# verses

text:
It was then that the LORD All-Powerful told me to say to everyone in the country, including the priests: For seventy years you have gone without eating during the fifth and seventh months of the year. But did you really do it for me?


text:
My message today is the same one I commanded the earlier prophets to speak to Jerusalem and its villages when they were prosperous, and when all of Judah, including the Southern Desert and the hill country, was filled with people.


text:
So once again, I, the LORD All-Powerful, tell you, "See that justice is done and be kind and merciful to one another!


text:
Don't mistreat widows or orphans or foreigners or anyone who is poor, and stop making plans to hurt each other."


text:
But everyone who heard those prophets, stubbornly refused to obey. Instead, they turned their backs on everything my Spirit had commanded the earlier prophets to preach. So I, the LORD, became angry


text:
and said, "You people paid no attention when I called out to you, and now I'll pay no attention when you call out to me."


text:
That's why I came with a whirlwind and scattered them among foreign nations, leaving their lovely country empty of people and in ruins.


text:
I will return to Jerusalem and live there on Mount Zion. Then Jerusalem will be known as my faithful city, and Zion will be known as my holy mountain.


text:
This may seem impossible for my people who are left, but it isn't impossible for me, the LORD All-Powerful.


text:
and I will bring them to live in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their God, faithful to bring about justice.


text:
I am the LORD All-Powerful! So don't give up. Think about the message my prophets spoke when the foundation of my temple was laid.


text:
Before that time, neither people nor animals were rewarded for their work, and no one was safe anywhere, because I had turned them against each other.


text:
Instead, I will make sure that your crops are planted in peace and your vineyards are fruitful, that your fields are fertile and the dew falls from the sky.


text:
People of Judah and Israel, you have been a curse to the nations, but I will save you and make you a blessing to them. So don't be afraid or lose courage.


text:
But you must be truthful with each other, and in court you must give fair decisions that lead to peace.


text:
People of Judah, I, the LORD, demand that whenever you go without food as a way of worshiping me, it should become a time of celebration. No matter if it's the fourth month, the fifth month, the seventh month, or the tenth month, you should have a joyful festival. So love truth and live at peace.


text:
Those of one town will go to another and say, "We're going to ask the LORD All-Powerful to treat us with kindness. Come and join us."


text:
Many people from strong nations will come to Jerusalem to worship me and to ask me to treat them with kindness.


text:
When this happens, ten people from nations with different languages will grab a Jew by his clothes and say, "Let us go with you. We've heard that God is on your side." I, the LORD All-Powerful, have spoken!


text:
This is a message from the LORD: His eyes are on everyone, especially the tribes of Israel. So he pronounces judgment against the cities of Hadrach and Damascus.


text:
Judgment will also fall on the nearby city of Hamath, as well as on Tyre and Sidon, whose people are clever.


text:
Tyre has built a fortress and piled up silver and gold, as though they were dust or mud from the streets.


text:
Both Ashkelon and Gaza will tremble with fear; Ekron will lose all hope. Gaza's king will be killed, and Ashkelon emptied of its people.


text:
No longer will the Philistines eat meat with blood in it or any unclean food. They will become part of the people of our God from the tribe of Judah. And God will accept the people of Ekron, as he did the Jebusites.


text:
God says, "I will stand guard to protect my temple from those who come to attack. I know what's happening, and no one will mistreat my people ever again."


text:
Everyone in Jerusalem, celebrate and shout! Your king has won a victory, and he is coming to you. He is humble and rides on a donkey; he comes on the colt of a donkey.


text:
I, the LORD, will take away war chariots and horses from Israel and Jerusalem. Bows that were made for battle will be broken. I will bring peace to nations, and your king will rule from sea to sea. His kingdom will reach from the Euphrates River across the earth.


text:
When I made a sacred agreement with you, my people, we sealed it with blood. Now some of you are captives in waterless pits, but I will come to your rescue


text:
and offer you hope. Return to your fortress, because today I will reward you with twice what you had.


text:
I will use Judah as my bow and Israel as my arrow. I will take the people of Zion as my sword and attack the Greeks.


text:
Like a cloud, the LORD God will appear over his people, and his arrows will flash like lightning. God will sound his trumpet and attack in a whirlwind from the south.


text:
The LORD All-Powerful will protect his people, and they will trample down the sharpshooters and their slingshots. They will drink and get rowdy; they will be as full as a bowl at the time of sacrifice.


text:
The LORD God will save them on that day, because they are his people, and they will shine on his land like jewels in a crown.


text:
How lovely they will be. Young people will grow there like grain in a field or grapes in a vineyard.


text:
I, the LORD, am the one who sends storm clouds and showers of rain to make fields produce. So when the crops need rain, you should pray to me.


text:
You can't believe idols and fortunetellers, or depend on the hope you receive from witchcraft and interpreters of dreams. But you have tried all of these, and now you are like sheep without a shepherd.


text:
I, the LORD All-Powerful, am fiercely angry with you leaders, and I will punish you. I care for my people, the nation of Judah, and I will change this flock of sheep into charging war horses.


text:
From this flock will come leaders who will be strong like cornerstones and tent pegs and weapons of war.


text:
They will join in the fighting, and together they will trample their enemies like mud. They will fight, because I, the LORD, will be on their side. And they will crush the enemy cavalry.


text:
I will strengthen the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. And I will show mercy because I am the LORD, their God. I will answer their prayers and bring them home. Then it will seem as though I had never rejected them.


text:
Israel will be like a tribe of warriors celebrating with wine. When their children see this, they will also be happy because of me, the LORD.


text:
I will give a signal for them to come together because I have rescued them. And there will be as many as ever before.


text:
Although I scattered my people in distant countries, they won't forget me. Once their children are raised, they will return--


text:
I will bring them home from Egypt and Assyria, then let them settle as far as Gilead and Lebanon, until the land overflows with them.


text:
My people will go through an ocean of troubles, but I will overcome the waves and dry up the deepest part of the Nile. Assyria's great pride will be put down, and the power of Egypt will disappear.


text:
Cry, you cyprus trees! The glorious cedars have fallen and are rotting. Cry, you oak trees of Bashan! The dense forest has been chopped down.


text:
Listen! Shepherds are crying. Their glorious pastures have been ruined. Listen! Lions are roaring. The forests of the Jordan Valley are no more to be found.


text:
The people who buy and butcher them go unpunished, while everyone who sells them says, "Praise the LORD! I'm rich." Not even their shepherds have pity on them.


text:
Tend those sheep because I, the LORD, will no longer have pity on the people of this earth. I'll turn neighbor against neighbor and make them slaves of a king. They will bring disaster on the earth, and I'll do nothing to rescue any of them.


text:
So I became a shepherd of those sheep doomed to be slaughtered by the sheep dealers. And I gave names to the two sticks I used for tending the sheep: One of them was named "Mercy" and the other "Unity."


text:
In less than a month, I became impatient with three shepherds who didn't like me, and I got rid of them.


text:
Then I said, "I refuse to be your shepherd. Let the sheep that are going to die, go on and die, and those that are going to be destroyed, go on and be destroyed. Then let the others eat one another alive."


text:
On that same day, I broke the stick named "Mercy" to show that the LORD had canceled his agreement with all people.


text:
I told them, "Pay me my wages, if you think you should; otherwise, forget it." So they handed me my wages, a measly thirty pieces of silver. Then the LORD said, "Throw the money into the treasury." So I threw the money into the treasury at the LORD's temple.


text:
Once more I am going to let a worthless nobody rule the land--one who won't care for the strays or search for the young or heal the sick or feed the healthy. He will just dine on the fattest sheep, leaving nothing but a few bones."


text:
You worthless shepherd, deserting the sheep! I hope a sword will cripple your arm and blind your right eye.


text:
This is a message from the LORD about Israel: I am the LORD! I stretched out the heavens; I put the earth on its foundations and gave breath to humans.


text:
I have decided that Jerusalem will become a bowl of wine that makes the neighboring nations drunk. And when Jerusalem is attacked, Judah will also be attacked.


text:
But I will turn Jerusalem into a heavy stone that crushes anyone who tries to lift it. When all nations on earth surround Jerusalem,


text:
I will make every horse panic and every rider confused. But at the same time, I will watch over Judah.


text:
Then every clan in Judah will realize that I, the LORD All-Powerful, am their God, and that I am the source of their strength.


text:
At that time I will let the clans of Judah be like a ball of fire in a wood pile or a fiery torch in a hay stack. Then Judah will send the surrounding nations up in smoke. And once again the city of Jerusalem will be filled with people.


text:
But I will first give victory to Judah, so the kingdom of David and the city of Jerusalem in all of their glory won't be thought of more highly than Judah itself.


text:
I, the LORD God, will protect Jerusalem. Even the weakest person there will be as strong as David, and David's kingdom will rule as though my very own angel were its leader.


text:
I, the LORD, will make the descendants of David and the people of Jerusalem feel deep sorrow and pray when they see the one they pierced with a spear. They will mourn and weep for him, as parents weep over the death of their only child or their first-born.


text:
On that day the people of Jerusalem will mourn as much as everyone did for Hadad Rimmon on the flatlands near Megiddo.


text:
Everyone of each family in the land will mourn, and the men will mourn separately from the women. This includes those from the family of David, and the families of Nathan,


text:
In the future there will be a fountain, where David's descendants and the people of Jerusalem can wash away their sin and guilt.


text:
The LORD All-Powerful says: When that time comes, I will get rid of every idol in the country, and they will be forgotten forever. I will also do away with their prophets and those evil spirits that control them.


text:
If any such prophets ever appear again, their own parents must warn them that they will die for telling lies in my name--the name of the LORD. If those prophets don't stop speaking, their parents must then kill them with a sword.


text:
Those prophets will be ashamed of their so-called visions, and they won't deceive anyone by dressing like a true prophet.


text:
And if any of them are asked why they are wounded, they will answer, "It happened at the house of some friends."


text:
The LORD All-Powerful said: My sword, wake up! Attack my shepherd and friend. Strike down the shepherd! Scatter the little sheep, and I will destroy them.


text:
Then I will purify them and put them to the test, just as gold and silver are purified and tested. They will pray in my name, and I will answer them. I will say, "You are my people," and they will reply, "You, LORD, are our God!"


text:
The LORD will have his day. And when it comes, everything that was ever taken from Jerusalem will be returned and divided among its people.


text:
But first, he will bring many nations to attack Jerusalem--homes will be robbed, women raped, and half of the population dragged off, though the others will be allowed to remain.


text:
He will take his stand on the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem, and the mountain will split in half, forming a wide valley that runs from east to west.


text:
Then you people will escape from the LORD's mountain, through this valley, which reaches to Azal. You will run in all directions, just as everyone did when the earthquake struck in the time of King Uzziah of Judah. Afterwards, the LORD my God will appear with his holy angels.


text:
In both summer and winter, life-giving streams will flow from Jerusalem, half of them to the Dead Sea in the east and half to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.


text:
From Geba down to Rimmon south of Jerusalem, the entire country will be turned into flatlands, with Jerusalem still towering above. Then the city will be full of people, from Benjamin Gate, Old Gate Place, and Hananel Tower in the northeast part of the city over to Corner Gate in the northwest and down to King's Wine Press in the south. Jerusalem will always be secure and will never again be destroyed.


text:
Here is what the LORD will do to those who attack Jerusalem: While they are standing there, he will make their flesh rot and their eyes fall from their sockets and their tongues drop out.


text:
until even the people of Judah turn against those in Jerusalem. This same terrible disaster will also strike every animal nearby, including horses, mules, camels, and donkeys. Finally, everything of value in the surrounding nations will be collected and brought to Jerusalem--gold, silver, and piles of clothing.


text:
Afterwards, the survivors from those nations that attacked Jerusalem will go there each year to worship the King, the LORD All-Powerful, and to celebrate the Festival of Shelters.


text:
No rain will fall on the land of anyone in any country who refuses to go to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD All-Powerful.


text:
This horrible disaster will strike the Egyptians and everyone else who refuses to go there for the celebration.


text:
At that time the words "Dedicated to the LORD" will be engraved on the bells worn by horses. In fact, every ordinary cooking pot in Jerusalem will be just as sacred to the LORD All-Powerful as the bowls used at the altar. Any one of them will be acceptable for boiling the meat of sacrificed animals, and there will no longer be a need to sell special pots and bowls.


text:
Israel, I, the LORD, have loved you. And yet you ask in what way have I loved you. Don't forget that Esau was the brother of your ancestor Jacob, but I chose Jacob


text:
Esau's descendants may say, "Although our nation Edom is in ruins, we will rebuild." But I, the LORD All-Powerful, promise to tear down whatever they build. Then everyone will know that I will never stop being angry with them as long as they are so sinful.


text:
Israel, when you see this, you will shout, "The LORD's great reputation reaches beyond our borders."


text:
I, the LORD All-Powerful, have something to say to you priests. Children respect their fathers, and servants respect their masters. I am your father and your master, so why don't you respect me? You priests have insulted me, and now you ask, "How did we insult you?"


text:
You embarrass me by offering worthless food on my altar. Then you ask, "How have we embarrassed you?" You have done it by saying, "What's so great about the LORD's altar?"


text:
But isn't it wrong to offer animals that are blind, crippled, or sick? Just try giving those animals to your governor. That certainly wouldn't please him or make him want to help you.


text:
I am the LORD God All-Powerful, and you had better try to please me. You have sinned. Now see if I will have mercy on any of you.


text:
I wish someone would lock the doors of my temple, so you would stop wasting time building fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you priests, and I refuse to accept any more of your offerings.


text:
From dawn until dusk my name is praised by every nation on this earth, as they burn incense and offer the proper sacrifices to me.


text:
But even you priests insult me by saying, "There's nothing special about the LORD's altar, and these sacrifices are worthless."


text:
You get so disgusted that you even make vulgar signs at me. And for an offering, you bring stolen animals or those that are crippled or sick. Should I accept these?


text:
Instead of offering the acceptable animals you have promised, you bring me those that are unhealthy. I will punish you for this, because I am the great King, the LORD All-Powerful, and I am worshiped by nations everywhere.


text:
You had better take seriously the need to honor my name. Otherwise, when you give a blessing, I will turn it into a curse. In fact, I have already done this, because you haven't taken to heart your duties as priests.


text:
I will punish your descendants and rub your faces in the manure from your animal sacrifices, and then be done with you.


text:
I blessed him with a full life, as I had promised, and he kept his part of the agreement by honoring me and respecting my name.


text:
He taught the truth and never told lies, and he led a lot of people to turn from sin, because he obeyed me and lived right.


text:
You priests should be eager to spread knowledge, and everyone should come to you for instruction, because you speak for me, the LORD All-Powerful.


text:
But you have turned your backs on me. Your teachings have led others to do sinful things, and you have broken the agreement I made with your ancestor Levi.


text:
So I caused everyone to hate and despise you, because you disobeyed me and failed to treat all people alike.


text:
Don't you know that we all have God as our Father? Didn't the one God create each of us? Then why do you cheat each other by breaking the agreement God made with your ancestors?


text:
You people in Judah and Jerusalem have been unfaithful to the LORD. You have disgraced the temple that he loves, and you have committed the disgusting sin of worshiping other gods.


text:
I pray that the LORD will no longer let those who are guilty belong to his people, even if they eagerly decide to offer the LORD a gift.


text:
And what else are you doing? You cry noisily and flood the LORD's altar with your tears, because he isn't pleased with your offerings and refuses to accept them.


text:
And why isn't God pleased? It's because he knows that each of you men has been unfaithful to the wife you married when you were young. You promised that she would be your partner, but now you have broken that promise.


text:
Didn't God create you to become like one person with your wife? And why did he do this? It was so you would have children, and then lead them to become God's people. Don't ever be unfaithful to your wife.


text:
The LORD God All-Powerful of Israel hates anyone who is cruel enough to divorce his wife. So take care never to be unfaithful!


text:
You have worn out the LORD with your words. And yet, you ask, "How did we do that?" You did it by saying, "The LORD is pleased with evil and doesn't care about justice."


text:
I, the LORD All-Powerful, will send my messenger to prepare the way for me. Then suddenly the Lord you are looking for will appear in his temple. The messenger you desire is coming with my promise, and he is on his way.


text:
On the day the Lord comes, he will be like a furnace that purifies silver or like strong soap in a washbasin. No one will be able to stand up to him.


text:
The LORD will purify the descendants of Levi, as though they were gold or silver. Then they will bring the proper offerings to the LORD,


text:
and the offerings of the people of Judah and Jerusalem will please him, just as they did in the past.


text:
The LORD All-Powerful said: I'm now on my way to judge you. And I will quickly condemn all who practice witchcraft or cheat in marriage or tell lies in court or rob workers of their pay or mistreat widows and orphans or steal the property of foreigners or refuse to respect me.


text:
Descendants of Jacob, I am the LORD All-Powerful, and I never change. That's why you haven't been wiped out,


text:
even though you have ignored and disobeyed my laws ever since the time of your ancestors. But if you return to me, I will return to you. And yet you ask, "How can we return?"


text:
You people are robbing me, your God. And, here you are, asking, "How are we robbing you?" You are robbing me of the offerings and of the ten percent that belongs to me.


text:
I am the LORD All-Powerful, and I challenge you to put me to the test. Bring the entire ten percent into the storehouse, so there will be food in my house. Then I will open the windows of heaven and flood you with blessing after blessing.


text:
Everyone of every nation will talk about how I have blessed you and about your wonderful land. I, the LORD All-Powerful, have spoken!


text:
Here is what you have said: "It's foolish to serve the LORD God All-Powerful. What do we get for obeying him and from going around looking sad?


text:
See how happy those arrogant people are. Everyone who does wrong is successful, and when they put God to the test, they always get away with it."


text:
All those who truly respected the LORD and honored his name started discussing these things, and when God saw what was happening, he had their names written as a reminder in his book.


text:
Then the LORD All-Powerful said: You people are precious to me, and when I come to bring justice, I will protect you, just as parents protect an obedient child.


text:
Then everyone will once again see the difference between those who obey me by doing right and those who reject me by doing wrong.


text:
The day of judgment is certain to come. And it will be like a red-hot furnace with flames that burn up proud and sinful people, as though they were straw. Not a branch or a root will be left. I, the LORD All-Powerful, have spoken!


text:
But for you that honor my name, victory will shine like the sun with healing in its rays, and you will jump around like calves at play.


text:
When I come to bring justice, you will trample those who are evil, as though they were ashes under your feet. I, the LORD All-Powerful, have spoken!


text:
He will lead children and parents to love each other more, so that when I come, I won't bring doom to the land.


text:
Jesus Christ came from the family of King David and also from the family of Abraham. And this is a list of his ancestors.


text:
From Abraham to King David, his ancestors were: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and his brothers (Judah's sons were Perez and Zerah, and their mother was Tamar), Hezron; Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz (his mother was Rahab), Obed (his mother was Ruth), Jesse, and King David.


text:
From David to the time of the exile in Babylonia, the ancestors of Jesus were: David, Solomon (his mother had been Uriah's wife), Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram; Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, and Jehoiachin and his brothers.


text:
From the exile to the birth of Jesus, his ancestors were: Jehoiachin, Shealtiel, Zerubbabel, Abiud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Achim; Eliud, Eleazar, Matthan, Jacob, and Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who is called the Messiah.


text:
There were fourteen generations from Abraham to David. There were also fourteen from David to the exile in Babylonia and fourteen more to the birth of the Messiah.


text:
This is how Jesus Christ was born. A young woman named Mary was engaged to Joseph from King David's family. But before they were married, she learned that she was going to have a baby by God's Holy Spirit.


text:
Joseph was a good man and did not want to embarrass Mary in front of everyone. So he decided to quietly call off the wedding.


text:
While Joseph was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, "Joseph, the baby that Mary will have is from the Holy Spirit. Go ahead and marry her.


text:
When Jesus was born in the village of Bethlehem in Judea, Herod was king. During this time some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem


text:
and said, "Where is the child born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."


text:
Herod brought together the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses and asked them, "Where will the Messiah be born?"


text:
'Bethlehem in the land of Judea, you are very important among the towns of Judea. From your town will come a leader, who will be like a shepherd for my people Israel.' "


text:
He told them, "Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, let me know. I want to go and worship him too."


text:
The wise men listened to what the king said and then left. And the star they had seen in the east went on ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.


text:
When the men went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they knelt down and worshiped him. They took out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh and gave them to him.


text:
After the wise men had gone, an angel from the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up! Hurry and take the child and his mother to Egypt! Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is looking for the child and wants to kill him."


text:
where they stayed until Herod died. So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet had said, "I called my son out of Egypt."


text:
When Herod found out that the wise men from the east had tricked him, he was very angry. He gave orders for his men to kill all the boys who lived in or near Bethlehem and were two years old and younger. This was based on what he had learned from the wise men.


text:
"In Ramah a voice was heard crying and weeping loudly. Rachel was mourning for her children, and she refused to be comforted, because they were dead."


text:
After King Herod died, an angel from the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph while he was still in Egypt.


text:
The angel said, "Get up and take the child and his mother back to Israel. The people who wanted to kill him are now dead."


text:
But when he heard that Herod's son Archelaus was now ruler of Judea, he was afraid to go there. Then in a dream he was told to go to Galilee,


text:
and they went to live there in the town of Nazareth. So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet had said, "He will be called a Nazarene."


text:
John was the one the prophet Isaiah was talking about, when he said, "In the desert someone is shouting, 'Get the road ready for the Lord! Make a straight path for him.' "


text:
John wore clothes made of camel's hair. He had a leather strap around his waist and ate grasshoppers and wild honey.


text:
Many Pharisees and Sadducees also came to be baptized. But John said to them: You bunch of snakes! Who warned you to run from the coming judgment?


text:
And don't start telling yourselves that you belong to Abraham's family. I tell you that God can turn these stones into children for Abraham.


text:
An ax is ready to cut the trees down at their roots. Any tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into a fire.


text:
I baptize you with water so that you will give up your sins. But someone more powerful is going to come, and I am not good enough even to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.


text:
His threshing fork is in his hand, and he is ready to separate the wheat from the husks. He will store the wheat in a barn and burn the husks in a fire that never goes out.


text:
Jesus answered, "For now this is how it should be, because we must do all that God wants us to do." Then John agreed.


text:
So Jesus was baptized. And as soon as he came out of the water, the sky opened, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down on him like a dove.


text:
Jesus answered, "The Scriptures say: 'No one can live only on food. People need every word that God has spoken.' "


text:
The devil said, "If you are God's Son, jump off. The Scriptures say: 'God will give his angels orders about you. They will catch you in their arms, and you won't hurt your feet on the stones.' "


text:
Finally, the devil took Jesus up on a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms on earth and their power.


text:
Jesus answered, "Go away Satan! The Scriptures say: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.' "


text:
But instead of staying in Nazareth, Jesus moved to Capernaum. This town was beside Lake Galilee in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali.


text:
"Listen, lands of Zebulun and Naphtali, lands along the road to the sea and east of the Jordan! Listen Galilee, land of the Gentiles!


text:
Although your people live in darkness, they will see a bright light. Although they live in the shadow of death, a light will shine on them."


text:
While Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw two brothers. One was Simon, also known as Peter, and the other was Andrew. They were fishermen, and they were casting their net into the lake.


text:
Jesus walked on until he saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat with their father, mending their nets. Jesus asked them to come with him too.


text:
Jesus went all over Galilee, teaching in the Jewish meeting places and preaching the good news about God's kingdom. He also healed every kind of disease and sickness.


text:
News about him spread all over Syria, and people with every kind of sickness or disease were brought to him. Some of them had a lot of demons in them, others were thought to be crazy, and still others could not walk. But Jesus healed them all.


text:
Large crowds followed Jesus from Galilee and the region around the ten cities known as Decapolis. They also came from Jerusalem, Judea, and from across the Jordan River.


text:
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the side of a mountain and sat down. Jesus' disciples gathered around him,


text:
God blesses those people who want to obey him more than to eat or drink. They will be given what they want!


text:
God blesses those people who are treated badly for doing right. They belong to the kingdom of heaven.


text:
God will bless you when people insult you, mistreat you, and tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of me.


text:
Be happy and excited! You will have a great reward in heaven. People did these same things to the prophets who lived long ago.


text:
You are like salt for everyone on earth. But if salt no longer tastes like salt, how can it make food salty? All it is good for is to be thrown out and walked on.


text:
and no one would light a lamp and put it under a clay pot. A lamp is placed on a lampstand, where it can give light to everyone in the house.


text:
Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven.


text:
Don't suppose that I came to do away with the Law and the Prophets. I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning.


text:
Heaven and earth may disappear. But I promise you that not even a period or comma will ever disappear from the Law. Everything written in it must happen.


text:
If you reject even the least important command in the Law and teach others to do the same, you will be the least important person in the kingdom of heaven. But if you obey and teach others its commands, you will have an important place in the kingdom.


text:
You must obey God's commands better than the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law obey them. If you don't, I promise you that you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.


text:
But I promise you that if you are angry with someone, you will have to stand trial. If you call someone a fool, you will be taken to court. And if you say that someone is worthless, you will be in danger of the fires of hell.


text:
leave your gift there in front of the altar. Make peace with that person, then come back and offer your gift to God.


text:
Before you are dragged into court, make friends with the person who has accused you of doing wrong. If you don't, you will be handed over to the judge and then to the officer who will put you in jail.


text:
But I tell you that if you look at another woman and want her, you are already unfaithful in your thoughts.


text:
If your right eye causes you to sin, poke it out and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body, than for your whole body to end up in hell.


text:
If your right hand causes you to sin, chop it off and throw it away! It is better to lose one part of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.


text:
But I tell you not to divorce your wife unless she has committed some terrible sexual sin. If you divorce her, you will cause her to be unfaithful, just as any man who marries her is guilty of taking another man's wife.


text:
You know that our ancestors were told, "Don't use the Lord's name to make a promise unless you are going to keep it."


text:
But I tell you not to swear by anything when you make a promise! Heaven is God's throne, so don't swear by heaven.


text:
The earth is God's footstool, so don't swear by the earth. Jerusalem is the city of the great king, so don't swear by it.


text:
But I tell you not to try to get even with a person who has done something to you. When someone slaps your right cheek, turn and let that person slap your other cheek.


text:
When people ask you for something, give it to them. When they want to borrow money, lend it to them.


text:
Then you will be acting like your Father in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both good and bad people. And he sends rain for the ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong.


text:
If you love only those people who love you, will God reward you for that? Even tax collectors love their friends.


text:
When you do good deeds, don't try to show off. If you do, you won't get a reward from your Father in heaven.


text:
When you give to the poor, don't blow a loud horn. That's what show-offs do in the meeting places and on the street corners, because they are always looking for praise. I can assure you that they already have their reward.


text:
Then your gift will be given in secret. Your Father knows what is done in secret, and he will reward you.


text:
When you pray, don't be like those show-offs who love to stand up and pray in the meeting places and on the street corners. They do this just to look good. I can assure you that they already have their reward.


text:
When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door. Pray to your Father in private. He knows what is done in private, and he will reward you.


text:
When you pray, don't talk on and on as people do who don't know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers.


text:
When you go without eating, don't try to look gloomy as those show-offs do when they go without eating. I can assure you that they already have their reward.


text:
Then others won't know that you are going without eating. But your Father sees what is done in private, and he will reward you.


text:
Don't store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them.


text:
Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in and steal them.


text:
But when your eyes are bad, everything is dark. If the light inside you is dark, you surely are in the dark.


text:
You cannot be the slave of two masters! You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than the other. You cannot serve both God and money.


text:
I tell you not to worry about your life. Don't worry about having something to eat, drink, or wear. Isn't life more than food or clothing?


text:
Look at the birds in the sky! They don't plant or harvest. They don't even store grain in barns. Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them. Aren't you worth more than birds?


text:
Why worry about clothes? Look how the wild flowers grow. They don't work hard to make their clothes.


text:
God gives such beauty to everything that grows in the fields, even though it is here today and thrown into a fire tomorrow. He will surely do even more for you! Why do you have such little faith?


text:
Don't worry and ask yourselves, "Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?"


text:
Only people who don't know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows that you need all of these.


text:
But more than anything else, put God's work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.


text:
How can you say, "My friend, let me take the speck out of your eye," when you don't see the log in your own eye?


text:
You're nothing but show-offs! First, take the log out of your own eye. Then you can see how to take the speck out of your friend's eye.


text:
Don't give to dogs what belongs to God. They will only turn and attack you. Don't throw pearls down in front of pigs. They will trample all over them.


text:
Everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And the door will be opened for everyone who knocks.


text:
As bad as you are, you still know how to give good gifts to your children. But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give good things to people who ask.


text:
Go in through the narrow gate. The gate to destruction is wide, and the road that leads there is easy to follow. A lot of people go through that gate.


text:
But the gate to life is very narrow. The road that leads there is so hard to follow that only a few people find it.


text:
Watch out for false prophets! They dress up like sheep, but inside they are wolves who have come to attack you.


text:
Not everyone who calls me their Lord will get into the kingdom of heaven. Only the ones who obey my Father in heaven will get in.


text:
On the day of judgment many will call me their Lord. They will say, "We preached in your name, and in your name we forced out demons and worked many miracles."


text:
Anyone who hears and obeys these teachings of mine is like a wise person who built a house on solid rock.


text:
Rain poured down, rivers flooded, and winds beat against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on solid rock.


text:
Anyone who hears my teachings and doesn't obey them is like a foolish person who built a house on sand.


text:
The rain poured down, the rivers flooded, and the winds blew and beat against that house. Finally, it fell with a crash.


text:
Suddenly a man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus. He said, "Lord, you have the power to make me well, if only you wanted to."


text:
Jesus put his hand on the man and said, "I want to! Now you are well." At once the man's leprosy disappeared.


text:
Jesus told him, "Don't tell anyone about this, but go and show the priest that you are well. Then take a gift to the temple just as Moses commanded, and everyone will know that you have been healed."


text:
But the officer said, "Lord, I'm not good enough for you to come into my house. Just give the order, and my servant will get well.


text:
I have officers who give orders to me, and I have soldiers who take orders from me. I can say to one of them, 'Go!' and he goes. I can say to another, 'Come!' and he comes. I can say to my servant, 'Do this!' and he will do it."


text:
When Jesus heard this, he was so surprised that he turned and said to the crowd following him, "I tell you that in all of Israel I've never found anyone with this much faith!


text:
Many people will come from everywhere to enjoy the feast in the kingdom of heaven with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.


text:
But the ones who should have been in the kingdom will be thrown out into the dark. They will cry and grit their teeth in pain."


text:
Then Jesus said to the officer, "You may go home now. Your faith has made it happen." Right then his servant was healed.


text:
Jesus went to the home of Peter, where he found that Peter's mother-in-law was sick in bed with fever.


text:
That evening many people with demons in them were brought to Jesus. And with only a word he forced out the evil spirits and healed everyone who was sick.


text:
So God's promise came true, just as the prophet Isaiah had said, "He healed our diseases and made us well."


text:
Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens, and birds have nests. But the Son of Man doesn't have a place to call his own."


text:
a terrible storm suddenly struck the lake, and waves started splashing into their boat. Jesus was sound asleep,


text:
so the disciples went over to him and woke him up. They said, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"


text:
But Jesus replied, "Why are you so afraid? You surely don't have much faith." Then he got up and ordered the wind and the waves to calm down. And everything was calm.


text:
After Jesus had crossed the lake, he came to shore near the town of Gadara and started down the road. Two men with demons in them came to him from the tombs. They were so fierce that no one could travel that way.


text:
Suddenly they shouted, "Jesus, Son of God, what do you want with us? Have you come to punish us before our time?"


text:
Jesus told them to go, and they went out of the men and into the pigs. All at once the pigs rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.


text:
The people taking care of the pigs ran to the town and told everything, especially what had happened to the two men.


text:
Everyone in town came out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their part of the country.


text:
Some people soon brought to him a crippled man lying on a mat. When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the crippled man, "My friend, don't worry! Your sins are forgiven."


text:
Is it easier for me to tell this crippled man that his sins are forgiven or to tell him to get up and walk?


text:
But I will show you that the Son of Man has the right to forgive sins here on earth." So Jesus said to the man, "Get up! Pick up your mat and go on home."


text:
As Jesus was leaving, he saw a tax collector named Matthew sitting at the place for paying taxes. Jesus said to him, "Come with me." Matthew got up and went with him.


text:
Later, Jesus and his disciples were having dinner at Matthew's house. Many tax collectors and other sinners were also there.


text:
Some Pharisees asked Jesus' disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and other sinners?"


text:
Go and learn what the Scriptures mean when they say, 'Instead of offering sacrifices to me, I want you to be merciful to others.' I didn't come to invite good people to be my followers. I came to invite sinners."


text:
One day some followers of John the Baptist came and asked Jesus, "Why do we and the Pharisees often go without eating, while your disciples never do?"


text:
Jesus answered: The friends of a bridegroom don't go without eating while he is still with them. But the time will come when he will be taken from them. Then they will go without eating.


text:
No one uses a new piece of cloth to patch old clothes. The patch would shrink and tear a bigger hole.


text:
No one pours new wine into old wineskins. The wine would swell and burst the old skins. Then the wine would be lost, and the skins would be ruined. New wine must be put into new wineskins. Both the skins and the wine will then be safe.


text:
While Jesus was still speaking, an official came and knelt in front of him. The man said, "My daughter has just now died! Please come and place your hand on her. Then she will live again."


text:
Jesus turned. He saw the woman and said, "Don't worry! You are now well because of your faith." At that moment she was healed.


text:
he said, "Get out of here! The little girl isn't dead. She is just asleep." Everyone started laughing at Jesus.


text:
But after the crowd had been sent out of the house, Jesus went to the girl's bedside. He took her by the hand and helped her up.


text:
As Jesus was walking along, two blind men began following him and shouting, "Son of David, have pity on us!"


text:
After Jesus had gone indoors, the two blind men came up to him. He asked them, "Do you believe I can make you well?" "Yes, Lord," they answered.


text:
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, some people brought to him a man who could not talk because a demon was in him.


text:
After Jesus had forced the demon out, the man started talking. The crowds were so amazed that they began saying, "Nothing like this has ever happened in Israel!"


text:
Jesus went to every town and village. He taught in their meeting places and preached the good news about God's kingdom. Jesus also healed every kind of disease and sickness.


text:
When he saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them. They were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.


text:
Jesus called together his twelve disciples. He gave them the power to force out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and sickness.


text:
The first of the twelve apostles was Simon, better known as Peter. His brother Andrew was an apostle, and so were James and John, the two sons of Zebedee.


text:
Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew the tax collector, James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus were also apostles.


text:
Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: Stay away from the Gentiles and don't go to any Samaritan town.


text:
Heal the sick, raise the dead to life, heal people who have leprosy, and force out demons. You received without paying, now give without being paid.


text:
And don't carry a traveling bag or an extra shirt or sandals or a walking stick. Workers deserve their food.


text:
So when you go to a town or a village, find someone worthy enough to have you as their guest and stay with them until you leave.


text:
If the home is deserving, let your blessing remain with them. But if the home isn't deserving, take back your blessing of peace.


text:
If someone won't welcome you or listen to your message, leave their home or town. And shake the dust from your feet at them.


text:
I promise you that the day of judgment will be easier for the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.


text:
I am sending you like lambs into a pack of wolves. So be as wise as snakes and as innocent as doves.


text:
Because of me, you will be dragged before rulers and kings to tell them and the Gentiles about your faith.


text:
But when someone arrests you, don't worry about what you will say or how you will say it. At that time you will be given the words to say.


text:
Brothers and sisters will betray one another and have each other put to death. Parents will betray their own children, and children will turn against their parents and have them killed.


text:
When people mistreat you in one town, hurry to another one. I promise you that before you have gone to all the towns of Israel, the Son of Man will come.


text:
It is enough for disciples to be like their teacher and for slaves to be like their master. If people call the head of the family Satan, what will they say about the rest of the family?


text:
Don't be afraid of anyone! Everything that is hidden will be found out, and every secret will be known.


text:
Whatever I say to you in the dark, you must tell in the light. And you must announce from the housetops whatever I have whispered to you.


text:
Don't be afraid of people. They can kill you, but they cannot harm your soul. Instead, you should fear God who can destroy both your body and your soul in hell.


text:
Aren't two sparrows sold for only a penny? But your Father knows when any one of them falls to the ground.


text:
If you tell others that you belong to me, I will tell my Father in heaven that you are my followers.


text:
I came to turn sons against their fathers, daughters against their mothers, and daughters-in-law against their mothers-in-law.


text:
If you love your father or mother or even your sons and daughters more than me, you are not fit to be my disciples.


text:
And unless you are willing to take up your cross and come with me, you are not fit to be my disciples.


text:
If you try to save your life, you will lose it. But if you give it up for me, you will surely find it.


text:
Anyone who welcomes a prophet, just because that person is a prophet, will be given the same reward as a prophet. Anyone who welcomes a good person, just because that person is good, will be given the same reward as a good person.


text:
And anyone who gives one of my most humble followers a cup of cool water, just because that person is my follower, will surely be rewarded.


text:
After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he left and began teaching and preaching in the towns.


text:
The blind are now able to see, and the lame can walk. People with leprosy are being healed, and the deaf can hear. The dead are raised to life, and the poor are hearing the good news.


text:
As John's followers were going away, Jesus spoke to the crowds about John: What sort of person did you go out into the desert to see? Was he like tall grass blown about by the wind?


text:
What kind of man did you go out to see? Was he someone dressed in fine clothes? People who dress like that live in the king's palace.


text:
What did you really go out to see? Was he a prophet? He certainly was. I tell you that he was more than a prophet.


text:
In the Scriptures God says about him, "I am sending my messenger ahead of you to get things ready for you."


text:
I tell you that no one ever born on this earth is greater than John the Baptist. But whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John.


text:
From the time of John the Baptist until now, violent people have been trying to take over the kingdom of heaven by force.


text:
All the Books of the Prophets and the Law of Moses told what was going to happen up to the time of John.


text:
John the Baptist did not go around eating and drinking, and you said, "That man has a demon in him!"


text:
But the Son of Man goes around eating and drinking, and you say, "That man eats and drinks too much! He is even a friend of tax collectors and sinners." Yet Wisdom is shown to be right by what it does.


text:
In the towns where Jesus had worked most of his miracles, the people refused to turn to God. So Jesus was upset with them and said:


text:
You people of Chorazin are in for trouble! You people of Bethsaida are in for trouble too! If the miracles that took place in your towns had happened in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have turned to God long ago. They would have dressed in sackcloth and put ashes on their heads.


text:
I tell you that on the day of judgment the people of Tyre and Sidon will get off easier than you will.


text:
People of Capernaum, do you think you will be honored in heaven? You will go down to hell! If the miracles that took place in your town had happened in Sodom, that town would still be standing.


text:
At that moment Jesus said: My Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I am grateful that you hid all this from wise and educated people and showed it to ordinary people.


text:
My Father has given me everything, and he is the only one who knows the Son. The only one who truly knows the Father is the Son. But the Son wants to tell others about the Father, so that they can know him too.


text:
Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest.


text:
One Sabbath, Jesus and his disciples were walking through some wheat fields. His disciples were hungry and began picking and eating grains of wheat.


text:
Some Pharisees noticed this and said to Jesus, "Why are your disciples picking grain on the Sabbath? They are not supposed to do that!"


text:
He went into the house of God, and then they ate the sacred loaves of bread that only priests are supposed to eat.


text:
Haven't you read in the Law of Moses that the priests are allowed to work in the temple on the Sabbath? But no one says that they are guilty of breaking the law of the Sabbath.


text:
Don't you know what the Scriptures mean when they say, "Instead of offering sacrifices to me, I want you to be merciful to others?" If you knew what this means, you would not condemn these innocent disciples of mine.


text:
where there was a man whose hand was crippled. Some Pharisees wanted to accuse Jesus of doing something wrong, and they asked him, "Is it right to heal someone on the Sabbath?"


text:
Jesus answered, "If you had a sheep that fell into a ditch on the Sabbath, wouldn't you lift it out?


text:
Then Jesus told the man, "Hold out your hand." The man did, and it became as healthy as the other one.


text:
When Jesus found out what was happening, he left there and large crowds followed him. He healed all of their sick,


text:
"Here is my chosen servant! I love him, and he pleases me. I will give him my Spirit, and he will bring justice to the nations.


text:
Some people brought to Jesus a man who was blind and could not talk because he had a demon in him. Jesus healed the man, and then he was able to talk and see.


text:
When the Pharisees heard this, they said, "He forces out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons!"


text:
Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he said to them: Any kingdom where people fight each other will end up ruined. And a town or family that fights will soon destroy itself.


text:
If I use the power of Beelzebul to force out demons, whose power do your own followers use to force them out? Your followers are the ones who will judge you.


text:
But when I force out demons by the power of God's Spirit, it proves that God's kingdom has already come to you.


text:
How can anyone break into a strong man's house and steal his things, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can take everything.


text:
If you are not on my side, you are against me. If you don't gather in the harvest with me, you scatter it.


text:
I tell you that any sinful thing you do or say can be forgiven. Even if you speak against the Son of Man, you can be forgiven. But if you speak against the Holy Spirit, you can never be forgiven, either in this life or in the life to come.


text:
A good tree produces only good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. You can tell what a tree is like by the fruit it produces.


text:
You are a bunch of evil snakes, so how can you say anything good? Your words show what is in your hearts.


text:
Good people bring good things out of their hearts, but evil people bring evil things out of their hearts.


text:
I promise you that on the day of judgment, everyone will have to account for every careless word they have spoken.


text:
On that day they will be told that they are either innocent or guilty because of the things they have said.


text:
Some Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses said, "Teacher, we want you to show us a sign from heaven."


text:
But Jesus replied: You want a sign because you are evil and won't believe! But the only sign you will get is the sign of the prophet Jonah.


text:
He was in the stomach of a big fish for three days and nights, just as the Son of Man will be deep in the earth for three days and nights.


text:
On the day of judgment the people of Nineveh will stand there with you and condemn you. They turned to God when Jonah preached, and yet here is something far greater than Jonah.


text:
The Queen of the South will also stand there with you and condemn you. She traveled a long way to hear Solomon's wisdom, and yet here is something much greater than Solomon.


text:
When an evil spirit leaves a person, it travels through the desert, looking for a place to rest. But when the demon doesn't find a place,


text:
it says, "I will go back to the home I left." When it gets there and finds the place empty, clean, and fixed up,


text:
it goes off and finds seven other evil spirits even worse than itself. They all come and make their home there, and the person ends up in worse shape than before. That's how it will be with you evil people of today.


text:
While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and brothers came and stood outside because they wanted to talk with him.


text:
Such large crowds gathered around him that he had to sit in a boat, while the people stood on the shore.


text:
Then he taught them many things by using stories. He said: A farmer went out to scatter seed in a field.


text:
Other seeds fell on thin, rocky ground and quickly started growing because the soil wasn't very deep.


text:
But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched and dried up, because they did not have enough roots.


text:
But a few seeds did fall on good ground where the plants produced a hundred or sixty or thirty times as much as was scattered.


text:
Jesus' disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you use nothing but stories when you speak to the people?"


text:
Everyone who has something will be given more. But people who don't have anything will lose even what little they have.


text:
I use stories when I speak to them because when they look, they cannot see, and when they listen, they cannot hear or understand.


text:
So God's promise came true, just as the prophet Isaiah had said, "These people will listen and listen, but never understand. They will look and look, but never see.


text:
All of them have stubborn minds! Their ears are stopped up, and their eyes are covered. They cannot see or hear or understand. If they could, they would turn to me, and I would heal them."


text:
Many prophets and good people were eager to see what you see and to hear what you hear. But I tell you that they did not see or hear.


text:
The seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message about the kingdom, but don't understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches the message from their hearts.


text:
The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it right away.


text:
But they don't have deep roots, and they don't last very long. As soon as life gets hard or the message gets them in trouble, they give up.


text:
The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. But they start worrying about the needs of this life and are fooled by the desire to get rich. So the message gets choked out, and they never produce anything.


text:
The seeds that fell on good ground are the people who hear and understand the message. They produce as much as a hundred or sixty or thirty times what was planted.


text:
Jesus then told them this story: The kingdom of heaven is like what happened when a farmer scattered good seed in a field.


text:
The servants came and asked, "Sir, didn't you scatter good seed in your field? Where did these weeds come from?"


text:
"An enemy did this," he replied. His servants then asked, "Do you want us to go out and pull up the weeds?"


text:
Leave the weeds alone until harvest time. Then I'll tell my workers to gather the weeds and tie them up and burn them. But I'll have them store the wheat in my barn."


text:
Jesus told them another story: The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a farmer plants a mustard seed in a field.


text:
Although it is the smallest of all seeds, it grows larger than any garden plant and becomes a tree. Birds even come and nest on its branches.


text:
Jesus also said: The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a woman mixes a little yeast into three big batches of flour. Finally, all the dough rises.


text:
Jesus used stories when he spoke to the people. In fact, he did not tell them anything without using stories.


text:
So God's promise came true, just as the prophet had said, "I will use stories to speak my message and to explain things that have been hidden since the creation of the world."


text:
After Jesus left the crowd and went inside, his disciples came to him and said, "Explain to us the story about the weeds in the wheat field."


text:
The field is the world, and the good seeds are the people who belong to the kingdom. The weed seeds are those who belong to the evil one,


text:
and the one who scattered them is the devil. The harvest is the end of time, and angels are the ones who bring in the harvest.


text:
The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everyone who does wrong or causes others to sin.


text:
But everyone who has done right will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom. If you have ears, pay attention!


text:
The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when someone finds treasure hidden in a field and buries it again. A person like that is happy and goes and sells everything in order to buy that field.


text:
The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a net is thrown into a lake and catches all kinds of fish.


text:
When the net is full, it is dragged to the shore, and the fishermen sit down to separate the fish. They keep the good ones, but throw the bad ones away.


text:
That's how it will be at the end of time. Angels will come and separate the evil people from the ones who have done right.


text:
Then those evil people will be thrown into a flaming furnace, where they will cry and grit their teeth in pain.


text:
So he told them, "Every student of the Scriptures who becomes a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like someone who brings out new and old treasures from the storeroom."


text:
and went to his hometown. He taught in their meeting place, and the people were so amazed that they asked, "Where does he get all this wisdom and the power to work these miracles?


text:
Isn't he the son of the carpenter? Isn't Mary his mother, and aren't James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas his brothers?


text:
So the people were very unhappy because of what he was doing. But Jesus said, "Prophets are honored by everyone, except the people of their hometown and their own family."


text:
and told his officials, "This is John the Baptist! He has come back from death, and that's why he has the power to work these miracles."


text:
Herod had earlier arrested John and had him chained and put in prison. He did this because John had told him, "It isn't right for you to take Herodias, the wife of your brother Philip."


text:
Herod wanted to kill John. But the people thought John was a prophet, and Herod was afraid of what they might do.


text:
The king was sorry for what he had said. But he did not want to break the promise he had made in front of his guests. So he ordered a guard


text:
After Jesus heard about John, he crossed Lake Galilee to go to some place where he could be alone. But the crowds found out and followed him on foot from the towns.


text:
When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw the large crowd. He felt sorry for them and healed everyone who was sick.


text:
That evening the disciples came to Jesus and said, "This place is like a desert, and it is already late. Let the crowds leave, so they can go to the villages and buy some food."


text:
and he told the crowd to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up toward heaven and blessed the food. Then he broke the bread and handed it to his disciples, and they gave it to the people.


text:
After everyone had eaten all they wanted, Jesus' disciples picked up twelve large baskets of leftovers.


text:
Right away, Jesus made his disciples get into a boat and start back across the lake. But he stayed until he had sent the crowds away.


text:
Then he went up on a mountain where he could be alone and pray. Later that evening, he was still there.


text:
By this time the boat was a long way from the shore. It was going against the wind and was being tossed around by the waves.


text:
But when Peter saw how strong the wind was, he was afraid and started sinking. "Save me, Lord!" he shouted.


text:
Right away, Jesus reached out his hand. He helped Peter up and said, "You surely don't have much faith. Why do you doubt?"


text:
The people found out that he was there, and they sent word to everyone who lived in that part of the country. So they brought all the sick people to Jesus.


text:
About this time some Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses came from Jerusalem. They asked Jesus,


text:
"Why don't your disciples obey what our ancestors taught us to do? They don't even wash their hands before they eat."


text:
Didn't God command you to respect your father and mother? Didn't he tell you to put to death all who curse their parents?


text:
But you let people get by without helping their parents when they should. You let them say that what they have has been offered to God.


text:
Is this any way to show respect to your parents? You ignore God's commands in order to follow your own teaching.


text:
The food that you put into your mouth doesn't make you unclean and unfit to worship God. The bad words that come out of your mouth are what make you unclean."


text:
Then his disciples came over to him and asked, "Do you know that you insulted the Pharisees by what you said?"


text:
Stay away from those Pharisees! They are like blind people leading other blind people, and all of them will fall into a ditch."


text:
Don't you know that the food you put into your mouth goes into your stomach and then out of your body?


text:
But the words that come out of your mouth come from your heart. And they are what make you unfit to worship God.


text:
Out of your heart come evil thoughts, murder, unfaithfulness in marriage, vulgar deeds, stealing, telling lies, and insulting others.


text:
These are what make you unclean. Eating without washing your hands will not make you unfit to worship God.


text:
Suddenly a Canaanite woman from there came out shouting, "Lord and Son of David, have pity on me! My daughter is full of demons."


text:
Jesus did not say a word. But the woman kept following along and shouting, so his disciples came up and asked him to send her away.


text:
"Lord, that's true," the woman said, "but even dogs get the crumbs that fall from their owner's table."


text:
Jesus answered, "Dear woman, you really do have a lot of faith, and you will be given what you want." At that moment her daughter was healed.


text:
Large crowds came and brought many people who were crippled or blind or lame or unable to talk. They placed them, and many others, in front of Jesus, and he healed them all.


text:
Everyone was amazed at what they saw and heard. People who had never spoken could now speak. The lame were healed, the crippled could walk, and the blind were able to see. Everyone was praising the God of Israel.


text:
Jesus called his disciples together and told them, "I feel sorry for these people. They have been with me for three days, and they don't have anything to eat. I don't want to send them away hungry. They might faint on their way home."


text:
His disciples said, "This place is like a desert. Where can we find enough food to feed such a crowd?"


text:
Jesus asked them how much food they had. They replied, "Seven small loaves of bread and a few little fish."


text:
he took the seven loaves of bread and the fish and gave thanks. He then broke them and handed them to his disciples, who passed them around to the crowds.


text:
After Jesus had sent the crowds away, he got into a boat and sailed across the lake. He came to shore near the town of Magadan.


text:
But if the sky is red and gloomy in the morning, you say it is going to rain. You can tell what the weather will be like by looking at the sky. But you don't understand what is happening now.


text:
You want a sign because you are evil and won't believe! But the only sign you will be given is what happened to Jonah. Then Jesus left.


text:
The disciples talked this over and said to each other, "He must be saying this because we didn't bring along any bread."


text:
Jesus knew what they were thinking and said: You surely don't have much faith! Why are you talking about not having any bread?


text:
Don't you understand? Have you forgotten about the five thousand people and all those baskets of leftovers from just five loaves of bread?


text:
And what about the four thousand people and all those baskets of leftovers from only seven loaves of bread?


text:
Don't you know by now that I am not talking to you about bread? Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!


text:
Finally, the disciples understood that Jesus wasn't talking about the yeast used to make bread, but about the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.


text:
When Jesus and his disciples were near the town of Caesarea Philippi, he asked them, "What do people say about the Son of Man?"


text:
The disciples answered, "Some people say you are John the Baptist or maybe Elijah or Jeremiah or some other prophet."


text:
Jesus told him: Simon, son of Jonah, you are blessed! You didn't discover this on your own. It was shown to you by my Father in heaven.


text:
So I will call you Peter, which means "a rock." On this rock I will build my church, and death itself will not have any power over it.


text:
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and God in heaven will allow whatever you allow on earth. But he will not allow anything that you don't allow.


text:
From then on, Jesus began telling his disciples what would happen to him. He said, "I must go to Jerusalem. There the nation's leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make me suffer terribly. I will be killed, but three days later I will rise to life."


text:
Peter took Jesus aside and told him to stop talking like that. He said, "God would never let this happen to you, Lord!"


text:
Jesus turned to Peter and said, "Satan, get away from me! You're in my way because you think like everyone else and not like God."


text:
Then Jesus said to his disciples: If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me.


text:
If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find it.


text:
What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself? What would you give to get back your soul?


text:
The Son of Man will soon come in the glory of his Father and with his angels to reward all people for what they have done.


text:
I promise you that some of those standing here will not die before they see the Son of Man coming with his kingdom.


text:
Six days later Jesus took Peter and the brothers James and John with him. They went up on a very high mountain where they could be alone.


text:
There in front of the disciples, Jesus was completely changed. His face was shining like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.


text:
So Peter said to him, "Lord, it is good for us to be here! Let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."


text:
While Peter was still speaking, the shadow of a bright cloud passed over them. From the cloud a voice said, "This is my own dear Son, and I am pleased with him. Listen to what he says!"


text:
On their way down from the mountain, Jesus warned his disciples not to tell anyone what they had seen until after the Son of Man had been raised from death.


text:
The disciples asked Jesus, "Don't the teachers of the Law of Moses say that Elijah must come before the Messiah does?"


text:
In fact, he has already come. But the people did not recognize him and treated him just as they wanted to. They will soon make the Son of Man suffer in the same way."


text:
and said, "Lord, have pity on my son! He has a bad case of epilepsy and often falls into a fire or into water.


text:
Jesus said, "You people are too stubborn to have any faith! How much longer must I be with you? Why do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy here."


text:
Jesus replied: It is because you don't have enough faith! But I can promise you this. If you had faith no larger than a mustard seed, you could tell this mountain to move from here to there. And it would. Everything would be possible for you.


text:
While Jesus and his disciples were going from place to place in Galilee, he told them, "The Son of Man will be handed over to people


text:
who will kill him. But three days later he will rise to life." All of this made the disciples very sad.


text:
When Jesus and the others arrived in Capernaum, the collectors for the temple tax came to Peter and asked, "Does your teacher pay the temple tax?"


text:
"Yes, he does," Peter answered. After they had returned home, Jesus went up to Peter and asked him, "Simon, what do you think? Do the kings of this earth collect taxes and fees from their own people or from foreigners?"


text:
But we don't want to cause trouble. So go cast a line into the lake and pull out the first fish you hook. Open its mouth, and you will find a coin. Use it to pay your taxes and mine."


text:
About this time the disciples came to Jesus and asked him who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.


text:
Then he said: I promise you this. If you don't change and become like a child, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.


text:
It will be terrible for people who cause even one of my little followers to sin. Those people would be better off thrown into the deepest part of the ocean with a heavy stone tied around their necks!


text:
The world is in for trouble because of the way it causes people to sin. There will always be something to cause people to sin, but anyone who does this will be in for trouble.


text:
If your hand or foot causes you to sin, chop it off and throw it away! You would be better off to go into life crippled or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the fire that never goes out.


text:
If your eye causes you to sin, poke it out and get rid of it. You would be better off to go into life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fires of hell.


text:
Don't be cruel to any of these little ones! I promise you that their angels are always with my Father in heaven.


text:
Let me ask you this. What would you do if you had a hundred sheep and one of them wandered off? Wouldn't you leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go look for the one that had wandered away?


text:
I am sure that finding it would make you happier than having the ninety-nine that never wandered off.


text:
If one of my followers sins against you, go and point out what was wrong. But do it in private, just between the two of you. If that person listens, you have won back a follower.


text:
But if that one refuses to listen, take along one or two others. The Scriptures teach that every complaint must be proven true by two or more witnesses.


text:
If the follower refuses to listen to them, report the matter to the church. Anyone who refuses to listen to the church must be treated like an unbeliever or a tax collector.


text:
I promise you that God in heaven will allow whatever you allow on earth, but he will not allow anything you don't allow.


text:
I promise that when any two of you on earth agree about something you are praying for, my Father in heaven will do it for you.


text:
Peter came up to the Lord and asked, "How many times should I forgive someone who does something wrong to me? Is seven times enough?"


text:
This story will show you what the kingdom of heaven is like: One day a king decided to call in his officials and ask them to give an account of what they owed him.


text:
But he didn't have any money to pay what he owed. The king ordered him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all he owned, in order to pay the debt.


text:
The official got down on his knees and began begging, "Have pity on me, and I will pay you every cent I owe!"


text:
The king felt sorry for him and let him go free. He even told the official that he did not have to pay back the money.


text:
As the official was leaving, he happened to meet another official, who owed him a hundred silver coins. So he grabbed the man by the throat. He started choking him and said, "Pay me what you owe!"


text:
But the first official refused to have pity. Instead, he went and had the other official put in jail until he could pay what he owed.


text:
When some other officials found out what had happened, they felt sorry for the man who had been put in jail. Then they told the king what had happened.


text:
The king called the first official back in and said, "You're an evil man! When you begged for mercy, I said you did not have to pay back a cent.


text:
The king was so angry that he ordered the official to be tortured until he could pay back everything he owed.


text:
That is how my Father in heaven will treat you, if you don't forgive each of my followers with all your heart.


text:
When Jesus finished teaching, he left Galilee and went to the part of Judea that is east of the Jordan River.


text:
Some Pharisees wanted to test Jesus. They came up to him and asked, "Is it right for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"


text:
That's why a man leaves his father and mother and gets married. He becomes like one person with his wife.


text:
Then they are no longer two people, but one. And no one should separate a couple that God has joined together."


text:
The Pharisees asked Jesus, "Why did Moses say that a man could write out divorce papers and send his wife away?"


text:
Jesus replied, "You are so heartless! That's why Moses allowed you to divorce your wife. But from the beginning God did not intend it to be that way.


text:
I say that if your wife has not committed some terrible sexual sin, you must not divorce her to marry someone else. If you do, you are unfaithful."


text:
The disciples said, "If that's how it is between a man and a woman, it's better not to get married."


text:
Jesus told them, "Only those people who have been given the gift of staying single can accept this teaching.


text:
Some people are unable to marry because of birth defects or because of what someone has done to their bodies. Others stay single for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Anyone who can accept this teaching should do so."


text:
Some people brought their children to Jesus, so that he could place his hands on them and pray for them. His disciples told the people to stop bothering him.


text:
But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and don't try to stop them! People who are like these children belong to God's kingdom."


text:
Jesus said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? Only God is good. If you want to have eternal life, you must obey his commandments."


text:
"Which ones?" the man asked. Jesus answered, "Do not murder. Be faithful in marriage. Do not steal. Do not tell lies about others.


text:
Jesus replied, "If you want to be perfect, go sell everything you own! Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and be my follower."


text:
In fact, it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into God's kingdom."


text:
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly surprised and asked, "How can anyone ever be saved?"


text:
Jesus looked straight at them and said, "There are some things that people cannot do, but God can do anything."


text:
Jesus answered: Yes, all of you have become my followers. And so in the future world, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, I promise that you will sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.


text:
All who have given up home or brothers and sisters or father and mother or children or land for me will be given a hundred times as much. They will also have eternal life.


text:
As Jesus was telling what the kingdom of heaven would be like, he said: Early one morning a man went out to hire some workers for his vineyard.


text:
After he had agreed to pay them the usual amount for a day's work, he sent them off to his vineyard.


text:
So they went. At noon and again about three in the afternoon he returned to the market. And each time he made the same agreement with others who were loafing around with nothing to do.


text:
Finally, about five in the afternoon the man went back and found some others standing there. He asked them, "Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?"


text:
That evening the owner of the vineyard told the man in charge of the workers to call them in and give them their money. He also told the man to begin with the ones who were hired last.


text:
When the workers arrived, the ones who had been hired at five in the afternoon were given a full day's pay.


text:
The workers who had been hired first thought they would be given more than the others. But when they were given the same,


text:
They said, "The ones who were hired last worked for only one hour. But you paid them the same that you did us. And we worked in the hot sun all day long!"


text:
Take your money now and go! What business is it of yours if I want to pay them the same that I paid you?


text:
Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Why should you be jealous, if I want to be generous?"


text:
Jesus then said, "So it is. Everyone who is now first will be last, and everyone who is last will be first."


text:
We are now on our way to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses. They will sentence him to death,


text:
and then they will hand him over to foreigners who will make fun of him. They will beat him and nail him to a cross. But on the third day he will rise from death.


text:
The mother of James and John came to Jesus with her two sons. She knelt down and started begging him to do something for her.


text:
Jesus asked her what she wanted, and she said, "When you come into your kingdom, please let one of my sons sit at your right side and the other at your left."


text:
Jesus answered, "Not one of you knows what you are asking. Are you able to drink from the cup that I must soon drink from?" James and John said, "Yes, we are!"


text:
Jesus replied, "You certainly will drink from my cup! But it isn't for me to say who will sit at my right side and at my left. That is for my Father to say."


text:
But Jesus called the disciples together and said: You know that foreign rulers like to order their people around. And their great leaders have full power over everyone they rule.


text:
The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give his life to rescue many people.


text:
Two blind men were sitting beside the road. And when they heard that Jesus was coming their way, they shouted, "Lord and Son of David, have pity on us!"


text:
The crowd told them to be quiet, but they shouted even louder, "Lord and Son of David, have pity on us!"


text:
Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Right away they could see, and they became his followers.


text:
When Jesus and his disciples came near Jerusalem, he went to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives and sent two of them on ahead.


text:
He told them, "Go into the next village, where you will at once find a donkey and her colt. Untie the two donkeys and bring them to me.


text:
If anyone asks why you are doing that, just say, 'The Lord needs them.' Right away he will let you have the donkeys."


text:
"Announce to the people of Jerusalem: 'Your king is coming to you! He is humble and rides on a donkey. He comes on the colt of a donkey.' "


text:
Many people spread clothes in the road, while others put down branches which they had cut from trees.


text:
Some people walked ahead of Jesus and others followed behind. They were all shouting, "Hooray for the Son of David! God bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hooray for God in heaven above!"


text:
Jesus went into the temple and chased out everyone who was selling or buying. He turned over the tables of the moneychangers and the benches of the ones who were selling doves.


text:
He told them, "The Scriptures say, 'My house should be called a place of worship.' But you have turned it into a place where robbers hide."


text:
But the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses were angry when they saw his miracles and heard the children shouting praises to the Son of David.


text:
The men said to Jesus, "Don't you hear what those children are saying?" "Yes, I do!" Jesus answered. "Don't you know that the Scriptures say, 'Children and infants will sing praises'?"


text:
and along the way he saw a fig tree. But when he came to it, he found only leaves and no figs. So he told the tree, "You will never again grow any fruit!" Right then the fig tree dried up.


text:
But Jesus said to them, "If you have faith and don't doubt, I promise that you can do what I did to this tree. And you will be able to do even more. You can tell this mountain to get up and jump into the sea, and it will.


text:
Jesus had gone into the temple and was teaching when the chief priests and the leaders of the people came up to him. They asked, "What right do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?"


text:
Jesus answered, "I have just one question to ask you. If you answer it, I will tell you where I got the right to do these things.


text:
Who gave John the right to baptize? Was it God in heaven or merely some human being?" They thought it over and said to each other, "We can't say that God gave John this right. Jesus will ask us why we didn't believe John.


text:
On the other hand, these people think that John was a prophet, and we are afraid of what they might do to us. That's why we can't say that it was merely some human who gave John the right to baptize."


text:
So they told Jesus, "We don't know." Jesus said, "Then I won't tell you who gave me the right to do what I do."


text:
Jesus said: I will tell you a story about a man who had two sons. Then you can tell me what you think. The father went to the older son and said, "Go work in the vineyard today!"


text:
The man then told his younger son to go work in the vineyard. The boy said he would, but he didn't go.


text:
Which one of the sons obeyed his father? "The older one," the chief priests and leaders answered. Then Jesus told them: You can be sure that tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you ever will!


text:
When John the Baptist showed you how to do right, you would not believe him. But these evil people did believe. And even when you saw what they did, you still would not change your minds and believe.


text:
Jesus told the chief priests and leaders to listen to this story: A land owner once planted a vineyard. He built a wall around it and dug a pit to crush the grapes in. He also built a lookout tower. Then he rented out his vineyard and left the country.


text:
But the renters grabbed those servants. They beat up one, killed one, and stoned one of them to death.


text:
He then sent more servants than he did the first time. But the renters treated them in the same way.


text:
But when they saw the man's son, they said, "Someday he will own the vineyard. Let's kill him! Then we can have it all for ourselves."


text:
Jesus asked, "When the owner of that vineyard comes, what do you suppose he will do to those renters?"


text:
The chief priests and leaders answered, "He will kill them in some horrible way. Then he will rent out his vineyard to people who will give him his share of grapes at harvest time."


text:
Jesus replied, "You surely know that the Scriptures say, 'The stone that the builders tossed aside is now the most important stone of all. This is something the Lord has done, and it is amazing to us.'


text:
I tell you that God's kingdom will be taken from you and given to people who will do what he demands.


text:
Anyone who stumbles over this stone will be crushed, and anyone it falls on will be smashed to pieces."


text:
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard these stories, they knew that Jesus was talking about them.


text:
So they looked for a way to arrest Jesus. But they were afraid to, because the people thought he was a prophet.


text:
The king sent some servants to tell the invited guests to come to the banquet, but the guests refused.


text:
He sent other servants to say to the guests, "The banquet is ready! My cattle and prize calves have all been prepared. Everything is ready. Come to the banquet!"


text:
But the guests did not pay any attention. Some of them left for their farms, and some went to their places of business.


text:
This made the king so furious that he sent an army to kill those murderers and burn down their city.


text:
Then he said to the servants, "It is time for the wedding banquet, and the invited guests don't deserve to come.


text:
They went out on the streets and brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike. And the banquet room was filled with guests.


text:
When the king went in to meet the guests, he found that one of them wasn't wearing the right kind of clothes for the wedding.


text:
The king asked, "Friend, why didn't you wear proper clothes for the wedding?" But the guest had no excuse.


text:
So the king gave orders for that person to be tied hand and foot and to be thrown outside into the dark. That's where people will cry and grit their teeth in pain.


text:
They sent some of their followers and some of Herod's followers to say to him, "Teacher, we know that you are honest. You teach the truth about what God wants people to do. And you treat everyone with the same respect, no matter who they are.


text:
"The Emperor's," they answered. Then Jesus told them, "Give the Emperor what belongs to him and give God what belongs to God."


text:
The Sadducees did not believe that people would rise to life after death. So that same day some of the Sadducees came to Jesus and said:


text:
Teacher, Moses wrote that if a married man dies and has no children, his brother should marry the widow. Their first son would then be thought of as the son of the dead brother.


text:
Once there were seven brothers who lived here. The first one married, but died without having any children. So his wife was left to his brother.


text:
When God raises people from death, whose wife will this woman be? She had been married to all seven brothers.


text:
Jesus answered: You are completely wrong! You don't know what the Scriptures teach. And you don't know anything about the power of God.


text:
"I am the God worshiped by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." He isn't the God of the dead, but of the living.


text:
The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, "Love others as much as you love yourself."


text:
"What do you think about the Messiah? Whose family will he come from?" They answered, "He will be a son of King David."


text:
'The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right side until I make your enemies into a footstool for you.'


text:
No one was able to give Jesus an answer, and from that day on, no one dared ask him any more questions.


text:
So obey everything they teach you, but don't do as they do. After all, they say one thing and do something else.


text:
Everything they do is just to show off in front of others. They even make a big show of wearing Scripture verses on their foreheads and arms, and they wear big tassels for everyone to see.


text:
But none of you should be called a teacher. You have only one teacher, and all of you are like brothers and sisters.


text:
If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored.


text:
You Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses are in for trouble! You're nothing but show-offs. You lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. You won't go in yourselves, and you keep others from going in.


text:
You Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses are in for trouble! You're nothing but show-offs. You travel over land and sea to win one follower. And when you have done so, you make that person twice as fit for hell as you are.


text:
You are in for trouble! You are supposed to lead others, but you are blind. You teach that it doesn't matter if a person swears by the temple. But you say that it does matter if someone swears by the gold in the temple.


text:
You also teach that it doesn't matter if a person swears by the altar. But you say that it does matter if someone swears by the gift on the altar.


text:
You Pharisees and teachers are show-offs, and you're in for trouble! You give God a tenth of the spices from your garden, such as mint, dill, and cumin. Yet you neglect the more important matters of the Law, such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the important things you should have done, though you should not have left the others undone either.


text:
You Pharisees and teachers are show-offs, and you're in for trouble! You wash the outside of your cups and dishes, while inside there is nothing but greed and selfishness.


text:
You Pharisees and teachers are in for trouble! You're nothing but show-offs. You're like tombs that have been whitewashed. On the outside they are beautiful, but inside they are full of bones and filth.


text:
That's what you are like. Outside you look good, but inside you are evil and only pretend to be good.


text:
You Pharisees and teachers are nothing but show-offs, and you're in for trouble! You build monuments for the prophets and decorate the tombs of good people.


text:
I will send prophets and wise people and experts in the Law of Moses to you. But you will kill them or nail them to a cross or beat them in your meeting places or chase them from town to town.


text:
That's why you will be held guilty for the murder of every good person, beginning with the good man Abel. This also includes Barachiah's son Zechariah, the man you murdered between the temple and the altar.


text:
Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Your people have killed the prophets and have stoned the messengers who were sent to you. I have often wanted to gather your people, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you wouldn't let me.


text:
Jesus replied, "Do you see these buildings? They will certainly be torn down! Not one stone will be left in place."


text:
Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him in private and asked, "When will this happen? What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?"


text:
Many will come and claim to be me. They will say that they are the Messiah, and they will fool many people.


text:
You will soon hear about wars and threats of wars, but don't be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn't the end.


text:
Nations and kingdoms will go to war against each other. People will starve to death, and in some places there will be earthquakes.


text:
You will be arrested, punished, and even killed. Because of me, you will be hated by people of all nations.


text:
When the good news about the kingdom has been preached all over the world and told to all nations, the end will come.


text:
Someday you will see that "Horrible Thing" in the holy place, just as the prophet Daniel said. Everyone who reads this must try to understand!


text:
This will be the worst time of suffering since the beginning of the world, and nothing this terrible will ever happen again.


text:
If God doesn't make the time shorter, no one will be left alive. But because of God's chosen ones, he will make the time shorter.


text:
False messiahs and false prophets will come and work great miracles and signs. They will even try to fool God's chosen ones.


text:
If you are told that the Messiah is out in the desert, don't go there! And if you are told that he is in some secret place, don't believe it!


text:
Right after those days of suffering, "The sun will become dark, and the moon will no longer shine. The stars will fall, and the powers in the sky will be shaken."


text:
Then a sign will appear in the sky. And there will be the Son of Man. All nations on earth will weep when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.


text:
At the sound of a loud trumpet, he will send his angels to bring his chosen ones together from all over the earth.


text:
Learn a lesson from a fig tree. When its branches sprout and start putting out leaves, you know that summer is near.


text:
I can promise you that some of the people of this generation will still be alive when all this happens.


text:
No one knows the day or hour. The angels in heaven don't know, and the Son himself doesn't know. Only the Father knows.


text:
People were eating, drinking, and getting married right up to the day that the flood came and Noah went into the big boat.


text:
They didn't know anything was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man appears.


text:
Homeowners never know when a thief is coming, and they are always on guard to keep one from breaking in.


text:
Who are faithful and wise servants? Who are the ones the master will put in charge of giving the other servants their food supplies at the proper time?


text:
You may be sure that a servant who is always faithful will be put in charge of everything the master owns.


text:
Suppose that evil servant starts beating the other servants and eats and drinks with people who are drunk.


text:
If that happens, the master will surely come on a day and at a time when the servant least expects him.


text:
That servant will then be punished and thrown out with the ones who only pretended to serve their master. There they will cry and grit their teeth in pain.


text:
The kingdom of heaven is like what happened one night when ten girls took their oil lamps and went to a wedding to meet the groom.


text:
The girls who were wise answered, "There's not enough oil for all of us! Go and buy some for yourselves."


text:
While the foolish girls were on their way to get some oil, the groom arrived. The girls who were ready went into the wedding, and the doors were closed.


text:
The kingdom is also like what happened when a man went away and put his three servants in charge of all he owned.


text:
The man knew what each servant could do. So he handed five thousand coins to the first servant, two thousand to the second, and one thousand to the third. Then he left the country.


text:
As soon as the man had gone, the servant with the five thousand coins used them to earn five thousand more.


text:
Some time later the master of those servants returned. He called them in and asked what they had done with his money.


text:
The servant who had been given five thousand coins brought them in with the five thousand that he had earned. He said, "Sir, you gave me five thousand coins, and I have earned five thousand more."


text:
"Wonderful!" his master replied. "You are a good and faithful servant. I left you in charge of only a little, but now I will put you in charge of much more. Come and share in my happiness!"


text:
Next, the servant who had been given two thousand coins came in and said, "Sir, you gave me two thousand coins, and I have earned two thousand more."


text:
The servant who had been given one thousand coins then came in and said, "Sir, I know that you are hard to get along with. You harvest what you don't plant and gather crops where you haven't scattered seed.


text:
The master of the servant told him, "You are lazy and good-for-nothing! You know that I harvest what I don't plant and gather crops where I haven't scattered seed.


text:
Then the master said, "Now your money will be taken away and given to the servant with ten thousand coins!


text:
Everyone who has something will be given more, and they will have more than enough. But everything will be taken from those who don't have anything.


text:
You are a worthless servant, and you will be thrown out into the dark where people will cry and grit their teeth in pain."


text:
The people of all nations will be brought before him, and he will separate them, as shepherds separate their sheep from their goats.


text:
Then the king will say to those on his right, "My father has blessed you! Come and receive the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world was created.


text:
When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me,


text:
and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me."


text:
The king will answer, "Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me."


text:
Then the king will say to those on his left, "Get away from me! You are under God's curse. Go into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels!


text:
I was hungry, but you did not give me anything to eat, and I was thirsty, but you did not give me anything to drink.


text:
I was a stranger, but you did not welcome me, and I was naked, but you did not give me any clothes to wear. I was sick and in jail, but you did not take care of me."


text:
Then the people will ask, "Lord, when did we fail to help you when you were hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in jail?"


text:
The king will say to them, "Whenever you failed to help any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you failed to do it for me."


text:
Then Jesus said, "Those people will be punished forever. But the ones who pleased God will have eternal life."


text:
"You know that two days from now will be Passover. That is when the Son of Man will be handed over to his enemies and nailed to a cross."


text:
At that time the chief priests and the nation's leaders were meeting at the home of Caiaphas the high priest.


text:
Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he said: Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing for me.


text:
You may be sure that wherever the good news is told all over the world, people will remember what she has done. And they will tell others.


text:
and asked, "How much will you give me if I help you arrest Jesus?" They paid Judas thirty silver coins,


text:
On the first day of the Festival of Thin Bread, Jesus' disciples came to him and asked, "Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal?"


text:
Jesus told them to go to a certain man in the city and tell him, "Our teacher says, 'My time has come! I want to eat the Passover meal with my disciples in your home.' "


text:
When Jesus was eating with his twelve disciples that evening, he said, "One of you will surely hand me over to my enemies."


text:
The Son of Man will die, as the Scriptures say. But it's going to be terrible for the one who betrays me! That man would be better off if he had never been born."


text:
Judas said, "Teacher, you surely don't mean me!" "That's what you say!" Jesus replied. But later, Judas did betray him.


text:
During the meal Jesus took some bread in his hands. He blessed the bread and broke it. Then he gave it to his disciples and said, "Take this and eat it. This is my body."


text:
Jesus picked up a cup of wine and gave thanks to God. He then gave it to his disciples and said, "Take this and drink it.


text:
This is my blood, and with it God makes his agreement with you. It will be poured out, so that many people will have their sins forgiven.


text:
From now on I am not going to drink any wine, until I drink new wine with you in my Father's kingdom."


text:
Jesus said to his disciples, "During this very night, all of you will reject me, as the Scriptures say, 'I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'


text:
Jesus replied, "I promise you that before a rooster crows tonight, you will say three times that you don't know me."


text:
But Peter said, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never say I don't know you." All the others said the same thing.


text:
Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane. When they got there, he told them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."


text:
Jesus walked on a little way. Then he knelt with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, don't make me suffer by having me drink from this cup. But do what you want, and not what I want."


text:
He came back and found his disciples sleeping. So he said to Peter, "Can't any of you stay awake with me for just one hour?


text:
Again Jesus went to pray and said, "My Father, if there is no other way, and I must suffer, I will still do what you want."


text:
Finally, Jesus returned to his disciples and said, "Are you still sleeping and resting? The time has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinners.


text:
Jesus was still speaking, when Judas the betrayer came up. He was one of the twelve disciples, and a large mob armed with swords and clubs was with him. They had been sent by the chief priests and the nation's leaders.


text:
One of Jesus' followers pulled out a sword. He struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.


text:
Don't you know that I could ask my Father, and right away he would send me more than twelve armies of angels?


text:
Jesus said to the mob, "Why do you come with swords and clubs to arrest me like a criminal? Day after day I sat and taught in the temple, and you didn't arrest me.


text:
But all this happened, so that what the prophets wrote would come true." All of Jesus' disciples left him and ran away.


text:
After Jesus had been arrested, he was led off to the house of Caiaphas the high priest. The nation's leaders and the teachers of the Law of Moses were meeting there.


text:
But Peter followed along at a distance and came to the courtyard of the high priest's palace. He went in and sat down with the guards to see what was going to happen.


text:
The chief priests and the whole council wanted to put Jesus to death. So they tried to find some people who would tell lies about him in court.


text:
The high priest stood up and asked Jesus, "Why don't you say something in your own defense? Don't you hear the charges they are making against you?"


text:
But Jesus did not answer. So the high priest said, "With the living God looking on, you must tell the truth. Tell us, are you the Messiah, the Son of God?"


text:
"That is what you say!" Jesus answered. "But I tell all of you, 'Soon you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right side of God All-Powerful and coming on the clouds of heaven.' "


text:
The high priest then tore his robe and said, "This man claims to be God! We don't need any more witnesses! You have heard what he said.


text:
While Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, a servant girl came up to him and said, "You were with Jesus from Galilee."


text:
When Peter had gone out to the gate, another servant girl saw him and said to some people there, "This man was with Jesus from Nazareth."


text:
A little while later some people standing there walked over to Peter and said, "We know that you are one of them. We can tell it because you talk like someone from Galilee."


text:
and Peter remembered that Jesus had said, "Before a rooster crows, you will say three times that you don't know me." Then Peter went out and cried hard.


text:
Early the next morning all the chief priests and the nation's leaders met and decided that Jesus should be put to death.


text:
Judas had betrayed Jesus, but when he learned that Jesus had been sentenced to death, he was sorry for what he had done. He returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and leaders


text:
and said, "I have sinned by betraying a man who has never done anything wrong." "So what? That's your problem," they replied.


text:
The chief priests picked up the money and said, "This money was paid to have a man killed. We can't put it in the temple treasury."


text:
Then they had a meeting and decided to buy a field that belonged to someone who made clay pots. They wanted to use it as a graveyard for foreigners.


text:
So the words of the prophet Jeremiah came true, "They took the thirty silver coins, the price of a person among the people of Israel.


text:
Jesus was brought before Pilate the governor, who asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" "Those are your words!" Jesus answered.


text:
So when the crowd came together, Pilate asked them, "Which prisoner do you want me to set free? Do you want Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?"


text:
While Pilate was judging the case, his wife sent him a message. It said, "Don't have anything to do with that innocent man. I have had nightmares because of him."


text:
But the chief priests and the leaders convinced the crowds to ask for Barabbas to be set free and for Jesus to be killed.


text:
Pilate asked the crowd again, "Which of these two men do you want me to set free?" "Barabbas!" they replied.


text:
Pilate asked them, "What am I to do with Jesus, who is called the Messiah?" They all yelled, "Nail him to a cross!"


text:
Pilate saw that there was nothing he could do and that the people were starting to riot. So he took some water and washed his hands in front of them and said, "I won't have anything to do with killing this man. You are the ones doing it!"


text:
Pilate set Barabbas free. Then he ordered his soldiers to beat Jesus with a whip and nail him to a cross.


text:
They made a crown out of thorn branches and placed it on his head, and they put a stick in his right hand. The soldiers knelt down and pretended to worship him. They made fun of him and shouted, "Hey, you king of the Jews!"


text:
When the soldiers had finished making fun of Jesus, they took off the robe. They put his own clothes back on him and led him off to be nailed to a cross.


text:
There they gave Jesus some wine mixed with a drug to ease the pain. But when Jesus tasted what it was, he refused to drink it.


text:
Above his head they put a sign that told why he was nailed there. It read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."


text:
The soldiers also nailed two criminals on crosses, one to the right of Jesus and the other to his left.


text:
shouted, "So you're the one who claimed you could tear down the temple and build it again in three days! If you are God's Son, save yourself and come down from the cross!"


text:
The chief priests, the leaders, and the teachers of the Law of Moses also made fun of Jesus. They said,


text:
"He saved others, but he can't save himself. If he is the king of Israel, he should come down from the cross! Then we will believe him.


text:
Then about that time Jesus shouted, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you deserted me?"


text:
One of them at once ran and grabbed a sponge. He soaked it in wine, then put it on a stick and held it up to Jesus.


text:
At once the curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, and rocks split apart.


text:
Then after Jesus had risen to life, they came out of their graves and went into the holy city, where they were seen by many people.


text:
The officer and the soldiers guarding Jesus felt the earthquake and saw everything else that happened. They were frightened and said, "This man really was God's Son!"


text:
Many women had come with Jesus from Galilee to be of help to him, and they were there, looking on at a distance.


text:
Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and John were some of these women.


text:
Then Joseph put the body in his own tomb that had been cut into solid rock and had never been used. He rolled a big stone against the entrance to the tomb and went away.


text:
They said, "Sir, we remember what that liar said while he was still alive. He claimed that in three days he would come back from death.


text:
So please order the tomb to be carefully guarded for three days. If you don't, his disciples may come and steal his body. They will tell the people that he has been raised to life, and this last lie will be worse than the first one."


text:
Pilate said to them, "All right, take some of your soldiers and guard the tomb as well as you know how."


text:
The Sabbath was over, and it was almost daybreak on Sunday when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.


text:
Suddenly a strong earthquake struck, and the Lord's angel came down from heaven. He rolled away the stone and sat on it.


text:
The angel said to the women, "Don't be afraid! I know you are looking for Jesus, who was nailed to a cross.


text:
He isn't here! God has raised him to life, just as Jesus said he would. Come, see the place where his body was lying.


text:
Now hurry! Tell his disciples that he has been raised to life and is on his way to Galilee. Go there, and you will see him. That is what I came to tell you."


text:
The women were frightened and yet very happy, as they hurried from the tomb and ran to tell his disciples.


text:
Suddenly Jesus met them and greeted them. They went near him, held on to his feet, and worshiped him.


text:
While the women were on their way, some soldiers who had been guarding the tomb went into the city. They told the chief priests everything that had happened.


text:
They said to the soldiers, "Tell everyone that Jesus' disciples came during the night and stole his body while you were asleep.


text:
The soldiers took the money and did what they were told. The people of Judea still tell each other this story.


text:
Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,


text:
and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.


text:
It began just as God had said in the book written by Isaiah the prophet, "I am sending my messenger to get the way ready for you.


text:
In the desert someone is shouting, 'Get the road ready for the Lord! Make a straight path for him.' "


text:
So John the Baptist showed up in the desert and told everyone, "Turn back to God and be baptized! Then your sins will be forgiven."


text:
From all Judea and Jerusalem crowds of people went to John. They told how sorry they were for their sins, and he baptized them in the Jordan River.


text:
John also told the people, "Someone more powerful is going to come. And I am not good enough even to stoop down and untie his sandals.


text:
As soon as Jesus came out of the water, he saw the sky open and the Holy Spirit coming down to him like a dove.


text:
He stayed there for forty days while Satan tested him. Jesus was with the wild animals, but angels took care of him.


text:
He said, "The time has come! God's kingdom will soon be here. Turn back to God and believe the good news!"


text:
As Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were fishermen and were casting their nets into the lake.


text:
Jesus walked on and soon saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat, mending their nets.


text:
At once Jesus asked them to come with him. They left their father in the boat with the hired workers and went with him.


text:
Jesus and his disciples went to the town of Capernaum. Then on the next Sabbath he went into the Jewish meeting place and started teaching.


text:
Everyone was amazed at his teaching. He taught with authority, and not like the teachers of the Law of Moses.


text:
"Jesus from Nazareth, what do you want with us? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are! You are God's Holy One."


text:
Everyone was completely surprised and kept saying to each other, "What is this? It must be some new kind of powerful teaching! Even the evil spirits obey him."


text:
Jesus went to her. He took hold of her hand and helped her up. The fever left her, and she served them a meal.


text:
Jesus healed all kinds of terrible diseases and forced out a lot of demons. But the demons knew who he was, and he did not let them speak.


text:
Jesus replied, "We must go to the nearby towns, so that I can tell the good news to those people. This is why I have come."


text:
Then Jesus went to Jewish meeting places everywhere in Galilee, where he preached and forced out demons.


text:
A man with leprosy came to Jesus and knelt down. He begged, "You have the power to make me well, if only you wanted to."


text:
He said, "Don't tell anyone about this. Just go and show the priest that you are well. Then take a gift to the temple as Moses commanded, and everyone will know that you have been healed."


text:
The man talked about it so much and told so many people, that Jesus could no longer go openly into a town. He had to stay away from the towns, but people still came to him from everywhere.


text:
Then so many of them came to the house that there wasn't even standing room left in front of the door. Jesus was still teaching


text:
But because of the crowd, they could not get him to Jesus. So they made a hole in the roof above him and let the man down in front of everyone.


text:
When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the crippled man, "My friend, your sins are forgiven."


text:
Is it easier for me to tell this crippled man that his sins are forgiven or to tell him to get up and pick up his mat and go on home?


text:
I will show you that the Son of Man has the right to forgive sins here on earth." So Jesus said to the man,


text:
The man got right up. He picked up his mat and went out while everyone watched in amazement. They praised God and said, "We have never seen anything like this!"


text:
Once again, Jesus went to the shore of Lake Galilee. A large crowd gathered around him, and he taught them.


text:
As he walked along, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus. Levi was sitting at the place for paying taxes, and Jesus said to him, "Come with me!" So he got up and went with Jesus.


text:
Later, Jesus and his disciples were having dinner at Levi's house. Many tax collectors and other sinners had become followers of Jesus, and they were also guests at the dinner.


text:
Some of the teachers of the Law of Moses were Pharisees, and they saw that Jesus was eating with sinners and tax collectors. So they asked his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?"


text:
Jesus heard them and answered, "Healthy people don't need a doctor, but sick people do. I didn't come to invite good people to be my followers. I came to invite sinners."


text:
The followers of John the Baptist and the Pharisees often went without eating. Some people came and asked Jesus, "Why do the followers of John and those of the Pharisees often go without eating, while your disciples never do?"


text:
No one patches old clothes by sewing on a piece of new cloth. The new piece would shrink and tear a bigger hole.


text:
No one pours new wine into old wineskins. The wine would swell and burst the old skins. Then the wine would be lost, and the skins would be ruined. New wine must be put into new wineskins.


text:
One Sabbath Jesus and his disciples were walking through some wheat fields. His disciples were picking grains of wheat as they went along.


text:
Some Pharisees asked Jesus, "Why are your disciples picking grain on the Sabbath? They are not supposed to do that!"


text:
It was during the time of Abiathar the high priest. David went into the house of God and ate the sacred loaves of bread that only priests are allowed to eat. He also gave some to his followers."


text:
Jesus finished by saying, "People were not made for the good of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for the good of people.


text:
The Pharisees wanted to accuse Jesus of doing something wrong, and they kept watching to see if Jesus would heal him on the Sabbath.


text:
Then he asked, "On the Sabbath should we do good deeds or evil deeds? Should we save someone's life or destroy it?" But no one said a word.


text:
Jesus was angry as he looked around at the people. Yet he felt sorry for them because they were so stubborn. Then he told the man, "Stretch out your hand." He did, and his bad hand was healed.


text:
Jesus led his disciples down to the shore of the lake. Large crowds followed him from Galilee, Judea,


text:
and Jerusalem. People came from Idumea, as well as other places east of the Jordan River. They also came from the region around the cities of Tyre and Sidon. All of these crowds came because they had heard what Jesus was doing.


text:
And whenever any evil spirits saw Jesus, they would fall to the ground and shout, "You are the Son of God!"


text:
Then he chose twelve of them to be his apostles, so that they could be with him. He also wanted to send them out to preach


text:
There were also James and John, the two sons of Zebedee. Jesus called them Boanerges, which means "Thunderbolts."


text:
Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus were also apostles. The others were Simon, known as the Eager One,


text:
Jesus went back home, and once again such a large crowd gathered that there was no chance even to eat.


text:
When Jesus' family heard what he was doing, they thought he was crazy and went to get him under control.


text:
Some teachers of the Law of Moses came from Jerusalem and said, "This man is under the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons! He is even forcing out demons with the help of Beelzebul."


text:
Jesus told the people to gather around him. Then he spoke to them in riddles and said: How can Satan force himself out?


text:
How can anyone break into the house of a strong man and steal his things, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can take everything.


text:
I promise you that any of the sinful things you say or do can be forgiven, no matter how terrible those things are.


text:
But if you speak against the Holy Spirit, you can never be forgiven. That sin will be held against you forever.


text:
Jesus' mother and brothers came and stood outside. Then they sent someone with a message for him to come out to them.


text:
The crowd that was sitting around Jesus told him, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside and want to see you."


text:
The next time Jesus taught beside Lake Galilee, a big crowd gathered. It was so large that he had to sit in a boat out on the lake, while the people stood on the shore.


text:
Some other seeds fell where thornbushes grew up and choked out the plants. So they did not produce any grain.


text:
But a few seeds did fall on good ground where the plants grew and produced thirty or sixty or even a hundred times as much as was scattered.


text:
He answered: I have explained the secret about God's kingdom to you, but for others I can use only stories.


text:
The reason is, "These people will look and look, but never see. They will listen and listen, but never understand. If they did, they would turn to God, and he would forgive them."


text:
The seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message. But Satan soon comes and snatches it away from them.


text:
But they don't have any roots, and they don't last very long. As soon as life gets hard or the message gets them in trouble, they give up.


text:
But they start worrying about the needs of this life. They are fooled by the desire to get rich and to have all kinds of other things. So the message gets choked out, and they never produce anything.


text:
The seeds that fell on good ground are the people who hear and welcome the message. They produce thirty or sixty or even a hundred times as much as was planted.


text:
Jesus also said: You don't light a lamp and put it under a clay pot or under a bed. Don't you put a lamp on a lampstand?


text:
There is nothing hidden that will not be made public. There is no secret that will not be well known.


text:
Listen carefully to what you hear! The way you treat others will be the way you will be treated--and even worse.


text:
Everyone who has something will be given more. But people who don't have anything will lose what little they have.


text:
The farmer sleeps at night and is up and around during the day. Yet the seeds keep sprouting and growing, and he doesn't understand how.


text:
It is like what happens when a mustard seed is planted in the ground. It is the smallest seed in all the world.


text:
But once it is planted, it grows larger than any garden plant. It even puts out branches that are big enough for birds to nest in its shade.


text:
Jesus used many other stories when he spoke to the people, and he taught them as much as they could understand.


text:
He did not tell them anything without using stories. But when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.


text:
So they left the crowd, and his disciples started across the lake with him in the boat. Some other boats followed along.


text:
Suddenly a windstorm struck the lake. Waves started splashing into the boat, and it was about to sink.


text:
Jesus was in the back of the boat with his head on a pillow, and he was asleep. His disciples woke him and said, "Teacher, don't you care that we're about to drown?"


text:
Jesus got up and ordered the wind and the waves to be quiet. The wind stopped, and everything was calm.


text:
Now they were more afraid than ever and said to each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"


text:
from the graveyard where he had been living. No one was able to tie the man up anymore, not even with a chain.


text:
He had often been put in chains and leg irons, but he broke the chains and smashed the leg irons. No one could control him.


text:
He shouted, "Jesus, Son of God in heaven, what do you want with me? Promise me in God's name that you won't torture me!"


text:
Jesus asked, "What is your name?" The man answered, "My name is Lots, because I have 'lots' of evil spirits."


text:
Jesus let them go, and they went out of the man and into the pigs. The whole herd of about two thousand pigs rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.


text:
The men taking care of the pigs ran to the town and the farms to spread the news. Then the people came out to see what had happened.


text:
When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had once been full of demons. He was sitting there with his clothes on and in his right mind, and they were terrified.


text:
But Jesus would not let him. Instead, he said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how good he has been to you."


text:
The man went away into the region near the ten cities known as Decapolis and began telling everyone how much Jesus had done for him. Everyone who heard what had happened was amazed.


text:
Once again Jesus got into the boat and crossed Lake Galilee. Then as he stood on the shore, a large crowd gathered around him.


text:
The person in charge of the Jewish meeting place was also there. His name was Jairus, and when he saw Jesus, he went over to him. He knelt at Jesus' feet


text:
and started begging him for help. He said, "My daughter is about to die! Please come and touch her, so she will get well and live."


text:
She had gone to many doctors, and they had not done anything except cause her a lot of pain. She had paid them all the money she had. But instead of getting better, she only got worse.


text:
The woman had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him in the crowd and barely touched his clothes.


text:
At that moment Jesus felt power go out from him. He turned to the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"


text:
His disciples said to him, "Look at all these people crowding around you! How can you ask who touched you?"


text:
The woman knew what had happened to her. She came shaking with fear and knelt down in front of Jesus. Then she told him the whole story.


text:
Jesus said to the woman, "You are now well because of your faith. May God give you peace! You are healed, and you will no longer be in pain."


text:
While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from Jairus' home and said, "Your daughter has died! Why bother the teacher anymore?"


text:
Then Jesus went inside and said to them, "Why are you crying and carrying on like this? The child isn't dead. She is just asleep."


text:
But the people laughed at him. After Jesus had sent them all out of the house, he took the girl's father and mother and his three disciples and went to where she was.


text:
He took the twelve-year-old girl by the hand and said, "Talitha, koum!" which means, "Little girl, get up!" The girl got right up and started walking around. Everyone was greatly surprised.


text:
But Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened. Then he said, "Give her something to eat."


text:
The next Sabbath he taught in the Jewish meeting place. Many of the people who heard him were amazed and asked, "How can he do all this? Where did he get such wisdom and the power to work these miracles?


text:
Isn't he the carpenter, the son of Mary? Aren't James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon his brothers? Don't his sisters still live here in our town?" The people were very unhappy because of what he was doing.


text:
But Jesus said, "Prophets are honored by everyone, except the people of their hometown and their relatives and their own family."


text:
Jesus could not work any miracles there, except to heal a few sick people by placing his hands on them.


text:
He was surprised that the people did not have any faith. Jesus taught in all the neighboring villages.


text:
Then he called together his twelve apostles and sent them out two by two with power over evil spirits.


text:
He told them, "You may take along a walking stick. But don't carry food or a traveling bag or any money.


text:
If any place won't welcome you or listen to your message, leave and shake the dust from your feet as a warning to them."


text:
Jesus became so well-known that Herod the ruler heard about him. Some people thought he was John the Baptist, who had come back to life with the power to work miracles.


text:
But when Herod heard about Jesus, he said, "This must be John! I had his head cut off, and now he has come back to life."


text:
Herod had earlier married Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. But John had told him, "It isn't right for you to take your brother's wife!" So, in order to please Herodias, Herod arrested John and put him in prison.


text:
because Herod was afraid of John and protected him. He knew that John was a good and holy man. Even though Herod was confused by what John said, he was glad to listen to him. And he often did.


text:
Finally, Herodias got her chance when Herod gave a great birthday celebration for himself and invited his officials, his army officers, and the leaders of Galilee.


text:
The daughter of Herodias came in and danced for Herod and his guests. She pleased them so much that Herod said, "Ask for anything, and it's yours!


text:
The girl left and asked her mother, "What do you think I should ask for?" Her mother answered, "The head of John the Baptist!"


text:
The king was very sorry for what he had said. But he did not want to break the promise he had made in front of his guests.


text:
But so many people were coming and going that Jesus and the apostles did not even have a chance to eat. Then Jesus said, "Let's go to a place where we can be alone and get some rest."


text:
But many people saw them leave and figured out where they were going. So people from every town ran on ahead and got there first.


text:
When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw the large crowd that was like sheep without a shepherd. He felt sorry for the people and started teaching them many things.


text:
That evening the disciples came to Jesus and said, "This place is like a desert, and it is already late.


text:
Jesus replied, "You give them something to eat." But they asked him, "Don't you know that it would take almost a year's wages to buy all of these people something to eat?"


text:
Then Jesus said, "How much bread do you have? Go and see!" They found out and answered, "We have five small loaves of bread and two fish."


text:
Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up toward heaven and blessed the food. Then he broke the bread and handed it to his disciples to give to the people. He also divided the two fish, so that everyone could have some.


text:
Right away, Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and start back across to Bethsaida. But he stayed until he had sent the crowds away.


text:
Later that evening he was still there by himself, and the boat was somewhere in the middle of the lake.


text:
He could see that the disciples were struggling hard, because they were rowing against the wind. Not long before morning, Jesus came toward them. He was walking on the water and was about to pass the boat.


text:
When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they thought he was a ghost, and they started screaming.


text:
All of them saw him and were terrified. But at that same time he said, "Don't worry! I am Jesus. Don't be afraid."


text:
He then got into the boat with them, and the wind died down. The disciples were completely confused.


text:
So they ran all over that part of the country to bring their sick people to him on mats. They brought them each time they heard where he was.


text:
In every village or farm or marketplace where Jesus went, the people brought their sick to him. They begged him to let them just touch his clothes, and everyone who did was healed.


text:
Some Pharisees and several teachers of the Law of Moses from Jerusalem came and gathered around Jesus.


text:
The Pharisees and many other Jewish people obey the teachings of their ancestors. They always wash their hands in the proper way before eating.


text:
None of them will eat anything they buy in the market until it is washed. They also follow a lot of other teachings, such as washing cups, pitchers, and bowls.


text:
The Pharisees and teachers asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples obey what our ancestors taught us to do? Why do they eat without washing their hands?"


text:
Jesus replied: You are nothing but show-offs! The prophet Isaiah was right when he wrote that God had said, "All of you praise me with your words, but you never really think about me.


text:
Didn't Moses command you to respect your father and mother? Didn't he tell you to put to death all who curse their parents?


text:
But you let people get by without helping their parents when they should. You let them say that what they own has been offered to God.


text:
And you ignore God's commands in order to follow your own teaching. You do a lot of other things that are just as bad.


text:
After Jesus and his disciples had left the crowd and had gone into the house, they asked him what these sayings meant.


text:
He answered, "Don't you know what I am talking about by now? You surely know that the food you put into your mouth cannot make you unclean.


text:
It doesn't go into your heart, but into your stomach, and then out of your body." By saying this, Jesus meant that all foods were fit to eat.


text:
unfaithfulness in marriage, greed, meanness, deceit, indecency, envy, insults, pride, and foolishness.


text:
Jesus left and went to the region near the city of Tyre, where he stayed in someone's home. He did not want people to know he was there, but they found out anyway.


text:
A woman whose daughter had an evil spirit in her heard where Jesus was. And right away she came and knelt down at his feet.


text:
The woman was Greek and had been born in the part of Syria known as Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to force the demon out of her daughter.


text:
But Jesus said, "The children must first be fed! It isn't right to take away their food and feed it to dogs."


text:
Jesus left the region around Tyre and went by way of Sidon toward Lake Galilee. He went through the land near the ten cities known as Decapolis.


text:
Some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk. They begged Jesus just to touch him.


text:
After Jesus had taken him aside from the crowd, he stuck his fingers in the man's ears. Then he spit and put it on the man's tongue.


text:
Jesus told the people not to say anything about what he had done. But the more he told them, the more they talked about it.


text:
They were completely amazed and said, "Everything he does is good! He even heals people who cannot hear or talk."


text:
One day another large crowd gathered around Jesus. They had not brought along anything to eat. So Jesus called his disciples together and said,


text:
"I feel sorry for these people. They have been with me for three days, and they don't have anything to eat.


text:
Some of them live a long way from here. If I send them away hungry, they might faint on their way home."


text:
The disciples said, "This place is like a desert. Where can we find enough food to feed such a crowd?"


text:
After Jesus told the crowd to sit down, he took the seven loaves and blessed them. He then broke the loaves and handed them to his disciples, who passed them out to the crowd.


text:
They also had a few little fish, and after Jesus had blessed these, he told the disciples to pass them around.


text:
The crowd of about four thousand people ate all they wanted, and the leftovers filled seven large baskets. As soon as Jesus had sent the people away,


text:
The Pharisees came out and started an argument with Jesus. They wanted to test him by asking for a sign from heaven.


text:
Jesus groaned and said, "Why are you always looking for a sign? I can promise you that you will not be given one!"


text:
The disciples talked this over and said to each other, "He must be saying this because we don't have any bread."


text:
Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, "Why are you talking about not having any bread? Don't you understand? Are your minds still closed?


text:
how many baskets of leftovers you picked up when I fed those five thousand people with only five small loaves of bread?" "Yes," the disciples answered. "There were twelve baskets."


text:
Jesus then asked, "And how many baskets of leftovers did you pick up when I broke seven small loaves of bread for those four thousand people?" "Seven," they answered.


text:
As Jesus and his disciples were going into Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch the man.


text:
Jesus took him by the hand and led him out of the village, where he spit into the man's eyes. He placed his hands on the blind man and asked him if he could see anything.


text:
Once again Jesus placed his hands on the man's eyes, and this time the man stared. His eyes were healed, and he saw everything clearly.


text:
Jesus and his disciples went to the villages near the town of Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, "What do people say about me?"


text:
The disciples answered, "Some say you are John the Baptist or maybe Elijah. Others say you are one of the prophets."


text:
Jesus began telling his disciples what would happen to him. He said, "The nation's leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make the Son of Man suffer terribly. He will be rejected and killed, but three days later he will rise to life."


text:
Then Jesus explained clearly what he meant. Peter took Jesus aside and told him to stop talking like that.


text:
But when Jesus turned and saw the disciples, he corrected Peter. He said to him, "Satan, get away from me! You are thinking like everyone else and not like God."


text:
Jesus then told the crowd and the disciples to come closer, and he said: If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me.


text:
If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me and for the good news, you will save it.


text:
Don't be ashamed of me and my message among these unfaithful and sinful people! If you are, the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.


text:
I can assure you that some of the people standing here will not die before they see God's kingdom come with power.


text:
Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him. They went up on a high mountain, where they could be alone. There in front of the disciples, Jesus was completely changed.


text:
Peter said to Jesus, "Teacher, it is good for us to be here! Let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."


text:
The shadow of a cloud passed over and covered them. From the cloud a voice said, "This is my Son, and I love him. Listen to what he says!"


text:
As Jesus and his disciples were coming down the mountain, he told them not to say a word about what they had seen, until the Son of Man had been raised from death.


text:
Jesus answered: Elijah certainly will come to get everything ready. But don't the Scriptures also say that the Son of Man must suffer terribly and be rejected?


text:
I can assure you that Elijah has already come. And people treated him just as they wanted to, as the Scriptures say they would.


text:
When Jesus and his three disciples came back down, they saw a large crowd around the other disciples. The teachers of the Law of Moses were arguing with them.


text:
Whenever the demon attacks my son, it throws him to the ground and makes him foam at the mouth and grit his teeth in pain. Then he becomes stiff. I asked your disciples to force out the demon, but they couldn't do it."


text:
Jesus said, "You people don't have any faith! How much longer must I be with you? Why do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy to me."


text:
They brought the boy, and as soon as the demon saw Jesus, it made the boy shake all over. He fell down and began rolling on the ground and foaming at the mouth.


text:
Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?" The man answered, "Ever since he was a child.


text:
The demon has often tried to kill him by throwing him into a fire or into water. Please have pity and help us if you can!"


text:
When Jesus saw that a crowd was gathering fast, he spoke sternly to the evil spirit that had kept the boy from speaking or hearing. He said, "I order you to come out of the boy! Don't ever bother him again."


text:
The spirit screamed and made the boy shake all over. Then it went out of him. The boy looked dead, and almost everyone said he was.


text:
After Jesus and the disciples had gone back home and were alone, they asked him, "Why couldn't we force out that demon?"


text:
because he was teaching the disciples that the Son of Man would be handed over to people who would kill him. But three days later he would rise to life.


text:
Jesus and his disciples went to his home in Capernaum. After they were inside the house, Jesus asked them, "What were you arguing about along the way?"


text:
After Jesus sat down and told the twelve disciples to gather around him, he said, "If you want the place of honor, you must become a slave and serve others!"


text:
"When you welcome even a child because of me, you welcome me. And when you welcome me, you welcome the one who sent me."


text:
John said, "Teacher, we saw a man using your name to force demons out of people. But he wasn't one of us, and we told him to stop."


text:
Jesus said to his disciples: Don't stop him! No one who works miracles in my name will soon turn and say something bad about me.


text:
And anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name, just because you belong to me, will surely be rewarded.


text:
It will be terrible for people who cause even one of my little followers to sin. Those people would be better off thrown into the ocean with a heavy stone tied around their necks.


text:
So if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off! You would be better off to go into life crippled than to have two hands and be thrown into the fires of hell that never go out.


text:
If your foot causes you to sin, chop it off. You would be better off to go into life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.


text:
If your eye causes you to sin, get rid of it. You would be better off to go into God's kingdom with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell.


text:
Salt is good. But if it no longer tastes like salt, how can it be made salty again? Have salt among you and live at peace with each other.


text:
After Jesus left, he went to Judea and then on to the other side of the Jordan River. Once again large crowds came to him, and as usual, he taught them.


text:
Some Pharisees wanted to test Jesus. So they came up to him and asked if it was right for a man to divorce his wife.


text:
Some people brought their children to Jesus so that he could bless them by placing his hands on them. But his disciples told the people to stop bothering him.


text:
When Jesus saw this, he became angry and said, "Let the children come to me! Don't try to stop them. People who are like these little children belong to the kingdom of God.


text:
As Jesus was walking down a road, a man ran up to him. He knelt down, and asked, "Good teacher, what can I do to have eternal life?"


text:
You know the commandments. 'Do not murder. Be faithful in marriage. Do not steal. Do not tell lies about others. Do not cheat. Respect your father and mother.' "


text:
Jesus looked closely at the man. He liked him and said, "There's one thing you still need to do. Go sell everything you own. Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come with me."


text:
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "It's hard for rich people to get into God's kingdom!"


text:
The disciples were shocked to hear this. So Jesus told them again, "It's terribly hard to get into God's kingdom!


text:
Jesus looked at them and said, "There are some things that people cannot do, but God can do anything."


text:
Jesus told him: You can be sure that anyone who gives up home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or land for me and for the good news


text:
will be rewarded. In this world they will be given a hundred times as many houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and pieces of land, though they will also be mistreated. And in the world to come, they will have eternal life.


text:
The disciples were confused as Jesus led them toward Jerusalem, and his other followers were afraid. Once again, Jesus took the twelve disciples aside and told them what was going to happen to him. He said:


text:
We are now on our way to Jerusalem where the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses. They will sentence him to death and hand him over to foreigners,


text:
who will make fun of him and spit on him. They will beat him and kill him. But three days later he will rise to life.


text:
and they answered, "When you come into your glory, please let one of us sit at your right side and the other at your left."


text:
Jesus told them, "You don't really know what you're asking! Are you able to drink from the cup that I must soon drink from or be baptized as I must be baptized?"


text:
"Yes, we are!" James and John answered. Then Jesus replied, "You certainly will drink from the cup from which I must drink. And you will be baptized just as I must!


text:
But it isn't for me to say who will sit at my right side and at my left. That is for God to decide."


text:
But Jesus called the disciples together and said: You know that those foreigners who call themselves kings like to order their people around. And their great leaders have full power over the people they rule.


text:
Jesus and his disciples went to Jericho. And as they were leaving, they were followed by a large crowd. A blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus son of Timaeus was sitting beside the road.


text:
Jesus stopped and said, "Call him over!" They called out to the blind man and said, "Don't be afraid! Come on! He is calling for you."


text:
Jesus told him, "You may go. Your eyes are healed because of your faith." Right away the man could see, and he went down the road with Jesus.


text:
Jesus and his disciples reached Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives. When they were getting close to Jerusalem, Jesus sent two of them on ahead.


text:
He told them, "Go into the next village. As soon as you enter it, you will find a young donkey that has never been ridden. Untie the donkey and bring it here.


text:
The disciples left and found the donkey tied near a door that faced the street. While they were untying it,


text:
The disciples led the donkey to Jesus. They put some of their clothes on its back, and Jesus got on.


text:
In front of Jesus and behind him, people went along shouting, "Hooray! God bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord!


text:
After Jesus had gone to Jerusalem, he went into the temple and looked around at everything. But since it was already late in the day, he went back to Bethany with the twelve disciples.


text:
From a distance Jesus saw a fig tree covered with leaves, and he went to see if there were any figs on the tree. But there were not any, because it wasn't the season for figs.


text:
So Jesus said to the tree, "Never again will anyone eat fruit from this tree!" The disciples heard him say this.


text:
After Jesus and his disciples reached Jerusalem, he went into the temple and began chasing out everyone who was selling and buying. He turned over the tables of the moneychangers and the benches of those who were selling doves.


text:
Then he taught the people and said, "The Scriptures say, 'My house should be called a place of worship for all nations.' But you have made it a place where robbers hide!"


text:
The chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses heard what Jesus said, and they started looking for a way to kill him. They were afraid of him, because the crowds were completely amazed at his teaching.


text:
As the disciples walked past the fig tree the next morning, they noticed that it was completely dried up, roots and all.


text:
Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree. Then Peter said, "Teacher, look! The tree you put a curse on has dried up."


text:
If you have faith in God and don't doubt, you can tell this mountain to get up and jump into the sea, and it will.


text:
Whenever you stand up to pray, you must forgive what others have done to you. Then your Father in heaven will forgive your sins.


text:
Jesus and his disciples returned to Jerusalem. And as he was walking through the temple, the chief priests, the nation's leaders, and the teachers of the Law of Moses came over to him.


text:
They thought it over and said to each other, "We can't say that God gave John this right. Jesus will ask us why we didn't believe John.


text:
On the other hand, these people think that John was a prophet. So we can't say that it was merely some human who gave John the right to baptize." They were afraid of the crowd


text:
and told Jesus, "We don't know." Jesus replied, "Then I won't tell you who gave me the right to do what I do."


text:
Jesus then told them this story: A farmer once planted a vineyard. He built a wall around it and dug a pit to crush the grapes in. He also built a lookout tower. Then he rented out his vineyard and left the country.


text:
Then the man sent another servant, and they killed him. He kept sending servant after servant. They beat some of them and killed others.


text:
The owner had a son he loved very much. Finally, he sent his son to the renters because he thought they would respect him.


text:
But they said to themselves, "Someday he will own this vineyard. Let's kill him! That way we can have it all for ourselves."


text:
Jesus asked, "What do you think the owner of the vineyard will do? He will come and kill those renters and let someone else have his vineyard.


text:
You surely know that the Scriptures say, 'The stone that the builders tossed aside is now the most important stone of all.


text:
The leaders knew that Jesus was really talking about them, and they wanted to arrest him. But because they were afraid of the crowd, they let him alone and left.


text:
The Pharisees got together with Herod's followers. Then they sent some men to trick Jesus into saying something wrong.


text:
They went to him and said, "Teacher, we know that you are honest. You treat everyone with the same respect, no matter who they are. And you teach the truth about what God wants people to do. Tell us, should we pay taxes to the Emperor or not?"


text:
They brought him a silver coin, and he asked, "Whose picture and name are on it?" "The Emperor's," they answered.


text:
Then Jesus told them, "Give the Emperor what belongs to him and give God what belongs to God." The men were amazed at Jesus.


text:
The Sadducees did not believe that people would rise to life after death. So some of them came to Jesus and said:


text:
The second brother married his brother's widow, and he also died without having children. The same thing happened to the third brother,


text:
When God raises people from death, whose wife will this woman be? After all, she had been married to all seven brothers.


text:
You surely know about people being raised to life. You know that in the story about Moses and the burning bush, God said, "I am the God worshiped by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."


text:
One of the teachers of the Law of Moses came up while Jesus and the Sadducees were arguing. When he heard Jesus give a good answer, he asked him, "What is the most important commandment?"


text:
The second most important commandment says: 'Love others as much as you love yourself.' No other commandment is more important than these."


text:
It is also true that we must love God with all our heart, mind, and strength, and that we must love others as much as we love ourselves. These commandments are more important than all the sacrifices and offerings that we could possibly make."


text:
When Jesus saw that the man had given a sensible answer, he told him, "You are not far from God's kingdom." After this, no one dared ask Jesus any more questions.


text:
As Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, "How can the teachers of the Law of Moses say that the Messiah will come from the family of King David?


text:
The Holy Spirit led David to say, 'The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right side until I make your enemies into a footstool for you.'


text:
If David called the Messiah his Lord, how can the Messiah be his son?" The large crowd enjoyed listening to Jesus teach.


text:
As Jesus was teaching, he said: Guard against the teachers of the Law of Moses! They love to walk around in long robes and be greeted in the market.


text:
But they cheat widows out of their homes and pray long prayers just to show off. They will be punished most of all.


text:
Jesus was sitting in the temple near the offering box and watching people put in their gifts. He noticed that many rich people were giving a lot of money.


text:
Jesus told his disciples to gather around him. Then he said: I tell you that this poor widow has put in more than all the others.


text:
Everyone else gave what they didn't need. But she is very poor and gave everything she had. Now she doesn't have a cent to live on.


text:
As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Teacher, look at these beautiful stones and wonderful buildings!"


text:
Jesus replied, "Do you see these huge buildings? They will certainly be torn down! Not one stone will be left in place."


text:
Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives across from the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him in private.


text:
They asked, "When will these things happen? What will be the sign that they are about to take place?"


text:
When you hear about wars and threats of wars, don't be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn't the end.


text:
Nations and kingdoms will go to war against each other. There will be earthquakes in many places, and people will starve to death. But this is just the beginning of troubles.


text:
Be on your guard! You will be taken to courts and beaten with whips in their meeting places. And because of me, you will have to stand before rulers and kings to tell about your faith.


text:
When you are arrested, don't worry about what you will say. You will be given the right words when the time comes. But you will not really be the ones speaking. Your words will come from the Holy Spirit.


text:
Brothers and sisters will betray each other and have each other put to death. Parents will betray their own children, and children will turn against their parents and have them killed.


text:
Everyone will hate you because of me. But if you keep on being faithful right to the end, you will be saved.


text:
Someday you will see that "Horrible Thing" where it should not be. Everyone who reads this must try to understand! If you are living in Judea at that time, run to the mountains.


text:
This will be the worst time of suffering since God created the world, and nothing this terrible will ever happen again.


text:
If the Lord doesn't make the time shorter, no one will be left alive. But because of his chosen and special ones, he will make the time shorter.


text:
False messiahs and false prophets will come and work miracles and signs. They will even try to fool God's chosen ones.


text:
In those days, right after that time of suffering, "The sun will become dark, and the moon will no longer shine.


text:
Learn a lesson from a fig tree. When its branches sprout and start putting out leaves, you know summer is near.


text:
You can be sure that some of the people of this generation will still be alive when all this happens.


text:
No one knows the day or the time. The angels in heaven don't know, and the Son himself doesn't know. Only the Father knows.


text:
It is like what happens when a man goes away for a while and places his servants in charge of everything. He tells each of them what to do, and he orders the guard to keep alert.


text:
So be alert! You don't know when the master of the house will come back. It could be in the evening or at midnight or before dawn or in the morning.


text:
It was now two days before Passover and the Festival of Thin Bread. The chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses were planning how they could sneak around and have Jesus arrested and put to death.


text:
Jesus was eating in Bethany at the home of Simon, who once had leprosy, when a woman came in with a very expensive bottle of sweet-smelling perfume. After breaking it open, she poured the perfume on Jesus' head.


text:
We could have sold this perfume for more than three hundred silver coins and given the money to the poor!" So they started saying cruel things to the woman.


text:
You will always have the poor with you. And whenever you want to, you can give to them. But you won't always have me here with you.


text:
Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve disciples. He went to the chief priests and offered to help them arrest Jesus.


text:
They were glad to hear this, and they promised to pay him. So Judas started looking for a good chance to betray Jesus.


text:
It was the first day of the Festival of Thin Bread, and the Passover lambs were being killed. Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal?"


text:
Jesus said to two of the disciples, "Go into the city, where you will meet a man carrying a jar of water. Follow him,


text:
and when he goes into a house, say to the owner, 'Our teacher wants to know if you have a room where he can eat the Passover meal with his disciples.'


text:
The owner will take you upstairs and show you a large room furnished and ready for you to use. Prepare the meal there."


text:
The two disciples went into the city and found everything just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover meal.


text:
While Jesus and the twelve disciples were eating together that evening, he said, "The one who will betray me is now eating with me."


text:
The Son of Man will die, just as the Scriptures say. But it is going to be terrible for the one who betrays me. That man would be better off if he had never been born."


text:
During the meal Jesus took some bread in his hands. He blessed the bread and broke it. Then he gave it to his disciples and said, "Take this. It is my body."


text:
Jesus picked up a cup of wine and gave thanks to God. He gave it to his disciples, and they all drank some.


text:
Then he said, "This is my blood, which is poured out for many people, and with it God makes his agreement.


text:
Jesus said to his disciples, "All of you will reject me, as the Scriptures say, 'I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'


text:
Jesus replied, "This very night before a rooster crows twice, you will say three times that you don't know me."


text:
But Peter was so sure of himself that he said, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never say that I don't know you!" All the others said the same thing.


text:
Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he told them, "Sit here while I pray."


text:
Jesus walked on a little way. Then he knelt down on the ground and prayed, "Father, if it is possible, don't let this happen to me! Father, you can do anything. Don't make me suffer by having me drink from this cup. But do what you want, and not what I want."


text:
When Jesus came back and found the disciples sleeping, he said to Simon Peter, "Are you asleep? Can't you stay awake for just one hour?


text:
But when he returned to the disciples, he found them sleeping again. They simply could not keep their eyes open, and they did not know what to say.


text:
When Jesus returned to the disciples the third time, he said, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough of that! The time has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinners.


text:
Jesus was still speaking, when Judas the betrayer came up. He was one of the twelve disciples, and a mob of men armed with swords and clubs were with him. They had been sent by the chief priests, the nation's leaders, and the teachers of the Law of Moses.


text:
Judas had told them ahead of time, "Arrest the man I greet with a kiss. Tie him up tight and lead him away."


text:
Someone standing there pulled out a sword. He struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.


text:
Day after day I was with you and taught in the temple, and you didn't arrest me. But what the Scriptures say must come true."


text:
Jesus was led off to the high priest. Then the chief priests, the nation's leaders, and the teachers of the Law of Moses all met together.


text:
Peter had followed at a distance. And when he reached the courtyard of the high priest's house, he sat down with the guards to warm himself beside a fire.


text:
The chief priests and the whole council tried to find someone to accuse Jesus of a crime, so they could put him to death. But they could not find anyone to accuse him.


text:
"We heard him say he would tear down this temple that we built. He also claimed that in three days he would build another one without any help."


text:
The high priest stood up in the council and asked Jesus, "Why don't you say something in your own defense? Don't you hear the charges they are making against you?"


text:
But Jesus kept quiet and did not say a word. The high priest asked him another question, "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the glorious God?"


text:
"Yes, I am!" Jesus answered. "Soon you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right side of God All-Powerful, and coming with the clouds of heaven."


text:
You heard him claim to be God! What is your decision?" They all agreed that he should be put to death.


text:
Some of the people started spitting on Jesus. They blindfolded him, hit him with their fists, and said, "Tell us who hit you!" Then the guards took charge of Jesus and beat him.


text:
and saw Peter warming himself by the fire. She stared at him and said, "You were with Jesus from Nazareth!"


text:
Peter replied, "That isn't true! I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have any idea what you mean." He went out to the gate, and a rooster crowed.


text:
"No, I'm not!" Peter replied. A little while later some of the people said to Peter, "You certainly are one of them. You're a Galilean!"


text:
Right away the rooster crowed a second time. Then Peter remembered that Jesus had told him, "Before a rooster crows twice, you will say three times that you don't know me." So Peter started crying.


text:
Early the next morning the chief priests, the nation's leaders, and the teachers of the Law of Moses met together with the whole Jewish council. They tied up Jesus and led him off to Pilate.


text:
Then Pilate questioned him again, "Don't you have anything to say? Don't you hear what crimes they say you have done?"


text:
And at that time there was a prisoner named Barabbas. He and some others had been arrested for murder during a riot.


text:
Then Pilate asked the crowd, "What do you want me to do with this man you say is the king of the Jews?"


text:
Pilate wanted to please the crowd. So he set Barabbas free. Then he ordered his soldiers to beat Jesus with a whip and nail him to a cross.


text:
The soldiers led Jesus inside the courtyard of the fortress and called together the rest of the troops.


text:
They put a purple robe on him, and on his head they placed a crown that they had made out of thorn branches.


text:
Then they beat him on the head with a stick. They spit on him and knelt down and pretended to worship him.


text:
When the soldiers had finished making fun of Jesus, they took off the purple robe. They put his own clothes back on him and led him off to be nailed to a cross.


text:
Simon from Cyrene happened to be coming in from a farm, and they forced him to carry Jesus' cross. Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus.


text:
People who passed by said terrible things about Jesus. They shook their heads and shouted, "Ha! So you're the one who claimed you could tear down the temple and build it again in three days.


text:
The chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses also made fun of Jesus. They said to each other, "He saved others, but he can't save himself.


text:
If he is the Messiah, the king of Israel, let him come down from the cross! Then we will see and believe." The two criminals also said cruel things to Jesus.


text:
Then about that time Jesus shouted, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you deserted me?"


text:
One of them ran and grabbed a sponge. After he had soaked it in wine, he put it on a stick and held it up to Jesus. He said, "Let's wait and see if Elijah will come and take him down!"


text:
A Roman army officer was standing in front of Jesus. When the officer saw how Jesus died, he said, "This man really was the Son of God!"


text:
Some women were looking on from a distance. They had come with Jesus to Jerusalem. But even before this they had been his followers and had helped him while he was in Galilee. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of the younger James and of Joseph were two of these women. Salome was also one of them.


text:
It was now the evening before the Sabbath, and the Jewish people were getting ready for that sacred day.


text:
A man named Joseph from Arimathea was brave enough to ask Pilate for the body of Jesus. Joseph was a highly respected member of the Jewish council, and he was also waiting for God's kingdom to come.


text:
Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead, and he called in the army officer to find out if Jesus had been dead very long.


text:
Joseph bought a linen cloth and took the body down from the cross. He had it wrapped in the cloth, and he put it in a tomb that had been cut into solid rock. Then he rolled a big stone against the entrance to the tomb.


text:
After the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the mother of James bought some spices to put on Jesus' body.


text:
On their way, they were asking one another, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance for us?"


text:
But when they looked, they saw that the stone had already been rolled away. And it was a huge stone!


text:
The women went into the tomb, and on the right side they saw a young man in a white robe sitting there. They were alarmed.


text:
The man said, "Don't be alarmed! You are looking for Jesus from Nazareth, who was nailed to a cross. God has raised him to life, and he isn't here. You can see the place where they put his body.


text:
Now go and tell his disciples, and especially Peter, that he will go ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you."


text:
When the women ran from the tomb, they were confused and shaking all over. They were too afraid to tell anyone what had happened.


text:
Very early on the first day of the week, after Jesus had risen to life, he appeared to Mary Magdalene. Earlier he had forced seven demons out of her.


text:
Afterwards, Jesus appeared to his eleven disciples as they were eating. He scolded them because they were too stubborn to believe the ones who had seen him after he had been raised to life.


text:
Anyone who believes me and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe me will be condemned.


text:
Everyone who believes me will be able to do wonderful things. By using my name they will force out demons, and they will speak new languages.


text:
They will handle snakes and will drink poison and not be hurt. They will also heal sick people by placing their hands on them.


text:
After the Lord Jesus had said these things to the disciples, he was taken back up to heaven where he sat down at the right side of God.


text:
Then the disciples left and preached everywhere. The Lord was with them, and the miracles they worked proved that their message was true.


text:
So I made a careful study of everything and then decided to write and tell you exactly what took place. Honorable Theophilus,


text:
When Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest by the name of Zechariah from the priestly group of Abijah. His wife Elizabeth was from the family of Aaron.


text:
But they did not have children. Elizabeth could not have any, and both Zechariah and Elizabeth were already old.


text:
According to the custom of the priests, he had been chosen to go into the Lord's temple that day and to burn incense,


text:
But the angel told him: Don't be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayers. Your wife Elizabeth will have a son, and you must name him John.


text:
Your son will be a great servant of the Lord. He must never drink wine or beer, and the power of the Holy Spirit will be with him from the time he is born.


text:
He will go ahead of the Lord with the same power and spirit that Elijah had. And because of John, parents will be more thoughtful of their children. And people who now disobey God will begin to think as they ought to. That is how John will get people ready for the Lord.


text:
Zechariah said to the angel, "How will I know this is going to happen? My wife and I are both very old."


text:
You have not believed what I have said. So you will not be able to say a thing until all this happens. But everything will take place when it is supposed to."


text:
When he did come out, he could not speak, and they knew he had seen a vision. He motioned to them with his hands, but did not say a thing.


text:
Soon after that, his wife was expecting a baby, and for five months she did not leave the house. She said to herself,


text:
He will be great and will be called the Son of God Most High. The Lord God will make him king, as his ancestor David was.


text:
The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come down to you, and God's power will come over you. So your child will be called the holy Son of God.


text:
Your relative Elizabeth is also going to have a son, even though she is old. No one thought she could ever have a baby, but in three months she will have a son.


text:
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, her baby moved within her. The Holy Spirit came upon Elizabeth.


text:
Then in a loud voice she said to Mary: God has blessed you more than any other woman! He has also blessed the child you will have.


text:
Eight days later they did for the child what the Law of Moses commands. They were going to name him Zechariah, after his father.


text:
All the neighbors were frightened because of what had happened, and everywhere in the hill country people kept talking about these things.


text:
Everyone who heard about this wondered what this child would grow up to be. They knew that the Lord was with him.


text:
You, my son, will be called a prophet of God in heaven above. You will go ahead of the Lord to get everything ready for him.


text:
As John grew up, God's Spirit gave him great power. John lived in the desert until the time he was sent to the people of Israel.


text:
About that time Emperor Augustus gave orders for the names of all the people to be listed in record books.


text:
So Joseph had to leave Nazareth in Galilee and go to Bethlehem in Judea. Long ago Bethlehem had been King David's hometown, and Joseph went there because he was from David's family.


text:
she gave birth to her first-born son. She dressed him in baby clothes and laid him on a bed of hay, because there was no room for them in the inn.


text:
All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord's glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened.


text:
You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay."


text:
After the angels had left and gone back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about."


text:
As the shepherds returned to their sheep, they were praising God and saying wonderful things about him. Everything they had seen and heard was just as the angel had said.


text:
Eight days later Jesus' parents did for him what the Law of Moses commands. And they named him Jesus, just as the angel had told Mary when he promised she would have a baby.


text:
The time came for Mary and Joseph to do what the Law of Moses says a mother is supposed to do after her baby is born. They took Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem and presented him to the Lord,


text:
The Law of the Lord also says that parents have to offer a sacrifice, giving at least a pair of doves or two young pigeons. So that is what Mary and Joseph did.


text:
At this time a man named Simeon was living in Jerusalem. Simeon was a good man. He loved God and was waiting for God to save the people of Israel. God's Spirit came to him


text:
When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to do what the Law of Moses says should be done for a new baby, the Spirit told Simeon to go into the temple.


text:
Then he blessed them and told Mary, "This child of yours will cause many people in Israel to fall and others to stand. The child will be like a warning sign. Many people will reject him,


text:
and you, Mary, will suffer as though you had been stabbed by a dagger. But all this will show what people are really thinking."


text:
The prophet Anna was also there in the temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. In her youth she had been married for seven years, but her husband died.


text:
And now she was eighty-four years old. Night and day she served God in the temple by praying and often going without eating.


text:
At that time Anna came in and praised God. She spoke about the child Jesus to everyone who hoped for Jerusalem to be set free.


text:
After Joseph and Mary had done everything that the Law of the Lord commands, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee.


text:
They thought he was traveling with some other people, and they went a whole day before they started looking for him.


text:
When they could not find him with their relatives and friends, they went back to Jerusalem and started looking for him there.


text:
Three days later they found Jesus sitting in the temple, listening to the teachers and asking them questions.


text:
When his parents found him, they were amazed. His mother said, "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been very worried, and we have been searching for you!"


text:
Jesus answered, "Why did you have to look for me? Didn't you know that I would be in my Father's house?"


text:
Jesus went back to Nazareth with his parents and obeyed them. His mother kept on thinking about all that had happened.


text:
For fifteen years Emperor Tiberius had ruled that part of the world. Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was the ruler of Galilee. Herod's brother, Philip, was the ruler in the countries of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was the ruler of Abilene.


text:
Annas and Caiaphas were the Jewish high priests. At that time God spoke to Zechariah's son John, who was living in the desert.


text:
So John went along the Jordan Valley, telling the people, "Turn back to God and be baptized! Then your sins will be forgiven."


text:
Isaiah the prophet wrote about John when he said, "In the desert someone is shouting, 'Get the road ready for the Lord! Make a straight path for him.


text:
Fill up every valley and level every mountain and hill. Straighten the crooked paths and smooth out the rough roads.


text:
Crowds of people came out to be baptized, but John said to them, "You bunch of snakes! Who warned you to run from the coming judgment?


text:
Do something to show that you really have given up your sins. Don't start saying that you belong to Abraham's family. God can turn these stones into children for Abraham.


text:
An ax is ready to cut the trees down at their roots. Any tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire."


text:
John told them, "If you have two coats, give one to someone who doesn't have any. If you have food, share it with someone else."


text:
Some soldiers asked him, "And what about us? What do we have to do?" John told them, "Don't force people to pay money to make you leave them alone. Be satisfied with your pay."


text:
John said, "I am just baptizing with water. But someone more powerful is going to come, and I am not good enough even to untie his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.


text:
His threshing fork is in his hand, and he is ready to separate the wheat from the husks. He will store the wheat in his barn and burn the husks with a fire that never goes out."


text:
But to Herod the ruler, he said, "It was wrong for you to take Herodias, your brother's wife." John also said that Herod had done many other bad things.


text:
While everyone else was being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. Then as he prayed, the sky opened up,


text:
and the Holy Spirit came down upon him in the form of a dove. A voice from heaven said, "You are my own dear Son, and I am pleased with you."


text:
When Jesus began to preach, he was about thirty years old. Everyone thought he was the son of Joseph. But his family went back through Heli,


text:
When Jesus returned from the Jordan River, the power of the Holy Spirit was with him, and the Spirit led him into the desert.


text:
For forty days Jesus was tested by the devil, and during that time he went without eating. When it was all over, he was hungry.


text:
The devil said, "I will give all this power and glory to you. It has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.


text:
Finally, the devil took Jesus to Jerusalem and had him stand on top of the temple. The devil said, "If you are God's Son, jump off.


text:
The Scriptures say: 'God will tell his angels to take care of you. They will catch you in their arms, and you will not hurt your feet on the stones.' "


text:
Jesus went back to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and as usual he went to the meeting place on the Sabbath. When he stood up to read from the Scriptures,


text:
"The Lord's Spirit has come to me, because he has chosen me to tell the good news to the poor. The Lord has sent me to announce freedom for prisoners, to give sight to the blind, to free everyone who suffers,


text:
Jesus closed the book, then handed it back to the man in charge and sat down. Everyone in the meeting place looked straight at Jesus.


text:
All the people started talking about Jesus and were amazed at the wonderful things he said. They kept on asking, "Isn't he Joseph's son?"


text:
Jesus answered: You will certainly want to tell me this saying, "Doctor, first make yourself well." You will tell me to do the same things here in my own hometown that you heard I did in Capernaum.


text:
Once during the time of Elijah there was no rain for three and a half years, and people everywhere were starving. There were many widows in Israel,


text:
During the time of the prophet Elisha, many men in Israel had leprosy. But no one was healed, except Naaman who lived in Syria.


text:
that they got up and threw him out of town. They dragged him to the edge of the cliff on which the town was built, because they wanted to throw him down from there.


text:
"Hey, Jesus of Nazareth, what do you want with us? Are you here to get rid of us? I know who you are! You are God's Holy One."


text:
Jesus ordered the evil spirit to be quiet and come out. The demon threw the man to the ground in front of everyone and left without harming him.


text:
They all were amazed and kept saying to each other, "What kind of teaching is this? He has power to order evil spirits out of people!"


text:
Jesus left the meeting place and went to Simon's home. When Jesus got there, he was told that Simon's mother-in-law was sick with a high fever.


text:
So Jesus went over to her and ordered the fever to go away. Right then she was able to get up and serve them a meal.


text:
After the sun had set, people with all kinds of diseases were brought to Jesus. He put his hands on each one of them and healed them.


text:
Demons went out of many people and shouted, "You are the Son of God!" But Jesus ordered the demons not to speak because they knew he was the Messiah.


text:
The next morning Jesus went out to a place where he could be alone, and crowds came looking for him. When they found him, they tried to stop him from leaving.


text:
But Jesus said, "People in other towns must hear the good news about God's kingdom. That's why I was sent."


text:
Jesus was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret, teaching the people as they crowded around him to hear God's message.


text:
Jesus got into the boat that belonged to Simon and asked him to row it out a little way from the shore. Then Jesus sat down in the boat to teach the crowd.


text:
When Jesus had finished speaking, he told Simon, "Row the boat out into the deep water and let your nets down to catch some fish."


text:
"Master," Simon answered, "we have worked hard all night long and have not caught a thing. But if you tell me to, I will let the nets down."


text:
Then they signaled for their partners in the other boat to come and help them. The men came, and together they filled the two boats so full that they both began to sink.


text:
When Simon Peter saw this happen, he knelt down in front of Jesus and said, "Lord, don't come near me! I am a sinner."


text:
His partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were surprised too. Jesus told Simon, "Don't be afraid! From now on you will bring in people instead of fish."


text:
Jesus came to a town where there was a man who had leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he knelt down to the ground in front of Jesus and begged, "Lord, you have the power to make me well, if only you wanted to."


text:
Jesus put his hand on him and said, "I want to! Now you are well." At once the man's leprosy disappeared.


text:
Jesus told him, "Don't tell anyone about this, but go and show yourself to the priest. Offer a gift to the priest, just as Moses commanded, and everyone will know that you have been healed."


text:
News about Jesus kept spreading. Large crowds came to listen to him teach and to be healed of their diseases.


text:
One day some Pharisees and experts in the Law of Moses sat listening to Jesus teach. They had come from every village in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. God had given Jesus the power to heal the sick,


text:
and some people came carrying a crippled man on a mat. They tried to take him inside the house and put him in front of Jesus.


text:
But because of the crowd, they could not get him to Jesus. So they went up on the roof, where they removed some tiles and let the mat down in the middle of the room.


text:
The Pharisees and the experts began arguing, "Jesus must think he is God! Only God can forgive sins."


text:
But now you will see that the Son of Man has the right to forgive sins here on earth." Jesus then said to the man, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk home."


text:
At once the man stood up in front of everyone. He picked up his mat and went home, giving thanks to God.


text:
Everyone was amazed and praised God. What they saw surprised them, and they said, "We have seen a great miracle today!"


text:
Later, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the place for paying taxes. Jesus said to him, "Come with me."


text:
The Pharisees and some of their teachers of the Law of Moses grumbled to Jesus' disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with those tax collectors and other sinners?"


text:
Some people said to Jesus, "John's followers often pray and go without eating, and so do the followers of the Pharisees. But your disciples never go without eating or drinking."


text:
Jesus then told them these sayings: No one uses a new piece of cloth to patch old clothes. The patch would shrink and make the hole even bigger.


text:
No one pours new wine into old wineskins. The new wine would swell and burst the old skins. Then the wine would be lost, and the skins would be ruined.


text:
One Sabbath when Jesus and his disciples were walking through some wheat fields, the disciples picked some wheat. They rubbed the husks off with their hands and started eating the grain.


text:
He went into the house of God and took the sacred loaves of bread that only priests were supposed to eat. He not only ate some himself, but even gave some to his followers."


text:
On another Sabbath Jesus was teaching in a Jewish meeting place, and a man with a crippled right hand was there.


text:
Some Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses kept watching Jesus to see if he would heal the man. They did this because they wanted to accuse Jesus of doing something wrong.


text:
Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he told the man to stand up where everyone could see him. And the man stood up.


text:
Then Jesus asked, "On the Sabbath should we do good deeds or evil deeds? Should we save someone's life or destroy it?"


text:
After he had looked around at everyone, he told the man, "Stretch out your hand." He did, and his bad hand became completely well.


text:
The teachers and the Pharisees were furious and started saying to each other, "What can we do about Jesus?"


text:
One was Simon, and Jesus named him Peter. Another was Andrew, Peter's brother. There were also James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,


text:
Matthew, Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus. The rest of the apostles were Simon, known as the Eager One,


text:
Jesus and his apostles went down from the mountain and came to some flat, level ground. Many other disciples were there to meet him. Large crowds of people from all over Judea, Jerusalem, and the coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon were there too.


text:
These people had come to listen to Jesus and to be healed of their diseases. All who were troubled by evil spirits were also healed.


text:
Jesus looked at his disciples and said: God will bless you people who are poor. His kingdom belongs to you!


text:
God will bless you hungry people. You will have plenty to eat! God will bless you people who are crying. You will laugh!


text:
God will bless you when others hate you and won't have anything to do with you. God will bless you when people insult you and say cruel things about you, all because you are a follower of the Son of Man.


text:
Long ago your own people did these same things to the prophets. So when this happens to you, be happy and jump for joy! You will have a great reward in heaven.


text:
You well-fed people are in for trouble. You will go hungry! You people who are laughing now are in for trouble. You are going to cry and weep!


text:
You are in for trouble when everyone says good things about you. That is what your own people said about those prophets who told lies.


text:
This is what I say to all who will listen to me: Love your enemies, and be good to everyone who hates you.


text:
If someone slaps you on one cheek, don't stop that person from slapping you on the other cheek. If someone wants to take your coat, don't try to keep back your shirt.


text:
If you love only someone who loves you, will God praise you for that? Even sinners love people who love them.


text:
If you are kind only to someone who is kind to you, will God be pleased with you for that? Even sinners are kind to people who are kind to them.


text:
If you lend money only to someone you think will pay you back, will God be pleased with you for that? Even sinners lend to sinners because they think they will get it all back.


text:
But love your enemies and be good to them. Lend without expecting to be paid back. Then you will get a great reward, and you will be the true children of God in heaven. He is good even to people who are unthankful and cruel.


text:
Jesus said: Don't judge others, and God won't judge you. Don't be hard on others, and God won't be hard on you. Forgive others, and God will forgive you.


text:
If you give to others, you will be given a full amount in return. It will be packed down, shaken together, and spilling over into your lap. The way you treat others is the way you will be treated.


text:
Jesus also used some sayings as he spoke to the people. He said: Can one blind person lead another blind person? Won't they both fall into a ditch?


text:
Are students better than their teacher? But when they are fully trained, they will be like their teacher.


text:
How can you say, "My friend, let me take the speck out of your eye," when you don't see the log in your own eye? You show-offs! First, get the log out of your own eye. Then you can see how to take the speck out of your friend's eye.


text:
You can tell what a tree is like by the fruit it produces. You cannot pick figs or grapes from thornbushes.


text:
Good people do good things because of the good in their hearts. Bad people do bad things because of the evil in their hearts. Your words show what is in your heart.


text:
is like someone who dug down deep and built a house on solid rock. When the flood came and the river rushed against the house, it was built so well that it didn't even shake.


text:
But anyone who hears what I say and doesn't obey me is like someone whose house wasn't built on solid rock. As soon as the river rushed against that house, it was smashed to pieces!


text:
In that town an army officer's servant was sick and about to die. The officer liked this servant very much.


text:
So Jesus went with them. When Jesus wasn't far from the house, the officer sent some friends to tell him, "Lord, don't go to any trouble for me! I am not good enough for you to come into my house.


text:
When Jesus heard this, he was so surprised that he turned and said to the crowd following him, "In all of Israel I've never found anyone with this much faith!"


text:
Soon Jesus and his disciples were on their way to the town of Nain, and a big crowd was going along with them.


text:
As they came near the gate of the town, they saw people carrying out the body of a widow's only son. Many people from the town were walking along with her.


text:
Jesus went over and touched the stretcher on which the people were carrying the dead boy. They stopped, and Jesus said, "Young man, get up!"


text:
Everyone was frightened and praised God. They said, "A great prophet is here with us! God has come to his people."


text:
John's followers told John everything that was being said about Jesus. So he sent two of them to ask the Lord, "Are you the one we should be looking for? Or must we wait for someone else?"


text:
When these messengers came to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist sent us to ask, 'Are you the one we should be looking for? Or are we supposed to wait for someone else?' "


text:
At that time Jesus was healing many people who were sick or in pain or were troubled by evil spirits, and he was giving sight to a lot of blind people.


text:
Jesus said to the messengers sent by John, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard. Blind people are now able to see, and the lame can walk. People who have leprosy are being healed, and the deaf can now hear. The dead are raised to life, and the poor are hearing the good news.


text:
After John's messengers had gone, Jesus began speaking to the crowds about John: What kind of person did you go out to the desert to see? Was he like tall grass blown about by the wind?


text:
What kind of man did you really go out to see? Was he someone dressed in fine clothes? People who wear expensive clothes and live in luxury are in the king's palace.


text:
What then did you go out to see? Was he a prophet? He certainly was! I tell you that he was more than a prophet.


text:
In the Scriptures, God calls John his messenger and says, "I am sending my messenger ahead of you to get things ready for you."


text:
No one ever born on this earth is greater than John. But whoever is least important in God's kingdom is greater than John.


text:
Everyone had been listening to John. Even the tax collectors had obeyed God and had done what was right by letting John baptize them.


text:
You are like children sitting in the market and shouting to each other, "We played the flute, but you would not dance! We sang a funeral song, but you would not cry!"


text:
But because the Son of Man goes around eating and drinking, you say, "Jesus eats and drinks too much! He is even a friend of tax collectors and sinners."


text:
A Pharisee invited Jesus to have dinner with him. So Jesus went to the Pharisee's home and got ready to eat.


text:
When a sinful woman in that town found out that Jesus was there, she bought an expensive bottle of perfume.


text:
Then she came and stood behind Jesus. She cried and started washing his feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. The woman kissed his feet and poured the perfume on them.


text:
The Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this and said to himself, "If this man really were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him! He would know that she is a sinner."


text:
Jesus said to the Pharisee, "Simon, I have something to say to you." "Teacher, what is it?" Simon replied.


text:
Jesus told him, "Two people were in debt to a moneylender. One of them owed him five hundred silver coins, and the other owed him fifty.


text:
Since neither of them could pay him back, the moneylender said that they didn't have to pay him anything. Which one of them will like him more?"


text:
Simon answered, "I suppose it would be the one who had owed more and didn't have to pay it back." "You are right," Jesus said.


text:
He turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Have you noticed this woman? When I came into your home, you didn't give me any water so I could wash my feet. But she has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.


text:
So I tell you that all her sins are forgiven, and that is why she has shown great love. But anyone who has been forgiven for only a little will show only a little love."


text:
Soon after this, Jesus was going through towns and villages, telling the good news about God's kingdom. His twelve apostles were with him,


text:
and so were some women who had been healed of evil spirits and all sorts of diseases. One of the women was Mary Magdalene, who once had seven demons in her.


text:
Joanna, Susanna, and many others had also used what they owned to help Jesus and his disciples. Joanna's husband Chuza was one of Herod's officials.


text:
A farmer went out to scatter seed in a field. While the farmer was doing it, some of the seeds fell along the road and were stepped on or eaten by birds.


text:
Other seeds fell on rocky ground and started growing. But the plants did not have enough water and soon dried up.


text:
The rest of the seeds fell on good ground where they grew and produced a hundred times as many seeds. When Jesus had finished speaking, he said, "If you have ears, pay attention!"


text:
So he answered: I have explained the secrets about God's kingdom to you, but for others I can only use stories. These people look, but they don't see, and they hear, but they don't understand.


text:
and the seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message. But the devil comes and snatches the message out of their hearts, so that they will not believe and be saved.


text:
The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it. But they don't have deep roots, and they believe only for a little while. As soon as life gets hard, they give up.


text:
The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. But they are so eager for riches and pleasures that they never produce anything.


text:
Those seeds that fell on good ground are the people who listen to the message and keep it in good and honest hearts. They last and produce a harvest.


text:
No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl or under a bed. A lamp is always put on a lampstand, so that people who come into a house will see the light.


text:
Pay attention to how you listen! Everyone who has something will be given more, but people who have nothing will lose what little they think they have.


text:
One day, Jesus and his disciples got into a boat, and he said, "Let's cross the lake." They started out,


text:
and while they were sailing across, he went to sleep. Suddenly a windstorm struck the lake, and the boat started sinking. They were in danger.


text:
So they went to Jesus and woke him up, "Master, Master! We are about to drown!" Jesus got up and ordered the wind and waves to stop. They obeyed, and everything was calm.


text:
Then Jesus asked the disciples, "Don't you have any faith?" But they were frightened and amazed. They said to each other, "Who is this? He can give orders to the wind and the waves, and they obey him!"


text:
As Jesus was getting out of the boat, he was met by a man from that town. The man had demons in him. He had gone naked for a long time and no longer lived in a house, but in the graveyard.


text:
The man saw Jesus and screamed. He knelt down in front of him and shouted, "Jesus, Son of God in heaven, what do you want with me? I beg you not to torture me!"


text:
He said this because Jesus had already told the evil spirit to go out of him. The man had often been attacked by the demon. And even though he had been bound with chains and leg irons and kept under guard, he smashed whatever bound him. Then the demon would force him out into lonely places.


text:
Jesus asked the man, "What is your name?" He answered, "My name is Lots." He said this because there were 'lots' of demons in him.


text:
A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. So the demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and Jesus let them go.


text:
Then the demons left the man and went into the pigs. The whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.


text:
When the men taking care of the pigs saw this, they ran to spread the news in the town and on the farms.


text:
The people went out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they also found the man. The demons had gone out of him, and he was sitting there at the feet of Jesus. He had clothes on and was in his right mind. But the people were terrified.


text:
Everyone from around Gerasa begged Jesus to leave, because they were so frightened. When Jesus got into the boat to start back,


text:
"Go back home and tell everyone how much God has done for you." The man then went all over town, telling everything that Jesus had done for him.


text:
Just then the man in charge of the Jewish meeting place came and knelt down in front of Jesus. His name was Jairus, and he begged Jesus to come to his home


text:
because his twelve-year-old child was dying. She was his only daughter. While Jesus was on his way, people were crowding all around him.


text:
In the crowd was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had spent everything she had on doctors, but none of them could make her well.


text:
"Who touched me?" Jesus asked. While everyone was denying it, Peter said, "Master, people are crowding all around and pushing you from every side."


text:
The woman knew that she could not hide, so she came trembling and knelt down in front of Jesus. She told everyone why she had touched him and that she had been healed right away.


text:
While Jesus was speaking, someone came from Jairus' home and said, "Your daughter has died! Why bother the teacher anymore?"


text:
Jesus went into the house, but he did not let anyone else go with him, except Peter, John, James, and the girl's father and mother.


text:
Everyone was crying and weeping for the girl. But Jesus said, "The child isn't dead. She is just asleep."


text:
Jesus called together his twelve apostles and gave them complete power over all demons and diseases.


text:
He told them, "Don't take anything with you! Don't take a walking stick or a traveling bag or food or money or even a change of clothes.


text:
If people won't welcome you, leave the town and shake the dust from your feet as a warning to them."


text:
The apostles left and went from village to village, telling the good news and healing people everywhere.


text:
Herod the ruler heard about all that was happening, and he was worried. Some people were saying that John the Baptist had come back to life.


text:
Others were saying that Elijah had come or that one of the prophets from long ago had come back to life.


text:
But Herod said, "I had John's head cut off! Who is this I hear so much about?" Herod was eager to meet Jesus.


text:
The apostles came back and told Jesus everything they had done. He then took them with him to the village of Bethsaida, where they could be alone.


text:
But a lot of people found out about this and followed him. Jesus welcomed them. He spoke to them about God's kingdom and healed everyone who was sick.


text:
Late in the afternoon the twelve apostles came to Jesus and said, "Send the crowd to the villages and farms around here. They need to find a place to stay and something to eat. There is nothing in this place. It is like a desert!"


text:
Jesus answered, "You give them something to eat." But they replied, "We have only five small loaves of bread and two fish. If we are going to feed all these people, we will have to go and buy food."


text:
There were about five thousand men in the crowd. Jesus said to his disciples, "Have the people sit in groups of fifty."


text:
Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up toward heaven and blessed the food. Then he broke the bread and fish and handed them to his disciples to give to the people.


text:
When Jesus was alone praying, his disciples came to him, and he asked them, "What do people say about me?"


text:
They answered, "Some say that you are John the Baptist or Elijah or a prophet from long ago who has come back to life."


text:
Jesus then asked them, "But who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Messiah sent from God."


text:
Jesus told his disciples, "The nation's leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make the Son of Man suffer terribly. They will reject him and kill him, but three days later he will rise to life."


text:
Then Jesus said to all the people: If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross each day and follow me.


text:
If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me, you will save it.


text:
If you are ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in his glory and in the glory of his Father and the holy angels.


text:
About eight days later Jesus took Peter, John, and James with him and went up on a mountain to pray.


text:
Peter and the other two disciples had been sound asleep. All at once they woke up and saw how glorious Jesus was. They also saw the two men who were with him.


text:
Moses and Elijah were about to leave, when Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here! Let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." But Peter did not know what he was talking about.


text:
While Peter was still speaking, a shadow from a cloud passed over them, and they were frightened as the cloud covered them.


text:
After the voice had spoken, Peter, John, and James saw only Jesus. For some time they kept quiet and did not say anything about what they had seen.


text:
The next day Jesus and his three disciples came down from the mountain and were met by a large crowd.


text:
Just then someone in the crowd shouted, "Teacher, please do something for my son! He is my only child!


text:
A demon often attacks him and makes him scream. It shakes him until he foams at the mouth, and it won't leave him until it has completely worn the boy out.


text:
Jesus said to them, "You people are stubborn and don't have any faith! How much longer must I be with you? Why do I have to put up with you?" Then Jesus said to the man, "Bring your son to me."


text:
While the boy was being brought, the demon attacked him and made him shake all over. Jesus ordered the demon to stop. Then he healed the boy and gave him back to his father.


text:
Everyone was amazed at God's great power. While everyone was still amazed at what Jesus was doing, he said to his disciples,


text:
But the disciples did not know what he meant. The meaning was hidden from them. They could not understand it, and they were afraid to ask.


text:
Then he said to his disciples, "When you welcome even a child because of me, you welcome me. And when you welcome me, you welcome the one who sent me. Whichever one of you is the most humble is the greatest."


text:
John said, "Master, we saw a man using your name to force demons out of people. But we told him to stop, because he isn't one of us."


text:
Not long before it was time for Jesus to be taken up to heaven, he made up his mind to go to Jerusalem.


text:
When the disciples James and John saw what was happening, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to destroy these people?"


text:
Jesus said, "Foxes have dens, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man doesn't have a place to call his own."


text:
Jesus told someone else to come with him. But the man said, "Lord, let me wait until I bury my father."


text:
Then someone said to Jesus, "I want to go with you, Lord, but first let me go back and take care of things at home."


text:
Jesus answered, "Anyone who starts plowing and keeps looking back isn't worth a thing to God's kingdom!"


text:
Later the Lord chose seventy-two other followers and sent them out two by two to every town and village where he was about to go.


text:
He said to them: A large crop is in the fields, but there are only a few workers. Ask the Lord in charge of the harvest to send out workers to bring it in.


text:
Don't take along a moneybag or a traveling bag or sandals. And don't waste time greeting people on the road.


text:
If the people living there are peace-loving, your prayer for peace will bless them. But if they are not peace-loving, your prayer will return to you.


text:
Stay with the same family, eating and drinking whatever they give you, because workers are worth what they earn. Don't move around from house to house.


text:
"We are shaking the dust from our feet as a warning to you. And you can be sure that God's kingdom will soon be here!"


text:
I tell you that on the day of judgment the people of Sodom will get off easier than the people of that town!


text:
You people of Chorazin are in for trouble! You people of Bethsaida are also in for trouble! If the miracles that took place in your towns had happened in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have turned to God long ago. They would have dressed in sackcloth and put ashes on their heads.


text:
My followers, whoever listens to you is listening to me. Anyone who says "No" to you is saying "No" to me. And anyone who says "No" to me is really saying "No" to the one who sent me.


text:
When the seventy-two followers returned, they were excited and said, "Lord, even the demons obeyed when we spoke in your name!"


text:
I have given you the power to trample on snakes and scorpions and to defeat the power of your enemy Satan. Nothing can harm you.


text:
At that same time, Jesus felt the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit, and he said: My Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I am grateful that you hid all this from wise and educated people and showed it to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that is what pleased you.


text:
My Father has given me everything, and he is the only one who knows the Son. The only one who really knows the Father is the Son. But the Son wants to tell others about the Father, so that they can know him too.


text:
Jesus then turned to his disciples and said to them in private, "You are really blessed to see what you see!


text:
Many prophets and kings were eager to see what you see and to hear what you hear. But I tell you that they did not see or hear."


text:
An expert in the Law of Moses stood up and asked Jesus a question to see what he would say. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to have eternal life?"


text:
The man replied, "The Scriptures say, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.' They also say, 'Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself.' "


text:
But the man wanted to show that he knew what he was talking about. So he asked Jesus, "Who are my neighbors?"


text:
Jesus replied: As a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, robbers attacked him and grabbed everything he had. They beat him up and ran off, leaving him half dead.


text:
A priest happened to be going down the same road. But when he saw the man, he walked by on the other side.


text:
Later a temple helper came to the same place. But when he saw the man who had been beaten up, he also went by on the other side.


text:
and went over to him. He treated his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put him on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him.


text:
The next morning he gave the innkeeper two silver coins and said, "Please take care of the man. If you spend more than this on him, I will pay you when I return."


text:
Then Jesus asked, "Which one of these three people was a real neighbor to the man who was beaten up by robbers?"


text:
The Lord and his disciples were traveling along and came to a village. When they got there, a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.


text:
Martha was worried about all that had to be done. Finally, she went to Jesus and said, "Lord, doesn't it bother you that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!"


text:
but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her."


text:
When Jesus had finished praying, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his followers to pray."


text:
So Jesus told them, "Pray in this way: 'Father, help us to honor your name. Come and set up your kingdom.


text:
Forgive our sins, as we forgive everyone who has done wrong to us. And keep us from being tempted.' "


text:
Then Jesus went on to say: Suppose one of you goes to a friend in the middle of the night and says, "Let me borrow three loaves of bread.


text:
And suppose your friend answers, "Don't bother me! The door is bolted, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up to give you something."


text:
He may not get up and give you the bread, just because you are his friend. But he will get up and give you as much as you need, simply because you are not ashamed to keep on asking.


text:
So I tell you to ask and you will receive, search and you will find, knock and the door will be opened for you.


text:
Everyone who asks will receive, everyone who searches will find, and the door will be opened for everyone who knocks.


text:
As bad as you are, you still know how to give good gifts to your children. But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give the Holy Spirit to anyone who asks.


text:
Jesus forced a demon out of a man who could not talk. And after the demon had gone out, the man started speaking, and the crowds were amazed.


text:
Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he said: A kingdom where people fight each other will end up in ruin. And a family that fights will break up.


text:
If Satan fights against himself, how can his kingdom last? Yet you say that I force out demons by the power of Beelzebul.


text:
If I use his power to force out demons, whose power do your own followers use to force them out? They are the ones who will judge you.


text:
But if a stronger man comes and defeats him, he will carry off the weapons in which the strong man trusted. Then he will divide with others what he has taken.


text:
If you are not on my side, you are against me. If you don't gather in the crop with me, you scatter it.


text:
When an evil spirit leaves a person, it travels through the desert, looking for a place to rest. But when it doesn't find a place, it says, "I will go back to the home I left."


text:
it goes off and finds seven other evil spirits even worse than itself. They all come and make their home there, and that person ends up in worse shape than before.


text:
While Jesus was still talking, a woman in the crowd spoke up, "The woman who gave birth to you and nursed you is blessed!"


text:
Jesus replied, "That's true, but the people who are really blessed are the ones who hear and obey God's message!"


text:
As crowds were gathering around Jesus, he said: You people of today are evil! You keep looking for a sign from God. But what happened to Jonah is the only sign you will be given.


text:
Just as Jonah was a sign to the people of Nineveh, the Son of Man will be a sign to the people of today.


text:
When the judgment comes, the Queen of the South will stand there with you and condemn you. She traveled a long way to hear Solomon's wisdom, and yet here is something far greater than Solomon.


text:
The people of Nineveh will also stand there with you and condemn you. They turned to God when Jonah preached, and yet here is something far greater than Jonah.


text:
No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a clay pot. A lamp is put on a lampstand, so that everyone who comes into the house can see the light.


text:
Your eyes are the lamp for your body. When your eyes are good, you have all the light you need. But when your eyes are bad, everything is dark.


text:
If you have light, and nothing is dark, then light will be everywhere, as when a lamp shines brightly on you.


text:
When Jesus finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him home for a meal. Jesus went and sat down to eat.


text:
So the Lord said to him: You Pharisees clean the outside of cups and dishes, but on the inside you are greedy and evil.


text:
You Pharisees are in for trouble! You give God a tenth of the spices from your gardens, such as mint and rue. But you cheat people, and you don't love God. You should be fair and kind to others and still give a tenth to God.


text:
You Pharisees are in for trouble! You love the front seats in the meeting places, and you like to be greeted with honor in the market.


text:
But you are in for trouble! You are like unmarked graves that people walk on without even knowing it.


text:
Jesus replied: You teachers are also in for trouble! You load people down with heavy burdens, but you won't lift a finger to help them carry the loads.


text:
Yes, you are really in for trouble. You build monuments to honor the prophets your own people murdered long ago.


text:
You must think that was the right thing for your people to do, or else you would not have built monuments for the prophets they murdered.


text:
Because of your evil deeds, the Wisdom of God said, "I will send prophets and apostles to you. But you will murder some and mistreat others."


text:
You people living today will be punished for all the prophets who have been murdered since the beginning of the world.


text:
This includes every prophet from the time of Abel to the time of Zechariah, who was murdered between the altar and the temple. You people will certainly be punished for all of this.


text:
You teachers of the Law of Moses are really in for trouble! You carry the keys to the door of knowledge about God. But you never go in, and you keep others from going in.


text:
Jesus was about to leave, but the teachers and the Pharisees wanted to get even with him. They tried to make him say what he thought about other things,


text:
As thousands of people crowded around Jesus and were stepping on each other, he told his disciples: Be sure to guard against the dishonest teaching of the Pharisees! It is their way of fooling people.


text:
Whatever you say in the dark will be heard when it is day. Whatever you whisper in a closed room will be shouted from the housetops.


text:
My friends, don't be afraid of people. They can kill you, but after that, there is nothing else they can do.


text:
God is the one you must fear. Not only can he take your life, but he can throw you into hell. God is certainly the one you should fear!


text:
Even the hairs on your head are counted. So don't be afraid! You are worth much more than many sparrows.


text:
If you tell others that you belong to me, the Son of Man will tell God's angels that you are my followers.


text:
If you speak against the Son of Man, you can be forgiven, but if you speak against the Holy Spirit, you cannot be forgiven.


text:
When you are brought to trial in the Jewish meeting places or before rulers or officials, don't worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say.


text:
A man in a crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to give me my share of what our father left us when he died."


text:
Later, he said, "Now I know what I'll do. I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, where I can store all my grain and other goods.


text:
Then I'll say to myself, 'You have stored up enough good things to last for years to come. Live it up! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.' "


text:
"This is what happens to people who store up everything for themselves, but are poor in the sight of God."


text:
Jesus said to his disciples: I tell you not to worry about your life! Don't worry about having something to eat or wear.


text:
Look at the crows! They don't plant or harvest, and they don't have storehouses or barns. But God takes care of them. You are much more important than any birds.


text:
Look how the wild flowers grow! They don't work hard to make their clothes. But I tell you that Solomon with all his wealth wasn't as well clothed as one of these flowers.


text:
God gives such beauty to everything that grows in the fields, even though it is here today and thrown into a fire tomorrow. Won't he do even more for you? You have such little faith!


text:
Only people who don't know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father knows what you need.


text:
Sell what you have and give the money to the poor. Make yourselves moneybags that never wear out. Make sure your treasure is safe in heaven, where thieves cannot steal it and moths cannot destroy it.


text:
just like those servants who wait up for their master to return from a wedding feast. As soon as he comes and knocks, they open the door for him.


text:
Servants are fortunate if their master finds them awake and ready when he comes! I promise you that he will get ready and have his servants sit down so he can serve them.


text:
Those servants are really fortunate if their master finds them ready, even though he comes late at night or early in the morning.


text:
The Lord answered: Who are faithful and wise servants? Who are the ones the master will put in charge of giving the other servants their food supplies at the proper time?


text:
But suppose one of the servants thinks that the master won't return until late. Suppose that servant starts beating all the other servants and eats and drinks and gets drunk.


text:
If that happens, the master will come on a day and at a time when the servant least expects him. That servant will then be punished and thrown out with the servants who cannot be trusted.


text:
If servants are not ready or willing to do what their master wants them to do, they will be beaten hard.


text:
But servants who don't know what their master wants them to do will not be beaten so hard for doing wrong. If God has been generous with you, he will expect you to serve him well. But if he has been more than generous, he will expect you to serve him even better.


text:
Fathers and sons will turn against one another, and mothers and daughters will do the same. Mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law will also turn against each other.


text:
Jesus said to all the people: As soon as you see a cloud coming up in the west, you say, "It's going to rain," and it does.


text:
Are you trying to fool someone? You can predict the weather by looking at the earth and sky, but you don't really know what's going on right now.


text:
When someone accuses you of something, try to settle things before you are taken to court. If you don't, you will be dragged before the judge. Then the judge will hand you over to the jailer, and you will be locked up.


text:
About this same time Jesus was told that Pilate had given orders for some people from Galilee to be killed while they were offering sacrifices.


text:
Jesus replied: Do you think that these people were worse sinners than everyone else in Galilee just because of what happened to them?


text:
Not at all! But you can be sure that if you don't turn back to God, every one of you will also be killed.


text:
What about those eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Do you think they were worse than everyone else in Jerusalem?


text:
Jesus then told them this story: A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard. One day he went out to pick some figs, but he didn't find any.


text:
So he said to the gardener, "For three years I have come looking for figs on this tree, and I haven't found any yet. Chop it down! Why should it take up space?"


text:
The gardener answered, "Master, leave it for another year. I'll dig around it and put some manure on it to make it grow.


text:
and a woman was there who had been crippled by an evil spirit for eighteen years. She was completely bent over and could not straighten up.


text:
The man in charge of the meeting place was angry because Jesus had healed someone on the Sabbath. So he said to the people, "Each week has six days when we can work. Come and be healed on one of those days, but not on the Sabbath."


text:
The Lord replied, "Are you trying to fool someone? Won't any one of you untie your ox or donkey and lead it out to drink on a Sabbath?


text:
This woman belongs to the family of Abraham, but Satan has kept her bound for eighteen years. Isn't it right to set her free on the Sabbath?"


text:
Jesus' words made his enemies ashamed. But everyone else in the crowd was happy about the wonderful things he was doing.


text:
It is like what happens when someone plants a mustard seed in a garden. The seed grows as big as a tree, and birds nest in its branches."


text:
It is like what happens when a woman mixes yeast into three batches of flour. Finally, all the dough rises."


text:
Do all you can to go in by the narrow door! A lot of people will try to get in, but will not be able to.


text:
Once the owner of the house gets up and locks the door, you will be left standing outside. You will knock on the door and say, "Sir, open the door for us!" But the owner will answer, "I don't know a thing about you!"


text:
Then when you have been thrown outside, you will weep and grit your teeth because you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in God's kingdom.


text:
There the ones who are now least important will be the most important, and those who are now most important will be least important.


text:
At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said, "You had better get away from here! Herod wants to kill you."


text:
Jesus said to them: Go tell that fox, "I am going to force out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and three days later I'll be through."


text:
But I am going on my way today and tomorrow and the next day. After all, Jerusalem is the place where prophets are killed.


text:
Now your temple will be deserted. You won't see me again until the time when you say, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord."


text:
One Sabbath, Jesus was having dinner in the home of an important Pharisee, and everyone was carefully watching Jesus.


text:
Jesus turned and asked the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses, "Is it right to heal on the Sabbath?"


text:
Afterwards, Jesus asked the people, "If your son or ox falls into a well, wouldn't you pull him out right away, even on the Sabbath?"


text:
When you are invited to a wedding feast, don't sit in the best place. Someone more important may have been invited.


text:
Then the one who invited you will come and say, "Give your place to this other guest!" You will be embarrassed and will have to sit in the worst place.


text:
When you are invited to be a guest, go and sit in the worst place. Then the one who invited you may come and say, "My friend, take a better seat!" You will then be honored in front of all the other guests.


text:
Then Jesus said to the man who had invited him: When you give a dinner or a banquet, don't invite your friends and family and relatives and rich neighbors. If you do, they will invite you in return, and you will be paid back.


text:
After Jesus had finished speaking, one of the guests said, "The greatest blessing of all is to be at the banquet in God's kingdom!"


text:
When the banquet was ready, he sent a servant to tell the guests, "Everything is ready! Please come."


text:
One guest after another started making excuses. The first one said, "I bought some land, and I've got to look it over. Please excuse me."


text:
The servant told his master what happened, and the master became so angry that he said, "Go as fast as you can to every street and alley in town! Bring in everyone who is poor or crippled or blind or lame."


text:
When the servant returned, he said, "Master, I've done what you told me, and there is still plenty of room for more people."


text:
His master then told him, "Go out along the back roads and fence rows and make people come in, so that my house will be full.


text:
You cannot be my disciple, unless you love me more than you love your father and mother, your wife and children, and your brothers and sisters. You cannot come with me unless you love me more than you love your own life.


text:
Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. What is the first thing you will do? Won't you sit down and figure out how much it will cost and if you have enough money to pay for it?


text:
Otherwise, you will start building the tower, but not be able to finish. Then everyone who sees what is happening will laugh at you.


text:
What will a king do if he has only ten thousand soldiers to defend himself against a king who is about to attack him with twenty thousand soldiers? Before he goes out to battle, won't he first sit down and decide if he can win?


text:
If he thinks he won't be able to defend himself, he will send messengers and ask for peace while the other king is still a long way off.


text:
It is no longer good for the soil or even for the manure pile. People simply throw it out. If you have ears, pay attention!


text:
So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses started grumbling, "This man is friendly with sinners. He even eats with them."


text:
If any of you has a hundred sheep, and one of them gets lost, what will you do? Won't you leave the ninety-nine in the field and go look for the lost sheep until you find it?


text:
and carry it home. Then you will call in your friends and neighbors and say, "Let's celebrate! I've found my lost sheep."


text:
Jesus said, "In the same way there is more happiness in heaven because of one sinner who turns to God than over ninety-nine good people who don't need to."


text:
Jesus told the people another story: What will a woman do if she has ten silver coins and loses one of them? Won't she light a lamp, sweep the floor, and look carefully until she finds it?


text:
Then she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, "Let's celebrate! I've found the coin I lost."


text:
The younger son said to his father, "Give me my share of the property." So the father divided his property between his two sons.


text:
Not long after that, the younger son packed up everything he owned and left for a foreign country, where he wasted all his money in wild living.


text:
He had spent everything, when a bad famine spread through that whole land. Soon he had nothing to eat.


text:
Finally, he came to his senses and said, "My father's workers have plenty to eat, and here I am, starving to death!


text:
I will go to my father and say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against God in heaven and against you.


text:
The younger son got up and started back to his father. But when he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt sorry for him. He ran to his son and hugged and kissed him.


text:
The son said, "Father, I have sinned against God in heaven and against you. I am no longer good enough to be called your son."


text:
But his father said to the servants, "Hurry and bring the best clothes and put them on him. Give him a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet.


text:
This son of mine was dead, but has now come back to life. He was lost and has now been found." And they began to celebrate.


text:
The older son had been out in the field. But when he came near the house, he heard the music and dancing.


text:
The servant answered, "Your brother has come home safe and sound, and your father ordered us to kill the best calf."


text:
The older brother got so angry that he would not even go into the house. His father came out and begged him to go in.


text:
But he said to his father, "For years I have worked for you like a slave and have always obeyed you. But you have never even given me a little goat, so that I could give a dinner for my friends.


text:
This other son of yours wasted your money on prostitutes. And now that he has come home, you ordered the best calf to be killed for a feast."


text:
But we should be glad and celebrate! Your brother was dead, but he is now alive. He was lost and has now been found."


text:
Jesus said to his disciples: A rich man once had a manager to take care of his business. But he was told that his manager was wasting money.


text:
So the rich man called him in and said, "What is this I hear about you? Tell me what you have done! You are no longer going to work for me."


text:
The manager said to himself, "What shall I do now that my master is going to fire me? I can't dig ditches, and I'm ashamed to beg.


text:
Then one by one he called in the people who were in debt to his master. He asked the first one, "How much do you owe my master?"


text:
"A hundred barrels of olive oil," the man answered. So the manager said, "Take your bill and sit down and quickly write 'fifty'."


text:
The manager asked someone else who was in debt to his master, "How much do you owe?" "A thousand bushels of wheat," the man replied. The manager said, "Take your bill and write 'eight hundred'."


text:
The master praised his dishonest manager for looking out for himself so well. That's how it is! The people of this world look out for themselves better than the people who belong to the light.


text:
My disciples, I tell you to use wicked wealth to make friends for yourselves. Then when it is gone, you will be welcomed into an eternal home.


text:
Anyone who can be trusted in little matters can also be trusted in important matters. But anyone who is dishonest in little matters will be dishonest in important matters.


text:
And if you cannot be trusted with what belongs to someone else, who will give you something that will be your own?


text:
You cannot be the slave of two masters. You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than to the other. You cannot serve God and money.


text:
But Jesus told them: You are always making yourselves look good, but God sees what is in your heart. The things that most people think are important are worthless as far as God is concerned.


text:
Until the time of John the Baptist, people had to obey the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets. But since God's kingdom has been preached, everyone is trying hard to get in.


text:
It is a terrible sin for a man to divorce his wife and marry another woman. It is also a terrible sin for a man to marry a divorced woman.


text:
He was happy just to eat the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. His body was covered with sores, and dogs kept coming up to lick them.


text:
The poor man died, and angels took him to the place of honor next to Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.


text:
He went to hell and was suffering terribly. When he looked up and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side,


text:
he said to Abraham, "Have pity on me! Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water and touch my tongue. I'm suffering terribly in this fire."


text:
Abraham answered, "My friend, remember that while you lived, you had everything good, and Lazarus had everything bad. Now he is happy, and you are in pain.


text:
Abraham answered, "Your brothers can read what Moses and the prophets wrote. They should pay attention to that."


text:
Then the rich man said, "No, that's not enough! If only someone from the dead would go to them, they would listen and turn to God."


text:
So Abraham said, "If they won't pay attention to Moses and the prophets, they won't listen even to someone who comes back from the dead."


text:
Jesus said to his disciples: There will always be something that causes people to sin. But anyone who causes them to sin is in for trouble. A person who causes even one of my little followers to sin


text:
So be careful what you do. Correct any followers of mine who sin, and forgive the ones who say they are sorry.


text:
Even if one of them mistreats you seven times in one day and says, "I am sorry," you should still forgive that person.


text:
Jesus replied: If you had faith no bigger than a tiny mustard seed, you could tell this mulberry tree to pull itself up, roots and all, and to plant itself in the ocean. And it would!


text:
If your servant comes in from plowing or from taking care of the sheep, would you say, "Welcome! Come on in and have something to eat"?


text:
No, you wouldn't say that. You would say, "Fix me something to eat. Get ready to serve me, so I can have my meal. Then later on you can eat and drink."


text:
And that's how it should be with you. When you've done all you should, then say, "We are merely servants, and we have simply done our duty."


text:
Some Pharisees asked Jesus when God's kingdom would come. He answered, "God's kingdom isn't something you can see.


text:
Jesus said to his disciples: The time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not.


text:
People were eating, drinking, and getting married right up to the day when Noah went into the big boat. Then the flood came and drowned everyone on earth.


text:
When Lot lived, people were also eating and drinking. They were buying, selling, planting, and building.


text:
At that time no one on a rooftop should go down into the house to get anything. No one in a field should go back to the house for anything.


text:
On that night two people will be sleeping in the same bed, but only one will be taken. The other will be left.


text:
Then Jesus' disciples spoke up, "But where will this happen, Lord?" Jesus said, "Where there is a corpse, there will always be buzzards."


text:
In that same town there was a widow who kept going to the judge and saying, "Make sure that I get fair treatment in court."


text:
For a while the judge refused to do anything. Finally, he said to himself, "Even though I don't fear God or care about people,


text:
I will help this widow because she keeps on bothering me. If I don't help her, she will wear me out."


text:
He will surely hurry and help them. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find on this earth anyone with faith?


text:
Jesus told a story to some people who thought they were better than others and who looked down on everyone else:


text:
The Pharisee stood over by himself and prayed, "God, I thank you that I am not greedy, dishonest, and unfaithful in marriage like other people. And I am really glad that I am not like that tax collector over there.


text:
The tax collector stood off at a distance and did not think he was good enough even to look up toward heaven. He was so sorry for what he had done that he pounded his chest and prayed, "God, have pity on me! I am such a sinner."


text:
Then Jesus said, "When the two men went home, it was the tax collector and not the Pharisee who was pleasing to God. If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored."


text:
Some people brought their little children for Jesus to bless. But when his disciples saw them doing this, they told the people to stop bothering him.


text:
So Jesus called the children over to him and said, "Let the children come to me! Don't try to stop them. People who are like these children belong to God's kingdom.


text:
You know the commandments: 'Be faithful in marriage. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not tell lies about others. Respect your father and mother.' "


text:
When Jesus heard this, he said, "There is one thing you still need to do. Go and sell everything you own! Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and be my follower."


text:
Jesus saw how sad the man was. So he said, "It's terribly hard for rich people to get into God's kingdom!


text:
Jesus answered, "You can be sure that anyone who gives up home or wife or brothers or family or children because of God's kingdom


text:
Jesus took the twelve apostles aside and said: We are now on our way to Jerusalem. Everything that the prophets wrote about the Son of Man will happen there.


text:
The apostles did not understand what Jesus was talking about. They could not understand, because the meaning of what he said was hidden from them.


text:
The people who were going along with Jesus told the man to be quiet. But he shouted even louder, "Son of David, have pity on me!"


text:
Jesus stopped and told some people to bring the blind man over to him. When the blind man was getting near, Jesus asked,


text:
Right away the man could see, and he went with Jesus and started thanking God. When the crowds saw what happened, they praised God.


text:
Jesus was heading his way, and Zacchaeus wanted to see what he was like. But Zacchaeus was a short man and could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree.


text:
When Jesus got there, he looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, hurry down! I want to stay with you today."


text:
Everyone who saw this started grumbling, "This man Zacchaeus is a sinner! And Jesus is going home to eat with him."


text:
Later that day Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "I will give half of my property to the poor. And I will now pay back four times as much to everyone I have ever cheated."


text:
Jesus said to Zacchaeus, "Today you and your family have been saved, because you are a true son of Abraham.


text:
The crowd was still listening to Jesus as he was getting close to Jerusalem. Many of them thought that God's kingdom would soon appear,


text:
and Jesus told them this story: A prince once went to a foreign country to be crowned king and then to return.


text:
But before leaving, he called in ten servants and gave each of them some money. He told them, "Use this to earn more money until I get back."


text:
But the people of his country hated him, and they sent messengers to the foreign country to say, "We don't want this man to be our king."


text:
After the prince had been made king, he returned and called in his servants. He asked them how much they had earned with the money they had been given.


text:
"That's fine, my good servant!" the king said. "Since you have shown that you can be trusted with a small amount, you will be given ten cities to rule."


text:
You are a hard man, and I was afraid of you. You take what isn't yours, and you harvest crops you didn't plant."


text:
"You worthless servant!" the king told him. "You have condemned yourself by what you have just said. You knew that I am a hard man, taking what isn't mine and harvesting what I've not planted.


text:
Why didn't you put my money in the bank? On my return, I could have had the money together with interest."


text:
Then he said to some other servants standing there, "Take the money away from him and give it to the servant who earned ten times as much."


text:
The king replied, "Those who have something will be given more. But everything will be taken away from those who don't have anything.


text:
As he was getting near Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples on ahead.


text:
He told them, "Go into the next village, where you will find a young donkey that has never been ridden. Untie the donkey and bring it here.


text:
Then they led the donkey to Jesus. They put some of their clothes on its back and helped Jesus get on.


text:
When Jesus was starting down the Mount of Olives, his large crowd of disciples were happy and praised God because of all the miracles they had seen.


text:
They shouted, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory to God."


text:
and said: It is too bad that today your people don't know what will bring them peace! Now it is hidden from them.


text:
Jerusalem, the time will come when your enemies will build walls around you to attack you. Armies will surround you and close in on you from every side.


text:
They will level you to the ground and kill your people. Not one stone in your buildings will be left on top of another. This will happen because you did not see that God had come to save you.


text:
He told them, "The Scriptures say, 'My house should be a place of worship.' But you have made it a place where robbers hide!"


text:
Each day, Jesus kept on teaching in the temple. So the chief priests, the teachers of the Law of Moses, and some other important people tried to have him killed.


text:
One day, Jesus was teaching in the temple and telling the good news. So the chief priests, the teachers, and the nation's leaders


text:
They talked this over and said to each other, "We can't say that God gave John this right. Jesus will ask us why we didn't believe John.


text:
And we can't say that it was merely some human who gave John the right to baptize. The crowd will stone us to death, because they think John was a prophet."


text:
Jesus told the people this story: A man once planted a vineyard and rented it out. Then he left the country for a long time.


text:
When it was time to harvest the crop, he sent a servant to ask the renters for his share of the grapes. But they beat up the servant and sent him away without anything.


text:
So the owner sent another servant. The renters also beat him up. They insulted him terribly and sent him away without a thing.


text:
The owner then said to himself, "What am I going to do? I know what. I'll send my son, the one I love so much. They will surely respect him!"


text:
When the renters saw the owner's son, they said to one another, "Someday he will own the vineyard. Let's kill him! Then we can have it all for ourselves."


text:
So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Jesus asked, "What do you think the owner of the vineyard will do?


text:
I'll tell you what. He will come and kill those renters and let someone else have his vineyard." When the people heard this, they said, "This must never happen!"


text:
But Jesus looked straight at them and said, "Then what do the Scriptures mean when they say, 'The stone that the builders tossed aside is now the most important stone of all'?


text:
Anyone who stumbles over this stone will get hurt, and anyone it falls on will be smashed to pieces."


text:
The chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses knew that Jesus was talking about them when he was telling this story. They wanted to arrest him right then, but they were afraid of the people.


text:
Jesus' enemies kept watching him closely, because they wanted to hand him over to the Roman governor. So they sent some men who pretended to be good. But they were really spies trying to catch Jesus saying something wrong.


text:
The spies said to him, "Teacher, we know that you teach the truth about what God wants people to do. And you treat everyone with the same respect, no matter who they are.


text:
"Show me a coin." Then he asked, "Whose picture and name are on it?" "The Emperor's," they answered.


text:
Jesus' enemies could not catch him saying anything wrong there in front of the people. They were amazed at his answer and kept quiet.


text:
The Sadducees did not believe that people would rise to life after death. So some of them came to Jesus


text:
and said: Teacher, Moses wrote that if a married man dies and has no children, his brother should marry the widow. Their first son would then be thought of as the son of the dead brother.


text:
The same thing happened to the third one. Finally, all seven brothers married that woman and died without having any children.


text:
When God raises people from death, whose wife will this woman be? All seven brothers had married her.


text:
or die. They will be like the angels and will be God's children, because they have been raised to life.


text:
In the story about the burning bush, Moses clearly shows that people will live again. He said, "The Lord is the God worshiped by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."


text:
So the Lord isn't the God of the dead, but of the living. This means that everyone is alive as far as God is concerned.


text:
Guard against the teachers of the Law of Moses! They love to walk around in long robes, and they like to be greeted in the market. They want the front seats in the meeting places and the best seats at banquets.


text:
But they cheat widows out of their homes and then pray long prayers just to show off. These teachers will be punished most of all.


text:
Some people were talking about the beautiful stones used to build the temple and about the gifts that had been placed in it. Jesus said,


text:
"Do you see these stones? The time is coming when not one of them will be left in place. They will all be knocked down."


text:
Some people asked, "Teacher, when will all this happen? How can we know when these things are about to take place?"


text:
Jesus replied: Don't be fooled by those who will come and claim to be me. They will say, "I am Christ!" and "Now is the time!" But don't follow them.


text:
When you hear about wars and riots, don't be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn't the end.


text:
There will be great earthquakes, and in many places people will starve to death and suffer terrible diseases. All sorts of frightening things will be seen in the sky.


text:
Before all this happens, you will be arrested and punished. You will be tried in your meeting places and put in jail. Because of me you will be placed on trial before kings and governors.


text:
I will give you the wisdom to know what to say. None of your enemies will be able to oppose you or to say that you are wrong.


text:
You will be betrayed by your own parents, brothers, family, and friends. Some of you will even be killed.


text:
If you are living in Judea at that time, run to the mountains. If you are in the city, leave it. And if you are out in the country, don't go back into the city.


text:
It will be an awful time for women who are expecting babies or nursing young children! Everywhere in the land people will suffer horribly and be punished.


text:
Some of them will be killed by swords. Others will be carried off to foreign countries. Jerusalem will be overrun by foreign nations until their time comes to an end.


text:
Strange things will happen to the sun, moon, and stars. The nations on earth will be afraid of the roaring sea and tides, and they won't know what to do.


text:
People will be so frightened that they will faint because of what is happening to the world. Every power in the sky will be shaken.


text:
You can be sure that some of the people of this generation will still be alive when all of this takes place.


text:
Don't spend all of your time thinking about eating or drinking or worrying about life. If you do, the final day will suddenly catch you


text:
Watch out and keep praying that you can escape all that is going to happen and that the Son of Man will be pleased with you.


text:
The chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses were looking for a way to get rid of Jesus, because they were afraid of what the people might do.


text:
Judas went to talk with the chief priests and the officers of the temple police about how he could help them arrest Jesus.


text:
Jesus told them, "As you go into the city, you will meet a man carrying a jar of water. Follow him into the house


text:
and say to the owner, 'Our teacher wants to know where he can eat the Passover meal with his disciples.'


text:
The owner will take you upstairs and show you a large room ready for you to use. Prepare the meal there."


text:
Peter and John left. They found everything just as Jesus had told them, and they prepared the Passover meal.


text:
Jesus took a cup of wine in his hands and gave thanks to God. Then he told the apostles, "Take this wine and share it with each other.


text:
Jesus took some bread in his hands and gave thanks for it. He broke the bread and handed it to his apostles. Then he said, "This is my body, which is given for you. Eat this as a way of remembering me!"


text:
After the meal he took another cup of wine in his hands. Then he said, "This is my blood. It is poured out for you, and with it God makes his new agreement.


text:
The Son of Man will die in the way that has been decided for him, but it will be terrible for the one who betrays him!"


text:
So Jesus told them: Foreign kings order their people around, and powerful rulers call themselves everyone's friends.


text:
But don't be like them. The most important one of you should be like the least important, and your leader should be like a servant.


text:
Who do people think is the greatest, a person who is served or one who serves? Isn't it the one who is served? But I have been with you as a servant.


text:
So I will give you the right to rule as kings, just as my Father has given me the right to rule as a king.


text:
You will eat and drink with me in my kingdom, and you will each sit on a throne to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.


text:
Jesus said, "Simon, listen to me! Satan has demanded the right to test each one of you, as a farmer does when he separates wheat from the husks.


text:
But Simon, I have prayed that your faith will be strong. And when you have come back to me, help the others."


text:
Jesus replied, "Peter, I tell you that before a rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will say three times that you don't know me."


text:
Jesus asked his disciples, "When I sent you out without a moneybag or a traveling bag or sandals, did you need anything?" "No!" they answered.


text:
Jesus told them, "But now, if you have a moneybag, take it with you. Also take a traveling bag, and if you don't have a sword, sell some of your clothes and buy one.


text:
Do this because the Scriptures say, 'He was considered a criminal.' This was written about me, and it will soon come true."


text:
"Father, if you will, please don't make me suffer by having me drink from this cup. But do what you want, and not what I want."


text:
Jesus was in great pain and prayed so sincerely that his sweat fell to the ground like drops of blood.


text:
Jesus got up from praying and went over to his disciples. They were asleep and worn out from being so sad.


text:
While Jesus was still speaking, a crowd came up. It was led by Judas, one of the twelve apostles. He went over to Jesus and greeted him with a kiss.


text:
When Jesus' disciples saw what was about to happen, they asked, "Lord, should we attack them with a sword?"


text:
One of the disciples even struck at the high priest's servant with his sword and cut off the servant's right ear.


text:
Jesus spoke to the chief priests, the temple police, and the leaders who had come to arrest him. He said, "Why do you come out with swords and clubs and treat me like a criminal?


text:
I was with you every day in the temple, and you didn't arrest me. But this is your time, and darkness is in control."


text:
Jesus was arrested and led away to the house of the high priest, while Peter followed at a distance.


text:
Some people built a fire in the middle of the courtyard and were sitting around it. Peter sat there with them,


text:
and a servant girl saw him. Then after she had looked at him carefully, she said, "This man was with Jesus!"


text:
A little later someone else saw Peter and said, "You are one of them!" "No, I'm not!" Peter replied.


text:
About an hour later another man insisted, "This man must have been with Jesus. They both come from Galilee."


text:
Peter replied, "I don't know what you are talking about!" Right then, while Peter was still speaking, a rooster crowed.


text:
The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered that the Lord had said, "Before a rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will say three times that you don't know me."


text:
At daybreak the nation's leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses got together and brought Jesus before their council.


text:
They started accusing him and said, "We caught this man trying to get our people to riot and to stop paying taxes to the Emperor. He also claims that he is the Messiah, our king."


text:
But they all kept on saying, "He has been teaching and causing trouble all over Judea. He started in Galilee and has now come all the way here."


text:
After Pilate learned that Jesus came from the region ruled by Herod, he sent him to Herod, who was in Jerusalem at that time.


text:
For a long time Herod had wanted to see Jesus and was very happy because he finally had this chance. He had heard many things about Jesus and hoped to see him work a miracle.


text:
Then the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses stood up and accused him of all kinds of bad things.


text:
Herod and his soldiers made fun of Jesus and insulted him. They put a fine robe on him and sent him back to Pilate.


text:
He told them, "You brought Jesus to me and said he was a troublemaker. But I have questioned him here in front of you, and I have not found him guilty of anything that you say he has done.


text:
Pilate spoke to them a third time, "But what crime has he done? I have not found him guilty of anything for which he should be put to death. I will have him beaten with a whip and set free."


text:
He freed the man who was in jail for rioting and murder, because he was the one the crowd wanted to be set free. Then Pilate handed Jesus over for them to do what they wanted with him.


text:
As Jesus was being led away, some soldiers grabbed hold of a man from Cyrene named Simon. He was coming in from the fields, but they put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.


text:
Jesus turned to the women and said: Women of Jerusalem, don't cry for me! Cry for yourselves and for your children.


text:
At that time everyone will say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" They will say to the hills, "Hide us!"


text:
When the soldiers came to the place called "The Skull," they nailed Jesus to a cross. They also nailed the two criminals to crosses, one on each side of Jesus.


text:
Jesus said, "Father, forgive these people! They don't know what they're doing." While the crowd stood there watching Jesus, the soldiers gambled for his clothes. The leaders insulted him by saying, "He saved others. Now he should save himself, if he really is God's chosen Messiah!"


text:
One of the criminals hanging there also insulted Jesus by saying, "Aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and save us!"


text:
But the other criminal told the first one off, "Don't you fear God? Aren't you getting the same punishment as this man?


text:
When the Roman officer saw what had happened, he praised God and said, "Jesus must really have been a good man!"


text:
A crowd had gathered to see the terrible sight. Then after they had seen it, they felt brokenhearted and went home.


text:
All of Jesus' close friends and the women who had come with him from Galilee stood at a distance and watched.


text:
There was a man named Joseph, who was from Arimathea in Judea. Joseph was a good and honest man, and he was eager for God's kingdom to come. He was also a member of the council, but he did not agree with what they had decided.


text:
He took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in fine cloth. Then he put it in a tomb that had been cut out of solid rock and had never been used.


text:
The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and watched how Jesus' body was placed in the tomb.


text:
Then they went to prepare some sweet-smelling spices for his burial. But on the Sabbath they rested, as the Law of Moses commands.


text:
Very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, carrying the spices that they had prepared.


text:
The women were afraid and bowed to the ground. But the men said, "Why are you looking in the place of the dead for someone who is alive?


text:
Jesus isn't here! He has been raised from death. Remember that while he was still in Galilee, he told you,


text:
'The Son of Man will be handed over to sinners who will nail him to a cross. But three days later he will rise to life.' "


text:
Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and some other women were the ones who had gone to the tomb. When they returned, they told the eleven apostles and the others what had happened.


text:
But Peter ran to the tomb. And when he stooped down and looked in, he saw only the burial clothes. Then he returned, wondering what had happened.


text:
That same day two of Jesus' disciples were going to the village of Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem.


text:
Jesus asked them, "What were you talking about as you walked along?" The two of them stood there looking sad and gloomy.


text:
Then the one named Cleopas asked Jesus, "Are you the only person from Jerusalem who didn't know what was happening there these last few days?"


text:
"What do you mean?" Jesus asked. They answered: Those things that happened to Jesus from Nazareth. By what he did and said he showed that he was a powerful prophet, who pleased God and all the people.


text:
We had hoped that he would be the one to set Israel free! But it has already been three days since all this happened.


text:
but did not find the body of Jesus. They came back, saying that they had seen a vision of angels who told them that he is alive.


text:
Some men from our group went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said. But they didn't see Jesus either.


text:
Then Jesus asked the two disciples, "Why can't you understand? How can you be so slow to believe all that the prophets said?


text:
Jesus then explained everything written about himself in the Scriptures, beginning with the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets.


text:
They begged him, "Stay with us! It's already late, and the sun is going down." So Jesus went into the house to stay with them.


text:
After Jesus sat down to eat, he took some bread. He blessed it and broke it. Then he gave it to them.


text:
They said to each other, "When he talked with us along the road and explained the Scriptures to us, didn't it warm our hearts?"


text:
So they got right up and returned to Jerusalem. The two disciples found the eleven apostles and the others gathered together.


text:
Then the disciples from Emmaus told what happened on the road and how they knew he was the Lord when he broke the bread.


text:
Look at my hands and my feet and see who I am! Touch me and find out for yourselves. Ghosts don't have flesh and bones as you see I have."


text:
The disciples were so glad and amazed that they could not believe it. Jesus then asked them, "Do you have something to eat?"


text:
Jesus said to them, "While I was still with you, I told you that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Books of the Prophets, and in the Psalms had to happen."


text:
He told them: The Scriptures say that the Messiah must suffer, then three days later he will rise from death.


text:
They also say that all people of every nation must be told in my name to turn to God, in order to be forgiven. So beginning in Jerusalem,


text:
I will send you the one my Father has promised, but you must stay in the city until you are given power from heaven.


text:
And with this Word, God created all things. Nothing was made without the Word. Everything that was created


text:
Yet some people accepted him and put their faith in him. So he gave them the right to be the children of God.


text:
They were not God's children by nature or because of any human desires. God himself was the one who made them his children.


text:
The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us.


text:
John spoke about him and shouted, "This is the one I told you would come! He is greater than I am, because he was alive before I was born."


text:
No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is truly God and is closest to the Father, has shown us what God is like.


text:
The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and temple helpers to ask John who he was. He told them plainly, "I am not the Messiah."


text:
Then when they asked him if he were Elijah, he said, "No, I am not!" And when they asked if he were the Prophet, he also said "No!"


text:
Finally, they said, "Who are you then? We have to give an answer to the ones who sent us. Tell us who you are!"


text:
John answered in the words of the prophet Isaiah, "I am only someone shouting in the desert, 'Get the road ready for the Lord!' "


text:
They asked him, "Why are you baptizing people, if you are not the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet?"


text:
The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said: Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!


text:
He is the one I told you about when I said, "Someone else will come. He is greater than I am, because he was alive before I was born."


text:
I didn't know who he was. But I came to baptize you with water, so that everyone in Israel would see him.


text:
I was there and saw the Spirit come down on him like a dove from heaven. And the Spirit stayed on him.


text:
Before this I didn't know who he was. But the one who sent me to baptize with water had told me, "You will see the Spirit come down and stay on someone. Then you will know that he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit."


text:
When Jesus turned and saw them, he asked, "What do you want?" They answered, "Rabbi, where do you live?" The Hebrew word "Rabbi" means "Teacher."


text:
Jesus replied, "Come and see!" It was already about four o'clock in the afternoon when they went with him and saw where he lived. So they stayed on for the rest of the day.


text:
One of the two men who had heard John and had gone with Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.


text:
The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother and tell him, "We have found the Messiah!" The Hebrew word "Messiah" means the same as the Greek word "Christ."


text:
Andrew brought his brother to Jesus. And when Jesus saw him, he said, "Simon son of John, you will be called Cephas." This name can be translated as "Peter."


text:
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. There he met Philip, who was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. Jesus said to Philip, "Come with me."


text:
Philip then found Nathanael and said, "We have found the one that Moses and the Prophets wrote about. He is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth."


text:
When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said, "Here is a true descendant of our ancestor Israel. And he isn't deceitful."


text:
"How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree."


text:
Jesus answered, "Did you believe me just because I said that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see something even greater.


text:
I tell you for certain that you will see heaven open and God's angels going up and coming down on the Son of Man."


text:
Three days later Mary, the mother of Jesus, was at a wedding feast in the village of Cana in Galilee.


text:
At the feast there were six stone water jars that were used by the people for washing themselves in the way that their religion said they must. Each jar held about twenty or thirty gallons.


text:
he said, "Now take some water and give it to the man in charge of the feast." The servants did as Jesus told them,


text:
and the man in charge drank some of the water that had now turned into wine. He did not know where the wine had come from, but the servants did. He called the bridegroom over


text:
and said, "The best wine is always served first. Then after the guests have had plenty, the other wine is served. But you have kept the best until last!"


text:
This was Jesus' first miracle, and he did it in the village of Cana in Galilee. There Jesus showed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.


text:
After this, he went with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples to the town of Capernaum, where they stayed for a few days.


text:
There he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves in the temple. He also saw moneychangers sitting at their tables.


text:
So he took some rope and made a whip. Then he chased everyone out of the temple, together with their sheep and cattle. He turned over the tables of the moneychangers and scattered their coins.


text:
Jesus said to the people who had been selling doves, "Get those doves out of here! Don't make my Father's house a marketplace."


text:
The disciples then remembered that the Scriptures say, "My love for your house burns in me like a fire."


text:
The leaders replied, "It took forty-six years to build this temple. What makes you think you can rebuild it in three days?"


text:
And when he was raised from death, his disciples remembered what he had told them. Then they believed the Scriptures and the words of Jesus.


text:
In Jerusalem during Passover many people put their faith in Jesus, because they saw him work miracles.


text:
One night he went to Jesus and said, "Sir, we know that God has sent you to teach us. You could not work these miracles, unless God were with you."


text:
Jesus replied, "I tell you for certain that you must be born from above before you can see God's kingdom!"


text:
Jesus answered: I tell you for certain that before you can get into God's kingdom, you must be born not only by water, but by the Spirit.


text:
Only God's Spirit gives new life. The Spirit is like the wind that blows wherever it wants to. You can hear the wind, but you don't know where it comes from or where it is going.


text:
I tell you for certain that we know what we are talking about because we have seen it ourselves. But none of you will accept what we say.


text:
If you don't believe when I talk to you about things on earth, how can you possibly believe if I talk to you about things in heaven?


text:
And the Son of Man must be lifted up, just as that metal snake was lifted up by Moses in the desert.


text:
God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.


text:
No one who has faith in God's Son will be condemned. But everyone who doesn't have faith in him has already been condemned for not having faith in God's only Son.


text:
The light has come into the world, and people who do evil things are judged guilty because they love the dark more than the light.


text:
People who do evil hate the light and won't come to the light, because it clearly shows what they have done.


text:
But everyone who lives by the truth will come to the light, because they want others to know that God is really the one doing what they do.


text:
Later, Jesus and his disciples went to Judea, where he stayed with them for a while and was baptizing people.


text:
John had not yet been put in jail. He was at Aenon near Salim, where there was a lot of water, and people were coming there for John to baptize them.


text:
They went to John and said, "Rabbi, you spoke about a man when you were with him east of the Jordan. He is now baptizing people, and everyone is going to him."


text:
At a wedding the groom is the one who gets married. The best man is glad just to be there and to hear the groom's voice. That's why I am so glad.


text:
God's Son comes from heaven and is above all others. Everyone who comes from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all others.


text:
Everyone who has faith in the Son has eternal life. But no one who rejects him will ever share in that life, and God will be angry with them forever.


text:
Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard that he was winning and baptizing more followers than John was.


text:
and on his way he came to the town of Sychar. It was near the field that Jacob had long ago given to his son Joseph.


text:
The well that Jacob had dug was still there, and Jesus sat down beside it because he was tired from traveling. It was noon, and after Jesus' disciples had gone into town to buy some food, a Samaritan woman came to draw water from the well. Jesus asked her, "Would you please give me a drink of water?"


text:
"You are a Jew," she replied, "and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink of water when Jews and Samaritans won't have anything to do with each other?"


text:
Jesus answered, "You don't know what God wants to give you, and you don't know who is asking you for a drink. If you did, you would ask me for the water that gives life."


text:
"Sir," the woman said, "you don't even have a bucket, and the well is deep. Where are you going to get this life-giving water?


text:
Our ancestor Jacob dug this well for us, and his family and animals got water from it. Are you greater than Jacob?"


text:
But no one who drinks the water I give will ever be thirsty again. The water I give is like a flowing fountain that gives eternal life."


text:
The woman replied, "Sir, please give me a drink of that water! Then I won't get thirsty and have to come to this well again."


text:
The woman answered, "I don't have a husband." "That's right," Jesus replied, "you're telling the truth. You don't have a husband. You have already been married five times, and the man you are now living with isn't your husband."


text:
Jesus said to her: Believe me, the time is coming when you won't worship the Father either on this mountain or in Jerusalem.


text:
You Samaritans don't really know the one you worship. But we Jews do know the God we worship, and by using us, God will save the world.


text:
But a time is coming, and it is already here! Even now the true worshipers are being led by the Spirit to worship the Father according to the truth. These are the ones the Father is seeking to worship him.


text:
God is Spirit, and those who worship God must be led by the Spirit to worship him according to the truth.


text:
The woman said, "I know that the Messiah will come. He is the one we call Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."


text:
The disciples returned about this time and were surprised to find Jesus talking with a woman. But none of them asked him what he wanted or why he was talking with her.


text:
Jesus said: My food is to do what God wants! He is the one who sent me, and I must finish the work that he gave me to do.


text:
You may say that there are still four months until harvest time. But I tell you to look, and you will see that the fields are ripe and ready to harvest.


text:
Even now the harvest workers are receiving their reward by gathering a harvest that brings eternal life. Then everyone who planted the seed and everyone who harvests the crop will celebrate together.


text:
A lot of Samaritans in that town put their faith in Jesus because the woman had said, "This man told me everything I have ever done."


text:
They told the woman, "We no longer have faith in Jesus just because of what you told us. We have heard him ourselves, and we are certain that he is the Savior of the world!"


text:
Jesus had said, "Prophets are honored everywhere, except in their own country." Then two days later he left


text:
and went to Galilee. The people there welcomed him, because they had gone to the festival in Jerusalem and had seen everything he had done.


text:
While Jesus was in Galilee, he returned to the village of Cana, where he had turned the water into wine. There was an official in Capernaum whose son was sick.


text:
And when the man heard that Jesus had come from Judea, he went and begged him to keep his son from dying.


text:
Jesus then said, "Your son will live. Go on home to him." The man believed Jesus and started back home.


text:
He asked them when the boy got better, and they answered, "The fever left him yesterday at one o'clock."


text:
The boy's father realized that at one o'clock the day before, Jesus had told him, "Your son will live!" So the man and everyone in his family put their faith in Jesus.


text:
When Jesus saw the man and realized that he had been crippled for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to be healed?"


text:
The man answered, "Lord, I don't have anyone to put me in the pool when the water is stirred up. I try to get in, but someone else always gets there first."


text:
Right then the man was healed. He picked up his mat and started walking around. The day on which this happened was a Sabbath.


text:
When the Jewish leaders saw the man carrying his mat, they said to him, "This is the Sabbath! No one is allowed to carry a mat on the Sabbath."


text:
Later, Jesus met the man in the temple and told him, "You are now well. But don't sin anymore or something worse might happen to you."


text:
Now the leaders wanted to kill Jesus for two reasons. First, he had broken the law of the Sabbath. But even worse, he had said that God was his Father, which made him equal with God.


text:
Jesus told the people: I tell you for certain that the Son cannot do anything on his own. He can do only what he sees the Father doing, and he does exactly what he sees the Father do.


text:
The Father loves the Son and has shown him everything he does. The Father will show him even greater things, and you will be amazed.


text:
The Father wants all people to honor the Son as much as they honor him. When anyone refuses to honor the Son, that is the same as refusing to honor the Father who sent him.


text:
I tell you for certain that everyone who hears my message and has faith in the one who sent me has eternal life and will never be condemned. They have already gone from death to life.


text:
I tell you for certain that the time will come, and it is already here, when all of the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen to it will live!


text:
and they will come out of their graves. Everyone who has done good things will rise to life, but everyone who has done evil things will rise and be condemned.


text:
I cannot do anything on my own. The Father sent me, and he is the one who told me how to judge. I judge with fairness, because I obey him, and I don't just try to please myself.


text:
But something more important than John speaks for me. I mean the things that the Father has given me to do! All of these speak for me and prove that the Father sent me.


text:
The Father who sent me also speaks for me, but you have never heard his voice or seen him face to face.


text:
You search the Scriptures, because you think you will find eternal life in them. The Scriptures tell about me,


text:
I have come with my Father's authority, and you have not welcomed me. But you will welcome people who come on their own.


text:
How could you possibly believe? You like to have your friends praise you, and you don't care about praise that the only God can give!


text:
Don't think that I will be the one to accuse you to the Father. You have put your hope in Moses, yet he is the very one who will accuse you.


text:
It was almost time for the Jewish festival of Passover, and Jesus went up on a mountain with his disciples and sat down.


text:
When Jesus saw the large crowd coming toward him, he asked Philip, "Where will we get enough food to feed all these people?"


text:
Philip answered, "Don't you know that it would take almost a year's wages just to buy only a little bread for each of these people?"


text:
"There is a boy here who has five small loaves of barley bread and two fish. But what good is that with all these people?"


text:
The ground was covered with grass, and Jesus told his disciples to have everyone sit down. About five thousand men were in the crowd.


text:
Jesus took the bread in his hands and gave thanks to God. Then he passed the bread to the people, and he did the same with the fish, until everyone had plenty to eat.


text:
The people ate all they wanted, and Jesus told his disciples to gather up the leftovers, so that nothing would be wasted.


text:
The disciples gathered them up and filled twelve large baskets with what was left over from the five barley loaves.


text:
After the people had seen Jesus work this miracle, they began saying, "This must be the Prophet who is to come into the world!"


text:
Jesus realized that they would try to force him to be their king. So he went up on a mountain, where he could be alone.


text:
They got into a boat and started across for Capernaum. Later that evening Jesus had still not come to them,


text:
When the disciples had rowed for three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the water. He kept coming closer to the boat, and they were terrified.


text:
The disciples wanted to take him into the boat, but suddenly the boat reached the shore where they were headed.


text:
The people who had stayed on the east side of the lake knew that only one boat had been there. They also knew that Jesus had not left in it with his disciples. But the next day


text:
some boats from Tiberias sailed near the place where the crowd had eaten the bread for which the Lord had given thanks.


text:
They saw that Jesus and his disciples had left. Then they got into the boats and went to Capernaum to look for Jesus.


text:
Jesus answered, "I tell you for certain that you are not looking for me because you saw the miracles, but because you ate all the food you wanted.


text:
Don't work for food that spoils. Work for food that gives eternal life. The Son of Man will give you this food, because God the Father has given him the right to do so."


text:
For example, when our ancestors were in the desert, they were given manna to eat. It happened just as the Scriptures say, 'God gave them bread from heaven to eat.' "


text:
Jesus then told them, "I tell you for certain that Moses wasn't the one who gave you bread from heaven. My Father is the one who gives you the true bread from heaven.


text:
Jesus replied: I am the bread that gives life! No one who comes to me will ever be hungry. No one who has faith in me will ever be thirsty.


text:
Everything and everyone that the Father has given me will come to me, and I won't turn any of them away.


text:
I didn't come from heaven to do what I want! I came to do what the Father wants me to do. He sent me,


text:
and he wants to make certain that none of the ones he has given me will be lost. Instead, he wants me to raise them to life on the last day.


text:
My Father wants everyone who sees the Son to have faith in him and to have eternal life. Then I will raise them to life on the last day.


text:
The people started grumbling because Jesus had said he was the bread that had come down from heaven.


text:
They were asking each other, "Isn't he Jesus, the son of Joseph? Don't we know his father and mother? How can he say that he has come down from heaven?"


text:
No one can come to me, unless the Father who sent me makes them want to come. But if they do come, I will raise them to life on the last day.


text:
One of the prophets wrote, "God will teach all of them." And so everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him will come to me.


text:
The only one who has seen the Father is the one who has come from him. No one else has ever seen the Father.


text:
I am that bread from heaven! Everyone who eats it will live forever. My flesh is the life-giving bread that I give to the people of this world.


text:
Jesus answered: I tell you for certain that you won't live unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man.


text:
But if you do eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will have eternal life, and I will raise you to life on the last day.


text:
The living Father sent me, and I have life because of him. Now everyone who eats my flesh will live because of me.


text:
The bread that comes down from heaven isn't like what your ancestors ate. They died, but whoever eats this bread will live forever.


text:
The Spirit is the one who gives life! Human strength can do nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are from that life-giving Spirit.


text:
But some of you refuse to have faith in me." Jesus said this, because from the beginning he knew who would have faith in him. He also knew which one would betray him.


text:
Then Jesus said, "You cannot come to me, unless the Father makes you want to come. That is why I have told these things to all of you."


text:
Because of what Jesus said, many of his disciples turned their backs on him and stopped following him.


text:
Jesus was talking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. He would later betray Jesus, even though he was one of the twelve disciples.


text:
Jesus decided to leave Judea and to start going through Galilee because the Jewish leaders wanted to kill him.


text:
and Jesus' brothers said to him, "Why don't you go to Judea? Then your disciples can see what you are doing.


text:
No one does anything in secret, if they want others to know about them. So let the world know what you are doing!"


text:
The people of this world cannot hate you. They hate me, because I tell them that they do evil things.


text:
The crowds even got into an argument about him. Some were saying, "Jesus is a good man," while others were saying, "He is lying to everyone."


text:
Jesus replied: I am not teaching something that I thought up. What I teach comes from the one who sent me.


text:
If I wanted to bring honor to myself, I would speak for myself. But I want to honor the one who sent me. That is why I tell the truth and not a lie.


text:
Moses commanded you to circumcise your sons. But it wasn't really Moses who gave you this command. It was your ancestors, and even on the Sabbath you circumcise your sons


text:
in order to obey the Law of Moses. Why are you angry with me for making someone completely well on the Sabbath?


text:
Yet here he is, speaking for everyone to hear. And no one is arguing with him. Do you suppose the authorities know that he is the Messiah?


text:
But how could that be? No one knows where the Messiah will come from, but we know where this man comes from."


text:
As Jesus was teaching in the temple, he shouted, "Do you really think you know me and where I came from? I didn't come on my own! The one who sent me is truthful, and you don't know him.


text:
Some of the people wanted to arrest Jesus right then. But no one even laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come.


text:
A lot of people in the crowd put their faith in him and said, "When the Messiah comes, he surely won't perform more miracles than this man has done!"


text:
When the Pharisees heard the crowd arguing about Jesus, they got together with the chief priests and sent some temple police to arrest him.


text:
But Jesus told them, "I will be with you a little while longer, and then I will return to the one who sent me.


text:
The Jewish leaders asked each other, "Where can he go to keep us from finding him? Is he going to some foreign country where our people live? Is he going there to teach the Greeks?


text:
What did he mean by saying that we will look for him, but won't find him? Why can't we go where he is going?"


text:
On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted, "If you are thirsty, come to me and drink!


text:
Have faith in me, and you will have life-giving water flowing from deep inside you, just as the Scriptures say."


text:
Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit, who would be given to everyone that had faith in him. The Spirit had not yet been given to anyone, since Jesus had not yet been given his full glory.


text:
The Scriptures say that the Messiah will come from the family of King David. Doesn't this mean that he will be born in David's hometown of Bethlehem?"


text:
When the temple police returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, they were asked, "Why didn't you bring Jesus here?"


text:
Nicodemus was there at the time. He was a member of the council, and was the same one who had earlier come to see Jesus. He said,


text:
"Our Law doesn't let us condemn people before we hear what they have to say. We cannot judge them before we know what they have done."


text:
Then they said, "Nicodemus, you must be from Galilee! Read the Scriptures, and you will find that no prophet is to come from Galilee."


text:
Then early the next morning he went to the temple. The people came to him, and he sat down and started teaching them.


text:
The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses brought in a woman who had been caught in bed with a man who wasn't her husband. They made her stand in the middle of the crowd.


text:
They asked Jesus this question, because they wanted to test him and bring some charge against him. But Jesus simply bent over and started writing on the ground with his finger.


text:
They kept on asking Jesus about the woman. Finally, he stood up and said, "If any of you have never sinned, then go ahead and throw the first stone at her!"


text:
The people left one by one, beginning with the oldest. Finally, Jesus and the woman were there alone.


text:
"No sir," the woman answered. Then Jesus told her, "I am not going to accuse you either. You may go now, but don't sin anymore."


text:
Once again Jesus spoke to the people. This time he said, "I am the light for the world! Follow me, and you won't be walking in the dark. You will have the light that gives life."


text:
Jesus replied: Even if I do speak for myself, what I say is true! I know where I came from and where I am going. But you don't know where I am from or where I am going.


text:
If I did judge, I would judge fairly, because I would not be doing it alone. The Father who sent me is here with me.


text:
"Where is your Father?" they asked. "You don't know me or my Father!" Jesus answered. "If you knew me, you would know my Father."


text:
Jesus said this while he was still teaching in the place where the temple treasures were stored. But no one arrested him, because his time had not yet come.


text:
Jesus also told them, "I am going away, and you will look for me. But you cannot go where I am going, and you will die with your sins unforgiven."


text:
The Jewish leaders asked, "Does he intend to kill himself? Is that what he means by saying we cannot go where he is going?"


text:
That is why I said you will die with your sins unforgiven. If you don't have faith in me for who I am, you will die, and your sins will not be forgiven."


text:
There is a lot more I could say to condemn you. But the one who sent me is truthful, and I tell the people of this world only what I have heard from him."


text:
Jesus went on to say, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, you will know who I am. You will also know that I don't do anything on my own. I say only what my Father taught me.


text:
Jesus told the people who had faith in him, "If you keep on obeying what I have said, you truly are my disciples.


text:
They answered, "We are Abraham's children! We have never been anyone's slaves. How can you say we will be set free?"


text:
I know that you are from Abraham's family. Yet you want to kill me, because my message isn't really in your hearts.


text:
I am telling you what my Father has shown me, just as you are doing what your father has taught you.


text:
The people said to Jesus, "Abraham is our father!" Jesus replied, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do what Abraham did.


text:
Instead, you want to kill me for telling you the truth that God gave me. Abraham never did anything like that.


text:
But you are doing exactly what your father does." "Don't accuse us of having someone else as our father!" they said. "We just have one father, and he is God."


text:
Jesus answered: If God were your Father, you would love me, because I came from God and only from him. He sent me. I did not come on my own.


text:
Your father is the devil, and you do exactly what he wants. He has always been a murderer and a liar. There is nothing truthful about him. He speaks on his own, and everything he says is a lie. Not only is he a liar himself, but he is also the father of all lies.


text:
Can any of you accuse me of sin? If you cannot, why won't you have faith in me? After all, I am telling you the truth.


text:
Anyone who belongs to God will listen to his message. But you refuse to listen, because you don't belong to God.


text:
The people told Jesus, "We were right to say that you are a Samaritan and that you have a demon in you!"


text:
I don't want honor for myself. But there is one who wants me to be honored, and he is also the one who judges.


text:
Then the people said, "Now we are sure that you have a demon. Abraham is dead, and so are the prophets. How can you say that no one who obeys your words will ever die?


text:
Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?"


text:
Jesus replied, "If I honored myself, it would mean nothing. My Father is the one who honors me. You claim that he is your God,


text:
even though you don't really know him. If I said I didn't know him, I would be a liar, just like all of you. But I know him, and I do what he says.


text:
Jesus' disciples asked, "Teacher, why was this man born blind? Was it because he or his parents sinned?"


text:
"No, it wasn't!" Jesus answered. "But because of his blindness, you will see God work a miracle for him.


text:
As long as it is day, we must do what the one who sent me wants me to do. When night comes, no one can work.


text:
Then he said, "Go and wash off the mud in Siloam Pool." The man went and washed in Siloam, which means "One Who Is Sent." When he had washed off the mud, he could see.


text:
The man's neighbors and the people who had seen him begging wondered if he really could be the same man.


text:
Some of them said he was the same beggar, while others said he only looked like him. But he told them, "I am that man."


text:
He answered, "Someone named Jesus made some mud and smeared it on my eyes. He told me to go and wash it off in Siloam Pool. When I did, I could see."


text:
The day when Jesus made the mud and healed the man was a Sabbath. So the people took the man to the Pharisees.


text:
They asked him how he was able to see, and he answered, "Jesus made some mud and smeared it on my eyes. Then after I washed it off, I could see."


text:
Some of the Pharisees said, "This man Jesus doesn't come from God. If he did, he would not break the law of the Sabbath." Others asked, "How could someone who is a sinner work such a miracle?" Since the Pharisees could not agree among themselves,


text:
they asked the man, "What do you say about this one who healed your eyes?" "He is a prophet!" the man told them.


text:
But the Jewish leaders would not believe that the man had once been blind. They sent for his parents


text:
But we don't know how he got his sight or who gave it to him. Ask him! He is old enough to speak for himself."


text:
The man's parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. The leaders had already agreed that no one was to have anything to do with anyone who said Jesus was the Messiah.


text:
The leaders called the man back and said, "Swear by God to tell the truth! We know that Jesus is a sinner."


text:
The man replied, "I don't know if he is a sinner or not. All I know is that I used to be blind, but now I can see!"


text:
The man answered, "I have already told you once, and you refused to listen. Why do you want me to tell you again? Do you also want to become his disciples?"


text:
The leaders told the man, "You have been a sinner since the day you were born! Do you think you can teach us anything?" Then they said, "You can never come back into any of our meeting places!"


text:
When Jesus heard what had happened, he went and found the man. Then Jesus asked, "Do you have faith in the Son of Man?"


text:
Jesus told him, "I came to judge the people of this world. I am here to give sight to the blind and to make blind everyone who can see."


text:
Jesus answered, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty. But now that you claim to see, you will keep on being guilty."


text:
Jesus said: I tell you for certain that only thieves and robbers climb over the fence instead of going in through the gate to the sheep pen.


text:
But the gatekeeper opens the gate for the shepherd, and he goes in through it. The sheep know their shepherd's voice. He calls each of them by name and leads them out.


text:
When he has led out all of his sheep, he walks in front of them, and they follow, because they know his voice.


text:
I am the gate. All who come in through me will be saved. Through me they will come and go and find pasture.


text:
A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest.


text:
Hired workers are not like the shepherd. They don't own the sheep, and when they see a wolf coming, they run off and leave the sheep. Then the wolf attacks and scatters the flock.


text:
I have other sheep that are not in this sheep pen. I must bring them together too, when they hear my voice. Then there will be one flock of sheep and one shepherd.


text:
No one takes my life from me. I give it up willingly! I have the power to give it up and the power to receive it back again, just as my Father commanded me to do.


text:
But others said, "How could anyone with a demon in him say these things? No one like that could give sight to a blind person!"


text:
and the people gathered all around him. They said, "How long are you going to keep us guessing? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly!"


text:
Jesus answered: I have told you, and you refused to believe me. The things I do by my Father's authority show who I am.


text:
and I give them eternal life, so that they will never be lost. No one can snatch them out of my hand.


text:
My Father gave them to me, and he is greater than all others. No one can snatch them from his hands,


text:
But he said, "I have shown you many good things that my Father sent me to do. Which one are you going to stone me for?"


text:
They answered, "We are not stoning you because of any good thing you did. We are stoning you because you did a terrible thing. You are just a man, and here you are claiming to be God!"


text:
So why do you accuse me of a terrible sin for saying that I am the Son of God? After all, it is the Father who prepared me for this work. He is also the one who sent me into the world.


text:
But if I do what my Father does, you should believe because of that, even if you don't have faith in me. Then you will know for certain that the Father is one with me, and I am one with the Father.


text:
many people came to him. They were saying, "John didn't work any miracles, but everything he said about Jesus is true."


text:
A man by the name of Lazarus was sick in the village of Bethany. He had two sisters, Mary and Martha. This was the same Mary who later poured perfume on the Lord's head and wiped his feet with her hair.


text:
When Jesus heard this, he said, "His sickness won't end in death. It will bring glory to God and his Son."


text:
Jesus answered, "Aren't there twelve hours in each day? If you walk during the day, you will have light from the sun, and you won't stumble.


text:
I am glad that I wasn't there, because now you will have a chance to put your faith in me. Let's go to him."


text:
Thomas, whose nickname was "Twin," said to the other disciples, "Come on. Let's go, so we can die with him."


text:
Martha answered, "I know that he will be raised to life on the last day, when all the dead are raised."


text:
Jesus then said, "I am the one who raises the dead to life! Everyone who has faith in me will live, even if they die.


text:
"Yes, Lord!" she replied. "I believe that you are Christ, the Son of God. You are the one we hoped would come into the world."


text:
After Martha said this, she went and privately said to her sister Mary, "The Teacher is here, and he wants to see you."


text:
Many people had come to comfort Mary, and when they saw her quickly leave the house, they thought she was going out to the tomb to cry. So they followed her.


text:
Mary went to where Jesus was. Then as soon as she saw him, she knelt at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."


text:
Jesus was still terribly upset. So he went to the tomb, which was a cave with a stone rolled against the entrance.


text:
Then he told the people to roll the stone away. But Martha said, "Lord, you know that Lazarus has been dead four days, and there will be a bad smell."


text:
After the stone had been rolled aside, Jesus looked up toward heaven and prayed, "Father, I thank you for answering my prayer.


text:
I know that you always answer my prayers. But I said this, so that the people here would believe that you sent me."


text:
The man who had been dead came out. His hands and feet were wrapped with strips of burial cloth, and a cloth covered his face. Jesus then told the people, "Untie him and let him go."


text:
Many of the people who had come to visit Mary saw the things that Jesus did, and they put their faith in him.


text:
Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called the council together and said, "What should we do? This man is working a lot of miracles.


text:
If we don't stop him now, everyone will put their faith in him. Then the Romans will come and destroy our temple and our nation."


text:
One of the council members was Caiaphas, who was also high priest that year. He spoke up and said, "You people don't have any sense at all!


text:
Don't you know it is better for one person to die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed?"


text:
Caiaphas did not say this on his own. As high priest that year, he was prophesying that Jesus would die for the nation.


text:
Yet Jesus would not die just for the Jewish nation. He would die to bring together all of God's scattered people.


text:
Because of this plot against him, Jesus stopped going around in public. He went to the town of Ephraim, which was near the desert, and he stayed there with his disciples.


text:
It was almost time for Passover. Many of the Jewish people who lived out in the country had come to Jerusalem to get themselves ready for the festival.


text:
They looked around for Jesus. Then when they were in the temple, they asked each other, "You don't think he will come here for Passover, do you?"


text:
The chief priests and the Pharisees told the people to let them know if any of them saw Jesus. That is how they hoped to arrest him.


text:
Mary took a very expensive bottle of perfume and poured it on Jesus' feet. She wiped them with her hair, and the sweet smell of the perfume filled the house.


text:
A disciple named Judas Iscariot was there. He was the one who was going to betray Jesus, and he asked,


text:
Judas did not really care about the poor. He asked this because he carried the moneybag and sometimes would steal from it.


text:
A lot of people came when they heard that Jesus was there. They also wanted to see Lazarus, because Jesus had raised him from death.


text:
He was the reason that many of the Jewish people were turning from them and putting their faith in Jesus.


text:
The next day a large crowd was in Jerusalem for Passover. When they heard that Jesus was coming for the festival,


text:
they took palm branches and went out to greet him. They shouted, "Hooray! God bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord! God bless the King of Israel!"


text:
At first, Jesus' disciples did not understand. But after he had been given his glory, they remembered all this. Everything had happened exactly as the Scriptures said it would.


text:
A crowd had come to meet Jesus because they had seen him call Lazarus out of the tomb. They kept talking about him and this miracle.


text:
But the Pharisees said to each other, "There is nothing that can be done! Everyone in the world is following Jesus."


text:
Philip from Bethsaida in Galilee was there too. So they went to him and said, "Sir, we would like to meet Jesus."


text:
I tell you for certain that a grain of wheat that falls on the ground will never be more than one grain unless it dies. But if it dies, it will produce lots of wheat.


text:
If you love your life, you will lose it. If you give it up in this world, you will be given eternal life.


text:
If you serve me, you must go with me. My servants will be with me wherever I am. If you serve me, my Father will honor you.


text:
Now I am deeply troubled, and I don't know what to say. But I must not ask my Father to keep me from this time of suffering. In fact, I came into the world to suffer.


text:
So Father, bring glory to yourself. A voice from heaven then said, "I have already brought glory to myself, and I will do it again!"


text:
When the crowd heard the voice, some of them thought it was thunder. Others thought an angel had spoken to Jesus.


text:
The crowd said to Jesus, "The Scriptures teach that the Messiah will live forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?"


text:
Jesus answered, "The light will be with you for only a little longer. Walk in the light while you can. Then you won't be caught walking blindly in the dark.


text:
Have faith in the light while it is with you, and you will be children of the light." After Jesus had said these things, he left and went into hiding.


text:
He had worked a lot of miracles among the people, but they were still not willing to have faith in him.


text:
This happened so that what the prophet Isaiah had said would come true, "Lord, who has believed our message? And who has seen your mighty strength?"


text:
"The Lord has blinded the eyes of the people, and he has made the people stubborn. He did this so that they could not see or understand, and so that they would not turn to the Lord and be healed."


text:
Even then, many of the leaders put their faith in Jesus, but they did not tell anyone about it. The Pharisees had already given orders for the people not to have anything to do with anyone who had faith in Jesus.


text:
I am not the one who will judge those who refuse to obey my teachings. I came to save the people of this world, not to be their judge.


text:
I know that his commands will bring eternal life. That is why I tell you exactly what the Father has told me.


text:
It was before Passover, and Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and to return to the Father. He had always loved his followers in this world, and he loved them to the very end.


text:
Even before the evening meal started, the devil had made Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, decide to betray Jesus.


text:
Jesus knew that he had come from God and would go back to God. He also knew that the Father had given him complete power.


text:
He put some water into a large bowl. Then he began washing his disciples' feet and drying them with the towel he was wearing.


text:
"You will never wash my feet!" Peter replied. "If I don't wash you," Jesus told him, "you don't really belong to me."


text:
Jesus answered, "People who have bathed and are clean all over need to wash just their feet. And you, my disciples, are clean, except for one of you."


text:
After Jesus had washed his disciples' feet and had put his outer garment back on, he sat down again. Then he said: Do you understand what I have done?


text:
I tell you for certain that servants are not greater than their master, and messengers are not greater than the one who sent them.


text:
I am not talking about all of you. I know the ones I have chosen. But what the Scriptures say must come true. And they say, "The man who ate with me has turned against me!"


text:
I tell you for certain that anyone who welcomes my messengers also welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.


text:
After Jesus had said these things, he was deeply troubled and told his disciples, "I tell you for certain that one of you will betray me."


text:
Jesus answered, "I will dip this piece of bread in the sauce and give it to the one I was talking about." Then Jesus dipped the bread and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.


text:
But because Judas was in charge of the money, some of them thought that Jesus had told him to buy something they needed for the festival. Others thought that Jesus had told him to give some money to the poor.


text:
After Judas had gone, Jesus said: Now the Son of Man will be given glory, and he will bring glory to God.


text:
Then, after God is given glory because of him, God will bring glory to him, and God will do it very soon.


text:
My children, I will be with you for a little while longer. Then you will look for me, but you won't find me. I tell you just as I told the people, "You cannot go where I am going."


text:
Simon Peter asked, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus answered, "You can't go with me now, but later on you will."


text:
"Would you really die for me?" Jesus asked. "I tell you for certain that before a rooster crows, you will say three times that you don't even know me."


text:
There are many rooms in my Father's house. I wouldn't tell you this, unless it was true. I am going there to prepare a place for each of you.


text:
If you had known me, you would have known the Father. But from now on, you do know him, and you have seen him."


text:
Jesus replied: Philip, I have been with you for a long time. Don't you know who I am? If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. How can you ask me to show you the Father?


text:
Don't you believe that I am one with the Father and that the Father is one with me? What I say isn't said on my own. The Father who lives in me does these things.


text:
Have faith in me when I say that the Father is one with me and that I am one with the Father. Or else have faith in me simply because of the things I do.


text:
I tell you for certain that if you have faith in me, you will do the same things that I am doing. You will do even greater things, now that I am going back to the Father.


text:
The Spirit will show you what is true. The people of this world cannot accept the Spirit, because they don't see or know him. But you know the Spirit, who is with you and will keep on living in you.


text:
In a little while the people of this world won't be able to see me, but you will see me. And because I live, you will live.


text:
Then you will know that I am one with the Father. You will know that you are one with me, and I am one with you.


text:
If you love me, you will do what I have said, and my Father will love you. I will also love you and show you what I am like.


text:
The other Judas, not Judas Iscariot, then spoke up and asked, "Lord, what do you mean by saying that you will show us what you are like, but you will not show the people of this world?"


text:
Jesus replied: If anyone loves me, they will obey me. Then my Father will love them, and we will come to them and live in them.


text:
But anyone who doesn't love me, won't obey me. What they have heard me say doesn't really come from me, but from the Father who sent me.


text:
But the Holy Spirit will come and help you, because the Father will send the Spirit to take my place. The Spirit will teach you everything and will remind you of what I said while I was with you.


text:
I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn't like the peace that this world can give. So don't be worried or afraid.


text:
You have already heard me say that I am going and that I will also come back to you. If you really love me, you should be glad that I am going back to the Father, because he is greater than I am.


text:
I cannot speak with you much longer, because the ruler of this world is coming. But he has no power over me.


text:
I obey my Father, so that everyone in the world might know that I love him. It is time for us to go now.


text:
He cuts away every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit. But he trims clean every branch that does produce fruit, so that it will produce even more fruit.


text:
Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it stays joined to the vine, you cannot produce fruit unless you stay joined to me.


text:
I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me.


text:
If you don't stay joined to me, you will be thrown away. You will be like dry branches that are gathered up and burned in a fire.


text:
Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you. Then you can pray for whatever you want, and your prayer will be answered.


text:
If you obey me, I will keep loving you, just as my Father keeps loving me, because I have obeyed him.


text:
Servants don't know what their master is doing, and so I don't speak to you as my servants. I speak to you as my friends, and I have told you everything that my Father has told me.


text:
You did not choose me. I chose you and sent you out to produce fruit, the kind of fruit that will last. Then my Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name.


text:
If you belonged to the world, its people would love you. But you don't belong to the world. I have chosen you to leave the world behind, and that is why its people hate you.


text:
Remember how I told you that servants are not greater than their master. So if people mistreat me, they will mistreat you. If they do what I say, they will do what you say.


text:
People will do to you exactly what they did to me. They will do it because you belong to me, and they don't know the one who sent me.


text:
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin.


text:
I have done things that no one else has ever done. If they had not seen me do these things, they would not be guilty. But they did see me do these things, and they still hate me and my Father too.


text:
I will send you the Spirit who comes from the Father and shows what is true. The Spirit will help you and will tell you about me.


text:
You will be chased out of the Jewish meeting places. And the time will come when people will kill you and think they are doing God a favor.


text:
I am saying this to you now, so that when the time comes, you will remember what I have said. I was with you at the first, and so I didn't tell you these things.


text:
But I tell you that I am going to do what is best for you. That is why I am going away. The Holy Spirit cannot come to help you until I leave. But after I am gone, I will send the Spirit to you.


text:
The Spirit will come and show the people of this world the truth about sin and God's justice and the judgment.


text:
The Spirit shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn't speak on his own. He will tell you only what he has heard from me, and he will let you know what is going to happen.


text:
Everything that the Father has is mine. That is why I have said that the Spirit takes my message and tells it to you.


text:
Jesus told his disciples, "For a little while you won't see me, but after a while you will see me. "


text:
They said to each other, "What does Jesus mean by saying that for a little while we won't see him, but after a while we will see him? What does he mean by saying that he is going to the Father?


text:
Jesus knew that they had some questions, so he said: You are wondering what I meant when I said that for a little while you won't see me, but after a while you will see me.


text:
I tell you for certain that you will cry and be sad, but the world will be happy. You will be sad, but later you will be happy.


text:
When a woman is about to give birth, she is in great pain. But after it is all over, she forgets the pain and is happy, because she has brought a child into the world.


text:
You are now very sad. But later I will see you, and you will be so happy that no one will be able to change the way you feel.


text:
When that time comes, you won't have to ask me about anything. I tell you for certain that the Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name.


text:
You have not asked for anything in this way before, but now you must ask in my name. Then it will be given to you, so that you will be completely happy.


text:
I have used examples to explain to you what I have been talking about. But the time will come when I will speak to you plainly about the Father and will no longer use examples like these.


text:
At last we know that you understand everything, and we don't have any more questions. Now we believe that you truly have come from God."


text:
The time will come and is already here when all of you will be scattered. Each of you will go back home and leave me by myself. But the Father will be with me, and I won't be alone.


text:
I have told you this, so that you might have peace in your hearts because of me. While you are in the world, you will have to suffer. But cheer up! I have defeated the world.


text:
After Jesus had finished speaking to his disciples, he looked up toward heaven and prayed: Father, the time has come for you to bring glory to your Son, in order that he may bring glory to you.


text:
And you gave him power over all people, so that he would give eternal life to everyone you give him.


text:
You have given me some followers from this world, and I have shown them what you are like. They were yours, but you gave them to me, and they have obeyed you.


text:
I told my followers what you told me, and they accepted it. They know that I came from you, and they believe that you are the one who sent me.


text:
I am praying for them, but not for those who belong to this world. My followers belong to you, and I am praying for them.


text:
Holy Father, I am no longer in the world. I am coming to you, but my followers are still in the world. So keep them safe by the power of the name that you have given me. Then they will be one with each other, just as you and I are one.


text:
While I was with them, I kept them safe by the power you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost, except the one who had to be lost. This happened so that what the Scriptures say would come true.


text:
I am on my way to you. But I say these things while I am still in the world, so that my followers will have the same complete joy that I do.


text:
I have told them your message. But the people of this world hate them, because they don't belong to this world, just as I don't.


text:
Father, I don't ask you to take my followers out of the world, but keep them safe from the evil one.


text:
I am not praying just for these followers. I am also praying for everyone else who will have faith because of what my followers will say about me.


text:
I want all of them to be one with each other, just as I am one with you and you are one with me. I also want them to be one with us. Then the people of this world will believe that you sent me.


text:
I have honored my followers in the same way that you honored me, in order that they may be one with each other, just as we are one.


text:
I am one with them, and you are one with me, so that they may become completely one. Then this world's people will know that you sent me. They will know that you love my followers as much as you love me.


text:
Father, I want everyone you have given me to be with me, wherever I am. Then they will see the glory that you have given me, because you loved me before the world was created.


text:
Good Father, the people of this world don't know you. But I know you, and my followers know that you sent me.


text:
I told them what you are like, and I will tell them even more. Then the love that you have for me will become part of them, and I will be one with them.


text:
When Jesus had finished praying, he and his disciples crossed the Kidron Valley and went into a garden.


text:
Judas had promised to betray Jesus. So he went to the garden with some Roman soldiers and temple police, who had been sent by the chief priests and the Pharisees. They carried torches, lanterns, and weapons. Jesus already knew everything that was going to happen, but he asked, "Who are you looking for?" They answered, "We are looking for Jesus from Nazareth!" Jesus told them, "I am Jesus!"


text:
Jesus again asked, "Who are you looking for?" "We are looking for Jesus from Nazareth," they answered.


text:
This time Jesus replied, "I have already told you that I am Jesus. If I am the one you are looking for, let these others go.


text:
Simon Peter had brought along a sword. He now pulled it out and struck at the servant of the high priest. The servant's name was Malchus, and Peter cut off his right ear.


text:
This was the same Caiaphas who had told the Jewish leaders, "It is better if one person dies for the people."


text:
Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. That disciple knew the high priest, and he followed Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest's house.


text:
Peter stayed outside near the gate. But the other disciple came back out and spoke to the girl at the gate. She let Peter go in,


text:
It was cold, and the servants and temple police had made a charcoal fire. They were warming themselves around it, when Peter went over and stood near the fire to warm himself.


text:
But Jesus told him, "I have spoken freely in front of everyone. And I have always taught in our meeting places and in the temple, where all of our people come together. I have not said anything in secret.


text:
As soon as Jesus said this, one of the temple police hit him and said, "That's no way to talk to the high priest!"


text:
While Simon Peter was standing there warming himself, someone asked him, "Aren't you one of Jesus' followers?" Again Peter denied it and said, "No, I am not!"


text:
One of the high priest's servants was there. He was a relative of the servant whose ear Peter had cut off, and he asked, "Didn't I see you in the garden with that man?"


text:
It was early in the morning when Jesus was taken from Caiaphas to the building where the Roman governor stayed. But the crowd waited outside. Any of them who had gone inside would have become unclean and would not be allowed to eat the Passover meal.


text:
Pilate told them, "Take him and judge him by your own laws." The crowd replied, "We are not allowed to put anyone to death."


text:
"You know I'm not a Jew!" Pilate said. "Your own people and the chief priests brought you to me. What have you done?"


text:
Jesus answered, "My kingdom doesn't belong to this world. If it did, my followers would have fought to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. No, my kingdom doesn't belong to this world."


text:
"So you are a king," Pilate replied. "You are saying that I am a king," Jesus told him. "I was born into this world to tell about the truth. And everyone who belongs to the truth knows my voice."


text:
Pilate asked Jesus, "What is truth?" Pilate went back out and said, "I don't find this man guilty of anything!


text:
And since I usually set a prisoner free for you at Passover, would you like for me to set free the king of the Jews?"


text:
The soldiers made a crown out of thorn branches and put it on Jesus. Then they put a purple robe on him.


text:
Once again Pilate went out. This time he said, "I will have Jesus brought out to you again. Then you can see for yourselves that I have not found him guilty."


text:
When the chief priests and the temple police saw him, they yelled, "Nail him to a cross! Nail him to a cross!" Pilate told them, "You take him and nail him to a cross! I don't find him guilty of anything."


text:
The crowd replied, "He claimed to be the Son of God! Our Jewish Law says that he must be put to death."


text:
"Why won't you answer my question?" Pilate asked. "Don't you know that I have the power to let you go free or to nail you to a cross?"


text:
Jesus replied, "If God had not given you the power, you couldn't do anything at all to me. But the one who handed me over to you did something even worse."


text:
Then Pilate wanted to set Jesus free. But the crowd again yelled, "If you set this man free, you are no friend of the Emperor! Anyone who claims to be a king is an enemy of the Emperor."


text:
When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out. Then he sat down on the judge's bench at the place known as "The Stone Pavement." In Aramaic this pavement is called "Gabbatha."


text:
"Kill him! Kill him!" they yelled. "Nail him to a cross!" "So you want me to nail your king to a cross?" Pilate asked. The chief priests replied, "The Emperor is our king!"


text:
and he carried his cross to a place known as "The Skull." In Aramaic this place is called "Golgotha."


text:
Pilate ordered the charge against Jesus to be written on a board and put above the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews."


text:
The words were written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. The place where Jesus was taken wasn't far from the city, and many of the Jewish people read the charge against him.


text:
So the chief priests went to Pilate and said, "Why did you write that he is King of the Jews? You should have written, 'He claimed to be King of the Jews.' "


text:
After the soldiers had nailed Jesus to the cross, they divided up his clothes into four parts, one for each of them. But his outer garment was made from a single piece of cloth, and it did not have any seams.


text:
The soldiers said to each other, "Let's not rip it apart. We will gamble to see who gets it." This happened so that the Scriptures would come true, which say, "They divided up my clothes and gambled for my garments." The soldiers then did what they had decided.


text:
Jesus' mother stood beside his cross with her sister and Mary the wife of Clopas. Mary Magdalene was standing there too.


text:
When Jesus saw his mother and his favorite disciple with her, he said to his mother, "This man is now your son."


text:
Then he said to the disciple, "She is now your mother." From then on, that disciple took her into his own home.


text:
Jesus knew that he had now finished his work. And in order to make the Scriptures come true, he said, "I am thirsty!"


text:
A jar of cheap wine was there. Someone then soaked a sponge with the wine and held it up to Jesus' mouth on the stem of a hyssop plant.


text:
The next day would be both a Sabbath and the Passover. It was a special day for the Jewish people, and they did not want the bodies to stay on the crosses during that day. So they asked Pilate to break the men's legs and take their bodies down.


text:
All this happened so that the Scriptures would come true, which say, "No bone of his body will be broken"


text:
Joseph from Arimathea was one of Jesus' disciples. He had kept it secret though, because he was afraid of the Jewish leaders. But now he asked Pilate to let him have Jesus' body. Pilate gave him permission, and Joseph took it down from the cross.


text:
Nicodemus also came with about seventy-five pounds of spices made from myrrh and aloes. This was the same Nicodemus who had visited Jesus one night.


text:
The two men wrapped the body in a linen cloth, together with the spices, which was how the Jewish people buried their dead.


text:
In the place where Jesus had been nailed to a cross, there was a garden with a tomb that had never been used.


text:
The tomb was nearby, and since it was the time to prepare for the Sabbath, they were in a hurry to put Jesus' body there.


text:
On Sunday morning while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.


text:
She ran to Simon Peter and to Jesus' favorite disciple and said, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb! We don't know where they have put him."


text:
He also saw the piece of cloth that had been used to cover Jesus' face. It was rolled up and in a place by itself.


text:
At that time Peter and the other disciple did not know that the Scriptures said Jesus would rise to life.


text:
and saw two angels inside. They were dressed in white and were sitting where Jesus' body had been. One was at the head and the other was at the foot.


text:
The angels asked Mary, "Why are you crying?" She answered, "They have taken away my Lord's body! I don't know where they have put him."


text:
As soon as Mary said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But she did not know who he was.


text:
Jesus asked her, "Why are you crying? Who are you looking for?" She thought he was the gardener and said, "Sir, if you have taken his body away, please tell me, so I can go and get him."


text:
Then Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him, "Rabboni." The Aramaic word "Rabboni" means "Teacher."


text:
Jesus told her, "Don't hold on to me! I have not yet gone to the Father. But tell my disciples that I am going to the one who is my Father and my God, as well as your Father and your God."


text:
Mary Magdalene then went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord. She also told them what he had said to her.


text:
The disciples were afraid of the Jewish leaders, and on the evening of that same Sunday they locked themselves in a room. Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the middle of the group. He greeted them


text:
If you forgive anyone's sins, they will be forgiven. But if you don't forgive their sins, they will not be forgiven."


text:
Although Thomas the Twin was one of the twelve disciples, he wasn't with the others when Jesus appeared to them.


text:
So they told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But Thomas said, "First, I must see the nail scars in his hands and touch them with my finger. I must put my hand where the spear went into his side. I won't believe unless I do this!"


text:
A week later the disciples were together again. This time, Thomas was with them. Jesus came in while the doors were still locked and stood in the middle of the group. He greeted his disciples


text:
and said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and look at my hands! Put your hand into my side. Stop doubting and have faith!"


text:
Jesus said, "Thomas, do you have faith because you have seen me? The people who have faith in me without seeing me are the ones who are really blessed!"


text:
But these are written so that you will put your faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. If you have faith in him, you will have true life.


text:
Simon Peter, Thomas the Twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, and the brothers James and John, were there, together with two other disciples.


text:
Simon Peter said, "I'm going fishing!" The others said, "We will go with you." They went out in their boat. But they didn't catch a thing that night.


text:
So he told them, "Let your net down on the right side of your boat, and you will catch some fish." They did, and the net was so full of fish that they could not drag it up into the boat.


text:
Jesus' favorite disciple told Peter, "It's the Lord!" When Simon heard that it was the Lord, he put on the clothes that he had taken off while he was working. Then he jumped into the water.


text:
The boat was only about a hundred yards from shore. So the other disciples stayed in the boat and dragged in the net full of fish.


text:
Simon Peter got back into the boat and dragged the net to shore. In it were one hundred fifty-three large fish, but still the net did not rip.


text:
Jesus said, "Come and eat!" But none of the disciples dared ask who he was. They knew he was the Lord.


text:
Jesus took the bread in his hands and gave some of it to his disciples. He did the same with the fish.


text:
When Jesus and his disciples had finished eating, he asked, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than the others do?" Simon Peter answered, "Yes, Lord, you know I do!" "Then feed my lambs," Jesus said.


text:
Jesus asked a second time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter answered, "Yes, Lord, you know I love you!" "Then take care of my sheep," Jesus told him.


text:
Jesus asked a third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus had asked him three times if he loved him. So he told Jesus, "Lord, you know everything. You know I love you." Jesus replied, "Feed my sheep.


text:
I tell you for certain that when you were a young man, you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will hold out your hands. Then others will wrap your belt around you and lead you where you don't want to go."


text:
Jesus said this to tell how Peter would die and bring honor to God. Then he said to Peter, "Follow me!"


text:
Peter turned and saw Jesus' favorite disciple following them. He was the same one who had sat next to Jesus at the meal and had asked, "Lord, who is going to betray you?"


text:
So the rumor spread among the other disciples that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say he would not die. He simply said, "What is it to you, if I want him to live until I return?"


text:
Jesus did many other things. If they were all written in books, I don't suppose there would be room enough in the whole world for all the books.


text:
until he was taken up to heaven. But before he was taken up, he gave orders to the apostles he had chosen with the help of the Holy Spirit.


text:
For forty days after Jesus had suffered and died, he proved in many ways that he had been raised from death. He appeared to his apostles and spoke to them about God's kingdom.


text:
While he was still with them, he said: Don't leave Jerusalem yet. Wait here for the Father to give you the Holy Spirit, just as I told you he has promised to do.


text:
While the apostles were still with Jesus, they asked him, "Lord, are you now going to give Israel its own king again?"


text:
But the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world."


text:
After Jesus had said this and while they were watching, he was taken up into a cloud. They could not see him,


text:
but as he went up, they kept looking up into the sky. Suddenly two men dressed in white clothes were standing there beside them.


text:
They said, "Why are you men from Galilee standing here and looking up into the sky? Jesus has been taken to heaven. But he will come back in the same way that you have seen him go."


text:
The Mount of Olives was about half a mile from Jerusalem. The apostles who had gone there were Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon, known as the Eager One, and Judas the son of James. After the apostles returned to the city, they went upstairs to the room where they had been staying.


text:
The apostles often met together and prayed with a single purpose in mind. The women and Mary the mother of Jesus would meet with them, and so would his brothers.


text:
One day there were about one hundred twenty of the Lord's followers meeting together, and Peter stood up to speak to them.


text:
He said: My friends, long ago by the power of the Holy Spirit, David said something about Judas, and what he said has now happened. Judas was one of us and had worked with us, but he brought the mob to arrest Jesus.


text:
Then Judas bought some land with the money he was given for doing that evil thing. He fell headfirst into the field. His body burst open, and all his insides came out.


text:
When the people of Jerusalem found out about this, they called the place Akeldama, which in the local language means "Field of Blood."


text:
In the book of Psalms it says, "Leave his house empty, and don't let anyone live there." It also says, "Let someone else have his job."


text:
So we need someone else to help us tell others that Jesus has been raised from death. He must also be one of the men who was with us from the very beginning. He must have been with us from the time the Lord Jesus was baptized by John until the day he was taken to heaven.


text:
Two men were suggested: One of them was Joseph Barsabbas, known as Justus, and the other was Matthias.


text:
Suddenly there was a noise from heaven like the sound of a mighty wind! It filled the house where they were meeting.


text:
Then they saw what looked like fiery tongues moving in all directions, and a tongue came and settled on each person there.


text:
The Holy Spirit took control of everyone, and they began speaking whatever languages the Spirit let them speak.


text:
And when they heard this noise, a crowd gathered. But they were surprised, because they were hearing everything in their own languages.


text:
Some of us are from Parthia, Media, and Elam. Others are from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia,


text:
Crete, and Arabia. Some of us were born Jews, and others of us have chosen to be Jews. Yet we all hear them using our own languages to tell the wonderful things God has done.


text:
Everyone was excited and confused. Some of them even kept asking each other, "What does all this mean?"


text:
Peter stood with the eleven apostles and spoke in a loud and clear voice to the crowd: Friends and everyone else living in Jerusalem, listen carefully to what I have to say!


text:
You are wrong to think that these people are drunk. After all, it is only nine o'clock in the morning.


text:
"When the last days come, I will give my Spirit to everyone. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will have dreams.


text:
I will work miracles in the sky above and wonders on the earth below. There will be blood and fire and clouds of smoke.


text:
The sun will turn dark, and the moon will be as red as blood before the great and wonderful day of the Lord appears.


text:
Now, listen to what I have to say about Jesus from Nazareth. God proved that he sent Jesus to you by having him work miracles, wonders, and signs. All of you know this.


text:
God had already planned and decided that Jesus would be handed over to you. So you took him and had evil men put him to death on a cross.


text:
What David said are really the words of Jesus, "I always see the Lord near me, and I will not be afraid with him at my right side.


text:
My friends, it is right for me to speak to you about our ancestor David. He died and was buried, and his tomb is still here.


text:
But David was a prophet, and he knew that God had made a promise he would not break. He had told David that someone from his own family would someday be king.


text:
David knew this would happen, and so he told us that Christ would be raised to life. He said that God would not leave him in the grave or let his body decay.


text:
Jesus was taken up to sit at the right side of God, and he was given the Holy Spirit, just as the Father had promised. Jesus is also the one who has given the Spirit to us, and that is what you are now seeing and hearing.


text:
David didn't go up to heaven. So he wasn't talking about himself when he said, "The Lord told my Lord to sit at his right side,


text:
Everyone in Israel should then know for certain that God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ, even though you put him to death on a cross.


text:
When the people heard this, they were very upset. They asked Peter and the other apostles, "Friends, what shall we do?"


text:
Peter said, "Turn back to God! Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven. Then you will be given the Holy Spirit.


text:
This promise is for you and your children. It is for everyone our Lord God will choose, no matter where they live."


text:
Peter told them many other things as well. Then he said, "I beg you to save yourselves from what will happen to all these evil people."


text:
They spent their time learning from the apostles, and they were like family to each other. They also broke bread and prayed together.


text:
Day after day they met together in the temple. They broke bread together in different homes and shared their food happily and freely,


text:
while praising God. Everyone liked them, and each day the Lord added to their group others who were being saved.


text:
The time of prayer was about three o'clock in the afternoon, and Peter and John were going into the temple.


text:
A man who had been born lame was being carried to the temple door. Each day he was placed beside this door, known as the Beautiful Gate. He sat there and begged from the people who were going in.


text:
But Peter said, "I don't have any silver or gold! But I will give you what I do have. In the name of Jesus Christ from Nazareth, get up and start walking."


text:
Peter then took him by the right hand and helped him up. At once the man's feet and ankles became strong,


text:
and he jumped up and started walking. He went with Peter and John into the temple, walking and jumping and praising God.


text:
They knew that he was the beggar who had been lying beside the Beautiful Gate, and they were completely surprised. They could not imagine what had happened to the man.


text:
While the man kept holding on to Peter and John, the whole crowd ran to them in amazement at the place known as Solomon's Porch.


text:
Peter saw that a crowd had gathered, and he said: Friends, why are you surprised at what has happened? Why are you staring at us? Do you think we have some power of our own? Do you think we were able to make this man walk because we are so religious?


text:
The God that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and our other ancestors worshiped has brought honor to his Servant Jesus. He is the one you betrayed. You turned against him when he was being tried by Pilate, even though Pilate wanted to set him free.


text:
and you killed the one who leads people to life. But God raised him from death, and all of us can tell you what he has done.


text:
You see this man, and you know him. He put his faith in the name of Jesus and was made strong. Faith in Jesus made this man completely well while everyone was watching.


text:
Then that time will come when the Lord will give you fresh strength. He will send you Jesus, his chosen Messiah.


text:
But Jesus must stay in heaven until God makes all things new, just as his holy prophets promised long ago.


text:
Moses said, "The Lord your God will choose one of your own people to be a prophet, just as he chose me. Listen to everything he tells you.


text:
You are really the ones God told his prophets to speak to. And you were given the promise that God made to your ancestors. He said to Abraham, "All nations on earth will be blessed because of someone from your family."


text:
God sent his chosen Son to you first, because God wanted to bless you and make each one of you turn away from your sins.


text:
The apostles were still talking to the people, when some priests, the captain of the temple guard, and some Sadducees arrived.


text:
These men were angry because the apostles were teaching the people that the dead would be raised from death, just as Jesus had been raised from death.


text:
It was already late in the afternoon, and they arrested Peter and John and put them in jail for the night.


text:
But a lot of people who had heard the message believed it. So by now there were about five thousand followers of the Lord.


text:
The high priest Annas was there, as well as Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other members of the high priest's family.


text:
They brought in Peter and John and made them stand in the middle while they questioned them. They asked, "By what power and in whose name have you done this?"


text:
But there is something we must tell you and everyone else in Israel. This man is standing here completely well because of the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth. You put Jesus to death on a cross, but God raised him to life.


text:
He is the stone that you builders thought was worthless, and now he is the most important stone of all.


text:
The officials were amazed to see how brave Peter and John were, and they knew that these two apostles were only ordinary men and not well educated. The officials were certain that these men had been with Jesus.


text:
But they could not deny what had happened. The man who had been healed was standing there with the apostles.


text:
"What can we do with these men? Everyone in Jerusalem knows about this miracle, and we cannot say it didn't happen.


text:
But to keep this thing from spreading, we will warn them never again to speak to anyone about the name of Jesus."


text:
So they called the two apostles back in and told them that they must never, for any reason, teach anything about the name of Jesus.


text:
The officials could not find any reason to punish Peter and John. So they threatened them and let them go. The man who was healed by this miracle was more than forty years old, and everyone was praising God for what had happened.


text:
As soon as Peter and John had been set free, they went back and told the others everything that the chief priests and the leaders had said to them.


text:
When the rest of the Lord's followers heard this, they prayed together and said: Master, you created heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.


text:
And by the Holy Spirit you spoke to our ancestor David. He was your servant, and you told him to say: "Why are all the Gentiles so furious? Why do people make foolish plans?


text:
Here in Jerusalem, Herod and Pontius Pilate got together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel. Then they turned against your holy Servant Jesus, your chosen Messiah.


text:
Show your mighty power, as we heal people and work miracles and wonders in the name of your holy Servant Jesus.


text:
After they had prayed, the meeting place shook. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and bravely spoke God's message.


text:
The group of followers all felt the same way about everything. None of them claimed that their possessions were their own, and they shared everything they had with each other.


text:
In a powerful way the apostles told everyone that the Lord Jesus was now alive. God greatly blessed his followers,


text:
and no one went in need of anything. Everyone who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money


text:
Joseph was one of the followers who had sold a piece of property and brought the money to the apostles. He was a Levite from Cyprus, and the apostles called him Barnabas, which means "one who encourages others."


text:
But they agreed to cheat and keep some of the money for themselves. So when Ananias took the rest of the money to the apostles,


text:
Peter said, "Why has Satan made you keep back some of the money from the sale of the property? Why have you lied to the Holy Spirit?


text:
The property was yours before you sold it, and even after you sold it, the money was still yours. What made you do such a thing? You didn't lie to people. You lied to God!"


text:
Peter asked her, "Tell me, did you sell the property for this amount?" "Yes," she answered, "that's the amount."


text:
Then Peter said, "Why did the two of you agree to test the Lord's Spirit? The men who buried Ananias are by the door, and they will carry you out!"


text:
At once she fell at Peter's feet and died. When the young men came back in, they found Sapphira lying there dead. So they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.


text:
The apostles worked many miracles and wonders among the people. All of the Lord's followers often met in the part of the temple known as Solomon's Porch.


text:
Then sick people were brought out to the road and placed on cots and mats. It was hoped that Peter would walk by, and his shadow would fall on them and heal them.


text:
A lot of people living in the towns near Jerusalem brought those who were sick or troubled by evil spirits, and they were all healed.


text:
But that night an angel from the Lord opened the doors of the jail and led the apostles out. The angel said,


text:
So they went into the temple before sunrise and started teaching. The high priest and his men called together their council, which included all of Israel's leaders. Then they ordered the apostles to be brought to them from the jail.


text:
"We found the jail locked tight and the guards standing at the doors. But when we opened the doors and went in, we didn't find anyone there."


text:
The captain of the temple police and the chief priests listened to their report, but they did not know what to think about it.


text:
Just then someone came in and said, "Right now those men you put in jail are in the temple, teaching the people!"


text:
The captain went with some of the temple police and brought the apostles back. But they did not use force. They were afraid that the people might start throwing stones at them.


text:
"We told you plainly not to teach in the name of Jesus. But look what you have done! You have been teaching all over Jerusalem, and you are trying to blame us for his death."


text:
and made him our Leader and Savior. Then God gave him a place at his right side, so that the people of Israel would turn back to him and be forgiven.


text:
We are here to tell you about all this, and so is the Holy Spirit, who is God's gift to everyone who obeys God.


text:
But one of the members was the Pharisee Gamaliel, a highly respected teacher. He ordered the apostles to be taken out of the room for a little while.


text:
Not long ago Theudas claimed to be someone important, and about four hundred men joined him. But he was killed. All his followers were scattered, and that was the end of that.


text:
Later, when the people of our nation were being counted, Judas from Galilee showed up. A lot of people followed him, but he was killed, and all his followers were scattered.


text:
So I advise you to stay away from these men. Leave them alone. If what they are planning is something of their own doing, it will fail.


text:
But if God is behind it, you cannot stop it anyway, unless you want to fight against God. The council members agreed with what he said,


text:
and they called the apostles back in. They had them beaten with a whip and warned them not to speak in the name of Jesus. Then they let them go.


text:
The apostles left the council and were happy, because God had considered them worthy to suffer for the sake of Jesus.


text:
Every day they spent time in the temple and in one home after another. They never stopped teaching and telling the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.


text:
A lot of people were now becoming followers of the Lord. But some of the ones who spoke Greek started complaining about the ones who spoke Aramaic. They complained that the Greek-speaking widows were not given their share when the food supplies were handed out each day.


text:
The twelve apostles called the whole group of followers together and said, "We should not give up preaching God's message in order to serve at tables.


text:
My friends, choose seven men who are respected and wise and filled with God's Spirit. We will put them in charge of these things.


text:
This suggestion pleased everyone, and they began by choosing Stephen. He had great faith and was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they chose Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and also Nicolaus, who worshiped with the Jewish people in Antioch.


text:
These men were brought to the apostles. Then the apostles prayed and placed their hands on the men to show that they had been chosen to do this work.


text:
God's message spread, and many more people in Jerusalem became followers. Even a large number of priests put their faith in the Lord.


text:
But some Jews from Cyrene and Alexandria were members of a group who called themselves "Free Men." They started arguing with Stephen. Some others from Cilicia and Asia also argued with him.


text:
They turned the people and their leaders and the teachers of the Law of Moses against Stephen. Then they all grabbed Stephen and dragged him in front of the council.


text:
Some men agreed to tell lies about Stephen, and they said, "This man keeps on saying terrible things about this holy temple and the Law of Moses.


text:
We have heard him claim that Jesus from Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses gave us."


text:
Then all the council members stared at Stephen. They saw that his face looked like the face of an angel.


text:
Stephen answered: Friends, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he had moved to Haran.


text:
Then Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, Abraham came and settled in this land where you now live.


text:
God didn't give him any part of it, not even a square foot. But God did promise to give it to him and his family forever, even though Abraham didn't have any children.


text:
God said that Abraham's descendants would live for a while in a foreign land. There they would be slaves and would be mistreated four hundred years.


text:
But he also said, "I will punish the nation that makes them slaves. Then later they will come and worship me in this place."


text:
God said to Abraham, "Every son in each family must be circumcised to show that you have kept your agreement with me." So when Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him. Later, Isaac circumcised his son Jacob, and Jacob circumcised his twelve sons.


text:
These men were our ancestors. Joseph was also one of our famous ancestors. His brothers were jealous of him and sold him as a slave to be taken to Egypt. But God was with him


text:
and rescued him from all his troubles. God made him so wise that the Egyptian king Pharaoh thought highly of him. The king even made Joseph governor over Egypt and put him in charge of everything he owned.


text:
Everywhere in Egypt and Canaan the grain crops failed. There was terrible suffering, and our ancestors could not find enough to eat.


text:
It was on their second trip that Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph's family.


text:
Later their bodies were taken back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor.


text:
Finally, the time came for God to do what he had promised Abraham. By then the number of our people in Egypt had greatly increased.


text:
He tricked our ancestors and was cruel to them. He even made them leave their babies outside, so they would die.


text:
During this time Moses was born. He was a very beautiful child, and for three months his parents took care of him in their home.


text:
Then when they were forced to leave him outside, the king's daughter found him and raised him as her own son.


text:
Moses thought the rest of his people would realize that God was going to use him to set them free. But they didn't understand.


text:
The next day Moses saw two of his own people fighting, and he tried to make them stop. He said, "Men, you are both Israelites. Why are you so cruel to each other?"


text:
But the man who had started the fight pushed Moses aside and asked, "Who made you our ruler and judge?


text:
"I am the God who was worshiped by your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Moses started shaking all over and didn't dare to look at the bush.


text:
With my own eyes I have seen the suffering of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groans and have come down to rescue them. Now I am sending you back to Egypt."


text:
This was the same Moses that the people rejected by saying, "Who made you our leader and judge?" God's angel had spoken to Moses from the bush. And God had even sent the angel to help Moses rescue the people and be their leader.


text:
In Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the desert, Moses rescued the people by working miracles and wonders for forty years.


text:
Moses is the one who told the people of Israel, "God will choose one of your people to be a prophet, just as he chose me."


text:
Moses brought our people together in the desert, and the angel spoke to him on Mount Sinai. There he was given these life-giving words to pass on to us.


text:
The people said to Aaron, "Make some gods to lead us! Moses led us out of Egypt, but we don't know what's happened to him now."


text:
Then they made an idol in the shape of a calf. They offered sacrifices to the idol and were pleased with what they had done.


text:
God turned his back on his people and left them. Then they worshiped the stars in the sky, just as it says in the Book of the Prophets, "People of Israel, you didn't offer sacrifices and offerings to me during those forty years in the desert.


text:
Instead, you carried the tent where the god Molech is worshiped, and you took along the star of your god Rephan. You made those idols and worshiped them. So now I will have you carried off beyond Babylonia."


text:
The tent where our ancestors worshiped God was with them in the desert. This was the same tent that God had commanded Moses to make. And it was made like the model that Moses had seen.


text:
Later it was given to our ancestors, and they took it with them when they went with Joshua. They carried the tent along as they took over the land from those people that God had chased out for them. Our ancestors used this tent until the time of King David.


text:
But the Most High God doesn't live in houses made by humans. It is just as the prophet said, when he spoke for the Lord,


text:
"Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? In what place will I rest?


text:
You stubborn and hardheaded people! You are always fighting against the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors did.


text:
Is there one prophet that your ancestors didn't mistreat? They killed the prophets who told about the coming of the One Who Obeys God. And now you have turned against him and killed him.


text:
But Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit. He looked toward heaven, where he saw our glorious God and Jesus standing at his right side.


text:
and dragged him out of the city. Then they started throwing stones at him. The men who had brought charges against him put their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.


text:
Saul approved the stoning of Stephen. Some faithful followers of the Lord buried Stephen and mourned very much for him. At that time the church in Jerusalem suffered terribly. All of the Lord's followers, except the apostles, were scattered everywhere in Judea and Samaria.


text:
Saul started making a lot of trouble for the church. He went from house to house, arresting men and women and putting them in jail.


text:
They crowded around Philip because they were eager to hear what he was saying and to see him work miracles.


text:
Many people with evil spirits were healed, and the spirits went out of them with a shout. A lot of crippled and lame people were also healed.


text:
For some time a man named Simon had lived in the city of Samaria and had amazed the people. He practiced witchcraft and claimed to be somebody great.


text:
Everyone, rich and poor, crowded around him. They said, "This man is the power of God called 'The Great Power.' "


text:
But when they believed what Philip was saying about God's kingdom and about the name of Jesus Christ, they were all baptized.


text:
Even Simon believed and was baptized. He stayed close to Philip, because he marveled at all the miracles and wonders.


text:
The apostles in Jerusalem heard that some people in Samaria had accepted God's message, and they sent Peter and John.


text:
Before this, the Holy Spirit had not been given to anyone in Samaria, though some of them had been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.


text:
Peter and John then placed their hands on everyone who had faith in the Lord, and they were given the Holy Spirit.


text:
Simon noticed that the Spirit was given only when the apostles placed their hands on the people. So he brought money


text:
and said to Peter and John, "Let me have this power too! Then anyone I place my hands on will also be given the Holy Spirit."


text:
Peter said to him, "You and your money will both end up in hell if you think you can buy God's gift!


text:
After Peter and John had preached about the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem. On their way they told the good news in many villages of Samaria.


text:
The Lord's angel said to Philip, "Go south along the desert road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza."


text:
So Philip left. An important Ethiopian official happened to be going along that road in his chariot. He was the chief treasurer for Candace, the Queen of Ethiopia. The official had gone to Jerusalem to worship


text:
Philip ran up close and heard the man reading aloud from the book of Isaiah. Philip asked him, "Do you understand what you are reading?"


text:
The official answered, "How can I understand unless someone helps me?" He then invited Philip to come up and sit beside him.


text:
The man was reading the passage that said, "He was led like a sheep on its way to be killed. He was silent as a lamb whose wool is being cut off, and he did not say a word.


text:
He was treated like a nobody and did not receive a fair trial. How can he have children, if his life is snatched away?"


text:
The official said to Philip, "Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or about someone else?"


text:
As they were going along the road, they came to a place where there was some water. The official said, "Look! Here is some water. Why can't I be baptized?"


text:
After they had come out of the water, the Lord's Spirit took Philip away. The official never saw him again, but he was very happy as he went on his way.


text:
Philip later appeared in Azotus. He went from town to town, all the way to Caesarea, telling people about Jesus.


text:
and asked for letters to the Jewish leaders in Damascus. He did this because he wanted to arrest and take to Jerusalem any man or woman who had accepted the Lord's Way.


text:
Saul got up from the ground, and when he opened his eyes, he could not see a thing. Someone then led him by the hand to Damascus,


text:
A follower named Ananias lived in Damascus, and the Lord spoke to him in a vision. Ananias answered, "Lord, here I am."


text:
The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the house of Judas on Straight Street. When you get there, you will find a man named Saul from the city of Tarsus. Saul is praying,


text:
and he has seen a vision. He saw a man named Ananias coming to him and putting his hands on him, so that he could see again."


text:
Ananias replied, "Lord, a lot of people have told me about the terrible things this man has done to your followers in Jerusalem.


text:
Now the chief priests have given him the power to come here and arrest anyone who worships in your name."


text:
The Lord said to Ananias, "Go! I have chosen him to tell foreigners, kings, and the people of Israel about me.


text:
Ananias left and went into the house where Saul was staying. Ananias placed his hands on him and said, "Saul, the Lord Jesus has sent me. He is the same one who appeared to you along the road. He wants you to be able to see and to be filled with the Holy Spirit."


text:
Suddenly something like fish scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see. He got up and was baptized.


text:
Then he ate and felt much better. For several days Saul stayed with the Lord's followers in Damascus.


text:
Everyone who heard Saul was amazed and said, "Isn't this the man who caused so much trouble for those people in Jerusalem who worship in the name of Jesus? Didn't he come here to arrest them and take them to the chief priests?"


text:
Saul preached with such power that he completely confused the Jewish people in Damascus, as he tried to show them that Jesus is the Messiah.


text:
but he found out about it. He learned that they were guarding the gates of the city day and night in order to kill him.


text:
When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the followers. But they were all afraid of him, because they did not believe he was a true follower.


text:
Then Barnabas helped him by taking him to the apostles. He explained how Saul had seen the Lord and how the Lord had spoken to him. Barnabas also said that when Saul was in Damascus, he had spoken bravely in the name of Jesus.


text:
But the followers found out about this and took Saul to Caesarea. From there they sent him to the city of Tarsus.


text:
The church in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria now had a time of peace and kept on worshiping the Lord. The church became stronger, as the Holy Spirit encouraged it and helped it grow.


text:
While Peter was traveling from place to place, he visited the Lord's followers who lived in the town of Lydda.


text:
Peter said to Aeneas, "Jesus Christ has healed you! Get up and make up your bed." Right away he stood up.


text:
In Joppa there was a follower named Tabitha. Her Greek name was Dorcas, which means "deer." She was always doing good things for people and had given much to the poor.


text:
Joppa wasn't far from Lydda, and the followers heard that Peter was there. They sent two men to say to him, "Please come with us as quickly as you can!"


text:
Right away, Peter went with them. The men took Peter upstairs into the room. Many widows were there crying. They showed him the coats and clothes that Dorcas had made while she was still alive.


text:
After Peter had sent everyone out of the room, he knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to the body of Dorcas and said, "Tabitha, get up!" The woman opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.


text:
He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Peter called in the widows and the other followers and showed them that Dorcas had been raised from death.


text:
In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, who was the captain of a group of soldiers called "The Italian Unit."


text:
Cornelius was a very religious man. He worshiped God, and so did everyone else who lived in his house. He had given a lot of money to the poor and was always praying to God.


text:
One afternoon at about three o'clock, Cornelius had a vision. He saw an angel from God coming to him and calling him by name.


text:
Cornelius was surprised and stared at the angel. Then he asked, "What is this all about?" The angel answered, "God has heard your prayers and knows about your gifts to the poor.


text:
After saying this, the angel left. Cornelius called in two of his servants and one of his soldiers who worshiped God.


text:
The next day about noon these men were coming near Joppa. Peter went up on the roof of the house to pray


text:
But Peter said, "Lord, I can't do that! I've never eaten anything that is unclean and not fit to eat."


text:
The voice spoke to him again, "When God says that something can be used for food, don't say it isn't fit to eat."


text:
Peter was still wondering what all of this meant, when the men sent by Cornelius came and stood at the gate. They had found their way to Simon's house


text:
While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Holy Spirit said to him, "Three men are here looking for you.


text:
They answered, "Captain Cornelius sent us. He is a good man who worships God and is liked by the Jewish people. One of God's holy angels told Cornelius to send for you, so he could hear what you have to say."


text:
Peter invited them to spend the night. The next morning, Peter and some of the Lord's followers in Joppa left with the men who had come from Cornelius.


text:
The next day they arrived in Caesarea where Cornelius was waiting for them. He had also invited his relatives and close friends.


text:
When Peter arrived, Cornelius greeted him. Then he knelt at Peter's feet and started worshiping him.


text:
and Peter said to them, "You know that we Jews are not allowed to have anything to do with other people. But God has shown me that he doesn't think anyone is unclean or unfit.


text:
Cornelius answered: Four days ago at about three o'clock in the afternoon I was praying at home. Suddenly a man in bright clothes stood in front of me.


text:
Now send to Joppa for Simon Peter. He is visiting in the home of Simon the leather maker, who lives near the sea."


text:
I sent for you right away, and you have been good enough to come. All of us are here in the presence of the Lord God, so that we can hear what he has to say.


text:
This is the same message that God gave to the people of Israel, when he sent Jesus Christ, the Lord of all, to offer peace to them.


text:
You surely know what happened everywhere in Judea. It all began in Galilee after John had told everyone to be baptized.


text:
God gave the Holy Spirit and power to Jesus from Nazareth. He was with Jesus, as he went around doing good and healing everyone who was under the power of the devil.


text:
We all saw what Jesus did both in Israel and in the city of Jerusalem. Jesus was put to death on a cross.


text:
Not everyone saw him. He was seen only by us, who ate and drank with him after he was raised from death. We were the ones God chose to tell others about him.


text:
God told us to announce clearly to the people that Jesus is the one he has chosen to judge the living and the dead.


text:
Every one of the prophets has said that all who have faith in Jesus will have their sins forgiven in his name.


text:
Some Jewish followers of the Lord had come with Peter, and they were surprised that the Holy Spirit had been given to Gentiles.


text:
"These Gentiles have been given the Holy Spirit, just as we have! I am certain that no one would dare stop us from baptizing them."


text:
Peter ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and they asked him to stay on for a few days.


text:
So when Peter came to Jerusalem, some of the Jewish followers started arguing with him. They wanted Gentile followers to be circumcised, and


text:
I was in the town of Joppa and was praying when I fell sound asleep and had a vision. I saw heaven open, and something like a huge sheet held by its four corners came down to me.


text:
But I said, "Lord, I can't do that! I've never taken a bite of anything that is unclean and not fit to eat."


text:
The voice from heaven spoke to me again, "When God says that something can be used for food, don't say it isn't fit to eat."


text:
The Holy Spirit told me to go with them and not to worry. Then six of the Lord's followers went with me to the home of a man


text:
who told us that an angel had appeared to him. The angel had ordered him to send to Joppa for someone named Simon Peter.


text:
After I started speaking, the Holy Spirit was given to them, just as the Spirit had been given to us at the beginning.


text:
I remembered that the Lord had said, "John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."


text:
God gave those Gentiles the same gift that he gave us when we put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. So how could I have gone against God?


text:
When they heard Peter say this, they stopped arguing and started praising God. They said, "God has now let Gentiles turn to him, and he has given life to them!"


text:
Some of the Lord's followers had been scattered because of the terrible trouble that started when Stephen was killed. They went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, but they told the message only to the Jews.


text:
Some of the followers from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch and started telling Gentiles the good news about the Lord Jesus.


text:
When Barnabas got there and saw what God had been kind enough to do for them, he was very glad. So he begged them to remain faithful to the Lord with all their hearts.


text:
Barnabas was a good man of great faith, and he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Many more people turned to the Lord.


text:
He found Saul and brought him to Antioch, where they met with the church for a whole year and taught many of its people. There in Antioch the Lord's followers were first called Christians.


text:
One of them was Agabus. Then with the help of the Spirit, he told that there would be a terrible famine everywhere in the world. And it happened when Claudius was Emperor.


text:
When Herod saw that this pleased the Jewish people, he had Peter arrested during the Festival of Thin Bread.


text:
He put Peter in jail and ordered four squads of soldiers to guard him. Herod planned to put him on trial in public after the festival.


text:
The night before Peter was to be put on trial, he was asleep and bound by two chains. A soldier was guarding him on each side, and two other soldiers were guarding the entrance to the jail.


text:
Suddenly an angel from the Lord appeared, and light flashed around in the cell. The angel poked Peter in the side and woke him up. Then he said, "Quick! Get up!" The chains fell off his hands,


text:
and the angel said, "Get dressed and put on your sandals." Peter did what he was told. Then the angel said, "Now put on your coat and follow me."


text:
They went past the two groups of soldiers, and when they came to the iron gate to the city, it opened by itself. They went out and were going along the street, when all at once the angel disappeared.


text:
Peter now realized what had happened, and he said, "I am certain that the Lord sent his angel to rescue me from Herod and from everything the Jewish leaders planned to do to me."


text:
Then Peter went to the house of Mary the mother of John whose other name was Mark. Many of the Lord's followers had come together there and were praying.


text:
When she heard Peter's voice, she was too excited to open the gate. She ran back into the house and said that Peter was standing there.


text:
"You are crazy!" everyone told her. But she kept saying that it was Peter. Then they said, "It must be his angel."


text:
But Peter kept on knocking, until finally they opened the gate. They saw him and were completely amazed.


text:
Peter motioned for them to keep quiet. Then he told how the Lord had led him out of jail. He also said, "Tell James and the others what has happened." After that, he left and went somewhere else.


text:
The next morning the soldiers who had been on guard were terribly worried and wondered what had happened to Peter.


text:
Herod ordered his own soldiers to search for him, but they could not find him. Then he questioned the guards and had them put to death. After this, Herod left Judea to stay in Caesarea for a while.


text:
Herod and the people of Tyre and Sidon were very angry with each other. But their country got its food supply from the region that he ruled. So a group of them went to see Blastus, who was one of Herod's high officials. They convinced Blastus that they wanted to make peace between their cities and Herod,


text:
and a day was set for them to meet with him. Herod came dressed in his royal robes. He sat down on his throne and made a speech.


text:
At once an angel from the Lord struck him down because he took the honor that belonged to God. Later, Herod was eaten by worms and died.


text:
And after Barnabas and Saul had done the work they were sent to do, they went back to Jerusalem with John, whose other name was Mark.


text:
The church at Antioch had several prophets and teachers. They were Barnabas, Simeon, also called Niger, Lucius from Cyrene, Manaen, who was Herod's close friend, and Saul.


text:
While they were worshiping the Lord and going without eating, the Holy Spirit told them, "Appoint Barnabas and Saul to do the work for which I have chosen them."


text:
Everyone prayed and went without eating for a while longer. Next, they placed their hands on Barnabas and Saul to show that they had been appointed to do this work. Then everyone sent them on their way.


text:
After Barnabas and Saul had been sent by the Holy Spirit, they went to Seleucia. From there they sailed to the island of Cyprus.


text:
They arrived at Salamis and began to preach God's message in the Jewish meeting places. They also had John as a helper.


text:
Barnabas and Saul went all the way to the city of Paphos on the other end of the island, where they met a Jewish man named Bar-Jesus. He practiced witchcraft and was a false prophet.


text:
He also worked for Sergius Paulus, who was very smart and was the governor of the island. Sergius Paulus wanted to hear God's message, and he sent for Barnabas and Saul.


text:
But Bar-Jesus, whose other name was Elymas, was against them. He even tried to keep the governor from having faith in the Lord.


text:
and said, "You son of the devil! You are a liar, a crook, and an enemy of everything that is right. When will you stop speaking against the true ways of the Lord?


text:
The Lord is going to punish you by making you completely blind for a while." Suddenly the man's eyes were covered by a dark mist, and he went around trying to get someone to lead him by the hand.


text:
When the governor saw what had happened, he was amazed at this teaching about the Lord. So he put his faith in the Lord.


text:
Paul and the others left Paphos and sailed to Perga in Pamphylia. But John left them and went back to Jerusalem.


text:
The rest of them went on from Perga to Antioch in Pisidia. Then on the Sabbath they went to the Jewish meeting place and sat down.


text:
After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the leaders sent someone over to tell Paul and Barnabas, "Friends, if you have anything to say that will help the people, please say it."


text:
Paul got up. He motioned with his hand and said: People of Israel, and everyone else who worships God, listen!


text:
The God of Israel chose our ancestors, and he let our people prosper while they were living in Egypt. Then with his mighty power he led them out,


text:
All this happened in about 450 years. Then God gave our people judges until the time of the prophet Samuel,


text:
but the people demanded a king. So for forty years God gave them King Saul, the son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin.


text:
Later, God removed Saul and let David rule in his place. God said about him, "David the son of Jesse is the kind of person who pleases me most! He does everything I want him to do."


text:
God promised that someone from David's family would come to save the people of Israel, and that one is Jesus.


text:
Then, when John's work was almost done, he said, "Who do you people think I am? Do you think I am the Promised One? He will come later, and I am not good enough to untie his sandals."


text:
Now listen, you descendants of Abraham! Pay attention, all of you Gentiles who are here to worship God! Listen to this message about how to be saved, because it is for everyone.


text:
The people of Jerusalem and their leaders didn't realize who Jesus was. And they didn't understand the words of the prophets that they read each Sabbath. So they condemned Jesus just as the prophets had said.


text:
They did exactly what the Scriptures said they would. Even though they couldn't find any reason to put Jesus to death, they still asked Pilate to have him killed. After Jesus had been put to death, he was taken down from the cross and placed in a tomb.


text:
Then for many days Jesus appeared to his followers who had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. Now they are telling our people about him.


text:
that he has kept this promise to us. It is just as the second Psalm says about Jesus, "You are my son because today I have become your Father."


text:
God raised Jesus from death and will never let his body decay. It is just as God said, "I will make to you the same holy promise that I made to David."


text:
When David was alive, he obeyed God. Then after he died, he was buried in the family grave, and his body decayed.


text:
My friends, the message is that Jesus can forgive your sins! The Law of Moses could not set you free from all your sins.


text:
"Look, you people who make fun of God! Be amazed and disappear. I will do something today that you won't believe, even if someone tells you about it!"


text:
As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the meeting, the people begged them to say more about these same things on the next Sabbath.


text:
After the service, many Jews and a lot of Gentiles who worshiped God went with them. Paul and Barnabas begged them all to remain faithful to God, who had been so kind to them.


text:
When the Jewish people saw the crowds, they were very jealous. They insulted Paul and spoke against everything he said.


text:
But Paul and Barnabas bravely said: We had to tell God's message to you before we told it to anyone else. But you rejected the message! This proves that you don't deserve eternal life. Now we are going to the Gentiles.


text:
The Lord has given us this command, "I have placed you here as a light for the Gentiles. You are to take the saving power of God to people everywhere on earth."


text:
This message made the Gentiles glad, and they praised what they had heard about the Lord. Everyone who had been chosen for eternal life then put their faith in the Lord.


text:
But the Jewish leaders went to some of the important men in the town and to some respected women who were religious. They turned them against Paul and Barnabas and started making trouble for them. They even chased them out of that part of the country.


text:
Paul and Barnabas spoke in the Jewish meeting place in Iconium, just as they had done at Antioch, and many Jews and Gentiles put their faith in the Lord.


text:
But the Jews who did not have faith in him made the other Gentiles angry and turned them against the Lord's followers.


text:
Paul and Barnabas stayed there for a while, having faith in the Lord and bravely speaking his message. The Lord gave them the power to work miracles and wonders, and he showed that their message about his great kindness was true.


text:
The people of Iconium did not know what to think. Some of them believed the Jewish group, and others believed the apostles.


text:
Finally, some Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, decided to make trouble for Paul and Barnabas and to stone them to death.


text:
But when the two apostles found out what was happening, they escaped to the region of Lycaonia. They preached the good news there in the towns of Lystra and Derbe and in the nearby countryside.


text:
The man was listening to Paul speak, when Paul saw that he had faith in Jesus and could be healed. So he looked straight at the man


text:
When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they yelled out in the language of Lycaonia, "The gods have turned into humans and have come down to us!"


text:
The people then gave Barnabas the name Zeus, and they gave Paul the name Hermes, because he did the talking.


text:
The temple of Zeus was near the entrance to the city. Its priest and the crowds wanted to offer a sacrifice to Barnabas and Paul. So the priest brought some bulls and flowers to the city gates.


text:
When the two apostles found out about this, they tore their clothes in horror and ran to the crowd, shouting:


text:
Why are you doing this? We are humans just like you. Please give up all this foolishness. Turn to the living God, who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in them.


text:
But he showed that he was there by the good things he did. God sends rain from heaven and makes your crops grow. He gives food to you and makes your hearts glad.


text:
Even after Paul and Barnabas had said all this, they could hardly keep the people from offering a sacrifice to them.


text:
Some Jewish leaders from Antioch and Iconium came and turned the crowds against Paul. They hit him with stones and dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead.


text:
But when the Lord's followers gathered around Paul, he stood up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas went to Derbe.


text:
Paul and Barnabas preached the good news in Derbe and won some people to the Lord. Then they went back to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch in Pisidia.


text:
They encouraged the followers and begged them to remain faithful. They told them, "We have to suffer a lot before we can get into God's kingdom."


text:
Paul and Barnabas chose some leaders for each of the churches. Then they went without eating and prayed that the Lord would take good care of these leaders.


text:
and sailed to Antioch in Syria. It was there that they had been placed in God's care for the work they had now completed.


text:
After arriving in Antioch, they called the church together. They told the people what God had helped them do and how he had made it possible for the Gentiles to believe.


text:
Some people came from Judea and started teaching the Lord's followers that they could not be saved, unless they were circumcised as Moses had taught.


text:
This caused trouble, and Paul and Barnabas argued with them about this teaching. So it was decided to send Paul and Barnabas and a few others to Jerusalem to discuss this problem with the apostles and the church leaders.


text:
The men who were sent by the church went through Phoenicia and Samaria, telling how the Gentiles had turned to God. This news made the Lord's followers very happy.


text:
When the men arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, including the apostles and the leaders. They told them everything God had helped them do.


text:
But some Pharisees had become followers of the Lord. They stood up and said, "Gentiles who have faith in the Lord must be circumcised and told to obey the Law of Moses."


text:
They had talked it over for a long time, when Peter got up and said: My friends, you know that God decided long ago to let me be the one from your group to preach the good news to the Gentiles. God did this so that they would hear and obey him.


text:
He knows what is in everyone's heart. And he showed that he had chosen the Gentiles, when he gave them the Holy Spirit, just as he had given his Spirit to us.


text:
God treated them in the same way that he treated us. They put their faith in him, and he made their hearts pure.


text:
Now why are you trying to make God angry by placing a heavy burden on these followers? This burden was too heavy for us or our ancestors.


text:
Everyone kept quiet and listened as Barnabas and Paul told how God had given them the power to work a lot of miracles and wonders for the Gentiles.


text:
"I, the Lord, will return and rebuild David's fallen house. I will build it from its ruins and set it up again.


text:
We should simply write and tell them not to eat anything that has been offered to idols. They should be told not to eat the meat of any animal that has been strangled or that still has blood in it. They must also not commit any terrible sexual sins.


text:
We must remember that the Law of Moses has been preached in city after city for many years, and every Sabbath it is read when we Jews meet.


text:
The apostles, the leaders, and all the church members decided to send some men to Antioch along with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Silas and Judas Barsabbas, who were two leaders of the Lord's followers.


text:
They wrote a letter that said: We apostles and leaders send friendly greetings to all of you Gentiles who are followers of the Lord in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia.


text:
We have heard that some people from here have terribly upset you by what they said. But we did not send them!


text:
So we met together and decided to choose some men and to send them to you along with our good friends Barnabas and Paul.


text:
We are also sending Judas and Silas, who will tell you in person the same things that we are writing.


text:
But you should not eat anything offered to idols. You should not eat any meat that still has the blood in it or any meat of any animal that has been strangled. You must also not commit any terrible sexual sins. If you follow these instructions, you will do well. We send our best wishes.


text:
The four men left Jerusalem and went to Antioch. Then they called the church members together and gave them the letter.


text:
Judas and Silas were prophets, and they spoke a long time, encouraging and helping the Lord's followers.


text:
The men from Jerusalem stayed on in Antioch for a while. And when they left to return to the ones who had sent them, the followers wished them well.


text:
But Paul and Barnabas stayed on in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached about the Lord.


text:
Sometime later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let's go back and visit the Lord's followers in the cities where we preached his message. Then we will know how they are doing."


text:
But Paul did not want to, because Mark had left them in Pamphylia and had stopped working with them.


text:
Paul and Barnabas argued, then each of them went his own way. Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus,


text:
Paul and Silas went back to Derbe and Lystra, where there was a follower named Timothy. His mother was also a follower. She was Jewish, and his father was Greek.


text:
and Paul wanted him to go with them. But Paul first had him circumcised, because all the Jewish people around there knew that Timothy's father was Greek.


text:
As Paul and the others went from city to city, they told the followers what the apostles and leaders in Jerusalem had decided, and they urged them to follow these instructions.


text:
Paul and his friends went through Phrygia and Galatia, but the Holy Spirit would not let them preach in Asia.


text:
After they arrived in Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not let them.


text:
During the night, Paul had a vision of someone from Macedonia who was standing there and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us!"


text:
After Paul had seen the vision, we began looking for a way to go to Macedonia. We were sure that God had called us to preach the good news there.


text:
From there we went to Philippi, which is a Roman colony in the first district of Macedonia. We spent several days in Philippi.


text:
Then on the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to a place by the river, where we thought there would be a Jewish meeting place for prayer. We sat down and talked with the women who came.


text:
One of them was Lydia, who was from the city of Thyatira and sold expensive purple cloth. She was a worshiper of the Lord God, and he made her willing to accept what Paul was saying.


text:
Then after she and her family were baptized, she kept on begging us, "If you think I really do have faith in the Lord, come stay in my home." Finally, we accepted her invitation.


text:
One day on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl. She had a spirit in her that gave her the power to tell the future. By doing this she made a lot of money for her owners.


text:
The girl followed Paul and the rest of us and kept yelling, "These men are servants of the Most High God! They are telling you how to be saved."


text:
This went on for several days. Finally, Paul got so upset that he turned and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ, I order you to leave this girl alone!" At once the evil spirit left her.


text:
When the girl's owners realized that they had lost all chances for making more money, they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them into court.


text:
The crowd joined in the attack on Paul and Silas. Then the officials tore the clothes off the two men and ordered them to be beaten with a whip.


text:
After they had been badly beaten, they were put in jail, and the jailer was told to guard them carefully.


text:
The jailer did as he was told. He put them deep inside the jail and chained their feet to heavy blocks of wood.


text:
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God, while the other prisoners listened.


text:
Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the jail to its foundations. The doors opened, and the chains fell from all the prisoners.


text:
When the jailer woke up and saw that the doors were open, he thought that the prisoners had escaped. He pulled out his sword and was about to kill himself.


text:
The jailer asked for a torch and went into the jail. He was shaking all over as he knelt down in front of Paul and Silas.


text:
They replied, "Have faith in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved! This is also true for everyone who lives in your home."


text:
While it was still night, the jailer took them to a place where he could wash their cuts and bruises. Then he and everyone in his home were baptized.


text:
They were very glad that they had put their faith in God. After this, the jailer took Paul and Silas to his home and gave them something to eat.


text:
The next morning the officials sent some police with orders for the jailer to let Paul and Silas go.


text:
But Paul told the police, "We are Roman citizens, and the Roman officials had us beaten in public without giving us a trial. They threw us into jail. Now do they think they can secretly send us away? No, they cannot! They will have to come here themselves and let us out."


text:
When the police told the officials that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, the officials were afraid.


text:
But Paul and Silas went straight to the home of Lydia, where they saw the Lord's followers and encouraged them. Then they left.


text:
After Paul and his friends had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they went on to Thessalonica. A Jewish meeting place was in that city.


text:
So as usual, Paul went there to worship, and on three Sabbaths he spoke to the people. He used the Scriptures


text:
to show them that the Messiah had to suffer, but that he would rise from death. Paul also told them that Jesus is the Messiah he was preaching about.


text:
Some of them believed what Paul had said, and they became followers with Paul and Silas. Some Gentiles and many important women also believed the message.


text:
The Jewish leaders were jealous and got some worthless bums who hung around the marketplace to start a riot in the city. They wanted to drag Paul and Silas out to the mob, and so they went straight to Jason's home.


text:
But when they did not find them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the Lord's followers. They took them to the city authorities and shouted, "Paul and Silas have been upsetting things everywhere. Now they have come here,


text:
and Jason has welcomed them into his home. All of them break the laws of the Roman Emperor by claiming that someone named Jesus is king."


text:
That same night the Lord's followers sent Paul and Silas on to Berea, and after they arrived, they went to the Jewish meeting place.


text:
The people in Berea were much nicer than those in Thessalonica, and they gladly accepted the message. Day after day they studied the Scriptures to see if these things were true.


text:
When the Jewish leaders in Thessalonica heard that Paul had been preaching God's message in Berea, they went there and caused trouble by turning the crowds against Paul.


text:
Some men went with Paul as far as Athens, and then returned with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.


text:
He went to the Jewish meeting place to speak to the Jews and to anyone who worshiped with them. Day after day he also spoke to everyone he met in the market.


text:
Some of them were Epicureans and some were Stoics, and they started arguing with him. People were asking, "What is this know-it-all trying to say?" Some even said, "Paul must be preaching about foreign gods! That's what he means when he talks about Jesus and about people rising from death."


text:
They brought Paul before a council called the Areopagus, and said, "Tell us what your new teaching is all about.


text:
More than anything else the people of Athens and the foreigners living there loved to hear and to talk about anything new.


text:
So Paul stood up in front of the council and said: People of Athens, I see that you are very religious.


text:
As I was going through your city and looking at the things you worship, I found an altar with the words, "To an Unknown God." You worship this God, but you don't really know him. So I want to tell you about him.


text:
This God made the world and everything in it. He is Lord of heaven and earth, and he doesn't live in temples built by human hands.


text:
From one person God made all nations who live on earth, and he decided when and where every nation would be.


text:
God has done all this, so that we will look for him and reach out and find him. He isn't far from any of us,


text:
and he gives us the power to live, to move, and to be who we are. "We are his children," just as some of your poets have said.


text:
Since we are God's children, we must not think that he is like an idol made out of gold or silver or stone. He isn't like anything that humans have thought up and made.


text:
In the past, God forgave all this because people did not know what they were doing. But now he says that everyone everywhere must turn to him.


text:
He has set a day when he will judge the world's people with fairness. And he has chosen the man Jesus to do the judging for him. God has given proof of this to all of us by raising Jesus from death.


text:
As soon as the people heard Paul say that a man had been raised from death, some of them started laughing. Others said, "We will hear you talk about this some other time."


text:
some of the men put their faith in the Lord and went with Paul. One of them was a council member named Dionysius. A woman named Damaris and several others also put their faith in the Lord.


