# verses

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I will not execute my fierce anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and no mortal, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.


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They shall go after the Lord, who roars like a lion; when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west.


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They shall come trembling like birds from Egypt, and like doves from the land of Assyria; and I will return them to their homes, says the Lord.


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Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit; but Judah still walks with God, and is faithful to the Holy One.


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Ephraim herds the wind, and pursues the east wind all day long; they multiply falsehood and violence; they make a treaty with Assyria, and oil is carried to Egypt.


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The Long History of Rebellion The Lord has an indictment against Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways, and repay him according to his deeds.


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He strove with the angel and prevailed, he wept and sought his favour; he met him at Bethel, and there he spoke with him.


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But as for you, return to your God, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God.


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Ephraim has said, ‘Ah, I am rich, I have gained wealth for myself; in all of my gain no offence has been found in me that would be sin.’


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I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt; I will make you live in tents again, as on the days of the appointed festival.


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I spoke to the prophets; it was I who multiplied visions, and through the prophets I will bring destruction.


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In Gilead there is iniquity, they shall surely come to nothing. In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls, so their altars shall be like stone heaps on the furrows of the field.


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Ephraim has given bitter offence, so his Lord will bring his crimes down on him and pay him back for his insults.


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Relentless Judgement on Israel When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling; he was exalted in Israel; but he incurred guilt through Baal and died.


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And now they keep on sinning and make a cast image for themselves, idols of silver made according to their understanding, all of them the work of artisans. ‘Sacrifice to these’, they say. People are kissing calves!


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Therefore they shall be like the morning mist or like the dew that goes away early, like chaff that swirls from the threshing-floor or like smoke from a window.


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Yet I have been the Lord your God ever since the land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and besides me there is no saviour.


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When I fed them, they were satisfied; they were satisfied, and their heart was proud; therefore they forgot me.


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I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs, and will tear open the covering of their heart; there I will devour them like a lion, as a wild animal would mangle them.


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Where now is your king, that he may save you? Where in all your cities are your rulers, of whom you said, ‘Give me a king and rulers’?


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The pangs of childbirth come for him, but he is an unwise son; for at the proper time he does not present himself at the mouth of the womb.


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Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from Death? O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your destruction? Compassion is hidden from my eyes.


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Although he may flourish among rushes, the east wind shall come, a blast from the Lord, rising from the wilderness; and his fountain shall dry up, his spring shall be parched. It shall strip his treasury of every precious thing.


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Samaria shall bear her guilt, because she has rebelled against her God; they shall fall by the sword, their little ones shall be dashed in pieces, and their pregnant women ripped open.


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A Plea for Repentance Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.


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Take words with you and return to the Lord; say to him, ‘Take away all guilt; accept that which is good, and we will offer the fruit of our lips.


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Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses; we will say no more, “Our God”, to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy.’


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Assurance of Forgiveness I will heal their disloyalty; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them.


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I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily, he shall strike root like the forests of Lebanon.


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His shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive tree, and his fragrance like that of Lebanon.


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They shall again live beneath my shadow, they shall flourish as a garden; they shall blossom like the vine, their fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon.


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O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and look after you. I am like an evergreen cypress; your faithfulness comes from me.


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Those who are wise understand these things; those who are discerning know them. For the ways of the Lord are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.


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Lament over the Ruin of the Country Hear this, O elders, give ear, all inhabitants of the land! Has such a thing happened in your days, or in the days of your ancestors?


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Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.


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What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten, and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten.


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Wake up, you drunkards, and weep; and wail, all you wine-drinkers, over the sweet wine, for it is cut off from your mouth.


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For a nation has invaded my land, powerful and innumerable; its teeth are lions’ teeth, and it has the fangs of a lioness.


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It has laid waste my vines, and splintered my fig trees; it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down; their branches have turned white.


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The grain-offering and the drink-offering are cut off from the house of the Lord. The priests mourn, the ministers of the Lord.


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The fields are devastated, the ground mourns; for the grain is destroyed, the wine dries up, the oil fails.


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Be dismayed, you farmers, wail, you vine-dressers, over the wheat and the barley; for the crops of the field are ruined.


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The vine withers, the fig tree droops. Pomegranate, palm, and apple— all the trees of the field are dried up; surely, joy withers away among the people.


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A Call to Repentance and Prayer Put on sackcloth and lament, you priests; wail, you ministers of the altar. Come, pass the night in sackcloth, you ministers of my God! Grain-offering and drink-offering are withheld from the house of your God.


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Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.


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The seed shrivels under the clods, the storehouses are desolate; the granaries are ruined because the grain has failed.


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How the animals groan! The herds of cattle wander about because there is no pasture for them; even the flocks of sheep are dazed.


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To you, O Lord, I cry. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flames have burned all the trees of the field.


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Even the wild animals cry to you because the watercourses are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.


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Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near—


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a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness spread upon the mountains a great and powerful army comes; their like has never been from of old, nor will be again after them in ages to come.


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Fire devours in front of them, and behind them a flame burns. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, but after them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them.


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As with the rumbling of chariots, they leap on the tops of the mountains, like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble, like a powerful army drawn up for battle.


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Like warriors they charge, like soldiers they scale the wall. Each keeps to its own course, they do not swerve from their paths.


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They do not jostle one another, each keeps to its own track; they burst through the weapons and are not halted.


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They leap upon the city, they run upon the walls; they climb up into the houses, they enter through the windows like a thief.


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The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.


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The Lord utters his voice at the head of his army; how vast is his host! Numberless are those who obey his command. Truly the day of the Lord is great; terrible indeed—who can endure it?


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Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;


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rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.


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Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain-offering and a drink-offering for the Lord, your God?


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gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her canopy.


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Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep. Let them say, ‘Spare your people, O Lord, and do not make your heritage a mockery, a byword among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, “Where is their God?”’


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In response to his people the Lord said: I am sending you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a mockery among the nations.


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I will remove the northern army far from you, and drive it into a parched and desolate land, its front into the eastern sea, and its rear into the western sea; its stench and foul smell will rise up. Surely he has done great things!


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Do not fear, you animals of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit, the fig tree and vine give their full yield.


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O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the Lord your God; for he has given the early rain for your vindication, he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the later rain, as before.


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I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent against you.


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You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.


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You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is no other. And my people shall never again be put to shame.


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God’s Spirit Poured Out Then afterwards I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.


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The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.


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Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.


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I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat, and I will enter into judgement with them there, on account of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations. They have divided my land,


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and cast lots for my people, and traded boys for prostitutes, and sold girls for wine, and drunk it down.


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What are you to me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something? If you are paying me back, I will turn your deeds back upon your own heads swiftly and speedily.


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You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, removing them far from their own border.


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But now I will rouse them to leave the places to which you have sold them, and I will turn your deeds back upon your own heads.


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I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a nation far away; for the Lord has spoken.


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Judgement in the Valley of Jehoshaphat Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare war, stir up the warriors. Let all the soldiers draw near, let them come up.


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Beat your ploughshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears; let the weakling say, ‘I am a warrior.’


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Come quickly, all you nations all around, gather yourselves there. Bring down your warriors, O Lord.


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Let the nations rouse themselves, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the neighbouring nations.


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Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the wine press is full. The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great.


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Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.


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The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth shake. But the Lord is a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.


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The Glorious Future of Judah So you shall know that I, the Lord your God, dwell in Zion, my holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall never again pass through it.


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On that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, the hills shall flow with milk, and all the stream beds of Judah shall flow with water; a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord and water the Wadi Shittim.


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Egypt shall become a desolation and Edom a desolate wilderness, because of the violence done to the people of Judah, in whose land they have shed innocent blood.


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The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of King Uzziah of Judah and in the days of King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel, two years before the earthquake.


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Judgement on Israel’s Neighbours And he said: The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds wither, and the top of Carmel dries up.


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Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing-sledges of iron.


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I will break the gate-bars of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of Aven, and the one who holds the sceptre from Beth-eden; and the people of Aram shall go into exile to Kir, says the Lord.


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Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they carried into exile entire communities, to hand them over to Edom.


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I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod, and the one who holds the sceptre from Ashkelon; I will turn my hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, says the Lord God.


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Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they delivered entire communities over to Edom, and did not remember the covenant of kinship.


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Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because he pursued his brother with the sword and cast off all pity; he maintained his anger perpetually, and kept his wrath for ever.


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Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of the Ammonites, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead in order to enlarge their territory.


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So I will kindle a fire against the wall of Rabbah, fire that shall devour its strongholds, with shouting on the day of battle, with a storm on the day of the whirlwind;


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Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because he burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom.


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So I will send a fire on Moab, and it shall devour the strongholds of Kerioth, and Moab shall die amid uproar, amid shouting and the sound of the trumpet;


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Judgement on Judah Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they have rejected the law of the Lord, and have not kept his statutes, but they have been led astray by the same lies after which their ancestors walked.


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Judgement on Israel Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals—


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they who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth, and push the afflicted out of the way; father and son go in to the same girl, so that my holy name is profaned;


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they lay themselves down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge; and in the house of their God they drink wine bought with fines they imposed.


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Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of cedars, and who was as strong as oaks; I destroyed his fruit above, and his roots beneath.


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Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and led you for forty years in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.


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And I raised up some of your children to be prophets and some of your youths to be nazirites. Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel? says the Lord.


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But you made the nazirites drink wine, and commanded the prophets, saying, ‘You shall not prophesy.’


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Flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not retain their strength, nor shall the mighty save their lives;


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those who handle the bow shall not stand, and those who are swift of foot shall not save themselves, nor shall those who ride horses save their lives;


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Israel’s Guilt and Punishment Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt:


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You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.


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Does a lion roar in the forest, when it has no prey? Does a young lion cry out from its den, if it has caught nothing?


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Does a bird fall into a snare on the earth, when there is no trap for it? Does a snare spring up from the ground, when it has taken nothing?


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Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster befall a city, unless the Lord has done it?


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Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod, and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt, and say, ‘Assemble yourselves on Mount Samaria, and see what great tumults are within it, and what oppressions are in its midst.’


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They do not know how to do right, says the Lord, those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.


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Therefore, thus says the Lord God: An adversary shall surround the land, and strip you of your defence; and your strongholds shall be plundered.


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Thus says the Lord: As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who live in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part of a bed.


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On the day I punish Israel for its transgressions, I will punish the altars of Bethel, and the horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground.


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I will tear down the winter house as well as the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall come to an end, says the Lord.


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Hear this word, you cows of Bashan who are on Mount Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to their husbands, ‘Bring something to drink!’


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The Lord God has sworn by his holiness: The time is surely coming upon you, when they shall take you away with hooks, even the last of you with fish-hooks.


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Through breaches in the wall you shall leave, each one straight ahead; and you shall be flung out into Harmon, says the Lord.


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Come to Bethel—and transgress; to Gilgal—and multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days;


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bring a thank-offering of leavened bread, and proclaim freewill-offerings, publish them; for so you love to do, O people of Israel! says the Lord God.


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Israel Rejects Correction I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, yet you did not return to me, says the Lord.


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And I also withheld the rain from you when there were still three months to the harvest; I would send rain on one city, and send no rain on another city; one field would be rained upon, and the field on which it did not rain withered;


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so two or three towns wandered to one town to drink water, and were not satisfied; yet you did not return to me, says the Lord.


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I struck you with blight and mildew; I laid waste your gardens and your vineyards; the locust devoured your fig trees and your olive trees; yet you did not return to me, says the Lord.


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I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword; I carried away your horses; and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils; yet you did not return to me, says the Lord.


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I overthrew some of you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a brand snatched from the fire; yet you did not return to me, says the Lord.


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Therefore, thus I will do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel!


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For lo, the one who forms the mountains, creates the wind, reveals his thoughts to mortals, makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!


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For thus says the Lord God: The city that marched out a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which marched out a hundred shall have ten left.


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but do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beer-sheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing.


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Seek the Lord and live, or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire, and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it.


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The one who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning, and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is his name,


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Therefore, because you trample on the poor and take from them levies of grain, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.


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For I know how many are your transgressions, and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and push aside the needy in the gate.


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Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, just as you have said.


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Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.


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Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord: In all the squares there shall be wailing; and in all the streets they shall say, ‘Alas! alas!’ They shall call the farmers to mourning, and those skilled in lamentation, to wailing;


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in all the vineyards there shall be wailing, for I will pass through the midst of you, says the Lord.


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The Day of the Lord a Dark Day Alas for you who desire the day of the Lord! Why do you want the day of the Lord? It is darkness, not light;


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as if someone fled from a lion, and was met by a bear; or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall, and was bitten by a snake.


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Even though you offer me your burnt-offerings and grain-offerings, I will not accept them; and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon.


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You shall take up Sakkuth your king, and Kaiwan your star-god, your images that you made for yourselves;


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therefore I will take you into exile beyond Damascus, says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.


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Complacent Self-Indulgence Will Be Punished Alas for those who are at ease in Zion, and for those who feel secure on Mount Samaria, the notables of the first of the nations, to whom the house of Israel resorts!


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Cross over to Calneh, and see; from there go to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Or is your territory greater than their territory,


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Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory, and lounge on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the stall;


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who drink wine from bowls, and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!


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Therefore they shall now be the first to go into exile, and the revelry of the loungers shall pass away.


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The Lord God has sworn by himself (says the Lord, the God of hosts): I abhor the pride of Jacob and hate his strongholds; and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.


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And if a relative, one who burns the dead, shall take up the body to bring it out of the house, and shall say to someone in the innermost parts of the house, ‘Is anyone else with you?’ the answer will come, ‘No.’ Then the relative shall say, ‘Hush! We must not mention the name of the Lord.’


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See, the Lord commands, and the great house shall be shattered to bits, and the little house to pieces.


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Do horses run on rocks? Does one plough the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood—


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you who rejoice in Lo-debar, who say, ‘Have we not by our own strength taken Karnaim for ourselves?’


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Indeed, I am raising up against you a nation, O house of Israel, says the Lord, the God of hosts, and they shall oppress you from Lebo-hamath to the Wadi Arabah.


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Locusts, Fire, and a Plumb-Line This is what the Lord God showed me: he was forming locusts at the time the latter growth began to sprout (it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings).


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When they had finished eating the grass of the land, I said, ‘O Lord God, forgive, I beg you! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!’


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This is what the Lord God showed me: the Lord God was calling for a shower of fire, and it devoured the great deep and was eating up the land.


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This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb-line, with a plumb-line in his hand.


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And the Lord said to me, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘A plumb-line.’ Then the Lord said, ‘See, I am setting a plumb-line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by;


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the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.’


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Amaziah Complains to the King Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, ‘Amos has conspired against you in the very centre of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words.


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For thus Amos has said, “Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.”’


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And Amaziah said to Amos, ‘O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there;


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but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.’


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Then Amos answered Amaziah, ‘I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycomore trees,


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and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”


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‘Now therefore hear the word of the Lord. You say, “Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.”


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Therefore, thus says the Lord: “Your wife shall become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be parcelled out by line; you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.”’


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He said, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘A basket of summer fruit.’ Then the Lord said to me, ‘The end has come upon my people Israel; I will never again pass them by.


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The songs of the temple shall become wailings on that day,’ says the Lord God; ‘the dead bodies shall be many, cast out in every place. Be silent!’


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saying, ‘When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practise deceit with false balances,


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buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and selling the sweepings of the wheat.’


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Shall not the land tremble on this account, and everyone mourn who lives in it, and all of it rise like the Nile, and be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt?


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On that day, says the Lord God, I will make the sun go down at noon, and darken the earth in broad daylight.


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I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on all loins, and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son, and the end of it like a bitter day.


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The time is surely coming, says the Lord God, when I will send a famine on the land; not a famine of bread, or a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.


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They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it.


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Those who swear by Ashimah of Samaria, and say, ‘As your god lives, O Dan’, and, ‘As the way of Beer-sheba lives’— they shall fall, and never rise again.


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The Destruction of Israel I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said: Strike the capitals until the thresholds shake, and shatter them on the heads of all the people; and those who are left I will kill with the sword; not one of them shall flee away, not one of them shall escape.


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Though they dig into Sheol, from there shall my hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down.


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Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, from there I will search out and take them; and though they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the sea-serpent, and it shall bite them.


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And though they go into captivity in front of their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it shall kill them; and I will fix my eyes on them for harm and not for good.


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The Lord, God of hosts, he who touches the earth and it melts, and all who live in it mourn, and all of it rises like the Nile, and sinks again, like the Nile of Egypt;


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who builds his upper chambers in the heavens, and founds his vault upon the earth; who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out upon the surface of the earth— the Lord is his name.


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Are you not like the Ethiopians to me, O people of Israel? says the Lord. Did I not bring Israel up from the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir?


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The eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth —except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, says the Lord.


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For lo, I will command, and shake the house of Israel among all the nations as one shakes with a sieve, but no pebble shall fall to the ground.


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The Restoration of David’s Kingdom On that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen, and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old;


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in order that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name, says the Lord who does this.


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The time is surely coming, says the Lord, when the one who ploughs shall overtake the one who reaps, and the treader of grapes the one who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it.


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I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.


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I will plant them upon their land, and they shall never again be plucked up out of the land that I have given them, says the Lord your God.


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Proud Edom Will Be Brought Low The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom: We have heard a report from the Lord, and a messenger has been sent among the nations: ‘Rise up! Let us rise against it for battle!’


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Your proud heart has deceived you, you that live in the clefts of the rock, whose dwelling is in the heights. You say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’


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Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, says the Lord.


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Pillage and Slaughter Will Repay Edom’s Cruelty If thieves came to you, if plunderers by night —how you have been destroyed!— would they not steal only what they wanted? If grape-gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings?


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All your allies have deceived you, they have driven you to the border; your confederates have prevailed against you; those who ate your bread have set a trap for you— there is no understanding of it.


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On that day, says the Lord, I will destroy the wise out of Edom, and understanding out of Mount Esau.


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Edom Wronged His Brother For the slaughter and violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off for ever.


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On the day that you stood aside, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth, and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you too were like one of them.


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But you should not have gloated over your brother on the day of his misfortune; you should not have rejoiced over the people of Judah on the day of their ruin; you should not have boasted on the day of distress.


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You should not have entered the gate of my people on the day of their calamity; you should not have joined in the gloating over Judah’s disaster on the day of his calamity; you should not have looted his goods on the day of his calamity.


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You should not have stood at the crossings to cut off his fugitives; you should not have handed over his survivors on the day of distress.


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For the day of the Lord is near against all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head.


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For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, all the nations around you shall drink; they shall drink and gulp down, and shall be as though they had never been.


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Israel’s Final Triumph But on Mount Zion there shall be those that escape, and it shall be holy; and the house of Jacob shall take possession of those who dispossessed them.


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The house of Jacob shall be a fire, the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau stubble; they shall burn them and consume them, and there shall be no survivor of the house of Esau; for the Lord has spoken.


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Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau, and those of the Shephelah the land of the Philistines; they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.


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The exiles of the Israelites who are in Halah shall possess Phoenicia as far as Zarephath; and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the towns of the Negeb.


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Those who have been saved shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.


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‘Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me.’


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But Jonah set out to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid his fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.


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But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a mighty storm came upon the sea that the ship threatened to break up.


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Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten it for them. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold of the ship and had lain down, and was fast asleep.


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The captain came and said to him, ‘What are you doing sound asleep? Get up, call on your god! Perhaps the god will spare us a thought so that we do not perish.’


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The sailors said to one another, ‘Come, let us cast lots, so that we may know on whose account this calamity has come upon us.’ So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.


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Then they said to him, ‘Tell us why this calamity has come upon us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?’


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‘I am a Hebrew,’ he replied. ‘I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.’


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Then the men were even more afraid, and said to him, ‘What is this that you have done!’ For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them so.


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Then they said to him, ‘What shall we do to you, that the sea may quieten down for us?’ For the sea was growing more and more tempestuous.


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He said to them, ‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will quieten down for you; for I know it is because of me that this great storm has come upon you.’


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Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to bring the ship back to land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more stormy against them.


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Then they cried out to the Lord, ‘Please, O Lord, we pray, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life. Do not make us guilty of innocent blood; for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.’


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But the Lord provided a large fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.


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saying, ‘I called to the Lord out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.


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You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me.


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at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me for ever; yet you brought up my life from the Pit, O Lord my God.


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As my life was ebbing away, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.


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But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Deliverance belongs to the Lord!’


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So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across.


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Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, ‘Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!’


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And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.


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When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.


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Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: ‘By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water.


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Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands.


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Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish.’


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When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.


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He prayed to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing.


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Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city.


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The Lord God appointed a bush, and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush.


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But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered.


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When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, ‘It is better for me to die than to live.’


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Jonah Is Reproved But God said to Jonah, ‘Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?’ And he said, ‘Yes, angry enough to die.’


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Then the Lord said, ‘You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labour and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night.


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And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?’


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The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.


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Judgement Pronounced against Samaria Hear, you peoples, all of you; listen, O earth, and all that is in it; and let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.


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For lo, the Lord is coming out of his place, and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.


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Then the mountains will melt under him and the valleys will burst open, like wax near the fire, like waters poured down a steep place.


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All this is for the transgression of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what is the high place of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem?


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Therefore I will make Samaria a heap in the open country, a place for planting vineyards. I will pour down her stones into the valley, and uncover her foundations.


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All her images shall be beaten to pieces, all her wages shall be burned with fire, and all her idols I will lay waste; for as the wages of a prostitute she gathered them, and as the wages of a prostitute they shall again be used.


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The Doom of the Cities of Judah For this I will lament and wail; I will go barefoot and naked; I will make lamentation like the jackals, and mourning like the ostriches.


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For her wound is incurable. It has come to Judah; it has reached to the gate of my people, to Jerusalem.


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Pass on your way, inhabitants of Shaphir, in nakedness and shame; the inhabitants of Zaanan do not come forth; Beth-ezel is wailing and shall remove its support from you.


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For the inhabitants of Maroth wait anxiously for good, yet disaster has come down from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem.


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Harness the steeds to the chariots, inhabitants of Lachish; it was the beginning of sin to daughter Zion, for in you were found the transgressions of Israel.


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Therefore you shall give parting gifts to Moresheth-gath; the houses of Achzib shall be a deception to the kings of Israel.


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I will again bring a conqueror upon you, inhabitants of Mareshah; the glory of Israel shall come to Adullam.


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Make yourselves bald and cut off your hair for your pampered children; make yourselves as bald as the eagle, for they have gone from you into exile.


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Social Evils Denounced Alas for those who devise wickedness and evil deeds on their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in their power.


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They covet fields, and seize them; houses, and take them away; they oppress householder and house, people and their inheritance.


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Therefore, thus says the Lord: Now, I am devising against this family an evil from which you cannot remove your necks; and you shall not walk haughtily, for it will be an evil time.


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On that day they shall take up a taunt-song against you, and wail with bitter lamentation, and say, ‘We are utterly ruined; the Lord alters the inheritance of my people; how he removes it from me! Among our captors he parcels out our fields.’


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‘Do not preach’—thus they preach— ‘one should not preach of such things; disgrace will not overtake us.’


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Should this be said, O house of Jacob? Is the Lord’s patience exhausted? Are these his doings? Do not my words do good to one who walks uprightly?


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But you rise up against my people as an enemy; you strip the robe from the peaceful, from those who pass by trustingly with no thought of war.


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The women of my people you drive out from their pleasant houses; from their young children you take away my glory for ever.


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Arise and go; for this is no place to rest, because of uncleanness that destroys with a grievous destruction.


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If someone were to go about uttering empty falsehoods, saying, ‘I will preach to you of wine and strong drink’, such a one would be the preacher for this people!


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A Promise for the Remnant of Israel I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob, I will gather the survivors of Israel; I will set them together like sheep in a fold, like a flock in its pasture; it will resound with people.


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The one who breaks out will go up before them; they will break through and pass the gate, going out by it. Their king will pass on before them, the Lord at their head.


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Wicked Rulers and Prophets And I said: Listen, you heads of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel! Should you not know justice?—


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you who hate the good and love the evil, who tear the skin off my people, and the flesh off their bones;


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who eat the flesh of my people, flay their skin off them, break their bones in pieces, and chop them up like meat in a kettle, like flesh in a cauldron.


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Then they will cry to the Lord, but he will not answer them; he will hide his face from them at that time, because they have acted wickedly.


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Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who cry ‘Peace’ when they have something to eat, but declare war against those who put nothing into their mouths.


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Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision, and darkness to you, without revelation. The sun shall go down upon the prophets, and the day shall be black over them;


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the seers shall be disgraced, and the diviners put to shame; they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer from God.


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But as for me, I am filled with power, with the spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.


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Hear this, you rulers of the house of Jacob and chiefs of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and pervert all equity,


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Its rulers give judgement for a bribe, its priests teach for a price, its prophets give oracles for money; yet they lean upon the Lord and say, ‘Surely the Lord is with us! No harm shall come upon us.’


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Therefore because of you Zion shall be ploughed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height.


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Peace and Security through Obedience In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised up above the hills. Peoples shall stream to it,


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and many nations shall come and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.


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He shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more;


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but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.


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For all the peoples walk, each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.


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Restoration Promised after Exile On that day, says the Lord, I will assemble the lame and gather those who have been driven away, and those whom I have afflicted.


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The lame I will make the remnant, and those who were cast off, a strong nation; and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion now and for evermore.


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And you, O tower of the flock, hill of daughter Zion, to you it shall come, the former dominion shall come, the sovereignty of daughter Jerusalem.


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Now why do you cry aloud? Is there no king in you? Has your counsellor perished, that pangs have seized you like a woman in labour?


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Writhe and groan, O daughter Zion, like a woman in labour; for now you shall go forth from the city and camp in the open country; you shall go to Babylon. There you shall be rescued, there the Lord will redeem you from the hands of your enemies.


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Now many nations are assembled against you, saying, ‘Let her be profaned, and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.’


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But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing-floor.


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Arise and thresh, O daughter Zion, for I will make your horn iron and your hoofs bronze; you shall beat in pieces many peoples, and shall devote their gain to the Lord, their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth.


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Now you are walled around with a wall; siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike the ruler of Israel upon the cheek.


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The Ruler from Bethlehem But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.


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Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labour has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel.


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And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth;


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and he shall be the one of peace. If the Assyrians come into our land and tread upon our soil, we will raise against them seven shepherds and eight installed as rulers.


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They shall rule the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod with the drawn sword; they shall rescue us from the Assyrians if they come into our land or tread within our border.


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The Future Role of the Remnant Then the remnant of Jacob, surrounded by many peoples, shall be like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which do not depend upon people or wait for any mortal.


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And among the nations the remnant of Jacob, surrounded by many peoples, shall be like a lion among the animals of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, which, when it goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, with no one to deliver.


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On that day, says the Lord, I will cut off your horses from among you and will destroy your chariots;


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and I will cut off your images and your pillars from among you, and you shall bow down no more to the work of your hands;


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God Challenges Israel Hear what the Lord says: Rise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.


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Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the Lord, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for the Lord has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel.


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For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of slavery; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.


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O my people, remember now what King Balak of Moab devised, what Balaam son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the saving acts of the Lord.’


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What God Requires ‘With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves a year old?


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Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with tens of thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?’


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He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?


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Cheating and Violence to Be Punished The voice of the Lord cries to the city (it is sound wisdom to fear your name): Hear, O tribe and assembly of the city!


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Can I forget the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is accursed?


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Your wealthy are full of violence; your inhabitants speak lies, with tongues of deceit in their mouths.


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You shall eat, but not be satisfied, and there shall be a gnawing hunger within you; you shall put away, but not save, and what you save, I will hand over to the sword.


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You shall sow, but not reap; you shall tread olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil; you shall tread grapes, but not drink wine.


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For you have kept the statutes of Omri and all the works of the house of Ahab, and you have followed their counsels. Therefore I will make you a desolation, and your inhabitants an object of hissing; so you shall bear the scorn of my people.


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The Total Corruption of the People Woe is me! For I have become like one who, after the summer fruit has been gathered, after the vintage has been gleaned, finds no cluster to eat; there is no first-ripe fig for which I hunger.


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The faithful have disappeared from the land, and there is no one left who is upright; they all lie in wait for blood, and they hunt each other with nets.


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Their hands are skilled to do evil; the official and the judge ask for a bribe, and the powerful dictate what they desire; thus they pervert justice.


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The best of them is like a brier, the most upright of them a thorn hedge. The day of their sentinels, of their punishment, has come; now their confusion is at hand.


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Put no trust in a friend, have no confidence in a loved one; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your embrace;


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for the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; your enemies are members of your own household.


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But as for me, I will look to the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.


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Penitence and Trust in God Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.


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I must bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he takes my side and executes judgement for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall see his vindication.


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Then my enemy will see, and shame will cover her who said to me, ‘Where is the Lord your God?’ My eyes will see her downfall; now she will be trodden down like the mire of the streets.


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A Prophecy of Restoration A day for the building of your walls! In that day the boundary shall be far extended.


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In that day they will come to you from Assyria to Egypt, and from Egypt to the River, from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.


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Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock that belongs to you, which lives alone in a forest in the midst of a garden land; let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old.


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The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might; they shall lay their hands on their mouths; their ears shall be deaf;


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they shall lick dust like a snake, like the crawling things of the earth; they shall come trembling out of their fortresses; they shall turn in dread to the Lord our God, and they shall stand in fear of you.


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God’s Compassion and Steadfast Love Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of your possession? He does not retain his anger for ever, because he delights in showing clemency.


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He will again have compassion upon us; he will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.


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You will show faithfulness to Jacob and unswerving loyalty to Abraham, as you have sworn to our ancestors from the days of old.


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The Consuming Wrath of God A jealous and avenging God is the Lord, the Lord is avenging and wrathful; the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and rages against his enemies.


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The Lord is slow to anger but great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.


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He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, and he dries up all the rivers; Bashan and Carmel wither, and the bloom of Lebanon fades.


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The mountains quake before him, and the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who live in it.


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Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and by him the rocks are broken in pieces.


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even in a rushing flood. He will make a full end of his adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.


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Good News for Judah Thus says the Lord, ‘Though they are at full strength and many, they will be cut off and pass away. Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more.


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The Lord has commanded concerning you: ‘Your name shall be perpetuated no longer; from the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the cast image. I will make your grave, for you are worthless.’


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Look! On the mountains the feet of one who brings good tidings, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your festivals, O Judah, fulfil your vows, for never again shall the wicked invade you; they are utterly cut off.


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The Destruction of the Wicked City A shatterer has come up against you. Guard the ramparts; watch the road; gird your loins; collect all your strength.


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(For the Lord is restoring the majesty of Jacob, as well as the majesty of Israel, though ravagers have ravaged them and ruined their branches.)


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The shields of his warriors are red; his soldiers are clothed in crimson. The metal on the chariots flashes on the day when he musters them; the chargers prance.


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The chariots race madly through the streets, they rush to and fro through the squares; their appearance is like torches, they dart like lightning.


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He calls his officers; they stumble as they come forward; they hasten to the wall, and the mantelet is set up.


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It is decreed that the city be exiled, its slave-women led away, moaning like doves and beating their breasts.


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‘Plunder the silver, plunder the gold! There is no end of treasure! An abundance of every precious thing!’


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Devastation, desolation, and destruction! Hearts faint and knees tremble, all loins quake, all faces grow pale!


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What became of the lions’ den, the cave of the young lions, where the lion goes, and the lion’s cubs, with no one to disturb them?


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The lion has torn enough for his whelps and strangled prey for his lionesses; he has filled his caves with prey and his dens with torn flesh.


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See, I am against you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions; I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall be heard no more.


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Ruin Imminent and Inevitable Ah! City of bloodshed, utterly deceitful, full of booty— no end to the plunder!


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Horsemen charging, flashing sword and glittering spear, piles of dead, heaps of corpses, dead bodies without end— they stumble over the bodies!


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Because of the countless debaucheries of the prostitute, gracefully alluring, mistress of sorcery, who enslaves nations through her debaucheries, and peoples through her sorcery,


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I am against you, says the Lord of hosts, and will lift up your skirts over your face; and I will let nations look on your nakedness and kingdoms on your shame.


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Then all who see you will shrink from you and say, ‘Nineveh is devastated; who will bemoan her?’ Where shall I seek comforters for you?


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Are you better than Thebes that sat by the Nile, with water around her, her rampart a sea, water her wall?


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Yet she became an exile, she went into captivity; even her infants were dashed in pieces at the head of every street; lots were cast for her nobles, all her dignitaries were bound in fetters.


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All your fortresses are like fig trees with first-ripe figs— if shaken they fall into the mouth of the eater.


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Look at your troops: they are women in your midst. The gates of your land are wide open to your foes; fire has devoured the bars of your gates.


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Draw water for the siege, strengthen your forts; trample the clay, tread the mortar, take hold of the brick-mould!


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There the fire will devour you, the sword will cut you off. It will devour you like the locust. Multiply yourselves like the locust, multiply like the grasshopper!


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You increased your merchants more than the stars of the heavens. The locust sheds its skin and flies away.


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Your guards are like grasshoppers, your scribes like swarms of locusts settling on the fences on a cold day— when the sun rises, they fly away; no one knows where they have gone.


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Your shepherds are asleep, O king of Assyria; your nobles slumber. Your people are scattered on the mountains with no one to gather them.


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There is no assuaging your hurt, your wound is mortal. All who hear the news about you clap their hands over you. For who has ever escaped your endless cruelty?


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The Prophet’s Complaint O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen? Or cry to you ‘Violence!’ and you will not save?


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Why do you make me see wrongdoing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.


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So the law becomes slack and justice never prevails. The wicked surround the righteous— therefore judgement comes forth perverted.


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Look at the nations, and see! Be astonished! Be astounded! For a work is being done in your days that you would not believe if you were told.


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For I am rousing the Chaldeans, that fierce and impetuous nation, who march through the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own.


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Their horses are swifter than leopards, more menacing than wolves at dusk; their horses charge. Their horsemen come from far away; they fly like an eagle swift to devour.


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At kings they scoff, and of rulers they make sport. They laugh at every fortress, and heap up earth to take it.


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Are you not from of old, O Lord my God, my Holy One? You shall not die. O Lord, you have marked them for judgement; and you, O Rock, have established them for punishment.


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Your eyes are too pure to behold evil, and you cannot look on wrongdoing; why do you look on the treacherous, and are silent when the wicked swallow those more righteous than they?


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The enemy brings all of them up with a hook; he drags them out with his net, he gathers them in his seine; so he rejoices and exults.


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Therefore he sacrifices to his net and makes offerings to his seine; for by them his portion is lavish, and his food is rich.


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God’s Reply to the Prophet’s Complaint I will stand at my watch-post, and station myself on the rampart; I will keep watch to see what he will say to me, and what he will answer concerning my complaint.


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Then the Lord answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it.


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For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.


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Moreover, wealth is treacherous; the arrogant do not endure. They open their throats wide as Sheol; like Death they never have enough. They gather all nations for themselves, and collect all peoples as their own.


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The Woes of the Wicked Shall not everyone taunt such people and, with mocking riddles, say about them, ‘Alas for you who heap up what is not your own!’ How long will you load yourselves with goods taken in pledge?


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Will not your own creditors suddenly rise, and those who make you tremble wake up? Then you will be booty for them.


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Because you have plundered many nations, all that survive of the peoples shall plunder you— because of human bloodshed, and violence to the earth, to cities and all who live in them.


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‘Alas for you who get evil gain for your house, setting your nest on high to be safe from the reach of harm!’


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Is it not from the Lord of hosts that peoples labour only to feed the flames, and nations weary themselves for nothing?


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But the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.


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‘Alas for you who make your neighbours drink, pouring out your wrath until they are drunk, in order to gaze on their nakedness!’


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You will be sated with contempt instead of glory. Drink, you yourself, and stagger! The cup in the Lord’s right hand will come around to you, and shame will come upon your glory!


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For the violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you; the destruction of the animals will terrify you— because of human bloodshed and violence to the earth, to cities and all who live in them.


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What use is an idol once its maker has shaped it— a cast image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in what has been made, though the product is only an idol that cannot speak!


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Alas for you who say to the wood, ‘Wake up!’ to silent stone, ‘Rouse yourself!’ Can it teach? See, it is plated with gold and silver, and there is no breath in it at all.


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The Prophet’s Prayer O Lord, I have heard of your renown, and I stand in awe, O Lord, of your work. In our own time revive it; in our own time make it known; in wrath may you remember mercy.


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God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. Sela His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.


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He stopped and shook the earth; he looked and made the nations tremble. The eternal mountains were shattered; along his ancient pathways the everlasting hills sank low.


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Was your wrath against the rivers, O Lord? Or your anger against the rivers, or your rage against the sea, when you drove your horses, your chariots to victory?


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You brandished your naked bow, sated were the arrows at your command. Sela You split the earth with rivers.


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The mountains saw you, and writhed; a torrent of water swept by; the deep gave forth its voice. The sun raised high its hands;


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the moon stood still in its exalted place, at the light of your arrows speeding by, at the gleam of your flashing spear.


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You came forth to save your people, to save your anointed. You crushed the head of the wicked house, laying it bare from foundation to roof. Sela


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You pierced with their own arrows the head of his warriors, who came like a whirlwind to scatter us, gloating as if ready to devour the poor who were in hiding.


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I hear, and I tremble within; my lips quiver at the sound. Rottenness enters into my bones, and my steps tremble beneath me. I wait quietly for the day of calamity to come upon the people who attack us.


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Trust and Joy in the Midst of Trouble Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold and there is no herd in the stalls,


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God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, and makes me tread upon the heights. To the leader: with stringed instruments.


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The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi son of Gedaliah son of Amariah son of Hezekiah, in the days of King Josiah son of Amon of Judah.


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The Coming Judgement on Judah I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth, says the Lord.


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I will sweep away humans and animals; I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. I will make the wicked stumble. I will cut off humanity from the face of the earth, says the Lord.


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I will stretch out my hand against Judah, and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal and the name of the idolatrous priests;


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those who bow down on the roofs to the host of the heavens; those who bow down and swear to the Lord, but also swear by Milcom;


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those who have turned back from following the Lord, who have not sought the Lord or inquired of him.


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Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is at hand; the Lord has prepared a sacrifice, he has consecrated his guests.


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And on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice I will punish the officials and the king’s sons and all who dress themselves in foreign attire.


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On that day I will punish all who leap over the threshold, who fill their master’s house with violence and fraud.


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On that day, says the Lord, a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate, a wail from the Second Quarter, a loud crash from the hills.


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The inhabitants of the Mortar wail, for all the traders have perished; all who weigh out silver are cut off.


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At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the people who rest complacently on their dregs, those who say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good, nor will he do harm.’


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Their wealth shall be plundered, and their houses laid waste. Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine from them.


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The Great Day of the Lord The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter, the warrior cries aloud there.


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That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness,


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a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements.


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I will bring such distress upon people that they shall walk like the blind; because they have sinned against the Lord, their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung.


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Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s wrath; in the fire of his passion the whole earth shall be consumed; for a full, a terrible end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.


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before you are driven away like the drifting chaff, before there comes upon you the fierce anger of the Lord, before there comes upon you the day of the Lord’s wrath.


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Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his commands; seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the Lord’s wrath.


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For Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon shall become a desolation; Ashdod’s people shall be driven out at noon, and Ekron shall be uprooted.


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Ah, inhabitants of the sea coast, you nation of the Cherethites! The word of the Lord is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; and I will destroy you until no inhabitant is left.


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The sea coast shall become the possession of the remnant of the house of Judah, on which they shall pasture, and in the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening. For the Lord their God will be mindful of them and restore their fortunes.


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I have heard the taunts of Moab and the revilings of the Ammonites, how they have taunted my people and made boasts against their territory.


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Therefore, as I live, says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Moab shall become like Sodom and the Ammonites like Gomorrah, a land possessed by nettles and salt-pits, and a waste for ever. The remnant of my people shall plunder them, and the survivors of my nation shall possess them.


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This shall be their lot in return for their pride, because they scoffed and boasted against the people of the Lord of hosts.


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The Lord will be terrible against them; he will shrivel all the gods of the earth, and to him shall bow down, each in its place, all the coasts and islands of the nations.


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And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and he will make Nineveh a desolation, a dry waste like the desert.


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Herds shall lie down in it, every wild animal; the desert-owl and the screech-owl shall lodge on its capitals; the owl shall hoot at the window, the raven croak on the threshold; for its cedar-work will be laid bare.


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Is this the exultant city that lived secure, that said to itself, ‘I am, and there is no one else’? What a desolation it has become, a lair for wild animals! Everyone who passes by it hisses and shakes the fist.


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It has listened to no voice; it has accepted no correction. It has not trusted in the Lord; it has not drawn near to its God.


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The officials within it are roaring lions; its judges are evening wolves that leave nothing until the morning.


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Its prophets are reckless, faithless persons; its priests have profaned what is sacred, they have done violence to the law.


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The Lord within it is righteous; he does no wrong. Every morning he renders his judgement, each dawn without fail; but the unjust knows no shame.


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I have cut off nations; their battlements are in ruins; I have laid waste their streets so that no one walks in them; their cities have been made desolate, without people, without inhabitants.


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I said, ‘Surely the city will fear me, it will accept correction; it will not lose sight of all that I have brought upon it.’ But they were the more eager to make all their deeds corrupt.


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Punishment and Conversion of the Nations Therefore wait for me, says the Lord, for the day when I arise as a witness. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all the heat of my anger; for in the fire of my passion all the earth shall be consumed.


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At that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord.


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On that day you shall not be put to shame because of all the deeds by which you have rebelled against me; for then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain.


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For I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord—


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the remnant of Israel; they shall do no wrong and utter no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths. Then they will pasture and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid.


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A Song of Joy Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!


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The Lord has taken away the judgements against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more.


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The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing


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as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it.


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I will deal with all your oppressors at that time. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.


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At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the Lord.


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The Command to Rebuild the Temple In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest:


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Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.


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You have sown much, and harvested little; you eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and you that earn wages earn wages to put them into a bag with holes.


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Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honoured, says the Lord.


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You have looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? says the Lord of hosts. Because my house lies in ruins, while all of you hurry off to your own houses.


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And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the soil produces, on human beings and animals, and on all their labours.


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Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of the prophet Haggai, as the Lord their God had sent him; and the people feared the Lord.


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Then Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke to the people with the Lord’s message, saying, I am with you, says the Lord.


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And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God,


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The Future Glory of the Temple In the second year of King Darius, in the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai, saying:


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Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, and say,


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Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as nothing?


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Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the Lord; work, for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts,


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according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit abides among you; do not fear.


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For thus says the Lord of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land;


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and I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendour, says the Lord of hosts.


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The latter splendour of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.


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A Rebuke and a Promise On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai, saying:


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If one carries consecrated meat in the fold of one’s garment, and with the fold touches bread, or stew, or wine, or oil, or any kind of food, does it become holy? The priests answered, ‘No.’


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Then Haggai said, ‘If one who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?’ The priests answered, ‘Yes, it becomes unclean.’


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Haggai then said, So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, says the Lord; and so with every work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean.


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But now, consider what will come to pass from this day on. Before a stone was placed upon a stone in the Lord’s temple,


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how did you fare? When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty.


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I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and mildew and hail; yet you did not return to me, says the Lord.


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Consider from this day on, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid, consider:


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Is there any seed left in the barn? Do the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree still yield nothing? From this day on I will bless you.


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God’s Promise to Zerubbabel The word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month:


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and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and overthrow the chariots and their riders; and the horses and their riders shall fall, every one by the sword of a comrade.


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On that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, son of Shealtiel, says the Lord, and make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you, says the Lord of hosts.


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Israel Urged to Repent In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo, saying:


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Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord of hosts: Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.


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Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.’ But they did not hear or heed me, says the Lord.


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But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your ancestors? So they repented and said, ‘The Lord of hosts has dealt with us according to our ways and deeds, just as he planned to do.’


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First Vision: The Horsemen On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo; and Zechariah said,


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In the night I saw a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen; and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses.


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Then I said, ‘What are these, my lord?’ The angel who talked with me said to me, ‘I will show you what they are.’


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So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, ‘They are those whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth.’


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Then they spoke to the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees, ‘We have patrolled the earth, and lo, the whole earth remains at peace.’


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Then the angel of the Lord said, ‘O Lord of hosts, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which you have been angry these seventy years?’


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So the angel who talked with me said to me, Proclaim this message: Thus says the Lord of hosts; I am very jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion.


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And I am extremely angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was only a little angry, they made the disaster worse.


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Therefore, thus says the Lord, I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion; my house shall be built in it, says the Lord of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.


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Proclaim further: Thus says the Lord of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity; the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.


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I asked the angel who talked with me, ‘What are these?’ And he answered me, ‘These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.’


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And I asked, ‘What are they coming to do?’ He answered, ‘These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no head could be raised; but these have come to terrify them, to strike down the horns of the nations that lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter its people.’


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Third Vision: The Man with a Measuring Line I looked up and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand.


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Then I asked, ‘Where are you going?’ He answered me, ‘To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.’


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and said to him, ‘Run, say to that young man: Jerusalem shall be inhabited like villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and animals in it.


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Interlude: An Appeal to the Exiles Up, up! Flee from the land of the north, says the Lord; for I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven, says the Lord.


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For thus said the Lord of hosts (after his glory sent me) regarding the nations that plundered you: Truly, one who touches you touches the apple of my eye.


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See now, I am going to raise my hand against them, and they shall become plunder for their own slaves. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me.


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Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in your midst. And you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.


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Fourth Vision: Joshua and Satan Then he showed me the high priest Joshua standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.


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And the Lord said to Satan, ‘The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this man a brand plucked from the fire?’


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The angel said to those who were standing before him, ‘Take off his filthy clothes.’ And to him he said, ‘See, I have taken your guilt away from you, and I will clothe you in festal apparel.’


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And I said, ‘Let them put a clean turban on his head.’ So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him in the apparel; and the angel of the Lord was standing by.


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‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my requirements, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here.


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Now listen, Joshua, high priest, you and your colleagues who sit before you! For they are an omen of things to come: I am going to bring my servant the Branch.


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For on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven facets, I will engrave its inscription, says the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the guilt of this land in a single day.


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On that day, says the Lord of hosts, you shall invite each other to come under your vine and fig tree.’


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Fifth Vision: The Lampstand and Olive Trees The angel who talked with me came again, and wakened me, as one is wakened from sleep.


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He said to me, ‘What do you see?’ And I said, ‘I see a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it; there are seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it.


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Then the angel who talked with me answered me, ‘Do you not know what these are?’ I said, ‘No, my lord.’


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He said to me, ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.


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What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain; and he shall bring out the top stone amid shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”’


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‘The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.


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For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel. ‘These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range through the whole earth.’


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And a second time I said to him, ‘What are these two branches of the olive trees, which pour out the oil through the two golden pipes?’


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And he said to me, ‘What do you see?’ I answered, ‘I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits, and its width ten cubits.’


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Then he said to me, ‘This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land; for everyone who steals shall be cut off according to the writing on one side, and everyone who swears falsely shall be cut off according to the writing on the other side.


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I have sent it out, says the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter the house of the thief, and the house of anyone who swears falsely by my name; and it shall abide in that house and consume it, both timber and stones.’


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Seventh Vision: The Woman in a Basket Then the angel who talked with me came forward and said to me, ‘Look up and see what this is that is coming out.’


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I said, ‘What is it?’ He said, ‘This is a basket coming out.’ And he said, ‘This is their iniquity in all the land.’


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And he said, ‘This is Wickedness.’ So he thrust her back into the basket, and pressed the leaden weight down on its mouth.


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Then I looked up and saw two women coming forward. The wind was in their wings; they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and sky.


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He said to me, ‘To the land of Shinar, to build a house for it; and when this is prepared, they will set the basket down there on its base.’


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Eighth Vision: Four Chariots And again I looked up and saw four chariots coming out from between two mountains—mountains of bronze.


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The angel answered me, ‘These are the four winds of heaven going out, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth.


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The chariot with the black horses goes towards the north country, the white ones go towards the west country, and the dappled ones go towards the south country.’


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When the steeds came out, they were impatient to get off and patrol the earth. And he said, ‘Go, patrol the earth.’ So they patrolled the earth.


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Then he cried out to me, ‘Lo, those who go towards the north country have set my spirit at rest in the north country.’


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Collect silver and gold from the exiles—from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah—who have arrived from Babylon; and go the same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah.


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Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak;


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say to him: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Here is a man whose name is Branch: for he shall branch out in his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord.


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It is he that shall build the temple of the Lord; he shall bear royal honour, and shall sit and rule on his throne. There shall be a priest by his throne, with peaceful understanding between the two of them.


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And the crown shall be in the care of Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Josiah son of Zephaniah, as a memorial in the temple of the Lord.


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Those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the Lord; and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.


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Hypocritical Fasting Condemned In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev.


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Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech and their men, to entreat the favour of the Lord,


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and to ask the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and the prophets, ‘Should I mourn and practise abstinence in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?’


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Say to all the people of the land and the priests: When you fasted and lamented in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted?


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Were not these the words that the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, along with the towns around it, and when the Negeb and the Shephelah were inhabited?


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do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.


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But they refused to listen, and turned a stubborn shoulder, and stopped their ears in order not to hear.


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They made their hearts adamant in order not to hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great wrath came from the Lord of hosts.


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Just as, when I called, they would not hear, so, when they called, I would not hear, says the Lord of hosts,


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and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and a pleasant land was made desolate.


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Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath.


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Thus says the Lord: I will return to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts shall be called the holy mountain.


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Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of their great age.


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Thus says the Lord of hosts: Even though it seems impossible to the remnant of this people in these days, should it also seem impossible to me, says the Lord of hosts?


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and I will bring them to live in Jerusalem. They shall be my people and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.


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Thus says the Lord of hosts: Let your hands be strong—you that have recently been hearing these words from the mouths of the prophets who were present when the foundation was laid for the rebuilding of the temple, the house of the Lord of hosts.


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For before those days there were no wages for people or for animals, nor was there any safety from the foe for those who went out or came in, and I set them all against one another.


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But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, says the Lord of hosts.


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For there shall be a sowing of peace; the vine shall yield its fruit, the ground shall give its produce, and the skies shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.


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Just as you have been a cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you and you shall be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.


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For thus says the Lord of hosts: Just as I purposed to bring disaster upon you, when your ancestors provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the Lord of hosts,


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so again I have purposed in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; do not be afraid.


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These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another, render in your gates judgements that are true and make for peace,


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do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath; for all these are things that I hate, says the Lord.


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Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be seasons of joy and gladness, and cheerful festivals for the house of Judah: therefore love truth and peace.


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Many Peoples Drawn to Jerusalem Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, the inhabitants of many cities;


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the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Come, let us go to entreat the favour of the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.’


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Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favour of the Lord.


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Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from nations of every language shall take hold of a Jew, grasping his garment and saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’


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Judgement on Israel’s Enemies An Oracle. The word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach and will rest upon Damascus. For to the Lord belongs the capital of Aram, as do all the tribes of Israel;


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Tyre has built itself a rampart, and heaped up silver like dust, and gold like the dirt of the streets.


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But now, the Lord will strip it of its possessions and hurl its wealth into the sea, and it shall be devoured by fire.


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Ashkelon shall see it and be afraid; Gaza too, and shall writhe in anguish; Ekron also, because its hopes are withered. The king shall perish from Gaza; Ashkelon shall be uninhabited;


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I will take away its blood from its mouth, and its abominations from between its teeth; it too shall be a remnant for our God; it shall be like a clan in Judah, and Ekron shall be like the Jebusites.


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Then I will encamp at my house as a guard, so that no one shall march to and fro; no oppressor shall again overrun them, for now I have seen with my own eyes.


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The Coming Ruler of God’s People Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.


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He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the warhorse from Jerusalem; and the battle-bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.


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As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.


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For I have bent Judah as my bow; I have made Ephraim its arrow. I will arouse your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and wield you like a warrior’s sword.


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Then the Lord will appear over them, and his arrow go forth like lightning; the Lord God will sound the trumpet and march forth in the whirlwinds of the south.


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The Lord of hosts will protect them, and they shall devour and tread down the slingers; they shall drink their blood like wine, and be full like a bowl, drenched like the corners of the altar.


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On that day the Lord their God will save them, for they are the flock of his people; for like the jewels of a crown they shall shine on his land.


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For what goodness and beauty are his! Grain shall make the young men flourish, and new wine the young women.


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Restoration of Judah and Israel Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the spring rain, from the Lord who makes the storm-clouds, who gives showers of rain to you, the vegetation in the field to everyone.


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For the teraphim utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; the dreamers tell false dreams, and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep; they suffer for lack of a shepherd.


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My anger is hot against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the Lord of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them like his proud warhorse.


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Out of them shall come the cornerstone, out of them the tent-peg, out of them the battle-bow, out of them every commander.


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Together they shall be like warriors in battle, trampling the foe in the mud of the streets; they shall fight, for the Lord is with them, and they shall put to shame the riders on horses.


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I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back because I have compassion on them, and they shall be as though I had not rejected them; for I am the Lord their God and I will answer them.


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Then the people of Ephraim shall become like warriors, and their hearts shall be glad as with wine. Their children shall see it and rejoice, their hearts shall exult in the Lord.


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I will signal for them and gather them in, for I have redeemed them, and they shall be as numerous as they were before.


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Though I scattered them among the nations, yet in far countries they shall remember me, and they shall rear their children and return.


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I will bring them home from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria; I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon, until there is no room for them.


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They shall pass through the sea of distress, and the waves of the sea shall be struck down, and all the depths of the Nile dried up. The pride of Assyria shall be laid low, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart.


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Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, for the glorious trees are ruined! Wail, oaks of Bashan, for the thick forest has been felled!


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Listen, the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is despoiled! Listen, the roar of the lions, for the thickets of the Jordan are destroyed!


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Those who buy them kill them and go unpunished; and those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for I have become rich’; and their own shepherds have no pity on them.


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For I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of the earth, says the Lord. I will cause them, every one, to fall each into the hand of a neighbour, and each into the hand of the king; and they shall devastate the earth, and I will deliver no one from their hand.


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So, on behalf of the sheep dealers, I became the shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter. I took two staffs; one I named Favour, the other I named Unity, and I tended the sheep.


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In one month I disposed of the three shepherds, for I had become impatient with them, and they also detested me.


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So I said, ‘I will not be your shepherd. What is to die, let it die; what is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed; and let those that are left devour the flesh of one another!’


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So it was annulled on that day, and the sheep dealers, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord.


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I then said to them, ‘If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.’ So they weighed out as my wages thirty shekels of silver.


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Then the Lord said to me, ‘Throw it into the treasury’—this lordly price at which I was valued by them. So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them into the treasury in the house of the Lord.


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For I am now raising up in the land a shepherd who does not care for the perishing, or seek the wandering, or heal the maimed, or nourish the healthy, but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs.


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Oh, my worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye! Let his arm be completely withered, his right eye utterly blinded!


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Jerusalem’s Victory An Oracle. The word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus says the Lord, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the human spirit within:


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See, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of reeling for all the surrounding peoples; it will be against Judah also in the siege against Jerusalem.


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On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it shall grievously hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth shall come together against it.


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On that day, says the Lord, I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness. But on the house of Judah I will keep a watchful eye, when I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.


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Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the Lord of hosts, their God.’


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On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a blazing pot on a pile of wood, like a flaming torch among sheaves; and they shall devour to the right and to the left all the surrounding peoples, while Jerusalem shall again be inhabited in its place, in Jerusalem.


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And the Lord will give victory to the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not be exalted over that of Judah.


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On that day the Lord will shield the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the Lord, at their head.


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Mourning for the Pierced One And I will pour out a spirit of compassion and supplication on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that, when they look on the one whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.


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On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.


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The land shall mourn, each family by itself; the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves;


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the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves;


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On that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.


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Idolatry Cut Off On that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that they shall be remembered no more; and also I will remove from the land the prophets and the unclean spirit.


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And if any prophets appear again, their fathers and mothers who bore them will say to them, ‘You shall not live, for you speak lies in the name of the Lord’; and their fathers and their mothers who bore them shall pierce them through when they prophesy.


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On that day the prophets will be ashamed, every one, of their visions when they prophesy; they will not put on a hairy mantle in order to deceive,


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but each of them will say, ‘I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the soil; for the land has been my possession since my youth.’


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And if anyone asks them, ‘What are these wounds on your chest?’ the answer will be ‘The wounds I received in the house of my friends.’


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The Shepherd Struck, the Flock Scattered ‘Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is my associate,’ says the Lord of hosts. Strike the shepherd, that the sheep may be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones.


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In the whole land, says the Lord, two-thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one-third shall be left alive.


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And I will put this third into the fire, refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’


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Future Warfare and Final Victory See, a day is coming for the Lord, when the plunder taken from you will be divided in your midst.


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For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses looted and the women raped; half the city shall go into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city.


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On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives, which lies before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley; so that half of the Mount shall withdraw northwards, and the other half southwards.


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And you shall flee by the valley of the Lord’s mountain, for the valley between the mountains shall reach to Azal; and you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.


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And there shall be continuous day (it is known to the Lord), not day and not night, for at evening time there shall be light.


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On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea; it shall continue in summer as in winter.


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And the Lord will become king over all the earth; on that day the Lord will be one and his name one.


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The whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain aloft on its site from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s wine presses.


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And it shall be inhabited, for never again shall it be doomed to destruction; Jerusalem shall abide in security.


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This shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh shall rot while they are still on their feet; their eyes shall rot in their sockets, and their tongues shall rot in their mouths.


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On that day a great panic from the Lord shall fall on them, so that each will seize the hand of a neighbour, and the hand of one will be raised against the hand of the other;


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even Judah will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be collected—gold, silver, and garments in great abundance.


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And a plague like this plague shall fall on the horses, the mules, the camels, the donkeys, and whatever animals may be in those camps.


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Then all who survive of the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year by year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the festival of booths.


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If any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain upon them.


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And if the family of Egypt do not go up and present themselves, then on them shall come the plague that the Lord inflicts on the nations that do not go up to keep the festival of booths.


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Such shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to keep the festival of booths.


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On that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, ‘Holy to the Lord.’ And the cooking-pots in the house of the Lord shall be as holy as the bowls in front of the altar;


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and every cooking-pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be sacred to the Lord of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and use them to boil the flesh of the sacrifice. And there shall no longer be traders in the house of the Lord of hosts on that day.


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Israel Preferred to Edom I have loved you, says the Lord. But you say, ‘How have you loved us?’ Is not Esau Jacob’s brother? says the Lord. Yet I have loved Jacob


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but I have hated Esau; I have made his hill country a desolation and his heritage a desert for jackals.


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If Edom says, ‘We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins,’ the Lord of hosts says: They may build, but I will tear down, until they are called the wicked country, the people with whom the Lord is angry for ever.


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Corruption of the Priesthood A son honours his father, and servants their master. If then I am a father, where is the honour due to me? And if I am a master, where is the respect due to me? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. You say, ‘How have we despised your name?’


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By offering polluted food on my altar. And you say, ‘How have we polluted it?’ By thinking that the Lord’s table may be despised.


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When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not wrong? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not wrong? Try presenting that to your governor; will he be pleased with you or show you favour? says the Lord of hosts.


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And now implore the favour of God, that he may be gracious to us. The fault is yours. Will he show favour to any of you? says the Lord of hosts.


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O that someone among you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hands.


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For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure offering; for my name is great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.


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But you profane it when you say that the Lord’s table is polluted, and the food for it may be despised.


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‘What a weariness this is’, you say, and you sniff at me, says the Lord of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the Lord.


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Cursed be the cheat who has a male in the flock and vows to give it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished; for I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name is reverenced among the nations.


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If you will not listen, if you will not lay it to heart to give glory to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse on you and I will curse your blessings; indeed I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart.


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I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and I will put you out of my presence.


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Know, then, that I have sent this command to you, so that my covenant with Levi may hold, says the Lord of hosts.


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My covenant with him was a covenant of life and well-being, which I gave him; this called for reverence, and he revered me and stood in awe of my name.


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True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in integrity and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity.


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For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.


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But you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by your instruction; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts,


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and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you have not kept my ways but have shown partiality in your instruction.


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The Covenant Profaned by Judah Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our ancestors?


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Judah has been faithless, and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord, which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god.


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May the Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob anyone who does this—any to witness or answer, or to bring an offering to the Lord of hosts.


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And this you do as well: You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favour at your hand.


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You ask, ‘Why does he not?’ Because the Lord was a witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.


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Did not one God make her? Both flesh and spirit are his. And what does the one God desire? Godly offspring. So look to yourselves, and do not let anyone be faithless to the wife of his youth.


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For I hate divorce, says the Lord, the God of Israel, and covering one’s garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So take heed to yourselves and do not be faithless.


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You have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet you say, ‘How have we wearied him?’ By saying, ‘All who do evil are good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.’ Or by asking, ‘Where is the God of justice?’


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The Coming Messenger See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.


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But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap;


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he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness.


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Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.


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Then I will draw near to you for judgement; I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow, and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.


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Ever since the days of your ancestors you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’


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Do Not Rob God Will anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing me! But you say, ‘How are we robbing you?’ In your tithes and offerings!


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Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.


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I will rebuke the locust for you, so that it will not destroy the produce of your soil; and your vine in the field shall not be barren, says the Lord of hosts.


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You have spoken harsh words against me, says the Lord. Yet you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’


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You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What do we profit by keeping his command or by going about as mourners before the Lord of hosts?


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Now we count the arrogant happy; evildoers not only prosper, but when they put God to the test they escape.’


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The Reward of the Faithful Then those who revered the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord took note and listened, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who revered the Lord and thought on his name.


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They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, my special possession on the day when I act, and I will spare them as parents spare their children who serve them.


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Then once more you shall see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.


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The Great Day of the Lord See, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.


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But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.


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And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.


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Remember the teaching of my servant Moses, the statutes and ordinances that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.


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He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse.


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The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.


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Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,


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and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram,


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and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon,


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and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,


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and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,


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and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah,


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and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah,


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And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel,


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and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor,


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and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob,


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and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.


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So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.


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The Birth of Jesus the Messiah Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.


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Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.


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But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.


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‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’


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When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife,


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The Visit of the Wise Men In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,


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asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’


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and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.


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“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.”’


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Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared.


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Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’


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When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was.


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On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.


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And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.


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The Escape to Egypt Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’


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and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I have called my son.’


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The Massacre of the Infants When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men.


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‘A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.’


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The Return from Egypt When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said,


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‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.’


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But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee.


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There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, ‘He will be called a Nazorean.’


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The Proclamation of John the Baptist In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming,


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This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, ‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”’


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Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.


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Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan,


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But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?


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Do not presume to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.


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Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.


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‘I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.


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His winnowing-fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’


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But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he consented.


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And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.


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The Temptation of Jesus Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.


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The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’


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But he answered, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’


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saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, “He will command his angels concerning you”, and “On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.”’


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Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour;


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Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”’


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Jesus Begins His Ministry in Galilee Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee.


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He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,


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‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—


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the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.’


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Jesus Calls the First Disciples As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen.


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As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them.


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Jesus Ministers to Crowds of People Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.


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So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them.


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And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.


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The Beatitudes When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.


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‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.


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Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.


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Salt and Light ‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.


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No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.


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In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.


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The Law and the Prophets ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil.


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For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.


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Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.


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For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.


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Concerning Anger ‘You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgement.”


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But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire.


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So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you,


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leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.


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Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison.


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But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.


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If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.


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And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.


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Concerning Divorce ‘It was also said, “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.”


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But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.


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Concerning Oaths ‘Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.”


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Concerning Retaliation ‘You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”


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But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also;


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Love for Enemies ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.”


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so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.


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For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same?


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And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?


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Concerning Almsgiving ‘Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.


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‘So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.


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Concerning Prayer ‘And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.


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But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.


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‘When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.


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Concerning Fasting ‘And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.


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so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.


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Concerning Treasures ‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal;


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but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.


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The Sound Eye ‘The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light;


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but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!


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Serving Two Masters ‘No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.


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Do Not Worry ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?


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Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?


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And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin,


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But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?


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Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?”


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For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.


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But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.


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‘So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.


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For with the judgement you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.


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Or how can you say to your neighbour, “Let me take the speck out of your eye”, while the log is in your own eye?


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You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbour’s eye.


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Profaning the Holy ‘Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you.


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Ask, Search, Knock ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.


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For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.


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If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!


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The Golden Rule ‘In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.


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The Narrow Gate ‘Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it.


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A Tree and Its Fruit ‘Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.


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Concerning Self-Deception ‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord”, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the will of my Father in heaven.


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On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?”


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Hearers and Doers ‘Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.


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The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock.


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And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand.


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The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!’


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and there was a leper who came to him and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.’


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He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I do choose. Be made clean!’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.


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Then Jesus said to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’


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Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him


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The centurion answered, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed.


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


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When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, ‘Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.


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I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,


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while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’


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And to the centurion Jesus said, ‘Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.’ And the servant was healed in that hour.


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Jesus Heals Many at Peter’s House When Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever;


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That evening they brought to him many who were possessed by demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and cured all who were sick.


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This was to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah, ‘He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.’


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Would-Be Followers of Jesus Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side.


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And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’


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And he said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you of little faith?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm.


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Jesus Heals the Gadarene Demoniacs When he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs coming out of the tombs met him. They were so fierce that no one could pass that way.


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Suddenly they shouted, ‘What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?’


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And he said to them, ‘Go!’ So they came out and entered the swine; and suddenly, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and perished in the water.


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The swineherds ran off, and on going into the town, they told the whole story about what had happened to the demoniacs.


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Then the whole town came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighbourhood.


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Jesus Heals a Paralytic And just then some people were carrying a paralysed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.’


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But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—he then said to the paralytic—‘Stand up, take your bed and go to your home.’


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When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings.


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The Calling of Matthew As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.


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And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax-collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples.


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When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax-collectors and sinners?’


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But when he heard this, he said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.


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Go and learn what this means, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.’


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The Question about Fasting Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?’


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And Jesus said to them, ‘The wedding-guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.


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No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pulls away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made.


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Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.’


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A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, ‘My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.’


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Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from haemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak,


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Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, ‘Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.’ And instantly the woman was made well.


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Jesus Heals Two Blind Men As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David!’


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When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ They said to him, ‘Yes, Lord.’


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And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had been mute spoke; and the crowds were amazed and said, ‘Never has anything like this been seen in Israel.’


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The Harvest Is Great, the Labourers Few Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness.


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When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.


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The Twelve Apostles Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness.


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These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;


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The Mission of the Twelve These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: ‘Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans,


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Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.


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If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.


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If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town.


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Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgement than for that town.


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Coming Persecutions ‘See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.


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and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles.


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When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time;


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Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death;


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When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.


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it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!


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Whom to Fear ‘So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known.


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What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops.


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Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.


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Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father.


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‘Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven;


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Not Peace, but a Sword ‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.


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For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;


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Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;


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Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous;


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and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.’


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Now when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their cities.


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Messengers from John the Baptist When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples


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the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.


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Jesus Praises John the Baptist As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind?


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What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces.


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This is the one about whom it is written, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.”


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Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.


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From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.


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‘But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market-places and calling to one another,


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the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!” Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.’


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Woes to Unrepentant Cities Then he began to reproach the cities in which most of his deeds of power had been done, because they did not repent.


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‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.


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And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.


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But I tell you that on the day of judgement it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you.’


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Jesus Thanks His Father At that time Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants;


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All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.


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Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.


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Plucking Grain on the Sabbath At that time Jesus went through the cornfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.


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When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, ‘Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath.’


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He entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests.


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Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests in the temple break the sabbath and yet are guiltless?


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But if you had known what this means, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice”, you would not have condemned the guiltless.


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a man was there with a withered hand, and they asked him, ‘Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath?’ so that they might accuse him.


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He said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out?


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Then he said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and it was restored, as sound as the other.


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God’s Chosen Servant When Jesus became aware of this, he departed. Many crowds followed him, and he cured all of them,


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‘Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.


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Jesus and Beelzebul Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute; and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see.


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But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, ‘It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons.’


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He knew what they were thinking and said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.


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If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.


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Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man? Then indeed the house can be plundered.


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Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.


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Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.


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A Tree and Its Fruit ‘Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.


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You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.


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The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure.


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I tell you, on the day of judgement you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter;


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The Sign of Jonah Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, ‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.’


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But he answered them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.


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For just as Jonah was for three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth.


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The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!


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The queen of the South will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here!


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The Return of the Unclean Spirit ‘When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting-place, but it finds none.


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Then it says, “I will return to my house from which I came.” When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order.


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Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation.’


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The True Kindred of Jesus While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him.


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Someone told him, ‘Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.’


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Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach.


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Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil.


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The Purpose of the Parables Then the disciples came and asked him, ‘Why do you speak to them in parables?’


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He answered, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.


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For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.


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The reason I speak to them in parables is that “seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.”


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With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says: “You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive.


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For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn— and I would heal them.”


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Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.


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When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path.


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As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;


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yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.


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As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing.


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But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.’


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The Parable of Weeds among the Wheat He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field;


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And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?”


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He answered, “An enemy has done this.” The slaves said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?”


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Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’


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The Parable of the Mustard Seed He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field;


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it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’


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The Parable of the Yeast He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.’


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The Use of Parables Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing.


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This was to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet: ‘I will open my mouth to speak in parables; I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.’


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Jesus Explains the Parable of the Weeds Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, ‘Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.’


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the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one,


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and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.


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The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers,


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and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.


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Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!


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Three Parables ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.


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‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind;


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when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad.


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So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous


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And he said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.’


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The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth He came to his home town and began to teach the people in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power?


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Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?


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And they took offence at him. But Jesus said to them, ‘Prophets are not without honour except in their own country and in their own house.’


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and he said to his servants, ‘This is John the Baptist; he has been raised from the dead, and for this reason these powers are at work in him.’


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For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,


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Though Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded him as a prophet.


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But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company, and she pleased Herod


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The king was grieved, yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he commanded it to be given;


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Feeding the Five Thousand Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.


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When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’


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Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.


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And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full.


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Jesus Walks on the Water Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.


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And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,


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but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them.


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But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear.


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He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus.


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But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’


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Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’


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After the people of that place recognized him, they sent word throughout the region and brought all who were sick to him,


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and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.


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‘Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat.’


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For God said, “Honour your father and your mother,” and, “Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.”


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But you say that whoever tells father or mother, “Whatever support you might have had from me is given to God”, then that person need not honour the father.


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it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.’


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Then the disciples approached and said to him, ‘Do you know that the Pharisees took offence when they heard what you said?’


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Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.’


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For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander.


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Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’


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But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’


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Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.


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Jesus Cures Many People After Jesus had left that place, he passed along the Sea of Galilee, and he went up the mountain, where he sat down.


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Great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the mute, and many others. They put them at his feet, and he cured them,


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so that the crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.


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Feeding the Four Thousand Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.’


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The disciples said to him, ‘Where are we to get enough bread in the desert to feed so great a crowd?’


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he took the seven loaves and the fish; and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.


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And all of them ate and were filled; and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full.


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The Demand for a Sign The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test Jesus they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.


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And in the morning, “It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.” You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.


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An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.’ Then he left them and went away.


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The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread.


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And becoming aware of it, Jesus said, ‘You of little faith, why are you talking about having no bread?


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Do you still not perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered?


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How could you fail to perceive that I was not speaking about bread? Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!’


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Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.


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Peter’s Declaration about Jesus Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’


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And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’


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And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.


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And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.


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I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’


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Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.


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And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.’


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But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’


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The Cross and Self-Denial Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.


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For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.


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For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?


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‘For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done.


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Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.’


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The Transfiguration Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves.


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And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.


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Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’


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While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’


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As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, ‘Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’


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but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands.’


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and said, ‘Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; he often falls into the fire and often into the water.


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Jesus answered, ‘You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.’


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He said to them, ‘Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there”, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.’


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Jesus Again Foretells His Death and Resurrection As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands,


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Jesus and the Temple Tax When they reached Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax came to Peter and said, ‘Does your teacher not pay the temple tax?’


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He said, ‘Yes, he does.’ And when he came home, Jesus spoke of it first, asking, ‘What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their children or from others?’


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However, so that we do not give offence to them, go to the lake and cast a hook; take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a coin; take that and give it to them for you and me.’


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True Greatness At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’


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and said, ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.


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Temptations to Sin ‘If any of you put a stumbling-block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea.


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Woe to the world because of stumbling-blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling-block comes!


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‘If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire.


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And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire.


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The Parable of the Lost Sheep ‘Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven.


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What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?


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And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.


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Reproving Another Who Sins ‘If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one.


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But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses.


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If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax-collector.


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Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.


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Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.


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Forgiveness Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’


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The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant ‘For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.


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and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made.


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So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.”


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But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow-slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, “Pay what you owe.”


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When his fellow-slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place.


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Then his lord summoned him and said to him, “You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.


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So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.’


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Teaching about Divorce When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.


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Some Pharisees came to him, and to test him they asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?’


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He answered, ‘Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning “made them male and female”,


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and said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh”?


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So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’


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They said to him, ‘Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?’


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He said to them, ‘It was because you were so hard-hearted that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but at the beginning it was not so.


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And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another commits adultery.’


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For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.’


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Jesus Blesses Little Children Then little children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them;


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but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.’


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The Rich Young Man Then someone came to him and said, ‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?’


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And he said to him, ‘Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.’


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He said to him, ‘Which ones?’ And Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness;


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Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’


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Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven.


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Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’


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But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.’


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Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.


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And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life.


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The Labourers in the Vineyard ‘For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard.


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and he said to them, “You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.” So they went.


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And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, “Why are you standing here idle all day?”


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When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, “Call the labourers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.”


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Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage.


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saying, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.”


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But he replied to one of them, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?


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Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?”


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A Third Time Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection While Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and said to them on the way,


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‘See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death;


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then they will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified; and on the third day he will be raised.’


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The Request of the Mother of James and John Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favour of him.


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And he said to her, ‘What do you want?’ She said to him, ‘Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.’


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But Jesus answered, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?’ They said to him, ‘We are able.’


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He said to them, ‘You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.’


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But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them.


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There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, ‘Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!’


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The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet; but they shouted even more loudly, ‘Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!’


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Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight and followed him.


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Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,


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saying to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me.


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If anyone says anything to you, just say this, “The Lord needs them.” And he will send them immediately.’


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‘Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’


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A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.


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The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!’


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Jesus Cleanses the Temple Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves.


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He said to them, ‘It is written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer”; but you are making it a den of robbers.’


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But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he did, and heard the children crying out in the temple, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David’, they became angry


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and said to him, ‘Do you hear what these are saying?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Yes; have you never read, “Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise for yourself”?’


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And seeing a fig tree by the side of the road, he went to it and found nothing at all on it but leaves. Then he said to it, ‘May no fruit ever come from you again!’ And the fig tree withered at once.


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Jesus answered them, ‘Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, “Be lifted up and thrown into the sea”, it will be done.


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The Authority of Jesus Questioned When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?’


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Jesus said to them, ‘I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.


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Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?’ And they argued with one another, ‘If we say, “From heaven”, he will say to us, “Why then did you not believe him?”


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So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And he said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.


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The Parable of the Two Sons ‘What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.”


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Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.


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For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax-collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.


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The Parable of the Wicked Tenants ‘Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watch-tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country.


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But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.”


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They said to him, ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.’


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Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes”?


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Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.


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The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.’


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When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them.


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He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come.


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Again he sent other slaves, saying, “Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.”


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Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.


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‘But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe,


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and he said to him, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?” And he was speechless.


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Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”


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So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality.


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They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’


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The Question about the Resurrection The same day some Sadducees came to him, saying there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying,


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‘Teacher, Moses said, “If a man dies childless, his brother shall marry the widow, and raise up children for his brother.”


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Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married, and died childless, leaving the widow to his brother.


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For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.


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“I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”? He is God not of the dead, but of the living.’


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The Greatest Commandment When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together,


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He said to him, ‘“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”


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The Question about David’s Son Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question:


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No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.


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therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practise what they teach.


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They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.


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They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.


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‘But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them.


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Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.


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‘Woe to you, blind guides, who say, “Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.”


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And you say, “Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.”


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‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practised without neglecting the others.


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‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.


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‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth.


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So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.


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‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous,


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and you say, “If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.”


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Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town,


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so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.


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The Lament over Jerusalem ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!


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For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”’


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The Destruction of the Temple Foretold As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple.


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Then he asked them, ‘You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.’


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Signs of the End of the Age When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’


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And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet.


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For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places:


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Persecutions Foretold ‘Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name.


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And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come.


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The Desolating Sacrilege ‘So when you see the desolating sacrilege standing in the holy place, as was spoken of by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand),


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For at that time there will be great suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.


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And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.


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For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce great signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.


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So, if they say to you, “Look! He is in the wilderness”, do not go out. If they say, “Look! He is in the inner rooms”, do not believe it.


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For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.


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The Coming of the Son of Man ‘Immediately after the suffering of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken.


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Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see “the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven” with power and great glory.


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And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.


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The Lesson of the Fig Tree ‘From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.


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The Necessity for Watchfulness ‘But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.


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For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark,


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and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man.


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But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.


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The Faithful or the Unfaithful Slave ‘Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time?


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the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know.


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He will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.


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The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids ‘Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.


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But the wise replied, “No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.”


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And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut.


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The Parable of the Talents ‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them;


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to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.


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The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents.


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But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.


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Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, “Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.”


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His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.”


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And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, “Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.”


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Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed;


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But his master replied, “You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter?


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Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest.


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For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.


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As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”


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The Judgement of the Nations ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.


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All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,


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Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;


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for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,


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I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”


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Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?


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And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”


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Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;


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I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.”


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Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?”


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Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.”


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‘You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.’


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Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,


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a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table.


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But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, ‘Why do you trouble the woman? She has performed a good service for me.


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Truly I tell you, wherever this good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.’


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Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests


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The Passover with the Disciples On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?’


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He said, ‘Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, “The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.”’


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The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.’


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The Institution of the Lord’s Supper While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’


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I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.’


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Peter’s Denial Foretold Then Jesus said to them, ‘You will all become deserters because of me this night; for it is written, “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.”


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Jesus said to him, ‘Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.’


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Peter said to him, ‘Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.’ And so said all the disciples.


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Jesus Prays in Gethsemane Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’


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And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.’


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Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, ‘So, could you not stay awake with me one hour?


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Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’


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Again he went away for the second time and prayed, ‘My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.’


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Then he came to the disciples and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.


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The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people.


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Jesus said to him, ‘Friend, do what you are here to do.’ Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested him.


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Suddenly, one of those with Jesus put his hand on his sword, drew it, and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear.


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Then Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.


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Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?


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At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, ‘Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me.


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But all this has taken place, so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled.’ Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.


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Jesus before the High Priest Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, in whose house the scribes and the elders had gathered.


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But Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest; and going inside, he sat with the guards in order to see how this would end.


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Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death,


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and said, ‘This fellow said, “I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.”’


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But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to him, ‘I put you under oath before the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.’


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Jesus said to him, ‘You have said so. But I tell you, From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.’


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Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, ‘He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy.


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Peter’s Denial of Jesus Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, ‘You also were with Jesus the Galilean.’


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When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, ‘This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.’


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After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, ‘Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you.’


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Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, ‘I do not know the man!’ At that moment the cock crowed.


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Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: ‘Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly.


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Jesus Brought before Pilate When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death.


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The Suicide of Judas When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders.


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He said, ‘I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.’ But they said, ‘What is that to us? See to it yourself.’


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But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, ‘It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money.’


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Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, ‘And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price,


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Pilate Questions Jesus Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ Jesus said, ‘You say so.’


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Barabbas or Jesus? Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted.


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So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, ‘Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?’


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While he was sitting on the judgement seat, his wife sent word to him, ‘Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him.’


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Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed.


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The governor again said to them, ‘Which of the two do you want me to release for you?’ And they said, ‘Barabbas.’


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Pilate said to them, ‘Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?’ All of them said, ‘Let him be crucified!’


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Pilate Hands Jesus over to Be Crucified So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.’


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The Soldiers Mock Jesus Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him.


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and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’


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After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.


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The Crucifixion of Jesus As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross.


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and saying, ‘You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.’


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In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying,


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‘He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.


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And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’


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At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink.


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At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split.


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Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, ‘Truly this man was God’s Son!’


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Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for him.


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Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.


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The Burial of Jesus When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus.


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and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away.


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The Guard at the Tomb The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate


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and said, ‘Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, “After three days I will rise again.”


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Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, “He has been raised from the dead”, and the last deception would be worse than the first.’


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The Resurrection of Jesus After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.


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And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.


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But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.


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Then go quickly and tell his disciples, “He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.” This is my message for you.’


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Suddenly Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him.


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Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.’


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The Report of the Guard While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened.


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After the priests had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers,


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So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story is still told among the Jews to this day.


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The Commissioning of the Disciples Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.


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Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,


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and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’


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The Proclamation of John the Baptist The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.


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As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way;


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the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”’,


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John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.


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And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.


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Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.


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He proclaimed, ‘The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.


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The Baptism of Jesus In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.


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And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.


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He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.


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The Beginning of the Galilean Ministry Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God,


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and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’


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Jesus Calls the First Disciples As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen.


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As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets.


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Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.


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The Man with an Unclean Spirit They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught.


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They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.


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and he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.’


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And the unclean spirit, throwing him into convulsions and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.


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They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.’


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Jesus Heals Many at Simon’s House As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.


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He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.


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And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.


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A Preaching Tour in Galilee In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.


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He answered, ‘Let us go on to the neighbouring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.’


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Jesus Cleanses a Leper A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, ‘If you choose, you can make me clean.’


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Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I do choose. Be made clean!’


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saying to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’


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But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.


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Jesus Heals a Paralytic When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home.


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So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them.


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And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay.


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At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, ‘Why do you raise such questions in your hearts?


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Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven”, or to say, “Stand up and take your mat and walk”?


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But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—he said to the paralytic—


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And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this!’


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Jesus Calls Levi Jesus went out again beside the lake; the whole crowd gathered around him, and he taught them.


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As he was walking along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.


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And as he sat at dinner in Levi’s house, many tax-collectors and sinners were also sitting with Jesus and his disciples—for there were many who followed him.


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When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax-collectors, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax-collectors and sinners?’


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When Jesus heard this, he said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.’


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The Question about Fasting Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people came and said to him, ‘Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?’


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Jesus said to them, ‘The wedding-guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.


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The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day.


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‘No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made.


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And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.’


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Pronouncement about the Sabbath One sabbath he was going through the cornfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain.


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And he said to them, ‘Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food?


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He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions.’


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The Man with a Withered Hand Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand.


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Then he said to them, ‘Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?’ But they were silent.


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He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.


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The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.


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A Multitude at the Lakeside Jesus departed with his disciples to the lake, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him;


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hearing all that he was doing, they came to him in great numbers from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon.


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He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him;


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Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, ‘You are the Son of God!’


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Jesus Appoints the Twelve He went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him.


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And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message,


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James son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder);


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


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When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind.’


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And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.’


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But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.


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but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin’—


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The True Kindred of Jesus Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him.


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A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, ‘Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.’


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The Parable of the Sower Again he began to teach beside the lake. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the lake on the land.


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Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil.


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Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’


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The Purpose of the Parables When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables.


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And he said to them, ‘To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables;


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in order that “they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.”’


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And he said to them, ‘Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables?


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These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.


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And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy.


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But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.


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but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing.


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And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’


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A Lamp under a Bushel Basket He said to them, ‘Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket, or under the bed, and not on the lampstand?


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For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret, except to come to light.


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And he said to them, ‘Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you.


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For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.’


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The Parable of the Growing Seed He also said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground,


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The Parable of the Mustard Seed He also said, ‘With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it?


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It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth;


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yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.’


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The Use of Parables With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it;


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he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.


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Jesus Stills a Storm On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’


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And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him.


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But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’


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He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm.


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And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’


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Jesus Heals the Gerasene Demoniac They came to the other side of the lake, to the country of the Gerasenes.


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And when he had stepped out of the boat, immediately a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit met him.


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for he had often been restrained with shackles and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the shackles he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him.


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Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always howling and bruising himself with stones.


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and he shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.’


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So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the lake, and were drowned in the lake.


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The swineherds ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came to see what it was that had happened.


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They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the legion; and they were afraid.


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As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed by demons begged him that he might be with him.


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But Jesus refused, and said to him, ‘Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you.’


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And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.


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A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered round him; and he was by the lake.


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and begged him repeatedly, ‘My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.’


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She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse.


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Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?’


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And his disciples said to him, ‘You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, “Who touched me?”’


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But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth.


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He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.’


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While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, ‘Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?’


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But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, ‘Do not fear, only believe.’


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When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.


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When he had entered, he said to them, ‘Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.’


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And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was.


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And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement.


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The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth He left that place and came to his home town, and his disciples followed him.


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On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, ‘Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands!


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Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offence at him.


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Then Jesus said to them, ‘Prophets are not without honour, except in their home town, and among their own kin, and in their own house.’


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And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them.


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And he was amazed at their unbelief. The Mission of the Twelve Then he went about among the villages teaching.


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He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.


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He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts;


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If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.’


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The Death of John the Baptist King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some were saying, ‘John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.’


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But others said, ‘It is Elijah.’ And others said, ‘It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.’


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For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her.


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for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him.


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But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee.


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When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.’


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She went out and said to her mother, ‘What should I ask for?’ She replied, ‘The head of John the baptizer.’


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Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, ‘I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.’


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The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her.


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Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison,


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Feeding the Five Thousand The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught.


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He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.


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Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them.


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As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.


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When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late;


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send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.’


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But he answered them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said to him, ‘Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?’


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And he said to them, ‘How many loaves have you? Go and see.’ When they had found out, they said, ‘Five, and two fish.’


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Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all.


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Jesus Walks on the Water Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.


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When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the lake. He intended to pass them by.


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for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’


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Healing the Sick in Gennesaret When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat.


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and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.


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And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the market-places, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.


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The Tradition of the Elders Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him,


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they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them.


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(For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders;


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and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.)


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So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?’


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He said to them, ‘Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, “This people honours me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me;


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Then he said to them, ‘You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition!


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For Moses said, “Honour your father and your mother”; and, “Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.”


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But you say that if anyone tells father or mother, “Whatever support you might have had from me is Corban” (that is, an offering to God)—


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thus making void the word of God through your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many things like this.’


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there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.’


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He said to them, ‘Then do you also fail to understand? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile,


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since it enters, not the heart but the stomach, and goes out into the sewer?’ (Thus he declared all foods clean.)


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The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice,


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but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet.


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Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.


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He said to her, ‘Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’


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Jesus Cures a Deaf Man Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.


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They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him.


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He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue.


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Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.


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They were astounded beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.’


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Feeding the Four Thousand In those days when there was again a great crowd without anything to eat, he called his disciples and said to them,


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‘I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat.


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If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way—and some of them have come from a great distance.’


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Then he ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground; and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed them to the crowd.


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They had also a few small fish; and after blessing them, he ordered that these too should be distributed.


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The Demand for a Sign The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, asking him for a sign from heaven, to test him.


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And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, ‘Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.’


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The Yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod Now the disciples had forgotten to bring any bread; and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.


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And he cautioned them, saying, ‘Watch out—beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.’


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And becoming aware of it, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened?


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When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?’ They said to him, ‘Twelve.’


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‘And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?’ And they said to him, ‘Seven.’


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Jesus Cures a Blind Man at Bethsaida They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him.


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He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, ‘Can you see anything?’


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Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.


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Peter’s Declaration about Jesus Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’


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And they answered him, ‘John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’


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Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.


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But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’


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He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.


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For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.


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Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’


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9 And he said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.’


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The Transfiguration Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them,


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Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’


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Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!’


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The Coming of Elijah As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.


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He said to them, ‘Elijah is indeed coming first to restore all things. How then is it written about the Son of Man, that he is to go through many sufferings and be treated with contempt?


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But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written about him.’


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The Healing of a Boy with a Spirit When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them.


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When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet him.


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Someone from the crowd answered him, ‘Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak;


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and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so.’


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He answered them, ‘You faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.’


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And they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, immediately it threw the boy into convulsions, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.


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It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.’


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When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ‘You spirit that keep this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!’


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After crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, ‘He is dead.’


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Jesus Again Foretells His Death and Resurrection They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it;


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for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, ‘The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.’


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Who Is the Greatest? Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’


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He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.’


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‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’


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Another Exorcist John said to him, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.’


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But Jesus said, ‘Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterwards to speak evil of me.


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For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.


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Temptations to Sin ‘If any of you put a stumbling-block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea.


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If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.


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And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell.


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And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell,


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Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.’


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Teaching about Divorce He left that place and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan. And crowds again gathered around him; and, as was his custom, he again taught them.


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Jesus Blesses Little Children People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them.


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But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.


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Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’


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The Rich Man As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’


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You know the commandments: “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honour your father and mother.”’


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Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’


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Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’


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And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, ‘Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!


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It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’


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Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.’


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Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news,


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who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.


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A Third Time Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him,


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saying, ‘See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles;


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they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again.’


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The Request of James and John James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.’


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And they said to him, ‘Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.’


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But Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’


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They replied, ‘We are able.’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;


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but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.’


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So Jesus called them and said to them, ‘You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them.


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The Healing of Blind Bartimaeus They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside.


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When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’


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Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’


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Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’


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Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’


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Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.


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Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples


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and said to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it.


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If anyone says to you, “Why are you doing this?” just say this, “The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.”’


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Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields.


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Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!


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Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.


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Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.


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Jesus Cleanses the Temple Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves;


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He was teaching and saying, ‘Is it not written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations”? But you have made it a den of robbers.’


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And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching.


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The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots.


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Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, “Be taken up and thrown into the sea”, and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you.


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So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.


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‘Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.’


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Jesus’ Authority Is Questioned Again they came to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him


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Jesus said to them, ‘I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.


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They argued with one another, ‘If we say, “From heaven”, he will say, “Why then did you not believe him?”


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But shall we say, “Of human origin”?’—they were afraid of the crowd, for all regarded John as truly a prophet.


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So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.’


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The Parable of the Wicked Tenants Then he began to speak to them in parables. ‘A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the wine press, and built a watch-tower; then he leased it to tenants and went to another country.


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When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard.


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Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And so it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed.


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He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, “They will respect my son.”


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But those tenants said to one another, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.”


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What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.


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When they realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowd. So they left him and went away.


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The Question about Paying Taxes Then they sent to him some Pharisees and some Herodians to trap him in what he said.


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And they came and said to him, ‘Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?


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Should we pay them, or should we not?’ But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, ‘Why are you putting me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me see it.’


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And they brought one. Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’ They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’


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Jesus said to them, ‘Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And they were utterly amazed at him.


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The Question about the Resurrection Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question, saying,


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‘Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.


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Jesus said to them, ‘Is not this the reason you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God?


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For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.


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And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the story about the bush, how God said to him, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”?


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The First Commandment One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, ‘Which commandment is the first of all?’


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you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”


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The second is this, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’


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Then the scribe said to him, ‘You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that “he is one, and besides him there is no other”;


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and “to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength”, and “to love one’s neighbour as oneself”,—this is much more important than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.’


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When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ After that no one dared to ask him any question.


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The Question about David’s Son While Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, ‘How can the scribes say that the Messiah is the son of David?


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David himself, by the Holy Spirit, declared, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.’”


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David himself calls him Lord; so how can he be his son?’ And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.


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Jesus Denounces the Scribes As he taught, he said, ‘Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the market-places,


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They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.’


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The Widow’s Offering He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.


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Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.


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For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’


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The Destruction of the Temple Foretold As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!’


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Then Jesus asked him, ‘Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.’


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When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately,


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‘Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?’


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When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come.


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For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.


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Persecution Foretold ‘As for yourselves, beware; for they will hand you over to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them.


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When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.


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The Desolating Sacrilege ‘But when you see the desolating sacrilege set up where it ought not to be (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains;


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For in those days there will be suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, no, and never will be.


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And if the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he has cut short those days.


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And if anyone says to you at that time, “Look! Here is the Messiah!” or “Look! There he is!”—do not believe it.


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False messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, the elect.


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The Coming of the Son of Man ‘But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,


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Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.


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The Necessity for Watchfulness ‘But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.


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It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch.


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Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn,


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The Plot to Kill Jesus It was two days before the Passover and the festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him;


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The Anointing at Bethany While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his head.


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For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.’ And they scolded her.


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For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me.


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Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.’


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Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them.


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When they heard it, they were greatly pleased, and promised to give him money. So he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.


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The Passover with the Disciples On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, his disciples said to him, ‘Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?’


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So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him,


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and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, “The Teacher asks, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”


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So the disciples set out and went to the city, and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.


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And when they had taken their places and were eating, Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.’


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For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.’


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The Institution of the Lord’s Supper While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, ‘Take; this is my body.’


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Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.’


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And Jesus said to them, ‘You will all become deserters; for it is written, “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.”


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Jesus said to him, ‘Truly I tell you, this day, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.’


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But he said vehemently, ‘Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.’ And all of them said the same.


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Jesus Prays in Gethsemane They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I pray.’


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And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.


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He said, ‘Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.’


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He came and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, ‘Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour?


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Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’


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And once more he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to say to him.


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He came a third time and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come; the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.


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The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus Immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; and with him there was a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders.


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Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, ‘The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.’


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But one of those who stood near drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear.


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Then Jesus said to them, ‘Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit?


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Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. But let the scriptures be fulfilled.’


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Jesus before the Council They took Jesus to the high priest; and all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes were assembled.


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Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the guards, warming himself at the fire.


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Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death; but they found none.


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‘We heard him say, “I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.”’


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Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, ‘Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?’


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But he was silent and did not answer. Again the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?’


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Jesus said, ‘I am; and “you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power”, and “coming with the clouds of heaven.”’


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Some began to spit on him, to blindfold him, and to strike him, saying to him, ‘Prophesy!’ The guards also took him over and beat him.


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Peter Denies Jesus While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came by.


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When she saw Peter warming himself, she stared at him and said, ‘You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.’


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But he denied it, saying, ‘I do not know or understand what you are talking about.’ And he went out into the forecourt. Then the cock crowed.


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And the servant-girl, on seeing him, began again to say to the bystanders, ‘This man is one of them.’


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But again he denied it. Then after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, ‘Certainly you are one of them; for you are a Galilean.’


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At that moment the cock crowed for the second time. Then Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.’ And he broke down and wept.


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Jesus before Pilate As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.


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Pilate Hands Jesus over to Be Crucified Now at the festival he used to release a prisoner for them, anyone for whom they asked.


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Now a man called Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection.


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Pilate spoke to them again, ‘Then what do you wish me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?’


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So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.


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The Soldiers Mock Jesus Then the soldiers led him into the courtyard of the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters); and they called together the whole cohort.


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And they clothed him in a purple cloak; and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him.


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After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.


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The Crucifixion of Jesus They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus.


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And they crucified him, and divided his clothes among them, casting lots to decide what each should take.


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Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, ‘Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days,


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In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself.


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Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.’ Those who were crucified with him also taunted him.


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The Death of Jesus When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.


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At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’


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And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, ‘Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.’


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Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was God’s Son!’


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There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.


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These used to follow him and provided for him when he was in Galilee; and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.


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The Burial of Jesus When evening had come, and since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,


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Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.


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Then Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead for some time.


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Then Joseph bought a linen cloth, and taking down the body, wrapped it in the linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.


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The Resurrection of Jesus When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.


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They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’


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As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.


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But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him.


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But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.’


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So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. The Shorter Ending of Mark [[And all that had been commanded them they told briefly to those around Peter. And afterwards Jesus himself sent out through them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.]]


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The Longer Ending of Mark Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene [[Now after he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.


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Jesus Appears to Two Disciples After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country.


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Jesus Commissions the Disciples Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.


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The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned.


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And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;


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they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.’


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The Ascension of Jesus So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.


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And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.]]


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Dedication to Theophilus Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us,


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just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word,


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I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,


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The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.


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Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord.


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he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense.


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Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.


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But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.


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for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.


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With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’


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Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.’


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The angel replied, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.


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But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.’


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When he did come out, he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and remained unable to speak.


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After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said,


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‘This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favourably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.’


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The Birth of Jesus Foretold In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,


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


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He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.


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The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.


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And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren.


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Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.


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Mary Visits Elizabeth In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country,


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When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit


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And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’


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for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;


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Her neighbours and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.


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On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father.


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Fear came over all their neighbours, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea.


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All who heard them pondered them and said, ‘What then will this child become?’ For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.


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Zechariah’s Prophecy Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:


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And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,


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to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’


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The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.


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The Birth of Jesus In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered.


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Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David.


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And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.


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The Shepherds and the Angels In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.


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Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.


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But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:


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This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’


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When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’


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The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.


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Jesus Is Named After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.


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Jesus Is Presented in the Temple When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord


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(as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’),


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and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’


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Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him.


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It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.


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Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law,


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Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed


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There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage,


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then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day.


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At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.


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The Return to Nazareth When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.


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The Boy Jesus in the Temple Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover.


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When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it.


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Assuming that he was in the group of travellers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends.


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After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.


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When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, ‘Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.’


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He said to them, ‘Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’


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Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.


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The Proclamation of John the Baptist In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene,


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during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.


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He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,


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as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, ‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.


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Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth;


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John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?


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Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.


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Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’


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In reply he said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’


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Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.’


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As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,


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John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.


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His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’


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But Herod the ruler, who had been rebuked by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil things that Herod had done,


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The Baptism of Jesus Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened,


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and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’


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The Ancestors of Jesus Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his work. He was the son (as was thought) of Joseph son of Heli,


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The Temptation of Jesus Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness,


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where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished.


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And the devil said to him, ‘To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please.


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Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here,


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The Beginning of the Galilean Ministry Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country.


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The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read,


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and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:


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‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,


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And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.


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All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’


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He said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, “Doctor, cure yourself!” And you will say, “Do here also in your home town the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.”’


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But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land;


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There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.’


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They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff.


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The Man with an Unclean Spirit He went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and was teaching them on the sabbath.


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In the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice,


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‘Let us alone! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.’


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But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’ When the demon had thrown him down before them, he came out of him without having done him any harm.


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They were all amazed and kept saying to one another, ‘What kind of utterance is this? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and out they come!’


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Healings at Simon’s House After leaving the synagogue he entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked him about her.


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Then he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately she got up and began to serve them.


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As the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various kinds of diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on each of them and cured them.


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Demons also came out of many, shouting, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Messiah.


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Jesus Preaches in the Synagogues At daybreak he departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowds were looking for him; and when they reached him, they wanted to prevent him from leaving them.


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But he said to them, ‘I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.’


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Jesus Calls the First Disciples Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God,


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he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.


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He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.


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When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’


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Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.’


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


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But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’


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and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.’


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Jesus Cleanses a Leper Once, when he was in one of the cities, there was a man covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground and begged him, ‘Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.’


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Then Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, ‘I do choose. Be made clean.’ Immediately the leprosy left him.


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And he ordered him to tell no one. ‘Go’, he said, ‘and show yourself to the priest, and, as Moses commanded, make an offering for your cleansing, for a testimony to them.’


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But now more than ever the word about Jesus spread abroad; many crowds would gather to hear him and to be cured of their diseases.


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Jesus Heals a Paralytic One day, while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting nearby (they had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem); and the power of the Lord was with him to heal.


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Just then some men came, carrying a paralysed man on a bed. They were trying to bring him in and lay him before Jesus;


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but finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus.


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Then the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, ‘Who is this who is speaking blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’


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When Jesus perceived their questionings, he answered them, ‘Why do you raise such questions in your hearts?


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But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—he said to the one who was paralysed—‘I say to you, stand up and take your bed and go to your home.’


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Immediately he stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went to his home, glorifying God.


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Amazement seized all of them, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, ‘We have seen strange things today.’


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Jesus Calls Levi After this he went out and saw a tax-collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’


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Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house; and there was a large crowd of tax-collectors and others sitting at the table with them.


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The Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax-collectors and sinners?’


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The Question about Fasting Then they said to him, ‘John’s disciples, like the disciples of the Pharisees, frequently fast and pray, but your disciples eat and drink.’


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Jesus said to them, ‘You cannot make wedding-guests fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you?


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The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.’


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He also told them a parable: ‘No one tears a piece from a new garment and sews it on an old garment; otherwise the new will be torn, and the piece from the new will not match the old.


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And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed.


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The Question about the Sabbath One sabbath while Jesus was going through the cornfields, his disciples plucked some heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them.


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He entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and gave some to his companions?’


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The Man with a Withered Hand On another sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.


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The scribes and the Pharisees watched him to see whether he would cure on the sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him.


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Even though he knew what they were thinking, he said to the man who had the withered hand, ‘Come and stand here.’ He got up and stood there.


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Then Jesus said to them, ‘I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?’


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After looking around at all of them, he said to him, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He did so, and his hand was restored.


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Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God.


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Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew,


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Jesus Teaches and Heals He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon.


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


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Blessings and Woes Then he looked up at his disciples and said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.


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‘Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. ‘Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.


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‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man.


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Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.


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‘Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. ‘Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.


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If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt.


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‘If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.


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


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If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again.


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But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.


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Judging Others ‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven;


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give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’


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He also told them a parable: ‘Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?


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


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for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.


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The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.


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That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built.


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But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, immediately it fell, and great was the ruin of that house.’


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Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant After Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.


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When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave.


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When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying, ‘He is worthy of having you do this for him,


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And Jesus went with them, but when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, ‘Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof;


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


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When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.’


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Jesus Raises the Widow’s Son at Nain Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him.


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As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town.


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Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, ‘Young man, I say to you, rise!’


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Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, ‘A great prophet has risen among us!’ and ‘God has looked favourably on his people!’


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Messengers from John the Baptist The disciples of John reported all these things to him. So John summoned two of his disciples


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When the men had come to him, they said, ‘John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”’


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Jesus had just then cured many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind.


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And he answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them.


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When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind?


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What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who put on fine clothing and live in luxury are in royal palaces.


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I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.’


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(And all the people who heard this, including the tax-collectors, acknowledged the justice of God, because they had been baptized with John’s baptism.


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But by refusing to be baptized by him, the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves.)


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They are like children sitting in the market-place and calling to one another, “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not weep.”


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the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!”


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A Sinful Woman Forgiven One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table.


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And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment.


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She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment.


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Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—that she is a sinner.’


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Jesus spoke up and said to him, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ ‘Teacher,’ he replied, ‘speak.’


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When they could not pay, he cancelled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?’


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Simon answered, ‘I suppose the one for whom he cancelled the greater debt.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘You have judged rightly.’


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Then turning towards the woman, he said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.


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Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.’


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But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this who even forgives sins?’


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Some Women Accompany Jesus Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him,


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as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,


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and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.


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The Parable of the Sower When a great crowd gathered and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable:


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‘A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell on the path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up.


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Some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it produced a hundredfold.’ As he said this, he called out, ‘Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’


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He said, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but to others I speak in parables, so that “looking they may not perceive, and listening they may not understand.”


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The ones on the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.


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The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe only for a while and in a time of testing fall away.


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As for what fell among the thorns, these are the ones who hear; but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.


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But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.


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A Lamp under a Jar ‘No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.


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For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light.


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Then pay attention to how you listen; for to those who have, more will be given; and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away.’


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The True Kindred of Jesus Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd.


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Jesus Calms a Storm One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side of the lake.’ So they put out,


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and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A gale swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in danger.


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They went to him and woke him up, shouting, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm.


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He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ They were afraid and amazed, and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?’


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Jesus Heals the Gerasene Demoniac Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.


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As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs.


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When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me’—


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for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.)


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Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission.


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Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.


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


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Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned.


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The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying,


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‘Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.’ So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.


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A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him.


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Just then there came a man named Jairus, a leader of the synagogue. He fell at Jesus’ feet and begged him to come to his house,


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for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, who was dying. As he went, the crowds pressed in on him.


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Now there was a woman who had been suffering from haemorrhages for twelve years; and though she had spent all she had on physicians, no one could cure her.


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She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his clothes, and immediately her haemorrhage stopped.


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Then Jesus asked, ‘Who touched me?’ When all denied it, Peter said, ‘Master, the crowds surround you and press in on you.’


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When the woman saw that she could not remain hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before him, she declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed.


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While he was still speaking, someone came from the leader’s house to say, ‘Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the teacher any longer.’


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When he came to the house, he did not allow anyone to enter with him, except Peter, John, and James, and the child’s father and mother.


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They were all weeping and wailing for her; but he said, ‘Do not weep; for she is not dead but sleeping.’


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The Mission of the Twelve Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases,


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He said to them, ‘Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic.


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Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.’


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Herod’s Perplexity Now Herod the ruler heard about all that had taken place, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead,


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Herod said, ‘John I beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?’ And he tried to see him.


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Feeding the Five Thousand On their return the apostles told Jesus all they had done. He took them with him and withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida.


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When the crowds found out about it, they followed him; and he welcomed them, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed to be cured.


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The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place.’


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But he said to them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said, ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.’


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For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, ‘Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.’


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And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.


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Peter’s Declaration about Jesus Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, ‘Who do the crowds say that I am?’


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They answered, ‘John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.’


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Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone,


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saying, ‘The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.’


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Then he said to them all, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.


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For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.


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Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.


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But truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.’


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The Transfiguration Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.


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And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.


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They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.


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Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.


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Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said.


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While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud.


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


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Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him.


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Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It throws him into convulsions until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him.


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Jesus answered, ‘You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.’


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While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.


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And all were astounded at the greatness of God. Jesus Again Foretells His Death While everyone was amazed at all that he was doing, he said to his disciples,


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But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was concealed from them, so that they could not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.


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and said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me; for the least among all of you is the greatest.’


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Another Exorcist John answered, ‘Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.’


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A Samaritan Village Refuses to Receive Jesus When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.


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And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him;


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When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, ‘Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’


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Would-Be Followers of Jesus As they were going along the road, someone said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’


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But Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’


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Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’


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The Mission of the Seventy After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.


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He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.


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And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you.


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Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house.


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“Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.”


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Woes to Unrepentant Cities ‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.


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‘Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.’


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The Return of the Seventy The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!’


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See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you.


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Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’


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Jesus Rejoices At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.


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All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’


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Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, ‘Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!


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For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.’


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The Parable of the Good Samaritan Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’


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He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.’


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Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.


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


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He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.


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The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.”


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Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’


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Jesus Visits Martha and Mary Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.


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But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’


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there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’


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The Lord’s Prayer He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’


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And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.’


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Perseverance in Prayer And he said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, “Friend, lend me three loaves of bread;


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And he answers from within, “Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.”


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I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.


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‘So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.


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If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’


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Jesus and Beelzebul Now he was casting out a demon that was mute; when the demon had gone out, the one who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed.


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But he knew what they were thinking and said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself becomes a desert, and house falls on house.


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If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? —for you say that I cast out the demons by Beelzebul.


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


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But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.


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But when one stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away his armour in which he trusted and divides his plunder.


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The Return of the Unclean Spirit ‘When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting-place, but not finding any, it says, “I will return to my house from which I came.”


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Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first.’


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True Blessedness While he was saying this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!’


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The Sign of Jonah When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, ‘This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.


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For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation.


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The queen of the South will rise at the judgement with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here!


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The Light of the Body ‘No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar, but on the lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.


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Your eye is the lamp of your body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light; but if it is not healthy, your body is full of darkness.


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If then your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be as full of light as when a lamp gives you light with its rays.’


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Jesus Denounces Pharisees and Lawyers While he was speaking, a Pharisee invited him to dine with him; so he went in and took his place at the table.


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Then the Lord said to him, ‘Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.


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‘But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God; it is these you ought to have practised, without neglecting the others.


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Woe to you Pharisees! For you love to have the seat of honour in the synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the market-places.


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And he said, ‘Woe also to you lawyers! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not lift a finger to ease them.


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So you are witnesses and approve of the deeds of your ancestors; for they killed them, and you build their tombs.


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Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, “I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute”,


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so that this generation may be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world,


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from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against this generation.


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Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.’


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When he went outside, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile towards him and to cross-examine him about many things,


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A Warning against Hypocrisy Meanwhile, when the crowd gathered in thousands, so that they trampled on one another, he began to speak first to his disciples, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, their hypocrisy.


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Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops.


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Exhortation to Fearless Confession ‘I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more.


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But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!


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But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.


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‘And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God;


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And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.


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When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say;


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The Parable of the Rich Fool Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.’


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And he said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’


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


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And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”


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But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?”


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Do Not Worry He said to his disciples, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear.


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Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!


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Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.


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But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!


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And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying.


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For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.


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Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.


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be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks.


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Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them.


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If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.


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‘But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.


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The Faithful or the Unfaithful Slave Peter said, ‘Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?’


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And the Lord said, ‘Who then is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time?


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But if that slave says to himself, “My master is delayed in coming”, and if he begins to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk,


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


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That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating.


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But one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.


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Jesus the Cause of Division ‘I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!


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they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’


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Interpreting the Time He also said to the crowds, ‘When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, “It is going to rain”; and so it happens.


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You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?


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Thus, when you go with your accuser before a magistrate, on the way make an effort to settle the case, or you may be dragged before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you in prison.


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Repent or Perish At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.


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He asked them, ‘Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?


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Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem?


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The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree Then he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none.


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So he said to the gardener, “See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?”


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And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight.


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But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, ‘There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.’


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But the Lord answered him and said, ‘You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water?


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And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?’


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When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.


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The Parable of the Mustard Seed He said therefore, ‘What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it?


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It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.’


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It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.’


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The Narrow Door Jesus went through one town and village after another, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem.


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‘Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.


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When once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, “Lord, open to us”, then in reply he will say to you, “I do not know where you come from.”


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


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The Lament over Jerusalem At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’


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He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox for me, “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work.


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Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from Jerusalem.”


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Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!


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See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”’


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Jesus Heals the Man with Dropsy On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely.


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Then he said to them, ‘If one of you has a child or an ox that has fallen into a well, will you not immediately pull it out on a sabbath day?’


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Humility and Hospitality When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honour, he told them a parable.


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‘When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honour, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host;


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and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, “Give this person your place”, and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place.


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But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, “Friend, move up higher”; then you will be honoured in the presence of all who sit at the table with you.


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He said also to the one who had invited him, ‘When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid.


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And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’


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The Parable of the Great Dinner One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him, ‘Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!’


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At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, “Come; for everything is ready now.”


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But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, “I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my apologies.”


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Another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my apologies.”


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So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, “Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.”


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Then the master said to the slave, “Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled.


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‘Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.


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For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it?


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Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him,


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Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand?


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If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace.


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It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure heap; they throw it away. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’


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The Parable of the Lost Sheep Now all the tax-collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him.


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And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’


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‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?


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And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.”


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Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.


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The Parable of the Lost Coin ‘Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?


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When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbours, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.”


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Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.’


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The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.” So he divided his property between them.


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A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and travelled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living.


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When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need.


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So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs.


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He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything.


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But when he came to himself he said, “How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger!


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I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you;


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So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.


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Then the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”


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But the father said to his slaves, “Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.


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for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!” And they began to celebrate.


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‘Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.


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He replied, “Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.”


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But he answered his father, “Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends.


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But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!”


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But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.”’


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The Parable of the Dishonest Manager Then Jesus said to the disciples, ‘There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property.


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So he summoned him and said to him, “What is this that I hear about you? Give me an account of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.”


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Then the manager said to himself, “What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.


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I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.”


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He answered, “A hundred jugs of olive oil.” He said to him, “Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.”


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Then he asked another, “And how much do you owe?” He replied, “A hundred containers of wheat.” He said to him, “Take your bill and make it eighty.”


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And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.


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And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.


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‘Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.


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If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?


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No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.’


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The Law and the Kingdom of God The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they ridiculed him.


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So he said to them, ‘You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God.


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‘The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force.


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But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one stroke of a letter in the law to be dropped.


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‘Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.


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The Rich Man and Lazarus ‘There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.


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who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.


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The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.


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In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.


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He called out, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.”


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But Abraham said, “Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.


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Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.”


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for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.”


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He said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”’


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Some Sayings of Jesus Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come!


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It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble.


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Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive.


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And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, “I repent”, you must forgive.’


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The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea”, and it would obey you.


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‘Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from ploughing or tending sheep in the field, “Come here at once and take your place at the table”?


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Would you not rather say to him, “Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink”?


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So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!”’


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Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee.


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When he saw them, he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were made clean.


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The Coming of the Kingdom Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, ‘The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed;


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nor will they say, “Look, here it is!” or “There it is!” For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.’


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Then he said to the disciples, ‘The days are coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.


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For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.


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They were eating and drinking, and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed all of them.


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Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building,


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but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and sulphur from heaven and destroyed all of them


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On that day, anyone on the housetop who has belongings in the house must not come down to take them away; and likewise anyone in the field must not turn back.


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Then they asked him, ‘Where, Lord?’ He said to them, ‘Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.’


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The Parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.


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In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, “Grant me justice against my opponent.”


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For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, “Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone,


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yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.”’


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And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them?


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I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?’


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The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax-Collector He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt:


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The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector.


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But the tax-collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”


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I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.’


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Jesus Blesses Little Children People were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they sternly ordered them not to do it.


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But Jesus called for them and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.


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You know the commandments: “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honour your father and mother.”’


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When Jesus heard this, he said to him, ‘There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’


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Jesus looked at him and said, ‘How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!


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Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’


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And he said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God,


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A Third Time Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection Then he took the twelve aside and said to them, ‘See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.


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But they understood nothing about all these things; in fact, what he said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.


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Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar Near Jericho As he approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging.


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Those who were in front sternly ordered him to be quiet; but he shouted even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’


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Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God.


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He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature.


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When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.’


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Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ‘Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.’


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Then Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham.


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The Parable of the Ten Pounds As they were listening to this, he went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.


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He summoned ten of his slaves, and gave them ten pounds, and said to them, “Do business with these until I come back.”


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But the citizens of his country hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, “We do not want this man to rule over us.”


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When he returned, having received royal power, he ordered these slaves, to whom he had given the money, to be summoned so that he might find out what they had gained by trading.


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He said to him, “Well done, good slave! Because you have been trustworthy in a very small thing, take charge of ten cities.”


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for I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man; you take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.”


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He said to him, “I will judge you by your own words, you wicked slave! You knew, did you, that I was a harsh man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow?


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Why then did you not put my money into the bank? Then when I returned, I could have collected it with interest.”


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“I tell you, to all those who have, more will be given; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.


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But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and slaughter them in my presence.”’


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Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.


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When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples,


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saying, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here.


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As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen,


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saying, ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!’


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saying, ‘If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.


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Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side.


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They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.’


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Jesus Cleanses the Temple Then he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things there;


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and he said, ‘It is written, “My house shall be a house of prayer”; but you have made it a den of robbers.’


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Every day he was teaching in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him;


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but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were spellbound by what they heard.


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The Authority of Jesus Questioned One day, as he was teaching the people in the temple and telling the good news, the chief priests and the scribes came with the elders


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and said to him, ‘Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority?’


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They discussed it with one another, saying, ‘If we say, “From heaven”, he will say, “Why did you not believe him?”


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But if we say, “Of human origin”, all the people will stone us; for they are convinced that John was a prophet.’


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The Parable of the Wicked Tenants He began to tell the people this parable: ‘A man planted a vineyard, and leased it to tenants, and went to another country for a long time.


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When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants in order that they might give him his share of the produce of the vineyard; but the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed.


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Then the owner of the vineyard said, “What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.”


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But when the tenants saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, “This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance may be ours.”


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So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?


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He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.’ When they heard this, they said, ‘Heaven forbid!’


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But he looked at them and said, ‘What then does this text mean: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone”?


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Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.’


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When the scribes and chief priests realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to lay hands on him at that very hour, but they feared the people.


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The Question about Paying Taxes So they watched him and sent spies who pretended to be honest, in order to trap him by what he said, so as to hand him over to the jurisdiction and authority of the governor.


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So they asked him, ‘Teacher, we know that you are right in what you say and teach, and you show deference to no one, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth.


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He said to them, ‘Then give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’


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And they were not able in the presence of the people to trap him by what he said; and being amazed by his answer, they became silent.


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The Question about the Resurrection Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him


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and asked him a question, ‘Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.


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but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage.


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Indeed they cannot die any more, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection.


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And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.


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The Question about David’s Son Then he said to them, ‘How can they say that the Messiah is David’s son?


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‘Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love to be greeted with respect in the market-places, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honour at banquets.


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for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.’


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The Destruction of the Temple Foretold When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said,


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‘As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.’


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Signs and Persecutions They asked him, ‘Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?’


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And he said, ‘Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, “I am he!” and, “The time is near!” Do not go after them.


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‘When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.’


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there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.


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‘But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name.


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for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.


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You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death.


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The Destruction of Jerusalem Foretold ‘When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.


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Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those inside the city must leave it, and those out in the country must not enter it;


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Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress on the earth and wrath against this people;


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they will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken away as captives among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.


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The Coming of the Son of Man ‘There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves.


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People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.


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Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’


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Exhortation to Watch ‘Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly,


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Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.’


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Every day he was teaching in the temple, and at night he would go out and spend the night on the Mount of Olives, as it was called.


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The Plot to Kill Jesus Now the festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was near.


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The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death, for they were afraid of the people.


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he went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers of the temple police about how he might betray him to them.


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So he consented and began to look for an opportunity to betray him to them when no crowd was present.


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The Preparation of the Passover Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.


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‘Listen,’ he said to them, ‘when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him into the house he enters


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and say to the owner of the house, “The teacher asks you, ‘Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’”


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The Institution of the Lord’s Supper When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him.


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for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’


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Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’


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And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.


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The Dispute about Greatness A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest.


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But he said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors.


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But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves.


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For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.


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so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.


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Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial ‘Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat,


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but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.’


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Jesus said, ‘I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow this day, until you have denied three times that you know me.’


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Purse, Bag, and Sword He said to them, ‘When I sent you out without a purse, bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?’ They said, ‘No, not a thing.’


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He said to them, ‘But now, the one who has a purse must take it, and likewise a bag. And the one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one.


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For I tell you, this scripture must be fulfilled in me, “And he was counted among the lawless”; and indeed what is written about me is being fulfilled.’


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Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him.


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In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.]]


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and he said to them, ‘Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.’


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The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus While he was still speaking, suddenly a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him;


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When those who were around him saw what was coming, they asked, ‘Lord, should we strike with the sword?’


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Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple police, and the elders who had come for him, ‘Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a bandit?


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When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness!’


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Peter Denies Jesus Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house. But Peter was following at a distance.


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When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.


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Then a servant-girl, seeing him in the firelight, stared at him and said, ‘This man also was with him.’


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A little later someone else, on seeing him, said, ‘You also are one of them.’ But Peter said, ‘Man, I am not!’


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Then about an hour later yet another kept insisting, ‘Surely this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean.’


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But Peter said, ‘Man, I do not know what you are talking about!’ At that moment, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed.


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The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.’


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Jesus before the Council When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, gathered together, and they brought him to their council.


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They began to accuse him, saying, ‘We found this man perverting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to the emperor, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.’


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Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, ‘I find no basis for an accusation against this man.’


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But they were insistent and said, ‘He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to this place.’


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And when he learned that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him off to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time.


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When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had been wanting to see him for a long time, because he had heard about him and was hoping to see him perform some sign.


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Even Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him; then he put an elegant robe on him, and sent him back to Pilate.


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Jesus Sentenced to Death Pilate then called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people,


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and said to them, ‘You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and here I have examined him in your presence and have not found this man guilty of any of your charges against him.


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(This was a man who had been put in prison for an insurrection that had taken place in the city, and for murder.)


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A third time he said to them, ‘Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him.’


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But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified; and their voices prevailed.


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He released the man they asked for, the one who had been put in prison for insurrection and murder, and he handed Jesus over as they wished.


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The Crucifixion of Jesus As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus.


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A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him.


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But Jesus turned to them and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.


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For the days are surely coming when they will say, “Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.”


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When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.


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[[Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’]] And they cast lots to divide his clothing.


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And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!’


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One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’


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But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?


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And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’


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The Death of Jesus It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon,


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Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ Having said this, he breathed his last.


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When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, ‘Certainly this man was innocent.’


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And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts.


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But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.


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The Burial of Jesus Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph, who, though a member of the council,


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had not agreed to their plan and action. He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea, and he was waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God.


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Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid.


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The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid.


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Then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment.


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The Resurrection of Jesus But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared.


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The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.


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that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’


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Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles.


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But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.


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The Walk to Emmaus Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,


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And he said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?’ They stood still, looking sad.


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Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, ‘Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?’


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He asked them, ‘What things?’ They replied, ‘The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,


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But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place.


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and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.


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Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.’


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Then he said to them, ‘Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared!


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Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.


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But they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’ So he went in to stay with them.


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They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’


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That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together.


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Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.


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Jesus Appears to His Disciples While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’


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Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’


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While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’


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Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.’


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and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day,


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and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.


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And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’


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The Ascension of Jesus Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them.


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The Word Became Flesh In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.


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All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being


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And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.


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(John testified to him and cried out, ‘This was he of whom I said, “He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.”’)


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No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.


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The Testimony of John the Baptist This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’


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And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’


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Then they said to him, ‘Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’


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


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They asked him, ‘Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?’


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The Lamb of God The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!


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I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.’


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I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.”


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When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’


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He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon.


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He first found his brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated Anointed).


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He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas’ (which is translated Peter).


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Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’


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Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.’


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Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’


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When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said of him, ‘Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!’


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Nathanael asked him, ‘Where did you come to know me?’ Jesus answered, ‘I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.’


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Jesus answered, ‘Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.’


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And he said to him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’


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The Wedding at Cana On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.


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Now standing there were six stone water-jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.


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When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom


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and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’


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Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.


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After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples; and they remained there for a few days.


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In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money-changers seated at their tables.


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Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.


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He told those who were selling the doves, ‘Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a market-place!’


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The Jews then said, ‘This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?’


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After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.


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When he was in Jerusalem during the Passover festival, many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing.


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He came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.’


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Jesus answered him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.’


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Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’


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Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.


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The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’


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‘Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony.


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If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?


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‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.


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‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.


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Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.


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And this is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.


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For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed.


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But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.’


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Jesus and John the Baptist After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he spent some time there with them and baptized.


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John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim because water was abundant there; and people kept coming and were being baptized—


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They came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him.’


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You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, “I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.”


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He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled.


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The One Who Comes from Heaven The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all.


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Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath.


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Jesus and the Woman of Samaria Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, ‘Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John’—


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So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.


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Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.


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The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?’ (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.)


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Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink”, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’


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The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?


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Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?’


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but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’


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The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.’


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The woman answered him, ‘I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ‘You are right in saying, “I have no husband”;


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for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!’


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Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.’


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Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.


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But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him.


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The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.’


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Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, ‘What do you want?’ or, ‘Why are you speaking with her?’


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Do you not say, “Four months more, then comes the harvest”? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting.


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The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.


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I sent you to reap that for which you did not labour. Others have laboured, and you have entered into their labour.’


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Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I have ever done.’


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So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there for two days.


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They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Saviour of the world.’


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When he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the festival; for they too had gone to the festival.


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Jesus Heals an Official’s Son Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum.


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When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.


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Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your son will live.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way.


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So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, ‘Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.’


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The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’ So he himself believed, along with his whole household.


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Jesus Heals on the Sabbath After this there was a festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.


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Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes.


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When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’


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The sick man answered him, ‘Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.’


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At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk. Now that day was a sabbath.


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So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, ‘It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.’


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Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had disappeared in the crowd that was there.


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Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, ‘See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse happens to you.’


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For this reason the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because he was not only breaking the sabbath, but was also calling God his own Father, thereby making himself equal to God.


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The Authority of the Son Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise.


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The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be astonished.


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Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomsoever he wishes.


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so that all may honour the Son just as they honour the Father. Anyone who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who sent him.


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Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgement, but has passed from death to life.


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‘Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.


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Do not be astonished at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice


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and will come out—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.


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Witnesses to Jesus ‘I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgement is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me.


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But I have a testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father has given me to complete, the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me.


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And the Father who sent me has himself testified on my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen his form,


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‘You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf.


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I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; if another comes in his own name, you will accept him.


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How can you believe when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the one who alone is God?


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Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope.


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Feeding the Five Thousand After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias.


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When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’


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Philip answered him, ‘Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.’


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‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?’


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Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all.


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Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted.


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When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.’


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So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets.


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When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, ‘This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.’


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When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.


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got into a boat, and started across the lake to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.


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When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming near the boat, and they were terrified.


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Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land towards which they were going.


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The Bread from Heaven The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the lake saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone.


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Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.


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So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.


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When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’


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Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.


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Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’


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So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing?


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Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”’


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Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.


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Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.


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Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away;


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And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.


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This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.’


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Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’


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They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’


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No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day.


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It is written in the prophets, “And they shall all be taught by God.” Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.


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I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’


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So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.


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Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day;


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Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.


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This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.’


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The Words of Eternal Life When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?’


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But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, ‘Does this offend you?


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It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.


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But among you there are some who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him.


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And he said, ‘For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.’


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He was speaking of Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for he, though one of the twelve, was going to betray him.


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The Unbelief of Jesus’ Brothers After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He did not wish to go about in Judea because the Jews were looking for an opportunity to kill him.


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So his brothers said to him, ‘Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing;


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for no one who wants to be widely known acts in secret. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.’


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Go to the festival yourselves. I am not going to this festival, for my time has not yet fully come.’


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Jesus at the Festival of Booths But after his brothers had gone to the festival, then he also went, not publicly but as it were in secret.


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And there was considerable complaining about him among the crowds. While some were saying, ‘He is a good man’, others were saying, ‘No, he is deceiving the crowd.’


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The Jews were astonished at it, saying, ‘How does this man have such learning, when he has never been taught?’


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Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own.


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Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him.


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‘Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why are you looking for an opportunity to kill me?’


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Moses gave you circumcision (it is, of course, not from Moses, but from the patriarchs), and you circumcise a man on the sabbath.


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If a man receives circumcision on the sabbath in order that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I healed a man’s whole body on the sabbath?


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Is This the Christ? Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, ‘Is not this the man whom they are trying to kill?


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And here he is, speaking openly, but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah?


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Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple, ‘You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him.


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Yet many in the crowd believed in him and were saying, ‘When the Messiah comes, will he do more signs than this man has done?’


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Officers Are Sent to Arrest Jesus The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering such things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent temple police to arrest him.


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The Jews said to one another, ‘Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?


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What does he mean by saying, “You will search for me and you will not find me” and, “Where I am, you cannot come”?’


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Rivers of Living Water On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me,


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and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.”’


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Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.


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Division among the People When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, ‘This is really the prophet.’


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Others said, ‘This is the Messiah.’ But some asked, ‘Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee, does he?


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Has not the scripture said that the Messiah is descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?’


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The Unbelief of Those in Authority Then the temple police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, ‘Why did you not arrest him?’


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‘Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?’


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They replied, ‘Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.’


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Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them.


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The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them,


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They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.


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When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’


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When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.


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She said, ‘No one, sir.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.’]]


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Jesus the Light of the World Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’


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Then the Pharisees said to him, ‘You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.’


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Jesus answered, ‘Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.


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Yet even if I do judge, my judgement is valid; for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.


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Then they said to him, ‘Where is your Father?’ Jesus answered, ‘You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.’


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He spoke these words while he was teaching in the treasury of the temple, but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.


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Jesus Foretells His Death Again he said to them, ‘I am going away, and you will search for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.’


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Then the Jews said, ‘Is he going to kill himself? Is that what he means by saying, “Where I am going, you cannot come”?’


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He said to them, ‘You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.


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I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.’


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I have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the one who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.’


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So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me.


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And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.’


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True Disciples Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples;


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They answered him, ‘We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, “You will be made free”?’


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I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you look for an opportunity to kill me, because there is no place in you for my word.


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I declare what I have seen in the Father’s presence; as for you, you should do what you have heard from the Father.’


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Jesus and Abraham They answered him, ‘Abraham is our father.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing what Abraham did,


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but now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.


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You are indeed doing what your father does.’ They said to him, ‘We are not illegitimate children; we have one father, God himself.’


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Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now I am here. I did not come on my own, but he sent me.


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You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.


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Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God.’


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The Jews said to him, ‘Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and so did the prophets; yet you say, “Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.”


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Jesus answered, ‘If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, “He is our God”,


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though you do not know him. But I know him; if I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him and I keep his word.


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Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.


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When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes,


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saying to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.


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The neighbours and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, ‘Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?’


