# verses

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All peoples, listen. And may the earth and its fullness pay attention. And may the Lord God be a witness to you, the Lord from his holy temple.


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For behold, the Lord will go forth from his place. And he will descend, and he will trample over the high places of the earth.


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And the mountains will be consumed under him, and the valleys will be torn apart, like wax before the face of fire, and like waters that rush swiftly downward.


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


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And I will place Samaria like a pile of stones in the field, when a vineyard is planted. And I will pull down its stones into the valley, and I will reveal her foundations.


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And all her graven images will be cut to pieces, and all her rewards will be burned with fire, and I will place all her idols in perdition. For they have been gathered together from the pay of a kept woman, and even to the pay of a kept woman, they will return.


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I will lament and wail about this. I will go out despoiled and naked. I will make a howl like the dragons, and a mourning like the ostriches.


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For her wound has been in despair. For it has come even to Judah. It has touched the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.


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Do not be willing to announce it in Gath; may you not lament with tears. In the house of Dust, besprinkle yourselves with dust.


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And cross over to your dwelling place, Beauty, bewildered by disgrace. She did not depart, who dwells at the place of departure. The House nearby, which remained firm by herself, will receive mourning from you.


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For she has been weakened in goodness, who dwells in bitterness. For disaster has descended from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem.


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A tumult of four-horse chariots has stupefied the inhabitants of Lachish. The beginning has been sin for the daughter of Zion, because in you have been found the evil deeds of Israel.


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Because of this, she will send emissaries to the inheritance of Gath: the house of Lying in order to deceive the kings of Israel.


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Nevertheless, I will lead an heir to you, who dwell in Mareshah: the glory of Israel will reach all the way to Adullam.


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Become bald and shaved for your delicate sons. Increase your baldness like the eagle. For they have been carried into captivity from you.


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Woe to you who devise useless things and who work evil in your beds. In the morning light, they undertake it, because their hand is against God.


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And they have desired fields and have taken them by violence, and they have stolen houses. And they have made false accusations against a man and his house, a man and his inheritance.


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For this reason, thus says the Lord: Behold, I devise an evil against this family, from which you will not steal away your necks. And you will not walk in arrogance, because this is a most wicked time.


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In that day, a parable will be taken up about you, and a song will be sung with sweetness, saying: “We have been devastated by depopulation.” The fate of my people has been altered. How can he withdraw from me, when he might be turned back, he who might tear apart our country?


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The house of Jacob says, “Has the Spirit of the Lord been weakened, or are such things his thoughts?” Are not my words good for him who walks uprightly?


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But, to the contrary, my people have risen up in opposition. You have lifted the cover from the undergarment, and those who passed by harmlessly, you have converted into war.


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You have evicted the women among my people from their delicate houses. You have taken my praise forever from their little ones.


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Rise and depart, for there is no relief for you here. Because of its uncleanness, it will be corrupted with a most wicked decay.


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I wish that I were not a man who has breath, and that I rather spoke a lie. I will drop it down to you in wine and in drunkenness. And it will be this people on whom it will rain down.


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I will gather together in a congregation all of you, Jacob. I will lead together as one, the remnant of Israel. I will set them together like a flock in the fold, like a sheep in the midst of the sheep pen. They will cause a tumult before the multitude of men.


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For he will ascend, opening the way before them. They will separate, and they will cross the gate and enter through it. And their king will pass by, before their very eyes, and the Lord will be at their head.


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And I said: Listen, leaders of Jacob and chiefs of the house of Israel. Does it not belong to you to know judgment,


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you who hold hatred for good, and love evil, who violently steal their skins from over them and their flesh from over their bones?


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They have devoured the flesh of my people, and have stripped their skin from over them, and they have shattered and chopped their bones, as if for the kettle, and like flesh in the middle of the pot.


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Then they will cry out to the Lord, and he will not heed them. And he will hide his face from them in that time, just as they have acted wickedly with their inventions.


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Thus says the Lord about the prophets who seduce my people: They bite with their teeth and preach peace, and if anyone does not give something to their mouth, they sanctify a battle against him.


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Because of this, night will be yours for vision, and darkness yours for divination, and the sun will meet with death over the prophets, and the day will be darkened over them.


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And those who see visions will be confounded, and the diviners will be confounded. And they will all cover their faces, because there is no response from God.


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Nevertheless, truly I have been filled with the strength of the Spirit of the Lord, with judgment and virtue, in order to announce to Jacob his wickedness and to Israel his sin.


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Hear this, leaders of the house of Jacob and judges of the house of Israel, you who abominate judgment and who pervert all that is right.


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Her leaders have judged for tributes, and her priests have taught for payment, and her prophets divined for money. And they leaned upon the Lord, saying: “Is not the Lord in our midst? No disaster will overcome us.”


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For this reason, because of you, Zion will be plowed under like a field, and Jerusalem will become like a pile of stones, and the mountain of the temple like the high places of the forests.


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And this shall be: In the last days, the mountain of the house of the Lord will be prepared at the top of the mountains and high above the hills. And the people will flow to it.


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And many nations will hurry, and will say: “Come, let us ascend to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob. And he will teach us about his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.


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And he will judge among the many peoples, and he will correct strong nations, even from afar. And they will cut up their swords into plows, and their spears into hoes. Nation will not take up the sword against nation, and they will no longer learn to wage war.


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And a man will sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and there will be no one to fear, for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.


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For all people will walk, each one in the name of his god. But we will walk in the name of the Lord our God, forever and ever.


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In that day, says the Lord, I will gather together the lame. And I will recover her whom I had rejected, and her whom I had afflicted.


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And I will place the lame within the remnant, and she who had been in distress, within a healthy people. And the Lord will reign over them on Mount Zion, from the present time and even unto eternity.


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And you, cloudy tower of the flock of the daughter of Zion, even to you it will come. And the first power will arrive, the kingdom to the daughter of Jerusalem.


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Now, why have you come together in grief? Is there not a king in you, or has your counselor gone away? For sorrow has overtaken you, like the pain of giving birth.


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Be grieved and overwhelmed, daughter of Zion, like a woman giving birth. For now you must depart from the city and dwell in the countryside, and you will approach even to Babylon. There you will be delivered. There the Lord will redeem you from the hand of your adversaries.


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And now many peoples have been gathered together against you, and they say, “Let her be stoned and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.”


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But they have not known the thoughts of the Lord, and they have not understood his counsel. For he has gathered them together like hay on a threshing floor.


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Rise and thresh, daughter of Zion. For I will set your horn like iron, and I will set your hoofs like brass. And you will shatter many peoples, and you will immolate their spoils for the Lord, and their strength for the Lord of the whole earth.


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Now you will be devastated, you daughter of a robber. They have placed a blockade against us, with a rod they will strike the jaw of the judge of Israel.


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And you, Bethlehem Ephrata, are a little one among the thousands of Judah. From you will go forth he who shall be the ruler in Israel, and his landing place has been set from the beginning, from the days of eternity.


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Because of this, he will provide for them, even until the time in which she who bears him gives birth. And the remnant of his brothers will be converted to the sons of Israel.


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And he will stand firm and feed on the strength of the Lord, according to the sublime name of the Lord his God. And they will be converted, for now he will be magnified, even to the ends of the earth.


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And this man will be our peace, when the Assyrian will come into our land, and when he will trample on our houses; and we will raise against him seven shepherds and eight principal men.


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And they will graze on the land of Assur with the sword, and the land of Nimrod with its spears; and he will free us from Assur, when he will come into our land, and when he will trample our borders.


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And there will be a remnant of Jacob in the midst of many peoples, like a dew from the Lord and like drops upon the grass, which awaits no man and does not stand before the sons of men.


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And there will be a remnant of Jacob within the Gentiles, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forests, and like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, when he will pass through and trample down and seize, there is none who can rescue.


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And it will be in that day, says the Lord: I will take away your horses from your midst, and I will utterly ruin your four-horse chariots.


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And I will destroy the cities of your land, and I will pull down all your fortifications, and I will take away evil-doing from your hand, and there will be no divinations among you.


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And I will cause your graven images to perish, and your statues, from your midst. And you will no longer adore the works of your hands.


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And I will exact vengeance, in fury and in indignation, among all the nations which have not listened.


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Listen to what the Lord says: Rise, contend in judgment against the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.


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Let the mountains listen to the judgment of the Lord, and the strong foundations of the earth. For the judgment of the Lord is with his people, and he will enter into judgment with Israel.


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For I led you out of the land of Egypt, and I freed you from the house of servitude, and I sent before your face Moses, and Aaron, and Miriam.


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My people, remember, I ask you, what Balak the king of Moab planned, and how Balaam the son of Beor responded to him, from Shittim even to Gilgal, so that you may know the justice of the Lord.


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What worthy thing might I offer to the Lord, as I bend the knee before God on high? How could I offer holocausts to him, and one year-old calves?


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Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with many thousands of fat he-goats? How could I give up my firstborn because of my evil deed, the fruit of my womb because of the sin of my soul?


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I will reveal to you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires from you, and how to act with judgment, and to love mercy, and to walk carefully with your God.


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The voice of the Lord cries out to the city, “Listen, you tribes,” and who will confirm it? And salvation will be for those who fear your name.


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Nevertheless, there is a fire in the house of the impious, the treasury of iniquity, and a small measure, filled with wrath.


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By this, her wealthy have been filled with iniquity, and her inhabitants have spoken lies, and their tongue was deceitful in their mouth.


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You will consume and not be satisfied, and your humiliation will be in your midst. And you will take hold, and not save, and those whom you will save, I will deliver to the sword.


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You will sow, and not reap. You will tread the olives, and not be anointed with oil, and crush the grapes, and not drink the wine.


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For you have kept the precepts of Omri, and all the works of the house of Ahab. And you have walked according their wills, so that I should give you over to perdition and its hissing inhabitants, and you would carry the disgrace of my people.


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Woe to me, for I have become just like one who gleans the clusters of the vintage in autumn. There is no cluster of grapes to consume; my soul desired figs out of season.


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The holy ones pass away from the land, and there is no one righteous among men. All wait in ambush for blood; a man hunts his brother to death.


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The evil of their hands, they call good. The leader is demanding, and the judge is yielding, and the great is speaking the desire of his soul, and they have confused it.


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Whoever is best among them is like a thorny plant, and he who is righteous is like a thorny hedge. The day of your inspection, your visitation, arrives. Now will be their ruination.


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Do not be willing to believe a friend. And do not be willing to confide in a commander. From her, who sleeps in your bosom, keep the doors of your mouth closed.


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For the son acts with contempt for the father, and the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man’s enemies are those of his own household.


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You, my enemy, should not rejoice over me because I have fallen. I will rise up, when I sit in darkness. The Lord is my light.


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I will carry the wrath of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he may judge my case and execute judgment for me. He will lead me into the light. I will behold his justice.


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And my enemy will look, and she will be covered with confusion, she who says to me, “Where is the Lord your God?” My eyes will look upon her. Now she will be trampled under foot like the mud of the streets.


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In that day also, they will come towards you even from Assur, and even to the fortified cities, and from the fortified cities even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain.


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And the land will be in desolation, because of its inhabitants and because of the fruit of their intentions.


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With your rod, pasture your people, the flock of your inheritance, living alone in the narrow forest, in the midst of Carmel. They will graze in Bashan and Gilead, as in the ancient days.


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The nations will look, and they will be confounded at the strength of them all. They will place hand over mouth; their ears will be deaf.


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They will lick the dust like serpents, and, like the creeping things of the earth, they will be disturbed in their houses. They will dread the Lord our God, and they will fear you.


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What God is like you, who takes away iniquity and passes over the sin of the remnant of your inheritance? No longer will he send forth his fury, because he is willing to be merciful.


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He will turn back and have mercy on us. He will put away our iniquities, and he will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.


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You will give the truth to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, which you swore to our fathers from the ancient days.


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God is a rival, and the Lord is avenging. The Lord is avenging, and one who applies wrath. The Lord is avenging with his enemies, and he becomes angry with his adversaries.


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The Lord is patient and great in strength, and those who are not clean, he makes innocent. The Lord is in a tempest, and his way is a whirlwind, and the clouds are dust at his feet.


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He is the one who rebukes the sea, and who dries it up, and who leads all the rivers to the desert. Basan has been weakened, and also Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon has languished.


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The mountains have trembled before him, and the hills have become desolate, and the earth has quaked before his face, both the world and all that dwells in it.


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Who can stand firm before the face of his indignation? And who can continue against the fury of his wrath? His indignation has broken out like a fire, and the rocks have been dissolved before him.


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And in the flood that passes over, he brings to consummation the end of his place. And darkness shall pursue his adversaries.


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What are you thinking up against the Lord? He will accomplish the consummation. There shall not rise up a double tribulation.


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For just as thorns entwine one another, so also, while they are feasting and drinking together, they will be consumed like stubble that is completely dry.


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Out of you will go forth one who thinks up evil against the Lord, dragging betrayals through his mind.


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Thus says the Lord: If they had been perfect, and many of them so, yet still they would be pruned, and it will cross through them. I have afflicted you, and I shall afflict you no more.


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And the Lord will place a commandment over you; nothing more from your name will be sown. From the house of your God, I will order destroyed the graven image and the molten image. I will prepare your grave, because you are not honorable.


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Behold, over the mountains, the feet of the Evangelizer and the Announcer of peace. Judah, celebrate your festivals and keep your vows. For Belial will never again pass through you; he has completely passed away.


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He ascends, who would scatter before your eyes, who would maintain the blockade. Contemplate the way, fortify your back, reinforce virtue greatly.


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For the Lord has repaid the arrogance of Jacob, just like the arrogance of Israel. For the despoilers have scattered them, and they have corrupted their procreation.


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The shield of his strong ones is fire, the men of war are in scarlet. The reins of the chariot are fiery in the day of his preparation, and the drivers have been drugged.


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They have become confused on their journey. The four-horse chariots have collided in the streets. Their appearance is like torches, like lightning dashing around.


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He will call to mind his strong ones; they will destroy along their journey. They will quickly ascend its walls, and a shelter will be prepared.


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And the foot soldier has been led away captive, and her handmaids were driven away, mourning like doves, murmuring in their hearts.


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And Nineveh, her waters are like a fish pond. Yet truly, they have fled away: “Stand, stand!” But there is no one who will turn back.


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She has been scattered, and cut, and torn apart. And the heart melts, and the knees buckle, and weakness is in every temperament. And the faces of them all are like a black kettle.


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Where is the dwelling place of the lions, and the feeding ground of the young lions, to which the lion went, so as to open a way for the young lion, and so that there would be none to make them afraid?


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The lion seized enough for his young, and killed enough for his lionesses, and he filled his caves with prey, and his den with spoils.


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Behold, I will come to you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will burn your chariots even to smoke, and the sword will devour your young lions. And I will exterminate your prey from the land, and the voice of your messengers shall no longer be heard.


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Woe to the city of blood, filled with all manner of lies and violence. Crime shall not depart from you:


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the voice of the whip, and the voice of the turning wheels, and of the neighing horse, and the burning chariot, and the horsemen who ride,


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and of the flashing sword and the shining spear, and of a multitude executed and a grievous ruination. Neither is there an end to the dead bodies, and they will fall down upon their dead bodies.


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Because of the multitude of fornications of the kept woman, beautiful and pleasing and practicing evil deeds, who sold nations by her fornications, and families by her evil doing:


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behold, I will come to you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will reveal your shame to your face, and I will show your nakedness to the Gentiles, and your disgrace to kingdoms.


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And I will cast abominations over you, and I will afflict you with abuse, and I will make an example of you.


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And this shall be: everyone who sees you, will recoil from you, and he will say: “Nineveh has been devastated.” Who will shake his head over you? Where might I seek consolation for you?


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Are you better than the populous Alexandria, which dwells along the rivers? Waters encircle it: the sea, with its riches. The waters are its walls.


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Ethiopia and Egypt were its strength, and there is no limit. Africa and Northern Africa have been your helpers.


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Nevertheless, she has been led away with the transmigration into captivity. Her little ones have been dashed in pieces at the top of every street, and they have cast lots over her celebrities, and all her elite have been fastened together in shackles.


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Therefore, you also will become inebriated, and you will be despised, and you will seek help from the opposition.


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All your fortresses will be like fig trees with their green figs. If they are shaken violently, they will fall into the mouth of the one who devours.


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Behold, women are at the center of your people. The gates of your land will be opened wide for your enemies; fire will devour your bars.


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Draw in water because of the blockade; build up your fortresses. Go into the clay and tread; work it to make brick.


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There, fire will devour you. You will perish by the sword; it will devour you like the beetle. Gather together like the beetle. Multiply like the locust.


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You have made more negotiations than there are stars in the sky. The beetle has spread out and flown away.


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Your guardians are like locusts, and your little ones are like locusts among locusts, which alight on hedges on a cold day. The sun rose up, and they flew away, and there was no way to know the place where they had been.


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Your shepherds have become drowsy, king Assur. Your princes will be buried. Your people have remained hidden in the mountains, and there is no one to gather them.


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Your destruction is not hidden; your wound is grievous. All who have heard of your fame have clenched their hands over you, because over whom has your wickedness not trampled continually?


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How long, O Lord, shall I cry out, and you will not heed? Shall I shout to you while suffering violence, and you will not save?


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Why have you revealed to me iniquity and hardship, to see plunder and injustice opposite me? And there has been judgment, but the opposition is more powerful.


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Because of this, the law has been torn apart, and judgment does not persevere to its conclusion. For the impious prevail against the just. Because of this, a perverse judgment is issued.


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Gaze among the nations, and see. Admire, and be astounded. For a work has been done in your days, which no one will believe when it is told.


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For behold, I will raise up the Chaldeans, a bitter and swift people, marching across the width of the earth, to possess tabernacles not their own.


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Their horses are more nimble than leopards and swifter than wolves in the evening; their horsemen will spread out. And then their horsemen will approach from far away; they will fly like the eagle, hurrying to devour.


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They will all approach towards the prey; their face is like a burning wind. And they will gather captives together like sand.


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And concerning kings, he will triumph, and sovereign rulers will be his laughingstock, and he will laugh over every fortress, and he will transport a rampart and seize it.


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Then his spirit will be altered, and he will cross over and fall. Such is his strength from his god.


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Have you not existed from the beginning, Lord my God, my holy one, and so we shall not die? Lord, you have stationed him for judgment, and you have establish that his strength will be swept away.


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Your eyes are pure, you do not behold evil, and you cannot look towards iniquity. Why do you look upon the agents of iniquity, and remain silent, while the impious is devouring one who is more just than himself?


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He lifted up everything with his hook. He drew them in with his dragnet, and gathered them into his netting. Over this, he will rejoice and exult.


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For this reason, he will offer victims to his dragnet, and he will sacrifice to his netting. For through them, his portion has been made fat, and his meals elite.


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Because of this, therefore, he expands his dragnet and will not be lenient in continually putting to death the peoples.


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I will stand firm during my watch, and fix my position over the fortification. And I will observe carefully, to see what might be said to me and what I might respond to my opponent.


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And the Lord responded to me and said: Write the vision and explain it on tablets, so that he who reads it may run through it.


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For as yet the vision is far off, and it will appear in the end, and it will not lie. If it expresses any delay, wait for it. For it is arriving and it will arrive, and it will not be hindered.


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Behold, he who is unbelieving, his soul will not be right within himself; but he who is just shall live in his faith.


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And in the manner that wine deceives the heavy drinker, so will the arrogant man be deceived, and he will not be honored. He has enlarged his life like hellfire, and himself like death, and he is never fulfilled. And he will gather to himself all nations, and he will amass for himself all peoples.


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Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and an enigmatic utterance about him? And it will be said, “Woe to him who increases what is not his own.” How long, then, will he lay down dense clay against himself?


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Shall they not suddenly rise up, who would bite you, and be stirred up, who would tear you, so that you will be a prey for them?


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Because you have despoiled many peoples, all those who are left of the people shall despoil you, because of the blood of men, and the iniquity of the earth, of the city and all who dwell therein.


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Woe to him who gathers together an evil greed for his house, so that his nest may be exalted, and thinking that he might free himself from the hand of evil.


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You have devised confusion for your house, you have cut to pieces many peoples, and your soul has sinned.


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For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the wood that is between the joints of the building will respond.


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Are not these things before the Lord of hosts? For the people will labor amid a great fire, and the nations will labor in emptiness, and they will fail.


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For the earth shall be filled, that they might know the glory of the Lord, like the waters spreading over the sea.


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Woe to anyone who gives a drink to a friend, releasing a drug and inebriating, so as to look upon their nakedness.


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You are filled with disgrace in place of glory. So then, drink and fall fast asleep, for the cup of the right hand of the Lord will surround you, and a disgraceful vomit will cover your glory.


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For the iniquity of Lebanon will cover you, and the devastation of animals which will deter them from the blood of men, and the iniquity of the earth and the city, and of all who dwell therein.


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Of what benefit is the graven image? For its maker has formed it, a molten and imaginary deception. For its maker has hoped in a figment of his own creation, so as to make a dumb likeness.


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Woe to him who says to wood, “Awaken,” to the silent stone, “Arise.” Is it able to teach? Behold, it has been entirely covered with gold and silver; and there is no spirit at all in its inner workings.


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Lord, I heard what has been said about you, and I was afraid. Lord, your work, in the midst of years, revive it. In the midst of years, you will make it known. When you have become angry, you will remember mercy.


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God will come from the south, and the Holy One from mount Pharan. His glory has covered the heavens, and the earth is full of his praise.


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His brightness shall be like the light; horns are in his hands. There, his strength has been hidden.


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He stood, and measured the earth. He looked, and dissolved the Gentiles. And the mountains of ages past have been shattered. The hills of the world became curved by the journeys of his eternity.


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I saw the tents of Ethiopia for their iniquity; the tent-skins of the land of Midian will be thrown into confusion.


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Could you have been angry with the rivers, Lord? Or was your fury within the rivers, or your indignation in the sea? He will ascend upon your horses, and your four-horse chariots are salvation.


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Being stirred up, you will take up your bow, the oaths you have spoken to the tribes. You will split apart the Rivers of the earth.


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They saw you, and the mountains grieved. The great body of waters crossed over. The abyss uttered its voice. The pinnacle lifted up its hands.


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The sun and the moon have stood firm in their dwelling place; with the light of your arrows, they shall go forth in the splendor of your flashing spear.


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You have gone forth for the salvation of your people, for salvation with your Christ. You struck the head of the house of the impious. You have laid bare his foundation all the way to the neck.


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You have cursed his scepters, the head of his warriors, those who approached like a whirlwind so as to scatter me. Their exultation was like one who devours the poor in secret.


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I heard, and my stomach became troubled. My lips trembled at the voice. Let decay enter into my bones and gush forth from within me. Then I may rest in the day of tribulation, so that I may ascend to our people well-prepared.


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For the fig tree will not flower, and there will be no bud on the vines. The labor of the olive tree will be misleading, and the farmland will produce no food. The sheep will be cut off from the sheepfold, and there will be no herd at the manger.


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The Lord God is my strength. And he will set my feet like those of the stag. And he, the victor, will lead me beyond my high places while singing psalms.


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


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I will gather man and cattle; I will gather the flying things of the air and the fish of the sea. And the impious will be a catastrophe. And I will disperse men before the face of the earth, says the Lord.


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And I will extend my hand over Judah and over all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will disperse from this place the remnant of Baal, and the names of the administrators along with the priests,


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and those who adore the military campaign over the ceiling of the sky, both those who adore and swear by the Lord, and those who swear by Melchom,


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both those who turn aside from following after the Lord, and those who have not sought the Lord, nor inquired about him.


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Be silent before the face of the Lord God. For the day of the Lord is near; for the Lord has prepared a victim, he has sanctified those he has called.


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And this shall be: in the day of the victim of the Lord, I will visit upon the leaders, and upon the sons of the king, and upon all who have been clothed with strange garments.


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And I will visit upon all who enter arrogantly over the threshold in that day, those who fill the house of the Lord their God with iniquity and deceit.


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And this shall be in that day, says the Lord: the voice of an outcry from the fish gate, and a howling from the Second, and a great contrition from the hills.


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Howl, inhabitants of the Pillar. All the people of Canaan have fallen silent. All were ruined who had been wrapped in silver.


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And this shall be in that time: I will scrutinize Jerusalem with lamps, and I will visit upon the men who have become stuck in the dregs, who say in their hearts, “The Lord will not do good, and he will not do evil.”


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And their strength will be in plundering, and their houses in the desert. And they will build houses and not dwell in them, and they will plant vineyards and not drink their wine.


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The great day of the Lord is near; it is near and exceedingly swift. The voice of the day of the Lord is bitter; the strong will be tested there.


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That day is a day of wrath, a day of tribulation and anguish, a day of calamity and misery, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and whirlwinds,


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And I will trouble men, and they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the Lord. And their blood will be poured out like soil, and their bodies like manure.


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Neither their silver, nor their gold, will be able to free them in the day of the wrath of the Lord. All the land will be devoured in the fire of his zeal, for with all speed, he will bring to consummation every inhabitant of the land.


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Until the decree settles accounts, the day like dust is passing away, before which the wrath of the fury of the Lord may overcome you, before which the day of the anger of the Lord may overcome you.


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Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth; you who have been working are his judgment. Seek the just, seek the meek. So then, in some way, you might be hidden in the day of the fury of the Lord.


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For Gaza will be destroyed, and Ashkelon will be in the desert; they will expel Ashdod at midday, and Ekron will be eradicated.


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Woe to you who inhabit the coast of the sea, you people of perdition. The word of the Lord is over you, Canaan, the land of the Philistines, and I will disperse you, so that not one inhabitant will be left.


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And it will be the line of him who will remain from the house of Judah. There they will pasture. In the houses of Ashkelon, they will rest towards evening. For the Lord their God will visit them, and he will turn away their captivity.


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I have heard about the disgrace of Moab and the blasphemies of the sons of Ammon, by which they have defamed my people and have been magnified beyond their borders.


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Because of this, as I live, says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Moab will be like Sodom, and the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah, like the dryness of thorns, and piles of salt, and a desert, all the way to eternity. The remnant of my people will despoil them, and the residue of my nation will possess them.


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This will come upon them for their arrogance, because they have blasphemed and have been magnified over the people of the Lord of hosts.


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The Lord will be a horror over them, and he will reduce all the gods of the earth. And they will adore him, each man from his own place, all the islands of the Gentiles.


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And he will extend his hand over the North, and he will destroy Assur. And he will set the Beautiful in the wilderness, and in an impassable place, and like a desert.


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And flocks will lie down in its midst, all the beasts of the Gentiles. And the pelican and the hedgehog will stay at its threshold; the voice of the singing bird will be at the window, with the crow above its threshold, for I will diminish her strength.


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This is the glorious city, dwelling in trust, which said in her heart, “I am and there is no one other than me.” How has she become a lair for beasts in the desert? All who pass through her will hiss and wag their hand.


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She has not heeded the voice, nor has she accepted discipline. She has not trusted in the Lord; she did not draw near to her God.


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Her leaders are in her midst like roaring lions. Her judges are evening wolves; they leave nothing for the morning.


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Her prophets are crazed; men without faith. Her priests have polluted what is holy; they have acted unjustly against the law.


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The just Lord is in their midst; he will not do iniquity. In the morning, in the morning, he will bring his judgment into the light, and it will not be hidden. But the impious one has not known shame.


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I have dispersed the nations, and their towers have been torn down. I have made their ways deserts, until there were none who passed through. Their cities have become desolate, with no man remaining, nor any inhabitant.


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I said: Nevertheless, you will fear me; you will accept discipline. And her dwelling place will not perish, despite all the things about which I have visited her. Yet truly, they arose with the dawn and corrupted all their thoughts.


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Because of this, expect me, says the Lord, in the day of my resurrection in the future, for my judgment is to gather together the Gentiles, and to collect the kingdoms, and to pour out over them my indignation, all the fury of my anger. For by the fire of my zeal, all the earth will be devoured.


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For then I will restore to the people a chosen lip, so that all may invoke the name of the Lord and may serve him with one shoulder.


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From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, my supplicants, the sons of my diaspora, will carry a gift to me.


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In that day, you will not be ashamed over all of your inventions, by which you have transgressed against me. For then I will take away from your midst your arrogant boasters, and you will no longer be exalted on my holy mountain.


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And I will bequeath into your midst a poor and needy people, and they will hope in the name of the Lord.


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The remnant of Israel will not do iniquity, nor speak lies, and a deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouth. For they will pasture and will recline, and there will be no one to strike them with terror.


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Give praise, daughter of Zion. Shout joyfully, Israel. Rejoice and exult with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem.


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The Lord has taken away your judgment; he has turned aside your foes. The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall no longer fear evil.


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In that day, it will be said to Jerusalem, “Do not be afraid,” and to Zion, “Do not let your hands be weakened.”


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The Lord your God is the strength in your midst; he will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness. In his love, he will be silent. He will exult over you with praise.


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The triflers who withdrew from the law, I will gather together, because they were from you, so that you may no longer suffer disgrace over them.


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Behold, I will execute all who have afflicted you in that time, and I will save those who are lame, and I will gather together her who had been cast out. And I will place them in praise and in renown, in all the land where they had been put to shame,


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in that time, when I will lead to you, and in the time when I will gather for you. For I will deliver you into renown and into praise, among all the peoples of the earth, when I will have converted your captivity before your very eyes, says the Lord.


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In the second year of king Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came, by the hand of Haggai the prophet, to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Jesus the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying:


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Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying: This people claims that the time has not yet arrived for building the house of the Lord.


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You sowed much and have brought in little. You consumed and have not been satisfied. You drank and have not been inebriated. You covered yourselves and have not been warmed. And whoever gathered wages, has put them in a bag with holes.


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Ascend to the mountain, bring wood and build the house, and it shall be acceptable to me, and I shall be glorified, says the Lord.


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You have looked for more, and behold, it became less, and you brought it home, and I blew it away. What is the cause of this, says the Lord of hosts? It is because my house is desolate, yet you have hurried, each one to his own house.


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Because of this, the heavens over you have been prohibited from giving dew, and the earth has been prohibited from giving her sprouts.


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And I called a drought over the land, and over the mountains, and over the wheat, and over the wine, and over the oil, and whatever the soil would bring forth, and over men, and over beasts of burden, and over all the labor of hands.


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And Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jesus the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all the remnant of the people heeded the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, just as the Lord their God sent him to them. And the people were fearful before the face of the Lord.


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And Haggai, a messenger of the Lord among messengers of the Lord, spoke to the people, saying: the Lord says, “I am with you.”


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And the Lord stirred the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Jesus the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the remainder of all the people. And they entered and performed work in the house of the Lord of hosts their God,


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And in the seventh month, on the twenty-first of the month, the word of the Lord came, by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying:


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Speak to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and to Jesus the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remainder of the people, saying:


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Who is left among you, who saw this house in its first glory? And how do you see it now? Is it not, in comparison to that, as nothing in your eyes?


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And now be strengthened, Zerubbabel, says the Lord. And be strengthened, Jesus the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. And be strengthened, all people of the land, says the Lord of hosts. For I am with you, says the Lord of hosts.


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And act according to the word that I planted with you when you departed from the land of Egypt. And my Spirit will be in your midst. Do not be afraid.


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For thus says the Lord of hosts: There is yet one brief time, and I will move heaven and earth, and the sea and the dry land.


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And I will move all nations. And the Desired of all nations will arrive. And I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts.


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Great shall be the glory of this house, the last more than the first, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place, I will bestow peace, says the Lord of hosts.


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On the twenty-fourth of the ninth month, in the second year of king Darius, the word of the Lord came to Haggai the prophet, saying:


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If a man will have carried sanctified flesh in the pocket of his garment, and the top of it touches his bread, or appetizer, or wine, or oil, or any food, shall it be sanctified? But the priests responded by saying, “No.”


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And Haggai said, “If the polluted in soul will have touched any of all these things, shall it be contaminated?” And the priests responded and said, “It shall be contaminated.”


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And Haggai answered and he said: Such is this people, and such is this nation before my face, says the Lord, and such is all the work of their hands. And so all that they have offered there has been contaminated.


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And now, consider in your hearts, from this day and beyond, before stone may be placed upon stone in the temple of the Lord:


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when you approached a pile of twenty measures, and they became ten, and you entered to the press, to press out fifty bottles, and they became twenty,


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how I struck you with a burning wind, and a mildew, and a hailstorm, all the works of your hand, yet there was no one among you who returned to me, says the Lord.


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Set your hearts from this day and into the future, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundations of the temple of the Lord have been uttered, and place it upon your heart.


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Has the seed been germinated yet? And has the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree still not flourished? From this day on, I will bless you.


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And I will overturn the throne of kingdoms, and I will crush the strength of the kingdom of the Gentiles. And I will overturn the four-horse chariot, and its rider; and the horses and their riders shall be brought down, a man by the sword of his brother.


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In that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will take you, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, my servant, says the Lord, and will set you like a seal, for I have chosen you, says the Lord of hosts.


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


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And you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Turn to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will turn to you, says the Lord of hosts.


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Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Turn from your evil ways and from your wicked thoughts. But they did not heed, and neither did they pay attention to me, says the Lord.


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Yet truly my words and my lawfulness, which I entrusted to my servants the prophets, were indeed comprehended by your fathers, and so they were converted, and they said: Just as the Lord of hosts decided to do to us, according to our ways and according to our inventions, so has he done to us.


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On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is called Shevat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying:


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I saw by night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees, which were in the chasm. And behind him were horses: red, speckled, and white.


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And I said, “What are these, my lord?” And the angel, who was speaking with me, said to me, “I will reveal to you what these are.”


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And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These are they, whom the Lord has sent in order to walk through the earth.”


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And those who stood among the myrtle trees answered the angel of the Lord, and they said, “We have walked through the earth, and behold, all the earth is inhabited and is at rest.”


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And the angel of the Lord answered and said, “Lord of hosts, how long will you not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, with which you have been angry? This is now the seventieth year.”


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And the angel, who was speaking with me, said to me: Cry out, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I have been zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great zeal.


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And, with a great anger, I am angry with the wealthy nations. Though I had been angry a little, truly they advanced further in evil.


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Because of this, thus says the Lord: I will be turned back, towards Jerusalem, with mercies; and my house will be built upon this, says the Lord of hosts. And the building line will be extended over Jerusalem.


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Until then, cry out saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Until then, my cities will flow with good things, and, until then, the Lord will comfort Zion, and, until then, he will single out Jerusalem.


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And I said to the angel, who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the horns that have winnowed Judah and Israel and Jerusalem.”


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And I said, “What have these come to do?” He spoke, saying, “These are the horns that have winnowed Judah, through every single man, and none of them lifted up his head. And these have come to frighten them away, so as to cast down the horns of the Gentiles, which have lifted up a horn over the land of Judah, so as to scatter it.”


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And I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, so that I may see how great its width and how great its length may be.”


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And behold, the angel, who had been speaking with me, departed, and another angel went out to meet him.


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And he said to him: Hurry, speak to this young man, saying: Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls, because of the multitude of men and beasts of burden in its midst.


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And I will be to it, says the Lord, a wall of fire all around. And in glory, I will be in its midst.


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O, O flee from the land of the North, says the Lord, for I have scattered you into the four winds of heaven, says the Lord.


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For thus says the Lord of hosts: After the glory, he has sent me to the Gentiles, which have despoiled you. For he who touches you, touches the pupil of my eye.


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For behold, I lift up my hand over them, and they will be a prey to those who had served them. And you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me.


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Sing praise and rejoice, daughter of Zion. For behold, I approach, and I will dwell in your midst, says the Lord.


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And many nations will be joined to the Lord in that day, and they will be my people, and I will dwell in your midst. And you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.


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And the Lord will possess his portion, Judah, in the sanctified land, and still he will single out Jerusalem.


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Let all flesh be silent before the face of the Lord: for he has arisen from his holy dwelling place.


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And the Lord revealed to me: Jesus the high priest, standing in the sight of the angel of the Lord. And Satan stood before his right hand, so as to be his adversary.


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And the Lord said to Satan, “May the Lord rebuke you, Satan! And may the Lord, who chose Jerusalem, rebuke you! Are you not a firebrand plucked from the fire?”


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He answered and spoke to those who stood before him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And he said to him, “Behold, I have taken away from you your iniquity, and I have clothed you with a change of clothing.”


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And he said, “Place a clean diadem on his head.” And they placed a clean diadem on his head, and they clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord remained standing.


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Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, you likewise will judge my house and will keep my courts, and I will give you some of those who now attend here to walk with you.


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Listen, Jesus the high priest, you and your friends, who dwell before you, who have been portending to men. For behold, I will lead my servant to the East.


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For behold, the stone that I have bestowed before Jesus. Upon one stone, there are seven eyes. Behold, I will carve its engraving, says the Lord of hosts. And I will take away the iniquity of that land in one day.


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On that day, says the Lord of hosts, every man will call his friend from under the vine and from under the fig tree.


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And the angel who had been speaking with me returned, and he awakened me, like a man who is awakened from his sleep.


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And he said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I looked, and behold, a candlestick entirely in gold, and its lamp was at its top, and seven oil lamps of it were upon it, and there were seven funnels for the oil lamps that were at its top.


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And the angel who was speaking with me answered, and he said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.”


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And he answered and spoke to me, saying: This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying: Not by an army, nor by might, but in my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.


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What are you, great mountain, in the sight of Zerubbabel? You are among the plains. And he will lead out the primary stone, and he will give equal grace to its grace.


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The hand of Zerubbabel has founded this house, and his hands will complete it. And you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.


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For who has despised the little days? And they will rejoice and will see the silver and lead stone in the hand of Zerubbabel. These are the seven eyes of the Lord, which roam quickly through all the earth.


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And I responded and said to him, “What are these two olive trees to the right of the candlestick, and to its left?”


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And I responded a second time and said to him, “What are the two olive branches, which are next to the two golden ridges, in which are the pouring spouts of gold?”


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And he said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a book flying. Its length is twenty cubits, and its width is ten cubits.”


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And he said to me, “This is the curse that goes forth over the face of the whole earth. For every thief will be judged, just as it has been written there, and everyone who swears by this, will be judged in like manner.”


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I will bring it forth, says the Lord of hosts, and it will approach to the house of the thief, and to the house of him who swears falsely by my name, and it will remain in the midst of his house and will consume it, with its wood and its stones.


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And the angel had departed, who was speaking with me. And he said to me, “Lift up your eyes, and see what this is, that goes forth.”


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And I said, “What, then, is it?” And he said, “This is a container going forth.” And he said, “This is their eye in all the earth.”


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And behold, a talent of lead was being carried; and behold, one woman sitting in the middle of the container.


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And he said, “This is impiety.” And he cast her into the middle of the container, and he sent the weight of lead into its mouth.


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And I lifted up my eyes and I saw. And behold, two women were departing, and a spirit was in their wings, and they had wings like the wings of a kite, and they lifted up the container between earth and heaven.


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And he said to me, “To a house that may be built for it in the land of Shinar, and so that it may be established and set there upon its own base.”


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And I turned, and I lifted up my eyes and I saw. And behold, four four-horse chariots went out from the middle of two mountains. And the mountains were mountains of brass.


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and in the third chariot were white horses, and in the fourth chariot were speckled horses, and they were strong.


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And the angel answered and said to me, “These are the four winds of heaven, which go forth to stand in the presence of the Sovereign of all the earth.”


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The one with the black horses was departing into the land of the North, and the white went forth after them, and the speckled went forth towards the land of the South.


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Yet those who were the most strong, went out, and sought to go and to roam quickly through all the earth. And he said, “Go, walk throughout the earth.” And they walked throughout the earth.


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And he called me and spoke with me, saying, “Behold, those who go forth to the land of the North, have quieted my spirit in the land of the North.”


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From those of the captivity, take from Heldai, and from Tobijah, and from Jedaiah. You will approach in that day, and you will go into the house of Josiah, the son of Zephaniah, who came from Babylon.


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And you will take gold and silver; and you will make crowns, and you will set them on the head of Jesus the son of Jehozadak, the high priest.


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And you will speak to him, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying: Behold, a man; the Rising is his name. And under him, he will rise up, and he will build a temple to the Lord.


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And he will raise a temple to the Lord. And he will carry the glory, and he will sit and rule upon his throne. And he will be a priest upon his throne, and a counsel of peace will be between the two of them.


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And the crowns will be to Heldai, and Tobijah, and Jedaiah, as well as to Hem, the son of Zephaniah, as a memorial in the temple of the Lord.


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And those who are far away, will approach, and will build in the temple of the Lord. And you will know that the Lord of hosts sent me to you. Yet this shall be only if, when hearing, you will have heeded the voice of the Lord your God.


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And it happened, in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Kislev.


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And Sharezer and Regemmelech, and the men who were with them, sent to the house of God, to entreat the face of the Lord,


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to speak to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and to the prophets, saying: “Must there be weeping with me in the fifth month, and must I sanctify myself, as I have now done for many years?”


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Speak to all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying: Although you may have fasted and mourned in the fifth and the seventh month for these seventy years, did you indeed keep a fast unto me?


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Are not these the words that the Lord has spoken by the hand of the former prophets, when Jerusalem was still inhabited, so that it would prosper, itself and the cities around it, and those inhabitants towards the South and in the plains?


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Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying: Judge with true judgment, and act with mercy and compassion, each and every one with his brother.


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And do not find fault with the widow, and the orphan, and the newcomer, and the poor. And let not a man consider evil in his heart towards his brother.


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But they were not willing to pay attention, and they turned aside their shoulder to depart, and they pressed upon their ears, so that they would not hear.


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And they set their heart like the hardest stone, so that they would not hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts has sent with his Spirit by the hand of the former prophets. And so a great indignation came from Lord of hosts.


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And it happened, just as he had spoken, and they did not pay attention. So then, they shall cry out, and I will not heed, says the Lord of hosts.


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And I dispersed them throughout all the kingdoms that they did not know. And the land was left desolate behind them, so that no one was passing through or returning. And they made the desirable land into a deserted place.


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Thus says the Lord of hosts: I have been zealous for Zion with a great zeal, and with a great indignation have I been zealous for her.


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Thus says the Lord of hosts: I have been turned back towards Zion, and I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And Jerusalem will be called: “The City of Truth,” and “The Mountain of the Lord of Hosts, the Sanctified Mountain.”


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Thus says the Lord of hosts: Then elderly men and elderly women will dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man will be with his walking stick in his hand, because of the multitude of days.


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Thus says the Lord of hosts: If it seems difficult in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, could it indeed be difficult in my eyes, says the Lord of hosts?


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Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the land of the East, and from the land of the setting of the sun.


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And I will lead them, and they will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they will be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in justice.


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Thus says the Lord of hosts: Let your hands be strengthened, you who, in those days, are listening to these words by the mouth of the prophets, in the day that the house of the Lord of hosts has been founded, so that the temple may be built.


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Indeed, before those days, there was no pay for men, nor was there pay for beasts of burden, and neither was there peace for those entering, nor for those exiting, because of the tribulation. And I had dismissed all men, each one against his neighbor.


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But now, I will not act towards the remnant of this people according to the former days, says the Lord of hosts.


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But there will be a seed of peace: the vine will give her fruit, and the earth will give her seedlings, and the heavens will give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.


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And this shall be: just as you were a curse among the Gentiles, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid. Let your hands be strengthened.


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For thus says the Lord of hosts: Just as I intended to afflict you, when your fathers had provoked me to wrath, says the Lord,


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and I did not show mercy, so have I turned back, thinking in these days to do good to the house of Judah and to Jerusalem. Do not be afraid.


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Therefore, these are the words that you shall do: Speak the truth, each one to his neighbor. With truth and a judgment of peace, judge at your gates.


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And let not anyone think up evil against his friend in your hearts. And do not choose to swear falsely. For all these are things that I hate, says the Lord.


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Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth will be for the house of Judah in joy and gladness and with bright solemnities. So then, love truth and peace.


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and the inhabitants may hurry, one saying to another: “Let us go and entreat the face of the Lord, and let us seek the Lord of hosts. I will go also.”


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And many peoples and strong nations will approach, seeking the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the face of the Lord.


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Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days, then, ten men from every language of the Gentiles will grasp and cling to the hem of one man of Judea, saying: “We will go with you. For we have heard that God is with you.”


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The burden of the word of the Lord in the land of Hadrach and its respite in Damascus. For the eye of man and of all the tribes of Israel is of the Lord.


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Hamath also is at its limits, and Tyre and Sidon. For, of course, they have assumed themselves to be exceedingly wise.


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And Tyre has built herself a fortress, and she has piled together silver, as if it were soil, and gold, as if it were the mud of the streets.


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Behold, the Lord will possess her, and he will strike her strength in the sea, and she will be devoured by fire.


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Ashkelon will see and be afraid. Both Gaza and he will be very sorrowful, as well as Ekron, because her hope has been confounded. And the king will pass away from Gaza, and Ashkelon will not be inhabited.


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And I will take away his blood from his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth, and yet he will be left for our God, and he will be like a governor in Judah, and Ekron will be like a Jebusite.


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And I will encircle my house with those who serve me in war, going and returning, and the exactor will no longer pass over them. For now I have seen with my eyes.


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Rejoice well, daughter of Zion, shout for joy, daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your King will come to you: the Just One, the Savior. He is poor and riding upon a donkey, and upon a colt, the son of a donkey.


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And I will scatter the four-horse chariot out of Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war will be destroyed. And he will speak peace to the Gentiles, and his power will be from sea to sea, and from the rivers even to the end of the earth.


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You, likewise, by the blood of your testimony, have sent forth your prisoners from the pit, in which there is no water.


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because I have stretched out Judah for myself, like a bow; I have filled Ephraim. And I will raise up your sons, Zion, above your sons, Greece. And I will set you as the sword of the strength.


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And the Lord God will be seen over them, and his arrow will go forth like lightning. And the Lord God will sound the trumpet, and he will go forth into the whirlwind of the South.


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The Lord of hosts will protect them. And they will devour and subdue with the stones of the sling. And, when drinking, they will become inebriated, as if with wine, and they will be filled like bowls and like the horns of the altar.


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And in that day, the Lord their God will save them as the flock of his people. For holy stones will be lifted up over his land.


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For what is his goodness and what is his beauty, other than grain among the elect and wine springing forth virgins?


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Petition before the Lord for rain in the latter time, and the Lord will produce snows and will give showers of rain to them, to each blade in the field.


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For the images have been speaking what is useless, and the diviners have seen a lie, and the dreamers have been speaking false hope: they have comforted in vain. For this reason, they have been led away like a flock; they will be afflicted, because they have no shepherd.


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My fury has been kindled over the shepherds, and I will visit upon the he-goats. For the Lord of hosts has visited his flock, the house of Judah, and he has set them like the horse of his glory in the war.


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From him will go forth the angle, from him the wooden peg, from him the bow of battle, from him every exactor at the same time.


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And they will be like the strong, trampling the mud of the ways in battle. And they will fight, for the Lord is with them. And the riders of the horses will be confounded.


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And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will convert them, because I will have mercy on them. And they will be as they were when I had not cast them away. For I am the Lord their God, and I will hear them.


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And they will be like the strong of Ephraim, and their heart will rejoice as if by wine, and their sons will see and will rejoice, and their heart will exult in the Lord.


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I will whistle for them, and I will gather them together, because I have redeemed them. And I will multiply them, as they had been multiplied before.


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And I will sow them among the peoples, and from far away they will remember me. And they will live with their sons, and they will return.


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And I will lead them back from the land of Egypt, and I will gather them from among the Assyrians, and I will lead them to the land of Gilead and Lebanon, and no place will be left that has not been found by them.


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And he will pass over the narrow passage of the sea, and he will strike the waves of the sea, and all the depths of the river will be confounded, and the arrogance of Assyria will be brought low, and the scepter of Egypt will withdraw.


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Howl, you fir tree, for the cedar has fallen, because the magnificent have been devastated. Howl, you oaks of Bashan, because the secure forest passage has been cut down.


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The voice of the howling of the shepherds: for their magnificence has been devastated. The voice of the roaring of the lions: because the arrogance of the Jordan has been devastated.


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which those who possessed them cut down, and they did not feel sorrow, and they sold them, saying: “Blessed be the Lord; we have become wealthy. Even their shepherds did not spare them.”


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And so, I will no longer spare the inhabitants upon the earth, says the Lord. Behold, I will deliver men, each one into the hand of his neighbor and into the hand of his king. And they will cut down the land, and I will not rescue it from their hand.


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And I will pasture the flock of the slaughter, because of this, O poor of the flock. And I took to myself two staffs: the one I called Handsome, and the other I called Rope, and I pastured the flock.


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And I cut down three shepherds in one month. And my soul became contracted concerning them, just as their soul also varied concerning me.


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And I said: I will not pasture you. Whatever dies, let it die. And whatever is cut down, let it be cut down. And let the rest of them devour, each one the flesh of his neighbor.


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And I took my staff, which was called Handsome, and I tore it apart, so as to invalidate my pact, which I had struck with all of the people.


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And it became invalid in that day. And so they understood, just like the poor of the flock who stay close to me, that this is the word of the Lord.


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And I said to them: If it is good in your eyes, bring me my wages. And if not, remain still. And they weighed for my wages thirty silver coins.


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And the Lord said to me: Cast it towards the statuary, the handsome price at which I have been valued by them. And I took the thirty silver coins, and I cast them into the house of the Lord, towards the statuary.


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And I cut short my second staff, which was called Rope, so that I might dissolve the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.


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For behold, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who will not visit what is forsaken, nor seek what is scattered, nor heal what is broken, nor nourish what remains standing, and he will consume the flesh of the fatted ones and break their hoofs.


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O shepherd and idol, abandoning the flock, with a sword upon his arm and over his right eye: his arm will be withered by drought, and his right eye will be obscured by darkness.


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The burden of the word of the Lord upon Israel. The Lord, stretching forth the heavens and founding the earth and forming the spirit of man within him, says:


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Behold, I will set Jerusalem as a lintel of the effects of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, yet even Judah will be in the blockade against Jerusalem.


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And this shall be: In that day, I will set Jerusalem as a burdensome stone to every people. All who will lift it up will be torn to pieces. And all the kingdoms of the earth will be gathered together against her.


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In that day, says the Lord, I will strike every horse with stupor and his rider with madness. And I will open my eyes upon the house of Judah, and I will strike every horse of the people with blindness.


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And the governors of Judah will say in their heart, “Let the inhabitants of Jerusalem be strengthened for me, in the Lord of hosts, their God.”


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In that day, I will set the governors of Judah like a flaming furnace among wood, and like a flaming torch among hay. And they will devour, to the right and to the left, all the surrounding peoples. And Jerusalem will be inhabited again, in her own place, in Jerusalem.


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And the Lord will save the tabernacles of Judah, just as in the beginning, so that the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not glorify themselves boastfully against Judah.


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In that day, the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and even he who will have offended from them, in that day, will be like David, and the house of David will be like that of God, just like an angel of the Lord in their sight.


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And I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of prayers. And they will look upon me, whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son, and they will feel sorrow over him, as one would be sorrowful at the death of a firstborn.


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In that day, there will be a great lamentation in Jerusalem, like the lamentation of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo.


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And the earth will mourn: families and families separately; the families of the house of David separately, and their women separately;


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the families of the house of Nathan separately, and their women separately; the families of the house of Levi separately, and their women separately; the families of Shimei separately, and their women separately;


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In that day, there will be a fountain open to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for the washing of the transgressor and of the defiled woman.


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And this shall be in that day, says the Lord of hosts: I will disperse the names of the idols from the earth, and they will not be remembered any longer. And I will take away the false prophets and the unclean spirit from the earth.


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And this shall be: when any devotee will continue to prophesy, his father and his mother, who conceived him, will say to him, “You shall not live, because you have been speaking a lie in the name of the Lord.” And his father and his mother, his own parents, will pierce him, when he will prophesy.


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And this shall be: In that day, the prophets will be confounded, each one by his own vision, when he will prophesy. Neither will they be covered with a garment of sackcloth in order to deceive.


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But he will say, “I am not a prophet; I am a man of agriculture. For Adam has been my example from my youth.”


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And they will say to him, “What are these wounds in the middle of your hands?” And he will say, “I was wounded with these in the house of those who love me.”


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Awake, O spear, against my shepherd and against the man that clings to me, says the Lord of hosts. Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. And I will turn my hand to the little ones.


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And there will be in all the earth, says the Lord, two parts in it will be scattered and will pass away, and the third part will be left behind.


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And I will lead the third part through fire, and I will burn them just as silver is burned, and I will test them just as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will heed them. I will say, “You are my people.” And they will say, “The Lord is my God.”


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And I will gather all the Gentiles in battle against Jerusalem, and the city will be captured, and the houses will be ravaged, and the women will be violated. And the central part of the city will go forth into captivity, and the remainder of the people will not be taken away from the city.


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Then the Lord will go forth, and he will fight against those Gentiles, just as when he fought in the day of conflict.


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And his feet will stand firm, in that day, upon the Mount of Olives, which is opposite Jerusalem towards the East. And the mount of Olives will be divided down its center part, towards the East and towards the West, with a very great rupture, and the center of the mountain will be separated towards the North, and its center towards the Meridian.


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And you will flee to the valley of those mountains, because the valley of the mountains will be joined all the way to the next. And you will flee, just as you fled from the face of the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. And the Lord my God will arrive, and all the saints with him.


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And there will be one day, which is known to the Lord, not day and not night. And in the time of the evening, there will be light.


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And this shall be in that day: the living waters will go out from Jerusalem, half of them towards the East sea, and half of them towards the furthest sea. They will be in summer and in winter.


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And the Lord will be King over all the earth. In that day, there will be one Lord, and his name will be one.


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And all the land will return even to the desert, from the hill of Rimmon to the South of Jerusalem. And she will be exalted, and she will dwell in her own place, from the gate of Benjamin even to the place of the former gate, and even to the gate of the corners, and from the tower of Hananel even to the pressing room of the king.


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And this will be the plague by which the Lord will strike all the Gentiles that have fought against Jerusalem. The flesh of each one will waste away while they are standing on their feet, and their eyes will be consumed in their sockets, and their tongue will be consumed in their mouth.


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In that day, there will be a great tumult from the Lord among them. And a man will take the hand of his neighbor, and his hand will be clasped upon the hand of his neighbor.


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And even Judah will fight against Jerusalem. And the riches of all the Gentiles will be gathered together around them: gold, and silver, and more than enough garments.


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And, like the ruin of the horse, and the mule, and the camel, and the donkey, and all the beasts of burden, which will have been in those encampments, so will be this ruination.


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And all those who will be the remnant of all the Gentiles that came against Jerusalem, will go up, from year to year, to adore the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the feast of tabernacles.


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And this shall be: whoever will not go up, from the families of the earth to Jerusalem, so as to adore the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no showers upon them.


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But if even the family of Egypt will go not up, nor approach, neither will it be upon them, but there will be ruin, by which the Lord will strike all the Gentiles, who will not go up to celebrate the feast of tabernacles.


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This will be the sin of Egypt, and this will be the sin of all the Gentiles, who will not go up to celebrate the feast of tabernacles.


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In that day, that which is on the bridle of the horse will be holy to the Lord. And even the cooking pots in the house of the Lord will be like holy vessels before the altar.


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And every cooking pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be sanctified to the Lord of hosts. And all those who make sacrifices will come and take from them, and will cook with them. And the merchant will no longer be in the house of the Lord of hosts, in that day.


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I have loved you, says the Lord, and you have said, “In what way have you loved us?” Was not Esau brother to Jacob, says the Lord? And have I not loved Jacob,


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but held hatred for Esau? And I have set his mountains in solitude, and his inheritance with the serpents of the desert.


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But if Idumea will say, “We have been destroyed, but when we return, we will build up what has been destroyed,” thus says the Lord of hosts: They will build up, and I will destroy. And they will be called “The limits of impiety,” and, “The people with whom the Lord has been angry, even to eternity.”


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The son honors the father, and the servant his master. If, therefore, I am Father, where is my honor? And if I am Master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. And you have said, “In what way, have we despised your name?”


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You offer polluted bread upon my altar, and you say, “In what way, have we polluted you?” In that you say, “The table of the Lord has been despised.”


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If you offer the blind for sacrifice, is this not evil? And if you offer the lame and the sick, is this not evil? Offer it to your leader, if he will be pleased with it, or if he will accept your face, says the Lord of hosts.


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And now, beseech the face of God, so that he may have mercy on you (for by your hand has this been done) if, in any way, he might accept your faces, says the Lord of hosts.


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Who is there among you that would close the doors and enflame my altar without pay? I have no favor in you, says the Lord of hosts. And I will not accept a gift from your hand.


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For, from the rising of the sun even to its setting, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place, a clean oblation is being sacrificed and offered to my name. For my name is great among the Gentiles, says the Lord of hosts.


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And you have polluted it, in that you say, “The table of the Lord has been contaminated; and that which is placed upon it is contemptible, compared with the fire that devours it.”


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And you have said, “Behold our labor,” and you have exhaled it away, says the Lord of hosts. And you brought in by plunder the lame, and the sick, and brought it in as a gift. How can I receive this from your hand, says the Lord?


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Cursed is the deceitful, who holds in his flock a male, and, when making a vow, offers in sacrifice that which is feeble to the Lord. For I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the Gentiles.


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If you will refuse to listen, and if you will refuse to take it to heart, so as to give glory to my name, says the Lord of hosts, I will send destitution upon you, and I will curse your blessings; yes, I will curse them. For you have not taken it to heart.


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Behold, I will cast forth an arm to you, and I will scatter across your face the dung of your solemnities, and it will take you to itself.


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And you will know that I sent you this commandment, so that my covenant might be with Levi, says the Lord of hosts.


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My covenant was with him for life and peace. And I gave him fear, and he feared me, and he was afraid before the face of my name.


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The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and integrity, and he turned away many from iniquity.


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For the lips of the priests will keep knowledge, and they will request the law from his mouth, because he is an angel of the Lord of hosts.


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But you have withdrawn from the way, and you have scandalized very many in the law. You have nullified the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts.


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Because of this, I also have made you contemptible and debased to all the people, just as you have not served my ways, and you have accepted a face in the law.


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Is there not one Father of us all? Did not one God create us? Why, then, does each one of us despise his brother, violating the covenant of our fathers?


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Judah has transgressed, and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has contaminated the sanctified of the Lord, which he loved, and has held the daughter of a strange god.


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The Lord will drive away the man who has done this, both the teacher and the disciple, from the tabernacles of Jacob and from those offering a gift to the Lord of hosts.


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And you have done this repeatedly: you have covered the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and bellowing, to such an extent that I no longer have respect towards the sacrifice, nor do I accept any appeasement that is from your hands.


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And you have said, “What is the reason for this?” It is because the Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, whom you have despised. Yet she was your partner, and the wife of your covenant.


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Did not One make her, and is she not the remainder of his spirit? And what does one seek, except offspring of God? So then, preserve your spirit, and do not despise the wife of your youth.


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If you would hold hatred, dismiss her, says the Lord, the God of Israel. But iniquity will cover his garment, says the Lord of hosts. Preserve your spirit, and do not be willing to despise.


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You have wearied the Lord with your speeches, and you have said, “In what way, have we wearied him?” In that you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and such as these please him,” or certainly, “Where is the God of judgment?”


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Behold, I send my angel, and he will prepare the way before my face. And presently the Sovereign, whom you seek, and the angel of testimony, whom you desire, will arrive at his temple. Behold, he approaches, says the Lord of hosts.


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And who will be able to consider the day of his advent, and who will stand firm in order to see him? For he is like a refining fire, and like the fuller’s herb.


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And he will sit refining and cleansing the silver, and he will purge the sons of Levi, and he will gather them like gold and like silver, and they will offer sacrifices to the Lord in justice.


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And the sacrifice of Judah and of Jerusalem will please the Lord, just as in the days of past generations, and as in the ancient years.


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And I will approach you in judgment, and I will be a swift witness against evil-doers, and adulterers, and perjurers, and those who cheat the hired hand in his wages, the widows and the orphans, and who oppress the traveler, and who have not feared me, says the Lord of hosts.


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For, from the days of your fathers, you have withdrawn from my ordinances and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. And you have said, “In what way, shall we return?”


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If a man will afflict God, then you greatly afflict me. And you have said, “In what way, do we afflict you?” In tithes and in first-fruits.


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Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, and let there be food in my house. And test me about this, says the Lord, as to whether I will not open to you the floodgates of heaven, and pour out to you a blessing, all the way to abundance.


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And I will rebuke for your sakes the devourer, and he will not corrupt the fruit of your land. Neither will the vine in the field be barren, says the Lord of hosts.


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And you have said, “What have we spoken against you?” You have said, “He labors in vain who serves God,” and, “What advantage is it that we have kept his precepts, and that we have walked sorrowfully in the sight of the Lord of hosts?


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Therefore, we now call the arrogant blessed, as if those who work impiety have been built up, and as if they have tempted God and been saved.”


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Then those who fear the Lord spoke, each one with his neighbor. And the Lord paid attention and heeded. And a book of remembrance was written in his sight, for those who fear the Lord and for those who consider his name.


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And they will be my special possession, says the Lord of hosts, on the day that I act. And I will spare them, just as a man spares his son who serves him.


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And you shall be converted, and you will see the difference between the just and the impious, and between those who serve God and those who do not serve him.


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For, behold, the day will arrive, kindled like a furnace, and all the arrogant and all those who act impiously will be stubble. And the approaching day will inflame them, says the Lord of hosts; it will leave behind for them neither root, nor sprout.


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But unto you, who fear my name, the Sun of justice will arise, and health will be in his wings. And you will go forth and leap like the calves of the herd.


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And you will trample the impious, while they will be ashes under the sole of your foot, on the day that I act, says the Lord of hosts.


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Remember the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded him on Horeb for all Israel, the precepts and the judgments.


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Behold, I will send to you Elijah the prophet, before the arrival of the great and terrible day of the Lord.


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And he will turn the heart of the fathers to the sons, and the heart of the sons to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with anathema.


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And Jesse conceived king David. And king David conceived Solomon, by her who had been the wife of Uriah.


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And after the transmigration of Babylon, Jechoniah conceived Shealtiel. And Shealtiel conceived Zerubbabel.


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And so, all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the transmigration of Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the transmigration of Babylon to the Christ, fourteen generations.


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Now the procreation of the Christ occurred in this way. After his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they lived together, she was found to have conceived in her womb by the Holy Spirit.


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Then Joseph, her husband, since he was just and was not willing to hand her over, preferred to send her away secretly.


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But while thinking over these things, behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to accept Mary as your wife. For what has been formed in her is of the Holy Spirit.


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And she shall give birth to a son. And you shall call his name JESUS. For he shall accomplish the salvation of his people from their sins.”


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“Behold, a virgin shall conceive in her womb, and she shall give birth to a son. And they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means: God is with us.”


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Then Joseph, arising from sleep, did just as the Angel of the Lord had instructed him, and he accepted her as his wife.


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And so, when Jesus had been born in Bethlehem of Judah, in the days of king Herod, behold, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem,


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saying: “Where is he who was born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and we have come to adore him.”


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And gathering together all the leaders of the priests, and the scribes of the people, he consulted with them as to where the Christ would be born.


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‘And you, Bethlehem, the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah. For from you shall go forth the ruler who shall guide my people Israel.’ ”


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Then Herod, quietly calling the Magi, diligently learned from them the time when the star appeared to them.


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And sending them into Bethlehem, he said: “Go and diligently ask questions about the boy. And when you have found him, report back to me, so that I, too, may come and adore him.”


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And when they had heard the king, they went away. And behold, the star that they had seen in the east went before them, even until, arriving, it stood still above the place where the child was.


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And entering the home, they found the boy with his mother Mary. And so, falling prostrate, they adored him. And opening their treasures, they offered him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.


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And having received a response in sleep that they should not return to Herod, they went back by another way to their own region.


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And after they had gone away, behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: “Rise up, and take the boy and his mother, and flee into Egypt. And remain there until I tell you. For it will happen that Herod will seek the boy to destroy him.”


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And he remained there, until the death of Herod, in order to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Out of Egypt, I called my son.”


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Then Herod, seeing that he had been fooled by the Magi, was very angry. And so he sent to kill all the boys who were in Bethlehem, and in all its borders, from two years of age and under, according to the time that he had learned by questioning the Magi.


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“A voice has been heard in Ramah, great weeping and wailing: Rachel crying for her sons. And she was not willing to be consoled, because they were no more.”


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Then, when Herod had passed away, behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph in Egypt,


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saying: “Rise up, and take the boy and his mother, and go into the land of Israel. For those who were seeking the life of the boy have passed away.”


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Then, hearing that Archelaus reigned in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in sleep, he withdrew into parts of Galilee.


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And arriving, he lived in a city which is called Nazareth, in order to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “For he shall be called a Nazarene.”


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For this is the one who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, saying: “A voice crying out in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight his paths.”


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Now the same John had a garment made from the hair of camels, and a leather belt around his waist. And his food was locusts and wild honey.


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Then, seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees arriving for his baptism, he said to them: “Progeny of vipers, who warned to you to flee from the approaching wrath?


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And do not choose to say within yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God has the power to raise up sons to Abraham from these stones.


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For even now the axe has been placed at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that does not produce good fruit shall be cut down and cast into the fire.


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Indeed, I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who will come after me is more powerful than me. I am not worthy to carry his shoes. He will baptize you with the fire of the Holy Spirit.


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His winnowing fan is in his hand. And he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. And he will gather his wheat into the barn. But the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”


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And responding, Jesus said to him: “Permit this for now. For in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all justice.” Then he allowed him.


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And Jesus, having been baptized, ascended from the water immediately, and behold, the heavens were opened to him. And he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him.


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And behold, there was a voice from heaven, saying: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”


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And approaching, the tempter said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”


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And in response he said, “It has been written: ‘Not by bread alone shall man live, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”


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and said to him: “If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down. For it has been written: ‘For he has given charge of you to his angels, and they shall take you into their hands, lest perhaps you may hurt your foot against a stone.’ ”


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Again, the devil took him up, onto a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory,


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Then Jesus said to him: “Go away, Satan. For it has been written: ‘You shall adore the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ ”


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And leaving behind the city of Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, near the sea, at the borders of Zebulun and of Naphtali,


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“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way of the sea across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:


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A people who were sitting in darkness have seen a great light. And unto those sitting in the region of the shadow of death, a light has risen.”


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From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say: “Repent. For the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.”


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And Jesus, walking near the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen).


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And continuing on from there, he saw another two brothers, James of Zebedee, and his brother John, in a ship with their father Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them.


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And Jesus traveled throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every infirmity among the people.


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And reports of him went out to all of Syria, and they brought to him all those who had maladies, those who were in the grasp of various sicknesses and torments, and those who were in the hold of demons, and the mentally ill, and paralytics. And he cured them.


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And a great crowd followed him from Galilee, and from the Ten Cities, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from across the Jordan.


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Then, seeing the crowds, he ascended the mountain, and when he had sat down, his disciples drew near to him,


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Blessed are those who endure persecution for the sake of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.


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Blessed are you when they have slandered you, and persecuted you, and spoken all kinds of evil against you, falsely, for my sake:


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be glad and exult, for your reward in heaven is plentiful. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.


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You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its saltiness, with what will it be salted? It is no longer useful at all, except to be cast out and trampled under by men.


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And they do not light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, so that it may shine to all who are in the house.


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So then, let your light shine in the sight of men, so that they may see your good works, and may glorify your Father, who is in heaven.


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Do not think that I have come to loosen the law or the prophets. I have not come to loosen, but to fulfill.


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Amen I say to you, certainly, until heaven and earth pass away, not one iota, not one dot shall pass away from the law, until all is done.


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Therefore, whoever will have loosened one of the least of these commandments, and have taught men so, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever will have done and taught these, such a one shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.


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For I say to you, that unless your justice has surpassed that of the scribes and the Pharisees you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.


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You have heard that it was said to the ancients: ‘You shall not murder; whoever will have murdered shall be liable to judgment.’


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But I say to you, that anyone who becomes angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment. But whoever will have called his brother, ‘Idiot,’ shall be liable to the council. Then, whoever will have called him, ‘Worthless,’ shall be liable to the fires of Hell.


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Therefore, if you offer your gift at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you,


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leave your gift there, before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to your brother, and then you may approach and offer your gift.


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Be reconciled with your adversary quickly, while you are still on the way with him, lest perhaps the adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you will be thrown in prison.


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But I say to you, that anyone who will have looked at a woman, so as to lust after her, has already committed adultery with her in his heart.


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And if your right eye causes you to sin, root it out and cast it away from you. For it is better for you that one of your members perish, than that your whole body be cast into Hell.


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And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it away from you. For it is better for you that one of your members perish, than that your whole body go into Hell.


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But I say to you, that anyone who will have dismissed his wife, except in the case of fornication, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever will have married her who has been dismissed commits adultery.


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Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients: ‘You shall not swear falsely. For you shall repay your oaths to the Lord.’


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Neither shall you swear an oath by your own head, because you are not able to cause one hair to become white or black.


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But I say to you, do not resist one who is evil, but if anyone will have struck you on your right cheek, offer to him the other also.


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And anyone who wishes to contend with you in judgment, and to take away your tunic, release to him your cloak also.


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And whoever will have compelled you for one thousand steps, go with him even for two thousand steps.


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You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and you shall have hatred for your enemy.’


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But I say to you: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. And pray for those who persecute and slander you.


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In this way, you shall be sons of your Father, who is in heaven. He causes his sun to rise upon the good and the bad, and he causes it to rain upon the just and the unjust.


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For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Do not even tax collectors behave this way?


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And if you greet only your brothers, what more have you done? Do not even the pagans behave this way?


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“Pay attention, lest you perform your justice before men, in order to be seen by them; otherwise you shall not have a reward with your Father, who is in heaven.


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Therefore, when you give alms, do not choose to sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the towns, so that they may be honored by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward.


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And when you pray, you should not be like the hypocrites, who love standing in the synagogues and at the corners of the streets to pray, so that they may be seen by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward.


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But you, when you pray, enter into your room, and having shut the door, pray to your Father in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will repay you.


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And when praying, do not choose many words, as the pagans do. For they think that by their excess of words they might be heeded.


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Therefore, do not choose to imitate them. For your Father knows what your needs may be, even before you ask him.


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And when you fast, do not choose to become gloomy, like the hypocrites. For they alter their faces, so that their fasting may be apparent to men. Amen I say to you, that they have received their reward.


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so that your fasting will not be apparent to men, but to your Father, who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will repay you.


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Do not choose to store up for yourselves treasures on earth: where rust and moth consume, and where thieves break in and steal.


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Instead, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven: where neither rust nor moth consumes, and where thieves do not break in and steal.


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The lamp of your body is your eye. If your eye is wholesome, your entire body will be filled with light.


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But if your eye has been corrupted, your entire body will be darkened. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great will that darkness be!


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No one is able to serve two masters. For either he will have hatred for the one, and love the other, or he will persevere with the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.


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And so I say to you, do not be anxious about your life, as to what you will eat, nor about your body, as to what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?


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Consider the birds of the air, how they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of much greater value than they are?


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And as for clothing, why are you anxious? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither work nor weave.


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So if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and cast into the oven tomorrow, how much more will he care for you, O little in faith?


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Therefore, do not choose to be anxious, saying: ‘What shall we eat, and what shall we drink, and with what shall we be clothed?’


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Therefore, seek first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all these things shall be added to you as well.


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Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow; for the future day will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its evil.”


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For with whatever judgment you judge, so shall you be judged; and with whatever measure you measure out, so shall it be measured back to you.


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Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter from your eye,’ while, behold, a board is in your own eye?


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Hypocrite, first remove the board from your own eye, and then you will see clearly enough to remove the board from your brother’s eye.


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Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not cast your pearls before swine, lest perhaps they may trample them under their feet, and then, turning, they may tear you apart.


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For everyone who asks, receives; and whoever seeks, finds; and to anyone who knocks, it will be opened.


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Therefore, if you, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your sons, how much more will your Father, who is in heaven, give good things to those who ask him?


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Therefore, all things whatsoever that you wish that men would do to you, do so also to them. For this is the law and the prophets.


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Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate, and broad is the way, which leads to perdition, and many there are who enter through it.


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How narrow is the gate, and how straight is the way, which leads to life, and few there are who find it!


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Not all who say to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does the will of my Father, who is in heaven, the same shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.


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Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and perform many powerful deeds in your name?’


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And then will I disclose to them: ‘I have never known you. Depart from me, you workers of iniquity.’


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Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and does them shall be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock.


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And the rains descended, and the floods rose up, and the winds blew, and rushed upon that house, but it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.


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And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them shall be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand.


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And the rains descended, and the floods rose up, and the winds blew, and rushed upon that house, and it did fall, and great was its ruin.”


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And it happened, when Jesus had completed these words, that the crowds were astonished at his doctrine.


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And behold, a leper, drawing near, adored him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you are able to cleanse me.”


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And Jesus, extending his hand, touched him, saying: “I am willing. Be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.


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And Jesus said to him: “See to it that you tell no one. But go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses instructed, as a testimony for them.”


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And responding, the centurion said: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed.


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For I, too, am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”


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And, hearing this, Jesus wondered. And he said to those following him: “Amen I say to you, I have not found so great a faith in Israel.


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For I say to you, that many shall come from the east and the west, and they shall sit at table with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.


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But the sons of the kingdom shall be cast into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”


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And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go, and just as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And the servant was healed at that very hour.


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And when evening arrived, they brought to him many who had demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word. And he healed all those having maladies,


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in order to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah, saying, “He took our infirmities, and he carried away our diseases.”


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And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have dens, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to rest his head.”


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And behold, a great tempest occurred in the sea, so much so that the boat was covered with waves; yet truly, he was sleeping.


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And his disciples drew near to him, and they awakened him, saying: “Lord, save us, we are perishing.”


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And Jesus said to them, “Why are you afraid, O little in faith?” Then rising up, he commanded the winds, and the sea. And a great tranquility occurred.


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Moreover, the men wondered, saying: “What kind of man is this? For even the winds and the sea obey him.”


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And when he had arrived across the sea, into the region of the Gerasenes, he was met by two who had demons, who were so exceedingly savage, as they went out from among the tombs, that no one was able to cross by that way.


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And behold, they cried out, saying: “What are we to you, O Jesus, the Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”


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And he said to them, “Go.” And they, going out, went into the swine. And behold, the entire herd suddenly rushed along a steep place into the sea. And they died in the waters.


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Then the shepherds fled, and arriving in the city, they reported on all this, and on those who had had the demons.


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And behold, the entire city went out to meet Jesus. And having seen him, they petitioned him, so that he would cross from their borders.


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And behold, they brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Be strengthened in faith, son; your sins are forgiven you.”


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But, so that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” he then said to the paralytic, “Rise up, take up your bed, and go into your house.”


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And when Jesus passed on from there, he saw, sitting at the tax office, a man named Matthew. And he said to him, “Follow me.” And rising up, he followed him.


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And it happened that, as he was sitting down to eat in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners arrived, and they sat down to eat with Jesus and his disciples.


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And the Pharisees, seeing this, said to his disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”


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But Jesus, hearing this, said: “It is not those who are healthy who are in need of a physician, but those who have maladies.


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So then, go out and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the just, but sinners.”


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Then the disciples of John drew near to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast frequently, but your disciples do not fast?”


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And Jesus said to them: “How can the sons of the groom mourn, while the groom is still with them? But the days will arrive when the groom will be taken away from them. And then they shall fast.


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For no one would sew a patch of new cloth onto an old garment. For it pulls its fullness away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.


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Neither do they pour new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wineskins rupture, and the wine pours out, and the wineskins are destroyed. Instead, they pour new wine into new wineskins. And so, both are preserved.”


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As he was speaking these things to them, behold, a certain ruler approached and adored him, saying: “Lord, my daughter has recently passed away. But come and impose your hand upon her, and she will live.”


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And behold, a woman, who had suffered from a flow of blood for twelve years, approached from behind and touched the hem of his garment.


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But Jesus, turning and seeing her, said: “Be strengthened in faith, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.


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And when Jesus had arrived in the house of the ruler, and he had seen the musicians and the tumultuous crowd,


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And when the crowd had been sent away, he entered. And he took her by the hand. And the girl rose up.


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And as Jesus passed from there, two blind men followed him, crying out and saying, “Take pity on us, Son of David.”


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And when he had arrived at the house, the blind men approached him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you trust that I am able to do this for you?” They say to him, “Certainly, Lord.”


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And after the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds wondered, saying, “Never has anything like this been seen in Israel.”


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And Jesus traveled throughout all of the cities and towns, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every illness and every infirmity.


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Then, seeing the multitudes, he had compassion on them, because they were distressed and were reclining, like sheep without a shepherd.


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And having called together his twelve disciples, he gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to cure every sickness and every infirmity.


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Now the names of the twelve Apostles are these: the First, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother,


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James of Zebedee, and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector, and James of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus,


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Jesus sent these twelve, instructing them, saying: “Do not travel by the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter into the city of the Samaritans,


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Cure the infirm, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You have received freely, so give freely.


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nor provisions for the journey, nor two tunics, nor shoes, nor a staff. For the laborer deserves his portion.


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Now, into whatever city or town you will enter, inquire as to who is worthy within it. And stay there until you depart.


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And if, indeed, that house is worthy, your peace will rest upon it. But if it is not worthy, your peace will return to you.


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And whoever has neither received you, nor listened to your words, departing from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.


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Amen I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.


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Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore, be as prudent as serpents and as simple as doves.


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But beware of men. For they will hand you over to councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues.


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And you shall be led before both rulers and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.


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But when they hand you over, do not choose to think about how or what to speak. For what to speak shall be given to you in that hour.


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And brother will hand over brother to death, and father will hand over son. And children will rise up against parents and bring about their deaths.


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And you will be hated by all for the sake of my name. But whoever will have persevered, even to the end, the same shall be saved.


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Now when they persecute you in one city, flee into another. Amen I say to you, you will not have exhausted all the cities of Israel, before the Son of man returns.


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It is sufficient for the disciple that he be like his teacher, and the servant, like his master. If they have called the Father of the family, ‘Beelzebub,’ how much more those of his household?


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Therefore, do not fear them. For nothing is covered that shall not be revealed, nor hidden that shall not be known.


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What I tell you in darkness, speak in the light. And what you hear whispered in the ear, preach above the rooftops.


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And do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. But instead fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell.


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Are not two sparrows sold for one small coin? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father.


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Therefore, everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father, who is in heaven.


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For I came to divide a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.


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Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever loves son or daughter above me is not worthy of me.


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Whoever finds his life, will lose it. And whoever will have lost his life because of me, shall find it.


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Whoever receives a prophet, in the name of a prophet, shall receive the reward of a prophet. And whoever receives the just in the name of the just shall receive the reward of the just.


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And whoever shall give, even to one of the least of these, a cup of cold water to drink, solely in the name of a disciple: Amen I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”


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And it happened that, when Jesus had completed instructing his twelve disciples, he went away from there in order to teach and to preach in their cities.


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Now when John had heard, in prison, about the works of Christ, sending two of his disciples, he said to him,


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The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, the poor are evangelized.


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Then, after they departed, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed shaken by the wind?


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So what did you go out to see? A man in soft garments? Behold, those who are clothed in soft garments are in the houses of kings.


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For this is he, of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send my Angel before your face, who shall prepare your way before you.’


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Amen I say to you, among those born of women, there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.


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But from the days of John the Baptist, even until now, the kingdom of heaven has endured violence, and the violent carry it away.


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who, calling out to their companions, say: ‘We played music for you, and you did not dance. We lamented, and you did not mourn.’


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The Son of man came eating and drinking; and they say, ‘Behold, a man who eats voraciously and who drinks wine, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is justified by her sons.”


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Then he began to rebuke the cities in which many of his miracles were accomplished, for they still had not repented.


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“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in haircloth and ashes.


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And you, Capernaum, would you be exalted all the way to heaven? You shall descend all the way to Hell. For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Sodom, perhaps it would have remained, even to this day.


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Yet truly, I say to you, that the land of Sodom shall be forgiven more than you, on the day of judgment.”


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At that time, Jesus responded and said: “I acknowledge you, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the prudent, and have revealed them to little ones.


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All things have been delivered to me by my Father. And no one knows the Son except the Father, nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and those to whom the Son is willing to reveal him.


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Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.


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At that time, Jesus went out through the ripe grain on the Sabbath. And his disciples, being hungry, began to separate the grain and to eat.


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Then the Pharisees, seeing this, said to him, “Behold, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbaths.”


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But he said to them: “Have you not read what David did, when he was hungry, and those who were with him:


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how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?


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Or have you not read in the law, that on the Sabbaths the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath, and they are without guilt?


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And if you knew what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would never have condemned the innocent.


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And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand, and they questioned him, so that they might accuse him, saying, “Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbaths?”


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But he said to them: “Who is there among you, having even one sheep, if it will have fallen into a pit on the Sabbath, would not take hold of it and lift it up?


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Then he said to the man, “Extend your hand.” And he extended it, and it was restored to health, just like the other one.


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“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased. I will place my Spirit over him, and he shall announce judgment to the nations.


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He shall not crush the bruised reed, and he shall not extinguish the smoking wick, until he sends forth judgment unto victory.


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Then one who had a demon, who was blind and mute, was brought to him. And he cured him, so that he spoke and saw.


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But the Pharisees, hearing it, said, “This man does not cast out demons, except by Beelzebub, the prince of the demons.”


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But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself will become desolate. And every city or house divided against itself will not stand.


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And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your own sons cast them out? Therefore, they shall be your judges.


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Or how can anyone enter into the house of a strong man, and plunder his belongings, unless he first restrains the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.


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For this reason, I say to you: Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.


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And anyone who will have spoken a word against the Son of man shall be forgiven. But whoever will have spoken against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven, neither in this age, nor in the future age.


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Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree evil and its fruit evil. For certainly a tree is known by its fruit.


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Progeny of vipers, how are you able to speak good things while you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.


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A good man offers good things from a good storehouse. And an evil man offers evil things from an evil storehouse.


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But I say to you, that for every idle word which men will have spoken, they shall render an account in the day of judgment.


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Then certain ones from the scribes and the Pharisees responded to him, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”


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And answering, he said to them: “An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign. But a sign will not be given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.


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For just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, so shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.


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The men of Nineveh shall arise in judgment with this generation, and they shall condemn it. For, at the preaching of Jonah, they repented. And behold, there is a greater than Jonah here.


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The Queen of the South shall arise in judgment with this generation, and she shall condemn it. For she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And behold, there is a greater than Solomon here.


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Now when an unclean spirit departs from a man, he walks through dry places, seeking rest, and he does not find it.


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Then he says, ‘I will return to my house, from which I departed’. And arriving, he finds it vacant, swept clean, and decorated.


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Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and live there. And in the end, the man becomes worse than he was at first. So, too, shall it be with this most wicked generation.”


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While he was still speaking to the crowds, behold, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak with him.


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But responding to the one speaking to him, he said, “Which one is my mother, and who are my brothers?”


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For anyone who does the will of my Father, who is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.”


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And such great crowds were gathered to him that he climbed into a boat and he sat down. And the entire multitude stood on the shore.


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Then others fell in a rocky place, where they did not have much soil. And they sprung up promptly, because they had no depth of soil.


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Yet some others fell upon good soil, and they produced fruit: some one hundred fold, some sixty fold, some thirty fold.


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Responding, he said to them: “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but it has not been given to them.


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For whoever has, it shall be given to him, and he shall have in abundance. But whoever has not, even what he has shall be taken away from him.


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For this reason, I speak to them in parables: because seeing, they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.


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And so, in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, who said, ‘Hearing, you shall hear, but not understand; and seeing, you shall see, but not perceive.


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For the heart of this people has grown fat, and with their ears they hear heavily, and they have closed their eyes, lest at any time they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and then I would heal them.’


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Amen I say to you, certainly, that many of the prophets and the just desired to see what you see, and yet they did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and yet they did not hear it.


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With anyone who hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, evil comes and carries away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received the seed by the side of the road.


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Then whoever has received the seed upon a rocky place, this is one who hears the word and promptly accepts it with joy.


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But he has no root in himself, so it is only for a time; then, when tribulation and persecution occur because of the word, he promptly stumbles.


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And whoever has received the seed among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the falseness of riches suffocate the word, and he is effectively without fruit.


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Yet truly, whoever has received the seed into good soil, this is he who hears the word, and understands it, and so he bears fruit, and he produces: some a hundred fold, and another sixty fold, and another thirty fold.”


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He proposed another parable to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.


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So the servants of the Father of the family, approaching, said to him: ‘Lord, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then how is it that it has weeds?’


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And he said to them, ‘A man who is an enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Is it your will that we should go and gather them up?’


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And he said: ‘No, lest perhaps in gathering the weeds, you might also root out the wheat together with it.


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Permit both to grow until the harvest, and at the time of the harvest, I will say to the reapers: Gather first the weeds, and bind them into bundles to burn, but the wheat gather into my storehouse.’ ”


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He proposed another parable to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field.


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It is, indeed, the least of all seeds, but when it has grown, it is greater than all the plants, and it becomes a tree, so much so that the birds of the air come and dwell in its branches.”


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He spoke another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of fine wheat flour, until it was entirely leavened.”


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All these things Jesus spoke in parables to the crowds. And he did not speak to them apart from parables,


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in order to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet, saying: “I will open my mouth in parables. I will proclaim what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.”


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Then, dismissing the crowds, he went into the house. And his disciples drew near to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”


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Now the field is the world. And the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom. But the weeds are the sons of wickedness.


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So the enemy who sowed them is the devil. And truly, the harvest is the consummation of the age; while the reapers are the Angels.


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Therefore, just as weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the consummation of the age.


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The Son of man shall send out his Angels, and they shall gather from his kingdom all who lead astray and those who work iniquity.


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And he shall cast them into the furnace of fire, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.


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Then the just ones shall shine like the sun, in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.


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The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man finds it, he hides it, and, because of his joy, he goes and sells everything that he has, and he buys that field.


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Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net cast into the sea, which gathers together all kinds of fish.


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When it has been filled, drawing it out and sitting beside the shore, they selected the good into vessels, but the bad they threw away.


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So shall it be at the consummation of the age. The Angels shall go forth and separate the bad from the midst of the just.


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And they shall cast them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.


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He said to them, “Therefore, every scribe well-taught about the kingdom of heaven, is like a man, the father of a family, who offers from his storehouse both the new and the old.”


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And arriving in his own country, he taught them in their synagogues, so much so that they wondered and said: “How can such wisdom and power be with this one?


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Is this not the son of a workman? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brothers, James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Jude?


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And his sisters, are they not all with us? Therefore, from where has this one obtained all these things?”


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And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country and in his own house.”


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And he said to his servants: “This is John the Baptist. He has risen from the dead, and that is why miracles are at work in him.”


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For Herod had apprehended John, and bound him, and put him in prison, because of Herodias, the wife of his brother.


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But, having been advised by her mother, she said, “Give me here, on a platter, the head of John the Baptist.”


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And the king was greatly saddened. But because of his oath, and because of those who sat at table with him, he ordered it to be given.


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And his head was brought on a platter, and it was given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.


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And his disciples approached and took the body, and they buried it. And arriving, they reported it to Jesus.


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When Jesus had heard it, he withdrew from there by boat, to a deserted place by himself. And when the crowds had heard of it, they followed him on foot from the cities.


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And when evening had arrived, his disciples approached him, saying: “This is a deserted place, and the hour has now passed. Dismiss the crowds, so that, by going into the towns, they may buy food for themselves.”


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And when he had ordered the multitude to sit down upon the grass, he took the five loaves and the two fish, and gazing up to heaven, he blessed and broke and gave the bread to the disciples, and then the disciples to the multitudes.


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And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up the remnants: twelve baskets full of fragments.


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And Jesus promptly compelled his disciples to climb into the boat, and to precede him in crossing the sea, while he dismissed the crowds.


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And having dismissed the multitude, he ascended alone onto a mountain to pray. And when evening arrived, he was alone there.


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But in the midst of the sea, the boat was being tossed about by the waves. For the wind was against them.


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And seeing him walking upon the sea, they were disturbed, saying: “It must be an apparition.” And they cried out, because of fear.


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And he said, “Come.” And Peter, descending from the boat, walked over the water, so as to go to Jesus.


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Yet truly, seeing that the wind was strong, he was afraid. And as he began to sink, he cried out, saying: “Lord, save me.”


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And immediately Jesus extended his hand and took hold of him. And he said to him, “O little in faith, why did you doubt?”


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And when the men of that place had recognized him, they sent into all that region, and they brought to him all who had maladies.


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And they petitioned him, so that they might touch even the hem of his garment. And as many as touched it were made whole.


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“Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”


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But responding, he said to them: “And why do you transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said:


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But you say: ‘If anyone will have said to father or mother, “It is dedicated, so that whatever is from me will benefit you,”


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then he shall not honor his father or his mother.’ So have you nullified the commandment of God, for the sake of your tradition.


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A man is not defiled by what enters into the mouth, but by what proceeds from the mouth. This is what defiles a man.”


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Then his disciples drew near and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees, upon hearing this word, were offended?”


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But in response he said: “Every plant which has not been planted by my heavenly Father shall be uprooted.


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Leave them alone. They are blind, and they lead the blind. But if the blind are in charge of the blind, both will fall into the pit.”


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Do you not understand that everything that enters into the mouth goes into the gut, and is cast into the sewer?


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But what proceeds from the mouth, goes forth from the heart, and those are the things that defile a man.


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For from the heart go out evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies.


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And behold, a woman of Canaan, going out from those parts, cried out, saying to him: “Take pity on me, Lord, Son of David. My daughter is badly afflicted by a demon.”


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He did not say a word to her. And his disciples, drawing near, petitioned him, saying: “Dismiss her, for she is crying out after us.”


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And responding, he said, “I was not sent except to the sheep who have fallen away from the house of Israel.”


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And responding, he said, “It is not good to take the bread of the children and cast it to the dogs.”


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But she said, “Yes, Lord, but the young dogs also eat from the crumbs that fall from the table of their masters.”


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Then Jesus, responding, said to her: “O woman, great is your faith. Let it be done for you just as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.


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And when Jesus had passed from there, he arrived beside the sea of Galilee. And ascending onto a mountain, he sat down there.


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And great multitudes came to him, having with them the mute, the blind, the lame, the disabled, and many others. And they cast them down at his feet, and he cured them,


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so much so that the crowds wondered, seeing the mute speaking, the lame walking, the blind seeing. And they magnified the God of Israel.


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And Jesus, calling together his disciples, said: “I have compassion on the crowds, because they have persevered with me now for three days, and they do not have anything to eat. And I am not willing to dismiss them, fasting, lest they faint along the way.”


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And the disciples said to him: “From where, then, in the desert, would we obtain enough bread to satisfy so a great multitude?”


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And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves of bread do you have?” But they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.”


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And taking the seven loaves and the fish, and giving thanks, he broke and gave to his disciples, and the disciples gave to the people.


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And they all ate and were satisfied. And, from what was left over of the fragments, they took up seven full baskets.


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And having dismissed the crowd, he climbed into a boat. And he went into the coastal region of Magadan.


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And Pharisees and Sadducees approached him to test him, and they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.


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But he responded by saying to them: “When evening arrives, you say, ‘It will be calm, for the sky is red,’


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and in the morning, ‘Today there will be a storm, for the sky is red and gloomy.’ So then, you know how to judge the appearance of the sky, but you are unable to know the signs of the times?


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An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign. And a sign shall not be given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And leaving them behind, he went away.


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Then Jesus, knowing this, said: “Why do you consider within yourselves, O little in faith, that it is because you have no bread?


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Do you not yet understand, nor remember, the five loaves among the five thousand men, and how many containers you took up?


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Why do you not understand that it was not because of bread that I said to you: Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees?”


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Then they understood that he was not saying that they should beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.


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Then Jesus went into parts of Caesarea Philippi. And he questioned his disciples, saying, “Who do men say that the Son of man is?”


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And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, and others say Elijah, still others say Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”


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And in response, Jesus said to him: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father, who is in heaven.


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And I say to you, that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.


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And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound, even in heaven. And whatever you shall release on earth shall be released, even in heaven.”


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From that time, Jesus began to reveal to his disciples that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and to suffer much from the elders and the scribes and the leaders of the priests, and to be killed, and to rise again on the third day.


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And Peter, taking him aside, began to rebuke him, saying, “Lord, may it be far from you; this shall not happen to you.”


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And turning away, Jesus said to Peter: “Get behind me, Satan; you are an obstacle to me. For you are not behaving according to what is of God, but according to what is of men.”


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Then Jesus said to his disciples: “If anyone is willing to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.


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For whoever would save his life, will lose it. But whoever will have lost his life for my sake, shall find it.


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For how does it benefit a man, if he gains the whole world, yet truly suffers damage to his soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?


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For the Son of man will arrive in the glory of his Father, with his Angels. And then he will repay each one according to his works.


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Amen I say to you, there are some among those standing here, who shall not taste death, until they see the Son of man arriving in his reign.”


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And after six days, Jesus took Peter and James and his brother John, and he led them onto a lofty mountain separately.


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And he was transfigured before them. And his face shined brightly like the sun. And his garments were made white like snow.


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And Peter responded by saying to Jesus: “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you are willing, let us make three tabernacles here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”


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And while he was still speaking, behold, a shining cloud overshadowed them. And behold, there was a voice from the cloud, saying: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.”


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And as they were descending from the mountain, Jesus instructed them, saying, “Tell no one about the vision, until the Son of man has risen from the dead.”


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And his disciples questioned him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that it is necessary for Elijah to arrive first?”


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But I say to you, that Elijah has already arrived, and they did not recognize him, but they did whatever they wanted to him. So also shall the Son of man suffer from them.”


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And when he had arrived at the multitude, a man approached him, falling to his knees before him, saying: “Lord, take pity on my son, for he is an epileptic, and he suffers harm. For he frequently falls into fire, and often also into water.


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Then Jesus responded by saying: “What an unbelieving and perverse generation! How long shall I be with you? How long shall I endure you? Bring him here to me.”


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Jesus said to them: “Because of your unbelief. Amen I say to you, certainly, if you will have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it shall move. And nothing will be impossible for you.


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And when they were conversing together in Galilee, Jesus said to them: “The Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men.


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And when they had arrived at Capernaum, those who collected the half shekel approached Peter, and they said to him, “Doesn’t your Teacher pay the half shekel?”


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He said, “Yes.” And when he had entered into the house, Jesus went before him, saying: “How does it seem to you, Simon? The kings of the earth, from whom do they receive tribute or the census tax: from their own sons or from foreigners?”


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But so that we may not become an obstacle to them: go to the sea, and cast in a hook, and take the first fish that is brought up, and when you have opened its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take it and give it to them, for me and for you.”


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In that hour, the disciples drew near to Jesus, saying, “Whom do you consider to be greater in the kingdom of heaven?”


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And he said: “Amen I say to you, unless you change and become like little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.


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Therefore, whoever will have humbled himself like this little child, such a one is greater in the kingdom of heaven.


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But whoever will have led astray one of these little ones, who trust in me, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck, and to be submerged in the depths of the sea.


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Woe to a world that leads people astray! Although it is necessary for temptations to arise, nevertheless: Woe to that man through whom temptation arises!


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So if your hand or your foot leads you to sin, cut it off and cast it away from you. It is better for you to enter into life disabled or lame, than to be sent into eternal fire having two hands or two feet.


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And if your eye leads you to sin, root it out and cast it away from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, than to be sent into the fires of Hell having two eyes.


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See to it that you do not despise even one of these little ones. For I say to you, that their Angels in heaven continually look upon the face of my Father, who is in heaven.


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How does it seem to you? If someone has one hundred sheep, and if one of them has gone astray, should he not leave behind the ninety-nine in the mountains, and go out to seek what has gone astray?


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And if he should happen to find it: Amen I say to you, that he has more joy over that one, than over the ninety-nine which did not go astray.


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Even so, it is not the will before your Father, who is in heaven, that one of these little ones should be lost.


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But if your brother has sinned against you, go and correct him, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you will have regained your brother.


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But if he will not listen you, invite with you one or two more, so that every word may stand by the mouth of two or three witnesses.


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And if he will not listen to them, tell the Church. But if he will not listen to the Church, let him be to you like the pagan and the tax collector.


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Amen I say to you, whatever you will have bound on earth, shall be bound also in heaven, and whatever you will have released on earth, shall be released also in heaven.


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Again I say to you, that if two of those among you have agreed on earth, about anything whatsoever that they have requested, it shall be done for them by my Father, who is in heaven.


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Then Peter, drawing near to him, said: “Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Even seven times?”


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Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is compared to a man who was king, who wanted to take account of his servants.


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But since he did not have any way to repay it, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children, and all that he had, in order to repay it.


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But that servant, falling prostrate, begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay it all to you.’


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But when that servant departed, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred denarius. And taking hold of him, he choked him, saying: ‘Repay what you owe.’


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And his fellow servant, falling prostrate, petitioned him, saying: ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay it all to you.’


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But he was not willing. Instead, he went out and had him sent to prison, until he would repay the debt.


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Now his fellow servants, seeing what was done, were greatly saddened, and they went and reported to their lord all that was done.


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Then his lord called him, and he said to him: ‘You wicked servant, I forgave you all your debt, because you pleaded with me.


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Therefore, should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I also had compassion on you?’


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So, too, shall my heavenly Father do to you, if each one of you will not forgive his brother from your hearts.”


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And it happened that, when Jesus had completed these words, he moved away from Galilee, and he arrived within the borders of Judea, across the Jordan.


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And the Pharisees approached him, testing him, and saying, “Is it lawful for a man to separate from his wife, no matter what the cause?”


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And he said to them in response, “Have you not read that he who made man from the beginning, made them male and female?” And he said:


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“For this reason, a man shall separate from father and mother, and he shall cling to his wife, and these two shall become one flesh.


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And so, now they are not two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no man separate.”


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He said to them: “Although Moses permitted you to separate from your wives, due to the hardness of your heart, it was not that way from the beginning.


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And I say to you, that whoever will have separated from his wife, except because of fornication, and who will have married another, commits adultery, and whoever will have married her who has been separated, commits adultery.”


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His disciples said to him, “If such is the case for a man with a wife, then it is not expedient to marry.”


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And he said to them: “Not everyone is able to grasp this word, but only those to whom it has been given.


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For there are chaste persons who were born so from their mother’s womb, and there are chaste persons who have been made so by men, and there are chaste persons who have made themselves chaste for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever is able to grasp this, let him grasp it.”


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Then they brought to him little children, so that he would place his hands upon them and pray. But the disciples rebuked them.


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Yet truly, Jesus said to them: “Allow the little children to come to me, and do not choose to prohibit them. For the kingdom of heaven is among such as these.”


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And behold, someone approached and said to him, “Good Teacher, what good should I do, so that I may have eternal life?”


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And he said to him: “Why do you question me about what is good? One is good: God. But if you wish to enter into life, observe the commandments.”


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He said to him, “Which?” And Jesus said: “You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony.


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Jesus said to him: “If you are willing to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and then you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me.”


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Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, I say to you, that the wealthy shall enter with difficulty into the kingdom of heaven.


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And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for the wealthy to enter into the kingdom of heaven.”


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But Jesus, gazing at them, said to them: “With men, this is impossible. But with God, all things are possible.”


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Then Peter responded by saying to him: “Behold, we have left behind all things, and we have followed you. So then, what will be for us?”


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And Jesus said to them: “Amen I say to you, that at the resurrection, when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of his majesty, those of you who have followed me shall also sit on twelve seats, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.


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And anyone who has left behind home, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or land, for the sake of my name, shall receive one hundred times more, and shall possess eternal life.


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“The kingdom of heaven is like the father of a family who went out in early morning to lead workers into his vineyard.


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Then, having made an agreement with the workers for one denarius per day, he sent them into his vineyard.


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So they went forth. But again, he went out about the sixth, and about the ninth hour, and he acted similarly.


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Yet truly, about the eleventh hour, he went out and found others standing, and he said to them, ‘Why have you stood here idle all day?’


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They say to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also may go into my vineyard.’


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And when evening had arrived, the lord of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last, even to the first.’


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And so, when those who had arrived about the eleventh hour came forward, each received a single denarius.


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Then when the first ones also came forward, they considered that they would receive more. But they, too, received one denarius.


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saying, ‘These last have worked for one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who worked bearing the weight and heat of the day.’


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But responding to one of them, he said: ‘Friend, I caused you no injury. Did you not agree with me to one denarius?


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So then, the last shall be first, and the first shall be last. For many are called, but few are chosen.”


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“Behold, we are ascending to Jerusalem, and the Son of man shall be handed over to the leaders of the priests and to the scribes. And they shall condemn him to death.


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And they shall hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified. And on the third day, he shall rise again.”


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Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached him, with her sons, adoring him, and petitioning something from him.


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And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Declare that these, my two sons, may sit, one at your right hand, and the other at your left, in your kingdom.”


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But Jesus, responding, said: “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink from the chalice, from which I will drink?” They said to him, “We are able.”


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He said to them: “From my chalice, indeed, you shall drink. But to sit at my right or my left is not mine to give to you, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”


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But Jesus called them to himself and said: “You know that the first ones among the Gentiles are their rulers, and that those who are greater exercise power among them.


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It shall not be this way among you. But whoever will want to be greater among you, let him be your minister.


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even as the Son of man has not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a redemption for many.”


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And behold, two blind men, sitting by the way, heard that Jesus was passing by; and they cried out, saying, “Lord, Son of David, take pity on us.”


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But the crowd rebuked them to be quiet. But they cried out all the more, saying, “Lord, Son of David, take pity on us.”


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Then Jesus, taking pity on them, touched their eyes. And immediately they saw, and they followed him.


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And when they had drawn near to Jerusalem, and had arrived at Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,


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saying to them: “Go into the town that is opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Release them, and lead them to me.


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And if anyone will have said anything to you, say that the Lord has need of them. And he will promptly dismiss them.”


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“Tell the daughter of Zion: Behold, your king comes to you meekly, sitting on a donkey and on a colt, the son of one accustomed to the yoke.”


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And they brought the donkey and the colt, and they laid their garments on them, and they helped him sit upon them.


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Then a very numerous crowd spread their garments on the way. But others cut branches from the trees and scattered them on the way.


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And the crowds that preceded him, and those that followed, cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!”


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And Jesus entered into the temple of God, and he cast out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of the vendors of doves.


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And he said to them: “It is written: ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer. But you have made it into a den of robbers.’ ”


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Then the leaders of the priests and the scribes became indignant, seeing the miracles that he wrought, and the children crying out in the temple, saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”


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And they said to him, “Do you hear what these ones are saying?” But Jesus said to them, “Certainly. Have you never read: For out of the mouth of babes and infants, you have perfected praise?”


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And seeing a certain fig tree beside the way, he approached it. And he found nothing on it, except only leaves. And he said to it, “May fruit never spring forth from you, for all time.” And immediately the fig tree was dried up.


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And Jesus responded to them by saying: “Amen I say to you, if you have faith and do not hesitate, not only shall you do this, concerning the fig tree, but even if you would say to this mountain, ‘Take and cast yourself into the sea,’ it shall be done.


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And when he had arrived at the temple, as he was teaching, the leaders of the priests and the elders of the people approached him, saying: “By what authority do you do these things? And who has given this authority to you?”


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In response, Jesus said to them: “I also will question you with one word: if you tell me this, I also will tell you by what authority I do these things.


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The baptism of John, where was it from? Was it from heaven, or from men?” But they thought within themselves, saying:


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“If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we have the crowd to fear, for they all hold John to be a prophet.”


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And so, they answered Jesus by saying, “We do not know.” So he also said to them: “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.


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But how does it seem to you? A certain man had two sons. And approaching the first, he said: ‘Son, go out today to work in my vineyard.’


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And approaching the other, he spoke similarly. And answering, he said, ‘I am going, lord.’ And he did not go.


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Which of the two did the will of the father?” They said to him, “The first.” Jesus said to them: “Amen I say to you, that tax collectors and prostitutes shall precede you, into the kingdom of God.


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For John came to you in the way of justice, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. Yet even after seeing this, you did not repent, so as to believe him.


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Listen to another parable. There was a man, the father of a family, who planted a vineyard, and surrounded it with a hedge, and dug a press in it, and built a tower. And he loaned it out to farmers, and he set out to sojourn abroad.


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Then, when the time of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the farmers, so that they might receive its fruits.


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And the farmers apprehended his servants; they struck one, and killed another, and stoned yet another.


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But the farmers, seeing the son, said among themselves: ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and then we will have his inheritance.’


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They said to him, “He will bring those evil men to an evil end, and he will loan out his vineyard to other farmers, who shall repay to him the fruit in its time.”


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Jesus said to them: “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders have rejected has become the cornerstone. By the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?’


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Therefore, I say to you, that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and it shall be given to a people who shall produce its fruits.


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And whoever will have fallen on this stone shall be broken, yet truly, on whomever it shall fall, it will crush him.”


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And when the leaders of the priests, and the Pharisees had heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them.


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And though they sought to take hold of him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.


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And he sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding. But they were not willing to come.


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Again, he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell the invited: Behold, I have prepared my meal. My bulls and fatlings have been killed, and all is ready. Come to the wedding.’


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But when the king heard this, he was angry. And sending out his armies, he destroyed those murderers, and he burned their city.


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Then he said to his servants: ‘The wedding, indeed, has been prepared. But those who were invited were not worthy.


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And his servants, departing into the ways, gathered all those whom they found, bad and good, and the wedding was filled with guests.


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Then the king entered to see the guests. And he saw a man there who was not clothed in a wedding garment.


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And he said to him, ‘Friend, how is it that you have entered here without having a wedding garment?’ But he was dumbstruck.


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Then the king said to the ministers: ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.


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And they sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying: “Teacher, we know that you are truthful, and that you teach the way of God in truth, and that the influence of others is nothing to you. For you do not consider the reputation of men.


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They said to him, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Then render to Caesar what is of Caesar; and to God what is of God.”


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In that day, the Sadducees, who say there is to be no resurrection, approached him. And they questioned him,


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saying: “Teacher, Moses said: If anyone will have died, having no son, his brother shall marry his wife, and he shall raise up offspring to his brother.


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Now there were seven brothers with us. And the first, having taken a wife, died. And having no offspring, he left his wife to his brother:


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But Jesus responded to them by saying: “You have gone astray by knowing neither the Scriptures, nor the power of God.


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For in the resurrection, they shall neither marry, nor be given in marriage. Instead, they shall be like the Angels of God in heaven.


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But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken by God, saying to you:


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‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?’ He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”


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Jesus said to him: “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God from all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind.’


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And no one was able to respond to him a word. And neither did anyone dare, from that day forward, to question him.


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Therefore, all things whatsoever that they shall say to you, observe and do. Yet truly, do not choose to act according to their works. For they say, but they do not do.


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For they bind up heavy and unbearable burdens, and they impose them on men’s shoulders. But they are not willing to move them with even a finger of their own.


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Truly, they do all their works so that they may be seen by men. For they enlarge their phylacteries and glorify their hems.


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But whoever has exalted himself, shall be humbled. And whoever has humbled himself, shall be exalted.


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So then: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you close the kingdom of heaven before men. For you yourselves do not enter, and those who are entering, you would not permit to enter.


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Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you consume the houses of widows, praying long prayers. Because of this, you shall receive the greater judgment.


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Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you travel around by sea and by land, in order to make one convert. And when he has been converted, you make him twice the son of Hell that you are yourselves.


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Woe to you, blind guides, who say: ‘Whoever will have sworn by the temple, it is nothing. But whoever will have sworn by the gold of the temple is obligated.’


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And you say: ‘Whoever will have sworn by the altar, it is nothing. But whoever will have sworn by the gift that is on the altar is obligated.’


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Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you collect tithes on mint and dill and cumin, but you have abandoned the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, while not omitting the others.


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Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you clean what is outside the cup and the dish, but on the inside you are full of avarice and impurity.


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You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the dish, and then what is outside becomes clean.


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Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed sepulchers, which outwardly appear brilliant to men, yet truly, inside, they are filled with the bones of the dead and with all filth.


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So also, you certainly appear to men outwardly to be just. But inwardly you are filled with hypocrisy and iniquity.


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Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites, who build the sepulchers of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the just.


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And then you say, ‘If we had been there in the days of our fathers, we would not have joined with them in the blood of the prophets.’


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And so you are witnesses against yourselves, that you are the sons of those who killed the prophets.


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For this reason, behold, I send to you prophets and wisemen, and scribes. And some of these you will put to death and crucify; and some you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,


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so that upon you may fall all the blood of the just, which has been shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the just, even to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the temple and the altar.


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Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone those who have been sent to you. How often I have wanted to gather your children together, in the way that a hen gathers her young under her wings. But you were not willing!


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For I say to you, you shall not see me again, until you say: ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”


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And Jesus departed from the temple and went away. And his disciples approached him, so as to show him the buildings of the temple.


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But he said to them in response: “Do you see all these things? Amen I say to you, there shall not remain here stone upon stone, which is not torn down.”


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Then, when he was seated at the Mount of Olives, the disciples drew near to him privately, saying: “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of your advent and of the consummation of the age?”


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For you will hear of battles and rumors of battles. Take care not to be disturbed. For these things must be, but the end is not so soon.


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For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be pestilences, and famines, and earthquakes in places.


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Then they will hand you over to tribulation, and they will kill you. And you will be hated by all nations for the sake of my name.


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And then many will be led into sin, and will betray one another, and will have hatred for one another.


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And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached throughout the entire world, as a testimony to all nations. And then the consummation will occur.


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Therefore, when you will have seen the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place, may he who reads understand,


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For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until the present, and such as will not be.


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And unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days shall be shortened.


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Then if anyone will have said to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘he is there,’ do not be willing to believe it.


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For there will arise false Christs and false prophets. And they will produce great signs and wonders, so much so as to lead into error even the elect (if this could be).


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Therefore, if they will have said to you, ‘Behold, he is in the desert,’ do not choose to go out, or, ‘Behold, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not be willing to believe it.


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For just as lightning goes out from the east, and appears even in the west, so shall it be also at the advent of the Son of man.


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And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.


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And then the sign of the Son of man shall appear in heaven. And then all tribes of the earth shall mourn. And they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven, with great power and majesty.


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And he shall send out his Angels with a trumpet and a great voice. And they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the heights of the heavens, even to their furthest limits.


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So, from the fig tree learn a parable. When its branch has now become tender and the leaves have sprung forth, you know that summer is near.


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But concerning that day and hour, no one knows, not even the Angels of the heavens, but only the Father.


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For it will be just as it was in the days before the flood: eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, even until that day when Noah entered into the ark.


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And they did not realize it, until the flood came and took them all away. So also will the advent of the Son of man be.


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But know this: if only the father of the family knew at what hour the thief would arrive, he would certainly keep vigil and not permit his house to be broken into.


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For this reason, you also must be prepared, for you do not know at what hour the Son of man will return.


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Consider this: who is a faithful and prudent servant, who has been appointed by his lord over his family, to give them their portion in due time?


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then the lord of that servant will arrive on a day that he does not expect, and at an hour that he does not know.


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And he shall separate him, and he shall place his portion with the hypocrites, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”


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“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be like ten virgins, who, taking their lamps, went out to meet the groom and the bride.


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But in the middle of the night, a cry went out: ‘Behold, the groom is arriving. Go out to meet him.’


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But the foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give to us from your oil, for our lamps are being extinguished.’


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The prudent responded by saying, ‘Lest perhaps there may not be enough for us and for you, it would be better for you to go to the vendors and buy some for yourselves.’


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But while they were going to buy it, the groom arrived. And those who were prepared entered with him to the wedding, and the door was closed.


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For it is like a man setting out on a long journey, who called his servants and delivered to them his goods.


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And to one he gave five talents, and to another two, yet to another he gave one, to each according to his own ability. And promptly, he set out.


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Then he who had received five talents went out, and he made use of these, and he gained another five.


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Yet truly, after a long time, the lord of those servants returned and he settled accounts with them.


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And when he who had received five talents approached, he brought another five talents, saying: ‘Lord, you delivered five talents to me. Behold, I have increased it by another five.’


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His lord said to him: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Since you have been faithful over a few things, I will appoint you over many things. Enter into the gladness of your lord.’


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Then he who had received two talents also approached, and he said: ‘Lord, you delivered two talents to me. Behold, I have gained another two.’


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Then he who had received one talent, approaching, said: ‘Lord, I know that you are a hard man. You reap where you have not sown, and gather where you have not scattered.


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But his lord said to him in response: ‘You evil and lazy servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered.


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Therefore, you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and then, at my arrival, at least I would have received what is mine with interest.


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For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he shall have in abundance. But from him who has not, even what he seems to have, shall be taken away.


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And cast that useless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’


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But when the Son of man will have arrived in his majesty, and all the Angels with him, then he will sit upon the seat of his majesty.


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And all the nations shall be gathered together before him. And he shall separate them from one another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.


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Then the King shall say to those who will be on his right: ‘Come, you blessed of my Father. Possess the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.


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For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in;


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Then the just will answer him, saying: ‘Lord, when have we see you hungry, and fed you; thirsty, and given you drink?


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And in response, the King shall say to them, ‘Amen I say to you, whenever you did this for one of these, the least of my brothers, you did it for me.’


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Then he shall also say, to those who will be on his left: ‘Depart from me, you accursed ones, into the eternal fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels.


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I was a stranger and you did not take me in; naked, and you did not cover me; sick and in prison, and you did not visit me.’


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Then they will also answer him, saying: ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to you?’


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Then he shall respond to them by saying: ‘Amen I say to you, whenever you did not do it to one of these least, neither did you do it to me.’


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“You know that after two days the Passover will begin, and the Son of man will be handed over to be crucified.”


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Then the leaders of the priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas.


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a woman drew near to him, holding an alabaster box of precious ointment, and she poured it over his head while he was reclining at table.


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But Jesus, knowing this, said to them: “Why are you bothering this woman? For she has done a good deed to me.


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Amen I say to you, wherever this Gospel will be preached in the whole world, what she has done also shall be told, in memory of her.”


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and he said to them, “What are you willing to give me, if I hand him over to you?” So they appointed thirty pieces of silver for him.


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Then, on the first day of Unleavened Bread, the disciples approached Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?”


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So Jesus said, “Go into the city, to a certain one, and say to him: ‘The Teacher said: My time is near. I am observing the Passover with you, along with my disciples.’ ”


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Indeed, the Son of man goes, just as it has been written about him. But woe to that man by whom the Son of man will be betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had not been born.”


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Then Judas, who betrayed him, responded by saying, “Surely, it is not I, Master?” He said to him, “You have said it.”


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Now while they were eating the meal, Jesus took bread, and he blessed and broke and gave it to his disciples, and he said: “Take and eat. This is my body.”


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And taking the chalice, he gave thanks. And he gave it to them, saying: “Drink from this, all of you.


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But I say to you, I will not drink again from this fruit of the vine, until that day when I will drink it new with you in the kingdom of my Father.”


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Then Jesus said to them: “You will all fall away from me in this night. For it has been written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’


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Then Peter responded by saying to him, “Even if everyone else has fallen away from you, I will never fall away.”


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Jesus said to him, “Amen I say to you, that in this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”


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Peter said to him, “Even if it is necessary for me to die with you, I will not deny you.” And all the disciples spoke similarly.


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Then Jesus went with them to a garden, which is called Gethsemani. And he said to his disciples, “Sit down here, while I go there and pray.”


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And continuing on a little further, he fell prostrate on his face, praying and saying: “My Father, if it is possible, let this chalice pass away from me. Yet truly, let it not be as I will, but as you will.”


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And he approached his disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter: “So, were you not able to keep vigil with me for one hour?


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Be vigilant and pray, so that you may not enter into temptation. Indeed, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”


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Again, a second time, he went and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this chalice cannot pass away, unless I drink it, let your will be done.”


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Then he approached his disciples and said to them: “Sleep now and rest. Behold, the hour has drawn near, and the Son of man will be delivered into the hands of sinners.


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While he was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived, and with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, sent from the leaders of the priests and the elders of the people.


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And he who betrayed him gave them a sign, saying: “Whomever I will kiss, it is he. Take hold of him.”


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And Jesus said to him, “Friend, for what purpose have you come?” Then they approached, and they put their hands on Jesus, and they held him.


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And behold, one of those who were with Jesus, extending his hand, drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.


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Then Jesus said to him: “Put your sword back in its place. For all who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.


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Or do you think that I cannot ask my Father, so that he would give me, even now, more than twelve legions of Angels?


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In that same hour, Jesus said to the crowds: “You went out, as if to a robber, with swords and clubs to seize me. Yet I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not take hold of me.


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But all this has happened so that the Scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples fled, abandoning him.


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But those who were holding Jesus led him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had joined together.


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Then Peter followed him from a distance, as far as the court of the high priest. And going inside, he sat down with the servants, so that he might see the end.


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Then the leaders of the priests and the entire council sought false testimony against Jesus, so that they might deliver him to death.


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And they did not find any, even though many false witnesses had come forward. Then, at the very end, two false witnesses came forward,


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and they said, “This man said: ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and, after three days, to rebuild it.’ ”


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And the high priest, rising up, said to him, “Have you nothing to respond to what these ones testify against you?”


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But Jesus was silent. And the high priest said to him, “I bind you by an oath to the living God to tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”


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Jesus said to him: “You have said it. Yet truly I say to you, hereafter you shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of the power of God, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”


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Then the high priest tore his garments, saying: “He has blasphemed. Why do we still need witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy.


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Then they spit in his face, and they struck him with fists. And others struck his face with the palms of their hands,


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Yet truly, Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a maidservant approached him, saying, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.”


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Then, as he exited by the gate, another maidservant saw him. And she said to those who were there, “This man also was with Jesus of Nazareth.”


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And after a little while, those who were standing nearby came and said to Peter: “Truly, you also are one of them. For even your manner of speaking reveals you.”


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Then he began to curse and to swear that he had not known the man. And immediately the rooster crowed.


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And Peter remembered the words of Jesus, which he had said: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And going outside, he wept bitterly.


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Then, when morning arrived, all the leaders of the priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus, so that they might deliver him to death.


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Then Judas, who betrayed him, seeing that he had been condemned, regretting his conduct, brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the leaders of the priests and the elders,


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saying, “I have sinned in betraying just blood.” But they said to him: “What is that to us? See to it yourself.”


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And throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed. And going out, he hanged himself with a snare.


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But the leaders of the priests, having taken up the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the temple offerings, because it is the price of blood.”


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Then, having taken counsel, they bought the potter’s field with it, as a burying place for sojourners.


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For this reason, that field is called Haceldama, that is, ‘The Field of Blood,’ even to this very day.


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Then what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one being appraised, whom they appraised before the sons of Israel,


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Now Jesus stood before the procurator, and the procurator questioned him, saying, “You are the king of the Jews?” Jesus said to him, “You are saying so.”


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Now on the solemn day, the procurator was accustomed to release to the people one prisoner, whomever they wished.


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Therefore, having been gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Who is it that you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called Christ?”


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But as he was sitting in the place for the tribunal, his wife sent to him, saying: “It is nothing to you, and he is just. For I have experienced many things today through a vision for his sake.”


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But the leaders of the priests and the elders persuaded the people, so that they would ask for Barabbas, and so that Jesus would perish.


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Then, in response, the procurator said to them, “Which of the two do you want to be released to you?” But they said to him, “Barabbas.”


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Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do about Jesus, who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified.”


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The procurator said to them, “But what evil has he done?” But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let him be crucified.”


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Then Pilate, seeing that he was able to accomplish nothing, but that a greater tumult was occurring, taking water, washed his hands in the sight of the people, saying: “I am innocent of the blood of this just man. See to it yourselves.”


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Then he released Barabbas to them. But Jesus, having been scourged, he handed over to them, so that he would be crucified.


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Then the soldiers of the procurator, taking Jesus up to the praetorium, gathered the entire cohort around him.


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And plaiting a crown of thorns, they placed it on his head, with a reed in his right hand. And genuflecting before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews.”


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And after they had mocked him, they stripped him of the cloak, and clothed him with his own garments, and they led him away to crucify him.


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But as they were going out, they came upon a man of Cyrene, named Simon, whom they compelled to take up his cross.


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And they gave him wine to drink, mixed with gall. And when he had tasted it, he refused to drink it.


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Then, after they had crucified him, they divided his garments, casting lots, in order to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying: “They divided my garments among them, and over my vestment they cast lots.”


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and saying: “Ah, so you would destroy the temple of God and in three days rebuild it! Save your own self. If you are the Son of God, descend from the cross.”


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“He saved others; he cannot save himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him descend now from the cross, and we will believe in him.


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And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying: “Eli, Eli, lamma sabacthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”


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And one of them, running quickly, took a sponge and filled it with vinegar, and he set it on a reed and he gave it to him to drink.


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And behold, the veil of the temple was torn into two parts, from top to bottom. And the earth was shaken, and the rocks were split apart.


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And going out from the tombs, after his resurrection, they went into the holy city, and they appeared to many.


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Now the centurion and those who were with him, guarding Jesus, having seen the earthquake and the things that were done, were very fearful, saying: “Truly, this was the Son of God.”


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And in that place, there were many women, at a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him.


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Among these were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.


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Then, when evening had arrived, a certain wealthy man from Arimathea, named Joseph, arrived, who himself was also a disciple of Jesus.


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This man approached Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered the body to be released.


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and he placed it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out of a rock. And he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, and he went away.


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Then the next day, which is after the Preparation day, the leaders of the priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate together,


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saying: “Lord, we have remembered that that this seducer said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days, I will rise again.’


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Therefore, order the sepulcher to be guarded until the third day, lest perhaps his disciples may come and steal him, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ And this last error would be worse than the first.”


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Now on the morning of the Sabbath, when it began to grow light on the first Sabbath, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the sepulcher.


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And behold, a great earthquake occurred. For an Angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and as he approached, he rolled back the stone and sat down on it.


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Then the Angel responded by saying to the women: “Do not be afraid. For I know that you are seeking Jesus, who was crucified.


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He is not here. For he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where the Lord was placed.


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And then, go quickly, and tell his disciples that he has risen. And behold, he will precede you to Galilee. There you shall see him. Lo, I have told you beforehand.”


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And they went out of the tomb quickly, with fear and in great joy, running to announce it to his disciples.


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And behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Hail.” But they drew near and took hold of his feet, and they adored him.


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Then Jesus said to them: “Do not be afraid. Go, announce it to my brothers, so that they may go to Galilee. There they shall see me.”


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And when they had departed, behold, some of the guards went into the city, and they reported to the leaders of the priests all that had happened.


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And gathering together with the elders, having taken counsel, they gave an abundant sum of money to the soldiers,


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Then, having accepted the money, they did as they were instructed. And this word has been spread among the Jews, even to this day.


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And Jesus, drawing near, spoke to them, saying: “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.


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Therefore, go forth and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,


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teaching them to observe all that I have ever commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, even to the consummation of the age.”


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As it has been written by the prophet Isaiah: “Behold, I send my Angel before your face, who shall prepare your way before you.


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And there went out to him all the region of Judea and all those of Jerusalem, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.


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And John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist. And he ate locusts and wild honey.


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And he preached, saying: “A stronger one comes after me. I am not worthy to reach down and loosen the laces of his shoes.


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And it happened that, in those days, Jesus arrived from Nazareth of Galilee. And he was baptized by John in the Jordan.


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And immediately, upon ascending from the water, he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit, like a dove, descending, and remaining with him.


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And he was in the desert for forty days and forty nights. And he was tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the Angels ministered to him.


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Then, after John was handed over, Jesus went into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of God,


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and saying: “For the time has been fulfilled and the kingdom of God has drawn near. Repent and believe in the Gospel.”


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And passing by the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew, casting nets into the sea, for they were fishermen.


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And continuing on a little ways from there, he saw James of Zebedee and his brother John, and they were mending their nets in a boat.


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And immediately he called them. And leaving behind their father Zebedee in the boat with his hired hands, they followed him.


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And they entered into Capernaum. And entering into the synagogue promptly on the Sabbaths, he taught them.


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And they were astonished over his doctrine. For he was teaching them as one who has authority, and not like the scribes.


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saying: “What are we to you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.”


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And they were all so amazed that they inquired among themselves, saying: “What is this? And what is this new doctrine? For with authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”


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And soon after departing from the synagogue, they went into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.


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And drawing near to her, he raised her up, taking her by the hand. And immediately the fever left her, and she ministered to them.


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Then, when evening arrived, after the sun had set, they brought to him all who had maladies and those who had demons.


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And he healed many who were troubled with various illnesses. And he cast out many demons, but he would not permit them to speak, because they knew him.


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And he said to them: “Let us go into the neighboring towns and cities, so that I may preach there also. Indeed, it was for this reason that I came.”


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And a leper came to him, begging him. And kneeling down, he said to him, “If you are willing, you are able to cleanse me.”


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Then Jesus, taking pity on him, reached out his hand. And touching him, he said to him: “I am willing. Be cleansed.”


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And he said to him: “See to it that you tell no one. But go and show yourself to the high priest, and offer for your cleansing that which Moses instructed, as a testimony for them.”


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But having departed, he began to preach and to disseminate the word, so that he was no longer able to openly enter a city, but had to remain outside, in deserted places. And they were gathered to him from every direction.


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And it was heard that he was in the house. And so many gathered that there was no room left, not even at the door. And he spoke the word to them.


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And when they were not able to present him to him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was. And opening it, they lowered down the stretcher on which the paralytic was lying.


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At once, Jesus, realizing in his spirit that they were thinking this within themselves, said to them: “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?


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Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up, take up your stretcher, and walk?’


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But so that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” he said to the paralytic:


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And immediately he got up, and lifting up his stretcher, he went away in the sight of them all, so that they all wondered. And they honored God, by saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”


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And as he was passing by, he saw Levi of Alphaeus, sitting at the customs office. And he said to him, “Follow me.” And rising up, he followed him.


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And it happened that, as he sat at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners sat at table together with Jesus and his disciples. For those who followed him were many.


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And the scribes and the Pharisees, seeing that he ate with tax collectors and sinners, said to his disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”


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Jesus, having heard this, said to them: “The healthy have no need of a doctor, but those who have maladies do. For I came not to call the just, but sinners.”


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And the disciples of John, and the Pharisees, were fasting. And they arrived and said to him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”


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And Jesus said to them: “How can the sons of the wedding fast while the groom is still with them? During whatever time they have the groom with them, they are not able to fast.


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But the days will arrive when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they shall fast, in those days.


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No one sews a patch of new cloth onto an old garment. Otherwise, the new addition pulls away from the old, and the tear becomes worse.


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And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the wineskins, and the wine will pour out, and the wineskins will be lost. Instead, new wine must be put into new wineskins.”


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And again, while the Lord was walking through the ripe grain on the Sabbath, his disciples, as they advanced, began to separate the ears of grains.


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And he said to them: “Have you never read what David did, when he had need and was hungry, both he and those who were with him?


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How he went into the house of God, under the high priest Abiathar, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful to eat, except for the priests, and how he gave it to those who were with him?”


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And he said to them: “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbaths, or to do evil, to give health to a life, or to destroy?” But they remained silent.


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And looking around at them with anger, being very saddened over the blindness of their hearts, he said to the man, “Extend your hand.” And he extended it, and his hand was restored to him.


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Then the Pharisees, going out, immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him, as to how they might destroy him.


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But Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea. And a great crowd followed him from Galilee and Judea,


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and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea and across the Jordan. And those around Tyre and Sidon, upon hearing what he was doing, came to him in a great multitude.


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And he told his disciples that a small boat would be useful to him, because of the crowd, lest they press upon him.


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For he healed so many, that as many of them as had wounds would rush toward him in order to touch him.


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and also he imposed on James of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, the name ‘Boanerges,’ that is, ‘Sons of Thunder;’


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and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus, and Simon the Canaanite,


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And they went to a house, and the crowd gathered together again, so much so that they were not even able to eat bread.


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And when his own had heard of it, they went out to take hold of him. For they said: “Because he has gone mad.”


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And the scribes who had descended from Jerusalem said, “Because he has Beelzebub, and because by the prince of demons does he cast out demons.”


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And if Satan has risen up against himself, he would be divided, and he would not be able to stand; instead he reaches the end.


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No one is able to plunder the goods of a strong man, having entered into the house, unless he first binds the strong man, and then he shall plunder his house.


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Amen I say to you, that all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and the blasphemies by which they will have blasphemed.


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But he who will have blasphemed against the Holy Spirit shall not have forgiveness in eternity; instead he shall be guilty of an eternal offense.”


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And the crowd was sitting around him. And they said to him, “Behold, your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.”


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And looking around at those who were sitting all around him, he said: “Behold, my mother and my brothers.


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And again, he began to teach by the sea. And a great crowd was gathered to him, so much so that, climbing into a boat, he was seated on the sea. And the entire crowd was on the land along the sea.


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Yet truly, others fell upon stony ground, where it did not have much soil. And it rose up quickly, because it had no depth of soil.


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And some fell on good soil. And it brought forth fruit that grew up, and increased, and yielded: some thirty, some sixty, and some one hundred.”


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And he said to them: “To you, it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God. But to those who are outside, everything is presented in parables:


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‘so that, seeing, they may see, and not perceive; and hearing, they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they may be converted, and their sins would be forgiven them.’ ”


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And he said to them: “Do you not understand this parable? And so, how will you understand all the parables?


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Now there are those who are along the way, where the word is sown. And when they have heard it, Satan quickly comes and takes away the word, which was sown in their hearts.


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And similarly, there are those who were sown upon stony ground. These, when they have heard the word, immediately accept it with gladness.


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But they have no root in themselves, and so they are for a limited time. And when next tribulation and persecution arises because of the word, they quickly fall away.


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but worldly tasks, and the deception of riches, and desires about other things enter in and suffocate the word, and it is effectively without fruit.


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And there are those who are sown upon good soil, who hear the word and accept it; and these bear fruit: some thirty, some sixty, and some one hundred.”


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And he said to them: “Would someone enter with a lamp in order to place it under a basket or under a bed? Would it not be placed upon a lampstand?


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For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. Neither was anything done in secret, except that it may be made public.


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And he said to them: “Consider what you hear. With whatever measure you have measured out, it shall be measured back to you, and more shall be added to you.


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For whoever has, to him it shall be given. And whoever has not, from him even what he has shall be taken away.”


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And he sleeps and he arises, night and day. And the seed germinates and grows, though he does not know it.


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And when the fruit has been produced, immediately he sends out the sickle, because the harvest has arrived.”


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And he said: “To what should we compare the kingdom of God? Or to what parable should we compare it?


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It is like a grain of mustard seed which, when it has been sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds which are in the earth.


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And when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all the plants, and it produces great branches, so much so that the birds of the air are able to live under its shadow.”


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But he did not speak to them without a parable. Yet separately, he explained all things to his disciples.


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And dismissing the crowd, they brought him, so that he was in one boat, and other boats were with him.


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And a great wind storm occurred, and the waves broke over the boat, so that the boat was being filled.


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And he was in the stern of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, does it not concern you that we are perishing?”


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And rising up, he rebuked the wind, and he said to the sea: “Silence. Be stilled.” And the wind ceased. And a great tranquility occurred.


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And he said to them: “Why are you afraid? Do you still lack faith?” And they were struck with a great fear. And they said to one another, “Who do you think this is, that both wind and sea obey him?”


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And as he was departing from the boat, he was immediately met, from among the tombs, by a man with an unclean spirit,


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who had his dwelling place with the tombs; neither had anyone been able to bind him, even with chains.


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For having been bound often with shackles and chains, he had broken the chains and smashed the shackles; and no one had been able to tame him.


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And he was always, day and night, among the tombs, or in the mountains, crying out and cutting himself with stones.


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And crying out with a loud voice, he said: “What am I to you, Jesus, the Son of the Most High God? I beseech you by God, that you not torment me.”


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And he questioned him: “What is your name?” And he said to him, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”


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And Jesus promptly gave them permission. And the unclean spirits, departing, entered into the swine. And the herd of about two thousand rushed down with great force into the sea, and they were drowned in the sea.


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Then those who pastured them fled, and they reported it in the city and in the countryside. And they all went out to see what was happening.


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And they came to Jesus. And they saw the man who had been troubled by the demon, sitting, clothed and with a sane mind, and they were afraid.


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And those who had seen it explained to them how he had dealt with the man who had the demon, and about the swine.


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And as he was climbing into the boat, the man who had been troubled by the demons began to beg him, so that he might be with him.


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And he did not permit him, but he said to him, “Go to your own people, in your own house, and announce to them how great are the things that Lord has done for you, and how he has taken pity on you.”


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And he went away and began to preach in the Ten Cities, how great were the things that Jesus had done for him. And everyone wondered.


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And when Jesus had crossed in the boat, over the strait again, a great crowd came together before him. And he was near the sea.


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And one of the rulers of the synagogue, named Jairus, approached. And seeing him, he fell prostrate at his feet.


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And he beseeched him greatly, saying: “For my daughter is near the end. Come and lay your hand on her, so that she may be healthy and may live.”


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And she had endured much from several physicians, and she had spent everything she owned with no benefit at all, but instead she became worse.


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Then, when she had heard of Jesus, she approached through the crowd behind him, and she touched his garment.


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And immediately, the source of her bleeding was dried up, and she sensed in her body that she had been healed from the wound.


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And immediately Jesus, realizing within himself that power that had gone out from him, turning to the crowd, said, “Who touched my garments?”


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And his disciples said to him, “You see that the crowd presses around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ”


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Yet truly, the woman, in fear and trembling, knowing what had happened within her, went and fell prostrate before him, and she told him the whole truth.


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And he said to her: “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace, and be healed from your wound.”


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While he was still speaking, they arrived from the ruler of the synagogue, saying: “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”


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But Jesus, having heard the word that was spoken, said to the ruler of the synagogue: “Do not be afraid. You need only believe.”


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And he would not permit anyone to follow him, except Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.


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And they went to the house of the ruler of the synagogue. And he saw a tumult, and weeping, and much wailing.


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And entering, he said to them: “Why are you disturbed and weeping? The girl is not dead, but is asleep.”


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And they derided him. Yet truly, having put them all out, he took the father and mother of the girl, and those who were with him, and he entered to where the girl was lying.


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And taking the girl by the hand, he said to her, “Talitha koumi,” which means, “Little girl, (I say to you) arise.


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And immediately the young girl rose up and walked. Now she was twelve years old. And they were suddenly struck with a great astonishment.


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And he instructed them sternly, so that no one would know about it. And he told them to give her something to eat.


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And when the Sabbath arrived, he began to teach in the synagogue. And many, upon hearing him, were amazed at his doctrine, saying: “Where did this one get all these things?” and, “What is this wisdom, which has been given to him?” and, “Such powerful deeds, which are wrought by his hands!”


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“Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joseph, and Jude, and Simon? Are not his sisters also here with us?” And they took great offense at him.


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And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and in his own house, and among his own kindred.”


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And he was not able to perform any miracles there, except that he cured a few of the infirm by laying his hands on them.


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And he called the twelve. And he began to send them out in twos, and he gave them authority over unclean spirits.


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And he instructed them not to take anything for the journey, except a staff: no traveling bag, no bread, and no money belt,


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And he said to them: “Whenever you have entered into a house, stay there until you depart from that place.


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And whoever will neither receive you, nor listen to you, as you go away from there, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”


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And king Herod heard of it, (for his name had become well-known) and he said: “John the Baptist has risen again from the dead, and because of this, miracles are at work in him.”


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But others were saying, “Because it is Elijah.” Still others were saying, “Because he is a prophet, like one of the prophets.”


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For Herod himself had sent to capture John, and had chained him in prison, because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip; for he had married her.


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For Herod was apprehensive of John, knowing him to be a just and holy man, and so he guarded him. And he heard that he was accomplishing many things, and so he listened to him willingly.


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And when an opportune time had arrived, Herod held a feast on his birthday, with the leaders, and the tribunes, and the first rulers of Galilee.


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And when the daughter of the same Herodias had entered, and danced, and pleased Herod, along with those who were at table with him, the king said to the girl, “Request from me whatever you want, and I will give it to you.”


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And when she had gone out, she said to her mother, “What shall I request?” But her mother said, “The head of John the Baptist.”


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And immediately, when she had entered with haste to the king, she petitioned him, saying: “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”


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And the king was greatly saddened. But because of his oath, and because of those who were sitting with him at table, he was not willing to disappoint her.


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And he beheaded him in prison, and he brought his head on a platter. And he gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it her mother.


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And he said to them, “Go out alone, into a deserted place, and rest for a little while.” For there were so many who were coming and going, that they did not even have time to eat.


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And they saw them going away, and many knew about it. And together they ran by foot from all the cities, and they arrived before them.


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And Jesus, going out, saw a great multitude. And he took pity on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.


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And when many hours had now passed, his disciples drew near to him, saying: “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late.


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Send them away, so that by going out to nearby villages and towns, they might buy provisions for themselves to eat.”


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And responding, he said to them, “Give them something to eat yourselves.” And they said to him, “Let us go out and buy bread for two hundred denarii, and then we will give them something to eat.”


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And he said to them: “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.”


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And having received the five loaves and the two fish, gazing up to heaven, he blessed and broke the bread, and he gave it to his disciples to set before them. And the two fish he divided among them all.


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And without delay he urged his disciples to climb into the boat, so that they might precede him across the sea to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the people.


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And seeing them struggling to row, (for the wind was against them,) and about the fourth watch of the night, he came to them, walking upon the sea. And he intended to pass by them.


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For they all saw him, and they were very disturbed. And immediately he spoke with them, and he said to them: “Be strengthened in faith. It is I. Do not be afraid.”


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And he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they became even more astonished within themselves.


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And running throughout that entire region, they began to carry on beds those who had maladies, to where they heard that he would be.


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And in whichever place he entered, in towns or villages or cities, they placed the infirm in the main streets, and they pleaded with him that they might touch even the hem of his garment. And as many as touched him were made healthy.


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And when they had seen certain ones from his disciples eating bread with common hands, that is, with unwashed hands, they disparaged them.


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For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat without repeatedly washing their hands, holding to the tradition of the elders.


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And when returning from the market, unless they wash, they do not eat. And there are many other things which have been handed down to them to observe: the washings of cups, and pitchers, and bronze containers, and beds.


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And so the Pharisees and the scribes questioned him: “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but they eat bread with common hands?”


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But in response, he said to them: “So well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, just as it has been written: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.


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For abandoning the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men, to the washing of pitchers and cups. And you do many other things similar to these.”


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And he said to them: “You effectively nullify the precept of God, so that you may observe your own tradition.


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For Moses said: ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever will have cursed father or mother, let him die a death.’


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But you say, ‘If a man will have said to his father or mother: Korban, (which is a gift) whatever is from me will be to your benefit,’


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rescinding the word of God through your tradition, which you have handed down. And you do many other similar things in this way.”


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There is nothing from outside a man which, by entering into him, is able to defile him. But the things which procede from a man, these are what pollute a man.


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And when he had entered into the house, away from the crowd, his disciples questioned him about the parable.


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And he said to them: “So, are you also without prudence? Do you not understand that everything entering to a man from outside is not able to pollute him?


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For it does not enter into his heart, but into the gut, and it exits into the sewer, purging all foods.”


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thefts, avarice, wickedness, deceitfulness, homosexuality, an evil eye, blasphemy, self-exaltation, foolishness.


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And rising up, he went from there to the area of Tyre and Sidon. And entering into a house, he intended no one to know about it, but he was not able to remain hidden.


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For a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit, as soon as she heard about him, entered and fell prostrate at his feet.


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For the woman was a Gentile, by birth a Syro-Phoenician. And she petitioned him, so that he would cast the demon from her daughter.


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And he said to her: “First allow the sons to have their fill. For it is not good to take away the bread of the sons and throw it to the dogs.”


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But she responded by saying to him: “Certainly, Lord. Yet the young dogs also eat, under the table, from the crumbs of the children.”


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And when she had gone to her house, she found the girl lying on the bed; and the demon had gone away.


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And again, departing from the borders of Tyre, he went by way of Sidon to the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the area of the Ten Cities.


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And they brought someone who was deaf and mute to him. And they begged him, so that he would lay his hand upon him.


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And taking him away from the crowd, he put his fingers into his ears; and spitting, he touched his tongue.


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And immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was released, and he spoke correctly.


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And he instructed them not to tell anyone. But as much as he instructed them, so much more did they preach about it.


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And so much more did they wonder, saying: “He has done all things well. He has caused both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”


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In those days, again, when there was a great crowd, and they did not have anything to eat, calling together his disciples, he said to them:


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“I have compassion for the multitude, because, behold, they have persevered with me now for three days, and they do not have anything to eat.


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And if I were to send them away fasting to their home, they might faint on the way.” For some of them came from far away.


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And his disciples answered him, “From where would anyone be able to obtain enough bread for them in the wilderness?”


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And he instructed the crowd to sit down to eat on the ground. And taking the seven loaves, giving thanks, he broke and gave it to his disciples in order to place before them. And they placed these before the crowd.


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And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up what had been leftover from the fragments: seven baskets.


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And the Pharisees went out and began to contend with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven, testing him.


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And sighing deeply in spirit, he said: “Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, if only a sign will be given to this generation!”


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And he instructed them, saying: “Consider and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the leaven of Herod.”


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And Jesus, knowing this, said to them: “Why do you consider that it is because you have no bread? Do you not yet know or understand? Do you still have blindness in your heart?


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when I broke the five loves among the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments you took up?” They said to him, “Twelve.”


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“And when the seven loaves were among the four thousand, how many baskets of fragments did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.”


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And they went to Bethsaida. And they brought a blind man to him. And they petitioned him, so that he would touch him.


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And taking the blind man by the hand, he led him beyond the village. And putting spit on his eyes, laying his hands on him, he asked him if he could see anything.


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Next he placed his hands again over his eyes, and he began to see. And he was restored, so that he could see everything clearly.


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And he sent him to his house, saying, “Go into your own house, and if you enter into the town, tell no one.”


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And Jesus departed with his disciples into the towns of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way, he questioned his disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?”


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And they answered him by saying: “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others perhaps one of the prophets.”


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Then he said to them, “Yet truly, who do you say that I am?” Peter responded by saying to him, “You are the Christ.”


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And he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, and by the high priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.


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And turning away and looking at his disciples, he admonished Peter, saying, “Get behind me, Satan, for you do not prefer the things that are of God, but the things that are of men.”


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And calling together the crowd with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone chooses to follow me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.


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For whoever will have chosen to save his life, will lose it. But whoever will have lost his life, for my sake and for the Gospel, shall save it.


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For whoever has been ashamed of me and of my words, among this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of man also will be ashamed of him, when he will arrive in the glory of his Father, with the holy Angels.”


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And he said to them, “Amen I say to you, that there are some among those standing here who shall not taste death until they see the kingdom of God arriving in power.”


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And after six days, Jesus took with him Peter, and James, and John; and he led them separately to a lofty mountain alone; and he was transfigured before them.


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And his vestments became radiant and exceedingly white like snow, with such a brilliance as no fuller on earth is able to achieve.


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And in response, Peter said to Jesus: “Master, it is good for us to be here. And so let us make three tabernacles, one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”


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And there was a cloud overshadowing them. And a voice came from the cloud, saying: “This is my most beloved Son. Listen to him.”


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And as they were descending from the mountain, he instructed them not to relate to anyone what they had seen, until after the Son of man will have risen again from the dead.


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And they kept the word to themselves, arguing about what “after he will have risen from the dead” might mean.


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And they questioned him, saying: “Then why do the Pharisees and the scribes say that Elijah must arrive first?”


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And in response, he said to them: “Elijah, when he will arrive first, shall restore all things. And in the manner that it has been written about the Son of man, so must he suffer many things and be condemned.


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But I say to you, that Elijah also has arrived, (and they have done to him whatever they wanted) just as it has been written about him.”


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And approaching his disciples, he saw a great crowd surrounding them, and the scribes were arguing with them.


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And soon all the people, seeing Jesus, were astonished and struck with fear, and hurrying to him, they greeted him.


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And one from the crowd responded by saying: “Teacher, I have brought to you my son, who has a mute spirit.


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And whenever it takes hold of him, it throws him down, and he foams and gnashes with his teeth, and he becomes unconscious. And I asked your disciples to cast him out, and they could not.”


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And answering them, he said: “O unbelieving generation, how long must I be with you? How long shall I endure you? Bring him to me.”


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And they brought him. And when he had seen him, immediately the spirit disturbed him. And having been thrown to the ground, he rolled around foaming.


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And he questioned his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” But he said: “From infancy.


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And often it casts him into fire or into water, in order to destroy him. But if you are able to do anything, help us and take pity on us.”


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And immediately the father of the boy, crying out with tears, said: “I do believe, Lord. Help my unbelief.”


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And when Jesus saw the crowd rushing together, he admonished the unclean spirit, saying to him, “Deaf and mute spirit, I command you, leave him; and do not enter into him anymore.”


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And crying out, and convulsing him greatly, he departed from him. And he became like one who is dead, so much so that many said, “He is dead.”


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And when he had entered into the house, his disciples questioned him privately, “Why were we unable to cast him out?”


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Then he taught his disciples, and he said to them, “For the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and having been killed, on the third day he will rise again.”


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And they went to Capernaum. And when they were in the house, he questioned them, “What did you discuss on the way?”


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But they were silent. For indeed, on the way, they had disputed among themselves as to which of them was greater.


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And sitting down, he called the twelve, and he said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be the last of all and the minister of all.”


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“Whoever receives one such child in my name, receives me. And whoever receives me, receives not me, but him who sent me.”


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John responded to him by saying, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name; he does not follow us, and so we prohibited him.”


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But Jesus said: “Do not prohibit him. For there is no one who can act with virtue in my name and soon speak evil about me.


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For whoever, in my name, will give you a cup of water to drink, because you belong to Christ: Amen I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.


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And whoever will have scandalized one of these little ones who believe in me: it would be better for him if a great millstone were placed around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.


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And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off: it is better for you to enter into life disabled, than having two hands to go into Hell, into the unquenchable fire,


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But if your foot causes you to sin, chop it off: it is better for you to enter into eternal life lame, than having two feet to be cast into the Hell of unquenchable fire,


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But if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out: it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into the Hell of fire,


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Salt is good: but if the salt has become bland, with what will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace among yourselves.”


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And rising up, he went from there into the area of Judea beyond the Jordan. And again, the crowd came together before him. And just as he was accustomed to do, again he taught them.


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And approaching, the Pharisees questioned him, testing him: “Is it lawful for a man to dismiss his wife?”


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But Jesus responded by saying: “It was due to the hardness of your heart that he wrote that precept for you.


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And he said to them: “Whoever dismisses his wife, and marries another, commits adultery against her.


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And they brought to him the little children, so that he might touch them. But the disciples admonished those who brought them.


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But when Jesus saw this, he took offense, and he said to them: “Allow the little ones to come to me, and do not prohibit them. For of such as these is the kingdom of God.


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Amen I say to you, whoever will not accept the kingdom of God like a little child, will not enter into it.”


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And when he had departed on the way, a certain one, running up and kneeling before him, asked him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do, so that I may secure eternal life?”


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You know the precepts: “Do not commit adultery. Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not speak false testimony. Do not deceive. Honor your father and mother.”


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Then Jesus, gazing at him, loved him, and he said to him: “One thing is lacking to you. Go, sell whatever you have, and give to the poor, and then you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me.”


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And Jesus, looking around, said to his disciples, “How difficult it is for those who have riches to enter into the kingdom of God!”


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And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus, answering again, said to them: “Little sons, how difficult it is for those who trust in money to enter into the kingdom of God!


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It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for the rich to enter into the kingdom of God.”


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And Jesus, gazing at them, said: “With men it is impossible; but not with God. For with God all things are possible.”


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In response, Jesus said: “Amen I say to you, There is no one who has left behind house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or land, for my sake and for the Gospel,


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who will not receive one hundred times as much, now in this time: houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and land, with persecutions, and in the future age eternal life.


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Now they were on the way ascending to Jerusalem. And Jesus went ahead of them, and they were astonished. And those following him were afraid. And again, taking aside the twelve, he began to tell them what was about to happen to him.


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“For behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man will be handed over to the leaders of the priests, and to the scribes, and the elders. And they will condemn him to death, and they will hand him over to the Gentiles.


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And they will mock him, and spit on him, and scourge him, and put him to death. And on the third day, he will rise again.”


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And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, drew near to him, saying, “Teacher, we wish that whatever we will ask, you would do for us.”


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And they said, “Grant to us that we may sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your glory.”


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But Jesus said to them: “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink from the chalice from which I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am to be baptized?”


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But they said to him, “We can.” Then Jesus said to them: “Indeed, you shall drink from the chalice, from which I drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism, with which I am to be baptized.


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But to sit at my right, or at my left, is not mine to give to you, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”


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But Jesus, calling them, said to them: “You know that those who seem to be leaders among the Gentiles dominate them, and their leaders exercise authority over them.


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But it is not to be this way among you. Instead, whoever would become greater shall be your minister;


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So, too, the Son of man has not come so that they would minister to him, but so that he would minister and would give his life as a redemption for many.”


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And they went to Jericho. And as he was setting out from Jericho with his disciples and a very numerous multitude, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, a blind man, sat begging beside the way.


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And when he had heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and to say, “Jesus, Son of David, take pity on me.”


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And many admonished him to be quiet. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, take pity on me.”


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And Jesus, standing still, instructed him to be called. And they called the blind man, saying to him: “Be at peace. Arise. He is calling you.”


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And in response, Jesus said to him, “What do you want, that I should do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Master, that I may see.”


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Then Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has made you whole.” And immediately he saw, and he followed him on the way.


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And as they were approaching Jerusalem and Bethania, toward the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,


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and he said to them: “Go into the village that is opposite you, and immediately upon entering there, you will find a colt tied, on which no man has yet sat. Release him and bring him.


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And if anyone will say to you: ‘What are you doing?’ Say that the Lord has need of him. And he will immediately send him here.”


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And going out, they found the colt tied before the outer gate, at the meeting of two ways. And they untied him.


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Then many spread their garments along the way; but others cut down leafy branches from trees and scattered them on the way.


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And those who went ahead, and those who followed, cried out saying: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who has arrived in the name of the Lord.


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And he entered into Jerusalem, into the temple. And having looked around at everything, since it was now the evening hour, he went out to Bethania with the twelve.


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And when he had seen a fig tree with leaves in the distance, he went to it, in case he might find something on it. And when he had gone to it, he found nothing but leaves. For it was not the season for figs.


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And in response, he said to it, “From now on and forever, may no one eat fruit from you again!” And his disciples heard this.


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And they went to Jerusalem. And when he had entered into the temple, he began to cast out the sellers and the buyers in the temple. And he overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the chairs of the vendors of doves.


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And he taught them, saying: “Is it not written: ‘For my house shall be called the house of prayer for all nations?’ But you have made it into a den of robbers.”


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And when the leaders of the priests, and the scribes, had heard this, they sought a means by which they might destroy him. For they feared him, because the entire multitude was in admiration over his doctrine.


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Amen I say to you, that whoever will say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and who will not have hesitated in his heart, but will have believed: then whatever he has said be done, it shall be done for him.


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For this reason, I say to you, all things whatsoever that you ask for when praying: believe that you will receive them, and they will happen for you.


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And when you stand to pray, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your sins.


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And they went again to Jerusalem. And when he was walking in the temple, the leaders of the priests, and the scribes, and the elders approached him.


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And they said to him: “By what authority do you do these things? And who has given you this authority, so that you would do these things?”


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But in response, Jesus said to them: “I also will ask you one word, and if you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I do these things.


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But they discussed it among themselves, saying: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’


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And answering, they said to Jesus, “We do not know.” And in response, Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”


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And he began to speak to them in parables: “A man dug a vineyard, and surrounded it with a hedge, and dug a pit, and built a tower, and he loaned it out to farmers, and he set out on a long journey.


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And in time, he sent a servant to the farmers, in order to receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the farmers.


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And again, he sent another servant to them. And they wounded him on the head, and they treated him with contempt.


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And again, he sent another, and him they killed, and many others: some they beat, but others they killed.


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Therefore, having still one son, most dear to him, he sent him also to them, at the very end, saying, ‘For they will reverence my son.’


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But the settlers said one to another: ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him. And then the inheritance will be ours.’


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Therefore, what will the lord of the vineyard do?” “He will come and destroy the settlers. And he will give the vineyard to others.”


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“And so, have you not read this scripture?: ‘The stone which the builders have rejected, the same has been made the head of the corner.


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And they sought to take hold of him, but they feared the crowd. For they knew that he had spoken this parable about them. And leaving him behind, they went away.


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And these, arriving, said to him: “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and that you do not favor anyone; for you do not consider the appearance of men, but you teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to give the tribute to Caesar, or should we not give it?”


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And knowing their skill in deception, he said to them: “Why do you test me? Bring me a denarius, so that I may see it.”


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And they brought it to him. And he said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.”


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So in response, Jesus said to them, “Then render to Caesar, the things that are of Caesar; and to God, the things that are of God.” And they wondered over him.


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And the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, approached him. And they questioned him, saying:


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“Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if any man’s brother will have died and left behind a wife, and not have left behind sons, his brother should take his wife to himself and should raise up offspring for his brother.


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So then, there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and he died without leaving behind offspring.


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And the second took her, and he died. And neither did he leave behind offspring. And the third acted similarly.


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And in like manner, each of the seven received her and did not leave behind offspring. Last of all, the woman also died.


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Therefore, in the resurrection, when they will rise again, to which of them will she be a wife? For each of the seven had her as wife.”


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And Jesus responded by saying to them: “But have you not gone astray, by knowing neither the scriptures, nor the power of God?


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For when they will be resurrected from the dead, they shall neither marry, nor be given in marriage, but they are like the Angels in heaven.


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But concerning the dead who rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, how God spoke to him from the bush, saying: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?’


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And one of the scribes, who had heard them arguing, drew near to him. And seeing that he had answered them well, he questioned him as to which was the first commandment of all.


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And Jesus answered him: “For the first commandment of all is this: ‘Listen, O Israel. The Lord your God is one God.


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And you shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart, and from your whole soul, and from your whole mind, and from your whole strength. This is the first commandment.’


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But the second is similar to it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”


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And the scribe said to him: Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth that there is one God, and there is no other beside him;


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and that he should be loved from the whole heart, and from the whole understanding, and from the whole soul, and from the whole strength. And to love one’s neighbor as one’s self is greater than all holocausts and sacrifices.”


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And Jesus, seeing that he had responded wisely, said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to question him.


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And while teaching in the temple, Jesus said in answer: “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?


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For David himself said in the Holy Spirit: ‘The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand, until I set your enemies as your footstool.’


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Therefore, David himself calls him Lord, and so how can he be his son?” And a great multitude listened to him willingly.


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And he said to them in his doctrine: “Beware of the scribes, who prefer to walk in long robes and to be greeted in the marketplace,


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who devour the houses of widows under the pretense of long prayers. These shall receive the more extensive judgment.”


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And Jesus, sitting opposite the offertory box, considered the way in which the crowd cast coins into the offertory, and that many of the wealthy cast in a great deal.


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And calling together his disciples, he said to them: “Amen I say to you, that this poor widow has put in more than all those who contributed to the offertory.


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For they all gave from their abundance, yet truly, she gave from her scarcity, even all that she had, her entire living.”


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And as he was departing from the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, observe these fine stones and fine structures.”


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And in response, Jesus said to him: “Do you see all these great buildings? There shall not be left stone upon stone, which is not torn down.”


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And as he sat at the Mount of Olives, opposite the temple, Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew questioned him privately.


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“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things will begin to be fulfilled?”


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But when you will have heard of wars and rumors of wars, you should not be afraid. For these things must be, but the end is not so soon.


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For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom over kingdom, and there shall be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are but the beginning of the sorrows.


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But see to yourselves. For they will hand you over to councils, and in the synagogues you will be beaten, and you shall stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony for them.


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And when they have seized you and handed you over, do not consider in advance what to say. But whatever will be given you in that hour, say that. For you will not be speaking, but the Holy Spirit.


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Then brother will betray brother to death, and the father, a son; and children will rise up against their parents and will bring about their death.


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And you will be hated by all for the sake of my name. But whoever will have persevered unto the end, the same will be saved.


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Then, when you have seen the abomination of desolation, standing where it ought not to be, let the reader understand: then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.


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And let whoever is on the rooftop not descend to the house, nor enter so as to take anything from the house.


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For those days shall have such tribulations as have not been since the beginning of the creation that God founded, even until now, and shall not be.


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And unless the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would be saved. But, for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened the days.


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And then, if anyone will have said to you: ‘Behold, here is the Christ. Behold, in that place.’ Do not believe it.


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For false Christs and false prophets will rise up, and they will present signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if it were possible, even the elect.


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But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give her splendor.


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And then he will send his Angels, and gather together his elect, from the four winds, from the limits of the earth, to the limits of heaven.


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Now from the fig tree discern a parable. When its branch becomes tender and the foliage has been formed, you know that summer is very near.


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But concerning that day or hour, no one knows, neither the Angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.


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It is like a man who, setting out on a sojourn, left behind his house, and gave his servants authority over every work, and instructed the doorkeeper to stand watch.


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Therefore, be vigilant, for you do not know when the lord of the house may arrive: in the evening, or in the middle of the night, or at first light, or in the morning.


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Now the feast of Passover and of Unleavened Bread was two days away. And the leaders of the priests, and the scribes, were seeking a means by which they might deceitfully seize him and kill him.


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And when he was in Bethania, in the house of Simon the leper, and was reclining to eat, a woman arrived having an alabaster container of ointment, of precious spikenard. And breaking open the alabaster container, she poured it over his head.


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But there were some who became indignant within themselves and who were saying: “What is the reason for this waste of the ointment?


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For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and been given to the poor.” And they murmured against her.


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But Jesus said: “Permit her. What is the reason that you trouble her? She has done a good deed for me.


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For the poor, you have with you always. And whenever you wish, you are able to do good to them. But you do not have me always.


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Amen I say to you, wherever this Gospel shall be preached throughout the entire world, the things she has done also shall be told, in memory of her.”


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And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went away, to the leaders of the priests, in order to betray him to them.


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And they, upon hearing it, were gladdened. And they promised him that they would give him money. And he sought an opportune means by which he might betray him.


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And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they immolate the Passover, the disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?”


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And he sent two of his disciples, and he said to them: “Go into the city. And you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.


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And wherever he will have entered, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says: Where is my dining room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’


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And his disciples departed and went into the city. And they found it just as he had told them. And they prepared the Passover.


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And while reclining and eating with them at table, Jesus said, “Amen I say to you, that one of you, who eats with me, will betray me.”


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And indeed, the Son of man goes, just as it has been written of him. But woe to that man by whom the Son of man will be betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born.”


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And while eating with them, Jesus took bread. And blessing it, he broke it and gave it to them, and he said: “Take. This is my body.”


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Amen I say to you, that I will no longer drink from this fruit of the vine, until that day when I will drink it new in the kingdom of God.”


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And Jesus said to them: “You will all fall away from me in this night. For it has been written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’


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And Jesus said to him, “Amen I say to you, that this day, in this night, before the rooster has uttered its voice twice, you will deny me three times.”


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But he spoke further, “Even if I must die along with you, I will not deny you.” And they all spoke similarly also.


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And they went to a country estate, by the name of Gethsemani. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I pray.”


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And when he had proceeded on a little ways, he fell prostrate on the ground. And he prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass away from him.


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And he said: “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Take this chalice from me. But let it be, not as I will, but as you will.”


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And he went and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter: “Simon, are you sleeping? Were you not able to be vigilant for one hour?


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Watch and pray, so that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”


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And upon returning, he found them sleeping yet again, (for their eyes were heavy) and they did not know how to respond to him.


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And he arrived for the third time, and he said to them: “Sleep now, and take rest. It is enough. The hour has arrived. Behold, the Son of man will be betrayed into the hands of sinners.


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And while he was still speaking, Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, arrived, and with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, sent from the leaders of the priests, and the scribes, and the elders.


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Now his betrayer had given them a sign, saying: “He whom I shall kiss, it is he. Take hold of him, and lead him away cautiously.”


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And when he had arrived, immediately drawing near to him, he said: “Hail, Master!” And he kissed him.


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Then a certain one of those standing near, drawing a sword, struck a servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.


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And in response, Jesus said to them: “Have you set out to apprehend me, just as if to a robber, with swords and clubs?


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Daily, I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not take hold of me. But in this way, the scriptures are fulfilled.”


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Now a certain young man followed him, having nothing but a fine linen cloth over himself. And they took hold of him.


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And they led Jesus to the high priest. And all the priests and the scribes and the elders came together.


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But Peter followed him from a distance, even into the court of the high priest. And he sat with the servants at the fire and warmed himself.


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Yet truly, the leaders of the priests and the entire council sought testimony against Jesus, so that they might deliver him to death, and they found none.


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“For we heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple, made with hands, and within three days I will build another, not made with hands.’ ”


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And the high priest, rising up in their midst, questioned Jesus, saying, “Do you have nothing to say in answer to the things that are brought against you by these ones?”


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But he was silent and gave no answer. Again, the high priest questioned him, and he said to him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed God?”


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Then Jesus said to him: “I am. And you shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of the power of God and arriving with the clouds of heaven.”


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You have heard the blasphemy. How does it seem to you?” And they all condemned him, as guilty unto death.


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And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face and to strike him with fists, and to say to him, “Prophesy.” And the servants struck him with the palms their hands.


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And when she had seen Peter warming himself, she stared at him, and she said: “You also were with Jesus of Nazareth.”


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But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you saying.” And he went outside, in front of the court; and a rooster crowed.


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Then again, when a maidservant had seen him, she began to say to the bystanders, “For this is one of them.”


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But he denied it again. And after a little while, again those standing near said to Peter: “In truth, you are one of them. For you, too, are a Galilean.”


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Then he began to curse and to swear, saying, “For I do not know this man, about whom you are speaking.”


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And immediately the rooster crowed again. And Peter remembered the word that Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he began to weep.


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And immediately in the morning, after the leaders of the priests had taken counsel with the elders and the scribes and the entire council, binding Jesus, they led him away and delivered him to Pilate.


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And Pilate questioned him, “You are the king of the Jews?” But in response, he said to him, “You are saying it.”


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Then Pilate again questioned him, saying: “Do you not have any response? See how greatly they accuse you.”


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Now on the feast day, he was accustomed to release to them one of the prisoners, whomever they requested.


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But there was one called Barabbas, who had committed murder in the sedition, who was confined with those of the sedition.


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But Pilate, responding again, said to them: “Then what do you want me to do with the king of the Jews?”


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Yet truly, Pilate said to them: “Why? What evil has he done?” But they cried out all the more, “Crucify him.”


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Then Pilate, wishing to satisfy the people, released Barabbas to them, and he delivered Jesus, having severely scourged him, to be crucified.


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Then the soldiers led him away to the court of the praetorium. And they called together the entire cohort.


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And after they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple, and they clothed him in his own garments. And they led him away, so that they might crucify him.


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And they compelled a certain passerby, Simon the Cyrenian, who was arriving from the countryside, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to take up his cross.


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And while crucifying him, they divided his garments, casting lots over them, to see who would take what.


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And the passersby blasphemed him, shaking their heads and saying, “Ah, you who would destroy the temple of God, and in three days rebuild it,


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And similarly the leaders of the priests, mocking him with the scribes, said to one another: “He saved others. He is not able to save himself.


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Let the Christ, the king of Israel, descend now from the cross, so that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also insulted him.


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And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lamma sabacthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”


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Then one of them, running and filling a sponge with vinegar, and placing it around a reed, gave it to him to drink, saying: “Wait. Let us see if Elijah will come to take him down.”


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Then the centurion who stood opposite him, seeing that he had expired while crying out in this way, said: “Truly, this man was the Son of God.”


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Now there were also women watching from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome,


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(and while he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him) and many other women, who had ascended along with him to Jerusalem.


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there arrived Joseph of Arimathea, a noble council member, who himself was also awaiting the kingdom of God. And he boldly entered to Pilate and petitioned for the body of Jesus.


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But Pilate wondered if he had already died. And summoning a centurion, he questioned him as to whether he was already dead.


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Then Joseph, having bought a fine linen cloth, and taking him down, wrapped him in the fine linen and laid him in a sepulcher, which was hewn from a rock. And he rolled a stone to the entrance of the tomb.


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And when the Sabbath had passed, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought aromatic spices, so that when they arrived they could anoint Jesus.


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And very early in the morning, on the first of the Sabbaths, they went to the tomb, the sun having now risen.


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And they said to one another, “Who will roll back the stone for us, away from the entrance of the tomb?”


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And upon entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, covered with a white robe, and they were astonished.


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And he said to them, “Do not become frightened. You are seeking Jesus of Nazareth, the Crucified One. He has risen. He is not here. Behold, the place where they laid him.


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But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you into Galilee. There you shall see him, just as he told you.”


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But they, going out, fled from the tomb. For trembling and fear had overwhelmed them. And they said nothing to anyone. For they were afraid.


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But he, rising early on the first Sabbath, appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.


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But after these events, he was shown in another likeness to two of them walking, as they were going out to the countryside.


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Finally, he appeared to the eleven, as they sat at table. And he rebuked them for their incredulity and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen that he had risen again.


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Whoever will have believed and been baptized will be saved. Yet truly, whoever will not have believed will be condemned.


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Now these signs will accompany those who believe. In my name, they shall cast out demons. They will speak in new languages.


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They will take up serpents, and, if they drink anything deadly, it will not harm them. They shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they will be well.”


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And indeed, the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and he sits at the right hand of God.


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Then they, setting out, preached everywhere, with the Lord cooperating and confirming the word by the accompanying signs.


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Since, indeed, many have attempted to set in order a narrative of the things that have been completed among us,


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just as they have been handed on to those of us who from the beginning saw the same and were ministers of the word,


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so it seemed good to me also, having diligently followed everything from the beginning, to write to you, in an orderly manner, most excellent Theophilus,


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There was, in the days of Herod, king of Judea, a certain priest named Zechariah, of the section of Abijah, and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.


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Now they were both just before God, progressing in all of the commandments and the justifications of the Lord without blame.


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Then it happened that, when he was exercising the priesthood before God, in the order of his section,


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according to the custom of the priesthood, the lot fell so that he would offer incense, entering into the temple of the Lord.


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But the Angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth shall bear a son to you. And you shall call his name John.


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For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.


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And he will go before him with the spirit and power of Elijah, so that he may turn the hearts of the fathers to the sons, and the incredulous to the prudence of the just, so as to prepare for the Lord a completed people.”


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And Zechariah said to the Angel: “How may I know this? For I am elderly, and my wife is advanced in years.”


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And in response, the Angel said to him: “I am Gabriel, who stands before God, and I have been sent to speak to you, and to proclaim these things to you.


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And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak, until the day on which these things shall be, because you have not believed my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”


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And the people were waiting for Zechariah. And they wondered why he was being delayed in the temple.


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Then, when he came out, he was unable to speak to them. And they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he was making signs to them, but he remained mute.


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to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the name of the virgin was Mary.


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And upon entering, the Angel said to her: “Hail, full of grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.”


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And when she had heard this, she was disturbed by his words, and she considered what kind of greeting this might be.


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Behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and you shall bear a son, and you shall call his name: JESUS.


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He will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. And he will reign in the house of Jacob for eternity.


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And in response, the Angel said to her: “The Holy Spirit will pass over you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. And because of this also, the Holy One who will be born of you shall be called the Son of God.


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And behold, your cousin Elizabeth has herself also conceived a son, in her old age. And this is the sixth month for her who is called barren.


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Then Mary said: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word.” And the Angel departed from her.


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And it happened that, as Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.


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And she cried out with a loud voice and said: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.


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And blessed are you who believed, for the things that were spoken to you by the Lord shall be accomplished.”


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For he has looked with favor on the humility of his handmaid. For behold, from this time, all generations shall call me blessed.


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He has accomplished powerful deeds with his arm. He has scattered the arrogant in the intentions of their heart.


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And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy with her, and so they congratulated her.


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And it happened that, on the eighth day, they arrived to circumcise the boy, and they called him by his father’s name, Zechariah.


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And fear fell upon all of their neighbors. And all these words were made known throughout all the hill country of Judea.


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And all those who heard it stored it up in their heart, saying: “What do you think this boy will be?” And indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.


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“Blessed is the Lord God of Israel. For he has visited and has wrought the redemption of his people.


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And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High. For you will go before the face of the Lord: to prepare his ways,


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to illuminate those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to direct our feet in the way of peace.”


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And the child grew, and he was strengthened in spirit. And he was in the wilderness, until the day of his manifestation to Israel.


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And it happened in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, so that the whole world would be enrolled.


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Then Joseph also ascended from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,


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Then it happened that, while they were there, the days were completed, so that she would give birth.


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And she brought forth her firstborn son. And she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them at the inn.


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And there were shepherds in the same region, being vigilant and keeping watch in the night over their flock.


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And behold, an Angel of the Lord stood near them, and the brightness of God shone around them, and they were struck with a great fear.


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And the Angel said to them: “Do not be afraid. For, behold, I proclaim to you a great joy, which will be for all the people.


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And this will be a sign for you: you will find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”


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And it happened that, when the Angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us cross over to Bethlehem and see this word, which has happened, which the Lord has revealed to us.”


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And all who heard it were amazed by this, and by those things which were told to them by the shepherds.


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And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, just as it was told to them.


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And after eight days were ended, so that the boy would be circumcised, his name was called JESUS, just as he was called by the Angel before he was conceived in the womb.


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And after the days of her purification were fulfilled, according to the law of Moses, they brought him to Jerusalem, in order to present him to the Lord,


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just as it is written in the law of the Lord, “For every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord,”


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and in order to offer a sacrifice, according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”


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And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and God-fearing, awaiting the consolation of Israel. And the Holy Spirit was with him.


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And he had received an answer from the Holy Spirit: that he would not see his own death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.


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And he went with the Spirit to the temple. And when the child Jesus was brought in by his parents, in order to act on his behalf according to the custom of the law,


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And Simeon blessed them, and he said to his mother Mary: “Behold, this one has been set for the ruin and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and as a sign which will be contradicted.


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And there was a prophetess, Anna, a daughter of Phanuel, from the tribe of Asher. She was very advanced in years, and she had lived with her husband for seven years from her virginity.


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And then she was a widow, even to her eighty-fourth year. And without departing from the temple, she was a servant to fasting and prayer, night and day.


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And entering at the same hour, she confessed to the Lord. And she spoke about him to all who were awaiting the redemption of Israel.


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And after they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their city, Nazareth.


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Now the child grew, and he was strengthened with the fullness of wisdom. And the grace of God was in him.


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And when he had become twelve years old, they ascended to Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast day.


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And having completed the days, when they returned, the boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem. And his parents did not realize this.


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But, supposing that he was in the company, they went a day’s journey, seeking him among their relatives and acquaintances.


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And it happened that, after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, listening to them and questioning them.


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And upon seeing him, they wondered. And his mother said to him: “Son, why have you acted this way toward us? Behold, your father and I were seeking you in sorrow.”


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And he said to them: “How is it that you were seeking me? For did you not know that it is necessary for me to be in these things which are of my Father?”


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And he descended with them and went to Nazareth. And he was subordinate to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart.


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Then, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being procurator of Judea, and Herod tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,


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under the high priests Annas and Caiaphas: the word of the Lord came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness.


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And he went into the entire region of the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,


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just as it has been written in the book of the sermons of the prophet Isaiah: “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight his paths.


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Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low. And what is crooked shall be made straight. And the rough paths shall be made into level ways.


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Therefore, he said to the crowd that went out in order to be baptized by him: “You progeny of vipers! Who told you to flee from the approaching wrath?


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So then, produce fruits worthy of repentance. And do not begin to say, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God has the power to raise up sons to Abraham from these stones.


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For even now the axe has been placed at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that does not produce good fruit shall be cut down and cast into the fire.”


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But in response, he said to them: “Whoever has two coats, let him give to those who do not have. And whoever has food, let him act similarly.”


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Now the tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?”


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Then the soldiers also questioned him, saying, “And what should we do?” And he said to them: “You should strike no one, and you should not make false accusations. And be content with your pay.”


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Now all were thinking about John in their hearts, and the people were supposing that perhaps he might be the Christ.


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John responded by saying to everyone: “Indeed, I baptize you with water. But there will arrive one stronger than me, the laces of whose shoes I am not worthy to loosen. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit, and with fire.


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His winnowing fan is in his hand. And he will purify his threshing floor. And he will gather the wheat into the barn. But the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”


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But Herod the tetrarch, when he was corrected by him concerning Herodias, his brother’s wife, and concerning all the evils that Herod had done,


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Now it happened that, when all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized; and as he was praying, heaven was opened.


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And the Holy Spirit, in a corporal appearance like a dove, descended upon him. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son. In you, I am well pleased.”


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And Jesus himself was beginning to be about thirty years old, being (as it was supposed) the son of Joseph, who was of Heli, who was of Matthat,


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And Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan. And he was urged by the Spirit into the wilderness


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for forty days, and he was tested by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days. And when they were completed, he was hungry.


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Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, speak to this stone, so that it may be made into bread.”


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And Jesus answered him, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ”


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And the devil led him onto a high mountain, and he showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time,


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and he said to him: “To you, I will give all this power, and its glory. For they have been handed over to me, and I give them to whomever I wish.


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And in response, Jesus said to him: “It is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him alone.’ ”


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And he brought him to Jerusalem, and he set him on the parapet of the temple, and he said to him: “If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down from here.


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and so that they may take you into their hands, lest perhaps you may hurt your foot against a stone.”


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And Jesus returned, in the power of the Spirit, into Galilee. And his fame spread throughout the entire region.


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And he went to Nazareth, where he had been raised. And he entered into the synagogue, according to his custom, on the Sabbath day. And he rose up to read.


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And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. And as he unrolled the book, he found the place where it was written:


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“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because of this, he has anointed me. He has sent me to evangelize the poor, to heal the contrite of heart,


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to preach forgiveness to captives and sight to the blind, to release the broken into forgiveness, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of retribution.”


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And when he had rolled up the book, he returned it to the minister, and he sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him.


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And everyone gave testimony to him. And they wondered at the words of grace that proceeded from his mouth. And they said, “Is this not the son of Joseph?”


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And he said to them: “Certainly, you will recite to me this saying, ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ The many great things that we have heard were done in Capernaum, do here also in your own country.”


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In truth, I say to you, there were many widows in the days of Elijah in Israel, when the heavens were closed for three years and six months, when a great famine had occurred throughout the entire land.


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And there were many lepers in Israel under the prophet Elisha. And none of these was cleansed, except Naaman the Syrian.”


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And they rose up and drove him beyond the city. And they brought him all the way to the edge of the mount, upon which their city had been built, so that they might thrown him down violently.


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saying: “Let us alone. What are we to you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know you who you are: the Holy One of God.”


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And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and depart from him.” And when the demon had thrown him into their midst, he departed from him, and he no longer harmed him.


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And fear fell over them all. And they discussed this among themselves, saying: “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they depart.”


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Then Jesus, rising up from the synagogue, entered into the house of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in the grip of a severe fever. And they petitioned him on her behalf.


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And standing over her, he commanded the fever, and it left her. And promptly rising up, she ministered to them.


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Then, when the sun had set, all those who had anyone afflicted with various diseases brought them to him. Then, laying his hands on each one of them, he cured them.


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Now demons departed from many of them, crying out and saying, “You are the son of God.” And rebuking them, he would not permit them to speak. For they knew him to be the Christ.


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Then, when it was daytime, going out, he went to a deserted place. And the crowds sought him, and they went all the way to him. And they detained him, so that he would not depart from them.


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And he said to them, “I must also preach the kingdom of God to other cities, because it was for this reason that I was sent.”


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Now it happened that, when the crowds pressed toward him, so that they might hear the word of God, he was standing beside the lake of Genesaret.


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And he saw two boats standing beside the lake. But the fishermen had climbed down, and they were washing their nets.


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And so, climbing into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, he asked him to draw back a little from the land. And sitting down, he taught the crowds from the boat.


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Then, when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, “Lead us into deep water, and release your nets for a catch.”


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And in response, Simon said to him: “Teacher, working throughout the night, we caught nothing. But on your word, I will release the net.”


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And when they had done this, they enclosed such a copious multitude of fish that their net was rupturing.


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And they signaled to their associates, who were in the other boat, so that they would come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they were nearly submerged.


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But when Simon Peter had seen this, he fell down at the knees of Jesus, saying, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”


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For astonishment had enveloped him, and all who were with him, at the catch of fish that they had taken.


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Now the same was true of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were associates of Simon. And Jesus said to Simon: “Do not be afraid. From now on, you will be catching men.”


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And it happened that, while he was in a certain city, behold, there was a man full of leprosy who, upon seeing Jesus and falling to his face, petitioned him, saying: “Lord, if you are willing, you are able to cleanse me.”


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And extending his hand, he touched him, saying: “I am willing. Be cleansed.” And at once, the leprosy departed from him.


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And he instructed him that he should tell no one, “But go, show yourself to the priest, and make the offering for your cleansing, just as Moses has commanded, as a testimony for them.”


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Yet word of him traveled around all the more. And great crowds came together, so that they might listen and be cured by him from their infirmities.


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And it happened, on a certain day, that he again sat down, teaching. And there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting nearby, who had come from every town of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present, to heal them.


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And behold, some men were carrying in the bed of a man who was paralyzed. And they sought a way to bring him in, and to place him before him.


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And not finding a way by which they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they climbed up to the roof, and they let him down through the roof tiles with his bed, into their midst, in front of Jesus.


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And the scribes and Pharisees began to think, saying: “Who is this, who is speaking blasphemies? Who is able to forgive sins, except God alone?”


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But when Jesus realized their thoughts, responding, he said to them: “What are you thinking in your hearts?


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But so that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” he said to the paralytic, “I say to you to: Rise up, take up your bed, and go into your house.”


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And at once, rising up in their sight, he took up the bed on which he was lying, and he went away to his own house, magnifying God.


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And astonishment took hold of everyone, and they were magnifying God. And they were filled with fear, saying: “For we have seen miracles today.”


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And after these things, he went out, and he saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the customs office. And he said to him, “Follow me.”


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And Levi made a great feast for him in his own house. And there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others, who were sitting at table with them.


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But the Pharisees and scribes were murmuring, saying to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”


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And responding, Jesus said to them: “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who have maladies.


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But they said to him, “Why do the disciples of John fast frequently, and make supplications, and those of the Pharisees act similarly, while yours eat and drink?”


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And he said to them: “How can you cause the sons of the groom to fast, while the groom is still with them?


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But the days will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast, in those days.”


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Then he also made a comparison for them: “For no one sews a patch from a new garment onto an old garment. Otherwise, he both disrupts the new one, and the patch from the new one does not join together with the old one.


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And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine ruptures the wineskins, and it will be poured out, and the wineskins will be lost.


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Now it happened that, on the second first Sabbath, as he passed through the grain field, his disciples were separating the ears of grain and eating them, by rubbing them in their hands.


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And responding to them, Jesus said: “Have you not read this, what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him?


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How he entered into the house of God, and took the bread of the Presence, and ate it, and gave it to those who were with him, though it is not lawful for anyone to eat it, except the priests alone?”


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And it happened that, on another Sabbath, he entered into the synagogue, and he taught. And there was a man there, and his right hand was withered.


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And the scribes and Pharisees observed whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might thereby find an accusation against him.


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Yet truly, he knew their thoughts, and so he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Rise up and stand in the middle.” And rising up, he stood still.


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Then Jesus said to them: “I ask you if it is lawful on the Sabbaths to do good, or to do evil? To give health to a life, or to destroy it?”


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And looking around at everyone, he said to the man, “Extend your hand.” And he extended it. And his hand was restored.


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Then they were filled with madness, and they discussed with one another, what, in particular, they might do about Jesus.


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And it happened that, in those days, he went out to a mountain to pray. And he was in the prayer of God throughout the night.


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And when daylight had arrived, he called his disciples. And he chose twelve out of them (whom he also named Apostles):


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And descending with them, he stood in a level place with a multitude of his disciples, and a copious multitude of people from all of Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast, and Tyre and Sidon,


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who had come so that they might listen to him and be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled by unclean spirits were cured.


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And lifting up his eyes to his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.


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Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who are weeping now, for you shall laugh.


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Blessed shall you be when men will have hated you, and when they will have separated you and reproached you, and thrown out your name as if evil, because of the Son of man.


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Be glad in that day and exult. For behold, your reward is great in heaven. For these same things their fathers did to the prophets.


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Woe to you who are satisfied, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.


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Woe to you when men will have blessed you. For these same things their fathers did to the false prophets.


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And to him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your coat, do not withhold even your tunic.


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And if you love those who love you, what credit is due to you? For even sinners love those who love them.


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And if you will do good to those who do good to you, what credit is due to you? Indeed, even sinners behave this way.


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And if you will loan to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is due to you? For even sinners lend to sinners, in order to receive the same in return.


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So truly, love your enemies. Do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return. And then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and to the wicked.


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Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.


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Give, and it will be given to you: a good measure, pressed down and shaken together and overflowing, they will place upon your lap. Certainly, the same measure that you use to measure out, will be used to measure back to you again.”


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Now he told them another comparison: “How can the blind lead the blind? Would they not both fall into a pit?


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And why do you see the straw that is in your brother’s eye, while the log that is in your own eye, you do not consider?


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Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, allow me to remove the straw from your eye,’ while you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? Hypocrite, first remove the log from your own eye, and then will you see clearly, so that you may lead out the straw from your brother’s eye.


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For each and every tree is known by its fruit. For they do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather the grape from the bramble bush.


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A good man, from the good storehouse of his heart, offers what is good. And an evil man, from the evil storehouse, offers what is evil. For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.


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Anyone who comes to me, and listens to my words, and does them: I will reveal to you what he is like.


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He is like a man building a house, who has dug deep and has laid the foundation upon the rock. Then, when the floodwaters came, the river was rushing against that house, and it was not able to move it. For it was founded upon the rock.


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But whoever hears and does not do: he is like a man building his house upon the soil, without a foundation. The river rushed against it, and it soon fell down, and the ruin of that house was great.”


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And when he had heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him, petitioning him, so that he would come and heal his servant.


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And when they had come to Jesus, they petitioned him anxiously, saying to him: “He is worthy that you should provide this to him.


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Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying: “Lord, do not trouble yourself. For I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof.


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Because of this, I also did not consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant shall be healed.


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


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And upon hearing this, Jesus was amazed. And turning to the multitude following him, he said, “Amen I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”


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And those who had been sent, upon returning to the house, found that the servant, who had been sick, was now healthy.


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And it happened afterwards that he went to a city, which is called Nain. And his disciples, and an abundant crowd, went with him.


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Then, when he had drawn near to the gate of the city, behold, a deceased person was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her.


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And he drew near and touched the coffin. Then those who carried it stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”


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Then fear fell over all of them. And they magnified God, saying: “For a great prophet has risen up among us,” and, “For God has visited his people.”


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And John called two of his disciples, and he sent them to Jesus, saying, “Are you he who is to come, or should we wait for another?”


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But when the men had come to him, they said: “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying: ‘Are you he who is to come, or should we wait for another?’ ”


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Now in that same hour, he cured many of their diseases and wounds and evil spirits; and to many of the blind, he gave sight.


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And responding, he said to them: “Go and report to John what you have heard and seen: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, the poor are evangelized.


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And when the messengers of John had withdrawn, he began to speak about John to the crowds. “What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed shaken by the wind?


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Then what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Behold, those who are in costly apparel and finery are in the houses of kings.


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This is he of whom it is written: “Behold, I send my Angel before your face, who shall prepare your way before you.”


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For I say to you, among those born of women, no one is greater than the prophet John the Baptist. But he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”


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And upon hearing this, all the people and the tax collectors justified God, by being baptized with the baptism of John.


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But the Pharisees and the experts in the law despised the counsel of God concerning themselves, by not being baptized by him.


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Then the Lord said: “Therefore, to what shall I compare the men of this generation? And to what are they similar?


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They are like children sitting in the marketplace, talking with one another, and saying: ‘We sang to you, and you did not dance. We lamented, and you did not weep.’


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The Son of man came, eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a voracious man and a drinker of wine, a friend of tax collectors and of sinners.’


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Then certain Pharisees petitioned him, so that they might eat with him. And he went into the house of the Pharisee, and he reclined at table.


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And behold, a woman who was in the city, a sinner, found out that he was reclining at table in the house of the Pharisee, so she brought an alabaster container of ointment.


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And standing behind him, beside his feet, she began to wash his feet with tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head, and she kissed his feet, and she anointed them with ointment.


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Then the Pharisee, who had invited him, upon seeing this, spoke within himself, saying, “This man, if he were a prophet, would certainly know who and what kind of woman is this, who is touching him: that she is a sinner.”


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And in response, Jesus said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he said, “Speak, Teacher.”


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And since they did not have the ability to repay him, he forgave them both. So then, which of them loves him more?”


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In response, Simon said, “I suppose that it is he to whom he forgave the most.” And he said to him, “You have judged correctly.”


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And turning to the woman, he said to Simon: “Do you see this woman? I entered into your house. You gave me no water for my feet. But she has washed my feet with tears, and has wiped them with her hair.


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Because of this, I tell you: many sins are forgiven her, because she has loved much. But he who is forgiven less, loves less.”


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And those who sat at table with him began to say within themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”


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And it happened afterwards that he was making a journey through the cities and towns, preaching and evangelizing the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him,


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along with certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, who is called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had departed,


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and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many other women, who were ministering to him from their resources.


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Then, when a very numerous crowd was gathering together and hurrying from the cities to him, he spoke using a comparison:


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“The sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell beside the way; and it was trampled and the birds of the air devoured it.


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And some fell upon good soil; and having sprung up, it produced fruit one hundredfold.” As he said these things, he cried out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”


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And he said to them: “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God. But to the rest, it is in parables, so that: seeing, they may not perceive, and hearing, they may not understand.


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And those beside the way are those who hear it, but then the devil comes and takes the word from their heart, lest by believing it they may be saved.


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Now those upon rock are those who, when they hear it, accept the word with joy, but these have no roots. So they believe for a time, but in a time of testing, they fall away.


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And those which fell among thorns are those who have heard it, but as they go along, they are suffocated by the concerns and riches and pleasures of this life, and so they do not yield fruit.


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But those which were on good soil are those who, upon hearing the word with a good and noble heart, retain it, and they bring forth fruit in patience.


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Now no one, lighting a candle, covers it with a container, or sets it under a bed. Instead, he places it on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.


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For there is nothing secret, which will not be made clear, nor is there anything hidden, which will not be known and be brought into plain sight.


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Therefore, take care how you listen. For whoever has, it will be given to him; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”


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And it was reported to him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.”


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And in response, he said to them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”


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Now it happened, on a certain day, that he climbed into a little boat with his disciples. And he said to them, “Let us make a crossing over the lake.” And they embarked.


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And as they were sailing, he slept. And a windstorm descended over the lake. And they were taking on water and were in danger.


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Then, drawing near, they awakened him, saying, “Teacher, we are perishing.” But as he rose up, he rebuked the wind and the raging water, and they ceased. And a tranquility occurred.


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Then he said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they, being afraid, were amazed, saying to one another, “Who do you think this is, so that he commands both wind and sea, and they obey him?”


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And when he had gone out to the land, a certain man met him, who had now had a demon for a long time. And he did not wear clothes, nor did he stay in a house, but among the sepulchers.


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And when he saw Jesus, he fell down before him. And crying out in a loud voice, he said: “What is there between me and you, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you not to torture me.”


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For he was ordering the unclean spirit to depart from the man. For on many occasions, it would seize him, and he was bound with chains and held by fetters. But breaking the chains, he was driven by the demon into deserted places.


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Then Jesus questioned him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered into him.


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And in that place, there was a herd of many swine, pasturing on the mountain. And they petitioned him to permit them to enter into them. And he permitted them.


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Therefore, the demons departed from the man, and they entered into the swine. And the herd rushed violently down a precipice into the lake, and they were drowned.


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And when those who were pasturing them had seen this, they fled and reported it in the city and the villages.


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Then they went out to see what was happening, and they came to Jesus. And they found the man, from whom the demons had departed, sitting at his feet, clothed as well as in a sane mind, and they were afraid.


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And the entire multitude from the region of the Gerasenes pleaded with him to depart from them. For they were seized by a great fear. Then, climbing into the boat, he went back again.


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And the man from whom the demons had departed pleaded with him, so that he might be with him. But Jesus sent him away, saying,


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“Return to your house and explain to them what great things God has done for you.” And he traveled through the entire city, preaching about the great things that Jesus had done for him.


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Now it happened that, when Jesus had returned, the crowd received him. For they were all waiting for him.


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And behold, a man came, whose name was Jairus, and he was a leader of the synagogue. And he fell down at the feet of Jesus, asking him to enter into his house.


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For he had an only daughter, nearly twelve years old, and she was dying. And it happened that, as he was going there, he was hemmed in by the crowd.


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And there was a certain woman, with a flow of blood for twelve years, who had paid out all her substance on physicians, and she was unable to be cured by any of them.


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She approached him from behind, and she touched the hem of his garment. And at once the flow of her blood stopped.


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And Jesus said, “Who is it that touched me?” But as everyone was denying it, Peter, and those who were with him, said: “Teacher, the crowd hems you in and presses upon you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ”


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Then the woman, upon seeing that she was not hidden, came forward, trembling, and she fell down before his feet. And she declared before all the people the reason that she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed.


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While he was still speaking, someone came to the ruler of the synagogue, saying to him: “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble him.”


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Then Jesus, upon hearing this word, replied to the father of the girl: “Do not be afraid. Only believe, and she will be saved.”


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And when he had arrived at the house, he would not permit anyone to enter with him, except Peter and James and John, and the father and mother of the girl.


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Now all were weeping and mourning for her. But he said: “Do not weep. The girl is not dead, but only sleeping.”


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And her spirit returned, and she immediately rose up. And he ordered them to give her something to eat.


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Then calling together the twelve Apostles, he gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases.


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And he said to them: “You should take nothing for the journey, neither staff, nor traveling bag, nor bread, nor money; and you should not have two tunics.


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And whoever will not have received you, upon departing from that city, shake off even the dust on your feet, as a testimony against them.”


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Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all the things that were being done by him, but he doubted, because it was said


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by some, “For John has risen from the dead,” yet truly, by others, “For Elijah has appeared,” and by still others, “For one of the prophets from of old has risen again.”


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And Herod said: “I beheaded John. So then, who is this, about whom I hear such things?” And he sought to see him.


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And when the Apostles returned, they explained to him all the things that they had done. And taking them with him, he withdrew to a deserted place apart, which belongs to Bethsaida.


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But when the crowd had realized this, they followed him. And he received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God. And those who were in need of cures, he healed.


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Then the day began to decline. And drawing near, the twelve said to him: “Dismiss the crowds, so that, by going into the surrounding towns and villages, they may separate and find food. For we are here in a deserted place.”


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But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said, “There is with us no more than five loaves and two fish, unless perhaps we are to go and buy food for this entire multitude.”


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Now there were about five thousand men. So he said to his disciples, “Have them recline to eat in groups of fifty.”


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Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish, he gazed up to heaven, and he blessed and broke and distributed them to his disciples, in order to set them before the crowd.


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And they all ate and were satisfied. And twelve baskets of fragments were taken up, which were left over from them.


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And it happened that, when he was praying alone, his disciples also were with him, and he questioned them, saying: “Who do the multitudes say that I am?”


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But they answered by saying: “John the Baptist. But some say Elijah. Yet truly, others say that one of the prophets from before has risen again.”


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Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” In response, Simon Peter said, “The Christ of God.”


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saying, “For the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the leaders of the priests and the scribes, and be killed, and on the third day rise again.”


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Then he said to everyone: “If anyone is willing to come after me: let him deny himself, and take up his cross every day, and follow me.


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For whoever will have saved his life, will lose it. Yet whoever will have lost his life for my sake, will save it.


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For how does it benefit a man, if he were to gain the whole world, yet lose himself, or cause himself harm?


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For whoever will be ashamed of me and of my words: of him the Son of man will be ashamed, when he will have arrived in his majesty and that of his Father and of the holy Angels.


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And yet, I tell you a truth: There are some standing here who shall not taste death, until they see the kingdom of God.”


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And it happened that, about eight days after these words, he took Peter and James and John, and he ascended onto a mountain, so that he might pray.


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And while he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his vestment became white and shining.


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Yet truly, Peter and those who were with him were weighed down by sleep. And becoming alert, they saw his majesty and the two men who were standing with him.


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And it happened that, as these were departing from him, Peter said to Jesus: “Teacher, it is good for us to be here. And so, let us make three tabernacles: one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what he was saying.


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Then, as he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them. And as these were entering into the cloud, they were afraid.


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And while the voice was being uttered, Jesus was found to be alone. And they were silent and told no one, in those days, any of these things, which they had seen.


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But it happened on the following day that, as they were descending from the mountain, a great crowd met him.


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And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, saying, “Teacher, I beg you, look kindly on my son, for he is my only son.


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And behold, a spirit takes hold of him, and he suddenly cries out, and it throws him down and convulses him, so that he foams. And though it tears him apart, it leaves him only with difficulty.


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And in response, Jesus said: “O unfaithful and perverse generation! How long will I be with you and endure you? Bring your son here.”


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And all were astonished at the greatness of God. And as everyone was wondering over all that he was doing, he said to his disciples: “You must set these words in your hearts. For it shall be that the Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men.”


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But they did not understood this word, and it was concealed from them, so that they did not perceive it. And they were afraid to question him about this word.


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And he said to them: “Whoever will receive this child in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives him who sent me. For whoever is the lesser among you all, the same is greater.”


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And responding, John said: “Teacher, we saw a certain one casting out demons in your name. And we prohibited him, for he does not follow with us.”


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Now it happened that, while the days of his dissipation were being completed, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.


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And he sent messengers before his face. And going on, they entered into a city of the Samaritans, to prepare for him.


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And when his disciples, James and John, had seen this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call for fire to descend from heaven and consume them?”


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And it happened that, as they were walking along the way, someone said to him, “I will follow you, wherever you will go.”


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Jesus said to him: “Foxes have dens, and the birds of the air have nests. But the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.”


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Then he said to another, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.”


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And another said: “I will follow you, Lord. But permit me first to explain this to those of my house.”


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Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow, and then looks back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”


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Then, after these things, the Lord also designated another seventy-two. And he sent them in pairs before his face, into every city and place where he was to arrive.


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And he said to them: “Certainly the harvest is great, but the workers are few. Therefore, ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers into his harvest.


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Do not choose to carry a purse, nor provisions, nor shoes; and you shall greet no one along the way.


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And remain in the same house, eating and drinking the things that are with them. For the worker is worthy of his pay. Do not choose to pass from house to house.


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And cure the sick who are in that place, and proclaim to them, ‘The kingdom of God has drawn near to you.’


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But into whatever city you have entered and they have not received you, going out into its main streets, say:


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‘Even the dust which clings to us from your city, we wipe away against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has drawn near.’


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Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that have been wrought in you, had been wrought in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in haircloth and ashes.


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And as for you, Capernaum, who would be exalted even up to Heaven: you shall be submerged into Hell.


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Whoever hears you, hears me. And whoever despises you, despises me. And whoever despises me, despises him who sent me.”


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Then the seventy-two returned with gladness, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us, in your name.”


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Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and upon all the powers of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.


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Yet truly, do not choose to rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”


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In the same hour, he exulted in the Holy Spirit, and he said: “I confess to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the prudent, and have revealed them to little ones. It is so, Father, because this way was pleasing before you.


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All things have been delivered to me by my Father. And no one knows who the Son is, except the Father, and who the Father is, except the Son, and those to whom the Son has chosen to reveal him.”


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For I say to you, that many prophets and kings wanted to see the things that you see, and they did not see them, and to hear the things that you hear, and they did not hear them.”


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And behold, a certain expert in the law rose up, testing him and saying, “Teacher, what must I do to possess eternal life?”


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In response, he said: “You shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart, and from your whole soul, and from all your strength, and from all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”


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Then Jesus, taking this up, said: “A certain man descended from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he happened upon robbers, who now also plundered him. And inflicting him with wounds, they went away, leaving him behind, half-alive.


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And it happened that a certain priest was descending along the same way. And seeing him, he passed by.


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And approaching him, he bound up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. And setting him on his pack animal, he brought him to an inn, and he took care of him.


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And the next day, he took out two denarii, and he gave them to the proprietor, and he said: ‘Take care of him. And whatever extra you will have spent, I will repay to you at my return.’


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Then he said, “The one who acted with mercy toward him.” And Jesus said to him, “Go, and act similarly.”


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Now it happened that, while they were traveling, he entered into a certain town. And a certain woman, named Martha, received him into her home.


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And she had a sister, named Mary, who, while sitting beside the Lord’s feet, was listening to his word.


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Now Martha was continually busying herself with serving. And she stood still and said: “Lord, is it not a concern to you that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore, speak to her, so that she may help me.”


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And the Lord responded by saying to her: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled over many things.


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And yet only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the best portion, and it shall not be taken away from her.”


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And it happened that, while he was in a certain place praying, when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”


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And he said to them: “When you are praying, say: Father, may your name be kept holy. May your kingdom come.


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And forgive us our sins, since we also forgive all who are indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.”


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And he said to them: “Which of you will have a friend and will go to him in the middle of the night, and will say to him: ‘Friend, lend me three loaves,


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because a friend of mine has arrived from a journey to me, and I do not have anything to set before him.’


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And from within, he would answer by saying: ‘Do not disturb me. The door is closed now, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up and give it to you.’


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Yet if he will persevere in knocking, I tell you that, even though he would not get up and give it to him because he is a friend, yet due to his continued insistence, he will get up and give him whatever he needs.


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And so I say to you: Ask, and it shall be given to you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened to you.


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For everyone who asks, receives. And whoever seeks, finds. And whoever knocks, it shall be opened to him.


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So then, who among you, if he asks his father for bread, he would give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he would give him a serpent, instead of a fish?


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Therefore, if you, being evil, know how to give good things to your sons, how much more will your Father give, from heaven, a spirit of goodness to those who ask him?”


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And he was casting out a demon, and the man was mute. But when he had cast out the demon, the mute man spoke, and so the crowds were amazed.


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But when he perceived their thoughts, he said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself will become desolate, and house will fall upon house.


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So then, if Satan is also divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebub that I cast out demons.


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But if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your own sons cast them out? Therefore, they shall be your judges.


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Moreover, if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then certainly the kingdom of God has overtaken you.


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But if a stronger one, overwhelming him, has defeated him, he will take away all his weapons, in which he trusted, and he will distribute his spoils.


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When an unclean spirit has departed from a man, he walks through waterless places, seeking rest. And not finding any, he says: ‘I will return to my house, from which I departed.’


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Then he goes, and he takes in seven other spirits with him, more wicked than himself, and they enter and live there. And so, the end of that man is made worse the beginning.”


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And it happened that, when he was saying these things, a certain woman from the crowd, lifting up her voice, said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you.”


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Then, as the crowds were quickly gathering, he began to say: “This generation is a wicked generation: it seeks a sign. But no sign will be given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.


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The queen of the South will rise up, at the judgment, with the men of this generation, and she will condemn them. For she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And behold, more than Solomon is here.


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The men of Nineveh will rise up, at the judgment, with this generation, and they will condemn it. For at the preaching of Jonah, they repented. And behold, more than Jonah is here.


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No one lights a candle and places it in hiding, nor under a bushel basket, but upon a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.


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Your eye is the light of your body. If your eye is wholesome, your entire body will be filled with light. But if it is wicked, then even your body will be darkened.


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So then, if your entire body becomes filled with light, not having any part in darkness, then it will be entirely light, and, like a shining lamp, it will illuminate you.”


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And as he was speaking, a certain Pharisee asked him to eat with him. And going inside, he sat down to eat.


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But the Pharisee began to say, thinking within himself: “Why might it be that he has not washed before eating?”


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And the Lord said to him: “You Pharisees today clean what is outside the cup and the plate, but what is inside of you is full of plunder and iniquity.


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But woe to you, Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, but you ignore judgment and the charity of God. But these things you ought to have done, without omitting the others.


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Woe to you, Pharisees! For you love the first seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the marketplace.


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Woe to you! For you are like graves that are not noticeable, so that men walk over them without realizing it.”


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Then one of the experts in the law, in response, said to him, “Teacher, in saying these things, you bring an insult against us as well.”


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So he said: “And woe to you experts in the law! For you weigh men down with burdens which they are not able to bear, but you yourselves do not touch the weight with even one of your fingers.


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Clearly, you are testifying that you consent to the actions of your fathers, because even though they killed them, you build their sepulchers.


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Because of this also, the wisdom of God said: I will send to them Prophets and Apostles, and some of these they will kill or persecute,


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so that the blood of all the Prophets, which has been shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation:


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from the blood of Abel, even to the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. So I say to you: it will be required of this generation!


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Woe to you, experts in the law! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves do not enter, and those who were entering, you would have prohibited.”


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Then, while he was saying these things to them, the Pharisees and the experts in the law began to insist strongly that he restrain his mouth about many things.


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And waiting to ambush him, they sought something from his mouth that they might seize upon, in order to accuse him.


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Then, as great crowds were standing so close that they were stepping on one another, he began to say to his disciples: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.


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For there is nothing covered, which will not be revealed, nor anything hidden, which will not be known.


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For the things that you have spoken in darkness will be declared in the light. And what you have said in the ear in bedrooms will be proclaimed from the housetops.


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So I say to you, my friends: Do not be fearful of those who kill the body, and afterwards have no more that they can do.


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But I will reveal to you whom you should fear. Fear him who, after he will have killed, has the power to cast into Hell. So I say to you: Fear him.


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Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? And yet not one of these is forgotten in the sight of God.


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But even the very hairs of your head have all been numbered. Therefore, do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.


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But I say to you: Everyone who will have confessed me before men, the Son of man will also confess him before the Angels of God.


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And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of man, it will be forgiven of him. But of him who will have blasphemed against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.


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And when they will lead you to the synagogues, and to magistrates and authorities, do not choose to be worried about how or what you will answer, or about what you might say.


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And someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”


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So he said to them: “Be cautious and wary of all avarice. For a person’s life is not found in the abundance of the things that he possesses.”


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Then he spoke to them using a comparison, saying: “The fertile land of a certain wealthy man produced crops.


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And he thought within himself, saying: ‘What should I do? For I have nowhere to gather together my crops.’


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And he said: ‘This is what I will do. I will tear down my barns and build larger ones. And into these, I will gather all the things that have been grown for me, as well as my goods.


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And I will say to my soul: Soul, you have many goods, stored up for many years. Relax, eat, drink, and be cheerful.’


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But God said to him: ‘Foolish one, this very night they require your soul of you. To whom, then, will those things belong, which you have prepared?’


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And he said to his disciples: “And so I say to you: Do not choose to be anxious about your life, as to what you may eat, nor about your body, as to what you will wear.


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Consider the ravens. For they neither sow nor reap; there is no storehouse or barn for them. And yet God pastures them. How much more are you, compared to them?


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Consider the lilies, how they grow. They neither work nor weave. But I say to you, not even Solomon, in all his glory, was clothed like one of these.


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Therefore, if God so clothes the grass, which is in the field today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, how much more you, O little in faith?


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And so, do not choose to inquire as to what you will eat, or what you will drink. And do not choose to be lifted up on high.


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For all these things are sought by the Gentiles of the world. And your Father knows that you have need of these things.


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Yet truly, seek first the kingdom of God, and his justice, and all these things shall be added to you.


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Sell what you possess, and give alms. Make for yourselves purses that will not wear out, a treasure that will not fall short, in heaven, where no thief approaches, and no moth corrupts.


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And let you yourselves be like men awaiting their lord, when he will return from the wedding; so that, when he arrives and knocks, they may open to him promptly.


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Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when he returns, will find being vigilant. Amen I say to you, that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, while he, continuing on, will minister to them.


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And if he will return in the second watch, or if in the third watch, and if he will find them to be so: then blessed are those servants.


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But know this: that if the father of the family knew at what hour the thief would arrive, he would certainly stand watch, and he would not permit his house to be broken into.


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So the Lord said: “Who do you think is the faithful and prudent steward, whom his Lord has appointed over his family, in order to give them their measure of wheat in due time?


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But if that servant will have said in his heart, ‘My Lord has made a delay in his return,’ and if he has begun to strike the men and women servants, and to eat and drink, and to be inebriated,


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then the Lord of that servant will return on a day which he hoped not, and at an hour which he knew not. And he will separate him, and he will place his portion with that of the unfaithful.


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And that servant, who knew the will of his Lord, and who did not prepare and did not act according to his will, will be beaten many times over.


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Yet he who did not know, and who acted in a way that deserves a beating, will be beaten fewer times. So then, of all to whom much has been given, much will be required. And of those to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be asked.


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And I have a baptism, with which I am to be baptized. And how I am constrained, even until it may be accomplished!


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For from this time on, there will be five in one house: divided as three against two, and as two against three.


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A father will be divided against a son, and a son against his father; a mother against a daughter and a daughter against a mother; a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”


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And he also said to the crowds: “When you see a cloud rising from the setting of the sun, immediately you say, ‘A rain cloud is coming.’ And so it does.


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You hypocrites! You discern the face of the heavens, and of the earth, yet how is it that you do not discern this time?


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So, when you are going with your adversary to the ruler, while you are on the way, make an effort to be freed from him, lest perhaps he may lead you to the judge, and the judge may deliver you to the officer, and the officer may cast you into prison.


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And there were present, at that very time, some who were reporting about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate mixed with their sacrifices.


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And responding, he said to them: “Do you think that these Galileans must have sinned more than all other Galileans, because they suffered so much?


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And those eighteen upon whom the tower of Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they also were greater transgressors than all the men living in Jerusalem?


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And he also told this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree, which was planted in his vineyard. And he came seeking fruit on it, but found none.


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Then he said to the cultivator of the vineyard: ‘Behold, for these three years I came seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I have found none. Therefore, cut it down. For why should it even occupy the land?’


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But in response, he said to him: ‘Lord, let it be for this year also, during which time I will dig around it and add fertilizer.


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And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years. And she was bent over; and she was unable to look upwards at all.


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And when Jesus saw her, he called her to himself, and he said to her, “Woman, you are released from your infirmity.”


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Then, as a result, the ruler of the synagogue became angry that Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, and he said to the crowd: “There are six days on which you ought to work. Therefore, come and be cured on those, and not on the day of the Sabbath.”


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Then the Lord said to him in response: “You hypocrites! Does not each one of you, on the Sabbath, release his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it to water?


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So then, should not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for lo these eighteen years, be released from this restraint on the day of the Sabbath?”


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And as he was saying these things, all his adversaries were ashamed. And all the people rejoiced in everything that was being done gloriously by him.


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It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and cast into his garden. And it grew, and it became a great tree, and the birds of the air rested in its branches.”


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It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of fine wheat flour, until it was entirely leavened.”


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Then, when the father of the family will have entered and shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us.’ And in response, he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’


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And he will say to you: ‘I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!’


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In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, yet you yourselves are expelled outside.


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And they will arrive from the East, and the West, and the North, and the South; and they will recline at table in the kingdom of God.


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On the same day, some of the Pharisees approached, saying to him: “Depart, and go away from here. For Herod wishes to kill you.”


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And he said to them: “Go and tell that fox: ‘Behold, I cast out demons and accomplish healings, today and tomorrow. And on the third day I reach the end.’


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Yet truly, it is necessary for me to walk today and tomorrow and the following day. For it does not fall to a prophet to perish beyond Jerusalem.


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Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets, and you stone those who are sent to you. Daily, I wanted to gather together your children, in the manner of a bird with her nest under her wings, but you were not willing!


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Behold, your house will be left desolate for you. But I say to you, that you shall not see me, until it happens that you say: ‘Blessed is he who has arrived in the name of the Lord.’ ”


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And it happened that, when Jesus entered the house of a certain leader of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread, they were observing him.


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And responding, Jesus spoke to the experts in the law and to the Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath?”


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And responding to them, he said, “Which of you will have a donkey or an ox fall into a pit, and will not promptly pull him out, on the day of the Sabbath?”


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Then he also told a parable, to those who were invited, noticing how they chose the first seats at the table, saying to them:


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“When you are invited to a wedding, do not sit down in the first place, lest perhaps someone more honored than yourself may have been invited by him.


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And then he who called both you and him, approaching, may say to you, ‘Give this place to him.’ And then you would begin, with shame, to take the last place.


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But when you are invited, go, sit down in the lowest place, so that, when he who invited you arrives, he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the sight of those who sit at table together with you.


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Then he also said to the one who had invited him: “When you prepare a lunch or dinner, do not choose to call your friends, or your brothers, or your relatives, or your wealthy neighbors, lest perhaps they might then invite you in return and repayment would made to you.


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And you will be blessed because they do not have a way to repay you. So then, your recompense will be in the resurrection of the just.”


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When someone sitting at table with him had heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is he who will eat bread in the kingdom of God.”


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And he sent his servant, at the hour of the feast, to tell the invited to come; for now everything was ready.


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And at once they all began to make excuses. The first said to him: ‘I bought a farm, and I need to go out and see it. I ask you to excuse me.’


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And another said: ‘I bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to examine them. I ask you to excuse me.’


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And returning, the servant reported these things to his lord. Then the father of the family, becoming angry, said to his servant: ‘Go out quickly into the streets and neighborhoods of the city. And lead here the poor, and the disabled, and the blind, and the lame.’


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And the lord said to the servant: ‘Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel them to enter, so that my house may be filled.


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“If anyone comes to me, and does not hate his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, and yes, even his own life, he is not able to be my disciple.


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For who among you, wanting to build a tower, would not first sit down and determine the costs that are required, to see if he has the means to complete it?


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Otherwise, after he will have laid the foundation and not been able to finish it, everyone who sees it may begin to mock him,


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Or, what king, advancing to engage in war against another king, would not first sit down and consider whether he may be able, with ten thousand, to meet one who comes against him with twenty thousand?


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If not, then while the other is still far away, sending a delegation, he would ask him for terms of peace.


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Therefore, everyone of you who does not renounce all that he possesses is not able to be my disciple.


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It is useful neither in soil, nor in manure, so instead, it shall be thrown away. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”


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“What man among you, who has one hundred sheep, and if he will have lost one of them, would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the one whom he had lost, until he finds it?


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And returning home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them: ‘Congratulate me! For I have found my sheep, which had been lost.’


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I say to you, that there will be so much more joy in heaven over one sinner repenting, than over the ninety-nine just, who do not need to repent.


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Or what woman, having ten drachmas, if she will have lost one drachma, would not light a candle, and sweep the house, and diligently search until she finds it?


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And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying: ‘Rejoice with me! For I have found the drachma, which I had lost.’


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And the younger of them said to the father, ‘Father, give me the portion of your estate which would go to me.’ And he divided the estate between them.


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And after not many days, the younger son, gathering it all together, set out on a long journey to a distant region. And there, he dissipated his substance, living in luxury.


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And after he had consumed it all, a great famine occurred in that region, and he began to be in need.


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And he went and attached himself to one of the citizens of that region. And he sent him to his farm, in order to feed the swine.


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And he wanted to fill his belly with the scraps that the swine ate. But no one would give it to him.


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And returning to his senses, he said: ‘How many hired hands in my father’s house have abundant bread, while I perish here in famine!


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I shall rise up and go to my father, and I will say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.


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And rising up, he went to his father. But while he was still at a distance, his father saw him, and he was moved with compassion, and running to him, he fell upon his neck and kissed him.


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And the son said to him: ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. Now I am not worthy to be called your son.’


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But the father said to his servants: ‘Quickly! Bring out the best robe, and clothe him with it. And put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet.


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For this son of mine was dead, and has revived; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to feast.


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But his elder son was in the field. And when he returned and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.


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And he said to him: ‘Your brother has returned, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safely.’


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Then he became indignant, and he was unwilling to enter. Therefore, his father, going out, began to plead with him.


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And in response, he said to his father: ‘Behold, I have been serving you for so many years. And I have never transgressed your commandment. And yet, you have never given me even a young goat, so that I might feast with my friends.


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Yet after this son of yours returned, who has devoured his substance with loose women, you have killed the fatted calf for him.’


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But it was necessary to feast and to rejoice. For this brother of yours was dead, and has revived; he was lost, and is found.’ ”


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And he also said to his disciples: “A certain man was wealthy, and he had a steward of his estate. And this man was accused to him of having dissipated his goods.


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And he called him and said to him: ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship. For you can no longer be my steward.’


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And the steward said within himself: ‘What shall I do? For my lord is taking the stewardship away from me. I am not strong enough to dig. I am too ashamed to beg.


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I know what I will do so that, when I have been removed from the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.’


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And so, calling together each one of his lord’s debtors, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my lord?’


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So he said, ‘One hundred jars of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your invoice, and quickly, sit down and write fifty.’


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Next, he said to another, ‘In truth, how much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘One hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your record books, and write eighty.’


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And the lord praised the iniquitous steward, in that he had acted prudently. For the sons of this age are more prudent with their generation than are the sons of light.


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And so I say to you, make friends for yourself using iniquitous mammon, so that, when you will have passed away, they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles.


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Whoever is faithful in what is least, is also faithful in what is greater. And whoever is unjust in what is small, is also unjust in what is greater.


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So then, if you have not been faithful with iniquitous mammon, who will trust you with what is true?


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No servant is able to serve two lords. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will cling to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”


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And he said to them: “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of men. But God knows your hearts. For what is lifted up by men is an abomination in the sight of God.


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The law and the prophets were until John. Since then, the kingdom of God is being evangelized, and everyone acts with violence toward it.


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Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery. And whoever marries her who has been divorced by her husband commits adultery.


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A certain man was wealthy, and he was clothed in purple and in fine linen. And he feasted splendidly every day.


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wanting to be filled with the crumbs which were falling from the wealthy man’s table. But no one gave it to him. And even the dogs came and licked his sores.


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Then it happened that the beggar died, and he was carried by the Angels into the bosom of Abraham. Now the wealthy man also died, and he was entombed in Hell.


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Then lifting up his eyes, while he was in torments, he saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom.


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And crying out, he said: ‘Father Abraham, take pity on me and send Lazarus, so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water to refresh my tongue. For I am tortured in this fire.’


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And Abraham said to him: ‘Son, recall that you received good things in your life, and in comparison, Lazarus received bad things. But now he is consoled, and truly you are tormented.


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And besides all this, between us and you a great chaos has been established, so that those who might want to cross from here to you are not able, nor can someone cross from there to here.’


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So he said: ‘No, father Abraham. But if someone were to go to them from the dead, they would repent.’


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But he said to him: ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe even if someone has resurrected from the dead.’ ”


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And he said to his disciples: “It is impossible for scandals not to occur. But woe to him through whom they come!


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It would be better for him if a millstone were placed around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than to lead astray one of these little ones.


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Be attentive to yourselves. If your brother has sinned against you, correct him. And if he has repented, forgive him.


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And if he has sinned against you seven times a day, and seven times a day has turned back to you, saying, ‘I am sorry,’ then forgive him.”


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But the Lord said: “If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you may say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted, and be transplanted into the sea.’ And it would obey you.


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But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, would say to him, as he was returning from the field, ‘Come in immediately; sit down to eat,’


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and would not say to him: ‘Prepare my dinner; gird yourself and minister to me, while I eat and drink; and after these things, you shall eat and drink?’


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I think not. So too, when you have done all these things that have been taught to you, you should say: ‘We are useless servants. We have done what we should have done.’ ”


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And it happened that, while he was traveling to Jerusalem, he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.


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And when he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And it happened that, as they were going, they were cleansed.


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Then he was questioned by the Pharisees: “When does the kingdom of God arrive?” And in response, he said to them: “The kingdom of God arrives unobserved.


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And so, they will not say, ‘Behold, it is here,’ or ‘Behold, it is there.’ For behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”


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And he said to his disciples: “The time will come when you will desire to see one day of the Son of man, and you will not see it.


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And they will say to you, ‘Behold, he is here,’ and ‘Behold, he is there.’ Do not choose to go out, and do not follow them.


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For just as lightning flashes from under heaven and shines to whatever is under heaven, so also will the Son of man be in his day.


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They were eating and drinking; they were taking wives and being given in marriage, even until the day that Noah entered the ark. And the flood came and destroyed them all.


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It shall be similar to what happened in the days of Lot. They were eating and drinking; they were buying and selling; they were planting and building.


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Then, on the day that Lot departed from Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and it destroyed them all.


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In that hour, whoever will be on the rooftop, with his goods in the house, let him not descend to take them. And whoever will be in the field, similarly, let him not turn back.


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Whoever has sought to save his life, will lose it; and whoever has lost it, will bring it back to life.


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I say to you, in that night, there will be two in one bed. One will be taken up, and the other will be left behind.


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Two will be at the grindstone together. One will be taken up, and the other will be left behind. Two will be in the field. One will be taken up, and the other will be left behind.”


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And he said to them, “Wherever the body will be, in that place also, the eagles shall be gathered together.”


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But there was a certain widow in that city, and she went to him, saying, ‘Vindicate me from my adversary.’


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And he refused to do so for a long time. But afterwards, he said within himself: ‘Even though I do not fear God, nor respect man,


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yet because this widow is pestering me, I will vindicate her, lest by returning, she may, in the end, wear me out.’ ”


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So then, will not God grant the vindication of his elect, who cry out to him day and night? Or will he continue to endure them?


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I tell you that he will quickly bring vindication to them. Yet truly, when the Son of man returns, do you think that he will find faith on earth?”


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Now about certain persons who consider themselves to be just, while disdaining others, he told also this parable:


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“Two men ascended to the temple, in order to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector.


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Standing, the Pharisee prayed within himself in this way: ‘O God, I give thanks to you that I am not like the rest of men: robbers, unjust, adulterers, even as this tax collector chooses to be.


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And the tax collector, standing at a distance, was not willing to even lift up his eyes to heaven. But he struck his chest, saying: ‘O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.’


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I say to you, this one descended to his house justified, but not the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled; and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”


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And they were bringing little children to him, so that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw this, they rebuked them.


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But Jesus, calling them together, said: “Allow the children to come to me, and do not be an obstacle to them. For of such is the kingdom of God.


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Amen, I say to you, whoever will not accept the kingdom of God like a child, will not enter into it.”


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And a certain leader questioned him, saying: “Good teacher, what should I do to possess eternal life?”


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You know the commandments: You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony. Honor your father and mother.”


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And when Jesus heard this, he said to him: “One thing is still lacking for you. Sell all the things that you have, and give to the poor. And then you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me.”


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Then Jesus, seeing him brought to sorrow, said: “How difficult it is for those who have money to enter into the kingdom of God!


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For it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a wealthy man to enter into the kingdom of God.”


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And he said to them: “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has left behind home, or parents, or brothers, or a wife, or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God,


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Then Jesus took the twelve aside, and he said to them: “Behold, we are ascending to Jerusalem, and everything shall be completed which was written by the prophets about the Son of man.


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But they understood none of these things. For this word was concealed from them, and they did not understand the things that were said.


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Now it happened that, as he was approaching Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting beside the way, begging.


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And those who were passing by rebuked him, so that he would be silent. Yet truly, he cried out all the more, “Son of David, take pity on me!”


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Then Jesus, standing still, ordered him to be brought to him. And when he had drawn near, he questioned him,


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And immediately he saw. And he followed him, magnifying God. And all the people, when they saw this, gave praise to God.


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And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. And he was the leader of the tax collectors, and he was wealthy.


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And he sought to see Jesus, to see who he was. But he was unable to do so, because of the crowd, for he was small in stature.


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And running ahead, he climbed up a sycamore tree, so that he might see him. For he was to pass near there.


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And when he had arrived at the place, Jesus looked up and saw him, and he said to him: “Zacchaeus, hurry down. For today, I should lodge in your house.”


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But Zacchaeus, standing still, said to the Lord: “Behold, Lord, one half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have cheated anyone in any matter, I will repay him fourfold.”


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Jesus said to him: “Today, salvation has come to this house; because of this, he too is a son of Abraham.


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As they were listening to these things, continuing on, he spoke a parable, because he was nearing Jerusalem, and because they guessed that the kingdom of God might be manifested without delay.


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Therefore, he said: “A certain man of nobility traveled to a far away region, to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.


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And calling his ten servants, he gave them ten pounds, and he said to them: ‘Do business until I return.’


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But his citizens hated him. And so they sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this one to reign over us.’


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And it happened that he returned, having received the kingdom. And he ordered the servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called so that he would know how much each one had earned by doing business.


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And he said to him: ‘Well done, good servant. Since you have been faithful in a small matter, you will hold authority over ten cities.’


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For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You take up what you did not lay down, and you reap what you did not sow.’


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He said to him: ‘By your own mouth, do I judge you, O wicked servant. You knew that I am an austere man, taking up what I did not lay down, and reaping what I did not sow.


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And so, why did you not give my money to the bank, so that, upon my return, I might have withdrawn it with interest?’


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And he said to the bystanders, ‘Take the pound away from him, and give it to him who has ten pounds.’


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So then, I say to you, that to all who have, it shall be given, and he will have in abundance. And from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.


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‘Yet truly, as for those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here, and put them to death before me.’ ”


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And it happened that, when he had drawn near to Bethphage and Bethania, to the mount which is called Olivet, he sent two of his disciples,


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saying: “Go into the town which is opposite you. Upon entering it, you will find the colt of a donkey, tied, on which no man has ever sat. Untie it, and lead it here.


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And if anyone will ask you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this to him: ‘Because the Lord has requested its service.’ ”


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And when he was now drawing near to the descent of Mount Olivet, the entire crowd of his disciples began to praise God joyfully, with a loud voice, over all the powerful works which they had seen,


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saying: “Blessed is the king who has arrived in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory on high!”


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And he said to them, “I tell you, that if these will keep silent, the stones themselves will cry out.”


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“If only you had known, indeed even in this your day, which things are for your peace. But now they are hidden from your eyes.


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For the days will overtake you. And your enemies will encircle you with a valley. And they will surround you and hem you in on every side.


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And they will knock you down to the ground, with your sons who are in you. And they will not leave stone upon stone within you, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”


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saying to them: “It is written: ‘My house is a house of prayer.’ But you have made it into a den of robbers.”


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And he was teaching in the temple daily. And the leaders of the priests, and the scribes, and the leaders of the people were seeking to destroy him.


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And it happened that, on one of the days when he was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the Gospel, the leaders of the priests, and the scribes, gathered together with the elders,


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and they spoke to him, saying: “Tell us, by what authority do you do these things? Or, who is it that has given you this authority?”


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So they discussed it among themselves, saying: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’


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But if we say, ‘Of men,’ the whole people will stone us. For they are certain that John was a prophet.”


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Then he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, and he loaned it to settlers, and he was on a sojourn for a long time.


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And in due time, he sent a servant to the farmers, so that they would give to him from the fruit of the vineyard. And they beat him and drove him away, empty-handed.


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And he continued to send another servant. But beating him and treating him with contempt, they likewise sent him away, empty-handed.


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Then the lord of the vineyard said: ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Perhaps when they have seen him, they will respect him.’


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And when the settlers had seen him, they discussed it among themselves, saying: ‘This one is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance will be ours.’


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And forcing him outside of the vineyard, they killed him. What, then, will the lord of the vineyard do to them?”


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“He will come and destroy those settlers, and he will give the vineyard to others.” And upon hearing this, they said to him, “Let it not be.”


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Then, gazing at them, he said: “Then what does this mean, which is written: ‘The stone which the builders have rejected, the same has become the head of the corner?’


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And the leaders of the priests, and the scribes, were seeking to lay hands on him in that same hour, but they feared the people. For they realized that he had spoken this parable about them.


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And being attentive, they sent traitors, who would pretend that they were just, so that they might catch him in his words and then hand him over to the power and authority of the procurator.


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And they questioned him, saying: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach correctly, and that you do not consider anyone’s status, but you teach the way of God in truth.


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Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?” In response, they said to him, “Caesar’s.”


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And so, he said to them: “Then repay the things that are Caesar’s, to Caesar, and the things that are God’s, to God.”


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And they were not able to contradict his word before the people. And being amazed at his answer, they were silent.


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Now some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, approached him. And they questioned him,


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saying: “Teacher, Moses wrote for us: If any man’s brother will have died, having a wife, and if he does not have any children, then his brother should take her as his wife, and he should raise up offspring for his brother.


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And the third married her, and similarly all seven, and none of them left behind any offspring, and they each died.


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Yet truly, those who shall be held worthy of that age, and of the resurrection from the dead, will neither be married, nor take wives.


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For they can no longer die. For they are equal to the Angels, and they are children of God, since they are children of the resurrection.


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For in truth, the dead do rise again, as Moses also showed beside the bush, when he called the Lord: ‘The God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’


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“Be cautious of the scribes, who choose to walk in long robes, and who love greetings in the marketplace, and the first chairs in the synagogues, and the first places at table during feasts,


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For all these, out of their abundance, have added to the gifts for God. But she, out of what she needed, has put in all that she had to live on.”


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And when some of them were saying, about the temple, that it was adorned with excellent stones and gifts, he said,


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“These things that you see, the days will arrive when there will not be left behind stone upon stone, which is not thrown down.”


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Then they questioned him, saying: “Teacher, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when these things will happen?”


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And he said: “Be cautious, lest you be seduced. For many will come in my name, saying: ‘For I am he,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ And so, do not choose to go after them.


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And when you will have heard of battles and seditions, do not be terrified. These things must happen first. But the end is not so soon.”


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And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and pestilences, and famines, and terrors from heaven; and there will be great signs.


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But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, handing you over to synagogues and into custody, dragging you before kings and governors, because of my name.


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For I will give to you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries will not be able to resist or contradict.


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And you will be handed over by your parents, and brothers, and relatives, and friends. And they will bring about the death of some of you.


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Then, when you will have seen Jerusalem encircled by an army, know then that its desolation has drawn near.


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Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and those who are in its midst withdraw, and those who are in the countryside not enter into it.


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For these are the days of retribution, so that all things may be fulfilled, which have been written.


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Then woe to those who are pregnant or nursing in those days. For there will be great distress upon the land and great wrath upon this people.


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And they will fall by the edge of the sword. And they will be led away as captives into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles, until the times of the nations are fulfilled.


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And there will be signs in the sun and the moon and the stars. And there will be, on earth, distress among the Gentiles, out of confusion at the roaring of the sea and of the waves:


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men withering away out of fear and out of apprehension over the things that will overwhelm the whole world. For the powers of the heavens will be moved.


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But when these things begin to happen, lift up your heads and look around you, because your redemption draws near.”


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But be attentive to yourselves, lest perhaps your hearts may be weighed down by self-indulgence and inebriation and the cares of this life. And then that day may overwhelm you suddenly.


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And so, be vigilant, praying at all times, so that you may be held worthy to escape from all these things, which are in the future, and to stand before the Son of man.”


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Now in the daytime, he was teaching in the temple. But truly, departing in the evening, he lodged on the mount that is called Olivet.


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And the leaders of the priests, and the scribes, were seeking a way to execute Jesus. Yet truly, they were afraid of the people.


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And he went out and was speaking with the leaders of the priests, and the magistrates, as to how he might hand him over to them.


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And he said to them: “Behold, as you are entering into the city, a certain man will meet you, carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him to the house into which he enters.


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And you shall say to the father of the household: ‘The Teacher says to you: Where is the guestroom, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’


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For I say to you, that from this time, I will not eat it, until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”


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And having taken the chalice, he gave thanks, and he said: “Take this and share it among yourselves.


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For I say to you, that I will not drink from the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God arrives.”


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And taking bread, he gave thanks and broke it and gave it to them, saying: “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this as a commemoration of me.”


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Similarly also, he took the chalice, after he had eaten the meal, saying: “This chalice is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you.


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And indeed, the Son of man goes according to what has been determined. And yet, woe to that man by whom he will be betrayed.”


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And he said to them: “The kings of the Gentiles dominate them; and those who hold authority over them are called beneficent.


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But it must not be so with you. Instead, whoever is greater among you, let him become the lesser. And whoever is the leader, let him become the server.


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For who is greater: he who sits at table, or he who serves? Is not he who sits at table? Yet I am in your midst as one who serves.


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so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and so that you may sit upon thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”


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And the Lord said: “Simon, Simon! Behold, Satan has asked for you, so that he may sift you like wheat.


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But I have prayed for you, so that your faith may not fail, and so that you, once converted, may confirm your brothers.”


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And he said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you have three times denied that you know me.” And he said to them,


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And they said, “Nothing.” Then he said to them: “But now, let whoever has money take it, and likewise with provisions. And whoever does not have these, let him sell his coat and buy a sword.


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For I say to you, that what has been written must still be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was esteemed with the wicked.’ Yet even these things about me have an end.”


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And departing, he went out, according to his custom, to the Mount of Olives. And his disciples also followed him.


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saying: “Father, if you are willing, take this chalice away from me. Yet truly, let not my will, but yours, be done.”


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Then an Angel appeared to him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony, he prayed more intensely;


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And when he had risen up from prayer and had gone to his disciples, he found them sleeping out of sorrow.


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While he was still speaking, behold, a crowd arrived. And he who is called Judas, one of the twelve, went ahead of them and approached Jesus, in order to kiss him.


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Then those who were around him, realizing what was about to happen, said to him: “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?”


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Then Jesus said to the leaders of the priests, and the magistrates of the temple, and the elders, who had come to him: “Have you gone out, as if against a thief, with swords and clubs?


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When I was with you each day in the temple, you did not extend your hands against me. But this is your hour and that of the power of darkness.”


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And apprehending him, they led him to the house of the high priest. Yet truly, Peter followed at a distance.


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Now as they were sitting around a fire, which had been kindled in the middle of the atrium, Peter was in their midst.


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And when a certain woman servant had seen him sitting in its light, and had looked at him intently, she said, “This one was also with him.”


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And after a little while, another one, seeing him, said, “You also are one of them.” Yet Peter said, “O man, I am not.”


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And after the interval of about one hour had passed, someone else affirmed it, saying: “Truly, this one also was with him. For he is also a Galilean.”


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And Peter said: “Man, I do not know what you are saying.” And at once, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.


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And the Lord turned around and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord that he had said: “For before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”


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And they blindfolded him and repeatedly struck his face. And they questioned him, saying: “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?”


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And when it was daytime, the elders of the people, and the leaders of the priests, and the scribes convened. And they led him into their council, saying, “If you are the Christ, tell us.”


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And they said: “Why do we still require testimony? For we have heard it ourselves, from his own mouth.”


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Then they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this one subverting our nation, and prohibiting giving tribute to Caesar, and saying that he is Christ the king.”


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And Pilate questioned him, saying: “You are the king of the Jews?” But in response, he said: “You are saying it.”


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Then Pilate said to the leaders of the priests and to the crowds, “I find no case against this man.”


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But they continued more intensely, saying: “He has stirred up the people, teaching throughout all of Judea, beginning from Galilee, even to this place.”


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And when he realized that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him away to Herod, who was himself also at Jerusalem in those days.


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Then Herod, upon seeing Jesus, was very glad. For he had been wanting to see him for a long time, because he had heard so many things about him, and he was hoping to see some kind of sign wrought by him.


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Then Herod, with his soldiers, scorned him. And he ridiculed him, clothing him in a white garment. And he sent him back to Pilate.


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said to them: “You have brought before me this man, as one who disturbs the people. And behold, having questioned him before you, I find no case against this man, in those things about which you accuse him.


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And neither did Herod. For I sent you all to him, and behold, nothing deserving of death was recorded about him.


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Now he had been cast into prison because of a certain sedition that occurred in the city and for murder.


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Then he said to them a third time: “Why? What evil has he done? I find no case against him for death. Therefore, I will chastise him and release him.”


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But they persisted, with loud voices, in demanding that he be crucified. And their voices increased in intensity.


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Then he released for them the one who had been cast into prison for murder and sedition, whom they were requesting. Yet truly, Jesus he handed over to their will.


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And as they were leading him away, they apprehended a certain one, Simon of Cyrene, as he was returning from the countryside. And they imposed the cross on him to carry after Jesus.


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But Jesus, turning to them, said: “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep over me. Instead, weep over yourselves and over your children.


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For behold, the days will arrive in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that have not borne, and the breasts that have not nursed.’


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And when they arrived at the place that is called Calvary, they crucified him there, with the robbers, one to the right and the other to the left.


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Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them. For they know not what they do.” And truly, dividing his garments, they cast lots.


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And people were standing near, watching. And the leaders among them derided him, saying: “He saved others. Let him save himself, if this one is the Christ, the elect of God.”


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Now there was also an inscription written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.


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And one of those robbers who were hanging blasphemed him, saying, “If you are the Christ, save yourself and us.”


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But the other responded by rebuking him, saying: “Do you have no fear of God, since you are under the same condemnation?


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And indeed, it is just for us. For we are receiving what our deeds deserve. But truly, this one has done nothing wrong.”


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Now it was nearly the sixth hour, and a darkness occurred over the entire earth, until the ninth hour.


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And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” And upon saying this, he expired.


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Now, the centurion, seeing what had happened, glorified God, saying, “Truly, this man was the Just One.”


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And the entire crowd of those who came together to see this spectacle also saw what had happened, and they returned, striking their breasts.


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Now all those who knew him, and the women who had followed him from Galilee, were standing at a distance, watching these things.


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(for he had not consented to their decision or their actions). He was from Arimathea, a city of Judea. And he was himself also anticipating the kingdom of God.


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And taking him down, he wrapped him in a fine linen cloth, and he placed him in a tomb hewn from rock, in which no one had ever been placed.


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Now the women who had come with him from Galilee, by following, saw the tomb and the manner in which his body was placed.


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And upon returning, they prepared aromatic spices and ointments. But on the Sabbath, indeed, they rested, according to the commandment.


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Then, on the first Sabbath, at very first light, they went to the tomb, carrying the aromatic spices that they had prepared.


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And it happened that, while their minds were still confused about this, behold, two men stood beside them, in shining apparel.


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Then, since they were afraid and were turning their faces toward the ground, these two said to them: “Why do you seek the living with the dead?


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saying: ‘For the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ ”


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Now it was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary of James, and the other women who were with them, who told these things to the Apostles.


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But Peter, rising up, ran to the tomb. And stooping down, he saw the linen cloths positioned alone, and he went away wondering to himself about what had happened.


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And behold, two of them went out, on the same day, to a town named Emmaus, which was the distance of sixty stadia from Jerusalem.


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And it happened that, while they were speculating and questioning within themselves, Jesus himself, drawing near, traveled with them.


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And he said to them, “What are these words, which you are discussing with one another, as you walk and are sad?”


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And one of them, whose name was Cleopas, responded by saying to him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”


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And he said to them, “What things?” And they said, “About Jesus of Nazareth, who was a noble prophet, powerful in works and in words, before God and all the people.


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And how our high priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death. And they crucified him.


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But we were hoping that he would be the Redeemer of Israel. And now, on top of all this, today is the third day since these things have happened.


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and, having not found his body, they returned, saying that they had even seen a vision of Angels, who said that he is alive.


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And some of us went out to the tomb. And they found it just as the women had said. But truly, they did not find him.”


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And he said to them: “How foolish and reluctant in heart you are, to believe everything that has been spoken by the Prophets!


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And beginning from Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted for them, in all the Scriptures, the things that were about him.


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And they drew near to the town were they were going. And he conducted himself so as to go on further.


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But they were insistent with him, saying, “Remain with us, because it is toward evening and now daylight is declining.” And so he entered with them.


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And it happened that, while he was at table with them, he took bread, and he blessed and broke it, and he extended it to them.


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And they said to one another, “Was not our heart burning within us, while he was speaking on the way, and when he opened the Scriptures to us?”


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And rising up at that same hour, they returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven gathered together, and those who were with them,


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And they explained the things that were done on the way, and how they had recognized him at the breaking of the bread.


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Then, while they were talking about these things, Jesus stood in their midst, And he said to them: “Peace be with you. It is I. Do not be afraid.”


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See my hands and feet, that it is I myself. Look and touch. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see that I have.”


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Then, while they were still in disbelief and in wonder out of joy, he said, “Do you have anything here to eat?”


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And he said to them: “These are the words that I spoke to you when I was still with you, because all things must be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms about me.”


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And he said to them: “For so it is written, and so it was necessary, for the Christ to suffer and to rise up from the dead on the third day,


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and, in his name, for repentance and the remission of sins to be preached, among all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem.


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And I am sending the Promise of my Father upon you. But you must stay in the city, until such time as you are clothed with power from on high.”


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And it happened that, while he was blessing them, he withdrew from them, and he was carried up into heaven.


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Yet whoever did accept him, those who believed in his name, he gave them the power to become the sons of God.


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And the Word became flesh, and he lived among us, and we saw his glory, glory like that of an only-begotten son from the Father, full of grace and truth.


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John offers testimony about him, and he cries out, saying: “This is the one about whom I said: ‘He who is to come after me, has been placed ahead of me, because he existed before me.’ ”


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No one ever saw God; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he himself has described him.


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And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to him, so that they might ask him, “Who are you?”


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And they questioned him: “Then what are you? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”


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Therefore, they said to him: “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”


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He said, “I am a voice crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ just as the prophet Isaiah said.”


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And they questioned him and said to him, “Then why do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, and not Elijah, and not the Prophet?”


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John answered them by saying: “I baptize with water. But in your midst stands one, whom you do not know.


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The same is he who is to come after me, who has been placed ahead of me, the laces of whose shoes I am not worthy to loosen.”


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On the next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him, and so he said: “Behold, the Lamb of God. Behold, he who takes away the sin of the world.


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This is the one about whom I said, ‘After me arrives a man, who has been placed ahead of me, because he existed before me.’


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And I did not know him. Yet it is for this reason that I come baptizing with water: so that he may be made manifest in Israel.”


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And John offered testimony, saying: “For I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove; and he remained upon him.


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And I did not know him. But he who sent me to baptize with water said to me: ‘He over whom you will see the Spirit descending and remaining upon him, this is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’


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Then Jesus, turning around and seeing them following him, said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi (which means in translation, Teacher), where do you live?”


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He said to them, “Come and see.” They went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. Now it was about the tenth hour.


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And Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who had heard about him from John and had followed him.


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First, he found his brother Simon, and he said to him, “We have found the Messiah,” (which is translated as the Christ).


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And he led him to Jesus. And Jesus, gazing at him, said: “You are Simon, son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas,” (which is translated as Peter).


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On the next day, he wanted to go into Galilee, and he found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”


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Philip found Nathanael, and he said to him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the Law and the Prophets: Jesus, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”


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And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good be from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”


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Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, and he said about him, “Behold, an Israelite in whom truly there is no deceit.”


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Nathanael said to him, “From where do you know me?” Jesus responded and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”


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Jesus responded and said to him: “Because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree, you believe. Greater things than these, you will see.”


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And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the Angels of God ascending and descending over the Son of man.”


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Now in that place, there were six stone water jars, for the purification ritual of the Jews, containing two or three measures each.


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And Jesus said to them, “Now draw from it, and carry it to the chief steward of the feast.” And they took it to him.


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Then, when the chief steward had tasted the water made into wine, since he did not know where it was from, for only the servants who had drawn the water knew, the chief steward called the groom,


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and he said to him: “Every man offers the good wine first, and then, when they have become inebriated, he offers what is worse. But you have kept the good wine until now.”


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This was the beginning of the signs that Jesus accomplished in Cana of Galilee, and it manifested his glory, and his disciples believed in him.


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After this, he descended to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, but they did not remain there for many days.


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And when he had made something like a whip out of little cords, he drove them all out of the temple, including the sheep and the oxen. And he poured out the brass coins of the moneychangers, and he overturned their tables.


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And to those who were selling doves, he said: “Take these things out of here, and do not make my Father’s house into a house of commerce.”


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Then the Jews responded and said to him, “What sign can you show to us, that you may do these things?”


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Then the Jews said, “This temple has been built up over forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?”


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Therefore, when he had resurrected from the dead, his disciples were reminded that he had said this, and they believed in the Scriptures and in the word that Jesus had spoken.


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Now while he was at Jerusalem during the Passover, on the day of the feast, many trusted in his name, seeing his signs that he was accomplishing.


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and because he had no need of anyone to offer testimony about a man. For he knew what was within a man.


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He went to Jesus at night, and he said to him: “Rabbi, we know that you have arrived as a teacher from God. For no one would be able to accomplish these signs, which you accomplish, unless God were with him.”


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Jesus responded and said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one has been reborn anew, he is not able to see the kingdom of God.”


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Nicodemus said to him: “How could a man be born when he is old? Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be reborn?”


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Jesus responded: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one has been reborn by water and the Holy Spirit, he is not able to enter into the kingdom of God.


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The Spirit inspires where he wills. And you hear his voice, but you do not know where he comes from, or where he is going. So it is with all who are born of the Spirit.”


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Jesus responded and said to him: “You are a teacher in Israel, and you are ignorant of these things?


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Amen, amen, I say to you, that we speak about what we know, and we testify about what we have seen. But you do not accept our testimony.


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If I have spoken to you about earthly things, and you have not believed, then how will you believe, if I will speak to you about heavenly things?


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And no one has ascended to heaven, except the one who descended from heaven: the Son of man who is in heaven.


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For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that all who believe in him may not perish, but may have eternal life.


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For God did not send his Son into the world, in order to judge the world, but in order that the world may be saved through him.


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Whoever believes in him is not judged. But whoever does not believe is already judged, because he does not believe in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.


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And this is the judgment: that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness more than light. For their works were evil.


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For everyone who does evil hates the Light and does not go toward the Light, so that his works may not be corrected.


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But whoever acts in truth goes toward the Light, so that his works may be manifested, because they have been accomplished in God.”


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After these things, Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judea. And he was living there with them and baptizing.


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Now John was also baptizing, at Aenon near Salim, because there was much water in that place. And they were arriving and being baptized.


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And they went to John and said to him: “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, about whom you offered testimony: behold, he is baptizing and everyone is going to him.”


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John responded and said: “A man is not able to receive anything, unless it has been given to him from heaven.


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You yourselves offer testimony for me that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but that I have been sent before him.


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He who holds the bride is the groom. But the friend of the groom, who stands and listens to Him, rejoices joyfully at the voice of the groom. And so, this, my joy, has been fulfilled.


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He who comes from above, is above everything. He who is from below, is of the earth, and he speaks about the earth. He who comes from heaven is above everything.


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Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. But whoever is unbelieving toward the Son shall not see life; instead the wrath of God remains upon him.”


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And so, when Jesus realized that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made more disciples and baptized more than John,


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Therefore, he went into a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the estate which Jacob gave to his son Joseph.


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And Jacob’s well was there. And so Jesus, being tired from the journey, was sitting in a certain way on the well. It was about the sixth hour.


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And so, that Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, being a Jew, are requesting a drink from me, though I am a Samaritan woman?” For the Jews do not associate with the Samaritans.


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Jesus responded and said to her: “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to you, ‘Give me to drink,’ perhaps you would have made a request of him, and he would have given you living water.”


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The woman said to him: “Lord, you do not have anything with which to draw water, and the well is deep. From where, then, do you have living water?


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Surely, you are not greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and who drank from it, with his sons and his cattle?”


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Jesus responded and said to her: “All who drink from this water will thirst again. But whoever shall drink from the water that I will give to him will not thirst for eternity.


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Instead, the water that I will give to him will become in him a fountain of water, springing up into eternal life.”


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The woman said to him, “Lord, give me this water, so that I may not thirst and may not come here to draw water.”


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The woman responded and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her: “You have spoken well, in saying, ‘I have no husband.’


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For you have had five husbands, but he whom you have now is not your husband. You have spoken this in truth.”


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Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you say that Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”


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Jesus said to her: “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you shall worship the Father, neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem.


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But the hour is coming, and it is now, when true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father also seeks such persons who may worship him.


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The woman said to him: “I know that the Messiah is coming (who is called the Christ). And then, when he will have arrived, he will announce everything to us.”


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And then his disciples arrived. And they wondered that he was speaking with the woman. Yet no one said: “What are you seeking?” or, “Why are you talking with her?”


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Jesus said to them: “My food is to do the will of the One who sent me, so that I may perfect his work.


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Do you not say, ‘There are still four months, and then the harvest arrives?’ Behold, I say to you: Lift up your eyes and look at the countryside; for it is already ripe for the harvest.


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For he who reaps, receives wages and gathers fruit unto eternal life, so that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.


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I have sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”


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Now many of the Samaritans from that city believed in him, because of the word of the woman who was offering testimony: “For he told me all the things that I have done.”


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Therefore, when the Samaritans had come to him, they petitioned him to lodge there. And he lodged there for two days.


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And they said to the woman: “Now we believe, not because of your speech, but because we ourselves have heard him, and so we know that he is truly the Savior of the world.”


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And so, when he had arrived in Galilee, the Galileans received him, because they had seen all that he had done at Jerusalem, in the day of the feast. For they also went to the feast day.


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Then he went again into Cana of Galilee, where he made water into wine. And there was a certain ruler, whose son was sick at Capernaum.


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Since he had heard that Jesus came to Galilee from Judea, he sent to him and begged him to come down and heal his son. For he was beginning to die.


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Jesus said to him, “Go, your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and so he went away.


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Then, as he was going down, his servants met him. And they reported to him, saying that his son was alive.


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Therefore, he asked them at which hour he had become better. And they said to him, “Yesterday, at the seventh hour, the fever left him.”


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Then the father realized that it was at the same hour that Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And both he and his entire household believed.


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Now at Jerusalem is the Pool of Evidence, which in Hebrew is known as the Place of Mercy; it has five porticos.


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Along these lay a great multitude of the sick, the blind, the lame, and the withered, waiting for the movement of the water.


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Now at times an Angel of the Lord would descend into the pool, and so the water was moved. And whoever descended first into the pool, after the motion of the water, he was healed of whatever infirmity held him.


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Then, when Jesus had seen him reclining, and when he realized that he had been afflicted for a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?”


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The invalid answered him: “Lord, I do not have any man to put me in the pool, when the water has been stirred. For as I am going, another descends ahead of me.”


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And immediately the man was healed. And he took up his stretcher and walked. Now this day was the Sabbath.


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Therefore, the Jews said to the one who had been healed: “It is the Sabbath. It is not lawful for you to take up your stretcher.”


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But the one who had been given health did not know who it was. For Jesus had turned aside from the crowd gathered in that place.


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Afterwards, Jesus found him in the temple, and he said to him: “Behold, you have been healed. Do not choose to sin further, otherwise something worse may happen to you.”


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And so, because of this, the Jews were seeking to kill him even more so. For not only did he break the Sabbath, but he even said that God was his Father, making himself equal to God.


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Then Jesus responded and said to them: “Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son is not able to do anything of himself, but only what he has seen the Father doing. For whatever he does, even this does the Son do, similarly.


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For the Father loves the Son, and he shows him all that he himself does. And greater works than these will he show him, so much so that you shall wonder.


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For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wills.


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so that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son, does not honor the Father who sent him.


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Amen, amen, I say to you, that whoever hears my word, and believes in him who sent me, has eternal life, and he does not go into judgment, but instead he crosses from death into life.


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Amen, amen, I say to you, that the hour is coming, and it is now, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear it shall live.


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For just as the Father has life in himself, so also has he granted to the Son to have life in himself.


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Do not be amazed at this. For the hour is coming in which all who are in the grave shall hear the voice of the Son of God.


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And those who have done good shall go forth to the resurrection of life. Yet truly, those who have done evil shall go to the resurrection of judgment.


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I am not able to do anything of myself. As I hear, so do I judge. And my judgment is just. For I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me.


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There is another who offers testimony about me, and I know that the testimony which he offers about me is true.


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But I hold a greater testimony than that of John. For the works which the Father has given to me, so that I may complete them, these works themselves that I do, offer testimony about me: that the Father has sent me.


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And the Father who has sent me has himself offered testimony about me. And you have never heard his voice, nor have you beheld his appearance.


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And you do not have his word abiding in you. For the one whom he sent, the same you would not believe.


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Study the Scriptures. For you think that in them you have eternal life. And yet they also offer testimony about me.


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I have come in the name of my Father, and you do not accept me. If another will arrive in his own name, him you will accept.


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How are you able to believe, you who accept glory from one another and yet do not seek the glory that is from God alone?


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Do not consider that I might accuse you with the Father. There is one who accuses you, Moses, in whom you hope.


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And a great multitude was following him, for they saw the signs that he was accomplishing toward those who were infirm.


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And so, when Jesus had lifted up his eyes and had seen that a very great multitude came to him, he said to Philip, “From where should we buy bread, so that these may eat?”


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Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii of bread would not be sufficient for each of them to receive even a little.”


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“There is a certain boy here, who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are these among so many?”


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Then Jesus said, “Have the men sit down to eat.” Now, there was much grass in that place. And so the men, in number about five thousand, sat down to eat.


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Therefore, Jesus took the bread, and when he had given thanks, he distributed it to those who were sitting down to eat; similarly also, from the fish, as much as they wanted.


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Then, when they were filled, he said to his disciples, “Gather the fragments that are left over, lest they be lost.”


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And so they gathered, and they filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which were left over from those who had eaten.


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Therefore, those men, when they had seen that Jesus had accomplished a sign, they said, “Truly, this one is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”


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And so, when he realized that they were going to come and take him away and make him king, Jesus fled back to the mountain, by himself alone.


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And when they had climbed into a boat, they went across the sea to Capernaum. And darkness had now arrived, and Jesus had not returned to them.


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And so, when they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they saw Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing near to the boat, and they were afraid.


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Therefore, they were willing to receive him into the boat. But immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.


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On the next day, the crowd which was standing across the sea saw that there were no other small boats in that place, except one, and that Jesus had not entered into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had departed alone.


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Yet truly, other boats came over from Tiberias, next to the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord gave thanks.


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Therefore, when the crowd had seen that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they climbed into the small boats, and they went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.


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Jesus answered them and said: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you seek me, not because you have seen signs, but because you have eaten from the bread and were satisfied.


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Do not work for food that perishes, but for that which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you. For God the Father has sealed him.”


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And so they said to him: “Then what sign will you do, so that we may see it and believe in you? What will you work?


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Our fathers ate manna in the desert, just as it has been written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”


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Therefore, Jesus said to them: “Amen, amen, I say to you, Moses did not give you bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.


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Then Jesus said to them: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.


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Yet this is the will of the Father who sent me: that I should lose nothing out of all that he has given to me, but that I should raise them up on the last day.


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So then, this is the will of my Father who sent me: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”


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Therefore, the Jews murmured about him, because he had said: “I am the living bread, who descended from heaven.”


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And they said: “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? Then how can he say: ‘For I descended from heaven?’ ”


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No one is able to come to me, unless the Father, who has sent me, has drawn him. And I will raise him up on the last day.


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It has been written in the Prophets: ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has listened and learned from the Father comes to me.


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If anyone eats from this bread, he shall live in eternity. And the bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.”


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And so, Jesus said to them: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you.


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Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.


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Just as the living Father has sent me and I live because of the Father, so also whoever eats me, the same shall live because of me.


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This is the bread that descends from heaven. It is not like the manna that your fathers ate, for they died. Whoever eats this bread shall live forever.”


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Therefore, many of his disciples, upon hearing this, said: “This saying is difficult,” and, “Who is able to listen to it?”


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But Jesus, knowing within himself that his disciples were murmuring about this, said to them: “Does this offend you?


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It is the Spirit who gives life. The flesh does not offer anything of benefit. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.


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But there are some among you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who were unbelieving and which one would betray him.


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And so he said, “For this reason, I said to you that no one is able to come to me, unless it has been given to him by my Father.”


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Now he was speaking about Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. For this one, even though he was one of the twelve, was about to betray him.


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Then, after these things, Jesus was walking in Galilee. For he was not willing to walk in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him.


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And his brothers said to him: “Move away from here and go into Judea, so that your disciples there may also see your works that you do.


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Of course, no one does anything in secret, but he himself seeks to be in the public view. Since you do these things, manifest yourself to the world.”


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The world cannot hate you. But it hates me, because I offer testimony about it, that its works are evil.


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You may go up to this feast day. But I am not going up to this feast day, because my time has not yet been fulfilled.”


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But after his brothers went up, then he also went up to the feast day, not openly, but as if in secret.


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And there was much murmuring in the crowd concerning him. For certain ones were saying, “He is good.” But others were saying, “No, for he seduces the crowds.”


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If anyone has chosen to do his will, then he will realize, about the doctrine, whether it is from God, or whether I am speaking from myself.


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Whoever speaks from himself seeks his own glory. But whoever seeks the glory of him who sent him, this one is true, and injustice is not in him.


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Why are you seeking to kill me?” The crowd responded and said: “You must have a demon. Who is seeking to kill you?”


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For Moses gave you circumcision, (not that it is of Moses, but of the fathers) and on the Sabbath you circumcise a man.


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If a man can receive circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you indignant toward me, because I have made a man whole on the Sabbath?


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And behold, he is speaking openly, and they say nothing to him. Could the leaders have decided that it is true this one is the Christ?


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But we know him and where he is from. And when the Christ has arrived, no one will know where he is from.”


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Therefore, Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying: “You know me, and you also know where I am from. And I have not arrived of myself, but he who sent me is true, and him you do not know.


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Therefore, they were seeking to apprehend him, and yet no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come.


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But many among the crowd believed in him, and they were saying, “When the Christ arrives, will he perform more signs than this man does?”


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The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things about him. And the leaders and the Pharisees sent attendants to apprehend him.


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Therefore, Jesus said to them: “For a brief time, I am still with you, and then I am going to him who sent me.


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And so the Jews said among themselves: “Where is this place to which he will go, such that we will not find him? Will he go to those dispersed among the Gentiles and teach the Gentiles?


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What is this word that he spoke, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me; and where I am, you are not able to go?’ ”


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Then, on the last great day of the feast, Jesus was standing and crying out, saying: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink:


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whoever believes in me, just as Scripture says, ‘From his chest shall flow rivers of living water.’ ”


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Now he said this about the Spirit, which those who believe in him would soon be receiving. For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.


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Therefore, some from that crowd, when they had heard these words of his, were saying, “This one truly is the Prophet.”


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Others were saying, “He is the Christ.” Yet certain ones were saying: “Does the Christ come from Galilee?


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Does Scripture not say that the Christ comes from the offspring of David and from Bethlehem, the town where David was?”


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Therefore, the attendants went to the high priests and the Pharisees. And they said to them, “Why have you not brought him?”


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They responded and said to him: “Are you also a Galilean? Study the Scriptures, and see that a prophet does not arise from Galilee.”


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And early in the morning, he went again to the temple; and all the people came to him. And sitting down, he taught them.


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Now the scribes and Pharisees brought forward a woman caught in adultery, and they stood her in front of them.


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But they were saying this to test him, so that they might be able to accuse him. Then Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the earth.


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And then, when they persevered in questioning him, he stood upright and said to them, “Let whoever is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at her.”


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But upon hearing this, they went away, one by one, beginning with the eldest. And Jesus alone remained, with the woman standing in front of him.


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Then Jesus, raising himself up, said to her: “Woman, where are those who accused you? Has no one condemned you?”


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And she said, “No one, Lord.” Then Jesus said: “Neither will I condemn you. Go, and now do not choose to sin anymore.”


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Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me does not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”


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Jesus responded and said to them: “Even though I offer testimony about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going.


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And when I do judge, my judgment is true. For I am not alone, but it is I and he who sent me: the Father.


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Therefore, they said to him, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered: “You know neither me, nor my Father. If you did know me, perhaps you would know my Father also.”


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Jesus spoke these words at the treasury, while teaching in the temple. And no one apprehended him, because his hour had not yet come.


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Therefore, Jesus again spoke to them: “I am going, and you shall seek me. And you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you are not able to go.”


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And so the Jews said, “Is he going to kill himself, for he said: ‘Where I am going, you are not able to go?’ ”


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And he said to them: “You are from below. I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world.


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Therefore, I said to you, that you will die in your sins. For if you will not believe that I am, you will die in your sin.”


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And so they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them: “The Beginning, who is also speaking to you.


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I have much to say about you and to judge. But he who sent me is true. And what I have heard from him, this I speak within the world.”


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And so Jesus said to them: “When you will have lifted up the Son of man, then you shall realize that I am, and that I do nothing of myself, but just as the Father has taught me, so do I speak.


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And he who sent me is with me, and he has not abandoned me alone. For I always do what is pleasing to him.”


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Therefore, Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him: “If you will abide in my word, you will truly be my disciples.


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They answered him: “We are the offspring of Abraham, and we have never been a slave to anyone. How can you say, ‘You shall be set free?’ ”


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I know that you are sons of Abraham. But you are seeking to kill me, because my word has not taken hold in you.


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They responded and said to him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them: “If you are the sons of Abraham, then do the works of Abraham.


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But now you are seeking to kill me, a man who has spoken the truth to you, which I have heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.


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You do the works of your father.” Therefore, they said to him: “We were not born out of fornication. We have one father: God.”


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Then Jesus said to them: “If God were your father, certainly you would love me. For I proceeded and came from God. For I did not come from myself, but he sent me.


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You are of your father, the devil. And you will carry out the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning. And he did not stand in the truth, because the truth is not in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks it from his own self. For he is a liar, and the father of lies.


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Whoever is of God, hears the words of God. For this reason, you do not hear them: because you are not of God.”


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Therefore, the Jews responded and said to him, “Are we not correct in saying that you are a Samaritan, and that you have a demon?”


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Therefore, the Jews said: “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham is dead, and the Prophets; and yet you say, ‘If anyone will have kept my word, he shall not taste death for eternity.’


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Are you greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. So who do you make yourself to be?”


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Jesus responded: “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me. And you say about him that he is your God.


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And yet you have not known him. But I know him. And if I were to say that I do not know him, then I would be like you, a liar. But I know him, and I keep his word.


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Therefore, they took up stones to cast at him. But Jesus hid himself, and he departed from the temple.


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And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?”


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Jesus responded: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but it was so that the works of God would be made manifest in him.


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I must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day: the night is coming, when no one is able to work.


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When he had said these things, he spat on the ground, and he made clay from the spittle, and he smeared the clay over his eyes.


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And he said to him: “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated as: one who has been sent). Therefore, he went away and washed, and he returned, seeing.


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And so the bystanders and those who had seen him before, when he was a beggar, said, “Is this not the one who was sitting and begging?” Some said, “This is he.”


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He responded: “That man who is called Jesus made clay, and he anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ And I went, and I washed, and I see.”


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Therefore, again the Pharisees questioned him as to how he had seen. And he said to them, “He placed clay over my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”


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And so certain Pharisees said: “This man, who does not keep the Sabbath, is not from God.” But others said, “How could a sinful man accomplish these signs?” And there was a schism among them.


