# verses

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Then I will ·tell them clearly [declare to them; publicly announce to them], ‘I never knew you. ·Get away [Depart] from me, you who ·do evil [break God’s law; practice lawlessness; ].’


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Two Kinds of People “Everyone who hears my words and ·obeys [acts on; practices] them is like a ·wise [sensible] man who built his house on rock.


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It rained hard, the ·floods came [rivers rose], and the winds blew and ·hit [beat; slammed against] that house. But it did not ·fall [collapse], because it was built on rock.


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Everyone who hears my words and does not ·obey [act on; practice] them is like a ·foolish [stupid] man who built his house on sand.


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It rained hard, the ·floods came [rivers rose], and the winds blew and ·hit [beat; slammed against] that house, and it ·fell [collapsed] with a big crash.”


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When Jesus finished ·saying these things [these words; the end of the first of five major discourses in Matthew, all of which conclude with a similar phrase; see also ; ; ; ], the ·people [crowds] were amazed at his teaching,


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because he did not teach like their ·teachers of the law [scribes]. He taught like a person who had authority.


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Jesus Heals a Sick Man When Jesus came down from the ·hill [mountainside], ·great crowds [many people] followed him.


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Then a ·man with a skin disease [leper; the term does not refer to modern leprosy (Hansen’s disease), but to various skin disorders; see ] came to Jesus. The man ·bowed down [knelt] before him and said, “Lord, you can ·heal me [make me clean; such skin disorders rendered the victim ceremonially unclean] if you ·will [choose; are willing].”


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Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man and said, “I ·will [do choose; am willing]. Be ·healed [cleansed]!” And immediately the man was ·healed [cleansed] from his disease.


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Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t tell anyone about this. But go and show yourself to the priest and offer the ·gift [offering; sacrifice] Moses commanded for people who are made well []. This will ·show the people [be a public testimony to; be evidence for] what I have done.”


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Jesus Heals a Soldier’s Servant When Jesus entered the city of Capernaum, an ·army officer [centurion] came to him, ·begging [pleading] for help.


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The officer said, “Lord, my servant is at home in bed. He ·can’t move his body [is paralyzed] and ·is in much pain [suffering terribly].”


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The officer answered, “Lord [or Sir], I ·am not worthy [do not deserve] for you to come into my house. You only need to ·command it [say the word], and my servant will be healed.


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[For] I, too, am a man ·under the authority of others [under authority], and I have soldiers under my command. I tell one soldier, ‘Go,’ and he goes. I tell another soldier, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my ·servant [slave], ‘Do this,’ and my ·servant [slave] does it.”


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When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. He said to those who were following him, “I tell you the truth, ·this is the greatest faith I have found [I haven’t found such faith], ·even in Israel [or in all Israel].


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Many people will come from the east and from the west and will ·sit and eat [recline; the posture for a banquet or dinner party] with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven [the messianic banquet, a metaphor for God’s restoration of creation; ].


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But ·those people who should be in [the heirs of; or the subjects of; the sons of] the kingdom will be thrown ·outside into the darkness [into the outer darkness], where ·people will cry and grind their teeth with pain [there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth; metaphors for agony and torment].”


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Then Jesus said to the ·officer [centurion], “Go home. ·Your servant will be healed just as you believed he would [Let it be done for you just as you have believed].” And his servant was healed that ·same hour [exact time].


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Jesus Heals Many People When Jesus went to Peter’s house, he saw that Peter’s mother-in-law was ·sick in bed [lying down] with a fever.


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Jesus touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she stood up and began ·to serve [waiting on] Jesus.


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That evening people brought to Jesus many who ·had demons [were demon-possessed]. Jesus ·spoke and the demons left them [drove/cast out the demons with a word/command], and he healed all the sick.


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He did these things to ·bring about [fulfill] what Isaiah the prophet had said: “He took our ·suffering [sicknesses; weaknesses] and ·carried [bore; removed] our diseases [].”


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People Want to Follow Jesus When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he ·told [instructed; ordered] his ·followers [disciples] to ·go [cross] to the other side of the lake.


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Then a ·teacher of the law [scribe] came to Jesus and said, “·Teacher [Master], I will follow you any place you go.”


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Jesus said to him, “The foxes have ·holes [dens] to live in, and the birds [of the sky] have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to ·rest [lay] his head.”


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Another man, one of Jesus’ ·followers [disciples], said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”


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Jesus Calms a Storm Jesus got into a boat, and his ·followers [disciples] ·went with [followed] him.


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[Suddenly; And look/behold] A ·great [fierce] storm arose on the ·lake [sea] so that waves ·covered [swept over] the boat, but Jesus was sleeping.


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His ·followers [disciples] went to him and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We ·will drown [are lost/perishing]!”


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Jesus answered, “Why are you ·afraid [cowardly]? ·You don’t have enough faith [or How little faith you have!; You of little faith].” Then Jesus got up and ·gave a command to [reprimanded; rebuked] the wind and the waves, and it became completely calm [paralleling God’s subduing of the waters representing chaos in the OT; ; ; ].


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The men were amazed and said, “What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the ·waves [sea] obey him!”


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Jesus Heals Two Men with Demons When Jesus arrived at the other side of the lake in the ·area [region; territory] of the Gadarene people [from Gadara, an area southeast of Lake Galilee; the exact location is uncertain], two ·men who had demons in them [demon-possessed men; demoniacs] came out of the ·burial caves [tombs] and met him. These men were so ·dangerous [violent; fierce] that people could not ·use the road by those caves [pass that way].


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They shouted, “·What do you want with us [or Leave us alone; What business do we have with each other?; What to me and to you?], Son of God? Did you come here to ·torture [torment] us before the ·right time [or appointed time; time; the day of judgment]?”


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The demons begged Jesus, “If you ·make us leave these men [drive/cast us out], please send us into that herd of pigs [ritually unclean animals].”


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Jesus said to them, “Go!” So the demons ·left [came out of] the men and went into the pigs. Then [look; behold] the whole herd rushed down the ·hill [steep bank; precipice] into the ·lake [sea] and ·were drowned [died in the waters].


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The herdsmen ·ran away [fled] and went into town, where they told about all of this and what had happened to the ·men who had demons [demon-possessed men; demoniacs].


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Then [look; behold] the whole town went out to ·see [meet] Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their ·area [region; territory].


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Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man Jesus got into a boat and went back across the ·lake [sea] to his own town.


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[And look/behold] Some people brought to Jesus a man who was paralyzed and lying on a ·mat [cot; bed]. When Jesus saw ·the faith of these people [their faith], he said to the paralyzed man, “·Be encouraged [Have courage; Take heart], ·young man [son; child]. Your sins are forgiven.”


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Some of the ·teachers of the law [scribes] said to themselves, “·This man speaks as if he were God. That is blasphemy [This man blasphemes]!”


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·Knowing [Perceiving] their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why are you thinking evil ·thoughts [in your hearts]?


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But ·I will prove to you [so that you may know] that the Son of Man [a title for the Messiah; ] has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Stand up, ·take [pick up] your ·mat [cot; bed], and go home.”


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When the ·people [crowds] saw this, they were ·amazed [filled with awe; afraid] and ·praised [glorified] God for giving ·power like this [such authority] to ·human beings [mankind; the language echoes the Son of Man title just used by Jesus (), which the crowds misunderstand to mean simply “a human being”].


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Jesus Chooses Matthew When Jesus was ·leaving [walking along], he saw a man named Matthew sitting in the tax collector’s booth [probably a tariff booth for taxing goods in transit]. Jesus said to him, “Follow me,” and he stood up and followed Jesus.


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As Jesus was ·having dinner [reclining; around a low table; the posture for a formal banquet or dinner party] at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ·ate [reclined together] with Jesus and his ·followers [disciples].


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When the Pharisees saw this, they asked Jesus’ ·followers [disciples], “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors [despised because they worked for the Roman rulers and were notorious for corruption and extortion] and sinners?”


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Go and learn what this means: ‘I ·want [desire; require; am pleased by] ·kindness [compassion; mercy] ·more than I want [not] animal sacrifices [].’ [For] I did not come to ·invite [call] ·good people [the righteous; meaning the “self-righteous” who feel no need to repent] but to invite [call] sinners [those who recognize their need to repent].”


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Jesus’ Followers Are Criticized Then the ·followers [disciples] of John [the Baptist] came to Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees often fast [giving up eating for spiritual purposes], but your ·followers [disciples] don’t?”


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Jesus answered, “The ·friends of the bridegroom [or wedding guests; children of the wedding hall] ·are not sad [cannot mourn] while he is with them [Jesus is referring to himself; ; ]. But the ·time [days] will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast.


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“No one sews a patch of unshrunk [new] cloth over a hole in an old ·coat [garment]. If he does, the patch will shrink and pull away from the ·coat [garment], making the ·hole [tear] worse.


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Also, people never pour new wine into old ·leather bags [wineskins]. Otherwise, the ·bags [wineskins] will ·break [burst; because the fermenting wine expands], the wine will spill, and the ·wine bags [wineskins] will be ruined. But people always pour new wine into ·new [fresh] ·wine bags [wineskins]. Then both ·will continue to be good [are preserved].”


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Jesus Gives Life to a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman While Jesus was saying these things, a ·leader of the synagogue [leader; official; ruler; identifies him as a synagogue leader] came to him. He ·bowed down [knelt] before Jesus and said, “My daughter has just died. But if you come and lay your hand on her, she will live again.”


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·Then [And look/behold,] a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years [probably a chronic menstrual disorder] came behind Jesus and touched the ·edge [or tassels; see ] of his ·coat [cloak; garment].


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Jesus turned and saw the woman and said, “·Be encouraged [Have courage; Take heart], ·dear woman [daughter]. ·You are made well because you believed [Your faith has saved/healed you].” And the woman was ·healed [made well; saved] from that moment on.


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Jesus continued along with the ·leader [ruler; official] and went into his house. There he saw the ·funeral musicians [pipe/flute players] and ·many people crying [a noisy crowd].


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Jesus said, “·Go away [Get out; Leave]. [For] The girl is not dead, only asleep.” But the people ·laughed at [ridiculed] him.


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After the crowd had been ·thrown [sent; put] out of the house, Jesus went into the girl’s room and took hold of her hand, and she ·stood up [arose].


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Jesus Heals Two Blind Men When Jesus was leaving there, two blind men followed him. They cried out, “·Have mercy [Take pity] on us, Son of David [a title for the Messiah, a descendant of King David; ]!”


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After Jesus went inside, the blind men went with him. He asked the men, “Do you believe that I can ·make you see again [do this]?” They answered, “Yes, Lord.”


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Then Jesus touched their eyes and said, “·Because you believe [According to your faith], ·it will happen [let it be done for you].”


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Then ·the men were able to see [their eyes were opened]. But Jesus warned them strongly, saying, “·Don’t tell anyone [See that no one knows] about this.”


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But the blind men left and spread the news about Jesus ·all around that area [throughout that whole land/region].


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Jesus Heals a Demon Possessed Man When the two men were leaving, [look; behold] some people brought to Jesus ·another man who could not talk because he had a demon in him [a mute, demon-possessed man].


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After Jesus ·forced the demon to leave the man [drove/cast out the demon], he ·was able [began] to speak. The crowd was amazed and said, “·We have never seen anything like this [Nothing like this has ever been seen/happened] in Israel.”


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But the Pharisees said, “He forces [drives; casts] demons out by the power of the ·prince [ruler] of demons.”


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The Harvest Is Great Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, ·preaching [proclaiming] the ·Good News [Gospel] about the kingdom, and healing all kinds of diseases and sicknesses.


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When he saw the crowds, he ·felt sorry [had compassion] for them because they were ·hurting [distressed; confused; harassed] and ·helpless [discouraged; dejected], like sheep without a shepherd.


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Jesus said to his ·followers [disciples], “·There are many people to harvest [The harvest is great/large] but ·there are only a few workers [the workers/laborers are few].


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So pray to the Lord ·who owns [who is in charge of; of] the harvest, that he will send more ·workers [laborers] ·to gather [into] his harvest.”


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Jesus Sends Out His Apostles Jesus called his twelve ·followers [disciples] together and gave them authority to drive [force; cast] out ·evil [defiling; unclean] spirits and to heal every kind of disease and sickness.


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These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (also called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;


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Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;


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Jesus sent out these twelve men with the following ·order [instructions]: “Don’t go ·to [on the way/road of] the ·Gentiles [non-Jewish people] or ·to [enter] any town where the Samaritans live.


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Heal the sick, raise the dead to life again, ·heal [cleanse] ·those who have skin diseases [the lepers; see ], and ·force demons out of people [cast out demons]. ·I give you these powers freely, so help other people freely [Freely you have received, freely give].


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Don’t carry a ·bag [traveler’s bag; or beggar’s purse] or ·extra clothes [two tunics] or sandals or a ·walking stick [staff]. Workers ·should be given what they need [deserve to be supported; deserve their food/sustenance].


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“When you enter a city or town, ·find [seek out] some ·worthy [honorable; respected] person there and stay in that home until you leave.


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If the ·people there welcome you [house is worthy], let your peace ·stay there [come upon it]. But if ·they don’t welcome you [it is not worthy], ·take back the peace you wished for them [let your peace return to you].


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And if ·a home or town [anyone] refuses to welcome you or ·listen to you [heed your words/message], leave that ·place [home or town] and shake its dust off your feet [in protest and as a warning of judgment].


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I tell you the truth, on the judgment day it will be ·better [more bearable/tolerable] for the ·towns [land] of Sodom and Gomorrah [evil cities destroyed by God; ] than for the people of that town.


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Jesus Warns His Apostles “·Listen [Look; Behold], I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as ·clever [wise; shrewd; cunning] as ·snakes [serpents] and as ·innocent [harmless] as doves.


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·Be careful of [Beware of; Watch out for] people, because they will ·arrest you and take you to court [hand you over to the courts/councils; local councils associated with Jewish synagogues] and ·whip [flog; scourge] you in their synagogues.


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·Because of me [On my account; For my sake] you will be taken to stand before governors and kings, ·and you will tell them and the Gentiles about me [as a witness/testimony to them and to the Gentiles].


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When you are arrested, don’t worry about what to say or how to say it. [For] At that time you will be given the things to say.


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“Brothers will ·give [betray; hand over] their own brothers to ·be killed [death], and fathers will give their own children to ·be killed [death]. Children will ·fight [rebel; rise up] against their own parents and have them put to death.


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All people will hate you because ·you follow me [of my name], but those people who ·keep their faith [endure; stand firm; persevere] until the end will be saved.


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When you are ·treated badly [persecuted] in one city, ·run [flee] to ·another city [the next]. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through all the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes [].


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“A ·student [disciple; follower] is not ·better than [superior to; above] his teacher, and a ·servant [slave] is not ·better than [superior to; above] his ·master [lord].


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·A student should be satisfied [It is enough for a student/disciple/follower] to become like his teacher; ·a servant should be satisfied to become [and a servant/slave] like his master. If the head of the family [here referring to Jesus] is called Beelzebul [another name for Satan], ·then the other members of the family will be called worse names [how much more the members of his household]!


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Fear God, Not People “So don’t be afraid of those people, because everything that is ·hidden [concealed; covered up] will be ·shown [revealed; uncovered; disclosed]. Everything that is ·secret [hidden] will be made ·known [clear].


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I tell you these things in the dark, but I want you to tell them in the ·light [daylight]. What you hear whispered in your ear you should ·shout [proclaim] from the housetops.


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Don’t be afraid of people, who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. The only one you should fear is the one who can destroy [both] the soul and the body in ·hell [Gehenna; ].


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Two sparrows are sold [Are not two sparrows sold…?] for only a penny [Greek: assarion; a copper coin of very low value], but not even one of them can ·die [fall to the ground] ·without your Father’s knowing it [or apart from your Father’s will].


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“All those who ·stand before others and say they believe in me [confess/acknowledge me before people], I will ·say before my Father in heaven that they belong to me [confess/acknowledge them before my Father in heaven].


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But all who ·stand before others and say they do not believe in me [deny/disown me before people] I will ·say before my Father in heaven that they do not belong to me [also deny/disown them before my Father in heaven].


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Divisions Within Households “Don’t ·think [suppose] that I came to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.


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[For] I have come ·so that ‘a son will be [to turn a man] against his father, a daughter ·will be against [against] her mother, a daughter-in-law ·will be against [against] her mother-in-law.


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Conditions and Rewards of Discipleship “·Those who love [The one who loves…] their father or mother more than they love me are not worthy ·to be my followers [of me]. Those who love their son or daughter more than they love me are not worthy ·to be my followers [of me].


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Whoever ·is not willing to carry the [does not take up his] cross and follow me is not worthy of me.


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Those who ·try to hold on to [cling to; seek to preserve; find] their lives will ·give up true life [lose them]. Those who ·give up [lose] their lives for ·me [my sake] will ·hold on to true life [find them].


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Whoever ·accepts [receives; welcomes] you also ·accepts [receives; welcomes] me, and whoever ·accepts [receives; welcomes] me also ·accepts [receives; welcomes] the One who sent me.


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Whoever ·accepts [receives; welcomes] a prophet ·because he is a prophet [in the name of a prophet] will receive the ·reward of [same reward as] a prophet. And whoever ·accepts [receives; welcomes] a ·good [righteous; upright] person because that person is ·good [righteous; upright] will receive the ·reward of [same reward as] a ·good [righteous; upright] person.


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Those who give one of these little ones [even; so much as] a cup of cold water because they are my ·followers [disciples] will ·truly get [certainly not lose] their reward.”


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Jesus and John the Baptist After Jesus finished ·telling these things to [instructing; see ] his twelve ·followers [disciples], he left there and went to ·the towns in Galilee [their towns] to teach and preach.


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John the Baptist was in prison, but he heard about ·what Christ was doing [or the deeds/actions of the Messiah]. So John sent some of his ·followers [disciples] to Jesus.


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They asked him, “Are you the ·One who is to come [Expected One; the Messiah], or should we ·wait for [look for; expect] someone else?”


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The blind can see, the ·crippled [lame] can walk, and ·people with skin diseases [lepers; see ] are ·healed [cleansed]. The deaf can hear, the dead are raised to life, and the ·Good News [Gospel] is preached to the poor [signs of God’s restoration of creation, predicted by the prophet Isaiah; ; ; ].


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As ·John’s followers [they] were leaving, Jesus began talking to the ·people [crowds] about John. Jesus said, “What did you go out into the ·desert [wilderness] to see? A reed ·blown by [shaken by; swaying in] the wind [a metaphor for something weak or wavering]?


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What did you go out to see? A man dressed in ·fine [expensive] clothes? No, those who wear ·fine [expensive; soft] clothes ·live [are found] in kings’ ·palaces [houses].


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This was written about him: ‘[Look; Behold] I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare ·the [your] way ·for [before; in front of] you [].’


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I tell you the truth, John the Baptist is greater than any other person ·ever born [born to women], but even the least important person in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John [because John prepares for, but does not fully participate in the blessings of the kingdom].


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·Since the time [From the days] John the Baptist came until now, the kingdom of heaven has been ·going forward in strength [advancing forcefully; or subject to violence; suffering violent attacks], and ·forceful [or violent] people have been trying to ·take it by force [lay hold of it; or attack it].


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All the prophets and the law of Moses ·told about what would happen [prophesied] until ·the time John came [John].


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And if you ·will believe what they said, you will believe that John is Elijah [are willing to accept it, he is Elijah], whom they said would come.


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“·What can I say about the people of this time? What are they like? [To what shall I compare this generation?] They are like children sitting in the marketplace, who call out to each other,


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‘We played ·music [the pipe/flute] for you, but you did not dance; we sang a ·sad song [funeral song; dirge], but you did not ·cry [weep].’ [The religious leaders wanted John to “dance” (lighten up his severe message) and wanted Jesus to “mourn” (follow their restrictive lifestyle).]


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[For] John came and did not eat or drink like other people. So people say, ‘He ·has [is possessed by] a demon.’


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The Son of Man came, eating and drinking, and people say, ‘Look at him! ·He eats too much and drinks too much wine [He’s a glutton and a drunkard], and he is a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is ·proved to be right [vindicated] by ·what she does [or its deeds/actions/results; Wisdom is personified as a woman (), her “children” being those who respond favorably to the message of John and Jesus].”


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Jesus Warns Unbelievers Then Jesus began to ·criticize [denounce; reproach] the cities where he did ·most [so many] of his ·miracles [powerful deeds], because the people did not ·change their lives and stop sinning [repent].


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He said, “·How terrible for [Woe to] you, Korazin! ·How terrible for [Woe to] you, Bethsaida! If the same ·miracles [powerful deeds] ·I did [that occurred] in you had happened in Tyre and Sidon [cities in Phoenicia notorious for their wickedness], those people would have ·changed their lives [repented] a long time ago. ·They would have worn rough cloth and put ashes on themselves to show they had changed […in sackcloth/burlap and ashes; signs of sorrow and deep remorse].


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But I tell you, on the judgment day it will be ·better [more bearable/tolerable] for Tyre and Sidon than for you.


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And you, Capernaum [a town in Galilee where Jesus lived and ministered], will you be ·lifted up to [honored/exalted in] heaven? No! you will be thrown down to ·the depths [the place of the dead; Hades; , ]. If the ·miracles [powerful deeds] ·I did [that occurred] in you had happened in Sodom [a city God destroyed because the people were so evil; ], it would ·still be a city [have remained until] today [because its people would have repented and judgment averted].


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But I tell you, on the judgment day it will be ·better [more bearable/tolerable] for [the region/land of] Sodom than for you.”


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Jesus Offers Rest to People At that time Jesus said, “I ·praise [bless; thank; acknowledge] you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the people who are wise and ·smart [learned; intelligent]. But you have ·shown [revealed] them to ·those who are like little children [little children; infants; those with a childlike faith].


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“My Father has ·given [entrusted/committed to] me all things. No one knows the Son, except the Father. And no one knows the Father, except the Son and those whom the Son ·chooses [desires; intends] to ·tell [reveal it].


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“Come to me, all of you who are ·tired [weary] and ·have heavy loads [overburdened; heavy-laden] and I will give you rest.


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·Accept my teachings [Take my yoke upon you] and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in ·spirit [heart], and you will find rest for your ·lives [souls; ].


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·The burden that I ask you to accept […because my yoke] is easy; ·the load I give you to carry [and my burden] is light.”


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Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath At that time Jesus was walking through some fields of grain on a Sabbath day. His ·followers [disciples] were hungry, so they began to pick the grain and eat it [].


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When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Jesus, “Look! Your ·followers [disciples] are doing what is ·unlawful to do [forbidden] on the Sabbath day.” [Gleaning was viewed as work, and therefore forbidden on the Sabbath; .]


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Jesus answered, “Have you not read what David did when he and ·the people with him [his companions] were hungry?


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He went into God’s house, and he and ·those with him [his companions] ate the ·holy bread [consecrated bread; bread of presentation], which was ·lawful [allowed] only for priests to eat [; ].


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And have you not read in the ·law of Moses [Law] that on every Sabbath day the priests in the Temple ·break this law about [violate; desecrate; profane] the Sabbath day [by working when they offer sacrifices]? But the priests are ·not wrong for doing that [innocent; not guilty].


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I tell you that there is ·something [or someone; may refer to Jesus himself or to the arrival of the kingdom] here that is greater than the Temple.


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The Scripture says, ‘I want ·kindness more than I want animal sacrifices [mercy and not sacrifice; ].’ If you ·understood [had known] what these words mean, you would not have ·judged those who have done nothing wrong [condemned the innocent/guiltless].


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·where [and look/behold] there was a man with a ·crippled [paralyzed; deformed; shriveled] hand. They were looking for a reason to ·accuse [bring charges against] Jesus, so they asked him, “Is it ·right [lawful] to ·heal [cure] on the Sabbath day?”


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Jesus answered, “If any of you has a sheep, and it falls into a ·ditch [pit; hole] on the Sabbath day, ·you will [would you not…?] ·help [grab it and lift] it out of the ditch.


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·Surely a human being is more important [How much better is a person] than a sheep. So it is ·lawful [permitted] to do ·good things [good] on the Sabbath day.”


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Then Jesus said to the man, “·Hold [Stretch] out your hand.” The man ·held [stretched] out his hand, and it ·became well again [was restored], ·like [as healthy as] the other hand.


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Jesus Is God’s Chosen Servant Jesus knew ·what the Pharisees were doing [this], so he left that place. ·Many people [Large crowds] followed him, and he healed all who were sick.


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“·Here is [Behold; Look!] my servant whom I have chosen. ·I love him [The one I love; My beloved], ·and I am pleased with him [in whom my soul delights/is well pleased]. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will ·tell of my [proclaim] justice to ·all people [the nations/Gentiles].


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He will not break a ·crushed blade of grass [battered/bruised reed] or ·put out [extinguish] ·even a weak flame [a flickering candle; a smoldering wick] until he ·makes justice win the [leads justice to] victory.


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Jesus’ Power Is from God Then some people brought to Jesus a man who was blind and ·could not talk [mute], because he ·had a demon [was demon-possessed/demonized]. Jesus healed the man so that he could talk and see.


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All the people were amazed and said, “Perhaps this man is the Son of David [a title for the Messiah, a descendant of King David; ]!”


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When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man uses the power of Beelzebul [another name for Satan], the ruler of demons, to ·force [drive; cast] demons out of people.”


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Jesus knew what the Pharisees were thinking, so he said to them, “Every kingdom that is ·divided against [at war with] itself ·will be destroyed [is doomed/headed for ruin]. And any city or ·family [house] that is ·divided against [at war with] itself will not ·continue [survive; stand].


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And if Satan ·forces out himself [drives/casts out Satan], then Satan is ·divided against [at war with] himself, and ·his kingdom will not continue [how will his kingdom stand?].


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You say that I use the power of Beelzebul [] to ·force [drive; cast] out demons. If that is true, then what power do your ·people [own exorcists; followers; sons] use to ·force [drive; force] out demons? So they will be your judges.


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But if I use the power of God’s Spirit to ·force [drive; cast] out demons, then the kingdom of God has ·come to you [arrived among you; or overtaken you; caught you unaware].


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“·If anyone wants to [Or how can anyone…?] enter a strong person’s house and ·steal [seize; plunder] his things, he must first ·tie up [bind] the strong person. Then he can ·steal [seize; plunder] the things from the house. [Satan is the strong man and his possessions are the people Jesus is freeing from Satan’s power.]


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The Sin Against the Holy Spirit “Whoever is not with me is against me. Whoever does not ·work [gather] with me ·is working against me [scatters; probably a reference to gathering or scattering a flock; ].


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So I tell you, people can be forgiven for every sin and ·everything they say against God [blasphemy]. But whoever ·speaks [blasphemes] against the ·Holy Spirit [Spirit] will not be forgiven.


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Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, ·now or in the future [neither in this age, nor the one to come].


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People Know You by Your Words “If you want good fruit, you must ·make the tree good [grow a good/healthy tree]. If ·your tree is not good [you grow a bad/unhealthy tree], it will have bad fruit. A tree is ·known [identified; recognized] by the kind of fruit it produces.


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You ·snakes [brood/offspring of vipers]! You are evil people, so how can you say anything good? [For] The mouth speaks the things that ·are in [overflow from] the heart.


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Good people ·have good things in their hearts, and so they say good things [bring forth good things from the good treasure/storehouse]. But evil people ·have evil in their hearts, so they say evil things [bring forth evil things from the evil treasure/storehouse].


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And I tell you that on the judgment day people will ·be responsible [give an accounting; answer] for every ·careless [idle; thoughtless; unhelpful] ·thing [word] they have said.


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·The words you have said will be used to judge you. Some of your words will prove you right, but some of your words will prove you guilty [For by your words you will be acquitted/justified, and by your words you will be condemned].”


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The People Ask for a Miracle Then some of the Pharisees and ·teachers of the law [scribes] answered Jesus, saying, “Teacher, we want to see ·you work a miracle as a sign [a sign from you].”


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Jesus answered, “Evil and sinful people [An evil and adulterous/unfaithful generation] are the ones who ·want to see [seek after; ask for; demand] ·a miracle for a sign [a sign]. But no sign will be given to them, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.


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[For just as] Jonah was in the stomach of the ·big fish [sea monster; sea creature] for three days and three nights []. In the same way, the Son of Man will be in the ·grave [heart of the earth] three days and three nights.


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On the judgment day the ·people [or men] from Nineveh will stand up with ·you people who live now [this generation], and they will ·show that you are guilty [condemn you]. [Because] When Jonah preached to them, they ·were sorry and changed their lives [repented]. And ·I tell you that [look; behold] ·someone [or something; either Jesus or the Kingdom of God] greater than Jonah is here.


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On the judgment day, the Queen of the South will ·stand [rise] up with ·you people who live today [this generation]. She will ·show that you are guilty [condemn you], because she came from ·far away [the ends of the earth] to listen to Solomon’s wise teaching []. And ·I tell you that [look; behold] ·someone [or something] greater than Solomon is here.


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People Today Are Full of Evil “When an ·evil [defiling; unclean] spirit comes out of a person, it travels through ·dry [waterless; arid] places, looking for a place to rest, but it doesn’t find it.


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So the spirit says, ‘I will go back to the house [the person] I left.’ When the spirit comes back, it finds the house still empty, swept clean, and ·made neat [put in order; fixed up].


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Then the evil spirit goes out and brings seven other spirits even more ·evil [wicked] than it is, and they go in and live there. So ·the person has even more trouble than before [the last state of that person is worse than the first]. ·It is the same way [So it will be] with ·the evil people who live today [this evil generation].”


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Jesus’ True Family While Jesus was talking to the ·people [crowds], [look; behold] his mother and ·brothers [or brothers and sisters; the Greek word can mean “siblings”] stood outside, ·trying to find a way [seeking; asking] to talk to him.


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Someone told Jesus, “[Look; Behold] Your mother and brothers [and sisters] are standing outside, ·and they want [seeking; asking] to talk to you.”


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Then he ·pointed to [or stretched out his hand toward] his ·followers [disciples] and said, “·Here are [Look; Behold] my mother and my brothers.


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My true brother and sister and mother are those who do ·what my Father in heaven wants [the will of my Father in heaven].”


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A Story About Planting Seed That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake [the Sea of Galilee].


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Large crowds gathered around him, so he got into a boat and sat down, while the people stood on the shore.


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Then Jesus used ·stories [parables] to teach them many things. He said: “A ·farmer [sower] went out to ·plant [sow] his seed.


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While he was ·planting [sowing], some seed fell ·by the road [along the path], and the birds came and ate it all up.


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Some seed fell on rocky ground, where there wasn’t much dirt. That seed ·grew [sprang up] very fast, because the ground was not deep.


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But when the sun rose, the plants ·dried up [were scorched and withered], because they did not have deep roots.


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Some other seed fell on good ground where it grew and produced ·a crop [grain]. Some plants made a hundred times more, some made sixty times more, and some made thirty times more.


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Why Jesus Used Stories to Teach The ·followers [disciples] came to Jesus and asked, “Why do you ·use stories to teach the people [speak to them in parables]?”


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Jesus answered, “·You have been chosen [It has been granted/given to you] to ·know [understand] the ·secrets [mysteries] about the kingdom of heaven, but ·others cannot know these secrets [it has not been given/granted to those others].


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Those who ·have understanding [have] will be given more, and they will have ·all they need [an abundance]. But those who do not ·have understanding [have], even what they have will be taken away from them.


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This is why I ·use stories to teach the people [speak in parables]: [Because] They ·see [look], but they don’t ·really see [perceive]. They hear, but they don’t really hear or understand.


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·So they show that the things Isaiah said about them are true [In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says]: ‘You will ·listen and listen [keep on hearing; or listen intently], but you will not understand. You will ·look and look [keep on seeing; or look intently], but you will not ·learn [perceive; comprehend].


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For the ·minds [hearts] of these people have become ·stubborn [dull; calloused; hardened]. They ·do not [hardly] hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears. They might really understand ·in their minds [with their hearts] and ·come back [turn; return] to me and ·be healed [I would heal them; ].’


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I tell you the truth, many prophets and ·good [righteous; just] people ·wanted [longed] to see the things that you now see, but they did not see them. And they ·wanted [longed] to hear the things that you now hear, but they did not hear them.


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Jesus Explains the Seed Story “So listen to the ·meaning of that story about the farmer [parable of the sower].


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What is the seed that fell ·by the road [along the path]? That seed is like ·the person [anyone] who hears the ·message [word; teaching] about the kingdom but does not understand it. The Evil One comes and ·takes away [snatches] what was ·planted [sown] in that person’s heart.


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And what is the seed ·that fell [sown] on rocky ground? That seed is like the person who hears the ·teaching [word; message] and quickly ·accepts [receives] it with joy.


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But ·he does not let the teaching go deep into his life, so [since he has no root in himself] ·he keeps it only a short time [he does not endure; it is shortlived]. When trouble or persecution comes because of the ·teaching he accepted [word, message], he ·quickly [immediately] ·gives up [falls away; stumbles].


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And what is the seed ·that fell [sown] among the thorny weeds? That seed is like the person who hears the ·teaching [word; message] but lets worries about this ·life [world; age] and the ·temptation [deceitfulness; seduction] of wealth ·stop that teaching from growing [choke the word/message]. So the teaching does not produce fruit in that person’s life.


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But what is the seed ·that fell [sown] on the good ground? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching and understands it. That person grows and produces ·fruit [a crop], sometimes a hundred times more, sometimes sixty times more, and sometimes thirty times more.”


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A Story About Wheat and Weeds Then Jesus ·told [presented to] them another ·story [parable]: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who ·planted [sowed] good seed in his field.


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That night, when everyone was asleep, his enemy came and ·planted [sowed] ·weeds [tares; a noxious weed that looks like wheat] among the wheat and then left.


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Later, the wheat sprouted and the heads of grain grew, but the ·weeds [tares] also ·grew [appeared].


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Then the man’s ·servants [slaves] came to him and said, ‘[Master; Sir] ·You planted [Didn’t you sow…?] good seed in your field. Where did the ·weeds [tares] come from?’


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The man answered, ‘An enemy ·planted weeds [did this].’ The ·servants [slaves] asked, ‘Do you want us to ·pull up the weeds [go and gather them]?’


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The man answered, ‘No, because when you ·pull up [gather] the ·weeds [tares], you might also ·pull up [uproot] the wheat.


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Let ·the weeds and the wheat [both] grow together until the harvest time. At harvest time I will tell the ·workers [reapers], “First gather the ·weeds [tares] and tie them ·together [in bundles] to be burned. Then gather the wheat and bring it to my barn.”’”


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Stories of Mustard Seed and Yeast Then Jesus ·told [presented to them] another ·story [parable]: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man ·planted [sowed] in his field.


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That seed is the smallest of all seeds [the mustard seed was the smallest seed known to Jesus’ hearers], but when it grows, it is one of the largest garden plants. It becomes ·big enough [a tree] for the ·wild birds [birds of the sky] to come and build nests in its branches.”


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Then Jesus told another ·story [parable]: “The kingdom of heaven is like ·yeast [leaven] that a woman took and ·hid [mixed] in a large tub [Greek: three sata; about fifty pounds] of flour until ·it made all the dough rise [the whole was leavened; ].”


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Jesus used ·stories [parables] to tell all these things to the people; he ·always used stories to teach them [did not speak to them without parables; ].


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This ·is as [fulfills what] the prophet said: “I will ·speak using [open my mouth in] ·stories [parables]; I will ·tell [announce; utter] things ·that have been secret [hidden] since the ·world was made [creation/foundation of the world. ].”


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Jesus Explains About the Weeds Then Jesus left the crowd and went into the house. His ·followers [disciples] came to him and said, “Explain to us the meaning of the ·story [parable] about the ·weeds [tares] in the field.”


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The field is the world, and the good seed are ·all of God’s children who belong to the kingdom [the children/sons of the kingdom]. The ·weeds [tares] are ·those people who belong to the Evil One [the children/sons of the Evil One].


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And the enemy who ·planted [sowed] the bad seed is the devil. The harvest time is the end of the age, and the ·workers who gather [harvesters; reapers] are God’s angels.


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“Just as the ·weeds [tares] are ·pulled up [gathered] and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.


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The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will ·gather [remove; weed] out of his kingdom ·all who [or all things that] ·cause sin [are stumbling blocks] and all who ·do evil [break God’s law].


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The angels will throw them into the blazing furnace [], where ·the people will cry and grind their teeth with pain [there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth; indicating agony and remorse].


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Then the ·good people [righteous] will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father []. ·Let those with ears use them and listen [The one who has ears to hear, let him hear.].


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Stories of a Treasure and a Pearl “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. One day a man found the treasure, and then he hid it in the field again. He was so ·happy [joyful; excited] that he went and sold everything he owned to buy that field.


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A Story of a Fishing Net “Also, the kingdom of heaven is like a ·net [dragnet; a net dragged between two boats, or between a boat and the shore] that was put into the ·lake [sea] and caught many different kinds of fish.


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When it was full, the fishermen pulled the net to the shore. They sat down and put all the good fish in baskets and threw away the ·bad [worthless] fish.


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It will be this way at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the evil people from the ·good [righteous] people.


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The angels will throw the evil people into the blazing furnace [, ], where ·people will cry and grind their teeth with pain [there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth; ].”


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Then Jesus said to them, “So every ·teacher of the law [scribe] who has ·been taught about [become a disciple of] the kingdom of heaven is like the ·owner [head] of a house. He brings out both new things and old things ·he has saved [from his treasure/storeroom; knowledge of the Old Testament provides insight into Jesus’ “new” message of the kingdom of God].”


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Jesus Goes to His Hometown When Jesus finished teaching [see ] with these ·stories [parables], he left there.


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He went to his hometown [Nazareth; ; ] and taught the people in their synagogue, and they were ·amazed [astonished]. They said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and this power to do miracles?


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·He is just [Isn’t this…?] the son of ·a [the] carpenter. ·His mother is Mary [Isn’t his mother called Mary…?], and his brothers are James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas.


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So the people were ·upset with [offended by] Jesus. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is ·honored everywhere [not dishonored] except in his hometown and in his own ·home [family; household].”


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How John the Baptist Was Killed At that time Herod, the ·ruler of Galilee [tetrarch; see ], heard the reports about Jesus.


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So he said to his servants, “·Jesus [This] is John the Baptist, who has risen from the dead. That is why ·he can work these miracles [miraculous powers are at work in him].”


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·Sometime before this, [For] Herod had arrested John, ·tied him up [chained/bound him], and put him into prison. Herod did this because of Herodias, who had been the wife of Philip, Herod’s brother.


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[For] John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to ·be married to Herodias [have her].”


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Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the ·people [crowd], because they ·believed John was [regarded John as] a prophet.


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On Herod’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced for Herod and his guests, and she [greatly] pleased him.


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·Herodias told her daughter what to ask for, so [At her mother’s urging/prompting] she said to Herod, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.”


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Although King Herod was very ·sad [sorry; grieved; distressed], he had made a ·promise [vow; oath], and his dinner guests had heard him. So Herod ·ordered [commanded] that what she asked for be done.


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John’s ·followers [disciples] came and got his ·body [corpse] and buried it. Then they went and ·told [reported it to] Jesus.


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More than Five Thousand Fed When Jesus heard what had happened to John, he left in a boat and went to a ·lonely [isolated; deserted] place by himself. But the crowds heard about it and followed him on foot from the towns.


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When he ·arrived [landed; came ashore], he saw a great crowd waiting. He ·felt sorry [had compassion] for them and healed those who were sick.


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When it was evening, his ·followers [disciples] came to him and said, “·No one lives in this [This is a remote/deserted] place, and it is already late. Send the people away so they can go to the ·towns [villages] and buy food for themselves.”


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Then he ·told [commanded; ordered] the people to ·sit down [recline] on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fish and, looking to heaven, he ·thanked God for [blessed] the food. Jesus ·divided [broke] the bread and gave it to his ·followers [disciples], who gave it to the people.


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All the people ate and were satisfied. Then ·the followers [they] filled twelve baskets with the leftover pieces of food.


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Jesus Walks on the Water Immediately Jesus ·told [compelled; made] his ·followers [disciples] to get into the boat and go ahead of him ·across the lake [to the other side]. He stayed there to ·send the people home [dismiss the crowds].


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After he had ·sent them away [dismissed them], he went by himself up into the ·hills [mountain] to pray. ·It was late, and [When evening/night came,] Jesus was there alone.


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By this time, the boat was already ·far away [many stadia; a stadion was about six hundred feet] from land. It was being ·hit [buffeted; beaten] by waves, because the wind was blowing against it.


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·Between three and six o’clock in the morning [And in the fourth watch of the night], Jesus came to them, walking on the water.


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When his ·followers [disciples] saw him walking on the water, they were ·afraid [terrified]. They said, “It’s a ghost!” and cried out in fear.


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But when Peter saw the wind, he became ·afraid [terrified] and began to sink. He shouted, “Lord, save me!”


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Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and ·caught [took hold of] Peter. Jesus said, “·Your faith is small [What little faith you have; You of little faith]. Why did you doubt?”


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When the ·people there [or men of that place] recognized Jesus, they ·told people [sent word] all around there that Jesus had come, and they brought all their sick to him.


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They begged Jesus to let them touch just the ·edge [or tassels; see ] of his ·coat [cloak], and all who touched it were healed.


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Obey God’s Law Then some Pharisees and ·teachers of the law [scribes] came to Jesus from Jerusalem. They asked him,


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“Why don’t your ·followers [disciples] obey the ·unwritten laws which have been handed down to us [traditions of the elders]? [For] They don’t wash their hands before they eat [a Jewish ritual for ceremonial purity].”


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Jesus answered, “And why do you ·refuse to obey [break; violate] God’s command ·so that you can follow your own teachings [for the sake of your traditions]?


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God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother [; ],’ and ‘Anyone who ·says cruel things to [speaks evil of; curses] his father or mother must be put to death [; ].’


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But you say a person can tell his father or mother, ‘I have something I could use to help you, but I have ·given [dedicated; devoted] it to God already [a practice known as Corban; see ].’


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You teach that person ·not to [that he need not] honor his father or his mother. You ·rejected [invalidated; canceled; nullified] ·what God said [the word of God] for the sake of your own ·rules [tradition].


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Their worship of me is ·worthless [futile; in vain]. The things [doctrines] they teach are nothing but human ·rules [commandments; ].’”


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After Jesus called the crowd to him, he said, “Listen and ·understand what I am saying [try to understand].


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It is not what ·people put into their mouths [goes into the mouth] that ·makes them unclean [pollutes/defiles the person]. It is what comes out of their mouths that ·makes them unclean [pollutes/defiles the person].”


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Then his ·followers [disciples] came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees are ·angry [offended; shocked] because of what you said?”


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Jesus answered, “Every plant that my Father in heaven has not planted himself will be pulled up by the roots.


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·Stay away from the Pharisees [Leave/Ignore them]; they are blind ·leaders [guides]. And if a blind person ·leads [guides] a blind person, both will fall into a ·ditch [pit; hole].”


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·Surely you know [Don’t you know…?] that all the food that enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then goes ·out of the body [into the sewer/latrine].”


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But ·what people say with their mouths [the things that come out of the mouth] comes from the ·way they think [the heart]; these are the things that ·make people unclean [pollute/defiled a person].


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[For] Out of the ·mind [heart] come evil ·thoughts [intentions; ideas], murder, adultery, sexual sins, stealing, ·lying [false witness/testimony], and ·speaking evil of others [slander; blasphemy].


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These things make people ·unclean [polluted; defiled]; eating with unwashed hands does not make them ·unclean [polluted; defiled].”


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Jesus Helps a Gentile Woman Jesus left that place and went to the ·area [district; region] of Tyre and Sidon [cities on the coast north of Israel].


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A ·Canaanite [a non-Jewish (Gentile) resident of Palestine (Canaan was the ancient name for Palestine)] woman from that area came to Jesus and cried out, “Lord, Son of David [a title for the Messiah], have mercy on me! My daughter ·has a demon, and she is suffering very much [is tormented; is severely demon-possessed].”


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But Jesus did not ·answer the woman [answer her a word]. So his ·followers [disciples] came to Jesus and ·begged [asked; urged] him, “Tell the woman to go away. [Because] She is following us and ·shouting [crying out].”


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Jesus answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and ·give [throw] it to the dogs.” [“Children” refers to Israel; “dogs” to the Gentiles.]


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Then Jesus answered, “[O] Woman, you have great faith! ·I will do what you asked [Let it be done for you as you wish].” And ·at that moment [from that hour] the woman’s daughter was healed.


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Jesus Heals Many People After leaving there, Jesus went along ·the shore of Lake Galilee [the Sea of Galilee]. He went up on ·a hill [or the mountain] and sat there.


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Great crowds came to Jesus, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, ·those who could not speak [the mute/deaf; the word can refer to speech or hearing; suggests it here means “mute”], and many others. They ·put [laid] them at Jesus’ feet, and he healed them.


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The crowd was ·amazed [astonished; marveled] when they saw that ·people who could not speak before [the mute/deaf] were now able to speak. The crippled were ·made strong [well; whole]. The lame could walk, and the blind could see. And they ·praised [glorified] the God of Israel for this.


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More than Four Thousand Fed Jesus called his ·followers [disciples] to him and said, “I ·feel sorry [have compassion] for these people, because they have already been with me three days, and they have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry. They might ·faint [collapse] while going home.”


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His ·followers [disciples] asked him, “·How [From where] can we get enough bread in this ·remote place [desolate place; desert] to feed ·all these people [so great a crowd]?”


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He took the seven loaves of bread and the fish and gave thanks to God. Then he ·divided the food [broke them] and gave it to his ·followers [disciples], and they gave it to the people.


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All the people ate and were satisfied. Then his ·followers [disciples] filled seven ·baskets [large baskets; a different word than in the feeding of the five thousand; ] with the leftover pieces of food.


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After ·sending the people home [dismissing the crowds], Jesus got into the boat and went to the ·area [region] of Magadan [an unknown place, probably on the western shore of Lake Galilee; perhaps Magdala, the hometown of Mary Magdalene].


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The Leaders Ask for a Miracle The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus, wanting to ·trick [test] him. So they asked him to show them a ·miracle [sign] from ·God [heaven; possibly a sign in the sky, but more likely a Jewish way of saying “from God”].


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Jesus answered, “·At sunset [In the evening] you say we will have good weather, because the sky is red.


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And in the morning you say that it will be ·a rainy day [stormy; bad weather], because the sky is red and ·dark [threatening; overcast]. You see ·these signs in [the appearance of] the sky and know ·what they mean [how to interpret them]. ·In the same way [or However; On the other hand], you ·see the things that I am doing now, but you don’t know their meaning [cannot interpret the signs of the times].


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·Evil and sinful people [An evil/wicked and adulterous generation] ·ask for [seek; demand] a miracle as a sign, but they will not be given any sign, except the sign of Jonah [see ; ].” Then Jesus left them and went away.


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Guard Against Wrong Teachings Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] went ·across the lake [to the other side], but they had forgotten to bring bread.


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Jesus said to them, “·Be careful [Watch out]! Beware of the ·yeast [leaven] of the Pharisees and the Sadducees [yeast or leaven refers here to the dangerous permeating power of their influence].”


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·His followers [They] discussed the meaning of this, saying, “He said this because we forgot to bring bread.”


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Knowing what they were talking about, Jesus asked them, “Why are you ·talking [discussing; arguing] about not having bread? ·Your faith is small [What little faith you have!; You of little faith].


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Do you still not understand? Remember the five loaves of bread that fed the five thousand? And remember that you filled many baskets with the leftovers?


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Or the seven loaves of bread that fed the four thousand and the many [large] baskets you filled then also?


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Why don’t you understand that I was not talking to you about bread? I am telling you to beware of the ·yeast [leaven] of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”


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Then ·the followers [they] understood that Jesus was not telling them to beware of the ·yeast [leaven] used in bread but to beware of the teaching of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.


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Peter Says Jesus Is the Christ When Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi [25 miles north of Lake Galilee near Mount Hermon], he asked his ·followers [disciples], “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”


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They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah [some Jews expected Elijah to return in the end times; ], and still others say you are Jeremiah or one of the prophets [].”


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Jesus answered, “You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because ·no person taught you that [flesh and blood did not reveal this to you]. [But; Rather] My Father in heaven ·showed you who I am [revealed it].


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So I tell you, you are Peter [the Greek petros, like the Aramaic cephas, means “rock” or “stone”]. On this rock I will build my church, and the ·power of death [gates of Hades/the underworld] will not be able to ·defeat [overpower; conquer; prevail against] it.


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I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; ·the things [and whatever] you ·don’t allow [forbid; bind] on earth will be ·the things that God does not allow [forbidden/bound in heaven], and ·the things [whatever] you ·allow [permit; loose] on earth will be ·the things that God allows [permitted/loosed in heaven].”


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Then Jesus [sternly] warned his ·followers [disciples] not to tell anyone he was the ·Christ [Messiah].


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Jesus Says that He Must Die From that time on Jesus began ·telling [showing; making it clear to] his ·followers [disciples] that he must go to Jerusalem, where the Jewish elders, the leading priests, and the ·teachers of the law [scribes] would make him suffer ·many things [greatly]. He told them he must be killed and then be raised from the dead on the third day.


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Peter took Jesus aside and ·told him not to talk like that [began to reprimand/rebuke him]. He said, “·God save you from those things [God forbid; May it never be; (God) Be merciful], Lord! Those things ·will never [must certainly not] happen to you!”


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Then Jesus turned and said to Peter, “·Go away from [Get behind] me, Satan! You are ·not helping [an obstacle/stumbling block to] me! You ·don’t care about [are not setting your mind on/thinking about] the things of God, but only ·about the things people think are important [on/about human concerns].”


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Then Jesus said to his ·followers [disciples], “If ·people want [anyone wants] to follow me, they must ·give up the things they want [deny themselves; turn from selfishness; set aside their own interests]. They must ·be willing even to give up their lives to [take up their cross and] follow me.


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Those who want to save their lives will ·give up true life [lose their life/soul; Greek psychē can mean “life” or “soul,” producing this play on words], and those who ·give up [lose; sacrifice] their lives for ·me [my sake] will ·have true life [find life].


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·It is worthless [What good/profit/benefit is it…?] to ·have [gain] the whole world if they ·lose [forfeit] their souls. ·They could never pay enough [Or what could they give…?] ·to buy back [in exchange for] their souls.


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[For] The Son of Man will come again with his Father’s glory and with his angels. At that time, he will ·reward [repay; give back; judge] them for what they have done [; ].


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I tell you the truth, some people standing here will not ·die [taste death] before they see the Son of Man [] coming with his kingdom.” [This may refer to the Transfiguration which follows (), Jesus’ resurrection, or the destruction of Jerusalem in ad 70.]


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The Transfiguration on the Mountain Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John, the brother of James, [and led them] up on a high mountain by themselves.


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·While they watched [In their presence; In front of them], Jesus’ appearance was ·changed [transformed; transfigured]; his face ·became bright [shined] like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.


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Then Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus. [God had given the Law through Moses, and Elijah was an important prophet (see ); together they signify that Jesus fulfills the OT.]


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Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you want, I will put up three ·tents [shelters; shrines; tabernacles; ] here—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” [Perhaps Peter wanted to prolong their stay or to commemorate their visit.]


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While Peter was talking, [look; behold] a bright cloud ·covered [overshadowed; ] them. A voice came from the cloud and said, “This is my ·Son, whom I love [dearly beloved Son; ; ], ·and I am very pleased with him [in whom I take great delight; ; ]. Listen to him [; ]!”


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When his ·followers [disciples] heard the voice, they were so frightened they fell ·to the ground [on their faces].


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·When they looked up [Lifting up their eyes], they saw ·Jesus was now alone [no one except Jesus alone].


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As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ·commanded [instructed] them not to tell anyone about ·what they had seen [the vision] until the Son of Man had ·risen [been raised] from the dead.


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Then his ·followers [disciples] asked him, “Why do the ·teachers of the law [scribes] say that Elijah must come first [that is, before the Messiah comes; ; ]?”


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Jesus answered, “·They are right to say that Elijah is coming and that [Elijah is indeed coming, and] he will ·make everything the way it should be [restore/prepare everything].


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But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him. They did to him whatever they wanted to do. It will be the same with the Son of Man; those same people will make the Son of Man suffer.”


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Jesus Heals a Sick Boy When Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] came back to the crowd, a man came to Jesus and ·bowed [knelt] before him.


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The man said, “Lord, have mercy on my son. He ·has epilepsy [has seizures; or is demented/a lunatic; the word for epilepsy could also mean “moonstruck” or demented; says the boy was demon possessed] and is suffering ·very much [terribly], because he often falls into the fire or into the water.


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Jesus answered, “·You people have no faith, and your lives are all wrong [O faithless/unbelieving and perverse/corrupt generation]. How long must I ·put up [stay; be] with you? How long must I ·continue to be patient [put up] with you? Bring the boy here to me.”


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Jesus ·commanded [reprimanded; rebuked] the demon and it came out of him, and the boy was healed from that ·time on [moment; hour].


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The ·followers [disciples] came to Jesus when he was alone and asked, “Why couldn’t we ·force [drive; cast] the demon out?”


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Jesus answered, “Because ·your faith is too small [you have so little faith]. I tell you the truth, if your faith is ·as big as [as small as; the size of; as; like] a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. ·All things will be possible [Nothing would be impossible] for you.


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Jesus Talks About His Death While Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] were gathering in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man will be ·handed over [betrayed/delivered over] to ·people [human hands],


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and they will kill him [the “handing over” may be Judas’ betrayal or God’s actions in “giving up” his Son to accomplish salvation; ]. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” And the ·followers [disciples] were ·filled with sadness [greatly distressed].


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Jesus Talks About Paying Taxes When ·Jesus and his followers [they] came to Capernaum, the men who collected the ·Temple tax [two-drachma; the annual tax paid to support the Temple ()] came to Peter. They asked, “Does your teacher pay the ·Temple tax [two-drachma]?”


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Peter answered, “Yes.” Peter went into the house, but before he could speak, Jesus said to him, “What do you think? From whom do the kings of the earth collect ·different kinds of taxes [tribute/tolls or taxes]—the king’s ·children [or own people/citizens] or ·others [or foreigners; perhaps tribute paid by defeated nations]?”


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Peter answered, “·Other people pay the taxes [From others].” Jesus said to Peter, “Then the ·children [or people; citizens] of the king ·don’t have to pay taxes [are exempt/free].


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But we don’t want to ·upset [offend] these tax collectors. So go to the lake and ·fish [throw out your hook]. After you catch the first fish, open its mouth and you will find a ·coin [shekel; Greek: stater, worth four drachma, or two payments of the Temple tax]. Take that coin and give it to the tax collectors for you and me.”


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Who Is the Greatest? At that time the ·followers [disciples] came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”


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Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you must ·change [or turn from your sins; convert; turn] and become like little children. Otherwise, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.


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The greatest person in the kingdom of heaven [therefore] is the one who makes himself humble [and becomes] like this [little] child.


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“[And] Whoever ·accepts [welcomes; receives] a child ·in my name [as a representative or follower of Jesus] ·accepts [welcomes; receives] me [indicates concern for the lowly; children had low social status].


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If someone causes one of these little children who believes in me to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], it would be better for that person to have a ·large stone [large millstone; millstone of a donkey] tied around the neck and be ·drowned [thrown] in the [depths of the] sea.


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·How terrible for [Woe to] ·the people of the world [the world] because of ·the things that cause them to sin [temptations to sin; stumbling blocks]. ·Such things will happen [It is necessary for stumbling blocks to come], but ·how terrible for [woe to] the one ·who causes them to happen [through whom the stumbling block comes]!


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If your hand or your foot causes you to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you ·to lose part of your body and live forever [to enter life maimed or crippled] than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the ·fire that burns forever [eternal fire].


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If your eye causes you to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], ·take [tear; gouge] it out and throw it away. It is better for you to ·have only one eye and live forever [enter life one-eyed] than to have two eyes and be thrown into the ·fire of hell [Gehenna of fire; ].


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A Lost Sheep “Be careful [Watch out; or See that you…]. Don’t ·think these little children are worth nothing [despise/look down on one of these little ones]. [For] I tell you that they have angels in heaven who are always ·with [in the presence of; see the face of] my Father in heaven.


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“[What do you think?] If a man has a hundred sheep but one of the sheep ·gets lost [goes astray; wanders off], ·he will [won’t he…?] leave the other ninety-nine on the ·hill [hills; mountains] and go to look for the lost sheep.


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I tell you the truth, if he finds it he ·is happier about [rejoices more over] that one sheep than ·about [over] the ninety-nine that ·were never lost [never went astray/wandered off].


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In the same way, your Father in heaven ·does not want [is not willing that] any of these little children to ·be lost [perish].


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When a Person Sins Against You “If your ·fellow believer [brother (or sister)] sins against you, go and ·tell him what he did wrong [reprove/convict/correct him] ·in private [between you and him alone]. If he listens to you, you have ·helped that person to be your brother or sister again [gained/won back your brother (or sister)].


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But if he refuses to listen, go to him again and take one or two other people with you. ‘Every ·case [matter; charge] may be proved by [the testimony of; the mouth of] two or three witnesses’ [].


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If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, then treat him like a ·person who does not believe in God [pagan; Gentile] or like a tax collector.


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“I tell you the truth, ·the things [whatever] you ·don’t allow [forbid; bind] on earth will be ·the things God does not allow [forbidden/bound in heaven]. And ·the things [whatever] you ·allow [permit; loose] on earth will be ·the things that God allows [permitted/loosed in heaven].”


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“·Also [Again], I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about something ·and pray for it [for which you have asked], it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.


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·This is true because if [For where] two or three people ·come [are assembled/gathered] together in my name, I am there ·with them [among them; in their midst].”


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An Unforgiving Servant Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, when my ·fellow believer [brother (or sister)] sins against me, how many times ·must [should] I forgive him? Should I forgive him as many as seven times?”


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Jesus answered, “I tell you, you must forgive him not just seven times, but ·seventy times seven times [or seventy-seven times; the Greek can mean either 490 or 77; the point is unlimited forgiveness]!


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“[Therefore; For this reason] The kingdom of heaven is like a king who decided to ·collect the money his servants owed him [settle accounts with his servants/slaves].


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When the king began ·to collect his money [the settlement/reckoning], a ·servant [slave] who owed him ·several million dollars [or billions of dollars; ten thousand talents; a talent was worth about six thousand days’ wages; this is an impossibly high debt] was brought to him.


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But ·the servant [he] did not have enough money to pay his master. So the master ordered that ·the servant [he] be sold, together with his wife and children and everything he owned, and the debt paid.


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“But the ·servant [slave] fell ·on his knees [face down; in obeisance] and begged, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything I owe.’


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The master felt ·sorry [compassion] for ·his servant [that slave], so he let him go free and ·forgave [canceled] the debt.


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“·Later [After departing], that same ·servant [slave] found ·another servant [a fellow servant/slave] who owed him a ·few dollars [hundred denarii]. ·The servant [He] grabbed him ·around the neck [and began choking him] and said, ‘Pay me the money you owe me!’


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“The ·other servant [fellow servant/slave] fell on his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything I owe.’


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“But ·the first servant [he] refused. He threw ·the other servant [him] into prison until he could pay everything he owed.


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When ·the other servants [his fellow servants/slaves] saw what had happened, they were very ·sorry [upset; distressed]. So they went and ·told [reported to] their master all that had happened.


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“Then the master called ·his servant [him] in and said, ‘You ·evil [wicked] ·servant [slave]! Because you ·begged [pleaded with] me, I forgave [canceled] all that debt.


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·You should have [Shouldn’t you have…?] showed mercy to ·that other servant [your fellow servant/slave], just as I showed mercy to you.’


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The master was very angry and ·put the servant in prison to be punished [delivered him to the tormenters/torturers] until he could pay everything he owed.


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“·This king did what [So also] my heavenly Father will do to you if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”


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Jesus Teaches About Divorce After Jesus ·said all these things [finished these words; see ], he left Galilee and went into the ·area [region] of Judea ·on the other side of [beyond] the Jordan River.


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Some Pharisees came to Jesus ·and tried to trick [to trap/test] him. They asked, “Is it ·right [lawful; according to the law of Moses] for a man to divorce his wife for any reason he chooses?”


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Jesus answered, “·Surely you have [Haven’t you…?] read in the Scriptures: ·When God made the world, ‘he [From the beginning, the Creator] made them male and female’ [; ].


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And God said, ‘So a man will leave his father and mother and be ·united with [joined to] his wife, and the two will become ·one body [as though they were one person; one flesh; ].’


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So they are no longer two, but one. God has joined the two together, so no one should separate them.”


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The Pharisees asked, “Why then did Moses give a command for a man to divorce his wife by giving her ·divorce papers [a certificate of divorce/dismissal; ]?”


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Jesus answered, “Moses ·allowed [permitted] you to divorce your wives because ·you refused to accept God’s teaching [of your hard-heartedness], but ·divorce was not allowed in the beginning [or this was not God’s intention at creation; from the beginning it was not like this].


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I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman ·is guilty of [commits] adultery. ·The only reason for a man to divorce his wife is if his wife has sexual relations with another man [ …except in the case of sexual immorality].”


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The ·followers [disciples] said to him, “If that is the ·only reason a man can divorce his wife [situation/case between a husband and wife], it is better not to marry.”


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Jesus answered, “Not everyone can accept this ·teaching [word], but ·God has made some able to accept it [or only those given this gift of celibacy; only to those whom it has been given].


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·There are different reasons why some men cannot marry [For…]. Some men were born ·without the ability to become fathers [as eunuchs]. Others were made ·that way later in life [eunuchs] by other people [males would sometimes be castrated as punishment, or to serve in harems]. And some men have ·given up marriage because [made themselves eunuchs for the sake] of the kingdom of heaven [through abstinence, not necessarily castration]. ·But the person who can marry should accept this teaching about marriage [or The person who can accept this teaching about not marrying should accept it].”


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Jesus Welcomes Children Then the people brought their little children to Jesus so he could ·put [lay] his hands on them [an act of blessing] and pray for them. [But] His ·followers [disciples] ·told them to stop [scolded/rebuked them],


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but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t ·stop [hinder] them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people who are like these children [meaning humble and dependent].”


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A Rich Young Man’s Question [At that time; And look/behold] A man came to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what ·good thing [good deed; good] must I do to have ·life forever [eternal life]?”


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Jesus answered, “Why do you ask me about what is good? Only ·God [one] is good. But if you want to ·have life forever [have eternal life; enter life], ·obey [keep] the ·commands [commandments].”


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The man asked, “Which commands?” Jesus answered, “‘You must not murder anyone; you must not ·be guilty of [commit] adultery; you must not steal; you must not ·tell lies about your neighbor [testify falsely; bear false witness];


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The young man said, “I have ·obeyed [kept carefully; guarded] all these things. What ·else do I need to do [do I still lack]?”


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Jesus answered, “If you want to be ·perfect [complete], then go and sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.”


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But when the young man heard this, he left ·sorrowfully [grieving], because he ·was rich [had many possessions].


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Then Jesus said to his ·followers [disciples], “I tell you the truth, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven.


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·Yes [Again], I tell you that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God [meaning it is impossible, by human effort; see ].”


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When Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] heard this, they were ·very surprised [astonished] and asked, “Then who can be saved?”


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Jesus looked at them and said, “·For people [Humanly speaking,] this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”


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Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, ·when the age to come has arrived [at the renewal of the world; in the regeneration], the Son of Man [] will sit on his ·great [glorious] throne. All of you who followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.


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And all those who have left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children, or ·farms [fields] ·to follow me [for my name’s sake] will ·get much more than they left [receive a hundred times as much], and they will ·have life forever [inherit eternal life].


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[But] Many who are first now will be last in the future. And many who are last now will be first in the future.


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A Story About Workers “[For] The kingdom of heaven is like a ·person who owned some land [landowner; householder]. One morning, he went out very early to hire some people to work in his vineyard.


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The man agreed to pay the workers ·one coin [a denarius; typical pay for a day laborer] for working that day. Then he sent them into the vineyard to work.


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About ·nine o’clock [the third hour] the man went to the marketplace and saw some other people standing there, doing nothing.


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So he said to them, ‘If you go and work in my vineyard, I will pay you ·what your work is worth [whatever is right].’


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So they went to work in the vineyard. The man went out again about ·twelve o’clock and three o’clock [the sixth and ninth hour] and did the same thing.


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About ·five o’clock [the eleventh hour] the man went to the marketplace again and saw others standing there. He asked them, ‘Why did you stand here all day doing nothing?’


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They answered, ‘No one ·gave us a job [hired us].’ The man said to them, ‘Then you can go and work in my vineyard.’


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“·At the end of the day [When evening came], the owner of the vineyard said to the ·boss of all the workers [foreman; supervisor; steward], ‘Call the workers and pay them [their wage]. Start with the last people I hired and end with those I hired first.’


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“When the workers who were hired at ·five o’clock [the eleventh hour] came to get their pay, each received ·one coin [a denarius; ].


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When the workers who were hired first came to get their pay, they ·thought [expected; assumed] they would be paid more than the others. But each one of them also received ·one coin [a denarius].


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When they got their coin, they ·complained to [grumbled at; protested to] the ·man who owned the land [landowner; householder].


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They said, ‘Those people were hired last and worked only one hour. But you ·paid them the same as you paid [made them equal to] us who ·worked hard all day in the hot sun [bore the burden and heat of the day].’


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But the man who owned the vineyard said to one of those workers, ‘Friend, I am ·being fair [not being unfair] to you. ·You agreed [Did you not agree…?] to work for ·one coin [a denarius; ].


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So take ·your pay [what is yours] and go. I ·want [choose] to give the man who was hired last the same pay that I gave you.


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·I can [Don’t I have the right to…?] do what I want with ·my own money [what is mine]. Are you jealous because I am ·good to those people [generous; good]?’


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“So those who are last now will someday be first, and those who are first now will someday be last.”


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Jesus Talks About His Own Death While Jesus was going [up] to Jerusalem [travelers go “up” to Jerusalem because it is built on a hill and because it is God’s holy city], he took his twelve followers aside privately and [as they walked; on the way] said to them,


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“Look, we are going [up] to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be ·turned over [betrayed; delivered over; see ] to the ·leading [chief] priests and the ·teachers of the law [scribes], and they will ·say that he must die [condemn him to death].


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They will turn the Son of Man over to the Gentiles [the Roman authorities] to ·laugh at [mock] him and ·beat him with whips [scourge/flog him] and crucify him. But on the third day, he will be raised to life again.”


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A Mother Asks Jesus a Favor Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee [James and John] came to Jesus with her sons. She ·bowed [knelt] before him and asked ·him to do something for her [a favor of him].


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Jesus asked, “What do you want?” She said, “·Promise [Grant; Declare; Say] that one of my sons will sit at your right ·side [hand] and the other will sit at your left side in your kingdom [the positions of highest authority beside the king].”


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But Jesus said, “You don’t understand what you are asking. ·Can you [Are you able to] drink the cup [symbolizing suffering, and perhaps God’s judgment experienced by Jesus on the cross; ] that I am about to drink?” The sons answered, “Yes, we ·can [are able].”


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Jesus said to them, “You will drink from my cup. But ·I cannot choose [it is not for me to grant/say] who will sit at my right or my left; those places belong to those for whom my Father has prepared them.”


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When the other ten ·followers [disciples] heard this, they were ·angry [indignant] with the two brothers.


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Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the ·Gentiles [nations] love to ·show their power [lord it] over the people. And their ·important leaders [high officials; great ones] love to ·use [exert] their authority [over them].


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But it ·should not be [must not be; is not to be] that way among you. [Instead, But] Whoever wants to become great among you must ·serve the rest of you like a servant [be your servant].


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In the same way, the Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people [; ].”


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Jesus Heals Two Blind Men When ·Jesus and his followers [they] were leaving Jericho, a ·great many people [large crowd] followed him.


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[And look/behold] Two blind men sitting by the road heard that Jesus was going by, so they shouted, “Lord, Son of David [a title for the Messiah, a descendant of King David; ], ·have mercy [take pity] on us!”


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The people ·warned [rebuked; scolded] the blind men to be quiet, but they shouted even more, “Lord, Son of David, ·have mercy [take pity] on us!”


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Jesus felt ·sorry [compassion] for the blind men and touched their eyes, and at once they could see. Then they followed Jesus.


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Jesus Enters Jerusalem as a King As Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] ·were coming closer to [approached] Jerusalem, they ·stopped at [came to] Bethphage ·at [or on] the Mount of Olives. From there Jesus sent two of his ·followers [disciples]


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and said to them, “Go to the town ·you can see there [ahead of you; or opposite you]. When you enter it, you will ·quickly [immediately] find a donkey tied there with its colt. Untie them and bring them to me.


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If anyone asks you ·why you are taking the donkeys [anything], say that ·the Master [the Lord; or its Owner] needs them, and ·he will send them at once [or the Lord will return it soon; see ].”


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This was to ·bring about [fulfill] what ·the prophet had said [had been spoken through the prophet]:


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“Tell ·the people of Jerusalem [the daughter of Zion; a metaphor for Israel], ‘[Look; Behold,] Your king is coming to you. He is ·gentle [humble] and ·riding [mounted] on a donkey, on the colt of a donkey [; ].’”


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They brought the donkey and the colt to Jesus and laid their ·coats [cloaks] on them, ·and Jesus sat on them.


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·Many people [A very large crowd; or Most of the crowd] spread their coats on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.


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The ·people [crowds] were walking ahead of Jesus and ·behind [following] him, shouting, “·Praise [Hosanna! a Hebrew word originally used in praying for help, but by this time a joyful shout of praise to God] to the Son of David [a title for the Messiah]! ·God bless [Blessed is] the One who comes in the name of the Lord []! ·Praise to God in heaven [Hosanna in the highest; either “in highest heaven” or “to the Most High God”]!”


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When Jesus entered Jerusalem, all the city was ·filled with excitement [stirred up; in an uproar]. The people asked, “Who is this man?”


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Jesus Goes to the Temple Jesus went into the ·Temple [temple complex; the large temple area, not the inner building where only the priests could go] and ·threw [drove] out all the people who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables of ·those who were exchanging different kinds of money [the moneychangers], and he upset the benches of those who were selling doves [or pigeons; moneychangers provided particular coins needed for the temple tax; doves or pigeons were sold for sacrifices; ].


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Jesus said to ·all the people there [them], “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘My ·Temple [House] will be called a house for prayer [].’ But you are ·changing [making] it into a ·hideout for robbers [den of thieves; ].”


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[But when] The ·leading [chief] priests and the ·teachers of the law [scribes] saw that Jesus was doing wonderful things and that the children were praising him in the Temple [courts; ], saying, “·Praise [Hosanna; ] to the Son of David [a title for the Messiah; ].” All these things made the priests and the ·teachers of the law [scribes] ·very angry [indignant].


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They asked Jesus, “Do you hear the things these children are saying?” Jesus answered, “Yes. Haven’t you read in the Scriptures, ·‘You have taught children and babies to sing praises’ [‘From the mouths of infants and nursing babes you have prepared/created praise’; LXX]?”


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Seeing a fig tree beside the road, Jesus went to it, but ·there were no figs [he found nothing] on the tree, only leaves []. So Jesus said to the tree, “·You will [May you] never again have fruit.” The tree immediately ·dried up [withered].


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When his ·followers [disciples] saw this, they were amazed. They asked, “How did the fig tree ·dry up [wither] ·so quickly [immediately]?”


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Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will be able to do what I did to this tree and even more. You will be able to say to this mountain, ‘·Go, fall [Be lifted up and thrown] into the sea.’ And if you have faith, it will ·happen [be done].


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Leaders Doubt Jesus’ Authority Jesus went to the Temple [courts], and while he was teaching there, the ·leading [chief] priests and the elders of the people came to him. They said, “What authority do you have to do these things? [And] Who gave you this authority?”


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Jesus answered, “I also will ask you a question. If you answer me, then I will tell you what authority I have to do these things.


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Tell me: When John baptized people, did that come from ·God [heaven; a reverential Jewish way of referring to God] or just from ·other people [human beings]?” They argued about Jesus’ question, saying, “If we answer, ‘John’s baptism was from ·God [heaven],’ Jesus will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’


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But if we say, ‘It was from ·people [human beings],’ we are afraid of what the crowd will do because they all ·believe [think; hold] that John was a prophet.”


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So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus said to them, “Then I won’t tell you what authority I have to do these things.


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A Story About Two Sons “Tell me what you think about this: A man had two sons. He went to the ·first [elder] son and said, ‘Son, go and work today in ·my [the] vineyard.’


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The son answered, ‘I will not go.’ But later the son ·changed his mind [regretted/thought better of it] and went.


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Then the father went to the other son and said, ·‘Son, go and work today in my vineyard’ [the same thing]. The son answered, ‘Yes, sir, I will,’ but he did not go.


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Which of the two sons ·obeyed [did the will of] his father?” ·The priests and leaders [They] answered, “The first son.” Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes ·will enter [are going into] the kingdom of God ·before you do [ahead of you].


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[For] John came to show you the ·right way to live [the way/path of righteousness]. You did not believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes believed him. Even after seeing this, you still refused to ·change your ways [change your mind; repent] and believe him.


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The Story of the Evil Farmers “Listen to ·this story [another parable]: There was a ·man who owned [landowner who planted] a vineyard. He put a wall around it and dug a ·hole [vat; pit] for a winepress and built a tower [to protect against thieves; see for the background to this parable]. Then he leased the land to some [tenant] farmers and left for a trip [the owner represents God, the farmers are Israel’s religious leaders].


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When it was time for the grapes to be picked, he sent his ·servants [slaves] to the farmers to get his share of the grapes.


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But the farmers grabbed the ·servants [slaves], beat one, killed another, and then ·killed a third servant with stones [stoned a third].


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So the man sent some other ·servants [slaves] to the farmers, even more than he sent the first time. But the farmers did the same thing to them that they had done before [the servants represent the prophets God sent to Israel].


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·So [Finally; Last of all] the man sent his son to the farmers [the son represents Jesus]. He said, ‘They will respect my son.’


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But when the farmers saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This son will inherit the vineyard. Let’s kill him, and we will get his inheritance!’


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·The priests and leaders [They] said, “He will ·surely kill those evil men [bring those wretches/evil men to a wretched/evil end]. Then he will lease the vineyard to some other farmers who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time [referring to the sinners who were responding to Jesus’ call for repentance, and eventually to the Gentiles who would be saved].”


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Jesus said to them, “·Surely you have read [Haven’t you ever read…?] this in the Scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected became the cornerstone [capstone; keystone; head of the corner; the meaning is uncertain, but clearly refers to the most important stone in the building; Jesus is the rejected stone]. The Lord did this, and it is ·wonderful [amazing; marvelous] ·to us [for us to see; in our eyes; ].’


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“·So [For this reason; Therefore] I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to ·people [a nation] who ·do the things God wants in his kingdom [will produce its fruit].


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The person who ·falls on [stumbles over] this stone will be ·broken [shattered], and on whomever that stone falls, that person will be crushed.”


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When the ·leading [chief] priests and the Pharisees heard these ·stories [parables], they knew Jesus was talking about them.


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They ·wanted [were seeking/trying] to arrest him, but they were afraid of the ·people [crowds], because the people believed that Jesus was a prophet.


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When the ·feast [banquet] was ready, the king sent his servants to ·tell [inform; call] the people who had been invited, but they refused to come.


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“Then the king sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited that my ·feast [banquet] is ready. I have killed my best ·bulls [or oxen] and [fattened] calves for the dinner, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding ·feast [banquet].’


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“But the people ·refused to listen [paid no attention] to the servants and ·left to do other things [went their own way]. One went to ·work in his field [his field/farm], and another went to his business.


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·Some of the other people [or The rest] grabbed the servants, ·beat [mistreated; insulted] them, and killed them.


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The king was furious and sent his army to ·kill [destroy] the murderers and burn their city [probably an allusion to the destruction of Jerusalam in ad 70].


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“After that, the king said to his servants, ‘The wedding ·feast [banquet] is ready. I invited those people, but they ·were not worthy [do not deserve] to come.


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So go to the ·street corners [crossroads; or main roads] and invite everyone you find to come to my ·feast [banquet].’


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So the servants went into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and ·bad [evil]. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.


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“[But] When the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man who was not dressed ·for a wedding [in wedding clothes].


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The king said, ‘Friend, how were you allowed to come in here? You are not dressed for a wedding.’ But the man ·said nothing [was speechless/silent].


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So the king told some servants, ‘Tie this man’s hands and feet. Throw him out into the ·darkness [darkness outside; or outermost darkness], where ·people will cry and grind their teeth with pain [there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth; symbols of agony and torment].’


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Is It Right to Pay Taxes or Not? Then the Pharisees left that place and ·made plans [plotted] to ·trap [catch] Jesus in ·saying something wrong [his words].


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They sent some of their own ·followers [disciples] and some people from the group called Herodians [a political group that supported king Herod and his family]. They said, “Teacher, we know that you are ·an honest man [true; sincere] and that you teach ·the truth [with sincerity/honesty] about God’s way. You are not ·afraid of [concerned about] what other people think about you, because you ·pay no attention to who they are [play no favorites; are impartial; aren’t swayed by appearances].


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So tell us what you think. Is it ·right [permissible; lawful] to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” [Saying “yes” would anger Jews who hated Roman rule; saying “no” could result in being charged with insurrection.]


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But knowing ·that these leaders were trying to trick him [their evil/malicious motives], Jesus said, “You hypocrites! Why are you ·trying to trap [testing] me?


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Show me a coin used for paying the tax.” So the men ·showed him a coin [brought him a denarius; a Roman coin worth a day’s wages].


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The men answered, “Caesar’s.” [Ironically, the religious leaders were carrying coins bearing the idolatrous image of Caesar.] Then Jesus said to them, “·Give [Render] to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and give to God the things that are God’s.”


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Some Sadducees Try to Trick Jesus That same day some Sadducees came to Jesus and asked him a question. (Sadducees believed that people would not rise from the dead.)


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They said, “Teacher, Moses said if a married man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and ·have children [raise up offspring/seed] for him [].


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Once there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died. Since he had no ·children [offspring], his brother married the widow.


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Then the second brother also died. The same thing happened to the third brother ·and all the other brothers [down to the seventh].


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Since all seven men had married her, ·when people rise from the dead [at the resurrection], whose wife will she be?”


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Jesus answered, “You ·don’t understand [are mistaken/deceived], because you don’t know what the Scriptures say, and you don’t know about the power of God.


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[For] ·When people rise from the dead [At the resurrection], they will not marry, nor will they be given to someone to marry. They will be like the angels in heaven.


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·Surely you have read [Have you not read…?] what God said to you ·about rising [concerning the resurrection] from the dead.


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God said, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob [; God is still the God of the patriarchs, so they must have a continued existence after death].’ God is the God of the living, not the dead.”


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The Most Important Command When the Pharisees learned that ·the Sadducees could not argue with Jesus’ answers to them [Jesus had silenced the Sadducees], the Pharisees met together.


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All the law and the ·writings of the prophets [prophets] ·depend [are based; hang] on these two commands.”


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“What do you think about the ·Christ [Messiah]? Whose ·son [descendant] is he?” They answered, “The Son of David [see ].”


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Then Jesus said to them, “Then why did David call him ‘Lord’? David, speaking ·by the power of the Holy Spirit [in/by the Spirit], said,


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‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit by me at my right ·side [hand; the place of greatest honor beside the king], until I put your enemies ·under your control [beneath your feet; meaning defeated or made subject to your authority; ].”’


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David calls ·the Christ [the Messiah; him] ‘Lord,’ so how can ·the Christ [the Messiah; he] be his son?”


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·None of the Pharisees [No one] could answer ·Jesus’ question [a word], and after that day no one ·was brave enough [dared] to ask him any more questions.


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“The ·teachers of the law [scribes] and the Pharisees ·have the authority to interpret what the law of Moses says [sit in Moses’ seat/chair].


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So you should ·obey [do; practice] and ·follow [keep; observe] whatever they tell you, but ·their lives are not good examples for you to follow [do not follow their actions]. ·They tell you to do things, but they themselves don’t do them [For they say but do not do].


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They ·make strict rules [tie up heavy loads/burdens that are hard to carry] and ·try to force people to obey them [put them on people’s shoulders], but they are unwilling to ·help those who struggle under the weight of their rules [lift a finger to move them; move them with their finger].


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“They do good things so that other people will see them. They enlarge ·the little boxes holding Scriptures that they wear [their phylacteries; leather cases worn on the left arm and forehead to literally fulfill ; ], and they ·make their special prayer clothes very long [lengthen their tassels; Jewish males were to wear tassels on the four corners of their garment; ; ].


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Those Pharisees and teachers of the law love to have the ·most important seats [places of greatest honor] at ·feasts [banquets] and [the best seats] in the synagogues.


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They love people to greet them with respect in the marketplaces, and they love to have people call them ·‘Teacher [Rabbi].’


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“But you must not be called ‘·Teacher [Rabbi],’ because you have only one Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters together.


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And you should not be called ‘·Master [Leader; Teacher; Instructor]’ because you have only one ·Master [Leader; Teacher; Instructor], the ·Christ [Messiah].


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Whoever ·makes himself great [lifts up/exalts himself] will be made humble. Whoever makes himself humble will be ·made great [exalted; lifted up].


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“·How terrible for [Woe to] you, ·teachers of the law [scribes] and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! [Because] You ·close [shut; lock] the door for people to enter the kingdom of heaven. You yourselves don’t enter, and you ·stop [don’t allow] others who are trying to enter.


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,·How terrible for [Woe to] you, ·teachers of the law [scribes] and Pharisees. You are hypocrites. You ·take away [devour] widows’ houses, and you say long prayers ·so that people will notice you [as a pretense]. So you will have a worse ·punishment [condemnation].,


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“·How terrible for [Woe to] you, ·teachers of the law [scribes] and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You travel across land and sea to ·find one person who will change to your ways [make one convert/proseltye]. When you ·find that person [make that convert], you make him ·more fit for hell than [twice the son of hell/Gehenna that; ] you are.


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“·How terrible for [Woe to] you! ·You guide the people, but you are blind [Blind guides!]. You say, ‘If people ·swear [make an oath/vow] by the Temple when they make a promise, that means nothing. But if they swear by the gold that is in the Temple, they ·must keep that promise [are obligated/bound].’


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You are blind fools! Which is greater: the gold or the Temple that makes that gold ·holy [sacred; sanctified]?


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And you say, ‘If people ·swear [make an oath/vow] by the altar when they make a promise, that means nothing. But if they ·swear [make an oath/vow] by the ·gift [offering] on the altar, they ·must keep that promise [are obligated/bound].’


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You are blind! Which is greater: the ·gift [offering] or the altar that makes the gift ·holy [sacred; sanctified]?


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[So; Therefore] The person who swears by the altar is really swearing by the altar and also everything on the altar.


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And the person who swears by the Temple is really swearing by the Temple and the One who ·lives [dwells] in the Temple.


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The person who swears by heaven is also swearing by God’s throne and the One who sits on that throne.


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“·How terrible for [Woe to] you, ·teachers of the law [scribes] and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You ·give to God one-tenth of [pay tithe on] everything you have—even your mint, dill, and cumin. But you ·don’t obey [ignore; neglect] the ·really important teachings [weightier matters] of the law—justice, mercy, and ·being loyal [faith; faithfulness]. These are the things you should do, ·as well as [without neglecting] those other things.


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·You guide the people, but you are blind! [Blind guides!] You ·are like a person who picks a fly out of a drink and then swallows a camel [strain out a gnat, but swallow a camel; worrying about the smallest mistakes while committing the biggest sins]!


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“·How terrible for [Woe to] you, ·teachers of the law [scribes] and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You ·wash [clean] the outside of your cups and dishes [for ceremonial purity], but inside they are full of ·things you got by cheating others and by pleasing only yourselves [greed/robbery and self-indulgence].


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Pharisees, you are blind! First make the inside of the cup clean, and then the outside ·can be truly [or will also be] clean.


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“·How terrible for [Woe to] you, ·teachers of the law [scribes] and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You are like ·tombs that are painted white [whitewashed tombs]. Outside, those tombs ·look fine [appear beautiful], but inside, they are full of the bones of dead people and all kinds of ·unclean things [filth; corruption; impurity].


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It is the same with you. ·People look at you and think you are good [or On the outside you look like righteous people], but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and ·evil [lawlessness].


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“·How terrible for [Woe to] you, ·teachers of the law [scribes] and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets, and you ·show honor to [decorate; adorn] the graves of ·those who lived good lives [the righteous].


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You say, ‘If we had lived during the time of our ancestors, we would not have ·helped them kill [been partners in the blood of] the prophets.’


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But you ·give proof [testify against yourselves] that you are ·descendants [sons; children] of those who murdered the prophets.


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·And you will complete the sin that your ancestors started [or Go ahead and finish what your fathers started!; Fill up the measure of your fathers].


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“You ·are snakes [serpents]! A ·family of poisonous snakes [brood/offspring of vipers]! How are you going to escape ·God’s judgment [the sentence/judgment/damnation of hell/Gehenna; ]?


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·So I tell you this [For this reason]: I am sending to you prophets and wise men and ·teachers [scribes; experts in the law]. Some of them you will kill and crucify. Some of them you will ·beat [scourge; flog] in your synagogues and ·chase [hunt; persecute] from town to town.


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So ·you will be guilty for [upon you will come] ·the death of all the good people who have been killed on earth [all the righteous blood shed on the earth]—from the ·murder [blood] of that ·good [righteous] man Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Berakiah, whom you murdered between the ·Temple [sanctuary] and the altar [in the book order of the Hebrew Old Testament, Abel () and Zechariah () were the first and last men to be murdered].


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I tell you the truth, all of these things will happen to ·you people who are living now [this generation].


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Jesus Grieves for Jerusalem “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone to death those who are sent to you. ·Many times [How often] I wanted to gather your ·people [children] as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you ·did not let me [refused].


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·Now [Look; Behold] your house ·will be [is] left ·completely empty [abandoned; deserted; desolate; ].


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[For] I tell you, you will not see me again until that time when you will say, ‘·God bless [Blessed is] the One who comes in the name of the Lord [].’”


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The Temple Will Be Destroyed As Jesus left the Temple [courts] and was walking away, his ·followers [disciples] came up to ·show [point out to] him the Temple’s buildings.


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Jesus asked, “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, not one stone will be left on another. Every stone will be ·thrown [pulled; torn] down.”


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Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his ·followers [disciples] came to be alone with him. They said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign ·that it is time for you to come again [of your coming/return] and ·for this age to end [the end/consummation of the age]?”


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Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the ·Christ [Messiah],’ and they will ·fool [mislead; deceive] many people.


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You will hear about wars and ·stories of wars that are coming [rumors/reports of wars], but don’t be ·afraid [alarmed]. These things must happen ·before the end comes [or but that is not yet the end].


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Nations will ·fight [rise up] against other nations, and kingdoms against other kingdoms. There will be ·times when there is no food for people to eat [famines], and there will be earthquakes in ·different [various] places.


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All these things are ·like the first pains when something new is about to be born [the beginning of the birth pains].


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“Then people will arrest you, hand you over to be ·hurt [persecuted; tortured], and kill you. ·They [The world; All nations] will hate you because ·you believe in me [you follow me; of my name].


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At that time, many will ·lose their faith [turn/fall away], and they will ·turn against [betray] each other and hate each other.


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Many false prophets will ·come [appear; arise] and ·cause many people to believe lies [deceive many].


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There will be more and more ·evil [sin; lawlessness] in the world, so ·most people will stop showing their love for each other [the love of many/most will grow cold].


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·The Good News [This Gospel] about God’s kingdom will be preached in all the world, [as a testimony] to every nation. Then the end will come.


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“You will see ‘·a blasphemous object that brings destruction [the abomination of desolation; a phrase taken from ; ; , and originally referring to the desecration of the Temple by Antiochus Epiphanes in 168 bc],’ which Daniel the prophet spoke about. ·It [or He] will be standing in the holy place.” (You who read this should understand what it means [probably a reference to the soon-to-occur destruction of Jerusalem in ad 70].)


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If people are on the roofs of their houses [roofs in Palestine were flat and used as spare rooms and for storage], they must not go down to get anything out of their houses.


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Pray that it will not be ·winter [bad weather] or a Sabbath day when these things happen and you have to run away,


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because at that time there will be much ·trouble [distress; tribulation]. There will be more ·trouble [distress; tribulation]. than there has ever been since the beginning of the world until now, and nothing as bad will ever happen again [].


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·God has decided to make that terrible time short [If those days had not been shortened (by God)…; the passive verb implies God as subject]. Otherwise, no one would ·go on living [survive; be saved]. But God will make that time short ·to help the people he has chosen [for the sake of the elect].


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At that time, someone might say to you, ‘Look, there is the ·Christ [Messiah]!’ Or another person might say, ‘There he is!’ But don’t believe them.


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False ·Christs [messiahs] and false prophets will ·come [appear; rise up] and perform great ·wonders [signs; miracles] and ·miracles [wonders; marvels]. They will try to ·fool [mislead; deceive] even the ·people God has chosen [elect], if that is possible.


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“If people tell you, ‘[Look,] ·the Christ [he] is in the ·desert [wilderness],’ don’t go there. If they say, ‘[Look,] he is ·in the inner room [or hiding here; in this secret place],’ don’t believe it.


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When the Son of Man comes [], he will be like lightning flashing from the east to the west [he will be seen by everyone].


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“Soon after the ·trouble [tribulation; distress] of those days, ‘the sun will grow dark, and the moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from ·the sky [heaven]. And the ·powers of the heavens [celestial bodies] will be shaken [; ; cf. ; , ].’


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“At that time, the sign of the Son of Man will appear in ·the sky [or heaven]. Then all the ·peoples [tribes] of the world will ·cry [mourn]. They will see the Son of Man coming on ·clouds in the sky [or the clouds of heaven] with great power and glory.


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He will use a loud trumpet to send his angels, and they will gather his ·chosen people [elect] ·from every part of the world [from the four winds, from one end of the sky/heavens to another].


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“Learn a ·lesson [parable; analogy] from the fig tree: When its branches ·become green and soft [become tender; sprout] and new leaves appear, you know summer is near.


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In the same way, when you see all these things happening, you will know that ·the time [or he] is near, ·ready to come [right at the door].


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I tell you the truth, all these things will happen ·while the people of this time are still living [before this generation passes away; either the generation that sees the destruction of Jerusalem (ad 70), or a future generation of the end times].


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·Earth and sky will be destroyed [Heaven and earth will pass away], but the words I have said will never ·be destroyed [pass away].


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When Will Jesus Come Again? “No one knows when that day or ·time [hour] will be, not the angels in heaven, not even the Son. Only the Father knows.


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[For] In those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving their children to be married, until the day Noah entered the boat.


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They ·knew [understood] nothing about what was happening until the flood came and ·destroyed them [took/swept them all away]. It will be the same when the Son of Man comes.


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Two women will be grinding grain with a ·mill [handmill; two large, round, flat rocks used for grinding grain to make flour]. One will be taken, and the other will be left.


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“So ·always be ready [stay alert; keep watching], because you don’t know the day your Lord will come.


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·Remember [Know] this: If the owner of the house knew what time of night a thief was coming, the owner would ·watch [have stayed alert; kept watching] and not let ·the thief break in [his house be broken into].


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The Story of the Two Servants “Who is the ·loyal [faithful; trusted] and ·wise [sensible] ·servant [slave] that the master ·trusts [puts in charge of his household] to give ·the other servants [them] their food at the right time?


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That servant will be ·blessed [happy; or rewarded] when the master comes and finds him doing his work.


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I tell you the truth, the master will ·choose that servant to take care [put him in charge] of everything he owns.


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But suppose that evil servant thinks to himself, ‘My master ·will not come back soon [will be away for a long time; is delayed],’


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and he begins to beat the other servants and eat and ·get drunk with others like him [drink with drunkards]?


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The master [of that servant/slave] will come [on a day] when that servant is not ready and [at an hour when he] is not expecting him.


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Then the master will cut him in pieces and ·send him away to be [assign/appoint him a place] with the hypocrites, where ·people will cry and grind their teeth with pain [there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth; indicating agony and remorse].


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A Story About Ten Bridesmaids “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten ·bridesmaids [virgins] who took their lamps and went to ·wait for [meet] the bridegroom.


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The five foolish ·bridesmaids [virgins] took their lamps, but they did not take more oil for the lamps to burn.


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The ·wise [sensible; prudent] ·bridesmaids [virgins] took their lamps and more oil in ·jars [flasks].


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“At midnight someone cried out, ‘·The bridegroom is coming [Look, the bridegroom]! Come and meet him!’


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But the foolish ones said to the ·wise [sensible; prudent], ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’


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The ·wise [sensible; prudent] bridesmaids answered, ‘No, the oil we have might not be enough ·for all of us [for us and for you]. Go to the people who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’


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“So while ·the five foolish bridesmaids [they] went to buy oil, the bridegroom came. The bridesmaids who were ready went in with the bridegroom to the wedding feast. Then the door was ·closed and locked [shut].


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“So ·always be ready [stay awake; be alert; keep watch], because you don’t know the day or the hour [the Son of Man will come].


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A Story About Three Servants “·The kingdom of heaven [It] is like a man who was going ·to another place for a visit [on a journey/trip]. Before he left, he called for his servants and ·told them to take care of his things while he was gone [entrusted his possessions/wealth to them].


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He gave one servant five ·bags of gold [talents; a talent was worth about 6,000 denarii, or twenty years’ wages for a laborer], another servant two ·bags of gold [talents], and a third servant one ·bag of gold [talent], to each one ·as much as he could handle [according to his ability]. Then he left.


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The servant who got five ·bags [talents] went quickly ·to invest the money [and traded with them; and put the money to work] and ·earned [gained] five more.


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In the same way, the servant who had two ·invested [traded with] them and ·earned [gained] two more.


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“After a long time the master came home and ·asked the servants what they did with his money [settled/went over the accounts with them].


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The servant who was given five ·bags of gold [talents] brought five more ·bags [talents] to the master and said, ‘Master, you trusted me to care for five ·bags of gold [talents], ·so I used your five to earn [see, I have earned] five more.’


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The master answered, ‘You did well. You are a good and ·loyal [faithful] servant. Because you were ·loyal [faithful] with ·small [a few] things, I will ·let you care for [put you in charge of] ·much greater [many] things. ·Come and share my joy with me [Enter into the joy of your master].’


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“Then the servant who had been given two ·bags of gold [talents] came to the master and said, ‘Master, you ·gave me [trusted me with] two ·bags of gold [talents] to care for, ·so I used your two bags to earn [see, I have earned] two more.’


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“Then the servant who had been given one ·bag of gold [talent] came to the master and said, ‘Master, I knew that you were a ·hard [harsh; exacting; demanding] man. You ·harvest things [reap where] you did not ·plant [sow]. You gather crops where you did not sow any seed.


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So I was afraid and went and hid your ·money [talent] in the ground. [See] Here is ·your bag of gold [what is yours].’


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[But] The master answered, ‘You are a wicked and lazy servant! You say you knew that I ·harvest things [reap where] I did not ·plant [sow] and that I gather crops where I did not sow any seed.


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So you should have put my ·gold [money] in the bank. Then, when I came home, I would have received ·my gold [what was mine] back with interest.’


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“·So the master told his other servants, ‘[Therefore,] Take the ·bag of gold [talent] from that servant and give it to the servant who has ten ·bags of gold [talents].


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[For] Those who have much will ·get [be given] more, and they will have ·much more than they need [an abundance]. But those who do not have much will have ·everything [even what they have] taken away from them.’


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Then the master said, ‘Throw that ·useless [worthless] servant ·outside, into the darkness [or into the outer darkness,] where ·people will cry and grind their teeth with pain [there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth; indicating agony and remorse].


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The King Will Judge All People “The Son of Man will come again in his great glory [], with all his angels. He will ·be King and sit on his [sit on his] ·great [glorious] throne.


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All the nations of the world will be gathered before him, and he will separate them ·into two groups [one from another] as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.


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“Then the King will say to the people on his right, ‘Come, ·my Father has given you his blessing [those blessed by my Father]. ·Receive [Inherit] the kingdom God has prepared for you ·since the world was made [from the creation/foundation of the world].


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[For; Because] I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was ·alone and away from home [a stranger], and you ·invited me into your house [welcomed/received me].


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I was ·without clothes [naked], and you ·gave me something to wear [clothed me]. I was sick, and you ·cared for [visited; looked after] me. I was in prison, and you ·visited [came to] me.’


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“Then the ·good [righteous] people will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food, or thirsty and give you something to drink?


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When did we see you ·alone and away from home [a stranger] and ·invite you into our house [welcome/receive you]? When did we see you ·without clothes [naked] and ·give you something to wear [clothe you]?


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“Then the King will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, anything you did for even the least of my ·people here [brothers (and sisters)], you also did for me.’


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“Then the King will say to those on his left, ‘·Go away [Depart] from me. You ·will be punished [are cursed]. Go into the ·fire that burns forever [eternal fire] that was prepared for the devil and his angels [the demons].


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[For; Because] I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink.


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I was ·alone and away from home [a stranger], and you did not ·invite me into your house [welcome/receive me]. I was ·without clothes [naked], and you ·gave me nothing to wear [did not clothe me]. I was sick and in prison, and you did not ·care for [visit; look after] me.’


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“Then those people will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or ·alone and away from home [a stranger] or ·without clothes [naked] or sick or in prison? When did we see these things and not ·help [serve; care for] you?’


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“Then the King will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, ·anything [to the extent] you refused to do for even the least of ·my people here [these], you refused to do for me.’


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“These people will go off to ·be punished forever [eternal punishment], but the ·good people [righteous] ·will go to live forever [to eternal life].”


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The Plan to Kill Jesus After Jesus finished saying all these things [this is the end of Jesus’ fifth and final discourse in Matthew; see ], he told his ·followers [disciples],


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“You know that ·the day after tomorrow [two days from now] is the day of the Passover Feast [the festival during which an unblemished lamb was sacrificed]. On that day the Son of Man will be ·given to his enemies [handed over] to be crucified.”


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Then the ·leading [chief] priests and the elders ·had a meeting [assembled] at the ·palace [court] of the high priest, named Caiaphas.


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At the meeting, they ·planned [plotted] ·to set a trap [to act secretly/treacherously] to arrest Jesus and kill him.


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But they said, “We must not do it during the ·feast [Passover festival], because the people might cause a riot.”


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Perfume for Jesus’ Burial Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon, ·who had a skin disease [the leper; for leprosy, see ; Simon may have been healed by Jesus.].


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While Jesus was there, a woman approached him with an alabaster ·jar [vial] filled with expensive perfume. She poured this perfume on Jesus’ head while he was ·eating [reclining; the posture for a banquet or dinner party].


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His ·followers [disciples] were ·upset [indignant] when they saw the woman do this. They asked, “Why waste that perfume?


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Knowing what had happened, Jesus said, “Why are you ·troubling [bothering; criticizing] this woman? She did an ·excellent thing [beautiful/good deed] for me.


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I tell you the truth, wherever the ·Good News [Gospel] is preached in all the world, what this woman has done will be told, and people will remember her.”


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Judas Betrays Jesus Then one of ·the twelve apostles [the Twelve], [who was called] Judas Iscariot, went to talk to the ·leading [chief] priests.


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He said, “What will you ·pay [give] me for ·giving [betraying; delivering] Jesus to you?” And they ·gave him [weighed/counted out] thirty silver coins [].


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Jesus Eats the Passover Meal On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the ·followers [disciples] came to Jesus. They said, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover meal?”


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Jesus answered, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: “·The chosen time is near [My time has come/drawn near]. I will ·have [celebrate; observe] the Passover with my ·followers [disciples] at your house.”’”


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In the evening Jesus was ·sitting at the table [reclining; the posture for a banquet] with his twelve ·followers [disciples].


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This made the ·followers [disciples] very ·sad [distressed; pained]. Each one began to say to Jesus, “·Surely, Lord, I am not the one, am I [Surely not I, Lord; or Is it I, Lord]?”


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Jesus answered, “The man who has dipped his hand with me into the bowl [probably not a signal, but means “one who shares close fellowship with me”] is the one who will ·turn against [betray] me.


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The Son of Man will ·die [go to his fate; go], just as the Scriptures say. But ·how terrible it will be for [woe to] the person ·who hands the Son of Man over to be killed [by whom the Son of Man is betrayed]. It would be better for him if he had never been born.”


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Then Judas, who would ·give Jesus to his enemies [betray him], said to Jesus, “·Teacher [Rabbi], ·surely I am not the one, am I [surely not I; or is it I]?” Jesus answered, “·Yes, it is you [You have said it].”


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The Lord’s Supper While they were eating, Jesus took some bread and ·thanked God for [blessed] it and ·broke [divided] it. Then he gave it to his ·followers [disciples] and said, “·Take this bread and eat it [Take, eat]; this is my body.”


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Then Jesus took a cup and ·thanked God for it [gave thanks] and gave it to the ·followers [disciples]. He said, “Every one of you drink [from] this.


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This is my blood ·which is the new agreement that God makes with his people [or which confirms/establishes the new covenant; of the new covenant; . ]. This blood is poured out for many ·to forgive their [for the remission of] sins [].


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I tell you this: I will not drink of this ·fruit of the vine [wine] again until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”


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After singing a hymn [probably the Hallel psalms (), sung during the Passover meal], they went out to the Mount of Olives.


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Jesus’ Followers Will Leave Him Jesus told ·his followers [them], “Tonight you will all ·stumble in your faith [fall away; desert] on account of me, because it is written in the Scriptures: ‘I will ·kill [strike] the shepherd, and the sheep [of the flock] will ·scatter [be scattered]’ [].


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Peter said, “Everyone else may ·stumble in their faith [fall away; desert] because of you, but I will not.”


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Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, tonight before the rooster crows you will ·say three times you don’t know me [deny/disown me three times].”


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But Peter said, “Even if I must die with you, I will never ·say that I don’t know [deny/disown] you!” And all the other ·followers [disciples] said the same thing.


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Jesus Prays Alone Then Jesus went with his ·followers [disciples] to a place called Gethsemane. He said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”


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He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him, and he began to be very ·sad [sorrowful] and ·troubled [anguished; distressed].


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He said to them, “My ·heart [soul] is ·full of sorrow [overwhelmed with grief], to the point of death. Stay here and ·watch [stay awake; be alert] with me.”


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After walking a little farther away from them, Jesus fell [with his face] to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, ·do not give me [let pass from me] this ·cup of suffering [cup; suffering is metaphorically portrayed as something bitter to drink]. But do ·what you want [your will], not ·what I want [my will].”


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Then Jesus went back to his ·followers [disciples] and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “You men could not ·stay awake [watch] with me for one hour?


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·Stay awake [Keep watch] and pray for strength ·against temptation [or not to fail the test]. The spirit ·wants to do what is right [is willing], but ·the body [or human nature; the flesh] is weak.”


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Then Jesus went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for ·this painful thing [this thing; the cup of suffering; ] to be taken from me, and if I must ·do [drink] it, ·I pray that what you want [may your] will be done.”


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Then he went back to his ·followers [disciples], and again he found them asleep, because their eyes were heavy.


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Then Jesus went back to his ·followers [disciples] and said, “·Are you still sleeping and resting? [or Go ahead, sleep and have your rest!] The time has come for the Son of Man to be ·handed over to [betrayed/delivered into the hands of] sinful people.


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Jesus Is Arrested While Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of ·the twelve apostles [the Twelve], came up. With him were many people carrying swords and clubs who had been sent from the ·leading [chief] priests and the Jewish elders of the people.


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Judas had planned to give them a ·signal [sign], saying, “The man I kiss is ·Jesus [the one]. ·Arrest [Seize] him.”


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Jesus answered, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then the people came and grabbed Jesus and arrested him.


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·When that happened [And look/behold], one of ·Jesus’ followers [those with Jesus] reached for his sword and pulled it out. He struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.


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Jesus said to the man, “Put your sword back in its place. [For] All who ·use swords [take the sword] will ·be killed with swords [die/perish by the sword].


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·Surely [Don’t…?] you know I could ask my Father, and he would give me more than twelve ·armies [legions] of angels.


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But ·it must happen this way to bring about what the Scriptures say [how, then, could the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?].”


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Then Jesus said to the crowd, “You came to get me with swords and clubs as if I were a ·criminal [revolutionary; rebel; robber; the term “robber” was used by the Romans of insurrectionists]. Every day I sat in the Temple teaching, and you did not arrest me there.


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But all these things have happened ·so that it will come about as the prophets wrote [to fulfill the writings/scriptures of the prophets].” Then all of Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] ·left [deserted] him and ·ran away [fled].


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Jesus Before the Leaders Those people who ·arrested [seized] Jesus led him to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the ·teachers of the law [scribes] and the elders were gathered.


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Peter followed far behind to the courtyard of the high priest’s house, and he sat down with the guards to see ·what would happen to Jesus [the end/outcome].


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The ·leading [chief] priests and the whole ·Jewish council [Sanhedrin; the highest Jewish court] tried to find ·something false [false evidence/testimony] against Jesus so they could ·kill [execute] him.


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Many people came and ·told lies about him [testified falsely], but the council could find no real reason to kill him. ·Then [Finally] two people came and said,


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Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Aren’t you going to answer? ·Don’t you have something to say about their [or What about these] ·charges [testimony] against you?”


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But Jesus ·said nothing [was silent; ]. Again the high priest said to Jesus, “I ·command you by the power of [demand in the name of; put you under oath by] the living God: Tell us if you are the ·Christ [Messiah], the Son of God.”


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Jesus answered, “·Those are your words [You have said it/so; an indirect affirmation]. But I tell you, ·in the future [from now on] you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God, the ·Powerful One [or the place of power; power], and coming on ·clouds in the sky [the clouds of heaven; ; ].”


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When the high priest heard this, he tore his clothes [a sign of sorrow or outrage] and said, “This man has ·said things that are against God [blasphemed]! ·We don’t [Why should we…?] need any more witnesses; you all heard ·him say these things against God [the blasphemy].


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What ·do you think [is your verdict]?” The people answered, “He ·should [deserves to; is guilty and should] die.”


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They said, “·Prove to us that you are a prophet [Prophesy to/for us], you ·Christ [Messiah]! Tell us who hit you!”


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Peter Says He Doesn’t Know Jesus At that time, as Peter was sitting [outside] in the courtyard, a servant girl came to him and said, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.”


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When he left the courtyard and was at the gate, another girl saw him. She said to the people there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”


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Again, ·Peter said he was never with him, saying, “I swear [he denied it with an oath, saying,] I don’t know this man Jesus!”


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A short time later, some people standing there went to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of those who followed Jesus. The way you talk shows it [Peter’s Galilean accent gave him away].”


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Then Peter began to place a curse on himself and swear, “I don’t know the man.” At once, a rooster crowed.


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And Peter remembered what Jesus had told him: “Before the rooster crows, you will ·say three times that you don’t know me [deny/disown me three times].” Then Peter went outside and ·cried painfully [wept bitterly].


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Jesus Is Taken to Pilate Early the next morning, all the ·leading [chief] priests and elders of the people ·decided that Jesus should die [or met together to plan Jesus’ death].


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Judas Kills Himself Judas, the one who had ·given [betrayed] Jesus to his enemies, saw that ·they had decided to kill Jesus [Jesus had been condemned]. Then he was ·very sorry [filled with remorse] for what he had done. So he took the thirty silver coins back to the leading [chief] priests and the elders,


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saying, “I sinned; I ·handed over to you [betrayed] ·an innocent man [innocent blood].” The leaders answered, “What ·is that to us [do we care]? That’s your ·problem, not ours [responsibility; concern].”


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So Judas threw the ·money [silver coins] into the ·Temple [sanctuary]. Then he went off and hanged himself.


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The ·leading [chief] priests picked up the silver coins in the Temple and said, “·Our law does not allow us [or It is not right] to ·keep [put] this money ·with the Temple money [in the Temple treasury], because it ·has paid for a man’s death [is blood money; is the price of blood].”


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So they decided to use the coins to buy ·Potter’s Field [or the potter’s field] as a place to bury ·strangers [or foreigners].


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So what Jeremiah the prophet had said ·came true [was fulfilled]: “They took thirty ·silver coins [pieces of silver]. That is ·how little the Israelites thought he was worth [or the price at which he was valued by the Israelites; or the value of a man with a price on his head among the Israelites; ; ; ; ].


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They used those thirty silver coins to buy ·Potter’s Field [or the potter’s field], as the Lord commanded me.”


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Pilate Questions Jesus Jesus stood before Pilate the governor, and Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “·Those are your words [It is as you say; You say so; an indirect affirmation].”


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But Jesus ·said nothing in answer to Pilate [did not answer a single charge], and ·Pilate [the governor] was very ·surprised [amazed] at this.


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Pilate Tries to Free Jesus Every year at the ·time of Passover [festival/feast] the governor would free [for the crowd] one prisoner whom the people chose.


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At that time there was a man in prison, named Barabbas, who was ·known to be very bad [well known; notorious].


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When the people gathered, Pilate said, “Whom do you want me to set free: Barabbas or Jesus who is called the ·Christ [Messiah]?”


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While Pilate was sitting there on the judge’s seat [a special seat for speeches or judicial pronouncements], his wife sent this message to him: “·Don’t do anything to [or Have nothing to do with] that man, because he is ·innocent [righteous]. Today I had a dream about him, and it ·troubled me very much [caused me great pain/anguish].”


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But the ·leading [chief] priests and elders convinced the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be freed and for Jesus to be ·killed [executed].


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Pilate said, “Which of these two do you want me to set free for you?” The people answered, “Barabbas.”


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Pilate asked, “So what should I do with Jesus, the one called the ·Christ [Messiah]?” They all answered, “Crucify him!”


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When Pilate saw that he ·could do nothing about this [was getting nowhere; was gaining nothing] and that a riot was starting, he took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. Then he said, “I am ·not guilty [innocent] of this man’s ·death [blood]. ·You are the ones who are causing it [It is your responsibility now; or Take care of it yourselves]!”


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All the people answered, “·We and our children will be responsible for his death [His blood be on us and on our children].”


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Then he set Barabbas free. But he had Jesus ·beaten with whips [scourged; flogged] and handed over to the soldiers to be crucified.


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The governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the ·governor’s palace [fortress; headquarters; Praetorium], and ·they all gathered around him [or the whole regiment/company/cohort was assembled; a cohort was about five hundred soldiers; here it may mean those of the cohort on duty].


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They ·took off his clothes [stripped him] and put a ·red [scarlet] robe on him [probably a scarlet military coat, whose color resembled purple, the color of royalty].


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Using thorny branches, they made a crown, put it on his head, and put a ·stick [reed; staff] in his right hand [as a scepter]. Then the soldiers ·bowed [kneeled] before Jesus and ·made fun of [mocked] him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”


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After they ·finished [had mocked him], the soldiers took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.


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Jesus Is Crucified ·As the soldiers were going out of the city with Jesus [As they went out], they ·met [found; came across] a man from Cyrene [a city in northern Africa, in present-day Libya], named Simon, and forced him to carry the cross for Jesus.


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·The soldiers [They; this could be the soldiers or the women of Jerusalem] gave Jesus wine mixed with gall to drink [the gall was either a sedative or further mockery, making the wine bitter; ; ]. He tasted the wine but refused to drink it.


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When the soldiers had crucified him, they threw lots [similar to dice] to ·decide who would get [divide up] his clothes [].


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They put a sign above Jesus’ head with the charge against him. It said: this is jesus, the king of the jews.


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Two ·robbers [rebels; revolutionaries; the term “robber” was used by the Romans of insurrectionists] were crucified beside Jesus, one on the right and the other on the left [].


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People walked by and ·insulted [defamed; slandered; the same Greek word used to “blaspheme”] Jesus and shook their heads [a gesture of derision; ],


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saying, “You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. So save yourself! Come down from that cross if you are really the Son of God!”


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The ·leading [chief] priests, the teachers of the law, and the Jewish elders were also ·making fun of [mocking] Jesus.


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They said, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself! He says he is the king of Israel! If he is the king, let him come down now from the cross. Then we will believe in him.


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He trusts in God, so let God ·save [rescue; deliver] him now, if God really wants him []. He himself said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”


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And in the same way, the robbers [rebels; revolutionaries; ] who were being crucified beside Jesus also ·insulted [ridiculed; taunted] him.


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Jesus Dies At ·noon [the sixth hour] the whole country became dark, and the darkness lasted ·for three hours [until the ninth hour].


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About ·three o’clock [the ninth hour] Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” This means, “My God, my God, why have you ·abandoned [forsaken] me [; these words are a mixture of Hebrew and Aramaic]?”


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Some of the people standing there who heard this said, “He is calling Elijah.” [The prophet Elijah, associated with the end times (), was also viewed as a helper in time of need.]


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·Quickly [At once] one of them ran and got a sponge and filled it with ·vinegar [or sour wine; an inexpensive drink used by soldiers and slaves] and tied it to a ·stick [reed] and gave it to Jesus to drink [].


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But the others said, “·Don’t bother him [Wait; Leave him alone]. We want to see if Elijah will come to save him.”


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·Then [And behold] the curtain in the Temple [dividing the Most Holy Place from the rest of the Temple] was torn into two pieces, from the top to the bottom [representing new access to the presence of God, and perhaps God’s judgment against the Temple leadership]. Also, the earth shook and rocks broke apart.


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The graves opened, and many [of the bodies] of ·God’s people [the saints] who had ·died [fallen asleep] were raised from the dead.


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They came out of the graves after ·Jesus was raised from the dead [his resurrection] and went into the holy city [Jerusalem], where they appeared to many people.


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When the ·army officer [centurion] and ·the soldiers [those with him] guarding Jesus saw this earthquake and everything else that happened, they were ·very frightened [filled with awe] and said, “He really was the Son of God!”


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Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to ·help [provide support for; minister to] him were standing at a distance from the cross, watching.


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Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and John were ·there [among them].


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Jesus Is Buried That evening a rich man named Joseph, a ·follower [disciple] of Jesus from the town of Arimathea, ·came to Jerusalem [or came forward; came].


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Joseph went to Pilate and asked to have Jesus’ body. So Pilate gave orders for ·the soldiers to give it [it to be given] to Joseph.


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He put Jesus’ body in his own new tomb that he had cut out of a wall of rock, and he rolled a very large stone to block the entrance of the tomb. Then Joseph went away.


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The Tomb of Jesus Is Guarded The next day, the day after Preparation Day, the ·leading [chief] priests and the Pharisees ·went to [assembled/gathered before] Pilate.


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They said, “Sir, we remember that while that ·liar [deceiver; impostor] was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’


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So give the order for the tomb to be ·guarded closely [secured; sealed] till the third day. Otherwise, his ·followers [disciples] might come and steal the body and tell people that he has risen from the dead. ·That lie [The last deception] would be even worse than the first one.”


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Pilate said, “·Take some soldiers [or You have a guard; the phrase could mean Pilate sends Roman soldiers or that the leaders should use their own temple police] and go ·guard [secure] the tomb the best way you know.”


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So they all went to the tomb and ·made it safe from thieves [secured it] ·by sealing [or by placing a wax seal on] the stone in the entrance and putting soldiers there to guard it.


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Jesus Rises from the Dead After the Sabbath day, at dawn on the first day the week, Mary Magdalene and ·another woman named Mary [the other Mary; ] went to look at the tomb.


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·At that time [Suddenly; And behold] there was a strong earthquake. [For] An angel of the Lord came down from heaven, went to the tomb, and rolled the stone away from the entrance. Then he sat on the stone.


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·He was shining as bright as [His appearance was like] lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.


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The soldiers guarding the tomb shook with fear because of the angel, and they ·became like dead men [perhaps they were paralyzed by fear, or they fainted].


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The angel said to the women, “Don’t be afraid. I know that you are looking for Jesus, who has been crucified.


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He is not here. He has ·risen [been raised] from the dead as he said he would. Come and see the place where ·his body was [he lay].


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And go quickly and tell his ·followers [disciples], ‘Jesus has risen from the dead. He is going into Galilee ahead of you, and you will see him there.’” Then the angel said, “·Now [Look; Behold] I have told you.”


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The women left the tomb quickly. They were afraid, but they were also ·very happy [filled with great joy]. They ran to tell Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] what had happened.


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·Suddenly [And look/behold], Jesus met them and said, “Greetings.” The women came up to him, ·took hold of [clasped] his feet, and worshiped him.


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Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Go and tell my ·followers [disciples] to go on to Galilee, and they will see me there.”


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The Soldiers Report to the Leaders While the women ·went to tell Jesus’ followers [were on their way], some of the soldiers who had been guarding the tomb went into the city to tell the ·leading [chief] priests everything that had happened.


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Then the priests met with the elders and made a plan. They paid the soldiers a ·large amount of money [substantial bribe]


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and said to them, “Tell the people that Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] came during the night and stole ·the body [him away] while you were asleep.


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So the soldiers kept the money and did as they were ·told [instructed]. And that story is still spread among the ·people [Jews] even ·today [to this day].


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Jesus Talks to His Followers The eleven ·followers [disciples] went to Galilee to the mountain where Jesus had ·told [designated; arranged for] them to go.


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When they saw Jesus, they worshiped him, but some of them ·did not believe it was really Jesus [doubted].


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Then Jesus came to them and said, “All ·power [authority] in heaven and on earth ·is [has been] given to me.


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So go and make ·followers [disciples] of all ·people in the world [the nations]. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.


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Teach them to obey everything that I have ·taught [commanded] you, and I will be with you always, even until the end of ·this age [the world; time].


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John Prepares for Jesus This is the beginning of the ·Good News [Gospel] ·about [of] Jesus Christ, the Son of God,


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as the prophet Isaiah wrote: “[Look; Behold,] I ·will send [am sending] my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way [].”


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“This is a voice of one who ·calls out [shouts; cries out] in the ·desert [wilderness]: ‘Prepare the way for the Lord. Make ·the road straight [a clear path] for him [].’”


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John [the Baptist] was baptizing people in the ·desert [wilderness] and preaching a baptism of ·changed hearts and lives [turning from sin; repentance] for the ·forgiveness [remission] of sins.


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All the people from Judea and Jerusalem were going out to him. They confessed their sins and were baptized by him in the Jordan River.


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John wore clothes made from camel’s hair, had a leather belt around his waist [reminiscent of the prophet Elijah; ], and ate locusts and wild honey [signifies living off the land].


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This is what John preached to the people: “There is one coming after me who is ·greater [mightier; more powerful] than I; I am not ·good enough [fit; qualified] even to kneel down and untie [the thong/strap of] his sandals [a task of a servant or slave].


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Jesus Is Baptized and Tested ·At that time [In those days] Jesus came from the town of Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan River.


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Immediately, as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw ·heaven [the sky] ·open [split open]. The ·Holy Spirit [Spirit] ·came down [descended] on him like a dove [either in the form of a dove, or in bird-like descent],


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and a voice came from heaven: “You are my ·Son, whom I love [dearly beloved Son; ; ], ·and I am very pleased with you [in whom I take great delight; ].”


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He was in the ·desert [wilderness] forty days [analogous to Israel’s forty years] and was ·tempted [or tested] by Satan [as both Adam and Eve and the nation Israel in the wilderness were tempted, but failed]. He was with the wild animals [dangerous or perhaps Eden-like conditions], and the angels came and ·took care of [served; ministered to] him.


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Jesus Announces the Good News After John was put in prison [by Herod Antipas; cf. ], Jesus went into Galilee, preaching the ·Good News [Gospel] ·from [about] God.


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He said, “The ·right time has come [time is fulfilled]. ·The kingdom of God [God’s sovereign rule] is ·near [at hand]. ·Change your hearts and lives [Turn from your sins; Repent] and believe the ·Good News [Gospel]!”


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Jesus Chooses His First Followers When Jesus was walking by ·Lake Galilee [the Sea of Galilee], he saw Simon [Peter; cf. ] and his brother Andrew ·throwing [casting] a net into the lake because they were fishermen.


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Jesus said to them, “Come ·follow me [be my disciples], and I will ·make you [teach you how to] fish for people.”


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Going a little farther, Jesus saw two more brothers, ·James and John, the sons of Zebedee [James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John]. They were in a boat, ·mending [preparing] their nets.


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Jesus immediately called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired workers and followed Jesus.


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Jesus Forces Out an Evil Spirit Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] went to Capernaum [a town on the northwest shore of Lake Galilee; it became Jesus’ home base]. On the Sabbath day he went to the synagogue and began to teach.


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The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught ·like [as] a person who had authority, not ·like [as] ·their teachers of the law [the scribes; experts in the law of Moses].


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Just then, a man was there in the synagogue who had an ·evil [defiling; unclean] spirit in him. [Demons were viewed as “unclean” or defiling spirit-beings.] He shouted,


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“Jesus ·of Nazareth [the Nazarene]! ·What do you want with us? [Let us alone!; What business do we have with each other? What to us and to you?] Did you come to destroy us? I know who you are—God’s Holy One!”


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The ·evil [defiling; unclean] spirit ·shook the man violently [threw him into convulsions], gave a ·loud cry [shriek], and then came out of him.


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The people were [all] so amazed they asked each other, “What is happening here? This man is teaching something new, and with authority. He even gives ·commands [orders] to ·evil [defiling; unclean; ] spirits, and they obey him.”


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Jesus Heals Many People As soon as Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] left the synagogue, they went to the home of Simon [Peter; ] and Andrew, together with James and John.


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Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever, and ·the people [they; either the people or the disciples] told Jesus about her.


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So Jesus went to her bed, took her hand, and ·helped [raised] her up. The fever left her, and she began ·serving them [waiting on them; presumably meal preparation].


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That evening, after the sun went down, the people brought to Jesus all who were sick and ·had demons in them [were demon-possessed].


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Jesus healed many who had different kinds of sicknesses, and he ·forced many demons to leave people [drove/cast out many demons]. But he would not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who he was. [They knew he was the Messiah; Jesus wanted to avoid premature publicity.]


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[Very] Early the next morning, while it was still dark, Jesus ·woke [got up] and left the house. He went to a ·lonely [isolated; deserted] place, where he prayed.


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Jesus answered, “·We should [Let us] go to other towns around here so I can preach there too. That is the reason I came.”


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So he went everywhere in Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and ·forcing [driving; casting] out demons.


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Jesus Heals a Sick Man A man with ·a skin disease [leprosy; the term does not refer to modern leprosy (Hansen’s disease), but to various skin disorders; ] came to Jesus. He fell to his knees and begged Jesus, “You can ·heal me [make me clean; leprosy rendered a person ceremonially defiled (“unclean”), and so unable to participate in Israel’s religious life] if you ·will [are willing; want to].”


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Jesus felt ·sorry [compassion] for the man, so he reached out his hand and touched him and said, “I ·will [am willing; want to]. Be ·healed [cleansed]!”


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“Don’t tell anyone about this. But go and show yourself to the priest. And offer the ·gift [offering; sacrifices] Moses commanded for ·people who are made well [your cleansing; ]. This will ·show the people [be a public testimony to; be evidence for] what I have done.”


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The man left there, but he began to tell everyone that Jesus had healed him, and so he spread ·the news about Jesus [the message/word]. As a result, Jesus could not enter a town ·if people saw him [publicly]. He stayed in ·places where nobody lived [secluded/deserted places], but people ·came [kept coming] to him from everywhere.


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Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man A few days later, when Jesus came back to Capernaum, the news spread that he was at home.


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Many people gathered together so that there was no room in the house, not even ·outside [near; in front of] the door. And Jesus was ·teaching them God’s message [speaking the word to them].


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Since they could not get to Jesus because of the crowd, they dug a hole in the roof right above where he was speaking. [Palestinian roofs were generally flat and made of thatch and dried mud.] When they got through, they lowered the ·mat [cot] with the paralyzed man on it.


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When Jesus saw the faith of these people, he said to the paralyzed man, “·Young man [Child; Son], your sins are forgiven.”


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“Why does this man ·say things like that [speak this way]? He is ·speaking as if he were God [blaspheming]. ·Only God can forgive sins.” [“Who can forgive sins but God alone?”; cf. ].


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Jesus knew immediately [in his spirit] what these teachers of the law were thinking. So he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things [in your hearts]?


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Which is easier: to tell this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to tell him, ‘Stand up. Take your ·mat [cot] and walk’?


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But ·I will prove to you [so that you may know] that the Son of Man [a title for the Messiah; ] has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So Jesus said to the paralyzed man,


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Immediately the paralyzed man stood up, took his ·mat [cot], and walked out while everyone was watching him. The people were [all] amazed and praised God. They said, “We have never seen anything like this!”


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Jesus Calls Levi to Follow Him Jesus went to the lake again. The whole crowd ·followed him [came to him] there, and he taught them.


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While he was walking along, he saw a man named Levi son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax collector’s booth [probably a tariff booth for taxing goods in transit]. Jesus said to him, “Follow me,” and he stood up and followed Jesus.


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Later, as Jesus was ·having dinner [reclining; around a low table, the posture for a formal banquet or dinner party] at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating there with Jesus and his followers. Many people like this followed Jesus.


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When the ·teachers of the law [scribes] who were Pharisees saw Jesus eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they asked his followers, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” [Tax collectors were despised because they worked for the Roman rulers and were notorious for corruption and extortion.]


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Jesus heard this and said to them, “It is not the healthy people who need a doctor, but the sick. I did not come to ·invite [call] ·good people [the righteous; meaning the “self-righteous” who feel no need to repent] but to ·invite [call] sinners [those who recognize their need to repent].”


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Jesus Is Questioned About Fasting Now the ·followers [disciples] of John [the Baptist; ] and the Pharisees often fasted [giving up eating for spiritual purposes]. ·Some people [They] came to Jesus and said, “Why do John’s ·followers [disciples] and the ·followers [disciples] of the Pharisees often fast, but your ·followers [disciples] don’t?”


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Jesus answered, “The ·friends of the bridegroom [or wedding guests; children of the wedding hall] do not fast while the bridegroom is still with them [Jesus is referring to himself; ; ]. As long as the bridegroom is with them, they cannot fast.


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But the ·time [days] will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and ·then [in that day] they will fast.


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“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth over a hole in an old ·coat [garment]. Otherwise, the patch will shrink and pull away—the new patch will pull away from the old ·coat [garment]. Then the ·hole [tear] will be worse.


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Also, no one ever pours new wine into old ·leather bags [wineskins]. Otherwise, the new wine will break the ·bags [skins; as the wine ferments and expands], and the wine will be ·ruined [lost] along with the ·bags [skins]. But new wine should be put into new ·leather bags [wineskins].”


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Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath One Sabbath day, as Jesus was walking through some fields of grain, his ·followers [disciples] began to [make a path and] pick some grain to eat [].


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The Pharisees said to Jesus, “Why are your followers doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath day?” [Gleaning was viewed as work, and therefore forbidden on the Sabbath; .]


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Jesus answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and ·those with him [his companions] were hungry and needed food []?


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·During the time of Abiathar [or, In the account about Abiathar] the high priest, David went into God’s house and ate the ·holy bread [consecrated bread; bread of presentation], which is lawful only for priests to eat [; ]. And David also gave some of the bread to those who were with him.”


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Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, “The Sabbath day was made ·to help people [for man]; ·they were not made to be ruled by [not man for] the Sabbath day.


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Jesus Heals a Man’s Hand Another time when Jesus went into a synagogue, a man with a ·crippled [paralyzed; deformed; shriveled] hand was there.


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·Some people [They; probably the Pharisees; see , ] watched Jesus closely to see if he would heal the man on the Sabbath day so they could accuse him.


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Then Jesus asked ·the people [them; probably the Pharisees], “Which is lawful [according to the law of Moses] on the Sabbath day: to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to kill?” But they ·said nothing to answer him [remained silent].


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Jesus was angry as he looked at them, and he felt very ·sad [distressed; grieved] because ·they were stubborn [of their hard hearts]. Then he said to the man, “·Hold out [stretch out] your hand.” The man ·held out [stretched out] his hand and it was ·healed [restored].


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Then the Pharisees left and [immediately] began ·making plans [plotting] with the Herodians [a political group that supported king Herod and his family] about a way to ·kill [destroy] Jesus.


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Many People Follow Jesus Jesus left with his ·followers [disciples] for the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed him.


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Also many people came from Judea, from Jerusalem, from Idumea [located to the south], from the lands across the Jordan River, and from the area of Tyre and Sidon [located to the north]. When they heard what Jesus was doing, many people came to him.


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When Jesus saw the crowds, he told his ·followers [disciples] to get a boat ready for him to keep people from ·crowding against [crushing] him.


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When ·evil [defiling; unclean; see ] spirits [within people] saw Jesus, they fell down before him and shouted, “You are the Son of God!”


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Jesus Chooses His Twelve Apostles Then Jesus went up ·on a mountain [to the hills] and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him.


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Jesus ·chose [appointed] twelve [paralleling the twelve tribes of Israel] and called them apostles [“apostle” means a messenger, or someone sent with a commission]. He wanted them to be with him, and he wanted to send them out to preach


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James and John, the sons of Zebedee (Jesus named them Boanerges, which [in Aramaic] means “Sons of Thunder”),


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Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot [either religiously zealous, or a (former) member of the revolutionary movement known as Zealots],


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and Judas Iscariot [Iscariot probably means “man of Kerioth”], who later ·turned against [betrayed] Jesus.


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Some People Say Jesus Is Possessed by an Evil Spirit Then Jesus went ·home [into a house], but again a crowd gathered. There were so many people that Jesus and his followers could not eat.


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When his ·family [own people] heard this, they went to ·get [seize; take charge of] him because they thought he was out of his mind.


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But the ·teachers of the law [scribes] from Jerusalem were saying, “·Beelzebul [another name for Satan] is ·living inside [possessing] him! He uses power from the ·ruler [prince] of demons to ·force [drive; cast] demons out of people.”


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So Jesus called the people together and ·taught them with stories [spoke to them in parables; Greek parabolē, which can mean stories and analogies of various kinds]. He said, ·“Satan will not force himself out of people. [“How can Satan drive out Satan?]


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And if Satan ·is [rises; rebels] against himself and ·fights against his own people [is divided], he cannot ·continue [stand]; that is the end of Satan.


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No one can enter a strong man’s house and ·steal [seize; plunder] his things unless he first ·ties up [binds] the strong man []. Then he can ·steal [seize; plunder] things from the house. [Satan is the strong man and his possessions are the people Jesus is freeing from Satan’s power.]


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I tell you the truth, all sins that people do and all ·the things people say against God [blasphemies] can be forgiven.


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But anyone who ·speaks against [blasphemes] the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of ·a sin that continues forever [a sin with eternal consequences; an eternal sin].”


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Jesus said this because the teachers of the law said that he had an ·evil [defiling; unclean] spirit inside him.


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Jesus’ True Family Then Jesus’ mother and ·brothers [or brothers and sisters; the Greek word can mean “siblings”; cf. ] arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to tell him to come out.


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Many people were sitting around Jesus, and they said to him, “Your mother and brothers are ·waiting [looking; asking] for you outside.”


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Then he looked at those sitting around him and said, “·Here are [Look; Behold,] my mother and my brothers [and sisters]!


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A Story About Planting Seed Again Jesus began teaching by the lake [the Sea of Galilee]. A great crowd gathered around him, so he sat down in a boat near the shore. All the people stayed on the shore close to the water.


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While he was ·planting [sowing], some seed fell ·by the road [along the path], and the birds came and ate it up.


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Some seed fell on rocky ground where there wasn’t much dirt. That seed ·grew [sprang up] very fast, because the ground was not deep.


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But when the sun rose, the plants ·dried up [were scorched and withered] because they did not have deep roots.


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Some other seed fell among thorny weeds, which grew and choked the good plants. So those plants did not produce ·a crop [grain].


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Some other seed fell on good ground and began to grow. It got taller and produced ·a crop [grain]. Some plants made thirty times more, some made sixty times more, and some made a hundred times more.”


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Then Jesus said, ·“Let those with ears use them and listen!” [“Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”]


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Jesus Tells Why He Used Stories Later, when Jesus was alone, the twelve apostles and others around him asked him about the ·stories [parables; see ].


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Jesus said, “·You can know [To you has been given] the secret about the kingdom of God. But to ·other people [outsiders] I tell everything by using ·stories [parables]


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so that: ‘They will look and look, but they will not ·learn [perceive]. They will listen and listen, but they will not understand. ·If they did learn and understand [Otherwise], they ·would [might] ·come back [return] to me and be forgiven [; cf. ; ; ].’”


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Jesus Explains the Seed Story Then Jesus said to ·his followers [them], “Don’t you understand this ·story [parable]? If you don’t, how will you understand any ·story [parable; see ]?


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Sometimes the ·teaching [word; message] falls ·on the road [along the path]. This is like the people who hear the ·teaching of God [word; message], but Satan quickly comes and takes away the ·teaching [word; message] that was ·planted [sown] in them.


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Others are like the seed ·planted [sown] on rocky ground. They hear the ·teaching [word; message] and quickly accept it with joy.


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·But since they don’t allow the teaching to go deep into their lives [But since they have no root in themselves], they keep it only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the ·teaching they accepted [word; message], they quickly ·give up [fall away; stumble].


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but the worries of this ·life [world; age], the ·temptation [deceitfulness; seduction] of wealth, and ·many other evil desires [desires for other things] ·keep the teaching from growing and producing fruit in their lives [come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful].


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Others are like the seed ·planted [sown] in the good ground. They hear the ·teaching [word; message] and accept it. Then they grow and produce ·fruit [a crop]—sometimes thirty times more, sometimes sixty times more, and sometimes a hundred times more.”


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


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[For] Everything that is hidden will be ·made clear [revealed; disclosed] and every ·secret [concealed] thing will be ·made known [brought to light/into the open].


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[And he said to them,] “·Think carefully about [Pay attention to] what you hear. ·The way you give to others is the way God will give to you [or The standard you use to judge others will be the standard used for you; With the measure you measure, it will be measured to you], ·but God will give you even more [and even more will be added to you].


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Those who ·have understanding [have] will be given more. But those who do not ·have understanding [have], even what they have will be taken away from them. [The Greek does not say what they have; but the context suggests spiritual understanding to comprehend the mysteries of the kingdom ().]


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Jesus Tells a Story About Seed Then Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is like someone who ·plants seed in [scatters seed on] the ground.


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Night and day, whether the person is asleep or awake, the seed still [sprouts and] grows, but the person does not know how it grows.


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By itself the earth produces grain. First the ·plant [blade; stalk] grows, then the head, and then ·all the [the ripe] grain in the head.


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


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The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, the smallest seed you plant in the ground. [The mustard seed was the smallest seed known to Jesus’ hearers.]


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But when planted, this seed grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants. It produces large branches, and the wild birds can make nests in its shade.”


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Jesus used many ·stories [parables] like these to teach the crowd God’s ·message [word]—as much as they could ·understand [hear].


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He always used ·stories [parables] to teach them. But when he and his ·followers [disciples] were alone, Jesus explained everything to them.


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Leaving the crowd behind, they took him in the boat just as he was [meaning he was already in the boat; ]. There were also other boats with them.


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A very strong wind came up on the lake. The waves came over the sides and into the boat so that it was ·already full of water [nearly swamped].


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Jesus was at the ·back of the boat [stern], sleeping on a cushion. ·His followers [They] woke him and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are ·drowning [perishing]?”


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Jesus stood up and ·commanded [reprimanded; rebuked] the wind and said to the ·waves [sea], “·Quiet! [Peace!] Be still!” Then the wind stopped, and it became completely calm. [This parallels God’s subduing of the waters representing chaos in the OT; ; ; .]


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They were ·very afraid [terrified; filled with awe] and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the ·waves [sea] obey him!”


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A Man with Demons Inside Him ·Jesus and his followers [They] went to the other side of the lake to the ·area [land; region] of the ·Gerasene people [Gerasa was southeast of Lake Galilee; the exact location is uncertain].


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When Jesus got out of the boat, immediately a man with an ·evil [defiling; unclean] spirit came to him from the ·burial caves [tombs; cemetery].


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This man lived in the ·caves [tombs], and no one could tie him up [any more], not even with a chain.


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[For] Many times people had used [shackles and] chains to tie the man’s hands and feet, but he always ·broke them off [tore apart the chains and smashed the shackles]. No one was strong enough to ·control [subdue] him.


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Day and night he would wander around the ·burial caves [tombs] and on the hills, screaming and ·cutting [bruising] himself with stones.


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The man shouted in a loud voice, “·What do you want with me [Let me alone; What business do we have with each other; What to me and to you; see ], Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I ·command [beg; implore; swear to] you in God’s name not to ·torture [torment] me!”


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He said this because Jesus was saying to him, “You ·evil [defiling; unclean] spirit, come out of the man.”


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Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He answered, “My name is Legion [a legion was about 5,000 soldiers in the Roman army], because we are many spirits.”


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So Jesus allowed them to do this. The ·evil [defiling; unclean] spirits left the man and went into the pigs. Then the herd of pigs—about two thousand of them—rushed down the ·hill [steep bank; precipice] into the lake and were drowned.


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The herdsmen ran away and went to the town and to the countryside, telling everyone about this. So people went out to see what had happened.


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They came to Jesus and saw the man who used to have ·the many evil spirits [the “legion”], sitting, clothed, and in his right mind. And they were frightened.


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The people who saw this told the others what had happened to the man who had ·the demons living in him [been demon-possessed], and they told about the pigs.


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As Jesus was getting back into the boat, the man who ·was freed from the demons [had been demon-possessed] begged to go with him.


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But Jesus would not let him. He said, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.”


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So the man left and began to ·tell [proclaim/preach to] the people in the ·Ten Towns [or Decapolis; a league of ten cities east of Lake Galilee] about what Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.


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


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A leader of the synagogue, named Jairus, came there, saw Jesus, and ·fell [bowed; knelt] at his feet.


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He begged Jesus, ·saying again and again [earnestly saying], “My daughter is dying. Please come and ·put [lay] your hands on her so she will be healed and will live.”


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Among them was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years [probably a chronic menstrual disorder].


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She had suffered very much from many doctors and had spent all the money she had, but instead of improving, she was getting worse.


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When the woman heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his ·coat [cloak; garment].


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[For] She ·thought [said], “If I can just touch his clothes, I will ·be healed [get well; be saved].”


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At once Jesus ·felt [perceived] power go out from him. So he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”


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His ·followers [disciples] said, “Look at how many people are pushing against you! And you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”


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The woman, knowing that she was healed, came and fell at Jesus’ feet. Shaking with fear, she told him the whole truth.


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Jesus said to her, “·Dear woman [Daughter], ·you are made well because you believed [your faith has saved/healed you]. Go in peace; be healed of your disease.”


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While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of the synagogue leader. They said, “Your daughter is dead. ·There is no need to bother the teacher anymore.” [Why trouble the teacher anymore?”]


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But Jesus ·paid no attention to [or overheard] what they said. He told the synagogue leader, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”


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When they came to the house of the synagogue leader, Jesus found many people there making lots of noise and ·crying loudly [weeping and wailing loudly].


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Jesus entered the house and said to them, “Why are you ·crying [weeping] and making so much noise? The child is not dead, only asleep.”


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But they ·laughed at [ridiculed] him. So, after ·throwing [putting] them [all] out of the house, Jesus took the child’s father and mother and his three followers into the room where the child was.


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Taking hold of the girl’s hand, he said to her, “Talitha, koum!” (This means [in Aramaic, the language Jesus commonly spoke], “Little girl, I tell you to stand up!”)


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At once the girl stood right up and began walking. (She was twelve years old.) Everyone was completely amazed.


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Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell people about this. Then he told them to give the girl something to eat.


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Jesus Goes to His Hometown Jesus left there and went to his hometown [Nazareth; ; ], and his ·followers [disciples] went with him.


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On the Sabbath day he ·taught [began to teach] in the synagogue. Many people heard him and were ·amazed [astonished], saying, “Where did this man get these ·teachings [things]? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? And where did he get the power to do ·miracles [such mighty works done by his hands]?


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·He is just [Isn’t this…?] the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph [Greek: Joses], Judas, and Simon. ·And his sisters are [Are not his sisters…?] here with us.” So the people were ·upset with [offended by] Jesus.


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Jesus said to them, “A prophet is ·honored everywhere [not dishonored] except in his hometown and with his own ·people [relatives; kin] and in his own ·home [household].”


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So Jesus was not able to work any miracles there except to heal a few sick people by ·putting [laying] his hands on them.


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He ·was amazed [wondered; marveled] ·at how many people had no faith [because of their unbelief]. Jesus Commissions the Twelve Apostles Then Jesus went [around] to other villages in that area and taught.


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He called ·his twelve followers [the Twelve] together and ·got ready [began] to send them out two by two and gave them authority over ·evil [defiling; unclean] spirits.


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This is what Jesus ·commanded [ordered; instructed] them: “Take nothing for your ·trip [journey; way] except a ·walking stick [staff]. Take no bread, no ·bag [traveler’s bag; or beggar’s purse], and no money in your ·pockets [money belts].


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If the people in a certain place refuse to welcome you or listen to you, leave that place. Shake its dust off your feet [a sign of rejection and coming judgment] as a ·warning to [testimony against] them.”


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So ·the followers [they] went out and preached that people should ·change their hearts and lives [turn from sin; repent].


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They ·forced [drove; cast] many demons out and ·put olive oil on [anointed with oil] many sick people and healed them.


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How John the Baptist Was Killed King Herod [Antipas; a son of Herod the Great; ] heard about Jesus, because he was now well known. Some people said, “He is John the Baptist, who has risen from the dead. That is why ·he can work these miracles [miraculous powers are at work in him].”


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Others said, “He is Elijah [a great OT prophet (), who was expected to return in the end times ()].” Other people said, “Jesus is a prophet, like the prophets who lived long ago.”


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When Herod heard this, he said, “I killed John by cutting off his head. Now he has risen from the dead!”


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Herod himself had ·ordered [sent] his soldiers to arrest John and ·put [bound; chained] him in prison ·in order to please [because of] his wife, Herodias. She had been the wife of Philip, Herod’s brother, but then Herod had married her.


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John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to ·be married to [have] your brother’s wife.”


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because Herod was afraid of John and protected him. He knew John was a ·good [righteous] and holy man. Also, though John’s preaching always ·bothered [disturbed; puzzled; perplexed] him, he enjoyed listening to John.


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Then the ·perfect [opportune] time came for Herodias to cause John’s death. On Herod’s birthday, he gave a ·dinner party [banquet] for ·the most important government leaders [his nobles/high officials], the commanders of his army, and ·the most important people [leaders] in Galilee.


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When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and the people eating with him. So King Herod said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I will give it to you.”


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He ·promised [swore/vowed to] her, “Anything you ask for I will give to you—up to half of my kingdom.”


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


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At once the girl ·went back [hurried back in] to the king and said to him, “I want [you to give me] the head of John the Baptist right now on a platter.”


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Although the king was very ·sad [sorry; grieved; distressed], he had made a promise, and his dinner guests had heard it. So he did not want to refuse what she asked.


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


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When John’s ·followers [disciples] heard this, they came and got John’s ·body [corpse] and put it in a tomb.


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More than Five Thousand Fed The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him about all the things they had done and taught.


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Crowds of people were coming and going so that Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] did not even have time to eat. He said to them, “Come away by yourselves, and we will go to a ·lonely [isolated; deserted] place to get some rest.”


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


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When he ·arrived [landed; came ashore], he saw a great crowd waiting. He ·felt sorry [had compassion] for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them many things.


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When it was late in the day, his ·followers [disciples] came to him and said, “·No one lives in this place [This is a remote/deserted place], and it is already very late.


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Send the people away so they can go to the countryside and towns around here to buy themselves something to eat.”


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But Jesus answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, ·“We would all have to work a month to earn enough money to buy that much bread!” [“Should we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?”]


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Jesus asked them, “How many loaves of bread do you have? Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five loaves and two fish.”


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Then Jesus ·told [commanded; ordered] ·his followers [them] to have the people sit [recline; the posture for a banquet or dinner party; ] in groups on the green grass.


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Jesus took the five loaves and two fish and, looking up to heaven, he ·thanked God for [blessed] the food. He ·divided [broke] the bread and gave it to his ·followers [disciples] for them to give to the people. Then he divided the two fish among them all.


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Jesus Walks on the Water Immediately Jesus ·told [compelled; made] his ·followers [disciples] to get into the boat and go ahead of him to Bethsaida [a town on the northern shore of Lake Galilee, east of the Jordan River] across the lake. He stayed there to ·send the people home [dismiss the crowd].


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He saw his ·followers [disciples] struggling hard to row the boat, because the wind was blowing against them. ·Between three and six o’clock in the morning [At about the fourth watch of the night], Jesus came to them, walking on the water, and he ·wanted [intended; was about] to ·walk past [pass by] the boat.


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


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Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind ·became calm [ceased; stopped]. They were greatly amazed.


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[For] They did not understand ·about the miracle of the five loaves [the significance of the loaves; about the loaves], because their ·minds were closed [hearts were hardened/stubborn/dull].


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When they had crossed the lake, they came to shore at Gennesaret [either the plain on the northwestern shore of the lake, or a town in that region] and tied the boat there.


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They ran everywhere in that ·area [region] and began to bring sick people on ·mats [cots] wherever they heard he was.


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And everywhere he went—into towns, cities, or countryside—the people brought the sick to the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch just the ·edge [fringe; tassels] of his coat, and all who touched it were healed.


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The Things that Truly Please God When some Pharisees and some ·teachers of the law [scribes] came from Jerusalem, they gathered around Jesus.


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They saw that some of Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] ate food with hands that were not clean, that is, they hadn’t [ceremonially] washed them.


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([For] The Pharisees and all the Jews never eat before washing their hands ·in the way required [with a fist; the meaning of the idiom is uncertain; it could mean “with a handful of water,” “with cupped hand,” “up to the wrist” or something else] by ·their unwritten laws [the traditions of the elders].


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·And when they buy something in the market, they never eat it [or, And when they come from the market (where they might have touched something “unclean”), they do not eat] until they wash themselves in a special way. They also ·follow [hold fast to; observe] many other ·unwritten laws [traditions], such as the washing of cups, pitchers, and pots.)


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The Pharisees and the ·teachers of the law [scribes] asked Jesus, “Why don’t your ·followers [disciples] ·obey [walk according to] the ·unwritten laws which have been handed down to us [traditions of the elders]? Why do they eat their food with hands that are ·not clean [defiled]?”


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Jesus answered, “Isaiah was right when he ·spoke [prophesied] about you hypocrites. ·He wrote [As it is written], ‘These people show honor to me with ·words [their lips], but their hearts are far from me.


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Their worship of me is ·worthless [futile; in vain]. The things they teach are nothing but human ·rules [commandments; ].’


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You ·have stopped following [neglected; abandoned] the commands of God, and you ·follow [hold on to] only human ·teachings [traditions].”


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Then Jesus said to them, “You ·cleverly ignore [are very good at ignoring/despising] the commands of God so you can follow your own ·teachings [tradition].


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[For] Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ [; ], and ‘Anyone who ·says cruel things to [speaks evil of; curses] his father or mother must be put to death’ [; ].


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But you say a person can tell his father or mother, ‘I have something I could use to help you, but it is Corban—a gift to God.’ [Corban is a Hebrew term meaning dedicated or set aside to God.]


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By your own ·rules [tradition], which you ·teach people [have handed down], you are ·rejecting [nullifying; canceling] what God said. And you do many things like that.”


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After Jesus called the crowd to him again, he said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand what I am saying.


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There is nothing people put into their bodies that ·makes them unclean [pollutes/defiles them]. [But rather] People are ·made unclean [polluted; defiled] by the things that come out of them.


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When Jesus left the ·people [crowd] and went into the house, his ·followers [disciples] asked him about this ·story [parable; see ].


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Jesus said, “·Do you still not understand [Are you so dull]? ·Surely you know [Don’t you know…?] that nothing that enters someone from the outside can make that person ·unclean [polluted; defiled].


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[Because] It does not go into the ·mind [heart], but into the stomach. Then it goes ·out of the body [into the sewer/latrine].” ·(When Jesus said this, he meant that no longer was any food unclean for people to eat.) [or, (In this way, Jesus cleansed all food.)]


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And Jesus said, “The things that come out of people are the things that make them ·unclean [defiled].


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·All these evil things begin inside people, in the mind [For from within, out of human hearts, come]: evil ·thoughts [intentions; ideas], sexual sins, stealing, murder, adultery,


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greed, ·evil actions [wickedness], ·lying [deceit], ·doing sinful things [indecency; lust; lewdness], ·jealousy [envy; evil eye], ·speaking evil of others [slander; blasphemy], pride, and foolish living.


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Jesus Helps a Gentile Woman Jesus left that place and went to the area around Tyre [a Gentile city on the coast north of Israel]. When he went into a house, he did not want anyone to know he was there, but he could not stay hidden.


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A woman whose daughter had an ·evil [defiling; unclean] spirit in her heard that he was there. So she ·quickly [immediately] came to Jesus and ·fell [bowed] at his feet.


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She was ·Greek [a Gentile; “Greek” is sometimes used for any non-Jew; ], born in Phoenicia, in Syria. She ·begged [kept asking] Jesus to ·force [drive; cast] the demon out of her daughter.


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Jesus told the woman, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and ·give [throw] it to the dogs. First let the children eat all they want.” [“Children” refers to Israel; “dogs” to the Gentiles.]


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Jesus Heals a Deaf Man Then Jesus left the area around Tyre and went through Sidon to Lake Galilee [the Sea of Galilee], to the area of ·the Ten Towns [or Decapolis; an area east of Lake Galilee that once had ten main towns; ].


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While he was there, some people brought a man to him who was deaf and ·could not talk plainly [had a speech impediment]. The people begged Jesus to put his hand on the man to heal him.


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Jesus led the man away from the crowd, by himself. He put his fingers in the man’s ears and then spit and touched the man’s tongue. [The use of saliva is mentioned in other ancient accounts of healing, and elsewhere in the Gospels; see ; .]


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Looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to the man, “Ephphatha!” (This means [in Aramaic], “Be opened.”)


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Jesus ·commanded [ordered; instructed] the people not to tell anyone about what happened. But the more he ·commanded [ordered; instructed] them, the more they ·told about [proclaimed] it.


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They were completely amazed and said, “Jesus does everything well. He makes the deaf hear! And ·those who can’t talk [the mute] he makes able to speak.”


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More than Four Thousand People Fed ·Another time [About this time] there was ·a [another] great crowd with Jesus that had nothing to eat. So Jesus called his ·followers [disciples] and said,


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“I ·feel sorry [have compassion] for these people, because they have already been with me for three days, and they have nothing to eat.


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If I send them home hungry, they will ·faint [collapse] on the way. Some of them ·live a long way from here [have come from far away].”


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Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] answered, “·How [From where] can ·we [anyone] get enough bread in this ·remote place [desolate place; desert] to feed them?”


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Jesus told the people to ·sit [recline] on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, gave thanks to God, and ·divided [broke] the bread. He gave the pieces to his ·followers [disciples] to give to the people, and they did so.


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·The followers [They] also had a few small fish. After Jesus ·gave thanks for [blessed] the fish, he told his ·followers [disciples] to give them to the people also.


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All the people ate and were satisfied. Then ·his followers [they] filled seven ·baskets [large baskets; a different word than in the feeding of the 5,000; ] with the leftover pieces of food.


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There were about four thousand people who ate. After they had eaten, Jesus ·sent them home [dismissed them].


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Then ·right away [immediately] he got into a boat with his ·followers [disciples] and went to the area of Dalmanutha. [This place is unknown; it was probably on the western shore of Lake Galilee.]


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The Leaders Ask for a Miracle The Pharisees came to Jesus and began to ·ask him questions [argue/dispute with him]. ·Hoping to trap [Trying to test] him, they asked Jesus for a ·miracle [sign] from ·God [heaven; possibly a sign in the sky, but more likely a Jewish way of saying “from God”].


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Jesus ·sighed [groaned] deeply and said, “Why ·do you people [does this generation] ask for a miracle as a sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to ·you [this generation].”


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Guard Against Wrong Teachings His ·followers [disciples] had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat; they had forgotten to bring more.


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Jesus warned them, “·Be careful [Watch out]! Beware of the ·yeast [leaven] of the Pharisees and the ·yeast [leaven] of Herod [yeast or leaven refers here to the dangerous permeating power of their influence].”


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Knowing what they were talking about, Jesus asked them, “Why are you ·talking [discussing; arguing] about not having bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your ·minds closed [hearts hardened]?


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·You have eyes, but you don’t really see. You have ears, but you don’t really listen [; ]. ·Remember [Don’t you remember] when


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I ·divided [broke] five loaves of bread for the five thousand? How many baskets did you fill with leftover pieces of food?” They answered, “Twelve.”


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“And when I ·divided [broke] seven loaves of bread for the four thousand, how many [large] baskets did you fill with leftover pieces of food?” They answered, “Seven.”


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


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


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Again Jesus ·put [laid] his hands on the man’s eyes. Then the man ·opened his eyes wide [stared intently] and ·they were healed [his sight was restored], and he was able to see everything clearly.


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Jesus told him to go home, saying, “Don’t go into the town.” [Jesus wanted to avoid the publicity that the healing would produce.]


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Peter Says Jesus Is the Christ Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] went to the towns around Caesarea Philippi [a city about 25 miles north of Lake Galilee]. While they were traveling, Jesus asked them, “Who do people say I am?”


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They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah [a great prophet (), who was expected to return in the end times (); see ], and others say you are one of the prophets.”


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Then Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man [] must suffer many things and that he would be rejected by the Jewish elders, the ·leading [chief] priests, and the ·teachers of the law [scribes]. He told them that the Son of Man must be killed and then rise from the dead after three days.


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Jesus told them ·plainly [boldly; openly] what would happen. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to ·reprimand [rebuke] him.


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But Jesus turned and looked at his ·followers [disciples]. Then he ·reprimanded [rebuked] Peter. He said, “·Go away from me [Get behind me], Satan [Jesus accuses Peter of doing Satan’s work by obstructing God’s plan]! You ·don’t care about [are not setting your mind on/thinking about] the things of God, but only ·about things people think are important [on/about human concerns].”


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Then Jesus called the crowd to him, along with his ·followers [disciples]. He said, “If ·people [anyone wants] want to follow me, they must ·give up the things they want [deny themselves; set aside their own interests]. They must ·be willing even to give up their lives to [take up their cross and] follow me.


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Those who want to save their lives will ·give up true life [lose their life/soul; Greek psychē can mean “life” or “soul,” producing this play on words]. But those who ·give up [lose; sacrifice] their lives for ·me [my sake] and for the ·Good News [Gospel] will ·have true life [save their lives/souls].


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·It is worthless [What good/profit/benefit is it…?] to ·have [gain] the whole world if they ·lose [forfeit] their souls.


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·They could never pay enough [Or what could they give…?] ·to buy back [in exchange for] their souls.


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If people of this ·sinful and evil time [adulterous and sinful generation] are ashamed of me and my ·teaching [words; message], the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he ·comes [returns] with his Father’s glory and with the holy angels [].”


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Then Jesus said to the people, “I tell you the truth, some people standing here will not ·die [taste death] before they see the kingdom of God ·come [arrive] with power.” [“Seeing the kingdom of God” may refer to the Transfiguration that follows (), Jesus’ resurrection, or the destruction of Jerusalem in ad 70.]


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The Transfiguration on the Mountain Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John [and led them] up on a high mountain by themselves. ·While they watched [In their presence; In front of them], Jesus’ appearance was ·changed [transformed; transfigured].


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His clothes became shining white, whiter than any ·person [launderer on earth] could ·make them [bleach them].


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Then Elijah and Moses appeared to them, talking with Jesus. [God had given the Law through Moses, and Elijah was an important prophet (see ); together they signify that Jesus fulfills the OT.]


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Peter said to Jesus, “·Teacher [Rabbi], it is good that we are here. Let us make three ·tents [shelters; shrines; tabernacles; ]—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” [Perhaps Peter wanted to prolong their stay or to commemorate their visit.]


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Then a cloud came and ·covered [overshadowed; ] them, and a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my ·Son, whom I love [dearly loved Son; ; ; ]. Listen to him [; ]!”


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As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ·commanded [instructed] them not to tell anyone about what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.


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So they ·obeyed Jesus [kept this statement/matter to themselves], but they discussed what he meant about rising from the dead.


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Then they asked Jesus, “Why do the ·teachers of the law [scribes] say that Elijah must come first [; ]?”


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Jesus answered, “·They are right to say that Elijah must come first and [Elijah is indeed coming, and he will] ·make everything the way it should be [restore/prepare everything]. But why does the Scripture say that the Son of Man will suffer much and ·that people will treat him as if he were nothing [be despised; be treated with contempt; be rejected; ]?


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[But] I tell you that Elijah has already come. And ·people [they] did to him whatever they wanted to do, just as ·the Scriptures said it would happen [it is written about him].”


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Jesus Heals a Sick Boy When Jesus, Peter, James, and John came back to the other ·followers [disciples], they saw a great crowd around them and the ·teachers of the law [scribes] arguing with them.


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A man [in the crowd] answered, “Teacher, I brought my son to you. He has an evil spirit in him that ·stops him from talking [makes him mute].


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When the spirit attacks him, it throws him on the ground. Then my son foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes ·very stiff [rigid]. I asked your ·followers [disciples] to ·force [drive; cast] the evil spirit out, but they couldn’t.”


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Jesus answered, “You ·people have no faith [unbelieving/faithless generation]. How long must I stay with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”


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So ·the followers [they] brought him to Jesus. As soon as the evil spirit saw Jesus, it ·made the boy lose control of himself [threw the boy into convulsions], and he fell down and rolled on the ground, foaming at the mouth.


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


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


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Jesus said to the father, “You said, ‘If you can!’ All things are possible for the one who believes.”


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Immediately the father cried out, “I do believe! Help ·me to believe more [me not to doubt; me overcome my unbelief; my unbelief]!”


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When Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he ·ordered [rebuked] the ·evil [defiling; unclean] spirit, saying, “You deaf and mute spirit, I command you to come out of this boy and never enter him again!”


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


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When Jesus went into the house, his ·followers [disciples] began asking him privately, “Why couldn’t we ·force [drive; cast] that evil spirit out?”


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Jesus Again Talks About His Death Then Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] left that place and went through Galilee. He didn’t want anyone to know where he was,


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because he was teaching his ·followers [disciples]. He said to them, “The Son of Man will be ·handed over [delivered over; betrayed] to ·people [human hands], and they will kill him [the “handing over” may be Judas’ betrayal or God’s actions in “giving up” his Son to accomplish salvation; ]. After three days, he will rise from the dead.”


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Who Is the Greatest? Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] went to Capernaum. When they went into a house there, he asked them, “What were you ·arguing about [discussing] on the road?”


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But they did not answer, because their ·argument [discussion] on the road was about which one of them was the greatest.


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Jesus sat down and called ·the twelve apostles [the Twelve] to him. He said, “Whoever wants to be ·the most important [first] must be last of all and servant of all.”


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Then Jesus took a small child and had ·him [or her; the Greek here does not specify gender] stand among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said,


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“Whoever ·accepts [welcomes; receives] a child like this in my name [as a representative or follower of Jesus] accepts me. And whoever ·accepts [welcomes; receives] me accepts [not only me, but] the One who sent me.” [Children had low social status, so the saying indicates concern for the lowly.]


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Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us Then John said, “Teacher, we saw someone using your name [invoking your authority] to ·force [drive; cast] demons out of a person. We told him to stop, because he does not belong to our group.”


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But Jesus said, “Don’t stop him, because anyone who uses my name to do powerful things will not ·easily [quickly] say evil things about me.


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I tell you the truth, whoever gives you a drink of water because you belong to the ·Christ [Messiah] will ·truly get [certainly not lose] his reward.


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“If someone causes one of these little children who believes in me to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], it would be better for that person to have a ·large stone [large millstone; millstone of a donkey] tied around his neck and be ·drowned [thrown] in the sea.


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If your hand causes you ·to sin [lose faith; stumble], cut it off. It is better for you ·to lose part of your body and live forever [to enter life maimed] than to have two hands and go to ·hell [Gehenna; a valley outside of Jerusalem where in the OT period children were sacrificed to a pagan god; later used as a burning trash heap; a metaphor for hell], where the fire never goes out.


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If your foot causes you to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], cut it off. It is better for you ·to lose part of your body and to live forever [to enter life crippled] than to have two feet and be thrown into ·hell [Gehenna; ].


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If your eye causes you to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], take it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into ·hell [Gehenna; ].


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Every person will be salted with fire. [The meaning of this proverb is uncertain; it may mean that the testing of believers purifies (fire) and preserves (salt); or it may refer to believers as God’s covenant people, since salt and fire were part of the OT sacrificial system; see ; .]


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“Salt is good, but if the salt loses its salty taste, you cannot make it salty again. So, ·be full of salt [have salt in/among yourselves; salt here may symbolize fellowship within the covenant], and have peace with each other.”


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Jesus Teaches About Divorce Then Jesus left that place and went into the ·area [region] of Judea and across the Jordan River. Again, crowds came to him, and he taught them as he usually did.


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Some Pharisees came to Jesus and tried to ·trick [test; trap] him. They asked, “Is it ·right [lawful; according to the law of Moses] for a man to divorce his wife?”


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and the two will become ·one body [as though they were one person; one flesh; ]’. So they are no longer two, but one.


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Later, in the house, his ·followers [disciples] asked Jesus again about ·the question of divorce [this matter].


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


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And the woman who divorces her husband and marries another man ·is also guilty of [commits] adultery.”


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Jesus Accepts Children Some people brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch them, but his ·followers [disciples] ·told them to stop [scolded/rebuked them].


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When Jesus saw this, he was ·upset [angry; indignant] and said to them, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to people who are like these children [meaning humble and dependent].


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


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A Rich Young Man’s Question As Jesus started ·to leave [on his way; on a journey], a man ran to him and ·fell on his knees [knelt] before Jesus. The man asked, “Good teacher, what must I do to ·have life forever [inherit eternal life]?”


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Jesus answered, “Why do you call me good? ·Only God is good [No one is good except One—God; Jesus is not denying his own divinity, but is challenging the man’s understanding of goodness].


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You know the commands: ‘You must not murder. You must not ·be guilty of [commit] adultery. You must not steal. You must not ·tell lies about your neighbor [testify falsely; bear false witness]. You must not ·cheat [defraud]. Honor your father and mother’ [; ].”


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The man said, “Teacher, I have ·obeyed [kept carefully; guarded] all these things since I was a boy.”


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


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He was ·very sad [shocked; appalled] to hear Jesus say this, and he left ·sorrowfully [grieving], because he ·was rich [had many possessions].


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Then Jesus looked [around] at his ·followers [disciples] and said, “How hard it will be for ·the rich [those with many possessions] to enter the kingdom of God!”


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The ·followers [disciples] were ·amazed [astonished] at what Jesus said. [In Judaism wealth was generally viewed as a reward from God.] But he said again, “My children, it is very hard to enter the kingdom of God!


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It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God [meaning it is impossible, by human effort; see ].”


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Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, all those who have left houses, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or ·farms [fields] for me and for the ·Good News [Gospel]


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will get more than they left. Here in ·this world [the present age] they will have a hundred times more homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and ·fields [farms]. And with those things, ·they will also suffer for their belief [persecutions]. But in the ·age [world] that is coming they will have ·life forever [eternal life].


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


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Jesus Talks a Third Time About His Death As Jesus and the people with him were on the road to Jerusalem, he was leading the way. His ·followers [disciples] were ·amazed [surprised; puzzled; alarmed], but others in the crowd who followed were afraid. Again Jesus took ·the twelve apostles [the Twelve] aside and began to tell them what was about to happen [to him] in Jerusalem.


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He said, “Look, we are going [up] to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be ·turned over [betrayed; delivered over; see ] to the ·leading [chief] priests and the ·teachers of the law [scribes]. They will ·say that he must die [condemn him to death], and they will turn him over to the ·Gentiles [the Roman authorities],


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who will laugh at him and spit on him. They will beat him with whips and ·crucify [kill] him. But after three days, he will rise to life again.”


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


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They answered, “Let one of us sit at your right side and one of us sit at your left side in your glory [the messianic kingdom].”


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Jesus said, “You don’t understand what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I must drink? And can you be baptized with the same kind of baptism that I must go through?” [Both “cup” and “baptism” symbolize suffering, and perhaps God’s judgment experienced by Jesus on the cross; .]


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


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But ·I cannot choose [it is not for me to grant/say] who will sit at my right or my left; those places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”


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When ·the other ten followers [the ten] heard this, they began to be ·angry [indignant] with James and John.


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Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of ·other nations [the Gentiles] love to ·show their power [lord it] over the people, and their ·important leaders [high officials; great ones] love to ·use [exert] their authority [over them].


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Jesus Heals a Blind Man Then they came to the town of Jericho. As Jesus was leaving there with his ·followers [disciples] and a great many people, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus [which means] son of Timaeus was sitting by the road.


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When he heard that Jesus from Nazareth was walking by, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David [a title for the Messiah, a descendant of King David; ], ·have mercy [take pity] on me!”


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Many people ·warned [rebuked; scolded] the blind man to be quiet, but he shouted even more, “Son of David, ·have mercy [take pity] on me!”


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Jesus stopped and said, “Tell the man to come here.” So they called the blind man, saying, “·Cheer up [Take courage]! Get to your feet. Jesus is calling you.”


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


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Jesus said, “Go, ·you are healed because you believed [your faith has healed you].” At once the man could see, and he followed Jesus on the road.


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Jesus Enters Jerusalem as a King As Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] were coming closer to Jerusalem, they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives. From there Jesus sent two of his ·followers [disciples]


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and said to them, “Go to the town ·you can see there [ahead of you; or opposite you either Bethphage, Bethany, or another village]. When you enter it, you will ·quickly [immediately] find a ·colt [young donkey] tied, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here to me.


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If anyone asks you why you are doing this, tell him ·its Master [the Lord; or its Owner] needs the colt and ·he will send it at once [or he will return it soon; “he” could be either Jesus or the colt’s owner].”


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Many people spread their coats on the road. Others cut [leafy] branches in the fields and spread them on the road.


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The people were walking ahead of Jesus and behind him, shouting, “·Praise God! [Hosanna! A Hebrew word originally used in praying for help, but by this time a joyful shout of praise to God.] ·God bless [Blessed is] the One who comes in the name of the Lord []!


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·God bless [Blessed is] the coming kingdom of our father David! ·Praise to God in heaven [Hosanna in the highest]!”


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Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple. After he had looked [around] at everything, since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with ·the twelve apostles [the Twelve].


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Seeing a fig tree in leaf from far away, he went to see if it had any figs on it. But he found no figs, only leaves, because it was not the right season for figs.


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


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Jesus Goes to the Temple When Jesus ·returned [came] to Jerusalem, he went into the ·Temple [temple complex; the large temple area, not the inner building where only the priests could go] and began to ·throw [drive] out those who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables of ·those who were exchanging different kinds of money [ the moneychangers], and he upset the benches of those who were selling doves [or pigeons; moneychangers provided particular coins for the temple tax; doves or pigeons were sold for sacrifices; ].


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Then he taught the people, saying, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘My ·Temple [House] will be called a house for prayer for people from all nations’ []. But you ·are changing God’s house [have made it] into a ·‘hideout for robbers’ [den of thieves’; ].”


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


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The Power of Faith The next morning as Jesus was passing by with his ·followers [disciples], they saw the fig tree ·dry and dead [withered], even to the roots.


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Peter ·remembered the tree and said to Jesus, “·Teacher [Rabbi], look! The fig tree you cursed is ·dry and dead [withered]!”


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I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘·Go [Be lifted up], fall into the sea.’ And if you have no doubts in your ·mind [heart] and believe that what you say will happen, ·God will do it for you [it will be done for you].


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So I tell you to believe that you have received ·the things [everything] you ask for in prayer, and ·God will give them to you [you will receive them].


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When you ·are praying [stand praying], if you ·are angry with [have anything against] someone, forgive him so that your Father in heaven will also forgive your ·sins [transgressions; trespasses].


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,But if you don’t forgive other people, then your Father in heaven will not forgive your ·sins [transgressions; trespasses].,”


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Leaders Doubt Jesus’ Authority Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] went again to Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking in the Temple [complex; area; courts; see ], the ·leading [chief] priests, the ·teachers of the law [scribes], and the elders came to him.


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Jesus answered, “I will ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you what authority I have to do these things.


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Tell me: When John baptized people, was that authority from ·God [heaven; a reverential Jewish way of referring to God] or just from ·other people [human beings]?”


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They argued about Jesus’ question, saying, “If we answer, ‘John’s baptism was from ·God [heaven],’ Jesus will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’


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But if we say, ‘It was from ·other people [human beings],’ the crowd will be against us.” (These leaders were afraid of the people, because all the people believed that John was a prophet.)


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So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus said to them, “Then I won’t tell you what authority I have to do these things.”


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The Story of the Evil Farmers [Then] Jesus began ·to use stories to teach the people [to speak to them in parables; see ]. He said, “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it and dug a ·hole [vat; pit] for a winepress and built a tower [to protect against thieves; see for the background to this parable]. Then he leased the land to some [tenant] farmers and left for a trip [the owner represents God, the farmers are Israel’s religious leaders].


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When it was time for the grapes to be picked, he sent a ·servant [slave] to the farmers to get his share of the grapes.


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Then the man sent another ·servant [slave]. They ·hit [beat] him on the head and ·showed no respect for [humiliated; dishonored] him.


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So the man sent another, whom they killed. The man sent many others; the farmers beat some of them and killed others [the servants represent the prophets God sent to Israel].


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“The man had one person left to send, his son whom he loved [representing Jesus; see ; ]. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’


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“But the farmers said to each other, ‘This son will inherit the vineyard. Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’


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“So what will the ·owner [lord] of the vineyard do? He will come and ·kill [destroy] those farmers and will give the vineyard to ·other farmers [others; referring to the sinners who were responding to Jesus’ call for repentance, and eventually to the Gentiles who would be saved].


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·Surely you have read [Have you never read…?] this Scripture: ‘The stone that the builders rejected became the ·cornerstone [capstone; keystone; head of the corner; the meaning is uncertain, but clearly refers to the most important stone in the building; Jesus is the rejected stone].


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The Lord did this, and it is ·wonderful [amazing; marvelous] ·to us [for us to see; in our eyes; ].’”


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


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Is It Right to Pay Taxes or Not? Later, the Jewish leaders sent some Pharisees and Herodians [a political group that supported king Herod and his family; ] to Jesus to ·trap [catch] him in saying something wrong.


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They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are ·an honest man [true; honest; sincere]. You are not ·afraid of [concerned about] what other people think about you, because you ·pay no attention to who they are [play no favorites; are impartial; aren’t swayed by appearances]. And you teach ·the truth [with sincerity/honesty] about God’s way. Tell us: Is it ·right [permissible; lawful] to pay taxes to Caesar or not?


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Should we pay them, or not?” [Saying “yes” would anger Jews who hated Roman rule; saying “no” could result in being charged with insurrection.] But knowing ·what these men were really trying to do [their hypocrisy], Jesus said to them, “Why are you ·trying to trap [testing] me? Bring me a ·coin [denarius; a Roman coin worth a day’s wages] to look at.”


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They gave Jesus a coin, and he asked, “Whose ·image [likeness; portrait] and ·name [inscription] are on the coin?” They answered, “Caesar’s.” [Ironically, the religious leaders carry coins bearing the idolatrous image of Caesar.]


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Then Jesus said to them, “·Give [Render] to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and give to God the things that are God’s.” They were amazed at what Jesus said.


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Some Sadducees Try to Trick Jesus Then some Sadducees came to Jesus and asked him a question. (Sadducees believed that people would not rise from the dead.)


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They said, “Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, then that man must marry the widow and ·have children [raise up offspring/seed] for his brother [].


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Once there were seven brothers. The first brother ·married [took a wife] and died, leaving no children.


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


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All seven brothers married her and died, and none of the brothers had any children. Finally the woman died too.


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Since all seven brothers had married her, ·when people rise from the dead [at the resurrection], whose wife will she be?”


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Jesus answered, “·You are mistaken [Are you not mistaken/in error…?] because you don’t know what the Scriptures say, and don’t you know about the power of God.


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[For] When people rise from the dead, they will not marry, nor will they be given to someone to marry. They will be like the angels in heaven.


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·Surely you have read [Have you not read…?] what God said about people rising from the dead. In the book in which Moses wrote about the burning bush [], it says that God told Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob [; God is still the God of the patriarchs, so they must have a continued existence after death].’


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God is the God of the living, not the dead. You Sadducees are ·wrong [greatly deceived; badly mistaken]!”


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The Most Important Command One of the ·teachers of the law [scribes] came and heard Jesus arguing with the Sadducees. Seeing that Jesus gave good answers to their questions, he asked Jesus, “Which of the commands is most important?”


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Jesus answered, “The most important command is this: ‘·Listen, people of Israel [Hear, O Israel]! The Lord our God is ·the only Lord [one Lord].


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Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength’ [; these are the opening words of the Shema, the prayer said by pious Jews twice a day].


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The second command is this: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself’ []. There are no commands ·more important [greater] than these.”


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The man answered, “·That was a good answer [Well said!], Teacher. You were right when you said God is ·the only Lord [one] and there is no other God besides him.


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


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When Jesus saw that the man answered him ·wisely [thoughtfully; with insight], Jesus said to him, “You are close to the kingdom of God.” And after that, no one ·was brave enough [dared] to ask Jesus any more questions.


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The Question About David’s Son As Jesus was teaching in the Temple [courts; complex], he asked, “Why do the ·teachers of the law [scribes] say that the ·Christ [Messiah] is the ·son [descendant] of David [see ]?


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David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, said: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit by me at my right ·side [hand; the place of greatest honor beside the king], until I put your enemies ·under your control [beneath your feet; meaning defeated or made subject to your authority; ].”’


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David himself calls ·the Christ [the Messiah; him] ‘Lord,’ so how can ·the Christ [the Messiah; he] be his son?” The large crowd listened to Jesus with pleasure.


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Jesus continued teaching and said, “Beware of the ·teachers of the law [scribes]. They like to walk around ·wearing fancy clothes [in long robes], and they love for people to greet them with respect in the marketplaces.


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But they ·cheat widows and steal their houses [devour widows’ homes] and then try to make themselves look good by saying long prayers [in public]. They will receive a greater ·punishment [judgment; condemnation].”


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True Giving Jesus sat near the Temple ·money box [offering chest; or treasury] and watched the people put in their money. Many rich people gave large sums of money.


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Then a poor widow came and put in ·two small copper coins [two lepta], ·which were only worth a few cents [which is a quadrans; a Roman coin worth 1/64 of a denarius, or about 10 minutes of work for a day laborer].


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Calling his ·followers [disciples] to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow gave more than all those rich people.


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They gave ·only what they did not need [out of their surplus/abundance]. This woman is very poor, but she gave all she had—everything she had to live on.”


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The Temple Will Be Destroyed As Jesus was leaving the Temple (courts; complex), one of his ·followers [disciples] said to him, “Look, Teacher! ·How big the stones are! [What stones!] ·How beautiful the buildings are! [What buildings!]”


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Jesus said, “Do you see all these great buildings? Not one stone will be left on another. Every stone will be ·thrown [torn; pulled] down.”


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Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, ·opposite [across from] the Temple [complex], he was alone with Peter, James, John, and Andrew. They asked Jesus,


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“Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are going to ·happen [be accomplished/fulfilled]?”


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Many people will come in my name, saying, ‘I am ·the One [or he; Messiah or savior],’ and they will ·fool [deceive; mislead] many people.


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When you hear about wars and ·stories of wars that are coming [rumors/reports of wars], don’t be afraid. These things must happen ·before the end comes [but that is not yet the end].


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Nations will ·fight [rise up] against other nations, and kingdoms against other kingdoms. There will be earthquakes in ·different [various] places, and there will be ·times when there is no food for people to eat [famines]. These things are ·like the first pains when something new is about to be born [the beginning of birth pains].


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“You must ·be careful [watch out; be on guard]. People will arrest you and take you to ·court [local councils] and ·beat [flog] you in their synagogues. You will be forced to stand before governors and kings to ·tell them [testify; bear witness] about me, ·because you follow me [on account of me].


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But before these things happen, the ·Good News [Gospel] must be ·told [preached; proclaimed] to all ·people [nations].


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When you are arrested and ·judged [brought to trial], don’t worry ahead of time about what you should say. Say whatever is given you to say at that time, because it will not really be you speaking; it will be the Holy Spirit.


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“Brothers will ·give [betray; hand over] their own brothers to ·be killed [death], and fathers will give their own children to ·be killed [death]. Children will ·fight [rebel; rise up] against their own parents and cause them to be put to death.


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“You will see ‘·a blasphemous object that brings destruction’ [the abomination of desolation; a phrase taken from ; ; , and originally referring to the desecration of the Temple by Antiochus Epiphanes in 168 bc] standing where ·it [or he] should not be.” (You who read this should understand what it means [probably a reference to the (soon-to-occur) destruction of Jerusalem in ad 70].) “At that time, the people in Judea should ·run away [flee] to the mountains.


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If people are on the roofs of their houses [roofs in Palestine were flat and used as spare rooms and for storage], they must not go down or go inside to get anything out of their houses.


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because those days will be full of ·trouble [distress; tribulation]. There will be more ·trouble [distress; tribulation] than there has ever been since the beginning, when God made the world, until now, and nothing as bad will ever happen again [].


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·God has decided to make that terrible time short [If the Lord had not shortened those days…]. Otherwise, no one would ·go on living [survive; be saved]. But God will make that time short ·to help [for the sake of] ·the people [the elect] he has chosen.


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False ·Christs [Messiahs] and false prophets will ·come [appear; rise up] and perform ·great wonders [signs; miracles] and ·miracles [wonders; marvels]. They will try to ·fool [mislead; deceive] even the ·people God has chosen [elect], if that is possible.


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“During the days after this ·trouble [tribulation; distress] comes, ‘the sun will grow dark, and the moon will not give its light.


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The stars will fall from ·the sky [heaven]. And the ·powers of the heavens [celestial bodies] will be shaken’ [; ; cf. ; , ].


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Then he will send his angels to gather his ·chosen people [elect] from ·all around the earth [the four winds], from ·every part [the farthest end] of the earth and from ·every part [the farthest end] of heaven [; ].


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In the same way, when you see these things happening, you will know that ·the time [or he] is near, ·ready to come [right at the door].


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“No one knows when that day or ·time [hour] will be, not the angels in heaven, not even the Son. Only the Father knows.


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·Be careful [Watch out; Be on guard]! Always be ·ready [alert; watching], because you don’t know when that [appointed] time will be.


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It is like a man who goes on a ·trip [journey]. He leaves his house and lets his servants take care of it, giving each one ·a special job [his own work] to do. The man tells the servant guarding the door always to be watchful.


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So ·always be ready [stay alert; keep watching], because you don’t know when the ·owner [master; lord] of the house will come back. It might be in the evening, or at midnight, or ·in the morning while it is still dark [when the rooster crows], or when the sun rises.


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The Plan to Kill Jesus It was now only two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread [the annual festival that celebrates God’s rescue of Israel from Egypt; ]. The ·leading [chief] priests and ·teachers of the law [scribes] were trying to find a ·trick [secret way] to arrest Jesus and kill him.


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A Woman with Perfume for Jesus Jesus was in Bethany at the house of ·Simon, who had a skin disease [Simon the leper; for leprosy, see ; Simon may have been healed by Jesus]. While Jesus was ·eating there [reclining; the posture for a banquet or dinner party; ], a woman approached him with an alabaster ·jar [vial] filled with very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She ·opened [broke open] the ·jar [vial] and poured the perfume on Jesus’ head.


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It was worth ·a full year’s work [over three hundred denarii]. It could have been sold and the money given to the poor.” And they ·got very angry with [harshly scolded] the woman.


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Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why are you ·troubling [bothering; criticizing] her? She did an ·excellent thing [beautiful/good deed] for me.


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


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This woman did the only thing she could do for me; she ·poured perfume on [anointed] my body to prepare me for burial.


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Judas Betrays Jesus One of ·the twelve apostles [the Twelve], Judas Iscariot, went to talk to the ·leading [chief] priests to offer to ·hand Jesus over [betray him] to them.


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These priests were pleased about this and promised to pay Judas money. So he watched for ·the best time [an opportunity] to ·turn Jesus in [betray him].


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Jesus Eats the Passover Meal It was now the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread when the Passover lamb was sacrificed. Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] said to him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover meal?”


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


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When he goes into a house, tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says: “Where is my guest room in which I can eat the Passover meal with my ·followers [disciples]?”’


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The owner will show you a large ·room upstairs [upper room] that is furnished and ready. ·Prepare the food [Make preparations] for us there.”


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So the ·followers [disciples] left and went into the city. Everything happened as Jesus had said, so they prepared the Passover meal.


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While they were all ·eating [reclining and eating; see ], Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will ·turn against [betray] me—one of you eating with me now.”


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The ·followers [disciples] were very ·sad [distressed; pained] to hear this. Each one began to say to Jesus, “·I am not the one, am I [Surely not I; or Is it I]?”


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Jesus answered, “It is one of the twelve—one who dips his bread into the bowl with me [probably not a signal, but means “one who shares close fellowship with me”].


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The Lord’s Supper While they were eating, Jesus took some bread and ·thanked God for [blessed] it and broke it. Then he gave it to his ·followers [disciples] and said, “Take it; this is my body.”


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Then Jesus took a cup and ·thanked God for it [gave thanks] and gave it to ·the followers [the disciples; them], and they all drank from the cup.


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Then Jesus said, “This is my blood ·which is the new agreement that God makes with his people [or which confirms/establishes the new covenant; of the new covenant; . ]. This blood is poured out for many [].


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


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Jesus’ Followers Will Leave Him Then Jesus told them, “You will all ·stumble in your faith [fall away; desert me], because it is written in the Scriptures: ‘I will ·kill [strike] the shepherd, and the sheep will ·scatter [be scattered]’ [].


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Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, tonight before the rooster crows twice you will ·say three times you don’t know me [deny/disown me three times].”


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But Peter insisted, “Even if I must die with you, I will never ·say that I don’t know [deny/disown] you!” And all the others said the same thing.


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


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Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him, and he began to be very ·sad [distressed] and ·troubled [anguished].


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He said to them, “My ·heart [soul] is ·full of sorrow [overwhelmed with grief], to the point of death. Stay here and ·watch [stay awake; be alert].”


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After walking a little farther away from them, Jesus fell [with his face] to the ground and prayed that, if possible, ·he would not have this time of suffering [the hour might pass him by].


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He prayed, “Abba [Aramaic for “father”], Father! You can do all things. ·Take away this cup of suffering [Take this cup from me; suffering is metaphorically portrayed as something bitter to drink; see ]. But do ·what you want [your will], not ·what I want [my will].”


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Then Jesus went back to his ·followers [disciples] and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn’t you ·stay awake [watch] with me for one hour?


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·Stay awake [Keep watch] and pray for strength ·against temptation [or not to fail the test]. The spirit ·wants to do what is right [is willing], but ·the body [human nature; the flesh] is weak.”


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Then he went back to his ·followers [disciples], and again he found them asleep, because their eyes were very heavy. And they did not know what to say to him.


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After Jesus prayed a third time, he went back to his ·followers [disciples] and said to them, “·Are you still sleeping and resting? [or Go ahead, sleep and have your rest!] ·That’s enough [It’s all over; The account is settled; the meaning of this phrase is uncertain]. The time has come for the Son of Man to be ·handed over to [betrayed/delivered into the hands of] sinful people.


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Jesus Is Arrested At once, while Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of ·the twelve apostles [the Twelve], came up. With him were many people carrying swords and clubs who had been sent from the ·leading [chief] priests, the ·teachers of the law [scribes], and the Jewish elders.


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·Judas [The betrayer] had planned a signal for them, saying, “The man I kiss is Jesus. ·Arrest [Seize] him and guard him while you lead him away.”


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One of ·his followers [those] standing nearby pulled out his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.


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Then Jesus said, “You came to get me with swords and clubs as if I were a ·criminal [revolutionary; rebel; robber; the term “robber” was used by the Romans of insurrectionists].


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


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A young man [perhaps the author Mark himself], wearing only a linen ·cloth [sheet; shirt], was following Jesus, and the people also grabbed him.


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Jesus Before the Leaders The people who arrested Jesus led him to the house of the high priest, where all the ·leading [chief] priests, the elders, and the ·teachers of the law [scribes] were gathered.


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


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The ·leading [chief] priests and the whole ·Jewish council [Sanhedrin; the highest Jewish court] tried to find ·something that Jesus had done wrong [evidence/testimony against him] so they could ·kill [execute] him. But the council could find no proof of anything.


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Many people came and ·told false things [gave false testimony] about him, but all said different things—none of them agreed.


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


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Then the high priest stood before them and asked Jesus, “Aren’t you going to answer? ·Don’t you have something to say about their [or What are these] ·charges [testimony] against you?”


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But Jesus ·said nothing [was silent; ]; he did not answer. The high priest asked Jesus another question: “Are you the ·Christ [Messiah], the Son of ·the blessed God [the blessed (one)]?”


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Jesus answered, “I am. And ·in the future you will see [you will see] the Son of Man sitting at the right ·side [hand; see ] of God, the Powerful One, and coming on clouds ·in the sky [of heaven; ; ].”


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When the high priest heard this, he tore his clothes [a sign of sorrow or outrage] and said, “Why do we need more witnesses?


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You all heard ·him say these things against God [the blasphemy]. What ·do you think [is your verdict]?” They all said that Jesus was guilty and ·should [deserved to] die.


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Some of the people there began to spit at Jesus. They blindfolded him and beat him with their fists and said, “·Prophesy! [Prove you are a prophet!]” Then the guards led Jesus away and beat him.


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


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But Peter denied it. He said, “I don’t know or understand what you are talking about.” Then Peter left and went toward the entrance of the courtyard. And the rooster crowed.


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


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Again Peter ·said that it was not true [denied it]. A short time later, some people were standing near Peter saying, “Surely you are one of those who followed Jesus, because you are from Galilee, too [Peter’s Galilean accent gave him away; ].”


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Then Peter began to place a curse on himself and swear, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about!”


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At once, the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had told him: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will ·say three times that you don’t know me [deny/disown me three times].” Then Peter broke down and began to cry.


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Pilate Questions Jesus Very early in the morning, the ·leading [chief] priests, the elders, the ·teachers of the law [scribes], and all the ·Jewish council [Sanhedrin; see ] decided what to do with Jesus. They ·tied [bound] him, led him away, and turned him over to Pilate, the governor.


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Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “·Those are your words [It is as you say; You say so; an indirect affirmation].”


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So Pilate asked Jesus another question, “You can see that they are accusing you of many things. Aren’t you going to answer?”


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Pilate Tries to Free Jesus Every year at the ·time of the Passover [festival/feast] the governor would free one prisoner whom the people ·chose [requested].


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At that time, there was a man named Barabbas in prison, one of a group of rebels who had committed murder during ·a riot [the uprising/insurrection].


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But the ·leading [chief] priests had ·persuaded [stirred up] the people to ask Pilate to free Barabbas, not Jesus.


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Then Pilate asked the crowd again, “So what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?”


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Pilate asked, “Why? What ·wrong [crime; evil] has he done?” But they shouted even louder, “Crucify him!”


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Pilate wanted to ·please [satisfy] the crowd, so he freed Barabbas for them. After having Jesus ·beaten with whips [flogged; scourged], he handed Jesus over to the soldiers to be crucified.


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The Soldiers Mock Jesus The soldiers took Jesus into the [courtyard of the] governor’s palace (called the Praetorium) and called ·all the other soldiers [the whole cohort] together [a cohort was about 500 soldiers; here it may mean those of the cohort on duty].


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They put a purple robe [probably a scarlet military coat (), whose color resembled purple—the color of royalty] on Jesus and used thorny branches to make a crown for his head.


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


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After they finished, the soldiers took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him out of the palace to be crucified.


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Jesus Is Crucified A man named Simon from Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus [probably two Christians known to Mark’s readers], was coming from the ·fields [countryside] to the city. The soldiers forced Simon to carry the cross for Jesus.


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·The soldiers [ They; this could be the soldiers or the women of Jerusalem] tried to give Jesus wine mixed with myrrh to drink [a narcotic meant to dull the pain; ; ], but he refused.


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The soldiers crucified Jesus and divided his clothes among themselves, throwing lots [similar to dice] to decide what each soldier would get [].


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They also put two ·robbers [rebels; revolutionaries; the term “robber” was used by the Romans of insurrectionists] on crosses beside Jesus, one on the right, and the other on the left.


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People walked by and ·insulted [defamed; slandered; the same Greek word used to “blaspheme”] Jesus and shook their heads [a gesture of derision; ], saying, “You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days.


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The ·leading [chief] priests and the ·teachers of the law [scribes] were also making fun of Jesus. They said to each other, “He saved other people, but he can’t save himself.


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If he is really the ·Christ [Messiah], the king of Israel, let him come down now from the cross. When we see this, we will believe in him.” The robbers who were being crucified beside Jesus also ·insulted [ridiculed; taunted] him.


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At ·three o’clock [the ninth hour] Jesus cried in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani.” This means [in Aramaic], “My God, my God, why have you ·abandoned [forsaken] me?” []


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When some of the people standing there heard this, they said, “Listen! He is calling Elijah.” [The prophet Elijah was associated with the end times () and was also viewed as a helper in time of need.]


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Someone there ran and got a sponge, filled it with ·vinegar [or sour wine; an inexpensive drink used by soldiers and slaves], tied it to a ·stick [reed], and gave it to Jesus to drink []. He said, “[Leave him be; Wait!] We want to see if Elijah will come to take him down from the cross.”


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The curtain [dividing the Most Holy Place from the rest of the temple] in the Temple was torn into two pieces, from the top to the bottom [representing new access to the presence of God, and perhaps God’s judgment against the Temple leadership].


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When the ·army officer [centurion] who was standing in front of the cross saw ·what happened when [or how] Jesus died, he said, “This man really was the Son of God!”


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


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These women had followed Jesus in Galilee and ·helped [cared for; supported] him. Many other women were also there who had come with Jesus to Jerusalem.


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Jesus Is Buried This was Preparation Day. (That means the day before the Sabbath day.) That evening,


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Joseph from Arimathea was ·brave [bold] enough to go to Pilate and ask for Jesus’ body. Joseph, an ·important [respected] member of the ·Jewish council [Sanhedrin; see ], was one of the people who was waiting for the kingdom of God to come.


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Pilate was amazed that Jesus would have already died, so he called the ·army officer [centurion] and asked him if Jesus ·had already died [or had been dead very long].


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Joseph bought some linen cloth, took the body down from the cross, and wrapped it in the linen. He put the body in a tomb that was cut out of a wall of rock. Then he rolled a [large] stone to block the entrance of the tomb.


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And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph ·saw [took note of] the place where Jesus was laid.


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


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


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They said to each other, “Who will roll away for us the stone that covers the entrance of the tomb?”


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Then the women looked and saw that the stone had already been rolled away, even though it was very large.


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The women entered the tomb and saw a young man wearing a white robe and sitting on the right side, and they were ·afraid [alarmed; amazed].


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But the man said, “Don’t be ·afraid [alarmed; amazed]. You are looking for Jesus from Nazareth, who has been crucified. He has risen from the dead; he is not here. Look, here is the place they laid him.


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Now go and tell his ·followers [disciples] and Peter, ‘Jesus is going into Galilee ahead of you, and you will see him there as he told you before.’”


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The women were shaking with fear and ·confused [overwhelmed; bewildered], so they left the tomb and ran away. They did not tell anyone about what happened, because they were afraid.


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are not included in some of the earliest surviving Greek copies of Mark and have significant stylistic differences from the rest of Mark’s Gospel. Some Followers See Jesus ,After Jesus rose from the dead early on the first day of the week, he showed himself first to Mary Magdalene. One time in the past, he had ·forced [driven; cast] seven demons out of her.


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After Mary saw Jesus, she went and told his followers, who were ·very sad [mourning; grieving] and were crying.


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


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Later, Jesus showed himself to two of ·his followers [his disciples; them] while they were walking in the country, but he did not look the same as before.


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Jesus Talks to the Disciples Later Jesus showed himself to the eleven while they were ·eating [reclining at table; see ], and he ·criticized [reprimanded; rebuked] them because they had no faith. They were ·stubborn [hard hearted] and refused to believe those who had seen him after he had risen from the dead.


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Jesus said to them, “Go everywhere in the world, and ·tell [preach; proclaim] the ·Good News [Gospel] to ·everyone [all creation].


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Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved, but anyone who does not believe will be ·punished [condemned].


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And those who believe will be able to do these things as ·proof [signs]: They will use my name to ·force [drive; cast] out demons. They will speak in new ·languages [tongues].


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They will pick up snakes and drink poison without being hurt. They will ·touch [lay hands on] the sick, and the sick will ·be healed [recover].”


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After the Lord Jesus said these things to them, he was carried up into heaven, and he sat at the right ·side [hand] of God.


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The ·followers [disciples] went everywhere in the world and ·told [preached; proclaimed] the ·Good News [Gospel] to people, and the Lord helped them. The Lord ·proved [confirmed] that the ·Good News [Gospel] they ·told [preached; proclaimed] was true by giving them power to work ·miracles [signs].,


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Luke Writes About Jesus’ Life Many have ·tried to report on [set out to compile an account/narrative of] the things that ·happened [have been fulfilled/accomplished] among us [; ; ].


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They have written the same things that ·we learned from [were handed down by] others—the ·people who saw those things [eyewitnesses] from the beginning and ·served God by telling people his message [were servants of the word; ; ].


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Since I myself have ·studied [investigated; followed closely] everything carefully from the beginning, most excellent [a designation for someone with high social or political status] Theophilus, it seemed ·good [fitting] for me to write it out for you. I arranged it ·in order [or in an orderly manner],


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Zechariah and Elizabeth During the time ·Herod ruled Judea [of Herod, king of Judea], there was a priest named Zechariah who belonged to ·Abijah’s group [the priestly division/order of Abijah; priests were divided into twenty-four divisions; ]. Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, came from the ·family [daughters; female descendants] of Aaron [brother of Moses and first high priest of Israel; for a priest like Zechariah to marry a woman of priestly ancestry was a special blessing].


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[Both] Zechariah and Elizabeth ·truly did what God said was good [were righteous before God]. They ·did [followed; walked in] everything the Lord commanded and were ·without fault [blameless] in keeping his ·law [regulations; requirements].


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But they had no children, because Elizabeth ·could not have a baby [could not conceive; was barren], and both of them were very old [; ].


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One day Zechariah was serving as a priest before God, because his ·group [order; division] was on duty.


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According to the custom of the ·priests [priesthood], he was chosen by lot [similar to dice; used to determine God’s will] to go into the Temple of the Lord and burn incense [; ].


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·There were a great many people [The whole multitude of the people were] outside praying at the ·time [hour] the incense was offered.


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Then an angel ·of [sent by] the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing on the right side of the incense ·table [altar].


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But the angel said to him, “Zechariah, don’t be afraid. God has heard your ·prayer [petition]. Your wife, Elizabeth, will ·give birth to [bear for you] a son, and you will name him John.


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He will bring you joy and ·gladness [delight], and many people will ·be happy [rejoice] because of his birth.


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[For; Because] John will be a great man ·for [in the eyes of; before] the Lord. He will never drink wine or beer [indicating he will be set apart to God for special service; ], and even ·from birth [or in his mother’s womb; , ], he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.


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He will go before ·the Lord [him] in [the] spirit and power ·like [of] Elijah. He will ·make peace between parents and [turn the hearts of parents/fathers back to] their children and will bring those who are not obeying God back to the ·right way of thinking [or wisdom of the righteous], ·to make a people ready [to prepare a people who are fit/ready] for the ·coming of the Lord [Lord; ].”


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


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The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel [one of two named angels in Scripture (the other is Michael); ; ; ]. I stand before God, who sent me to talk to you and to tell you this good news.


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Now, ·listen [look; behold]! You will [be silent and] not be able to speak until the day these things happen, because you did not believe ·what I told you [my words]. ·But they will really happen […which will be fulfilled at their appointed time].”


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Outside, the people were still waiting for Zechariah and were ·surprised that [wondering why] he was ·staying so long [delayed] in the Temple.


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When Zechariah came outside, he could not speak to them, and they knew he had seen a vision in the Temple. He could only ·make signs [motion; gesture] to them and remained unable to speak.


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·Later [After these days], Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and ·did not go out of her house [went into seclusion; hid herself; the reason is unknown, perhaps for quiet worship or to avoid gawking neighbors] for five months. Elizabeth said,


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“·Look what [This is what; Thus] the Lord has done for me! He has [watched over me and] taken away my disgrace among the people [the Jewish people thought it was a disgrace for a woman not to have children; ].”


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An Angel Appears to Mary During Elizabeth’s sixth month of pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel [] to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,


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to a virgin. She was ·engaged to marry [pledged to; engagement was a binding contract between two families and could only be broken by divorce] a man named Joseph ·from the family [a descendent; from the house] of David. ·Her [The virgin’s] name was Mary.


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The angel came to her and said, “·Greetings [Hello; Rejoice; a common greeting]! ·The Lord has blessed you and is with you [or …favored one, the Lord is with you].”


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But Mary was ·very startled [disturbed; perplexed; troubled] by what the angel said and wondered what ·this greeting might mean [sort of greeting this was].


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The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary; [for; because] ·God has shown you his grace [you have found favor/grace with God].


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·Listen [Look; Behold]! You will ·become pregnant [conceive in your womb] and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus [].


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He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of ·King David, his ancestor [his father David].


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He will ·rule [reign] over the ·people [house] of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end [, ; , ].”


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Mary said to the angel, “How ·will [can] this happen since ·I am a virgin [I have not known a man (sexually)]?”


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The angel said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come ·upon [over] you, and the power of the Most High will ·cover [overshadow] you. For this reason the ·baby will be holy and [holy one to be born] will be called the Son of God.


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·Now [And look/behold] Elizabeth, your relative, ·is also pregnant with [has also conceived] a son ·though she is very old [in her old age]. ·Everyone thought she could not have a baby, but she has been pregnant for six months. [And this is the sixth month for the woman they called barren!]


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·God can do anything […because nothing is impossible with God; or …because no word/message from God will ever fail; ; ]!”


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Mary said, “[Look; Behold] I am the ·servant [bondservant; handmaid] of the Lord. Let this happen to me ·as you say [according to your word]!” Then the angel ·went away [left her].


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Mary Visits Elizabeth [In those days] Mary got up and went quickly to a town in the hills of Judea [from Galilee in the north to southern Israel, about three or four days journey by foot].


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When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the unborn baby ·inside her [in her womb] ·jumped [leaped; kicked], and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.


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She cried out in a loud voice, “·God has blessed you [You are blessed] ·more than any other woman [among women], and ·he has blessed the baby to which you will give birth [blessed is the fruit of your womb].


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[But] Why ·has this good thing happened to me [am I so honored], that the mother of my Lord comes to me?


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[For look/behold] When I heard ·your voice [the sound of your greeting], the baby inside ·me [my womb] ·jumped [leaped; kicked] with joy.


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·You are blessed because you [Blessed is she who has] believed that what the Lord said would ·really happen [be fulfilled].”


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because he has ·shown his concern for [noticed; looked favorably on] his ·humble [lowly] servant girl []. [For look/behold] From now on, all ·people [generations] will ·say that I am [call me] blessed [],


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·God will show his mercy [His mercy is/continues] ·forever and ever [to generations and generations] to those who ·worship and serve [fear; reverence] him [].


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He has done mighty deeds ·by his power [with his arm; a metaphor for strength]. He has scattered the people who are proud ·and think great things about themselves [or in the schemes they devise; in the thoughts/intentions of their hearts].


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He has brought down ·rulers [the powerful] from their thrones and ·raised up [exalted] the ·humble [lowly].


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Her neighbors and relatives heard how ·good [greatly merciful] the Lord was to her, and they rejoiced with her.


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


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Then they made ·signs [gestures; motions] to his father to find out what he would like to name him [indicating that Zechariah was not only mute but also deaf].


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Zechariah ·asked [motioned] for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John,” and everyone ·was surprised [marveled; was amazed].


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Immediately ·Zechariah could talk again [his mouth was opened and his tongue freed], and he began ·praising [blessing] God.


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All their neighbors ·became alarmed [were afraid/in awe], and in all the ·mountains [hill country] of Judea people continued talking about all these things.


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The people who heard about them ·wondered [kept/pondered them in their hearts], saying, “What will this child [turn out to] be?” because the [hand of the; a metaphor for empowering presence] Lord was with him.


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Zechariah Praises God Then Zechariah, John’s father, was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:


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“·Let us praise [Blessed be] the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has ·come to help his people and has given them freedom [visited and accomplished redemption for his people].


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He has ·given us a powerful Savior [raised up a horn of salvation for us; referring to the horn of a powerful animal—a metaphor for strength; , ; ; ] ·from the family [in the house] of God’s servant David.


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[…just as] He said that he would do this through [the mouth of] his holy prophets who lived long ago:


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He promised he would save us from our enemies and from the ·power [hand; indicating controlling power or oppression] of all those who hate us.


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He said he would give mercy to our ·ancestors [forefathers] and that he would remember his holy ·promise [covenant].


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that he would ·save [rescue] us from the ·power [hand; ] of our enemies so we could serve him without fear,


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“Now you, child, will be called ·a [or the] prophet of the Most High God. [For] You will go before the Lord to prepare his ·way [or paths; ].


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You will ·make his people know that they will be saved [give his people the knowledge of salvation] by having their sins forgiven [].


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·With [or Because of] the ·loving [tender] mercy of our God, ·a new day from heaven will dawn upon us [the sunrise/dawn from heaven will visit us; a metaphor for the Messiah; ].


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It will shine on those who ·live [dwell; sit] in darkness, in the shadow of death []. It will guide ·us [our feet] into the path of peace [].”


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And so the child grew up and became strong ·in spirit [or in the Spirit]. John lived in the ·desert [wilderness] until the time when he ·came out to preach [appeared; was revealed] to Israel.


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The Birth of Jesus At that time, Augustus Caesar sent an ·order [decree] that all people in the ·countries under Roman rule [empire; Roman world] must ·list their names in a register [register for taxation].


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·This was the first registration; it was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria [or This was the first census while Quirinius was governor of Syria; or This census occurred before Quirinius was governor of Syria].


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So Joseph left Nazareth, a town in Galilee, and went to the town of Bethlehem in Judea, known as the town of David [Bethlehem was David’s hometown]. Joseph went there because he was from the ·family [house and family line] of David.


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Joseph registered with Mary, to whom he was ·engaged [pledged to be married; see ] and who was now pregnant.


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and she gave birth to her first son. She wrapped the baby ·with pieces of cloth [in cloths; in swaddling clothes] and laid him in a ·feeding trough [manger], because there ·were no rooms [was no space/room] left in the ·inn [or guest room (of a private residence); or caravan shelter].


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Shepherds Hear About Jesus ·That night [At night], some shepherds were [living out] in the fields ·nearby [in that region/place] watching their ·sheep [flock].


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Then an angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord ·was shining around [surrounded] them, and they became very frightened.


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The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. […for/because] I am bringing you good news that will ·be a [or bring] great joy to all the people.


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This ·is how you will know him [will be the sign for you]: You will find a baby wrapped in ·pieces of cloth [cloths; swaddling clothes] and lying in a ·feeding trough [manger].”


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·Then [And suddenly] a ·very large group [or great army] of angels from heaven ·joined [appeared with] the first angel, praising God and saying:


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“Give glory to God in ·heaven [the highest place/heaven], and on earth let there be peace among the people ·who please God [or he favors; of his pleasure/approval].”


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When the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem. Let’s see this thing that has happened which the Lord has told us about.”


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So the shepherds went quickly and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was lying in a ·feeding trough [manger].


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When they had seen him, they ·told [spread the word about; let people know] what the angels had said about this child.


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But Mary ·treasured [kept; preserved] these things and ·continued to think about them [pondered/considered them in her heart].


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Then the shepherds went back to their sheep, ·praising [glorifying] God and ·thanking [praising] him for everything they had seen and heard. It had been just as the angel had told them.


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When ·the baby was eight days old [eight days were fulfilled; ; ], he was circumcised [] and was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before ·the baby began to grow inside Mary [he was conceived in the womb].


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Jesus Is Presented in the Temple When the ·time came [days were fulfilled] for ·Mary and Joseph to do what the law of Moses taught about being made pure [their purification according the law of Moses; an animal sacrifice and ritual cleansing forty days after the birth of a son; see ], they took Jesus [up] to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.


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([Just as] It is written in the law of the Lord: “Every ·firstborn male [male who opens the womb; an idiom for a firstborn] shall be ·given [set apart; consecrated; called holy] to the Lord” [].)


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


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Simeon Sees Jesus [Now; And behold] In Jerusalem ·lived [was] a man named Simeon who was ·a good man [righteous; just] and ·godly [devout; reverent]. He was waiting for the ·time when God would take away Israel’s sorrow [restoration/consolation of Israel; ] and the Holy Spirit was ·in [or upon] him.


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·Simeon had been told [It had been revealed to him] by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he saw ·the Christ promised by the Lord [the Lord’s Messiah/Anointed One].


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The Spirit led Simeon to the Temple. When ·Mary and Joseph [the parents] brought the ·baby [child] Jesus to the Temple to do [for him] what ·the law said they must do [the custom of the law required],


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“Now, Lord, you can let me, your servant, ·die [depart; be dismissed] in peace ·as you said [according to your word].


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It is a light ·for the Gentiles to see [of revelation for the Gentiles/nations; ; ] and ·an honor [the glory] for your people, ·the Israelites [Israel].”


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Then Simeon blessed them and said to ·Mary [his mother], “·God has chosen this child [Look/Behold, this one is destined/appointed] to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel. ·He will be a sign from God that many people will not accept […and to be a sign that is spoken against]


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so that the thoughts of many [hearts] will be made known. And ·the things that will happen will make your heart sad, too [a sword will pierce your own soul; Mary will experience deep sorrow over the death of Jesus].”


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Anna Sees Jesus There was a prophetess, ·Anna, [Hannah] ·from the family [the daughter] of Phanuel ·in [who was from] the tribe of Asher. She was very old and had once been married for seven years.


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Then her husband died, and she was a widow ·for [or to the age of] eighty-four years. She never left the Temple but worshiped God, ·going without food [fasting] and praying day and night.


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·Standing there [or Coming up to them] at that time, she ·thanked [praised; blessed] God and spoke about ·Jesus [him] to all who were waiting for ·God to free [the redemption/deliverance of] Jerusalem.


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Joseph and Mary Return Home When Joseph and Mary had done everything the law of the Lord commanded, they went home to Nazareth, their own town in Galilee [].


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The little child grew and became strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s ·goodness [favor; grace] was upon him.


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Jesus as a Boy Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover ·Feast [festival; annual festival that celebrates God’s rescue of Israel from Egypt; ].


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When he was twelve years old, they went to the ·feast [festival] ·as they always did [or according to Jewish custom].


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


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


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After three days [probably three days since they left Jerusalem—one out, one back, and one searching] they found Jesus sitting in the Temple ·with [among; in the middle of] the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.


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When Jesus’ parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “·Son [Child], why ·did you do this to us [have you treated us this way]? [Look; Behold] Your father and I were ·very worried [distressed; in pain] about you and have been looking for you.”


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Jesus said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I must be ·in my Father’s house [or about my Father’s business]?”


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Jesus went with them to Nazareth and ·was obedient to them [lived under their authority]. But his mother ·kept in her mind all that had happened [kept/treasured all these things/words in her heart].


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Jesus ·became wiser and grew physically [grew in wisdom and stature/height]. ·People liked him, and he pleased God […and in favor with God and people; ].


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The Preaching of John It was the fifteenth year of the rule of Tiberius Caesar [the Roman emperor, ad 14–37]. ·These men were under Caesar: Pontius Pilate, […when Pontius Pilate was] the ·ruler [or governor; his official title was “prefect”; Pilate governed from ad 26–36] of Judea; Herod [Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great], the ·ruler [tetrarch; the title meant “ruler of a fourth,” but came to be used of any minor ruler] of Galilee; Philip [another son of Herod the Great], the ·ruler [tetrarch] of Iturea and Traconitis; and Lysanias, the ·ruler [tetrarch] of Abilene.


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Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests [Annas was the former high priest and father-in-law of Caiaphas, the official high priest]. At this time, ·the word of [a message from] God came to John son of Zechariah in the ·desert [wilderness].


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He went all over the ·area [country; region] around the Jordan River preaching a baptism of ·changed hearts and lives [repentance] for the forgiveness of sins.


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As it is written in the ·book of [book of the words/oracles of] Isaiah the prophet: “This is a voice of one who ·calls out [shouts; cries out] in the ·desert [wilderness]: ‘Prepare the way for the Lord. Make ·the road straight [a clear path] for him.


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Every ·valley [ravine; wadi] should be filled in, and every mountain and hill should be made ·flat [level; low]. ·Roads with turns [Curved/Crooked places] should be made straight, and rough ·roads [paths; ways] should be made smooth.


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[So; Therefore] To the crowds of people who came to be baptized by John, he said, “You ·are all snakes [brood/offspring of vipers]! Who warned you to ·run [slither; flee] away from God’s coming ·punishment [wrath; retribution]?


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·Do the things [Produce the fruit] ·that show you really have changed your hearts and lives [that prove your repentance; of repentance]. Don’t begin to say to yourselves, ‘Abraham is our father [a claim to be God’s special people, since their ancestor Abraham was chosen and blessed by God; ].’ [For] I tell you that God could ·make [raise up] children for Abraham from these rocks.


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The ax ·is now ready to cut down [already lies at the root of] the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire [a metaphor for judgment against those who disobey God].”


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John answered, “If you have two ·shirts [tunics], share with the person who does not have one. If you have food, share that also [].”


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Even tax collectors came to John to be baptized [tax collectors were despised because they worked for the Roman rulers and were notorious for corruption and extortion]. They said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?”


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John said to them, “Don’t take more taxes from people than ·you have been ordered to take [is prescribed/authorized].”


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The soldiers asked John, “What about us? What should we do?” John said to them, “Don’t ·force people to give you [extort] money, and don’t ·lie about them [make false accusations]. Be satisfied with the pay you get.”


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Since the people were ·hoping [waiting expectantly] for the ·Christ [Messiah] to come, they [all] wondered if John might be the ·one [Christ; Messiah].


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John answered everyone, “I baptize you with water, but there is one coming who is ·greater [more powerful; mightier] than I am. I am not ·good enough [fit; qualified] to untie [the thong/strap of] his sandals [a task of a servant or slave]. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.


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·He will come ready [The winnowing fork is in his hand] to ·clean the grain, separating the good grain from the chaff [clear his threshing floor]. He will put ·the good part of the grain [the grain/wheat] into his ·barn [storehouse], but he will burn the chaff with ·a fire that cannot be put out [never-ending/unquenchable fire; a metaphor for judgment, when Jesus will separate the righteous from the wicked].”


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And John continued to preach the ·Good News [Gospel], saying many other things to ·encourage [exhort] the people.


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But John ·spoke against [criticized; rebuked] Herod [Antipas], the ·governor [tetrarch; ], ·because of his sin with [concerning] Herodias, the wife of Herod’s brother [Herod had divorced his wife and illicitly married the wife of his brother Philip; ], and because of the many other evil things Herod did.


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So Herod ·did something even worse [added this to all his sins]: He ·put [locked; shut up] John in prison.


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


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and the Holy Spirit came down on him in ·the form of [bodily appearance like] a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “You are my ·Son, whom I love [dearly beloved Son; ; ], ·and I am very pleased with you [in whom I take great delight [].”


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The Family History of Jesus When Jesus began his ministry, he was about thirty years old. People thought that Jesus was Joseph’s son [they were unaware of the virginal conception]. Joseph was the son of Heli [“son” in Hebrew can mean “descendant,” so there may be gaps in the genealogy].


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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where the devil ·tempted [or tested] Jesus for forty days [like Israel’s forty years of testing in the wilderness]. Jesus ate nothing during that time, and when those days were ended, he was very hungry [].


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The devil said to Jesus, “I will give you all these kingdoms and all their ·power [authority] and ·glory [splendor]. […because] It has all been ·given [handed over] to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish.


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Jesus answered, “It is written in the Scriptures: ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him [; ].’”


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Then the devil led Jesus to Jerusalem and put him on ·a high place [the pinnacle] of the Temple. He said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, ·jump [throw yourself] down [from here].


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[For] It is written in the Scriptures: ‘He ·has put his angels in charge of you [or will order his angels to protect you; will command his angel concerning you] to ·watch over you [guard you carefully; ].’


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It is also written: ‘They will ·catch you in [lift you up with] their hands so that you will not ·hit your foot on [trip/stumble over] a rock [].’”


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After the devil had ·tempted [tested] Jesus ·in every way [or with all these temptations], he left him to wait until a ·better [opportune] time.


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Jesus Teaches the People Jesus returned to Galilee ·in the power of [empowered by] the Holy Spirit, and ·stories [news; reports] about him spread all through the ·area [region; countryside].


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


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The ·book [or scroll] of Isaiah the prophet was given to him. He ·opened [unrolled] the ·book [or scroll] and found the place where this is written:


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“·The Lord has put his Spirit in me [The Spirit of the Lord is on me], because he ·appointed [anointed; at Jesus’ baptism he was anointed by the Spirit as the Messiah, meaning the Anointed One] me to ·tell [proclaim; preach] the ·Good News [Gospel] to the poor. He has sent me to ·tell the captives they are free [proclaim liberty/release for the captives/prisoners] and to tell the blind that they can see again []. God sent me to free ·those who have been treated unfairly [the oppressed; ]


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and to ·announce [proclaim] the ·time [year] when the Lord will show his ·kindness [favor; ; an allusion to the release of slaves during the Jubilee year; ].”


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Jesus ·closed the book [or rolled up the scroll], gave it back to the ·assistant [synagogue attendant], and sat down. ·Everyone [All the eyes] in the synagogue was watching Jesus closely.


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He began to say to them, “·While you heard these words just now, they were coming true [Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your ears]!”


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All the people spoke well of Jesus and were amazed at the ·words of grace [or gracious words] he spoke. They asked, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”


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Jesus said to them, “·I know that [No doubt; Surely] you will ·tell [quote] me ·the old saying [this proverb]: ‘·Doctor [Physician], heal yourself.’ You want to say, ‘We heard about the things you did in Capernaum [a town in Galilee where Jesus lived and ministered]. Do those things here in your own town!’”


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Then Jesus said, “·I tell you the truth [Truly/Amen I say to you], a prophet is not ·accepted [welcomed] in his hometown.


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But I tell you ·the truth [truly], there were many widows in Israel during the time of Elijah. ·It did not rain [The sky/heavens were shut] in Israel for three and one-half years, and there was ·no food anywhere [a great famine] in the whole country [].


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But Elijah was sent to none of those widows, only to a widow in Zarephath, a town in Sidon [a Gentile city on the coast north of Israel].


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And there were many ·with skin diseases [lepers] living in Israel during the time of the prophet Elisha. But none of them were ·healed [cured; cleansed], only Naaman, ·who was from the country of Syria [the Syrian; ].”


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When all the people in the synagogue heard these things, they ·became very angry [were furious; were filled with wrath].


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They got up, ·forced [drove] Jesus out of town, and took him to the ·edge [brow] of the ·cliff [hill] on which the town was built. They planned to throw him off the ·edge [cliff],


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Jesus Forces Out an Evil Spirit Jesus went to Capernaum [], a city in Galilee, and on the Sabbath day, he taught the people.


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In the synagogue a man who had within him an ·evil spirit [unclean spirit; demons were viewed as “unclean” or defiling spirit-beings] shouted in a loud voice,


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


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Jesus ·commanded [reprimanded; rebuked] the evil spirit, “Be quiet! Come out of the man!” The ·evil spirit [demon] threw the man down to the ground before all the people and then left the man without ·hurting [injuring] him.


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[All] The people were amazed and said to each other, “·What does this mean? [or What words these are!] With authority and power he ·commands [gives orders to] ·evil [defiling; unclean; ] spirits, and they come out.”


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Jesus Heals Many People Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon [Peter]. Simon’s mother-in-law was sick with a high fever, and they asked Jesus ·to help her [concerning her].


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He ·came to her side [or stood over her] and ·commanded the fever to leave [rebuked the fever]. It left her, and immediately she got up and ·began serving them [or waiting on them; presumably meal preparation].


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·When [or As] the sun went down, the people brought those who were sick to Jesus. ·Putting [Laying] his hands on each sick person, he healed every one of them.


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Demons [also] came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God.” But Jesus ·commanded [reprimanded; rebuked] the demons and would not allow them to speak, because they knew Jesus was the ·Christ [Messiah].


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At daybreak, Jesus went to a ·lonely [isolated; deserted] place, but the ·people [crowds] ·looked [were looking] for him. When they ·found [came to] him, they tried to keep him from leaving.


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But Jesus said to them, “I must preach [the good news] about God’s kingdom to other towns, too. […because] This is why I was sent.”


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Jesus’ First Followers One day while Jesus was standing beside ·Lake Galilee [the Lake of Gennesaret; another name for the Sea of Galilee], many people were ·pressing [crowding] all around him to hear the word of God.


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


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Jesus got into one of the boats, the one that belonged to Simon [Peter], and asked him to push off a little from the ·land [shore]. Then Jesus sat down and continued to teach the people from the boat.


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When Jesus had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Take the boat into deep water, and ·put [let down] your nets in the water to catch some fish.”


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Simon answered, “Master, we ·worked [labored] hard all night trying to catch fish, and we caught nothing. But ·you say [because you say; upon your word] to put the nets in the water, so I will.”


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When the fishermen did as Jesus told them, they caught so many fish that the nets began to ·break [tear].


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They ·called [signaled; motioned] to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats so full that they were almost sinking.


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When Simon Peter saw what had happened, he bowed down ·before [at the knees of] Jesus and said, “Go away from me, Lord. I am a sinful man!”


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James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will ·fish for people [catch people; be fishers of men].”


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Jesus Heals a Sick Man When Jesus was in one of the towns, there was a man covered with ·a skin disease [leprosy; the term does not refer to modern leprosy (Hansen’s disease), but to various skin disorders; see ]. When he saw Jesus, he ·bowed [fell on his face] before him and ·begged [implored] him, “Lord, you can ·heal me [make me clean; such skin disorders rendered the victim ceremonially unclean] if you ·will [choose; are willing].”


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Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man and said, “I ·will [do choose; am willing]. Be ·healed [cleansed]!” Immediately the disease ·disappeared [left him].


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Then Jesus ·said [ordered; commanded], “Don’t tell anyone about this, but go and ·show yourself to [be examined by] the priest [only a priest could declare a person clean] and ·offer a gift [make an offering; offer the sacrifices] for your ·healing [cleansing], as Moses commanded []. This will ·show the people [be a public testimony to; be evidence for] what I have done.”


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But the news about Jesus spread even more. ·Many people [Great crowds] came to hear Jesus and to be healed of their sicknesses,


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but Jesus often ·slipped away [withdrew] to ·be alone [desolate/lonely/wilderness places] so he could pray.


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Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man One day as Jesus was teaching the people, the Pharisees and teachers of the law from every town in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem were there. ·The Lord was giving Jesus the power [The power of the Lord was upon him] to heal people.


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·Just then [And look/behold], some men were carrying on a ·mat [cot; bed] a man who was paralyzed. They tried to bring him in and put him down before Jesus.


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But because there were so many people there, they could not find a way in. So they went up on the roof and lowered the man on his ·mat [cot; bed] through the ·ceiling [tiles] into the middle of the crowd right ·before [in front of] Jesus.


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The ·Jewish teachers of the law [scribes] and the Pharisees ·thought to themselves [began thinking/reasoning], “Who is this man who is speaking ·as if he were God [blasphemies]? ·Only God can forgive sins [Who can forgive sins except God alone?; ].”


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But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why are you thinking these things [in your hearts]?


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But ·I will prove to you [so that you may know] that the Son of Man [a title for the Messiah; ] has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, stand up, take your ·mat [cot; bed], and go home.”


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At once the man stood up before them, picked up ·his mat [what he had been lying on], and went home, ·praising [glorifying] God.


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All the people were ·fully amazed [astounded; astonished] and began to ·praise [glorify] God. They were filled with ·much respect [awe; fear] and said, “Today we have seen ·amazing [remarkable; incredible] things!”


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Levi Follows Jesus After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax collector’s booth [probably a tariff booth for taxing goods in transit]. Jesus said to him, “Follow me!”


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Then Levi gave a ·big dinner [great banquet] for Jesus at his house. Many tax collectors and other people were ·eating there [reclining; around a low table, the posture for a formal banquet or dinner party], too.


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But the Pharisees and ·the men who taught the law for the Pharisees [their scribes] began to ·complain [grumble] to Jesus’ ·followers [disciples], “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” [Tax collectors were despised because they worked for the Roman rulers and were notorious for corruption and extortion.]


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I have not come to ·invite [call] ·good people [the righteous; meaning the “self-righteous” who feel no need to repent] but sinners to ·change their hearts and lives [repentance].”


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Jesus Answers a Question They said to Jesus, “John’s ·followers [disciples] often fast [giving up eating for spiritual purposes] and pray, just as the ·Pharisees [or disciples of the Pharisees] do. But your ·followers [disciples] eat and drink all the time.”


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Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the ·friends of the bridegroom [or wedding guests; children of the wedding hall] fast while he is still with them.


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But the ·time [days] will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and ·then [in those days] they will fast.”


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Jesus told them this ·story [parable]: “No one ·takes [tears] cloth off a new ·coat [garment] to cover a hole in an old ·coat [garment]. If he does, he ·ruins [tears] the new ·coat [garment], and the cloth from the new will not match the old.


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Also, no one pours new wine into old ·leather bags [wineskins]. Otherwise, the new wine will ·break [tear; burst; because the fermenting new wine expands] the ·bags [wineskins], the wine will spill out, and the ·leather bags [wineskins] will be ruined.


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No one after drinking old wine wants new wine, because he says, ‘The old wine is ·better [fine; good].’” [The religious leaders are content with the old ways of Judaism and not interested in the “new wine” (salvation blessings) of the Kingdom.]


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


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Some Pharisees said, “Why do you do what is ·not lawful [forbidden] on the Sabbath day?” [Gleaning was viewed as work, and therefore forbidden on the Sabbath; .]


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Jesus answered, “Have you not read what David did when he and ·those with him [his companions] were hungry []?


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He went into God’s house and took and ate the ·holy bread [consecrated bread; bread of presentation], which is ·lawful [allowed] only for priests to eat [; ]. And he gave some to ·the people who were with him [his companions].”


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Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, “The Son of Man [a title for the Messiah; ] is ·Lord [Master] of the Sabbath day.”


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Jesus Heals a Man’s Hand On another Sabbath day Jesus went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man with a ·crippled [paralyzed; shriveled; withered] right hand was there.


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The ·teachers of the law [scribes] and the Pharisees were watching closely to see if Jesus would heal on the Sabbath day so they could ·accuse [make a charge against] him.


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But he knew what they were thinking, and he said to the man with the ·crippled [paralyzed; shriveled; withered] hand, “Stand up here in ·the middle [front] of everyone.” The man got up and stood there.


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Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath day: to do good or to do ·evil [harm], to save a life or to destroy it?”


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Jesus looked around at all of them and said to the man, “·Hold [Stretch] out your hand.” The man ·held [stretched] out his hand, and it was ·healed [restored].


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But the Pharisees and the ·teachers of the law [scribes] were very angry and discussed with each other what they could do to Jesus.


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Jesus Chooses His Apostles At that time Jesus went off to a mountain to pray, and he spent the night praying to God.


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·The next morning [When the day dawned], Jesus called his ·followers [disciples] to him and chose twelve of them, whom he ·named [designated] apostles:


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Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who later ·turned Jesus over to his enemies [became a traitor].


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Jesus Teaches and Heals Jesus and the apostles ·came down from the mountain [came down; perhaps to a level place on the side of the mountain], and he stood on level ground. A ·large group [great crowd] of his ·followers [disciples] was there, as well as many people from all around Judea, Jerusalem, and the seacoast cities of Tyre and Sidon.


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They all came to hear Jesus teach and to be healed of their ·sicknesses [diseases], and he healed those who were troubled by ·evil [defiling; unclean; ] spirits.


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Jesus looked at his ·followers [disciples] and said, “·You people who are poor are blessed [or Blessed are you…; and so through ], because the kingdom of God ·belongs to you [is yours].


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You people who are now hungry are blessed, because you will be ·satisfied [filled]. You people who are now ·crying [weeping] are blessed, because you will ·laugh with joy [laugh].


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“·You are blessed [Blessed are you; or God will bless you] when people hate you, ·shut you out [exclude/ostracize you], ·insult [mock] you, and ·say you are [scorn/curse/defame your name as] evil because ·you follow [of] the Son of Man.


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·Be full of joy [Rejoice and leap] at that time, because you have a great reward in heaven. [For] Their ancestors did the same things to the prophets [].


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“But ·how terrible it will be for [woe to] you who are rich, because you have ·had your easy life [already received your comfort/consolation].


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·How terrible it will be for [Woe to] you who are ·full [well-fed] now, because you will be hungry. ·How terrible it will be for [Woe to] you who are laughing now, because you will ·be sad and cry [mourn and weep].


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“·How terrible [Woe to you] when everyone ·says only good things [speaks well] about you, because their ancestors ·said the same things about [did the same things to] the false prophets.


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


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If anyone ·slaps [strikes; hits] you on one cheek [probably an insult or act of rejection, although it could be a stronger punch], ·offer him [turn] the other cheek, too. If someone takes your coat, do not ·stop him from taking [withhold] your ·shirt [tunic].


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Give to everyone who asks you, and when someone takes something that is yours, don’t ·ask for [demand] it back.


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If you love only the people who love you, what ·praise [credit] should you get? Even sinners love the people who love them.


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If you do good only to those who do good to you, what ·praise [credit] should you get? Even sinners do that!


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If you lend things to people, ·always hoping to get something back [or …from whom you expect to be repaid], what ·praise [credit] should you get? Even sinners lend to other sinners ·so that they can get back the same amount [expecting to be repaid in full]!


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But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without ·hoping [expecting] to get anything back. Then you will have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God, because he is kind even to people who are ungrateful and ·full of sin [wicked; evil].


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Look at Yourselves “Don’t judge others, and you will not be judged. Don’t ·accuse others of being guilty [condemn others], and you will not be ·accused of being guilty [condemned]. ·Forgive [Pardon; Release], and you will be ·forgiven [pardoned; released].


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Give, and ·you will receive [it will be given to you]. ·You will be given much […a good measure…]. ·Pressed down [Compacted], shaken together, and running over, it will spill into your lap [the image is of grain overflowing its container]. The ·way you give to [standard/measure you use with] others is the ·way God will give to [standard/measure God will use with] you.”


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Jesus told them this ·story [parable]: “Can a blind person ·lead [guide] another blind person? No! Both of them will fall into a ·ditch [pit; hole].


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A ·student [disciple] is not ·better than [above] the teacher, but ·the student [everyone] who has been fully trained will be like the teacher.


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How can you say to your ·friend [brother], ‘·Friend [Brother], let me take that ·little piece of dust [speck; tiny splinter] out of your eye’ when you cannot see that ·big piece of wood [log; plank; beam] in your own eye! You hypocrite! First, take the ·wood [log; plank; beam] out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to take the ·dust [speck; tiny splinter] out of your friend’s [brother’s] eye.


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Two Kinds of Fruit “[For] A good tree does not produce ·bad [rotten] fruit, nor does a ·bad [rotten] tree produce good fruit.


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[For] Each tree is ·known [identified] by its own fruit. [For] People don’t ·gather [pick] figs from thornbushes, and they don’t get grapes from ·bushes [brambles; briers].


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Good people bring good things out of the good ·they stored [treasured] in their hearts. But evil people bring evil things out of the evil ·they stored [treasured] in their hearts. ·People speak the things that are in their hearts [For the mouth speaks what overflows from the heart].


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I will show you what everyone is like who comes to me and ·hears [listens to] my words and ·obeys [acts on them].


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That person is like a man building a house who dug deep and laid the foundation on rock. When the floods came, the ·water [river] ·tried to wash the house away [swept/burst against that house], but it could not shake it, because the house was built well.


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But the one who ·hears [listens to] my words and does not ·obey [act on them] is like a man who built his house on the ground without a foundation. When the ·floods [river] ·came [swept/burst against it], the house quickly ·fell [collapsed] and was completely destroyed.”


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


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There was ·an army officer [a centurion] who had a servant who was ·very important [of great value; precious] to him. The servant was so sick he was ·nearly dead [about to die].


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


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The men went to Jesus and ·begged [urged] him [earnestly; strongly], saying, “This officer ·is worthy of [deserves] your help.


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So Jesus went with the men. He was getting near the officer’s house when the ·officer [centurion] sent friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, because I ·am not worthy [do not deserve] to have you come into my house.


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That is why I did not [consider myself worthy/deserving to] come to you myself. But you only need to ·command it [say a word], and my servant will be healed.


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[For; Because] I, too, am a man under the authority of others, and I have soldiers under my command. I tell one soldier, ‘Go,’ and he goes. I tell another soldier, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my ·servant [slave], ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”


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When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, ·this is the greatest faith I have found anywhere [I haven’t found such faith], ·even in Israel [or in all Israel].”


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Those who had been sent to Jesus went back to the house where they found the servant in good health.


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Jesus Brings a Man Back to Life Soon afterwards Jesus went to a town called Nain [a small village a few miles south of Nazareth], and his ·followers [disciples] and a large crowd traveled with him.


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When he came near the town gate, ·he saw a funeral [look/behold, a dead man was being carried out]. A mother, who was a widow, had lost her only son. A large crowd from the town was with the mother while her son was being carried out.


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He went up and touched the ·coffin [or bier; the body was probably wrapped in cloths and lying on a wooden plank], and the people who were carrying it stopped. Jesus said, “Young man, I tell you, get up!”


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All the people were ·amazed [seized with fear; filled with awe] and began ·praising [glorifying] God, saying, “A great prophet has ·come to [appeared/arisen among] us! God has ·come to help [looked favorably on; visited; ] his people.”


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This ·news [account; word] about Jesus spread through all Judea and into all the ·places around there [surrounding region].


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


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and sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the ·One who is to come [the Expected One; the Messiah], or should we ·wait for [look for; expect] someone else?”


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When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you with this question: ‘Are you the ·One who is to come [Expected One], or should we ·wait for [look for; expect] someone else?”


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At that time, Jesus healed many people of their sicknesses, diseases, and ·evil [defiling; unclean; ] spirits, and he gave sight to many blind people.


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Then Jesus answered John’s ·followers [disciples], “Go tell John what you saw and heard here. The blind can see, the ·crippled [lame] can walk, and ·people with skin diseases [lepers; see ] are ·healed [cleansed]. The deaf can hear, the dead are raised to life, and the ·Good News [Gospel] is ·preached [announced; proclaimed] to the poor [signs of God’s restoration of creation, predicted by the prophet Isaiah; ; ; ].


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Jesus Comments on John When John’s ·followers [messengers] left, Jesus began talking to the ·people [crowds] about John: “What did you go out into the ·desert [wilderness] to see? A reed ·blown by [shaken by; swaying in] the wind [something fragile and easily swept away]?


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[But] What did you go out to see? A man dressed in ·fine [expensive; soft] clothes? No, people who have ·fine [glorious; splendid] clothes and much ·wealth [luxury] ·live [are] in ·kings’ palaces [royal courts].


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But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, and I tell you, ·John is [one who is] more than a prophet.


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I tell you, John is greater than any other person ·ever born [born to women], but even the least important person in the kingdom of God is greater than John [because John was part of the old age of preparation, those in the new kingdom age have greater blessings and status].”


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(When the people, including the tax collectors, heard this, they all agreed that God’s ·teaching was good [way was right/just], because they had been baptized by John.


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But the Pharisees and experts on the law ·refused to accept [rejected] God’s ·plan [purpose] for themselves; they did not let John baptize them.)


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Then Jesus said, “·What shall I say about [To what, therefore, shall I compare] the people of this ·time [generation]? What are they like?


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They are like children sitting in the marketplace, calling to one another and saying, ‘We played ·music [the pipe/flute] for you, but you did not dance; we sang a ·sad song [funeral song; dirge], but you did not ·cry [weep].’ [The religious leaders wanted John to “dance” (lighten up his severe message) and wanted Jesus to “mourn” (follow their restrictive lifestyle).]


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[For] John the Baptist came and did not eat bread or drink wine, and you say, ‘He ·has [is possessed by] a demon in him.’


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The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! ·He eats too much and drinks too much wine [A glutton and a drunkard], and he is a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’


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But wisdom is ·proved to be right [vindicated] by ·what it does [or the behavior of her followers; all her/its children; Wisdom is personified as a woman (), her “children” being those who respond favorably to the message of John and Jesus].”


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A Woman Washes Jesus’ Feet One of the Pharisees ·asked [invited] Jesus to eat with him, so Jesus went into the Pharisee’s house and ·sat at the table [reclined; at a formal meal guests would recline at a low table with their feet stretched out behind them].


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[And look/behold] A ·sinful [immoral] woman in the town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house. So she brought an alabaster ·jar [vial; flask] of perfume


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and stood behind Jesus at his feet, ·crying [weeping]. She began to ·wash [wet; drench] his feet with her tears, and she ·dried [wiped] them with her hair, kissing them many times and ·rubbing [anointing] them with the perfume.


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When the Pharisee who asked Jesus to come to his house saw this, he thought to himself, “If ·Jesus [this person] were a prophet, he would know ·that the woman touching him is a sinner [who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner]!”


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


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Jesus said, “Two people owed money to ·the same banker [a certain moneylender/creditor]. One owed five hundred ·coins [denarii; a denarius was equal to a day’s wage for a laborer] and the other owed fifty.


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They had no money to pay what they owed, but ·the banker [he] ·told both of them they did not have to pay him [forgave both (debts)]. Which person [therefore] will love ·the banker [him] more?”


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Simon answered, “I ·think [suppose] it would be the one ·who owed him the most money [for whom he forgave the larger].” Jesus said to Simon, “You are right.”


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Then Jesus turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I came into your house, you gave me no water for my feet, but she ·washed [wet; drenched] my feet with her tears and ·dried [wiped] them with her hair.


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You did not ·put oil on [anoint] my head, but she ·poured perfume on my feet [has anointed my feet with perfume].


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[Therefore] I tell you that her many sins are forgiven, ·so [that is why] she showed great love. But the person who is forgiven only a little will love only a little.”


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The people ·sitting at the table [reclining together; ] began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”


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Jesus said to the woman, “·Because you believed, you are saved from your sins [Your faith has saved you]. Go in peace.”


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The Group with Jesus After this, while Jesus was traveling through some ·cities [or towns] and ·small towns [villages], he preached and ·told [proclaimed; announced] the ·Good News [Gospel] about God’s kingdom. The twelve apostles were with him,


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and also some women who had been healed of sicknesses and ·evil [defiling; unclean; ] spirits: Mary, called Magdalene [probably because she was from the town of Magdala], from whom seven demons had gone out;


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Joanna, the wife of ·Cuza [or Chuza] (the ·manager [steward] of Herod’s [Herod Antipas; see ] house); Susanna; and many others. These women used their own ·money [resources] to ·help [support] ·Jesus and his apostles [them].


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A Story About Planting Seed When a great crowd was gathered, and people were coming to Jesus from every town, he told them this ·story [parable]:


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“A ·farmer [sower] went out to ·plant [sow] his seed. While he was ·planting [sowing, scattering seed], some seed fell ·by the road [along the footpath]. People ·walked [trampled] on the seed, and the ·birds [birds of the sky] ate it up.


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Some seed fell on rock, and when it began to grow, it ·died [withered; dried up] because it had no ·water [moisture].


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And ·some [other] seed fell on good ·ground [soil] and grew and made a hundred times more.” As Jesus finished the story, he called out, “·Let those with ears use them and listen [The one who has ears to hear, let him hear]!”


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Jesus said, “·You have been chosen [It has been granted/given to you] to ·know [understand] the ·secrets [mysteries] about the kingdom of God. But I use ·stories [parables] to speak to ·other people [the rest] so that: ‘They will ·look [see], but they may not ·see [perceive]. They will ·listen [hear], but they may not understand [].’


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The seed that fell ·beside the road [along the footpath] is like the people who hear God’s teaching, but [then] the devil comes and takes it away from ·them [their hearts] so they cannot believe it and be saved.


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The seed that fell on rock is like those who hear God’s teaching and ·accept [receive] it ·gladly [with joy], but they ·don’t allow the teaching to go deep into their lives [have no root]. They believe for a while, but when ·trouble [a time of temptation/testing] comes, they ·give up [fall away; depart].


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The seed that fell among the thorny weeds is like those who hear God’s teaching, but they let the ·worries [cares; anxieties], riches, and pleasures of this life ·keep them from growing and producing [choke/crowd them and they do not produce] ·good [mature; ripe] fruit.


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And the seed that fell on the good ground is like those who hear ·God’s teaching [the word] with good, honest hearts and ·obey [cling/hold to] it and ·patiently [with perseverance] produce good fruit.


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Use What You Have “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. Instead, the person puts it on a lampstand so those who come in will see the light.


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[For] Everything that is ·hidden [secret] will ·become clear [be revealed; disclosed; brought into the open] and every ·secret [hidden; concealed] thing will be made known [and come to light].


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So ·be careful [pay attention; see] how you listen. [For] Those who ·have understanding [have] will be given more. But those who do not ·have understanding [have], even what they think they have will be taken away from them.”


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


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Someone ·said [reported] to Jesus, “Your mother and your ·brothers [or brothers and sisters; the Greek word can mean “siblings”] are standing outside, wanting to see you.”


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Jesus answered them, “My mother and my ·brothers [or brothers and sisters] are those who listen to God’s ·teaching [word] and ·obey [do; practice] it!”


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Jesus Calms a Storm One day Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] got into a boat, and he said to them, “Let’s go across the lake.” And so they started across.


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While they were sailing, Jesus fell asleep. A very strong wind blew up on the lake, causing the boat to ·fill with water [nearly swamp], and they were in danger.


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The ·followers [disciples] went to Jesus and woke him, saying, “Master! Master! We ·will drown [are perishing/going to die]!” Jesus got up and ·gave a command to [reprimanded; rebuked] the wind and the waves. They stopped, and it became calm [paralleling God’s subduing of the waters (representing chaos); ; ; ].


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Jesus said to ·his followers [them], “Where is your faith?” ·The followers [They] were afraid and amazed and said to each other, “Who [then] is this that commands even the wind and the water, and they obey him?”


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A Man with Demons Inside Him ·Jesus and his followers [They] sailed across the lake from Galilee to the area of the Gerasene people [Gerasa was southeast of Lake Galilee; the exact location is uncertain].


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When Jesus got out on the land, a man from the town who ·had demons inside him [was possessed by demons] came to Jesus. For a long time he had worn no clothes and had lived in the ·burial caves [tombs], not in a house.


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When he saw Jesus, he ·cried out [shouted; shrieked] and fell down before him. He said with a loud voice, “·What do you want with me [Leave me alone; What business do we have with each other; What to me and to you], Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t ·torture [torment] me!”


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He said this because Jesus was commanding [reprimanding; rebuking] the ·evil [defiling; unclean; ] spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had ·taken hold of [seized; taken control of] him. Though he had been kept under guard and chained hand and foot, he had broken his chains and had been ·forced [driven] by the demon out into ·a lonely place [the desert/wilderness].


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Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He answered, “Legion,” because many demons ·were in [had entered] him [a legion was about five thousand Roman soldiers; the sense here is “many”].


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The demons begged Jesus not to ·send them [command them to depart] into ·eternal darkness [the bottomless pit; the Abyss].


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A large herd of pigs [considered ritually unclean by Jews] was feeding on a hill, and the demons begged Jesus to allow them to go into the pigs. So Jesus allowed them to do this.


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When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd ·ran [rushed] down the ·hill [steep bank; precipice] into the lake and was drowned.


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When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ·ran away [fled] and ·told about [reported] this in the town and the countryside.


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


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All the ·people [crowd; multitude] of the Gerasene ·country [region] asked Jesus to leave [them], because they were all ·very afraid [overwhelmed/seized with great fear]. So Jesus got into the boat and ·went back across the lake [left; returned].


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The man ·whom Jesus had healed [from whom the demons had gone out] begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying,


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“Go back home and ·tell [explain to] people ·how much [or what great things] God has done for you.” So the man went all over town ·telling [proclaiming] ·how much [or what great things] Jesus had done for him.


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Jesus Gives Life to a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman When Jesus ·got back to the other side of the lake [returned], a crowd welcomed him, because everyone was ·waiting for [expecting] him.


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[And look/behold] A man named Jairus, a leader of the synagogue, came to Jesus and ·fell [bowed; knelt] at his feet, ·begging [urging; pleading with] him to come to his house.


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[…because] Jairus’ only daughter, about twelve years old, was dying. While Jesus was on his way to Jairus’ house, the people were ·crowding [crushing; pressing] all around him.


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A woman was in the crowd who had been bleeding for twelve years [probably a chronic menstrual disorder], but no one was able to heal her.


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She came up behind Jesus and touched the ·edge [or tassel; see ] of his ·coat [cloak; garment], and instantly her bleeding stopped.


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Then Jesus said, “Who touched me?” When all the people ·said they had not touched him [denied it], Peter said, “Master, the people are all around you and are pushing against you.”


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When the woman saw she could not hide, she came forward, ·shaking [trembling], and fell down before Jesus. While all the people listened, she ·told [explained] why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed.


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Jesus said to her, “·Dear woman [Daughter], ·you are made well because you believed [your faith has saved/healed you]. Go in peace.”


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While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of the synagogue leader and said to him, “Your daughter is dead. Don’t ·bother [trouble] the teacher anymore.”


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


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When Jesus ·went [came] to the house, he let only Peter, John, James, and the girl’s father and mother go inside with him.


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All the people were crying and ·feeling sad [wailing; lamenting; mourning] because the girl was dead, but Jesus said, “Stop crying. She is not dead, only asleep.”


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Her ·spirit came back into her [or breath/life returned], and she ·stood up [arose] at once. Then Jesus ·ordered [directed] that she be given something to eat.


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The girl’s parents were ·amazed [overwhelmed; astonished], but Jesus ·told [commanded; ordered] them not to tell anyone what had happened.


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Jesus Sends Out the Apostles Jesus called ·the twelve apostles [the Twelve] together and gave them power and authority ·over all [to cast out] demons and the ability to heal ·sicknesses [diseases].


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He sent the ·apostles [them] out to ·tell about [preach; proclaim] God’s kingdom and to heal the sick.


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He said to them, “Take nothing for your ·trip [journey], neither a ·walking stick [staff], ·bag [or beggar’s bag], ·bread [food], money, or ·extra clothes [two shirts/tunics].


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When you enter a house, stay there ·until it is time to leave [and depart from there; probably to avoid temptation to move to better accommodations].


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If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off of your feet [a sign of rejection and coming judgment] as you leave the town, as a ·warning to [testimony/evidence against] them.”


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So the apostles went out and traveled ·through all the towns [from town to town], ·preaching [proclaiming] the ·Good News [Gospel] and healing people everywhere.


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Herod Is Confused About Jesus [Now; But] Herod, the ·governor [tetrarch; Herod Antipas; ], heard about all the things that were happening and was ·confused [puzzled; perplexed], because some people said, “·John the Baptist [John] has risen from the dead.”


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Others said, “Elijah has ·come to us [reappeared; appeared; some Jews expected Elijah to return in the end times; ].” And still others said, “One of the prophets who lived long ago has ·risen from the dead [or appeared once again; arisen].”


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Herod said, “I ·cut off John’s head [had John beheaded], so who is this man I hear such things about?” And Herod kept trying to see Jesus.


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More than Five Thousand Fed When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then Jesus took them with him to a town called Bethsaida where they could be alone together.


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


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Late in the afternoon, ·the twelve apostles [the Twelve] came to Jesus and said, “Send the ·people [crowd] away. They need to go to the ·towns [villages] and countryside around here and find places to sleep and something to eat, because ·no one lives in this [we are in a remote/deserted] place.”


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


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(There were about five thousand men there.) Jesus said to his ·followers [disciples], “Tell the people to sit in groups of about fifty people.”


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Then Jesus took the five loaves of bread and two fish, and looking up to heaven, he ·thanked God for [blessed] the food. Then he ·divided the food [broke it into pieces] and gave it to the ·followers [disciples] to ·give to [distribute to; set before] the people.


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They all ate and were ·satisfied [filled], and what was left over was gathered up, filling twelve baskets.


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Jesus Is the Christ One time when Jesus was praying alone, his ·followers [disciples] were with him, and he asked them, “Who do the ·people [crowds] say I am?”


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They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah [see ; ]. And others say you are one of the prophets from long ago who has ·come back to life [risen/appeared again].”


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Then Jesus asked, “But who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are ·the Christ from God [God’s Messiah; the Messiah sent from God].”


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“The Son of Man [a title for the Messiah; ] must suffer many things. He will be rejected by the Jewish elders, the ·leading [chief] priests, and the ·teachers of the law [scribes]. He will be killed and ·after three days [on the third day] will be raised from the dead.”


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Jesus said to all of them, “If ·people want [anyone wants] to follow me, they must ·give up the things they want [deny themselves; set aside their own interests]. They must ·be willing to give up their lives [take up their cross] daily and follow me.


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[For] Those who want to save their lives will ·give up true life [lose their life/soul; Greek psychē can mean “life” or “soul”]. But those who ·give up [lose; sacrifice] their lives for ·me [my sake] will ·have true life [save their lives/souls].


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·It is worthless [What good/profit/benefit is it…?] to ·have [gain] the whole world if they themselves are destroyed or lost.


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·If people are [For whoever is] ashamed of me and my ·teaching [message; words], then the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and with the glory of the Father and the holy angels.


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I tell you the truth, some people standing here will not ·die [taste death] before they see the kingdom of God.” [“Seeing the kingdom of God” may refer to the Transfiguration which follows (), Jesus’ resurrection, or the destruction of Jerusalem in ad 70.]


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The Transfiguration on the Mountain About eight days after Jesus said these things, he took Peter, John, and James and went up on a mountain to pray.


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While Jesus was praying, the appearance of his face ·changed [was altered], and his clothes ·became shining white [or flashed white like lightning].


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Then [look; behold] two men, Moses and Elijah, were talking with Jesus. [God had given the Law through Moses, and Elijah was an important prophet (see ); together they signify that Jesus fulfills the OT.]


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They appeared in ·heavenly glory [glory], talking about his departure [Greek: exodos, perhaps recalling the Exodus from Egypt, and referring to Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension] which he ·would soon bring about [was about to fulfill/accomplish] in Jerusalem.


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[Now; But] Peter and the others were ·very sleepy [weighed down with sleep], but when they awoke fully, they saw the glory of Jesus and the two men standing with him.


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When Moses and Elijah were ·about to leave [leaving him], Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three ·tents [shelters; shrines; tabernacles; ]—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” [Perhaps Peter wanted to prolong their stay or to commemorate their visit.] (Peter did not ·know what he was talking about [realize/know what he was saying].)


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While he was saying these things, a cloud came and ·covered [overshadowed] them, and they became afraid as ·the cloud covered them [they entered the cloud].


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[And; Then] A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son [], ·whom I have chosen [or my Chosen One; ]. Listen to him [; ]!”


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When the voice finished speaking, only Jesus was there. Peter, John, and James ·said nothing [kept silent] and told no one at that time what they had seen.


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Jesus Heals a Sick Boy The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met Jesus.


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A man in the crowd ·shouted [cried out] to him, “Teacher, ·please [I beg you to] come and look at my son, because he is my only child.


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[And look/behold] ·An evil spirit [A spirit] seizes my son, and suddenly ·he [or it] screams. It causes him to ·lose control of himself [have convulsions] and foam at the mouth. The evil spirit ·keeps on hurting [batters; mauls] him and almost never leaves him.


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I begged your ·followers [disciples] to ·force [drive; cast] the evil spirit out, but they could not do it.”


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Jesus answered, “·You people have no faith, and your lives are all wrong [O unbelieving and corrupt/perverse generation]. How long must I stay with you and ·put up with [endure; bear with] you? Bring your son here.”


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While the boy was coming, the demon threw him on the ground ·and made him lose control of himself [in convulsions]. But Jesus ·gave a strong command to [rebuked] the ·evil [defiling; unclean; ] spirit and healed the boy and gave him back to his father.


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All the people were ·amazed [astonished; awestruck] at the ·great power [majesty; greatness] of God. Jesus Talks About His Death While everyone was ·wondering [marveling] about all that Jesus did, he said to his ·followers [disciples],


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“·Don’t forget what I tell you now [Put these words into your ears]: [For] The Son of Man will be ·handed over [betrayed; delivered] to ·people [his enemies; human hands].”


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But ·the followers [they] did not understand ·what this meant [this word/statement]; the meaning was hidden from them so they could not ·understand [perceive it; grasp it]. But they were afraid to ask Jesus about it.


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Who Is the Greatest? Jesus’ followers began to have an argument about which one of them ·was [would be] the greatest.


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Then Jesus said, “Whoever ·accepts [welcomes; receives] this little child in my name ·accepts [welcomes; receives] me [children had low social status, so the saying indicates concern for the lowly]. And whoever ·accepts [welcomes; receives] me ·accepts [welcomes; receives] the One who sent me, because whoever is least among you all is really the greatest.”


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


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But Jesus said to him, “Don’t ·stop [hinder; forbid] him, because whoever is not against you is for you.”


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A Town Rejects Jesus When the time was coming near for Jesus to ·depart [ascend], he ·was determined to go to [resolutely set out for; set his face toward] Jerusalem [; ].


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He sent some messengers ahead of him, who went into a town in Samaria to make everything ready for him.


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But the people there would not ·welcome [receive] him, because he was ·set on going to [heading towards; traveling with his face toward] Jerusalem [Samaritans worshiped at Mount Gerizim, not in Jerusalem].


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When James and John, ·followers [disciples] of Jesus, saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven and ·destroy [burn up; consume] those people []?”


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


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The Son of Man [a title for the Messiah; ] did not come to destroy the ·souls [lives] of people but to save them.”, Then they went to another town.


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Following Jesus As they were going along the road, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you ·any place [wherever] you go.”


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Jesus said to them, “The foxes have ·holes [dens] to live in, and the ·birds [birds of the sky] have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to ·rest [lay] his head.”


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


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Jesus said, “Anyone who ·begins to plow a field [puts a hand to the plow] but keeps looking back is ·of no use in [or not fit for] the kingdom of God.”


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Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two After this, the Lord ·chose [appointed] ·seventy-two [the number may reflect the 70 nations listed in the “table of nations” in (the Greek text of which reads “72”) and so foreshadows the mission to the Gentiles] others and sent them out in pairs ahead of him into every town and place where he ·planned [was about] to go.


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He said to them, “·There are a great many people to harvest [The harvest is great/large], but ·there are only a few workers [the workers/laborers are few]. So pray to the Lord ·who owns [who is in charge of; of] the harvest, that he will send more ·workers [laborers] ·to gather [into] his harvest.


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Don’t carry ·a purse [money bag], a ·bag [traveling bag], or sandals, and don’t ·waste time talking with people [greet anyone] on the road [because of the urgency of the task].


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If ·peace-loving people [a son/child of peace] live there, your ·blessing of peace [peace] will ·stay with [rest on] them, but if not, then ·your blessing [it] will come back to you.


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Stay in the same house, eating and drinking what the people there give you. [For] A worker ·should be given his pay [deserves his wages; is worthy of his hire; ]. Don’t move from house to house [to avoid the temptation of constantly seeking better accommodations].


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‘Even the ·dirt [dust] from your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you [in protest and as a warning of judgment]. But ·remember [know; recognize] that the kingdom of God ·is near [has come near; is at hand].’


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I tell you, on ·the Judgment Day [that day] it will be ·better [more bearable/tolerable] for the people of Sodom [a city God destroyed because the people were so evil; ] than for the people of that town.


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Jesus Warns Unbelievers “·How terrible for [Woe to] you, Korazin! ·How terrible for [Woe to] you, Bethsaida [towns in Galilee where Jesus ministered]! If the ·miracles [powerful deeds] ·I did [that occurred] in you had happened in Tyre and Sidon [cities in Phoenicia notorious for their wickedness], those people would have ·changed their lives [repented] long ago. ·They would have worn rough cloth and put ashes on themselves to show they had changed […sitting in sackcloth/burlap and ashes; signs of sorrow and deep remorse].


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But ·on the judgment day [at the judgment] it will be ·better [more bearable/tolerable] for Tyre and Sidon than for you.


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And you, Capernaum [a town in Galilee where Jesus lived and ministered], will you be ·lifted up to [honored/exalted in] heaven? No! You will be thrown down to ·the depths [the place of the dead; hell; Hades; ]!


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“Whoever listens to you listens to me [; ], and whoever ·refuses to accept [rejects] you ·refuses to accept [rejects] me. And whoever ·refuses to accept [rejects] me ·refuses to accept [rejects] the One who sent me.”


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Satan Falls When the ·seventy-two came back, they were very ·happy [joyful] and said, “Lord, even the demons ·obeyed [submit to] us ·when we used your name [in your name]!”


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·Listen [Look; Behold], I have given you ·power [authority] to ·walk on [trample] snakes and scorpions, ·power that is greater than the enemy has […and authority over all the power of the enemy]. So nothing will hurt you.


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But you should not ·be happy [rejoice] because the spirits ·obey [submit to] you but because your names are ·written [recorded] in heaven.”


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Jesus Prays to the Father ·Then [At that time; In the same hour] Jesus ·rejoiced [was full of joy] in the Holy Spirit and said, “I ·praise [bless; thank; acknowledge] you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the people who are wise and ·smart [learned; intelligent]. But you have ·shown [revealed] them to ·those who are like little children [little children; infants; those with a childlike faith]. Yes, Father, [because] this is what ·you really wanted [pleased you].


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“My Father has ·given [entrusted/committed to] me all things. No one knows who the Son is, except the Father. And no one knows who the Father is, except the Son and those whom the Son ·chooses [desires; intends] to ·tell [reveal it to].”


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Then Jesus turned to his ·followers [disciples] and said privately, “·You are blessed to [Blessed are the eyes that] see what you now see.


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[For] I tell you, many prophets and kings wanted to see what you now see, but they did not, and they wanted to hear what you now hear, but they did not.”


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The Good Samaritan Then an expert on the law stood up to test Jesus, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to ·get life forever [inherit eternal life]?”


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


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But the man, wanting to ·show the importance of his question [or justify his question; or justify himself/his own actions], said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”


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Jesus answered, “As a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho [a dangerous 17-mile trek through desolate territory], some robbers attacked him. They tore off his clothes, beat him, and left him lying there, almost dead.


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·It happened that [or By chance] a priest was going down that road. When he saw the man, he ·walked [passed] by on the other side.


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·Next [Likewise; So too], a Levite [Levites were members of the tribe of Levi who helped the priests in the temple; ] came there, and ·after he went over and looked at the man [seeing him], he ·walked [passed] by on the other side of the road.


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Then a Samaritan [a people disliked by the Jews because they were only part Jewish and worshiped differently] traveling down the road came to where the hurt man was. When he saw the man, he felt ·very sorry [compassion] for him.


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The Samaritan went to him, poured olive oil and wine on his wounds [to soothe and clean them], and bandaged them. Then he put the hurt man on his own ·donkey [animal] and took him to an inn where he cared for him.


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The next day, the Samaritan brought out two ·coins [denarii; each equivalent to a day’s wage], gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of this man. If you spend more money on him, I will pay it back to you when I come again.’”


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


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The expert on the law answered, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Then go and do ·what he did [the same; likewise].”


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Mary and Martha While ·Jesus and his followers [they] were traveling, Jesus went into a ·town [village]. A woman named Martha ·let Jesus stay at her house [welcomed/received him].


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Martha had a sister named Mary, who was sitting at the Lord’s feet and listening to ·him teach [what he said; his word/message; sitting at a teacher’s feet indicates the position of a disciple; see ].


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But Martha was ·busy [worried; distracted] with ·all the work to be done [the many preparations]. She went in and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me alone to ·do all the work [serve; prepare the meal]? [Please; Therefore] Tell her to help me.”


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Only one thing is ·important [necessary; needed]. Mary has chosen the better thing, and it will never be taken away from her.”


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Jesus Teaches About Prayer One time Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his ·followers [disciples] said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his ·followers [disciples].”


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Jesus said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, ·may your name always be kept holy [hallowed be your name]. May your kingdom come [soon or fully].


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Forgive us for our sins, ·because [as] we forgive everyone who ·has done wrong to us [sins against us; is indebted to us; sin is pictured as a debt owed]. And ·do not cause us to be tempted [or do not subject us to testing; lead us not into temptation].’”


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Continue to Ask Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose one of you went to your friend’s house at midnight and said to him, ‘Friend, loan me three loaves of bread.


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A friend of mine has come ·into town [from the road] to visit me, but I have nothing ·for him to eat [to offer him; to set before him].’


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Your friend inside the house answers, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already ·locked [shut], and my children ·and I are [are with me] in bed [a small Palestinian home where everyone slept in one room]. I cannot get up and give you anything.’


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I tell you, [even] if friendship is not enough to make him get up to give you the bread, ·your boldness will make him [your shameless persistence will make him; or in order not to be shamed before the community he will] get up and give you whatever you need.


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So I tell you, ·ask [keep on asking], and God will give to you. ·Search [Keep on searching/seeking], and you will find. ·Knock [Keep on knocking], and the door will open for you.


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·Yes, [For; Because] everyone who asks will receive. The one who ·searches [seeks] will find. And everyone who knocks will have the door opened.


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If your ·children ask [or son asks] for a fish, which of you fathers would give them a snake instead?


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Even though you are ·bad [sinful; evil], you know how to give good ·things [gifts] to your children. How much more your heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”


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Jesus’ Power Is from God One time Jesus was ·sending [driving; casting] out a demon ·who could not talk [or who was making a man mute]. When the demon came out, the man who had been unable to speak, then spoke. The ·people were [crowd was] amazed.


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But some of them said, “Jesus uses the power of Beelzebul [another name for Satan], the ruler of demons, to ·force [drive; cast] demons out of people.”


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But knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom that is ·divided against [at war with] itself ·will be destroyed [is doomed/heading for ruin]. And a ·family [house] that is ·divided against [at war with] itself will ·not continue [fall].


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So if Satan is divided against himself, ·his kingdom will not continue [how will his kingdom stand?]. [For] You say that I use the power of Beelzebul [] to ·force [drive; cast] out demons.


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But if I use the power of Beelzebul to ·force [drive; cast] out demons, what power do your ·people [own exorcists; followers; sons] use to ·force [drive; cast] demons out? So they will ·be your judges.


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But if I use the ·power [finger] of God to ·force [drive; cast] out demons, then the kingdom of God has ·come to [arrived among] you.


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“When a strong person ·with many weapons [fully armed] guards his own ·house [villa; or palace; a large building with a courtyard], his possessions are safe.


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But when someone stronger comes and ·defeats [overpowers; conquers] him, the stronger one will take away the ·weapons [armor] ·the first man trusted [on which he relied] and will ·give away the possessions [divide his plunder].


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“Anyone who is not with me is against me, and anyone who does not ·work [gather] with me ·is working against me [scatters; the metaphor is probably to gathering or scattering a flock; ].


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The Empty Person “When an ·evil [defiling; unclean; ] spirit comes out of a person, it ·travels [wanders] through ·dry [waterless; arid] places, looking for a place to rest. But when it finds no place, it says, ‘I will go back to the house [meaning the person] I left.’


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Then ·the evil spirit [it] goes out and brings seven other spirits more evil than it is, and they go in and live there. So ·the person has even more trouble than before [the last state of that person is worse than the first].”


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People Who Are Truly Blessed As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out to Jesus, “Blessed is the ·mother who gave birth to you [the womb that bore you] and [the breasts that] nursed you.”


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But Jesus said, “·No [Rather; On the contrary], blessed are those who hear the ·teaching [word] of God and ·obey [practice; keep] it.”


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The People Want a Miracle As the crowd grew larger, Jesus ·said [began to say], “·The people who live today are evil [This generation is an evil/wicked generation]. They ·want to see [seek] a ·miracle for a sign [sign], but no sign will be given them, except the sign of Jonah [].


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As Jonah was a sign for those people who lived in Nineveh, the Son of Man will be a sign for ·the people of this time [this generation].


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·On the judgment day [At the judgment] the Queen of the South [the Queen of Sheba] will stand up with the people ·who live now [of this generation]. She will ·show they are guilty [condemn them], because she came from ·far away [the ends of the earth] to listen to Solomon’s wise teaching []. And ·I tell you that [look; behold] ·someone [or something; either Jesus or his message of the Kingdom of God] greater than Solomon is here.


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·On the judgment day [At the judgment] the ·people [or men; the Greek term usually refers to males] of Nineveh will stand up with ·the people who live now [this generation], and they will ·show that you are guilty [condemn it]. [Because] When Jonah preached to them, they ·were sorry and changed their lives [repented]. And I tell you that ·someone [or something; ] greater than Jonah is here.


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Be a Light for the World “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a ·secret place [cellar] or under a ·bowl [or basket], but on a lampstand so the people who come in can see [the light; ; ].


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Your eye is ·a light [the lamp] for the body. When your eyes are ·good [healthy; clear], your whole body will be full of light. But when your eyes are ·evil [unhealthy; bad], your whole body will be full of darkness.


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So be careful ·not to let the light in you become [or that the light in you is not actually] darkness.


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If your whole body is full of light, and none of it is dark, then you will ·shine bright [be radiant; be filled with light], as when a lamp shines [brightly; with its rays] on you.”


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Jesus Accuses the Pharisees After Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee asked Jesus to ·eat [dine] with him. So Jesus went in and ·sat at the table [reclined; the posture for a banquet or dinner party; see ].


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But the Pharisee was surprised when he saw that Jesus did not wash his hands before the meal [a Jewish ritual for ceremonial purity].


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The Lord said to him, “You Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are full of ·greed [extortion; robbery] and ·evil [wickedness].


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So ·give what is in your dishes [or give from your hearts; give the inside things] ·to the poor [as alms], and then ·you [everything] will be fully clean.


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·How terrible for [Woe to] you Pharisees! You ·give God one-tenth of [pay tithe on] even your mint, your rue, and every other ·plant [herb] in your garden. But you ·fail to be fair to others [neglect to show justice] and to love God. These are the things you should do ·while continuing [without neglecting] to do those other things.


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·How terrible for [Woe to] you Pharisees, because you love to have the most ·important [honorable] seats in the synagogues, and you love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces.


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·How terrible for [Woe to] you, because you are like ·hidden [unmarked] graves, which people walk on without knowing.”


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


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Jesus answered, “·How terrible for [Woe to] you, you experts on the law! You ·make strict rules that are very hard for people to obey [burden people with burdens hard to carry], but you yourselves don’t even ·try to follow those rules [or lift a finger to ease the burden].


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·How terrible for [Woe to] you, because you build ·tombs [monuments; memorials] for the prophets whom your ancestors killed!


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And now you ·show [are witnesses; testify] that you approve of what your ancestors did. They killed the prophets, and you build ·tombs [monuments; memorials] for them!


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This is why ·in his wisdom God said [God’s Wisdom said; a personification of wisdom; ], ‘I will send prophets and apostles to them. ·They will kill some, and they will treat others cruelly [or Some they will persecute and kill].’


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So ·you who live now [this generation] will be ·punished for [charged with; held responsible for] the ·deaths of all the prophets who were killed [blood of all the prophets shed] since the ·beginning [foundation; creation] of the world—


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from the ·killing [blood] of Abel to the ·killing [blood] of Zechariah, who died between the altar and the ·Temple [sanctuary; house (of God); in the arrangement of the Hebrew OT, Abel and Zechariah were the first and last people to be murdered; ; ]. Yes, I tell you that ·you who are alive now [this generation] will be ·punished [charged; held responsible] for them all.


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“·How terrible for [Woe to] you, you experts on the law. You have taken away the key to ·learning about God [knowledge]. You yourselves ·would not learn [did not enter], and you ·stopped [hindered; prevented] others from ·learning [entering], too.”


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When Jesus left, the ·teachers of the law [scribes] and the Pharisees began to ·give him trouble [fiercely oppose him; act with hostility], ·asking him [provoking/attacking/besieging him with] questions about many things,


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Don’t Be Like the Pharisees [Meanwhile] So many thousands of people had gathered that they were ·stepping [trampling] on each other. Jesus began to speak first to his ·followers [disciples], saying, “Beware of the ·yeast [leaven] of the Pharisees, ·because they are hypocrites [which is hypocrisy; the evil influence of the Pharisees was like yeast that would grow and affect everything around it; ].


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Everything that is ·hidden [concealed; covered up] will be ·shown [revealed; uncovered; disclosed], and everything that is ·secret [hidden] will be made known.


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What you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered ·in an inner room [or behind closed doors] will be ·shouted [proclaimed] from the housetops.


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“I tell you, my friends, don’t be afraid of people who can kill the body but after that can do nothing more to hurt you.


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I will ·show you [warn you about] the one to fear. Fear the one who has the ·power [authority] ·to kill you and also [after the killing] to throw you into ·hell [Gehenna; a valley outside of Jerusalem where in the OT period children were sacrificed to a pagan god; later used as a burning trash heap; a metaphor for hell]. Yes, this is the one you should fear.


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“[Are not…?] Five sparrows are sold for only two pennies [Greek: assaria; copper coins of very low value], ·and [yet] God does not forget any of them.


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But ·God even knows how many hairs you have on your head [even the hairs on your head have all been numbered]. Don’t be afraid. You are worth much more than many sparrows.


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Don’t Be Ashamed of Jesus “I tell you, all those who ·stand before others and say they believe in me [confess/acknowledge me before people], ·I, the Son of Man, [the Son of Man; a title for the Messiah; ] will ·say before the angels of God that they belong to me [confess/acknowledge them before God’s angels].


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But all who ·stand before others and say they do not believe in me [deny/disown me before people], I will ·say before the angels of God that they do not belong to me [deny/disown them before God’s angels].


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“Anyone who speaks [a word] against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who ·speaks [blasphemes] against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven [; ].


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“When you are brought into the synagogues before the leaders and ·other powerful people [authorities], don’t worry about how to defend yourself or what to say.


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Jesus Warns Against Selfishness Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide with me the ·property our father left us [family inheritance].”


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But Jesus said to him, “[Man,] Who ·said I should judge or decide [appointed me judge or arbiter] between you?”


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Then Jesus said to them, “Be careful and guard against all kinds of greed. Life ·is not measured by [does not consist of] how much one owns.”


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Then Jesus told this ·story [parable]: “There was a rich man who had some land, which grew a good crop.


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


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Then I can say to ·myself [my soul], “I [Soul, you] have enough good things stored to last for many years. ·Rest [Take it easy], eat, drink, and ·enjoy life [celebrate; be merry]!”’


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“But God said to him, ‘Foolish man! Tonight your ·life [soul] will be ·taken [demanded back] from you. So who will get those things you have prepared for yourself?’


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“This is how it will be for those who store up ·things [wealth; treasure] for themselves and are not rich ·toward [or in what matters to; or in their relationship with] God.”


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Don’t Worry Jesus said to his ·followers [disciples], “So I tell you, don’t worry about the food you need to live, or about the clothes you need for your body.


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·Look at [Consider; Think of] the ·birds [ravens]. They don’t ·plant [sow] or ·harvest [reap], they don’t have storerooms or barns, but God feeds them. And you are worth much more than birds.


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·You cannot [Who of you can…?] add ·any time [or a step; a cubit; about eighteen inches] to your ·life [or height; the Greek is ambiguous, but probably refers to time instead of stature] by worrying about it.


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If you cannot ·do [change] even the little things [by worrying], then why worry about the ·big things [the rest]?


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·Consider [Look; Think] how the lilies grow; they don’t ·work [toil] or ·make clothes for themselves [spin thread]. But I tell you that even Solomon ·with his riches [in all his glory] was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers.


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God clothes [If God clothes…?] the ·grass [wildflower] in the field, which is alive today but tomorrow is thrown into the ·fire [furnace; oven]. So how much more will God clothe you? ·Don’t have so little faith [or You people of little faith; or How little faith you have]!


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All the ·people [nations; Gentiles; pagans] in the world are trying to get these things, and your Father knows you need them.


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But seek God’s kingdom, and ·all your other needs will be met as well [these things will be given to you].


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Don’t Trust in Money “Don’t fear, little flock, because your Father ·wants [is glad/pleased] to give you the kingdom.


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Sell your possessions and give ·to the poor [alms]. ·Get [Make] for yourselves ·purses [moneybags] that will not wear out, the treasure in heaven that never ·runs out [fails you], where thieves can’t ·steal [come near] and moths can’t destroy.


text:
·Your heart will be where your treasure is [For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also; ].


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Always Be Ready “·Be dressed, ready for service [Let your loins be girded; tucking garments into the waist belt to allow swift movement; a metaphor for preparedness], and have your lamps ·shining [burning; lit].


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Be like ·servants [people] who are waiting for their ·master [lord] to come home from a wedding party. When he comes and knocks, the servants immediately open the door for him.


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·They [Those servants/slaves] will be ·blessed [happy; or rewarded] when their ·master [lord] comes home, because he sees that they were ·watching [alert; awake] for him. I tell you the truth, the master will dress himself to serve and tell the servants to ·sit at the table [recline; the posture for a banquet or dinner party; see ], and he will ·serve [wait on] them [a radical reversal in a culture where a master would never wait on a slave].


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Those servants will be ·blessed [happy; or rewarded] when he comes in and finds them ·still waiting [thus; alert and ready], even ·if it is midnight or later [even in the second or third watches; between 9 PM and 3 AM (by Roman reckoning)].


text:
“·Remember [Know] this: If the owner of the house knew what time a thief was coming, he would not allow the thief to ·enter [break into] his house.


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So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man [a title for the Messiah; ] will come at a time when you don’t expect him!”


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Who Is the Trusted Servant? Peter said, “Lord, did you tell this ·story to [parable for] us or ·to [for] all people?”


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The Lord said, “Who is the ·trusted [faithful] and ·wise [sensible] ·servant [household manager] that the ·master [lord] ·trusts [puts in charge of the household servants] to give ·the other servants [them] their ·food [food allowance; daily provisions] at the right time?


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That ·servant [slave] will be ·blessed [happy; or rewarded] when the master comes and finds him doing his work.


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But suppose the ·servant [slave] thinks to himself, ‘My master ·will not come back soon [is delayed in coming],’ and he begins to beat the other servants, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk.


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The master [of that servant/slave] will come [on a day] when that servant is not ready and [at an hour when he] is not expecting him. Then the master will cut him in pieces and ·send him away to be [assign/appoint him a place] with the ·others who don’t obey [unfaithful; unbelievers; a metaphorical reference to Jesus, the ultimate Lord and Master, returning to judge his servants].


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“The ·servant [slave] who knows what his master wants but is not ·ready [prepared], or who does not do what the master wants, will ·be beaten with many blows [beaten severely]!


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But the servant who does not know what his master wants and does things that should be punished will be beaten ·with few blows [lightly; a metaphor for judgment]. From everyone who has been given much, much will be ·demanded [required]. And from the one trusted with much, much more will be expected.


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Jesus Causes Division “I came to ·set [bring; cast] fire to the world, and I wish it were already ·burning [kindled]!


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I have a baptism [a metaphor for suffering, portrayed as an overwhelming deluge] ·to suffer through [to be baptized with], and I feel very ·troubled [distressed] until it is over.


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Do you think I came to give peace to the earth? No, I tell you, I came to ·divide it [bring division].


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[For] From now on, a ·family [house] with five people will be divided, three against two, and two against three.


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They will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law [].”


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Understanding the Times Then Jesus said to the ·people [crowds], “When you see clouds coming up in the west, [immediately] you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and [so; thus] it happens.


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When you feel the wind begin to blow from the south [the desert], you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it happens.


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Hypocrites! You know how to ·understand [interpret] the appearance of the earth and sky. Why don’t you ·understand [know how to interpret] ·what is happening now [this present time; the time of the coming of the Kingdom]?


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If your ·enemy [opponent; accuser] is taking you ·to court [before the magistrate/ruler], try hard to settle it on the way. If you don’t, your enemy might ·take [drag] you to the judge, and the judge might turn you over to the officer, and the officer might throw you into ·jail [prison].


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I tell you, you will not get out of there until you have paid everything you owe [Greek: the last lepton; a copper or bronze coin of very little value].”


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Change Your Hearts At that time some people were there who told Jesus that Pilate [Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea from ad 26 to 36; see ] had killed some people from Galilee while they were worshiping. He mixed their blood with the blood of the animals they were sacrificing to God.


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Jesus answered, “Do you think ·this happened to them [they suffered these things] because they were more sinful than all others from Galilee?


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No, I tell you. But unless you ·change your hearts and lives [repent], you will [all] be destroyed as they were!


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[Or] What about those eighteen people who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them? Do you think they were ·more sinful [more guilty; greater offenders] than all the others who live in Jerusalem?


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No, I tell you. But unless you ·change your hearts and lives [repent], you will all be destroyed too!”


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The Useless Tree Jesus told this ·story [parable]: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. He came looking for some fruit on the tree, but he found none.


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So the man said to his gardener, ‘[Look,] I have been looking for fruit on this tree for three years, but I never find any. Cut it down. Why should it ·waste the ground [take up space]?’


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But the servant answered, ‘·Master [Sir], let the tree have one more year to produce fruit. Let me dig up the dirt around it and put on some ·fertilizer [manure].


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A woman was there who, for eighteen years, had an evil spirit in her that made her ·crippled [disabled]. Her back was always bent; she could not stand up straight.


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When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are ·free [released; set free] from your ·sickness [disability].”


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Jesus ·put [laid] his hands on her, and immediately she was able to stand up straight and began ·praising [giving glory to] God.


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The synagogue leader was ·angry [indignant] because Jesus healed on the Sabbath day. He said to the people, “There are six days when one has to work. So come to be healed on one of those days, and not on the Sabbath day.”


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The Lord answered, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you untie your ·work animals [ox or donkey from the stall] and lead them to drink water on the Sabbath day?


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This woman that I healed, a daughter of Abraham, has been held by Satan for eighteen years. ·Surely it is not wrong [Was it not necessary…?] for her to be freed from ·her sickness [this bond/imprisonment] on a Sabbath day!”


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When Jesus said this, all of those who were ·criticizing [opposing] him were ashamed, but the entire crowd rejoiced at all the ·wonderful [glorious] things Jesus was doing.


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Stories of Mustard Seed and Yeast Then Jesus said, “What is God’s kingdom like? What can I compare it with?


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It is like a mustard seed that a man plants in his garden. The seed grows and becomes a tree, and the ·wild birds [birds of the sky] build nests in its branches.”


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It is like ·yeast [leaven] that a woman took and ·hid [mixed] in a large tub [Greek: three sata; about fifty pounds] of flour until ·it made all the dough rise [the whole was leavened; ].”


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“·Try hard [Strive; Exert yourself] to enter through the narrow door, because many people [I tell you] will try to enter there, but they will not be able.


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When the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you ·can [begin to] stand outside and knock on the door and say, ‘·Sir [Lord], open the door for us.’ But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’


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But he will say to you, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Go away from me, all you who ·do evil [practice unrighteousness; ]!’


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[There; In that place] You will cry and ·grind [gnash] your teeth [indicating pain and remorse, or perhaps anger at the master; see ] when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in God’s kingdom, but you yourselves thrown outside.


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People will come from the east, west, north, and south and will ·sit down at the table [recline; the posture for a banquet or dinner party] in the kingdom of God [the messianic banquet, a metaphor for God’s final salvation; ].


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[Indeed; Look; Behold] There are those who are last now who will be first in the future. And there are those who are first now who will be last in the future.”


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Jesus Will Die in Jerusalem At that ·time [or very hour] some Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Go away from here! Herod [Antipas; see ] wants to kill you!”


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Jesus said to them, “Go tell that fox Herod, ‘[Look; Behold] Today and tomorrow I am ·forcing [driving; casting] demons out and healing people. Then, on the third day, I will ·reach my goal [accomplish my purpose; finish my work; finish].’


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Yet I must be on my way today and tomorrow and the next day. Surely it ·cannot be right [is impossible; is unthinkable] for a prophet to be killed anywhere except in Jerusalem.


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“Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone to death those who are sent to you. ·Many times [How often] I wanted to gather your ·people [children] as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me [].


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·Now [Look!; Behold!] your house is ·left completely empty [left desolate; abandoned; ]. I tell you, you will not see me until that time when you will say, ‘·God bless [Blessed is] the One who comes in the name of the Lord [].’”


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Healing on the Sabbath On a Sabbath day, when Jesus went to eat at the home of a leading Pharisee, ·the people [they; probably religious leaders] were watching Jesus very closely.


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And [Look; Behold] in front of him was a man with ·dropsy [swelling caused by bodily fluids; also called edema].


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Jesus said to the Pharisees and experts on the law, “Is it ·right or wrong [permitted; lawful] to heal on the Sabbath day?”


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But they ·would not answer his question [kept silent]. So Jesus ·took [touched; took hold of] the man, healed him, and sent him away.


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Jesus said to ·the Pharisees and teachers of the law [them], “If your child or ox falls into a ·well [or pit] on the Sabbath day, will you not pull him out ·quickly [immediately; right away; ]?”


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Don’t Make Yourself Important When Jesus noticed that some of the guests were choosing the ·best places [places of honor] to sit [seats were assigned according to social status], he told this ·story [parable]:


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“When someone invites you to a wedding feast, don’t take the ·most important seat [place of honor], because someone more ·important [distinguished; honorable] than you may have been invited.


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The host, who invited both of you, will come to you and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be ·embarrassed [humiliated; disgraced; shamed] and will have to move to the ·last [least; lowest] place.


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·So [But] when you are invited, go ·sit in a seat that is not important [recline in the last/lowest place; ]. When the host comes to you, he may say, ‘Friend, move up here to a ·more important [better; higher] place.’ Then ·all the other guests will respect you [you will be honored in the presence of all the guests].


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[For; Because] All who ·make themselves great [exalt themselves] will be made humble, but those who make themselves humble will be ·made great [exalted].”


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You Will Be Rewarded Then Jesus said to the man who had invited him, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, don’t invite only your friends, your ·family [near relatives; brothers; siblings], your other relatives, and your rich neighbors. At another time they will invite you to eat with them, and ·you will be repaid [or that will be your only payment].


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Then you will be blessed, because they have nothing and cannot pay you back [something given was typically repaid with goods, favors, or honor]. ·But [For] you will be repaid ·when the good people rise from the dead [at the resurrection of the righteous].”


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A Story About a Big Banquet One of those ·at the table [reclining; see ] with Jesus heard these things and said to him, “·Blessed [Happy] are the people who will ·share in the meal [eat bread] in God’s kingdom [an allusion to the messianic banquet at the end of time; see ; ].”


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When it was time to eat, the man sent his ·servant [slave] to tell the guests [who had accepted the invitation], ‘Come. Everything is ready.’


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“But all the guests [one after another; or in a similar manner] began to make excuses [a great offense in that culture]. The first one said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go look at it. Please excuse me.’


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Another said, ‘I have just bought five ·pairs [yoke] of oxen; I must go and try them. Please excuse me.’


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A third person said, ‘I just got married; I can’t come [while newly married men were exempt from certain duties (), that is not a valid excuse for offending the host].’


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So the ·servant [slave] returned and told his master what had happened. Then the master [of the household] became angry and said, ‘Go at once into the ·streets [squares] and ·alleys [lanes] of the town, and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’


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·Later [And] the ·servant [slave] said to him, ‘Master, I did what you commanded, but we still have room.’


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The master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the roads and ·country lanes [hedgerows], and ·urge [compel] the people there to come so my house will be full [those outside the city may refer to the Gentiles, who will come into the kingdom (see )].


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[For] I tell you, none of ·those [those men; referring to the three who refused] whom I invited first will ·eat with me [taste my banquet/dinner].’”


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The Cost of Being Jesus’ Follower Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and said to them,


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“If anyone comes to me but ·does not hate [or loves more than me; Jesus is using hyperbole to emphasize his point] his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, or sisters—or even ·life [life itself; or his own life]—he cannot be my ·follower [disciple].


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Whoever ·is not willing to [does not] carry his own cross and follow me cannot be my ·follower [disciple].


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·If you want [For which of you who wants…?] to build a tower, you first sit down and ·decide [calculate; figure out] how much it will cost, to see if you have enough money to finish the job.


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If you don’t, you might lay the foundation, but you would not be able to finish. Then all who would see it would ·make fun of [mock; ridicule] you,


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“If a king is going to ·fight [meet in battle; wage war against] another king, first ·he will [will he not…?] sit down and plan. He will decide if he and his ten thousand soldiers can ·defeat [engage/meet in battle] the other king who has twenty thousand soldiers.


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If he can’t, then while the other king is still far away, he will send ·some people [an embassy; a messenger] to speak to him and ask for [terms of] peace.


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Don’t Lose Your Influence “Salt is good, but if it loses its salty taste, ·you cannot make it salty again [how can it be seasoned?].


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It is no good for the soil or for ·manure [the manure pile]; it is thrown away. “·Let those with ears use them and listen [The one who has ears to hear, let him hear].”


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A Lost Sheep, a Lost Coin The tax collectors [who were despised because they worked for the Roman rulers and were notorious for corruption and extortion] and sinners all ·came [drew near] to listen to Jesus.


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But the Pharisees and the ·teachers of the law [scribes] began to ·complain [murmur; grumble]: “Look, this man ·welcomes [associates with; receives] sinners and even eats with them [indicating social acceptance].”


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“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep but loses one of them. ·Then he will [Won’t he…?] leave the other ninety-nine sheep in the ·open field [wilderness; desert] and go out and look for the lost sheep until he finds it.


text:
and goes home. He calls ·to [together] his friends and neighbors and says, ‘·Be happy [Rejoice] with me because I found my lost sheep.’


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In the same way, I tell you there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who ·changes his heart and life [repents], than over ninety-nine ·good [righteous; self-righteous] people who don’t need to ·change [repent].


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“[Or] Suppose a woman has ten silver coins [Greek: drachmas; each equal to about a day’s wage], but loses one. ·She will [Won’t she…?] light a lamp, sweep the house, and ·look [search] carefully for the coin until she finds it.


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And when she finds it, she will call her friends and neighbors and say, ‘·Be happy [Rejoice] with me because I have found the ·coin [drachma] that I lost.’


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In the same way, [I tell you] there is joy in the presence of the angels of God when one sinner ·changes his heart and life [repents].”


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The younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the ·property [estate; his inheritance].’ So the father divided the ·property [wealth; assets; life] between his two sons.


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·Then [Some time later; After not many days] the younger son gathered up all that was his and traveled ·far away to another [to a distant] country. There he ·wasted [squandered; scattered] his money in ·foolish [wild; reckless] living.


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After he had spent everything, a time came when there was ·no food anywhere [a severe famine] in the country, and the son ·was poor and hungry [began to be in need].


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So he ·got a job with [hired himself out to] one of the citizens there who sent the son into the fields to feed pigs [degrading work, since pigs were ritually unclean and detestable animals to Jews].


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The son was so hungry that he wanted to ·eat [or fill his stomach with] the pods the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.


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When he ·realized what he was doing [came to his senses; came to himself], he thought, ‘All of my father’s ·servants [hired workers] have ·plenty of [more than enough; abundant] ·food [bread]. But I am here, ·almost dying [perishing] with hunger.


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I will ·leave and return [get up and go] to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against ·God [heaven; Jews often used “heaven” for “God” out of reverence for the divine Name] and against you.


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I am no longer worthy to be called your son, but ·let me be [make me] like one of your ·servants [hired workers].”’


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So the son left and went to his father. “While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt ·sorry [compassion] for his son. So the father ran to him [an undignified act for a family patriarch; evidence of his unrestrained love] and hugged and kissed him.


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The son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against ·God [heaven; ] and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’


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But the father said to his ·servants [slaves], ‘Hurry! Bring the ·best clothes [first/best robe; either the father’s own, or a ceremonial robe for an honored guest] and put them on him. Also, put a ring on his finger [probably a signet ring indicating sonship and authority; ] and sandals on his feet [slaves went barefoot].


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And get our ·fat [fattened; prepared for slaughter] calf and kill it [people only occasionally ate meat; such a large animal indicates a major celebration] so we can have a feast and celebrate.


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My son was dead, but now he is alive again! He was lost, but now he is found!’ So they began to celebrate.


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“The older son was in the field, and as he came closer to the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing.


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The servant said, ‘Your brother has come back, and your father killed the ·fat [fattened; ] calf, because your brother came home ·safely [healthy; safe and sound].’


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The older son was angry and ·would not [had no desire to] go in to the feast. So his father went out and ·begged [urged; encouraged] him to come in.


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But the older son ·said to [answered] his father, ‘[Look; Behold] I have served you like a slave for many years and have ·always obeyed [never disobeyed; never neglected] your commands. But you never gave me even a young goat to ·have at a feast [celebrate] with my friends.


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But ·your other son [this son of yours], who ·wasted [squandered; devoured] ·all your money [your property; your life] on prostitutes, comes home, and you kill the fat [fattened; ] calf for him!’


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The father said to him, ‘·Son [Child], you ·are always with [or have always stood by] me, and all that I have is yours.


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[But] We had to celebrate and ·be happy [rejoice] because ·your brother [this brother of yours; ] was dead, but ·now he is alive [has come back to life]. He was lost, but now he is found.’”


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True Wealth Jesus also said to his ·followers [disciples], “Once there was a rich man who had a manager to take care of his business. This manager was accused of ·cheating him [wasting/squandering his assests/possessions].


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So he called the manager in and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give me a ·report [accounting] of ·what you have done with my money [your management], because you ·can’t be my manager any longer [are going to be fired].’


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The manager thought to himself, ‘What will I do since my master is ·taking my job away from [about to fire] me? I am not strong enough to ·dig ditches [or work the soil; dig], and I am ashamed to beg.


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I know what I’ll do so that when I ·lose my job [am removed from management] people will welcome me into their homes.’


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“So the manager called in everyone who owed the master any money. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe [my master]?’


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He answered, ‘Eight hundred gallons [Greek: one hundred batoi; a batos was about eight gallons] of olive oil.’ The manager said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write ·four hundred gallons [Greek: fifty (batoi)].’


text:
Then the manager asked another one, ‘How much do you owe?’ He answered, ‘·One thousand bushels [Greek: one hundred koroi; a koros was about ten bushels] of wheat.’ Then the manager said to him, ‘Take your bill and write eight hundred bushels [Greek: eighty (koroi)].’


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So, the master praised the ·dishonest [unrighteous; unjust] manager for being ·clever [shrewd; prudent]. Yes, ·worldly people [the children of this age] are more ·clever [shrewd; prudent] with their own ·kind [contemporaries; generation] than ·spiritual people [the children of light] are.


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“I tell you, make friends for yourselves using ·worldly riches [the mammon/wealth of unrighteousness] so that when those riches ·are gone [fail; run out], you will be welcomed in ·those homes that continue forever [eternal dwellings/tents; God’s presence].


text:
Whoever ·can be trusted [is faithful] with a little ·can also be trusted [is also faithful] with a lot, and whoever is ·dishonest [unjust] with a little is ·dishonest [unjust] with a lot.


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If [therefore] you ·cannot be trusted [have not been faithful] with ·worldly riches [unrighteous mammon], then who will trust you with true riches?


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And if you ·cannot be trusted [have not been faithful] with things that belong to someone else, who will give you things of your own?


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“No servant can serve two ·masters [lords]. [For] The servant will hate one master and love the other, or will ·follow [be devoted/loyal to] one master and ·refuse to follow [despise] the other. You cannot serve both God and ·worldly riches [money; mammon].”


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God’s Law Cannot Be Changed The Pharisees, who loved money, were listening to all these things and ·made fun of [derided; ridiculed] Jesus.


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He said to them, “You ·make yourselves look good [justify yourselves] in front of people, but God knows what is really in your hearts. What is ·important to [exalted/esteemed by] people is ·hateful [detestable; an abomination] in God’s sight.


text:
“The law of Moses and the writings of the prophets [the Old Testament] ·were preached [or were in force; were] until John [the Baptist] came [; John is the transitional figure between the age of promise and the age of salvation]. Since then the ·Good News [Gospel] about the kingdom of God is being ·told [preached; proclaimed], and everyone ·tries to enter it by force [or is eager to get into it; or is strongly urged to enter it].


text:
It would be easier for heaven and earth to ·pass away [disappear] than for ·the smallest part [one stroke] of a letter in the law to ·be changed [drop out; ; ].


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Divorce and Remarriage “If a man divorces his wife and marries another woman, he ·is guilty of [commits] adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman ·is also guilty of [commits] adultery.”


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The Rich Man and Lazarus Jesus said, “There was a rich man who always dressed in ·the finest clothes [purple and fine linen] and ·lived in luxury [or feasted sumptuously] every day.


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And a very poor man named Lazarus, whose body was covered with sores, was laid at the rich man’s gate.


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He ·wanted [longed] to eat ·only the small pieces of food that fell [what fell] from the rich man’s table. ·And [Even] the dogs would come and lick his sores [dogs were viewed as despicable scavengers, not household pets].


text:
·Later [Now it happened that], Lazarus died, and the angels carried him to ·the arms of Abraham [Abraham’s side/bosom; the imagery of a banquet, with Abraham as host and Lazarus as honored guest]. The rich man died, too, and was buried.


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In ·the place of the dead [Hades], he was in ·much pain [torment]. ·Looking up [Lifting up his eyes,], the rich man saw Abraham far away with Lazarus ·at his side [in his bosom].


text:
He called, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am ·suffering [in agony] in this fire []!’


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But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember when you were alive you had the good things in life, but bad things happened to Lazarus. Now he is comforted here, and you are ·suffering [in agony].


text:
Besides [all this], there is a ·big pit [great gulf/chasm set in place] between you and us, so no one can cross over to you, and no one can leave there and come ·here [to us].’


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[For] I have five brothers, and Lazarus could warn them so that they will not come to this place of ·pain [torment].’


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But Abraham said, ‘They have ·the law of Moses and the writings of the prophets [Moses and the prophets]; let them ·learn from [listen to] them.’


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The rich man said, ‘No, father Abraham! [But] If someone goes to them from the dead, they would ·believe and change their hearts and lives [repent].’


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But Abraham said to him, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not ·listen to [be persuaded/convinced by] someone who comes back from the dead.’”


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Sin and Forgiveness Jesus said to his ·followers [disciples], “·Things that cause people to sin [Stumbling blocks; Causes of sin; Temptations] ·will happen [are inevitable; it is impossible for them not to come], but ·how terrible for [woe to] the person who causes them to happen!


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It would be better for ·you [him; that person] to be thrown into the sea with a ·large [mill] stone around ·your [his] neck than to cause one of these little ones to ·sin [stumble].


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So ·be careful [watch yourselves]! “If ·another follower [fellow believer; your brother (or sister)] sins, ·warn [rebuke] him, and if he ·is sorry and stops sinning [repents], forgive him.


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If he sins against you seven times ·in one day [or each day] and ·says that he is sorry each time [repents seven times], forgive him.”


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The Lord said, “If your faith were the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘·Dig yourself up [Be uprooted] and plant yourself in the sea,’ and it would obey you.


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Be Good Servants “Suppose one of you has a ·servant [slave] who has been plowing the ground or caring for the sheep. When the servant comes in from working in the field, would you say, ‘Come in and ·sit down to eat [recline; the posture for a banquet or formal meal]’?


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No, ·you [he] would say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Then ·get yourself ready [or put on your apron; gird yourself] and ·serve [wait on] me. After I finish eating and drinking, you can eat and drink.’


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·The servant does not get any special thanks [Does he thank the servant…?] for doing what his master commanded.


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It is the same with you. When you have done everything you are told to do, you should say, ‘We are ·unworthy [undeserving; worthless] servants; we have only done ·the work we should do [our duty; our obligation].’”


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Be Thankful [Now it happened that] While Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, he was going through the ·area between [middle of; borderlands of] Samaria and Galilee.


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As he came into a ·small town [village], ten men ·who had a skin disease [with leprosy; the term does not refer to modern leprosy (Hansen’s disease), but to various skin disorders; see ] met him there. They ·did not come close to Jesus [stood at a distance]


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When Jesus saw the men, he said, “Go and show yourselves to the priests [only a priest could declare a person cleansed of such skin disorders; ].” As the ten men were going, they were ·healed [cleansed; skin disorders like this rendered the person afflicted ceremonially unclean].


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Then he ·bowed down [fell on his face] at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. (And this man was a Samaritan [a shocking revelation, since Samaritans were despised by Jews].)


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Then Jesus said to him, “Stand up and go on your way. ·You were healed because you believed [Your faith has saved/healed you].”


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God’s Kingdom Is Within You Some of the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the kingdom of God come?” Jesus answered, “God’s kingdom ·is coming, but not in a way that you will be able to see with your eyes [is not coming with observable/visible signs; perhaps the heavenly signs described in Jewish apocalyptic literature].


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People will not say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ because God’s kingdom is ·within you [or among you; in your midst].”


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When Jesus, the Son of Man, Comes Again Then Jesus said to ·his followers [the disciples], “The time will come when you will ·want very much [long] to see one of the days of the Son of Man [the full revelation of the kingdom at Jesus’ return]. But you will not see it.


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People will say to you, ‘Look, ·there he is [or over there]!’ or, ‘Look, ·here he is [or over here]!’ ·Stay where you are [Don’t leave/go out]; don’t go away and ·search [pursue; chase after].


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“For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so ·it will be when the Son of Man comes again [will be the Son of Man in his day].


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Just as it was ·when Noah lived [in the days of Noah; ], so it will be ·when the Son of Man comes again [in the days of the Son of Man].


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People were eating, drinking, marrying, and ·giving their children to be married [or being given in marriage] until the day Noah entered the boat. Then the flood came and ·killed [destroyed] them all.


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It will be the same as ·during the time [in the days] of Lot. People were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, and building.


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But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and ·sulfur [brimstone] rained down from ·the sky [heaven] and ·killed [destroyed] them all [].


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“On that day, a person who is on the roof [roofs were typically flat and used as extra rooms] and whose belongings are in the house should not ·go inside [come down] to get them. A person who is in the field should not ·go back home [turn back].


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Those who try to ·keep [preserve; keep secure] their lives will lose them. But those who ·give up [lose; let go of] their lives will save them.


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I tell you, on that night two people will be sleeping in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left.


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·The followers [They] asked Jesus, “·Where will this be [Where], Lord?” Jesus answered, “Where there is a ·dead body [corpse], there the vultures will gather [the carnage will make the place of judgment obvious to all].”


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God Will Answer His People Then Jesus used this ·story [parable] to ·teach his followers [show the necessity] that they should always pray and never ·lose hope [become discouraged].


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“In a certain town there was a judge who did not ·respect [fear] God or ·care about people [or care what people thought].


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In that same town there was a widow [among the most vulnerable members of society] who kept coming to this judge, saying, ‘Give me ·my rights [justice] against my ·enemy [opponent; adversary].’


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For a while the judge refused to help her. But afterwards, he thought to himself, ‘Even though I don’t ·respect [fear] God or ·care about people [or care what people think],


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yet because she ·keeps bothering me [is causing me such trouble], I will see that she gets ·her rights [justice]. Otherwise she will ·keep coming until she wears me out [or eventually come and punch me/blacken my eye].’”


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God will always [Will not God…?] ·give what is right [provide justice] to his ·people [chosen people; elect] who cry to him day and night, and ·he will not [will he…?] ·be slow to answer them [or keep putting them off].


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I tell you, God will ·help [provide justice to] his people ·quickly [or suddenly]. ·But [However; Yet] when the Son of Man comes again, will he find ·those on earth who believe in him [faith on the earth; God’s faithfulness is certain; the only question is whether people will remain faithful to him]?”


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Being Right with God Jesus told this ·story [parable] to some people who ·thought they were very good [were confident of their own righteousness] and ·looked down on [scorned; despised] everyone else:


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“Two men went up to the Temple [courts] to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector [despised by their fellow Jews because they worked for the hated Romans and were notorious for extortion].


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The Pharisee ·stood alone and prayed [or stood and prayed about himself], ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—thieves, ·cheaters [evildoers; unrighteous people], adulterers—or even like this tax collector.


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I fast twice a week [Pharisees commonly fasted on Monday and Thursday], and I ·give one-tenth of [pay tithes on] everything I get!’


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“[But] The tax collector, standing at a distance, would not even ·look up [raise his eyes] to heaven. But he beat on his chest [a sign of sorrow and remorse] and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’


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I tell you, when this man went home, he was ·right with God [justified], ·but the Pharisee was not [rather than that (other) man]. [Because] All who ·make themselves great [exalt themselves] will be made humble, but all who make themselves humble will be ·made great [exalted].”


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Who Will Enter God’s Kingdom? Some people brought even their babies to Jesus so he could touch them. When the ·followers [disciples] saw this, they ·told them to stop [scolded/rebuked them].


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But Jesus called for the children, saying, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t ·stop [hinder; forbid] them, because the kingdom of God belongs to people who are like these children [meaning humble and dependent].


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I tell you the truth, you must ·accept [receive] the kingdom of God as if you were a child, or you will never enter it.”


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A Rich Man’s Question A certain ·leader [ruler] asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to ·have life forever [inherit eternal life]?”


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Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? ·Only God is good [No one is good except one—God; Jesus is not denying his own divinity, but is challenging the man’s understanding of goodness].


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You know the commands: ‘You must not ·be guilty of [commit] adultery. You must not murder anyone. You must not steal. You must not ·tell lies [testify falsely] about your neighbor. Honor your father and mother [; ].’”


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But the leader said, “I have ·obeyed [kept carefully; guarded] all these commands since ·I was a boy [my youth].”


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When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “There is still one more thing you ·need to do [lack]. Sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.”


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·Jesus looked at him and [or When Jesus saw this reaction, he] said, “·It is very hard [How hard it is…!] for ·rich people [those who have wealth] to enter the kingdom of God.


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[For; Indeed] It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God [meaning it is impossible, by human effort; see ].”


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Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, all those who have left houses, wives, brothers [or siblings], parents, or children ·for [for the sake of] the kingdom of God


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will get much more in this ·life [age; time]. And in the ·age [aeon; world] that is coming, they will have ·life forever [eternal life].”


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Jesus Will Rise from the Dead Then Jesus took ·the twelve apostles [the Twelve] aside and said to them, “[Look; Behold] We are going [up] to Jerusalem. Everything the prophets wrote about the Son of Man will ·happen [be fulfilled/completed/accomplished].


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He will be turned over to the Gentiles [the Roman authorities]. They will ·laugh at [mock] him, insult him, spit on him,


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·beat him with whips [flog him; scourge him], and kill him. But on the third day, he will rise to life again.”


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·The apostles [They] did not understand this; the meaning was hidden from them, and they did not ·realize [comprehend] what was said.


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Jesus Heals a Blind Man As Jesus came near the city of Jericho, a blind man was sitting beside the road, begging.


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The blind man cried out, “Jesus, Son of David [a title for the Messiah, a descendant of King David; ], ·have mercy [take pity] on me!”


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The people leading the group ·warned [rebuked; scolded] the blind man to be quiet. But the blind man shouted even more, “Son of David, ·have mercy [take pity] on me!”


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Jesus said to him, “Then see. ·You are healed because you believed [Your faith has healed/saved you].”


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At once the man was able to see, and he followed Jesus, thanking God. All the people who saw this praised God.


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A man was there named Zacchaeus, who was a ·very important [chief; leading] tax collector [with oversight over other tax collectors, and so even more hated; see ], and he was wealthy.


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He ·wanted [was trying] to see who Jesus was, but he was not able because he was too short to see above the crowd.


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He ran ahead to a place where Jesus ·would come [was about to pass], and he climbed a sycamore tree so he could see him.


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When Jesus came to that place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down! [For; Because] I must stay at your house today.”


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All the people saw this and began to ·complain [murmur; grumble], “Jesus ·is staying with [has gone in to lodge with/be the guest of] a sinner!”


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But Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord [the scene presumably changes here to a meal at Zacchaeus’ home], “[Look; Behold] I ·will give [or I am now giving] half of my possessions to the poor. And ·if I have cheated anyone [or to those I have cheated/extorted], I will pay back four times more [a generous response, since the law required only restitution plus one-fifth; ].”


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Jesus said to him, “Salvation has come to this house today, because this man also ·belongs to the family [is a son] of Abraham.


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A Story About Three Servants As ·the people [they; either the disciples, the guests of Zacchaeus, or the larger crowd] were listening to this, Jesus told them a ·story [parable] because he was near Jerusalem and ·they thought [it seemed to them] God’s kingdom would appear immediately.


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He said: “A ·very important man [nobleman] went to a country far away to ·be made a king [receive a kingdom] and then to return home [Judean kings, like Herod the Great and his son Archelaus, received their authority to rule from the emperor in Rome].


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So he called ten of his ·servants [slaves] and gave a coin [Greek: mina; worth 100 denarii, or about 3 months’ wages] to each servant. He said, ‘·Do business with [Invest; Trade with] this money until I get back.’


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But ·the people in the kingdom [his citizens/subjects] hated the man. So they sent a ·group [delegation; embassy] to follow him and say, ‘We don’t want this man to ·be our king [rule/reign over us].’


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“But the man ·became king [received the kingdom]. When he returned home, he said, ‘Call those ·servants [slaves] who have my money so I can know how much they earned with it.’


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“The first servant came and said, ‘Sir, ·I earned ten coins with the one you gave me [your mina has earned ten minas].’


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The king said to the servant, ‘Excellent! ·You are a good servant [Good servant/slave!]. Since ·I can trust you [you have been faithful] with small things, I will let you ·rule [govern; have authority] over ten of my cities.’


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“Then another servant came in and said to the king, ‘Sir, here is your ·coin [mina] which I ·wrapped [stored away] in a ·piece of cloth [handkerchief] and hid.


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[For; Because] I was afraid of you, because you are a ·hard [harsh; demanding; severe] man. You even take ·money that [out what] you didn’t ·earn [put in] and ·gather food that [harvest what] you didn’t ·plant [sow].’


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Then the king said to the servant, ‘I will ·condemn [judge] you ·by your own words [from your mouth], you ·evil [wicked; or worthless] servant. You knew that I am a ·hard [harsh; demanding; severe] man, taking ·money that [out what] I didn’t ·earn [put in]and ·gathering food that [harvesting what] I didn’t ·plant [sow].


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Why then didn’t you put my money ·in the bank [on the table; referring to the banker’s table]? Then when I came back, my money would have earned some interest.’


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“·The king [He] said to the men who were standing by, ‘Take the ·coin [mina] away from this servant and give it to the servant who earned ten ·coins [minas].’


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·The king said [I say to you], ‘Those who have will be given more, but those who do not have anything ·will have everything [even what they have will be] taken away from them.


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Now ·where are my enemies [or concerning those enemies] who didn’t want me to ·be king [rule/reign over them]? Bring them here and ·kill [slay; slaughter] them before me.’”


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Jesus Enters Jerusalem as a King After Jesus said this, he went on [ahead, going up] toward Jerusalem.


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As Jesus came near Bethphage and Bethany, towns near the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent out two of his ·followers [disciples].


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He said, “Go to the town ·you can see there [ahead of you; or opposite you; unclear whether Bethphage or Bethany]. When you enter it, you will find a ·colt [young donkey] tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here to me.


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The two ·followers [who were sent] went into town and found ·the colt [or the situation] just as Jesus had told them.


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As they were untying it, its ·owners [masters] came out and asked the followers, “Why are you untying our ·colt [young donkey]?”


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So they brought it to Jesus, threw their ·coats [garments] on the ·colt’s [young donkey’s] back, and put Jesus on it.


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As he was coming close to Jerusalem, on the way down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of ·followers [disciples] began joyfully shouting praise to God for all the ·miracles [mighty works] they had seen.


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They said, “·God bless [Blessed is] the king who comes in the name of the Lord []! ·There is peace [or May there be peace; Peace] in heaven and glory ·to God [in the highest; either “in highest heaven” or “to the Most High God”]!”


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Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, ·tell your followers not to say these things [rebuke your disciples].”


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But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if ·my followers didn’t say these things [they remained silent], then the stones would ·cry out [start shouting].”


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Jesus Cries for Jerusalem As Jesus came near Jerusalem, he saw the city and ·cried for [wept over] it,


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saying, “·I wish you [If you, even you,] ·knew [recognized] today what would bring you peace. But now it is hidden from ·you [your eyes].


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·The time is coming [For the days will come upon you] when your enemies will build ·a wall around you [ramparts against your walls] and will ·hold you in [surround and close you in] on all sides.


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They will ·destroy you [level you; smash you to the ground] and all your ·people [children within your walls], and not one stone will be left on another. All this will happen because you did not recognize the time ·when God came to save you [of your visitation; the failure to recognize God’s “visit” in Jesus (see , ) will result in a divine “visit” in judgment].”


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Jesus Goes to the Temple Jesus went into the Temple and began to ·throw [drive] out the people who were selling things there.


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He said, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘My ·Temple [House] will be a house for prayer [].’ But you have ·changed [made] it into a ‘·hideout for robbers’ [den of thieves; ]!”


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Jesus ·taught [was teaching] in the Temple every day. The ·leading [chief] priests, the ·experts on the law [scribes], and some of the leaders of the people ·wanted [were looking for a way] to ·kill [destroy] Jesus.


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But they ·did not know how they could [could not find a way to] do it, because all the people were ·listening closely to him [hanging on his every word].


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Jewish Leaders Question Jesus One day Jesus was in the Temple, teaching the people and ·telling them the Good News [preaching the Gospel]. The ·leading [chief] priests, ·teachers of the law [scribes], and elders came up to talk with him,


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When John baptized people, was that authority from ·God [heaven; a reverent Jewish way of referring to God] or just from ·other people [human beings]?”


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They ·argued about this [discussed this among themselves], saying, “If we answer, ‘John’s baptism was from ·God [heaven],’ Jesus will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’


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But if we say, ‘It was from ·other people [human beings],’ all the people will stone us to death, because they ·believe [are convinced that] John was a prophet.”


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The Story of the Evil Farmers Then Jesus ·told [began/proceeded to tell] the people this ·story [parable]: “A man planted a vineyard and leased it to some [tenant] farmers [Jesus builds on ; the owner represents God; the farmers are Israel’s religious leaders]. Then he ·went away [took a journey] for a long time.


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·When it was time for the grapes to be picked [At the (harvest) time], he sent a ·servant [slave] to the farmers to get some of the grapes [the portion of the harvest to pay the rent]. But they beat him and sent him away empty-handed.


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Then he sent another ·servant [slave]. They beat him also, and ·showed no respect for [humiliated; dishonored] him, and sent him away empty-handed.


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So the man sent a third. The farmers wounded him and threw him out [the servants represent the prophets God sent to Israel].


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The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What will I do now? I will send my son whom I love [representing Jesus; see ]. ·Maybe [or Probably; or Surely] they will respect him.’


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But when the farmers saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This ·son will inherit the vineyard [is the heir]. Let’s kill him so the inheritance will be ours.’


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So the farmers threw the son out of the vineyard and killed him. “What will the ·owner [lord] of the vineyard do to them?


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He will come and ·kill [destroy] those farmers and will give the vineyard to ·other farmers [others; referring to the sinners who were responding to Jesus’ call for repentance, and eventually to the Gentiles who would be saved].” When the people heard this ·story [parable], they said, “·Let this never happen [God forbid; May it not happen]!”


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But Jesus looked [directly; intently] at them and said, “Then what does this Scripture passage mean: ‘The stone that the builders rejected became the ·cornerstone [or capstone; or keystone; head of the corner]’? [This is the most important stone in the building; Jesus is the rejected stone; .]


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Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken [], and the person on whom it falls, that person will be crushed [cf. ]!”


