. Get 200 soldiers ready. Also, get 70 horsemen and 200 men with spears. Be ready to leave at nine o’clock tonight.


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The Jews had taken this man, and they planned to kill him. But I learned that he is a Roman citizen, so I went with my soldiers and saved him.


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I learned that the Jews said Paul did some things that were wrong. But these charges were about their own laws. And no charge was worthy of jail or death.


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I was told that some of the Jews were planning to kill Paul. So I sent him to you at once. I also told those Jews to tell you what they have against him.


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So the soldiers did what they were told. They took Paul and brought him to the city of Antipatris that night.


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The next day the horsemen went with Paul to Caesarea. But the other soldiers went back to the army building in Jerusalem.


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The horsemen came to Caesarea and gave the letter to the governor. Then they turned Paul over to him.


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The governor read the letter. Then he asked Paul, “What area are you from?” He learned that Paul was from Cilicia.


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He said, “I will hear your case when those who are against you come here too.” Then the governor gave orders for Paul to be kept under guard in the palace. (This building had been built by Herod.)


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The Jews Accuse Paul Five days later Ananias, the high priest, went to the city of Caesarea. With him were some of the Jewish elders and a lawyer named Tertullus. They had come to make charges against Paul before the governor.


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Paul was called into the meeting, and Tertullus began to accuse him, saying: “Most Excellent Felix! Our people enjoy much peace because of you, and many wrong things in our country are being made right through your wise help.


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This man is a troublemaker. He makes trouble among the Jews everywhere in the world. He is a leader of the Nazarene group.


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Also, he was trying to make the Temple unclean, but we stopped him. [And we wanted to judge him by our own law.


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But the officer Lysias came and used much force to take him from us. And Lysias commanded his people to come to you to accuse us.]


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The governor made a sign for Paul to speak. So Paul said, “Governor Felix, I know that you have been a judge over this nation for a long time. So I am happy to defend myself before you.


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Those who are accusing me did not find me arguing with anyone in the Temple. I was not stirring up the people. And I was not making trouble in the Temple or in the synagogues or in the city.


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But I will tell you this: I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way of Jesus. The Jews say that the Way of Jesus is not the right way. But I believe everything that is taught in the law of Moses and that is written in the books of the Prophets.


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I have the same hope in God that they have—the hope that all people, good and bad, will be raised from death.


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“I was away from Jerusalem for several years. I went back there to bring money to my people and to offer sacrifices.


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I was doing this when they found me in the Temple. I had finished the cleansing ceremony. I had not made any trouble; no people were gathering around me.


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But some Jews from Asia were there. They should be here, standing before you. If I have really done anything wrong, they are the ones who should accuse me.


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Or ask these Jews here if they found any wrong in me when I stood before the Jewish council in Jerusalem.


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But I did say one thing when I stood before them: ‘You are judging me today because I believe that people will rise from death!’”


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Felix already understood much about the Way of Jesus. He stopped the trial and said, “When commander Lysias comes here, I will decide about your case.”


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Felix told the officer to keep Paul guarded. But he told the officer to give Paul some freedom and to let his friends bring what he needed.


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Paul Speaks to Felix and His Wife After some days Felix came with his wife, Drusilla, who was a Jew. He asked for Paul to be brought to him. He listened to Paul talk about believing in Christ Jesus.


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But Felix became afraid when Paul spoke about things like right living, self-control, and the time when God will judge the world. He said, “Go away now. When I have more time, I will call for you.”


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At the same time Felix hoped that Paul would give him some money. So he sent for Paul often and talked with him.


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But after two years, Porcius Festus became governor. Felix was no longer governor, but he had left Paul in prison to please the Jews.


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Paul Asks to See Caesar Three days after Festus became governor, he went from Caesarea to Jerusalem.


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They asked Festus to do something for them; they wanted him to send Paul back to Jerusalem. (They had a plan to kill Paul on the way.)


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Some of your leaders should go with me. They can accuse the man there in Caesarea, if he has really done something wrong.”


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Festus stayed in Jerusalem another eight or ten days. Then he went back to Caesarea. The next day he told the soldiers to bring Paul before him. Festus was seated on the judge’s seat


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when Paul came into the room. The Jews who had come from Jerusalem stood around him. They started making serious charges against Paul. But they could not prove any of them.


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This is what Paul said to defend himself: “I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law, against the Temple, or against Caesar!”


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But Festus wanted to please the Jews. So he asked Paul, “Do you want to go to Jerusalem? Do you want me to judge you there on these charges?”


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Paul said, “I am standing at Caesar’s judgment seat now. This is where I should be judged! I have done nothing wrong to the Jews; you know this is true.


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If I have done something wrong and the law says I must die, I do not ask to be saved from death. But if these charges are not true, then no one can give me to them. No! I want Caesar to hear my case!”


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Festus talked about this with the people who advised him. Then he said, “You have asked to see Caesar; so you will go to Caesar!”


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Paul Before King Agrippa A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to visit Festus.


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They stayed there for some time, and Festus told the king about Paul’s case. Festus said, “There is a man that Felix left in prison.


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When I went to Jerusalem, the leading priests and the Jewish elders there made charges against him. They wanted me to sentence him to death.


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But I answered, ‘When a man is accused of a crime, Romans do not hand him over just to please someone. The man must be allowed to face his accusers and defend himself against their charges.’


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So these Jews came here to Caesarea for the trial. And I did not waste time. The next day I sat on the judge’s seat and commanded that the man be brought in.


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The Jews stood up and accused him. But they did not accuse him of any serious crime as I thought they would.


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The things they said were about their own religion and about a man named Jesus. Jesus died, but Paul said that he is still alive.


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I did not know much about these things; so I did not ask questions. But I asked Paul, ‘Do you want to go to Jerusalem and be judged there?’


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But he asked to be kept in Caesarea. He wants a decision from the Emperor. So I ordered that Paul be held until I could send him to Caesar in Rome.”


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Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man, too.” Festus said, “Tomorrow you will hear him!”


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The next day Agrippa and Bernice appeared. They dressed and acted like very important people. Agrippa and Bernice, the army leaders, and the important men of Caesarea went into the judgment room. Then Festus ordered the soldiers to bring Paul in.


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Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are gathered here with us, you see this man. All the Jewish people, here and in Jerusalem, have complained to me about him. They shout that he should not live any longer.


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When I judged him, I could find nothing wrong. I found no reason to order his death. But he asked to be judged by Caesar. So I decided to send him.


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But I have nothing definite to write the Emperor about him. So I have brought him before all of you—especially you, King Agrippa. I hope that you can question him and give me something to write.


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I think it is foolish to send a prisoner to Caesar without telling what the charges are against him.”


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Paul Defends Himself Agrippa said to Paul, “You may now speak to defend yourself.” Then Paul raised his hand and began to speak.


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He said, “King Agrippa, I will answer all the charges that the Jews make against me. I think it is a blessing that I can stand here before you today.


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I am very happy to talk to you, because you know so much about all the Jewish customs and the things that the Jews argue about. Please listen to me patiently.


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“All the Jews know about my whole life. They know the way I lived from the beginning in my own country and later in Jerusalem.


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They have known me for a long time. If they want to, they can tell you that I was a good Pharisee. And the Pharisees obey the laws of the Jewish religion more carefully than any other group of Jewish people.


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This is the promise that the 12 tribes of our people hope to receive. For this hope the Jews serve God day and night. My king, the Jews have accused me because I hope for this same promise!


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And in Jerusalem I did many things against God’s people. The leading priests gave me the power to put many of them in jail. When they were being killed, I agreed that it was a good thing.


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In every synagogue, I often punished them. I tried to make them say evil things against Jesus. I was so angry against them that I even went to other cities to find them and punish them.


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On the way there, at noon, I saw a light from heaven. The light was brighter than the sun. It flashed all around me and the men who were traveling with me.


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We all fell to the ground. Then I heard a voice speaking to me in the Jewish language. The voice said, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you doing things against me? You are only hurting yourself by fighting me.’


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Stand up! I have chosen you to be my servant. You will be my witness—you will tell people the things that you have seen and the things that I will show you. This is why I have come to you today.


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I will not let your own people hurt you. And I will keep you safe from the non-Jewish people too. These are the people I am sending you to.


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I send you to open their eyes that they may turn away from darkness to the light. I send you that they may turn away from the power of Satan and turn to God. Then their sins can be forgiven and they can have a place with those people who have been made holy by believing in me.’


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I began telling people that they should change their hearts and lives and turn to God. I told them to do things to show that they really had changed. I told this first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and in every part of Judea, and also to the non-Jewish people.


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But God helped me and is still helping me today. With God’s help I am standing here today and telling all people what I have seen. But I am saying nothing new. I am saying what Moses and the prophets said would happen.


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They said that the Christ would die and be the first to rise from death. They said that the Christ would bring light to the Jewish and non-Jewish people.”


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Paul Tries to Persuade Agrippa While Paul was saying these things to defend himself, Festus said loudly, “Paul, you are out of your mind! Too much study has driven you crazy!”


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Paul said, “Most Excellent Festus, I am not crazy. My words are true. They are not the words of a foolish man.


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King Agrippa knows about these things. I can speak freely to him. I know that he has heard about all of these things. They did not happen off in a corner.


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King Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian in such a short time?”


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Paul said, “Whether it is a short or a long time, I pray to God that not only you but every person listening to me today would be saved and be like me—except for these chains I have!”


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and left the room. They were talking to each other. They said, “There is no reason why this man should die or be put in jail.”


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And Agrippa said to Festus, “We could let this man go free, but he has asked Caesar to hear his case.”


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Paul Sails for Rome It was decided that we would sail for Italy. An officer named Julius, who served in the Emperor’s army, guarded Paul and some other prisoners.


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We got on a ship and left. The ship was from the city of Adramyttium and was about to sail to different ports in Asia. Aristarchus, a man from the city of Thessalonica in Macedonia, went with us.


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The next day we came to Sidon. Julius was very good to Paul. He gave Paul freedom to go visit his friends, who took care of his needs.


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We sailed slowly for many days. We had a hard time reaching Cnidus because the wind was blowing against us. We could not go any farther that way. So we sailed by the south side of the island of Crete near Salmone.


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We sailed along the coast, but the sailing was hard. Then we came to a place called Safe Harbors, near the city of Lasea.


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But we had lost much time. It was now dangerous to sail, because it was already after the Day of Cleansing. So Paul warned them,


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“Men, I can see there will be a lot of trouble on this trip. The ship and the things in the ship will be lost. Even our lives may be lost!”


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But the captain and the owner of the ship did not agree with Paul. So the officer did not believe Paul. Instead, the officer believed what the captain and owner of the ship said.


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And that harbor was not a good place for the ship to stay for the winter. So most of the men decided that the ship should leave. The men hoped we could go to Phoenix. The ship could stay there for the winter. (Phoenix was a city on the island of Crete. It had a harbor which faced southwest and northwest.)


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The Storm Then a good wind began to blow from the south. The men on the ship thought, “This is the wind we wanted, and now we have it!” So they pulled up the anchor. We sailed very close to the island of Crete.


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This wind took the ship and carried it away. The ship could not sail against it. So we stopped trying and let the wind blow us.


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We went below a small island named Cauda. Then we were able to bring in the lifeboat, but it was very hard to do.


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After the men took the lifeboat in, they tied ropes around the ship to hold it together. The men were afraid that the ship would hit the sandbanks of Syrtis. So they lowered the sail and let the wind carry the ship.


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For many days we could not see the sun or the stars. The storm was very bad. We lost all hope of staying alive—we thought we would die.


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The men had gone without food for a long time. Then one day Paul stood up before them and said, “Men, I told you not to leave Crete. You should have listened to me. Then you would not have all this trouble and loss.


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God’s angel said, ‘Paul, do not be afraid! You must stand before Caesar. And God has given you this promise: He will save the lives of all those men sailing with you.’


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On the fourteenth night we were floating around in the Adriatic Sea. The sailors thought we were close to land.


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They threw a rope into the water with a weight on the end of it. They found that the water was 120 feet deep. They went a little farther and threw the rope in again. It was 90 feet deep.


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The sailors were afraid that we would hit the rocks, so they threw four anchors into the water. Then they prayed for daylight to come.


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Some of the sailors wanted to leave the ship, and they lowered the lifeboat. These sailors wanted the other men to think that they were throwing more anchors from the front of the ship.


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But Paul told the officer and the other soldiers, “If these men do not stay in the ship, your lives cannot be saved!”


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Just before dawn Paul began persuading all the people to eat something. He said, “For the past 14 days you have been waiting and watching. You have not eaten.


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Now I beg you to eat something. You need it to stay alive. None of you will lose even one hair off your heads.”


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After he said this, Paul took some bread and thanked God for it before all of them. He broke off a piece and began eating.


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The Ship Is Destroyed When daylight came, the sailors saw land. They did not know what land it was, but they saw a bay with a beach. They wanted to sail the ship to the beach, if they could.


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So they cut the ropes to the anchors and left the anchors in the sea. At the same time, they untied the ropes that were holding the rudders. Then they raised the front sail into the wind and sailed toward the beach.


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But the ship hit a sandbank. The front of the ship stuck there and could not move. Then the big waves began to break the back of the ship to pieces.


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But Julius, the officer, wanted to let Paul live. He did not allow the soldiers to kill the prisoners. Instead he ordered everyone who could swim to jump into the water and swim to land.


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The rest used wooden boards or pieces of the ship. And this is how all the people made it safely to land.


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It was raining and very cold. But the people who lived there were very good to us. They made us a fire and welcomed all of us.


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Paul gathered a pile of sticks for the fire. He was putting them on the fire when a poisonous snake came out because of the heat and bit him on the hand.


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The people living on the island saw the snake hanging from Paul’s hand. They said to each other, “This man must be a murderer! He did not die in the sea, but Justice does not want him to live.”


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The people thought that Paul would swell up or fall down dead. The people waited and watched him for a long time, but nothing bad happened to him. So they changed their minds about Paul. Now they said, “He is a god!”


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There were some fields around there owned by a very important man on the island. His name was Publius. He welcomed us into his home and was very good to us. We stayed in his house for three days.


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Publius’ father was very sick with a fever and dysentery. But Paul went to him and prayed. Then he put his hands on the man and healed him.


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The people on the island gave us many honors. We stayed there three months. When we were ready to leave, they gave us the things we needed. Paul Goes to Rome We got on a ship from Alexandria. The ship had stayed on the island during the winter. On the front of the ship was the sign of the twin gods.


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From there we sailed to Rhegium. The next day a wind began to blow from the southwest, so we were able to leave. A day later we came to Puteoli.


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We found some believers there, and they asked us to stay with them for a week. Finally, we came to Rome.


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The believers in Rome heard that we were there. They came out as far as the Market of Appius and the Three Inns to meet us. When Paul saw them, he was encouraged and thanked God.


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Paul in Rome Then we arrived at Rome. There, Paul was allowed to live alone. But a soldier stayed with him to guard him.


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Three days later Paul sent for the Jewish leaders there. When they came together, he said, “Brothers, I have done nothing against our people. I have done nothing against the customs of our fathers. But I was arrested in Jerusalem and given to the Romans.


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The Romans asked me many questions. But they could find no reason why I should be killed. They wanted to let me go free,


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but the Jews there did not want that. So I had to ask to come to Rome to have my trial before Caesar. But I have no charge to bring against my own people.


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That is why I wanted to see you and talk with you. I am bound with this chain because I believe in the hope of Israel.”


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The Jews answered Paul, “We have received no letters from Judea about you. None of our Jewish brothers who have come from there brought news about you or told us anything bad about you.


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We want to hear your ideas. We know that people everywhere are speaking against this religious group.”


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Paul and the Jews chose a day for a meeting. On that day many more of the Jews met with Paul at the place he was staying. Paul spoke to them all day long, explaining the kingdom of God to them. He tried to persuade them to believe these things about Jesus. He used the law of Moses and the writings of the prophets to do this.


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So they argued, and the Jews were ready to leave. But Paul said one more thing to them: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet. He said,


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‘Go to this people and say: You will listen and listen, but you will not understand. You will look and look, but you will not learn.


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For these people have become stubborn. They don’t hear with their ears. And they have closed their eyes. Otherwise, they might really understand what they see with their eyes and hear with their ears. They might really understand in their minds. If they did this, they would come back to me and be forgiven.’


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“I want you Jews to know that God has also sent his salvation to the non-Jewish people. They will listen!”


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Paul stayed two full years in his own rented house. He welcomed all people who came and visited him.


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He preached about the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ. He was very bold, and no one stopped him.


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A Prayer of Thanks From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus. God called me to be an apostle and chose me to tell the Good News.


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God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets. That promise is written in the Holy Scriptures.


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The Good News is about God’s Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. As a man, he was born from the family of David. But through the Spirit of holiness he was declared to be God’s Son with great power by rising from death.


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Through Christ, God gave me the special work of an apostle. This was to lead people of all nations to believe and obey. I do this work for Christ.


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This letter is to all of you in Rome whom God loves and has called to be his holy people. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ show you kindness and give you peace.


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First I want to say that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you. I thank God because people everywhere in the world are talking about your great faith.


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God knows that every time I pray I always mention you. God is the One I serve with my whole heart by telling the Good News about his Son. I pray that I will be allowed to come to you, and this will happen if God wants it.


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I mean that I want us to help each other with the faith that we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you.


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Brothers, I want you to know that I planned many times to come to you. But this has not been possible. I wanted to come so that I could help you grow spiritually. I wanted to help you as I have helped the other non-Jewish people.


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I am not ashamed of the Good News. It is the power God uses to save everyone who believes—to save the Jews first, and then to save the non-Jews.


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The Good News shows how God makes people right with himself. God’s way of making people right with him begins and ends with faith. As the Scripture says, “The person who is made right with God by faith will live forever.”


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All People Have Done Wrong God’s anger is shown from heaven against all the evil and wrong things that people do. By their own evil lives they hide the truth.


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God shows his anger because everything that may be known about God has been made clear. Yes, God has clearly shown them everything that may be known about him.


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There are things about God that people cannot see—his eternal power and all the things that make him God. But since the beginning of the world those things have been easy to understand. They are made clear by what God has made. So people have no excuse for the bad things they do.


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They knew God. But they did not give glory to God, and they did not thank him. Their thinking became useless. Their foolish minds were filled with darkness.


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They gave up the glory of God who lives forever. They traded that glory for the worship of idols made to look like earthly people. They traded God’s glory for things that look like birds, animals, and snakes.


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People were full of sin, wanting only to do evil. So God left them to follow their evil desires, and they made one another’s bodies impure by what they did.


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They traded the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served things that were made by man. But they did not worship and serve the God who made those things. God should be praised forever. Amen.


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Because people did those things, God left them and let them do the shameful things they wanted to do. Women stopped having natural physical relations with men for what is unnatural.


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In the same way, men stopped having natural physical relations with women and began wanting each other. Men did shameful things with other men. And in their bodies they received the punishment for those wrongs.


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People did not think it was important to have a true knowledge of God. So God left them and allowed them to have their own worthless thinking. And so those people do the things that they should not do.


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They are filled with every kind of sin, evil, selfishness, and hatred. They are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, lying, and thinking the worst about each other. They gossip


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and say evil things about each other. They hate God. They are rude and conceited and brag about themselves. They invent ways of doing evil. They do not obey their parents.


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They are foolish, they do not keep their promises, and they show no kindness or mercy to other people.


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They know God’s law says that those who live like this should die. But they continue to do these evil things. And they also feel that those who do these things are doing right.


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You People Also Are Sinful If you think that you can judge others, then you are wrong. You too are guilty of sin. You judge people, but you do the same bad things they do. So when you judge them, you are really judging yourself guilty.


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You judge those who do wrong, but you do wrong yourselves. Do you think you will be able to escape the judgment of God?


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God has been very kind to you, and he has been patient with you. God has been waiting for you to change. But you think nothing of his kindness. Perhaps you do not understand that God is kind to you so that you will change your hearts and lives.


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But you are hard and stubborn and refuse to change. So you are making your own punishment greater and greater on the day God shows his anger. On that day all people will see God’s right judgments.


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Some people live for God’s glory, for honor, and for life that has no end. They live for those things by always continuing to do good. God will give life forever to them.


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But other people are selfish and refuse to follow truth. They follow evil. God will give them his punishment and anger.


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He will give trouble and suffering to everyone who does evil—to the Jews first and also to the non-Jews.


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But God will give glory, honor, and peace to everyone who does good—to the Jews first and also to the non-Jews.


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People who have God’s law and those who have never heard of the law are all the same when they sin. Those who do not have the law and are sinners will be lost. And, in the same way, people who have the law and are sinners will be judged by the law.


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Hearing the law does not make people right with God. The law makes people right with God only if they obey what the law says.


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(The non-Jews do not have the law. But when they freely do things that the law commands, then they are the law for themselves. This is true even though they do not have the law.


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They show that in their hearts they know what is right and wrong, just as the law commands. And they also show this by the way they feel about right and wrong. Sometimes their thoughts tell them they did wrong. And sometimes their thoughts tell them they did right.)


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All these things will happen on the day when God will judge the secret thoughts of people’s hearts. The Good News that I preach says that God will judge everyone through Christ Jesus.


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The Jews and the Law What about you? You call yourself a Jew. You trust in the law of Moses and brag that you are close to God.


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You know what God wants you to do. And you know the things that are important because you have learned the law.


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You think you can show foolish people what is right and teach those who know nothing. You have the law; so you think you know everything and have all truth.


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You teach other people. So why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal. But you yourselves steal.


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You say that others must not take part in adultery. But you yourselves are guilty of that sin. You hate idols. But you steal from temples.


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If you follow the law, then your circumcision has meaning. But if you break the law, then it is as if you were never circumcised.


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The non-Jews are not circumcised. But if they do what the law says, then it is as if they were circumcised.


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You Jews have the written law and circumcision, but you break the law. So those who are not circumcised in their bodies, but still obey the law, will show that you are guilty.


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A person is not a true Jew if he is only a Jew in his physical body. True circumcision is not only on the outside of the body.


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A person is a true Jew only if he is a Jew inside. True circumcision is done in the heart by the Spirit, not by the written law. Such a person gets praise from God, not from other people.


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So, do Jews have anything that other people do not have? Is there anything special about being circumcised?


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Yes, of course, there is in every way. The most important thing is this: God trusted the Jews with his teachings.


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It is true that some Jews were not faithful to God. But will that stop God from doing what he promised?


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No! God will continue to be true even when every person is false. As the Scriptures say: “So your words may be shown to be right. You are fair when you judge me.”


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When we do wrong, that shows more clearly that God is right. So can we say that God is wrong to punish us? (I am talking as men might talk.)


