(ACCORDING TO) LUKE (ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ)

1

Luke’s motivations and methods

Many⁵⁸⁸ have undertaken to set in order a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us, ²even as those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word since the beginning have delivered them to us. ³For this reason, it has seemed good to me also, after reviewing the course of all things accurately from the beginning, to write an ordered account to you, most excellent Theophilus, ⁴so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

The birth of John (the Baptist) is announced

⁵In the days of Herod king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zacharias who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah. He had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶Both of them were righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord. ⁷Yet, they had no child because Elizabeth was barren, and both were well advanced in years. ⁸Now, it came to pass that while Zacharias was performing his priestly office before God in the order of his division, ⁹according to the custom of the priest’s office, that his lot was [drawn] to enter into the sanctuary⁵⁸⁹ of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰Now, at the time of the incense offering, the whole multitude of the people was praying outside.

¹¹Then, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. ¹²Zacharias was startled when he saw the angel and was gripped with fear. ¹³But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, because your petition has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. ¹⁴You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. ¹⁵Indeed, he will be great in the sight of the Lord! He will drink no wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. ¹⁶He will bring back many of the children of Israel to the Lord, their God. ¹⁷He will go before the Lord⁵⁹⁰ in the spirit and power of Elias (Elijah), ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord”.

¹⁸Zacharias said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years!” ¹⁹The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel who stands near before God.⁵⁹¹ I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.^{592 20}Behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time”.

²¹The people were waiting for Zacharias and wondering as he delayed in the sanctuary. ²²When he came out, he could not speak to them and they understood that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He continued to make signs to them and remained mute. ²³When the days of his service were fulfilled, Zacharias returned to his house. ²⁴After these days, his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she hid herself five months, saying: ²⁵“The Lord has done this to me in the days when he looked at me, in order to take away my disgrace among men”.

The Annunciation of the birth of Jesus

²⁶Now, in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸Having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice,⁵⁹³ full of grace!⁵⁹⁴ The Lord is with you! Blessed are you among women!”⁵⁹⁵

²⁹But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled at the saying and considered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son, and you will call his name ‘Jesus.’ ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David, ³³and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. And to his Kingdom there shall be no end”.⁵⁹⁶

³⁴Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”⁵⁹⁷

³⁵The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow⁵⁹⁸ you. Therefore, the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God. ³⁶Behold, your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age and this is the sixth month [of her pregnancy] for her who was called barren. ³⁷For everything spoken by God is possible”.

³⁸Mary said, “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord! Be it to me according to your word”.

And the angel departed from her.

Mary, the Theotokos and new Ark, visits Elizabeth

³⁹In those days, Mary arose and went into the hill country with haste to a city of Judah. ⁴⁰She entered into the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹And it happened that when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴²In a loud voice, she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³Why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord⁵⁹⁹ should come to me? ⁴⁴For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the baby leaped⁶⁰⁰ in my womb out of joy! ⁴⁵Blessed is she who believed, for the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord will be fulfilled!”

The Magnificat

⁴⁶Mary said,

My soul magnifies the Lord

⁴⁷And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior,

⁴⁸for he has looked at the humble state of his handmaid.

For behold, from now on, all generations shall call me blessed!

⁴⁹Indeed, he who is mighty has done great things for me,

and Holy is his Name!

⁵⁰His mercy is for generations of generations

on those who fear him.

⁵¹He has shown strength with his arm,

he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts,⁶⁰¹

⁵²He has put down princes from their thrones,

and has exalted the lowly.⁶⁰²

⁵³He has filled the hungry with good things,

he has sent the rich away empty.

⁵⁴He has given help to Israel, his servant,

so that he might remember mercy,

⁵⁵As he spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and his posterity⁶⁰³ forever.

⁵⁶Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months, and then returned to her house.

The birth of John the Baptist

⁵⁷Now, the time when Elizabeth should give birth was fulfilled, and she gave birth to a son. ⁵⁸Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy towards her, and they rejoiced with her. ⁵⁹On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child and they wanted to name him Zacharias after his father. ⁶⁰But his mother answered, “It shall not be! Instead, he will be called John!”

⁶¹They said to her, “But there is no one among your relatives who is called by this name!” ⁶²They made signs to his father to see what he wanted to have his son called.

⁶³Zacharias asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John”.

They were all very surprised. ⁶⁴Suddenly, his mouth was opened and his tongue was freed. He began to speak, blessing God. ⁶⁵Awe came upon all who lived around them, and people talked about these sayings throughout the entire hill country of Judea. ⁶⁶All those who heard these things took them to heart and exclaimed, “What then will this child be?” And indeed, the hand of the Lord was with the child.⁶⁰⁴

The canticle of Zacharias (Zachariah)

⁶⁷His father, Zacharias, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

⁶⁸Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

for he has visited and worked redemption for his people;

⁶⁹and has raised up a horn of salvation for us

in the house of his servant David

⁷⁰(as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets who have been from of old),

salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;

⁷²to show mercy towards our fathers,

to remember his holy covenant,

⁷³the oath which he spoke to Abraham, our father,

to grant us ⁷⁴that being delivered out of the hand of our enemies,

we should offer him divine service⁶⁰⁵ without fear,

⁷⁵in holiness and righteousness before him,

all the days of our life.

⁷⁶And you, child, [you] will be called a prophet of the Most High,

for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways,

to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins,

⁷⁸because of the tender mercy of our God,

by which the dawn from on high will visit us,

⁷⁹to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death;

to guide our feet into the way of peace.

⁸⁰The child was growing up and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

2

The Nativity of our Lord

In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire [Roman] world. ²This was the first census made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³All went to enroll themselves, everyone to his own city. ⁴Because he was of the house and family of David, Joseph left the city of Nazareth in Galilee and went up to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem. ⁵He did so to enroll himself with Mary who was pledged to be married to him as wife and who was pregnant.

⁶While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. ⁷She gave birth to her firstborn⁶⁰⁶ son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes. She laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.^{607 8}There were shepherds in the same countryside, staying in the field and keeping watch by night over their flock. ⁹And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you Good News of great joy which will be for all the people. ¹¹For there is born to you, this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord! ¹²This is the sign⁶⁰⁸ to you: you will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth,⁶⁰⁹ lying in a manger”. ¹³Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying:

¹⁴Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace, [and] good will among mankind.⁶¹⁰

The shepherds’ visit

¹⁵When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, “Let us go to Bethlehem now and see what has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us”. ¹⁶They came with haste and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby was lying in the manger. ¹⁷After seeing it, they revealed the news which had been spoken to them about this child. ¹⁸All those who heard what the shepherds were saying were amazed, ¹⁹but Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things which they had heard and seen, just as it was told them.

The Circumcision of our Lord – The Presentation in the Temple

²¹When the eight days were fulfilled and the time came for the circumcision of the child, he was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

²²And when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, Joseph and Mary brought him up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord. ²³(For it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”).^{611 24}[They also brought him] to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons”.⁶¹²

²⁵Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and [the]⁶¹³ Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s anointed.^{614 27}He came in the Spirit into the temple. The parents brought in the child Jesus in order to do according to the custom of the law concerning him. ²⁸Then Simeon took Jesus in his arms and blessed God, saying,

²⁹Now you let your servant depart in peace, Master,

according to your word,

³⁰for my eyes have seen your salvation,⁶¹⁵

³¹which you have prepared before the face of all peoples;

³²a light to enlighten the gentiles,⁶¹⁶

and the glory of your people Israel.

³³Joseph⁶¹⁷ and his mother were wondering at the things which were spoken concerning him. ³⁴Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother,

Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel,

and as a sign which is spoken against.

³⁵Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul,

so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

³⁶There was a certain Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (she was of a great age, having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity,^{618 37}and she had been a widow for about eighty-four years), who did not depart from the temple, offering divine service⁶¹⁹ with fastings and petitions night and day. ³⁸Coming up at that very hour, she gave thanks to the Lord and spoke of Jesus⁶²⁰ to all those who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem.

Return to Nazareth of Galilee

³⁹When Joseph and Mary⁶²¹ had accomplished all things that were according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. ⁴⁰The child was growing, and was becoming strong in spirit, being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. ⁴¹His parents went every year to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover.

Jesus as a twelve-year old in the temple

⁴²When Jesus⁶²² was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. ⁴³When they had fulfilled the days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. Joseph and his mother did not notice⁶²³ it. ⁴⁴Supposing him to be in the company, they went a day’s journey and began to look for him among their relatives and acquaintances. ⁴⁵When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, looking for him. ⁴⁶After three days, they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷All who heard him were amazed by his understanding and answers. ⁴⁸When his parents⁶²⁴ saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us this way? Behold, your father and I were anxiously looking for you”.

⁴⁹He said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” ⁵⁰But they did not understand what he said to them. ⁵¹After this, he went down with them, and came to Nazareth. He was obedient⁶²⁵ to them, and his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. ⁵²And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, as well as in favor with God and men.

3

The ministry of John the Baptist

Now, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, ²during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. ³He came into the entire region around the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for remission of sins. ⁴As it is written in the book of the words of Isaias (Isaiah) the prophet:

The voice of one crying in the wilderness,⁶²⁶

“Make ready the way of the Lord.

Make his paths straight.

⁵Every valley will be filled.

Every mountain and hill will be brought low.

The crooked will become straight,

and the rough ways smooth.

⁶All flesh will see God’s salvation”.⁶²⁷

⁷To the multitudes who went out to be baptized by him, John said, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸Therefore, bring forth fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father;’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones! ⁹Even now, the axe also lies at the root of the tree, and so every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is [to be] cut down and thrown into the fire”.

¹⁰The multitudes asked him, “What then must we do?”

¹¹John⁶²⁸ answered them, “Whoever has two coats should give to the one who has none. He who has food should do likewise”.

¹²Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what must we do?”

¹³He replied, “Do not collect more than what is appointed to you”.

¹⁴Soldiers also asked him, “What about us? What must we do?”

He said to them, “Extort from no one by violence and do not accuse anyone wrongfully. Be satisfied with your wages”.

¹⁵As the people were in expectation, and everyone reasoned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he was the Christ, ¹⁶John answered them all, “I indeed baptize you with water, but the one who is coming is more powerful than I! I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals! He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire! ¹⁷His winnowing fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire”.

¹⁸With many other exhortations, he preached Good News to the people. ¹⁹But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s⁶²⁹ wife, and for all the evil things which he had done, ²⁰added this also to them all, that he shut up John in prison.

Theophany: The Lord’s Baptism

²¹Now it happened, after all the people were baptized, that Jesus was also baptized. As he was praying, heaven⁶³⁰ was opened, ²²and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form as a dove on him. A voice came out of heaven,⁶³¹ saying “You are my beloved Son! In you I am well pleased”.⁶³²

²³Jesus himself, when he began to teach, was about thirty years old, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, ²⁴the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, ²⁵the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, ²⁶the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah, ²⁷the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, ²⁸the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er, ²⁹the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, ³⁰the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim, ³¹the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, ³²the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, ³³the son of Amminadab, the son of Aram,⁶³³ the son of Joram,⁶³⁴ the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, ³⁴the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, ³⁵the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, ³⁶/the son of Cainan/,⁶³⁵ the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, ³⁷the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, ³⁸the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

4

The temptation in the desert

Full of the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. ²For forty days, he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing in those days and afterward, when they were completed, he was hungry. ³The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread!”

⁴Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”⁶³⁶

⁵Leading him up on a high place, the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. ⁶The devil said to him, “I will give you all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me and I give it to whomever I want.^{637 7}If you therefore will express adoration to⁶³⁸ me,⁶³⁹ it will all be yours”.

⁸Jesus answered him, “Get behind me Satan!⁶⁴⁰ For it is written, ‘You shall express adoration to the Lord your God, and to him only shall you offer divine service.’”⁶⁴¹

⁹The devil⁶⁴² led him to Jerusalem, set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down from here, ¹⁰for it is written,

He will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you;

¹¹and,

They will carry you with their hands,

for fear that you may dash your foot against a stone.⁶⁴³

¹²In reply, Jesus said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”⁶⁴⁴

¹³When the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from Jesus⁶⁴⁵ until another time.

The Lord’s ministry in Galilee and his rejection in Nazareth

¹⁴Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and news about him spread through all the surrounding area. ¹⁵He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

¹⁶He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. As was his custom, he entered into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. ¹⁷The scroll of the prophet Isaias (Isaiah) was handed to him. He opened the book, and found the place where it was written:

¹⁸The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,⁶⁴⁶

because he has anointed me to preach Good News to the poor.

He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted,⁶⁴⁷

to proclaim release to the captives,

recovery of sight to the blind,

to deliver those who are crushed,⁶⁴⁸

¹⁹and to proclaim the favorable⁶⁴⁹ year of the Lord.⁶⁵⁰

²⁰He closed the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him. ²¹He began to tell them, “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”.

²²All testified about him and marveled at the gracious words which came out of his mouth; and they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”

²³He said to them, “Without doubt, you will quote me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do also [right] here in your hometown whatever we have heard that was done at Capernaum!’” ²⁴Jesus⁶⁵¹ continued, “Amen, I tell you that no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. ²⁵But I tell you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elias (Elijah), when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came all over the land. ²⁶Elias (Elijah) was sent to none of them, except to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. ²⁷There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed, except Naaman, the Syrian”.

²⁸As they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with anger. ²⁹They rose up, threw Jesus⁶⁵² out of the city, and led him to the edge of the hill that their city was built on in order to push him off the cliff. ³⁰But passing through their midst, he went his way.

The healing of a demoniac in Capernaum

³¹Jesus⁶⁵³ came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. He was teaching the people⁶⁵⁴ on the Sabbath day, ³²and they were astonished at his teaching because his word was with authority. ³³In the synagogue, there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, ³⁴“Ah! what have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know you who you are: the Holy One of God!”

³⁵Jesus⁶⁵⁵ rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” When the demon had thrown the man among them, he came out of him, having done him no harm.

³⁶Amazement came on all, and they spoke together, one with another, saying, “What is this word? For he commands the unclean spirits with authority and power, and they come out!” ³⁷News about him went out into every place of the surrounding region.

The healing of Peter’s (Simon’s) mother in law – Other healings

³⁸Jesus left the synagogue and entered into Simon’s house. Simon’s mother-in-law was afflicted with a great fever, and they asked him [to do something] for her. ³⁹He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately, she rose up and served them. ⁴⁰When the sun was setting, all those who had anyone sick with various diseases brought them to Jesus;⁶⁵⁶ and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. ⁴¹Demons also came out from many, crying out, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” Rebuking them, Jesus⁶⁵⁷ did not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

⁴²When it was day, he departed and went into an uninhabited place. The people were looking for him and came to him. They held on to Jesus⁶⁵⁸ in order to prevent him⁶⁵⁹ from leaving them. ⁴³But he said to them, “I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the other cities as well. I have been sent for this reason!” ⁴⁴And he continued preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

5

The calling of Simon (Peter), James and John

Now it happened, while the multitude pressed on him and heard the word of God, that he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. ²He saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and they were washing their nets. ³Jesus⁶⁶⁰ entered into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. ⁴When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep, and let down your nets for a catch”.

⁵Simon answered him, “Master, we worked all night and took nothing! But at your word, I will let down the net”. ⁶When they had done this, they caught a great multitude of fish, and their net was breaking. ⁷They beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats, so [much] that they began to sink. ⁸But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord!” ⁹He and all who were with him were amazed at their catch of fish; ¹⁰and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.

Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid! From now on, you will be catching people alive”.

¹¹When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

The healing of a leper

¹²It happened, while Jesus⁶⁶¹ was in one of the cities, that there was a man full of leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell on his face, and begged him, saying, “Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean”.

¹³Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I want to! Be made clean”.

Immediately the leprosy left him. ¹⁴Jesus commanded him to tell no one: “But go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing according to what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them”. ¹⁵Still, the report concerning him spread much more, and great multitudes came together to hear and to be healed by him of their infirmities. ¹⁶However, Jesus⁶⁶² withdrew into the desert and prayed.

The healing of a paralytic

¹⁷It happened, on one of those days, that Jesus was teaching; and there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every village of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was with him to heal the people. ¹⁸Behold, men brought a paralyzed man on a cot, and they sought to bring him in to lay before Jesus. ¹⁹Not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up to the housetop and let him down through the tiles with his cot, right in the center, in front of Jesus. ²⁰Seeing their faith, Jesus⁶⁶³ said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you”.

²¹The scribes and the Pharisees began to think about this, saying, “Who is this that speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?”

²²But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, answered them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts in such a way? ²³Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you;’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk?’ ²⁴However, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (he said to the paralyzed man), “I tell you, arise, take up your cot, and go to your house”.

²⁵Immediately, the man rose up before them and took up what he was laying on, and departed to his house, glorifying God. ²⁶Amazement took hold of all, and they glorified God. They were filled with fear,⁶⁶⁴ saying, “We have seen strange things today!”

The calling of Levi (Matthew)

²⁷After these things, Jesus⁶⁶⁵ went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office. He said to him, “Follow me!”

²⁸Levi left everything, got up and began to follow Jesus. ²⁹He made a great feast for Jesus⁶⁶⁶ in his house. A great crowd of tax collectors was [assembled] there, and other people were also at table⁶⁶⁷ with them. ³⁰The scribes and the Pharisees murmured against Jesus’ disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?” ³¹Jesus answered them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do! 32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”.

About fasting

³³They asked him, “Why do John’s disciples often fast and pray, as also the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink?”

³⁴Jesus⁶⁶⁸ said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast, while the bridegroom is with them? ³⁵But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them. Then, they will fast in those days”.

³⁶He also told them a parable: “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old garment, or else he will tear the new, and also the piece from the new will not match the old. ³⁷No one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. ³⁸Instead, new wine must be put into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved. ³⁹No one who has drunk old wine immediately desires new, for he says, ‘The old is better!’”

6

About the Sabbath

On a certain Sabbath day, Jesus was walking through the grain fields. His disciples plucked heads of grain and ate them, rubbing the heads in their hands. ²But some among the Pharisees asked them, “Why do you do what is not lawful on the Sabbath day?”

³Jesus answered them with these words, “Have not you read what David did when he was hungry, along with those who were with him? ⁴How he entered into the house of God, took and ate the show bread⁶⁶⁹ and also gave it to those who were with him, even though it is not lawful to eat [from it] except for the priests alone?” ⁵He said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath”.

⁶On another Sabbath, Jesus entered into the synagogue and began to teach. A man was there whose right hand was withered. ⁷The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Jesus,⁶⁷⁰ to see if he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him. ⁸But Jesus perceived⁶⁷¹ their thoughts. He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Rise up, and stand in the midst [of all];” and the man arose and stood up. ⁹Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you something: Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath, or to do harm? To save a life, or to kill?” ¹⁰He looked around at all of them and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” The man did so, and his hand was restored as healthy as the other. ¹¹However, the scribes and the Pharisees⁶⁷² were filled with rage and talked with one another about what they might do to Jesus.

The Twelve

¹²It happened in these days, that Jesus⁶⁷³ went out into the mountain to pray; and he continued all night, in prayer to God. ¹³When day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve from among them, which he also named ‘apostles’:^{674 14}Simon, whom he also named Peter; Andrew, his brother; James;⁶⁷⁵ John; Philip; Bartholomew; ¹⁵Matthew; Thomas; James, the son of Alphaeus; Simon, who was called the Zealot; ¹⁶Judas [the brother] of James; and Judas Iscariot, who also became a traitor. ¹⁷He came down with them and stood on a level place. A number of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. ¹⁸Those who were troubled by unclean spirits also came, and they were healed. ¹⁹The whole multitude desired to touch him because power came out from him and healed them all.

The Lord’s sermon

²⁰Jesus looked up to his disciples, and said:

Blessed are you who are poor,

for yours is the Kingdom of God.

²¹Blessed are you who hunger now,

for you will be filled.

Blessed are you who weep now,

for you will laugh.

²²Blessed are you when men shall hate you,

and when they shall exclude and mock you,

and throw out your name as evil for the sake of the Son of Man.

²³Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy,

for behold, your reward is great in heaven,

for their fathers did the same thing to the prophets.

²⁴But woe to you who are rich!

For you have received your consolation.

²⁵Woe to you, you who are full now,

for you will be hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now,

for you will mourn and weep.

²⁶Woe [to you, ]⁶⁷⁶ when all⁶⁷⁷ men speak well of you,

for their fathers did the same thing to the false prophets.

Love for one’s enemies

²⁷But I tell you who hear: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹To the one who strikes you on the cheek, offer also the other [cheek]. If someone takes away your cloak, do not refuse your coat as well. ³⁰Give to anyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.

³¹As you would like others to do to you, do the same to them. ³²If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them! ³³If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same! ³⁴If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive [back], what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive back as much. ³⁵But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back. Then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he is kind [even] to the ungrateful and evil.

³⁶Therefore, be merciful,

even as your Father is also merciful.

³⁷Do not judge,

and you will not be judged.

Do not condemn,

and you will not be condemned.

Set free,

and you will be set free.

³⁸Give, and it will be given to you: a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing will be given to you.⁶⁷⁸ For with the same measure [that] you measure, it will be measured back to you”.

The beam and the speck – Judging others – The tree and its fruits

³⁹He spoke a parable to them. “Can the blind guide the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? ⁴⁰A disciple is not above his teacher, but after being fully trained, everyone will be like their teacher. ⁴¹Why do you see the speck of chaff that is in your brother’s eye but do not consider the beam that is in your own eye? ⁴²Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck of chaff that is in your eye,’ when you do not see the beam that is in your own eye? You hypocrites! First, remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will be able to see clearly in order to remove the speck of chaff that is in your brother’s eye. ⁴³For there is no good tree that brings forth rotten fruit, or any rotten tree that produces good fruit. ⁴⁴Indeed, each tree is recognized⁶⁷⁹ by its own fruit!⁶⁸⁰ People do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick up grapes from a bramble bush. ⁴⁵Out of the good treasure of his heart, a good person brings out what is good, but out of the evil treasure of his heart, one who is evil brings out what is evil. For out of the overflowing of the heart, the⁶⁸¹ mouth speaks.

Those who say ‘Lord, Lord’ – Building on rock or sand

⁴⁶Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? ⁴⁷I will show you what the person is like who comes to me, hears my words and does them. ⁴⁸He is like a man building a house who dug and went deep, and laid a foundation on the rock. When a flood arose, the water⁶⁸² rushed against that house but could not shake it, because it was founded on the rock.^{683 49}But the one who hears and does not practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The stream rushed against it, and at once it fell down; and the ruin of that house was great.”

7

The healing of the Centurion’s servant

When Jesus had finished speaking all that he wanted the people to hear, he entered into Capernaum. ²There was the servant of a certain centurion, a man highly valued by his master, who was sick and at the point of death. ³When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him presbyters of the Jews to ask him to come and save his servant. ⁴When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, saying, “This man deserves to have you do this ⁵because he loves our nation and [even] built our synagogue for us”. ⁶Jesus went along with them, but as he was approaching the house, the centurion sent word to him (by some friends to say to him), “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy for you to come under my roof. ⁷Therefore, I did not even think myself worthy to come to you. But [only] say the word and my servant will be healed. ⁸For I am also a man placed under authority, and I have soldiers under my command.⁶⁸⁴ I tell this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it”.

⁹When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him. Turning around, he said to the multitude who followed him, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel!” ¹⁰And the messengers, returning to the house, found that the servant who had been sick was [now] well.

The raising of the son of the widow of Nain

¹¹Soon afterwards, Jesus went to a city called Nain. Many of his disciples, along with a great multitude, went with him. ¹²Now, when Jesus drew near to the gate of the city, behold, a dead person was being carried out, who was the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. Many people of the city were with her. ¹³When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said to her, “Do not cry”. ¹⁴He came near and touched the coffin, and the bearers stood still. He then said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” ¹⁵And the dead man sat up, and began to speak. Jesus then gave him to his mother.

¹⁶They were all filled with awe and glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited his people!” ¹⁷This news concerning Jesus spread throughout Judea and in all the surrounding countryside.

Messengers from John the Baptist – The Lord’s own witness about John

¹⁸John’s disciples told the Baptist⁶⁸⁵ about all these things. ¹⁹John called two of his disciples and sent them to Jesus to ask, “Are you the one who is coming, or should we look for another?” ²⁰When the men reached Jesus, they said, “John the Baptizer has sent us to you, saying: ‘Are you the one who is coming or should we look for another?’”

²¹At that very time, Jesus had been healing many diseases, plagues and evil spirits; and had given sight to many who were blind. ²²Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have Good News preached to them. ²³Blessed is he who is not offended by me!”

²⁴When John’s messengers had departed, Jesus⁶⁸⁶ began to tell the multitudes about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ²⁵What then did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are gorgeously dressed and live delicately are in kings’ courts. ²⁶But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet! ²⁷This is he of whom it is written:

‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,⁶⁸⁷

who will prepare your way before you.’⁶⁸⁸

²⁸For I tell you, among those who are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptizer; yet whoever is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he”.

²⁹Hearing this, all the people and the tax collectors who had been baptized with John’s baptism confessed God to be vindicated. ³⁰However, the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose,⁶⁸⁹ not being baptized by him themselves.

³¹⁶⁹⁰“To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? ³²They are like children who sit in the marketplace and who call one another, saying: ‘We played the pipes to you, and you did not dance! We mourned, and you did not cry!’ ³³For John the Baptizer came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ ³⁴The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a glutton and a drunkard; a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ³⁵Yet Wisdom is justified⁶⁹¹ by all her children”.⁶⁹²

A sinful woman is forgiven

³⁶One of the Pharisees invited Jesus to eat with him. He entered into the Pharisee’s house, and sat at the table. ³⁷And behold, a woman who was a sinner in the city, when she learned that he was at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of perfume. ³⁸Standing behind at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head. She also kissed his feet and anointed them with the perfumed oil. ³⁹Now, when the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have perceived who is touching him and what kind of woman this is, that she is a sinner”.

⁴⁰Jesus said to him, “Simon, I have something to tell you”.

He replied, “Speak, teacher”.

⁴¹“A certain lender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴²When they could not pay, he forgave them both. Then, which of them will love him the most?”

⁴³Simon answered, “The one to whom he forgave the most I suppose”.

Jesus said to him, “You have judged correctly”. ⁴⁴Turning to the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered into your house, and you gave me no water for my feet; but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with the her hair. ⁴⁵You gave me no kiss, but since the time I came in, she has not ceased kissing my feet. ⁴⁶You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume. ⁴⁷Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven because she has loved much. But the one to whom little is forgiven loves little”. ⁴⁸Jesus⁶⁹³ said to her, “Your sins are forgiven”.

⁴⁹Those who sat at the table with him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace”.

8

The women disciples of the Lord

Soon afterwards, Jesus⁶⁹⁴ went through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the Good News of the Kingdom of God. With him were the Twelve, ²and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out; ³Joanna, the wife of Chuzas, Herod’s steward; Susanna; and many others; who served him⁶⁹⁵ from their possessions.

The parable of the sower – About parables

⁴As a great crowd was coming together and as people from every city were coming to him, he spoke by a parable.

⁵“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was sowing, some [seed] fell along the wayside; it was trampled under foot, and the birds of the sky devoured it. ⁶Other seed fell on the rock, and as soon as it grew, it withered away because it had no moisture. ⁷Other fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew with it, and choked it. ⁸Other fell into the good ground, grew, and brought forth fruit a hundred times”. As he said this, he exclaimed, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!”

⁹Then his disciples asked him, “What does this parable mean?”

¹⁰Jesus replied, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, but to the rest, [it is given] in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’^{696 11}Now, this what the parable means: The seed is the word of God. ¹²Those along the wayside are those who hear. Then, the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they may not believe and be saved. ¹³Those on the rock are those who receive the word with joy when they hear. But they have no root; they believe for a while, then fall away in time of temptation. ¹⁴What fell among the thorns is those who have heard, and as they go on their way, they are choked with worries, wealth, and the pleasures of life; and they bring no fruit to maturity. ¹⁵As for the seed that fell in the rich soil, this is those who have heard the word with an honest and good heart, who retain it and bring forth fruit with endurance.

The lamp – Nothing is secret

¹⁶No one who has lit a lamp covers it with a lid, or puts it under a bed. Instead, it is put on a stand so that those who enter in may see the light! ¹⁷Nothing is hidden⁶⁹⁷ that will not be revealed. Nothing is secret⁶⁹⁸ that will not be known and come to light. ¹⁸Therefore, be careful how you hear. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him”.

The Lord’s true family

¹⁹His mother and brothers⁶⁹⁹ came to him, but they could not come near him because of the crowd. ²⁰It was reported to him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you”.

²¹But Jesus⁷⁰⁰ answered, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it”.

The calming of the storm

²²On one of those days, he entered into a boat with his disciples and said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake”. And so, they launched out. ²³But as they were sailing, Jesus⁷⁰¹ fell asleep. A windstorm came down on the lake, and they were taking on dangerous amounts of water. ²⁴His disciples came to him and woke him up, saying, “Master, master, we are perishing!” Jesus⁷⁰² awoke, rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they ceased, and it was calm.^{703 25}He said to them, “Where is your faith?” In fear and amazement, they said to one another, “Who is this, then, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?” ²⁶Then, they reached the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.

The healing of a demoniac – The demons expelled in the herd of swine

²⁷When Jesus stepped ashore, a man from the town who had had demons for a long time came to meet him.⁷⁰⁴ This man wore no clothes, and he did not live in a house, but in the tombs. ²⁸When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him. With a loud voice, he said, “What do you want from me,⁷⁰⁵ Jesus, you Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me!” ²⁹(For Jesus was commanding the unclean spirit to come out of the man). The unclean spirit had often seized the man and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and fetters. [But he had been] breaking the chains and was driven by the demon into deserted places.

³⁰Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

He replied, “Legion,” for many demons had entered into him. ³¹And they begged him not to command them to go into the abyss. ³²Now, there was a large herd of swine feeding on the mountain, and the demons⁷⁰⁶ begged him that he would allow them to enter into those [pigs]; and Jesus allowed them. ³³The demons came out from the man and entered into the pigs. Then the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and [the swine] were drowned. ³⁴When the people who fed the pigs saw what had happened, they fled and told the story in the city and in the countryside.

³⁵Then, people went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone out. He was sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. ³⁶Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been delivered.^{707 37}All the people of the surrounding country of the Gadarenes asked Jesus⁷⁰⁸ to depart from them, because they were extremely afraid. So he got into the boat and went back. ³⁸The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with Jesus, but Jesus sent him away, saying: ³⁹“Return to your house and proclaim what great things God has done for you”. So the man went on his way, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

The healing of Jairus’ daughter and of the woman with an issue of blood

⁴⁰When Jesus returned, the multitude welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. ⁴¹And behold, a man named Jairus came, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. He fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged him to come to his house ⁴²because he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, who was dying. But as Jesus went, the crowd pressed against him. ⁴³There was a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years and who had spent all she had on physicians,⁷⁰⁹ but she could not be healed by any. ⁴⁴She came behind him and touched the fringe⁷¹⁰ of his cloak. Immediately, the flow of her blood stopped. ⁴⁵Jesus said, “Who touched me?”

As everyone was denying it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you,⁷¹¹ and you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”

⁴⁶But Jesus said, “Someone has touched me, for I perceived that power has gone out from me”. ⁴⁷When the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came forth trembling. Falling down before Jesus, in the presence of all the people, she confessed to him why she had touched him, and how she had immediately been healed. ⁴⁸He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer! Your faith has made you well. Go in peace”.

⁴⁹While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher”.

⁵⁰But when Jesus heard it, he answered, “Do not be afraid! Only believe, and she will be healed”.

⁵¹When Jesus arrived at the house, he did not allow anyone to enter in, except Peter, John, James, as well as the father of the child and her mother. ⁵²All were weeping and mourning the girl,⁷¹² but Jesus said, “Do not weep! She is not dead, but sleeping”.

⁵³But they mocked him, knowing that she was dead. ⁵⁴Jesus put them all outside, and taking the girl by the hand, he called, “Child, arise!” ⁵⁵Her spirit⁷¹³ returned, and she immediately got up. He ordered that something to eat should be given to her. ⁵⁶Her parents were amazed, but he commanded them to tell no one what had been done.

9

The commission of the Twelve apostles

Calling his twelve disciples⁷¹⁴ together, Jesus gave them power and authority over all demons, and [power] to cure diseases. ²He then sent them forth to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. ³Jesus said to them, “Do not take anything for the journey – no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. ⁴Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave from that place. ⁵Wherever people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them”.

⁶They departed and went throughout the villages, preaching the Good News, and healing everywhere.

Herod’s view of Jesus

⁷Now, Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Jesus. He was very perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead. ⁸Some said that Elias (Elijah) had appeared, and others that one of the old prophets had risen again. ⁹Herod said, “I have beheaded John, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And he desired to see Jesus.

¹⁰When they returned, the apostles told him what things they had done.

Then, Jesus took them with him, and they withdrew to a deserted place [which was part] of a city called Bethsaida.⁷¹⁵

The feeding of the five thousand

¹¹However, the crowd perceived this and followed him. Jesus welcomed them, speaking to them about the Kingdom of God, and curing those who needed healing. ¹²Late in the afternoon, the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the people away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and farms to find lodging and get food, for we are here in a deserted place”.

¹³But Jesus said to them, “You give them something to eat”.

They replied, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people”. ¹⁴(For they were about five thousand men).

Jesus then said to his disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each”. ¹⁵They did so, and made them all sit down. ¹⁶He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. ¹⁷Everybody ate, and all were satisfied. The disciples gathered up twelve baskets of broken pieces that were left over.

Peter’s confession of faith – The Lord’s passion is announced

¹⁸Once, as Jesus⁷¹⁶ was praying alone and the disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the multitudes say that I am?”

¹⁹They answered, “‘John the Baptizer,’ but others say, ‘Elias (Elijah),’ and others, that one of the old prophets is risen again”.

²⁰Jesus said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Peter answered, “The Christ of God!”

²¹But he warned them and commanded them to tell this to no one, ²²saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, be rejected by the presbyters, the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up”.

Requirements for discipleship

²³Jesus said to all, “Anyone who desires to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross daily,⁷¹⁷ and follow me. ²⁴For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever will lose his life for my sake will save it. ²⁵Indeed what profit is there if someone gains the whole world but loses or surrenders⁷¹⁸ his own self? ²⁶If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory, and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. ²⁷But I tell you the truth: There are some who stand here who will in no way taste of death, until they see the Kingdom of God”.

The Lord’s transfiguration

²⁸About eight days after these sayings, Jesus took with him Peter, John, and James, and went up to the mountain to pray. ²⁹As he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became white and dazzling. ³⁰And behold, two men were talking with him, who were Moses and Elias (Elijah). ³¹They appeared in glory and spoke of his departure,⁷¹⁹ which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem.

³²Now, Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they were fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. ³³As Moses and Elias (Elijah)⁷²⁰ were departing from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elias (Elijah)”. He did not know what he was saying.

³⁴While Peter was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered into the cloud. ³⁵A voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him!” ³⁶And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They kept silent and told no one in those days of what they had seen.

The healing of a demon-possessed boy

³⁷On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great multitude met him. ³⁸A man from the crowd called out, saying, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. ³⁹Behold, when a spirit seizes him, he suddenly cries out and it convulses him so that he foams [at the mouth]. It scarcely ever leaves him and is breaking him. ⁴⁰I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not”.

⁴¹Jesus answered, “Faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here”.

⁴²While the boy was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him violently. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. ⁴³And all were astonished at the majesty of God.

The Lord announces his passion

While all were marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, ⁴⁴“Let these words sink into your ears, for the Son of Man will be delivered up into the hands of men”. ⁴⁵But they did not understand this saying; it was concealed from them so that they should not understand its meaning, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

Who is greatest in the Kingdom

⁴⁶A dispute sprang up among them about which [one] of them was the greatest. ⁴⁷Jesus, perceiving the reasoning of their hearts, took a little child and set him by his side. ⁴⁸He then said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in my Name receives me. Whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For whoever is the least among you all, this one will be great”.

The exorcist who used the Name of Jesus

⁴⁹John said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your Name, and we tried to stop⁷²¹ him because he does not follow with us”.

⁵⁰Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid⁷²² him, for whoever is not against us is for us”.⁷²³

The journey to Jerusalem – Would-be disciples

⁵¹It came to pass, when the days were near for him to be taken up, that he resolutely set his face⁷²⁴ to go to Jerusalem, ⁵²and he sent messengers ahead of him.⁷²⁵ They went and entered into a village of the Samaritans in order to make preparation for him. ⁵³But the people did not receive him because he was heading for Jerusalem. ⁵⁴When his disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and destroy⁷²⁶ them, just as Elias (Elijah) did?”

⁵⁵But Jesus turned around and rebuked them, “You do not know of what kind of spirit you are.^{727 56}For the Son of Man did not come to destroy people’s lives but to save them”.

They went on to another village. ⁵⁷As they went on the way, a certain man said to him, “I want to follow you wherever you go, Lord!”

⁵⁸Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of heaven have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head”.

⁵⁹He said to another, “Follow me!”

But the man said, “Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father”.

⁶⁰But Jesus replied, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But you go and announce the Kingdom of God”.

⁶¹Another also said, “I want to follow you, Lord, but first allow me to say goodbye to those who are at my house!”

⁶²But Jesus said to him, “No one who has put his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God”.

10

The seventy apostles

After these things, the Lord also appointed seventy⁷²⁸ others and sent them two by two ahead of him⁷²⁹ into every city and place where he was about to go. ²Jesus said to them, “The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest, that he may send out laborers into his harvest. ³Go on your ways, [but] be aware that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. ⁴Do not carry a purse, a wallet, or sandals. Do not greet anyone on the way. ⁵Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ ⁶If a follower⁷³⁰ of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. ⁷Remain in that house, eating and drinking what they will give [you], for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. ⁸Whatever town you enter and if the people welcome you, eat whatever is set before you. ⁹Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God has come near to you!’ ¹⁰But if you enter into any town and people there do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ¹¹‘Even the dust from your city that clings to us, we wipe off against you. Nevertheless, know this, that the Kingdom of God has come near to you!’ ¹²I tell you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for such a city.

Woe to Chorazin and Bethsaida

¹³Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. ¹⁴But in the judgment, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. ¹⁵You, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to hades⁷³¹! ¹⁶Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me. Whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me”.

Return of the seventy – Satan falling like lightning

¹⁷The seventy⁷³² returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your Name!”

¹⁸Jesus said to them, “I saw Satan having fallen like lightning from heaven!^{733 19}Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will in any way hurt you. ²⁰Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written⁷³⁴ in heaven”.

The Lord praises the Father

²¹In that same hour, Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I confess⁷³⁵ you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth⁷³⁶, that you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for doing so was well-pleasing in your sight”.

²²Turning to the disciples, he said, “All things have been delivered to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is, except the Father, and who the Father is, except the Son, and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him”.

²³Turning to the disciples, Jesus said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things that you see! ²⁴For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but they did not see them; and to hear what you hear, but they did not hear them”.

The greatest commandment – The parable of the good samaritan

²⁵Behold, an expert in the law stood up and put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶Jesus answered, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”

²⁷The man answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind;⁷³⁷ and your neighbor as yourself”.⁷³⁸

²⁸Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live”.

²⁹But the lawyer, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰Jesus answered, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes and beat him. Then they went away, leaving him half-dead. ³¹By chance, a certain priest was going down that way. But when the priest saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³²In the same way, a Levite also came to the place, but when he saw the beaten man, he [also] passed by on the other side. ³³Now, a certain Samaritan was traveling and arrived at the spot where the man was. When the Samaritan saw the wounded man,⁷³⁹ he was moved with compassion, ³⁴came to him, and wrapped his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He placed the man on his own animal and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵On the next day, when he was leaving, he took out two denarii and gave them to the host, saying to him, ‘Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will pay you back when I return.’ ³⁶Now, which one of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”

³⁷The lawyer replied, “The one who showed mercy on him!”

Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise”.

Martha and Mary

³⁸As they went on their way, Jesus entered into a village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. ³⁹She had a sister called Mary who also sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to his word. ⁴⁰However, Martha was distracted with much serving. She came up to Jesus, and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Ask her to help me!”

⁴¹But Jesus answered, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things! ⁴²Yet, one thing is needed! Mary has chosen the good part, and it will not be taken away from her”.

11

‘The Lord’s Prayer’⁷⁴⁰

One day, when Jesus⁷⁴¹ had finished praying in a certain place, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples”.

²Jesus said to them, “When you pray, say:

‘Our Father in heaven,⁷⁴²

May your Name be kept holy!

May your Kingdom come!

May your will be done on Earth, as it is in heaven.⁷⁴³

³Give us day by day our daily bread.

⁴Forgive us our sins,

for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us;

and lead⁷⁴⁴ us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.’⁷⁴⁵

Persistence in prayer

⁵He said to them, “Suppose [that] one of you has a friend. You go to this friend’s house at midnight and tell him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread! ⁶A friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him.’ ⁷Then, the one inside answers and says, ‘Do not bother me! The door is now shut and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything!’ ⁸I tell you, although he will not get up and give food to him because they are friends, yet because of the requester’s⁷⁴⁶ bold persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

⁹I tell you, keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰For everyone who asks receives. Whoever seeks finds. To the one who knocks it will be opened.

¹¹Who among you fathers, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?⁷⁴⁷ Or if a son asks for a fish, the father will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? ¹²Or if a son asks for an egg, the father will not give him a scorpion, will he? ¹³If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give [the]⁷⁴⁸ Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

¹⁴Jesus was casting out a demon which was mute, and when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke and the people were amazed. ¹⁵However, some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons!” ¹⁶Others put him to the test and asked from him a sign from heaven. ¹⁷But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. A house divided against itself falls. ¹⁸If Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul! ¹⁹But if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges. ²⁰However, if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come to you!

²¹When a strong man is fully armed and guards his own house, his goods are safe. ²²But when someone stronger attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils.⁷⁴⁹

²³Whoever is not with me is against me! Whoever does not gather with me scatters!

An evil spirit leaves and returns

²⁴When an unclean spirit has gone out of a person, he passes through dry places, seeking rest. But finding no rest, the unclean spirit says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came out.’ ²⁵When he returns, he finds it swept and put in order. ²⁶He then goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and dwell there. The last state of that person becomes worse than the first”.

Great and greater blessedness

²⁷As Jesus was saying these things, a woman⁷⁵⁰ called out from the crowd and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts which nursed you!”

²⁸But Jesus said, “Yes, and more than that,⁷⁵¹ blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it”.

The sign of Jonah

²⁹As the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This is an evil generation; it asks for a sign. No sign will be given to this generation except the sign of Jonah the prophet. ³⁰For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, the Son of Man will also be a sign to this generation. ³¹The Queen of the South will rise up in the judgment along with the people 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, someone greater than Solomon is here! ³²The people of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation and they will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, someone greater than Jonah is here.

The lamp of the body

³³No one who has lit a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket! Instead, it is placed on a stand so that those who come in may see the light. ³⁴The lamp of the body is the eye! Therefore, when your eye is healthy,⁷⁵² your whole body is also full of light; but when it is evil, your body also is full of darkness! ³⁵And so, see whether the light that is in you is not darkness. ³⁶If your whole body is full of light, having no dark part, it will be completely full of light, as when the lamp with its bright shining gives you light”.

About the Pharisees

³⁷Now, as Jesus was speaking, a certain Pharisee asked him to have dinner with him. Jesus went in, and reclined at the table. ³⁸When the Pharisee saw it, he was astonished that Jesus had not first washed himself before dinner. ³⁹But the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and platter, but your inside is full of extortion and wickedness. ⁴⁰You fools! Did not the one who made the outside also make the inside? ⁴¹But as for what is inside you, be generous to the needy, and behold, all things will be clean to you. ⁴²But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, but you bypass⁷⁵³ justice and the love of God. You should have done these while not leaving the other undone. ⁴³Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces. ⁴⁴Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!⁷⁵⁴ You are like hidden graves, and people who walk over them do not [even] know it”.

⁴⁵One of the experts in the law exclaimed, “Teacher, in saying this you insult us also”.

⁴⁶Jesus said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load men with burdens that are difficult to carry, and you yourselves will not even lift one finger to help carry those burdens! ⁴⁷Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. ⁴⁸And so, you testify and consent to the works of your fathers! For they killed the prophets,⁷⁵⁵ and you build their tombs. ⁴⁹Therefore, the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles. Some of them they will kill and persecute, ⁵⁰so that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation; ⁵¹from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah⁷⁵⁶ who perished between the altar and the sanctuary.’ Yes, I tell you that this generation will be charged with this blood.^{757 52}Woe to you experts of the law! You have taken away the key to knowledge; you yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering”.

⁵³As he said these things to them, the scribes and Pharisees began a furious attack on him and tried to force answers from him on many questions.

⁵⁴They were lying in wait for him and seeking to catch him in something he might say,⁷⁵⁸ in order to accuse him.

12

Warning about the Pharisees – Nothing is hidden

Meanwhile, a crowd of many thousands had gathered, to the point that they trampled on each other. Jesus began to speak, first of all to his disciples, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees which is hypocrisy. ²Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed; or hidden, that will not be known. ³Therefore, whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light. What you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

Persecutions – True fear

⁴I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. ⁵But I will warn⁷⁵⁹ you whom you should fear: fear the one who after he has killed, has [also] power to cast into Gehenna.⁷⁶⁰ Yes, I tell you, fear him!

⁶Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins⁷⁶¹? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. ⁷Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore, do not be afraid! You are of more value than many sparrows.

⁸I tell you, whoever confesses⁷⁶² me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. ⁹But whoever denies me in the presence of men will be denied in the presence of the angels of God.

The unforgivable sin

¹⁰Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. ¹¹When you are brought before the synagogues, rulers, and authorities, do not be anxious about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say; ¹²for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that same hour what you must say”.

¹³Someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me!”

¹⁴But Jesus replied, “Friend,⁷⁶³ who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵He said to them, “Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a person’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”.

The rich fool

¹⁶Then Jesus told them a parable, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man produced in abundance. ¹⁷He thought to himself, ‘What will I do? I do not have room to store my crops!’ ¹⁸Then the man said, ‘This is what I will do: I will pull down my barns, build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹Then I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods stored up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry!”’⁷⁶⁴

²⁰But God said to him, ‘You fool! Tonight your soul is demanded of you.⁷⁶⁵ The things which you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ ²¹This is how it is when someone amasses treasure for himself but is not rich toward God”.

Anxiety – Reliance on God

²²Jesus said to his disciples, “Therefore, I tell you not to be anxious about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. ²³Life is more than food and the body is more than clothing! ²⁴Consider the ravens: they do not sow, they do not reap, they do not have a warehouse or barn, and [yet] God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! ²⁵Which one of you by worrying can add a single day to his life?^{766 26}If you are not able to accomplish even the smallest things, why then are you anxious about the rest? ²⁷Consider the lilies, how they grow. They do not toil or spin; yet, I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ²⁸But if this is how God clothes the grass in the field, which today exists and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, you of little faith? ²⁹Do not set your hearts on what you will eat or drink; do not be apprehensive. ³⁰It is the pagan world that runs after all these things, and your Father understands that you need them. ³¹Seek rather the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you. ³²Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. ³³Sell your possessions and give to those in need. Make for yourselves purses which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief can reach and where moth cannot destroy. ³⁴For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Well-prepared servants

³⁵Be dressed in readiness⁷⁶⁷ and keep your lamps burning. ³⁶Be like people waiting for their master⁷⁶⁸ to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. ³⁷Blessed are those servants whom the lord will find watching when he comes! Amen, I tell you: he will dress himself [to serve], make them recline, and he will come to serve them! ³⁸They will be blessed if the master comes in the second or third watch, and finds them doing so. ³⁹But know this, that if the master of the house had known when⁷⁶⁹ the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and not allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁰Therefore, be ready also, for the Son of Man is coming in an hour when you do not expect him”.

⁴¹Peter said to him, “Lord, are you telling this parable [only] to us, or to everyone?”

⁴²The Lord replied, “Who, then, is the faithful and wise steward whom his master will set over his household to give [his people] their allowance of food at the proper time? ⁴³Blessed is that servant whom his lord will find doing so when he returns. ⁴⁴Truly I tell you, he will set this servant over all that he has. ⁴⁵But what if the servant says in his heart, ‘My lord is late in returning’ and begins to beat his fellow-servants, both men and women, and also to eat, drink and become drunk? ⁴⁶Then the lord of that servant will come in a day when he is not expecting him, and in an hour that he does not know. He will cut the servant in two and assign him a place with the unbelievers. ⁴⁷Such a servant, who knew his lord’s will and yet did not prepare or do what the master wanted will be beaten with many stripes. ⁴⁸But a servant who did not know and did things worthy of punishment⁷⁷⁰ will be beaten with few stripes. From everyone to whom much is given, much will be required; and from whoever was entrusted with much, much will be asked.

Fire, division, not peace upon the earth

⁴⁹I have come to bring fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already! ⁵⁰But now, I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! ⁵¹Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. ⁵²For from now on, there will be five in a divided house, three against two, and two against three. ⁵³They will be divided, father against son, son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against her mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law”.⁷⁷¹

Interpreting the signs of the time – Making peace with opponents

⁵⁴Jesus also said to the multitudes, “When you see a cloud rising from the west, you immediately say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it happens. ⁵⁵When a south wind blows, you say, ‘There will be a scorching heat,’ and it happens. ⁵⁶You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and sky, but how is it that you do not interpret this [present] time?

⁵⁷Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? ⁵⁸For when you are going with your adversary before the magistrate, as you are on the way, do your utmost to be released from him, for fear that perhaps he will drag you to the judge, and the judge might deliver you to the officer, and the officer might throw you into prison. ⁵⁹I tell you, you will by no means get out of there, until you have paid the very last penny.⁷⁷² ”

13

Call to repentance

At that time, some [Jews] were present who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. ²Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered such things? ³I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way! ⁴Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell. Do you think that they were worse offenders than all those who live in Jerusalem? ⁵I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all perish as they did!”

The parable of the unproductive fig tree

⁶He then said this parable. “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. He came to look for fruit on it, but found nothing. ⁷He said to the vine dresser, ‘Behold, I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree for three years, and found none. Cut it down! Why does it waste the soil?’ ⁸The gardener⁷⁷³ answered, ‘Lord, let it be for this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹If it bears fruit, fine; but if not, after that, you can cut it down.’”

The healing of crippled woman on the Sabbath

¹⁰Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day. ¹¹Behold, there was a woman who had had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten herself up. ¹²When Jesus saw her, he called her, and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your infirmity!” ¹³He laid his hands on her and immediately, she stood up straight and glorified God.

¹⁴However, the ruler of the synagogue was indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. He said to the crowd, “There are six days in which people should work! Therefore, come on those days and be healed, not on the Sabbath day!”

¹⁵Then, the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each one of you free his ox or his donkey from the stall on the Sabbath, and lead it out to water? ¹⁶Should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham who was bound by Satan for eighteen years, be freed from this bondage on the Sabbath day?”

¹⁷As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame and all the people rejoiced over all the glorious things that were done by him.

The mustard seed – The yeast – The narrow door

¹⁸Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? To what shall I compare it? ¹⁹It is like a grain of mustard seed which someone picked up and planted in his own garden. It grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air found shelter in its branches”.

²⁰Again he said, “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? ²¹It is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in three measures⁷⁷⁴ of flour, until it was all leavened”.

²²Jesus was on his way through cities and villages, teaching and traveling onward to Jerusalem. ²³Someone asked him, “Lord, are those who are saved [only] a few?”

Jesus replied, ²⁴“Do your utmost to enter in by the narrow door! For I tell you that many will try to enter, but they will not be able. ²⁵Once the master of the house has risen up and shut the door, you will stand outside and knock on the door, saying: ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But then, he will answer, ‘I do not know you or where you come from!’ ²⁶Then you will start saying, ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets!’ ²⁷But the master⁷⁷⁵ will reply, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from! Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity.’ ²⁸In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, and yourselves being thrown outside. ²⁹People⁷⁷⁶ will come from the east, west, north, and south, and they will have a place⁷⁷⁷ in the Kingdom of God. ³⁰And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last”.

Herod wants to kill the Lord – Lament over Jerusalem

³¹On that same day, some Pharisees came and said to Jesus,⁷⁷⁸ “Leave this place and go somewhere else, for Herod wants to kill you!”

³²Jesus replied, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I fulfill my end.^{779 33}Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the next day, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.’

³⁴Jerusalem, Jerusalem, [you] that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often have I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! ³⁵Behold, your house is left to you desolate! I tell you, you will not see me, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord!’”⁷⁸⁰

14

The healing of a man with dropsy on the Sabbath day

Now, it happened that Jesus went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a Sabbath to eat bread, and they were watching him [closely]. ²And behold, a certain man who had swollen arms and legs⁷⁸¹ was [standing] in front of him. ³Jesus answered and spoke to the experts in the law and to the Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

⁴But they remained silent.

So taking hold of the man, Jesus healed him and sent him away. ⁵He answered them, “Which of you, if your son⁷⁸² or ox falls into a well on a Sabbath day, would not immediately pull it out?”

⁶And they could not answer him regarding these things.

Seating at banquets: about self-exaltation

⁷When Jesus noticed how people chose the best seats, he told the guest a parable, saying, ⁸“When you are invited by anyone to a marriage feast, do not sit in the best seat. It could be that someone more honorable than you might have been invited by the host,^{783 9}and he who invited both of you would come and tell you, ‘Make room for this person.’ Then, with shame, you would proceed to take the lowest place. ¹⁰Instead, when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place. And so, when the host comes, he may tell you, ‘Friend, move up higher!’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. ¹¹For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted”.

¹²Jesus also said to the one who had invited him, “When you make a dinner or a supper, do not call your friends, brothers, kinsmen or rich neighbors because they might return the favor and pay you back. ¹³Instead, when you give a feast, ask the poor, the maimed, the lame, or the blind [to come]. ¹⁴Then, you will be blessed, because they do not have the means to pay you back. For you will be repaid in the resurrection of the righteous”.

The parable of the great feast or banquet

¹⁵When one of those who sat at the table with him heard these things, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will feast in the Kingdom of God!”

¹⁶But Jesus replied, “A certain man gave a great banquet and invited many people. ¹⁷At supper time, he sent out his servant to tell those who were invited, ‘Come, for everything is ready now!’ ¹⁸But they all began to make excuses.

The first told him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please have me excused!’

¹⁹Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen and I must go try them out. Please have me excused!’

²⁰Another said, ‘I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come!’

²¹That servant came back and reported these things to his lord. At this, the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in the poor, the maimed, the blind, and the lame.’

²²The servant said, ‘Lord, it is done as you commanded, and there is still room!’

²³The lord then told the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled! ²⁴For I tell you that none of those who were invited will taste of my supper.’”

About discipleship

²⁵Great crowds were now traveling with him. He turned and said to them,

²⁶“Anyone who comes to me and does not disregard⁷⁸⁴ his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, cannot be my disciple. ²⁷Whoever does not bear his own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. ²⁸For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? ²⁹Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, everyone who sees would begin to mock him, ³⁰saying: ‘This fellow began to build and he was not able to finish!’ ³¹Or what king, as he goes to encounter another king in war, will not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand [troops] to meet the one who comes against him with twenty thousand [troops]? ³²If he cannot, while the other [king] is still far away, he sends an embassy and asks for the conditions of peace. ³³In the same way, any of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

About salt

³⁴Salt is good, but if it becomes tasteless, what can make it salty again? ³⁵It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile and it is thrown out! Anyone who has ears for listening should listen!”

15

The parable of the lost sheep

Now, all the tax collectors and sinners were coming close to him to hear him. ²But the Pharisees and scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them!”

³So Jesus told them this parable. ⁴“Which one of you, if you had one hundred sheep and lost one of them, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that was lost, until he finds it? ⁵And when he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing! ⁶Coming home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, telling them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ ⁷I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous who need no repentance.

The parable of the lost coin

⁸Or what woman, if she had ten drachma⁷⁸⁵ coins and lost one,⁷⁸⁶ would not light a lamp, sweep the house, and look hard until she finds it? 9And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying: ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma coin which I had lost!’ 10Likewise, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents”.

The parable of the prodigal son and the disgruntled brother

¹¹Jesus⁷⁸⁷ said, “A certain man had two sons. ¹²The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that will come to me.’ So the father divided his livelihood⁷⁸⁸ between them. ¹³A few days later, the younger son gathered all that he had and traveled to a far country. There, he squandered his property, living immorally. ¹⁴When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place in that country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵He went and hired himself to one of the citizens of that country who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶He wanted to feed himself⁷⁸⁹ with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him anything. ¹⁷But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough to spare, and I am dying with hunger! ¹⁸I will get up, go to my father, and tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you! ¹⁹I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants”.’

²⁰So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still at a distance, his father saw him and was moved with compassion. He ran, and embraced his son,⁷⁹⁰ and kissed him. ²¹Then the son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you! I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²²But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the first⁷⁹¹ robe and put it on him! Put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet! ²³Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; ²⁴for this, my son, was dead, and he is alive again! He was lost and [now he] is found!’ And they began to celebrate.

²⁵Now, his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶Calling one of the servants, he asked what was going on. ²⁷The servant replied, ‘Your brother has returned! Your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and healthy.’ ²⁸However, the elder son became angry and he would not go in. Therefore, his father came out and begged him. ²⁹But he answered his father, ‘Look, for so many years I have served you, and I have never disobeyed a commandment of yours. Yet, you never gave me a goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. ³⁰But when this, your son, arrived, he who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’

³¹The father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours! ³²But it was fitting to celebrate and to rejoice, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost and is found!’”

16

The parable of the dishonest yet wise manager

Jesus also said to his disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a manager. An accusation was made to him that this man was wasting his possessions. ²He called his manager and told him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give an accounting of your stewardship, for you can no longer be [my] steward.’

³The manager said within himself, ‘What will I do, seeing that my lord is taking away the management position from me? I do not have strength to dig! I am ashamed to beg! ⁴I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from management, people⁷⁹² may receive me into their houses.’ ⁵Calling each one of his lord’s debtors to him, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe to my lord?’ ⁶The man replied, ‘A hundred measures⁷⁹³ of oil.’ The manager said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly and write fifty.’ ⁷Then he said to another, ‘How much do you owe?’ That one replied, ‘A hundred cors⁷⁹⁴ of wheat.’ The manager said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’

⁸His master⁷⁹⁵ praised the dishonest manager because he had acted wisely, for the children of this world are wiser than the children of the light in [dealing with] their own kind. ⁹I tell you, make for yourselves friends by means of unrighteous mammon⁷⁹⁶, so that when it fails you,⁷⁹⁷ you may be received into the eternal dwellings. ¹⁰Whoever is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much. Whoever is dishonest in very little is also dishonest in much. ¹¹Therefore, if you have not been faithful with unrighteous mammon, who will entrust you with true riches? ¹²If you have not been faithful in what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? ¹³No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate one and love the other; or else he will be attached to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon”.

About the Pharisees – About the Law – About divorce

¹⁴The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they scoffed at him. ¹⁵Jesus told them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of people, but God knows your hearts. Indeed, what is exalted among people is an abomination in the sight of God. ¹⁶The law and the prophets were [proclaimed] until John [came]. Since then, the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone enters into it with a struggle.^{798 17}Yet, it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tiny stroke of a pen in the law to fall [out]. ¹⁸Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another [woman] commits adultery; and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

The rich man and Lazarus

¹⁹Now, there was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen, feasting in luxury every day. ²⁰A certain beggar named Lazarus was laid at his gate, full of sores, ²¹who desired to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Yes, even dogs came and licked his sores. ²²It happened that the beggar died and that he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died, and was buried. ²³In hades,⁷⁹⁹ he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus in his bosom.^{800 24}He cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue! For I am in agony in this flame!’

²⁵But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime, you received your good things, and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things. But now, he is comforted here and you are in anguish. ²⁶Besides all this, between us and you a great gulf is fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot [do so], and that no one may cross over from there to us.’

²⁷He said, ‘I ask you therefore, father, that you would send Lazarus to my father’s house; ²⁸for I have five brothers, that he might bear witness to them, so that they would not also come to this place of torment.’

²⁹But Abraham replied to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets! Let them listen to them!’

³⁰But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’

³¹Then Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone rises from the dead.’”

17

Things that cause sin – About forgiveness

Jesus told the disciples, “It is impossible that no occasions of stumbling should come, but woe to the one through whom they come! ²It would be better for such a person to have a millstone hung around the neck and be thrown into the sea, rather than to cause any of these little ones to stumble. ³Be careful! If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him. ⁴If he sins against you seven times in the day, and comes back seven times, saying: ‘I repent!’ you must forgive him”.

Faith like mustard seed

⁵The apostles also said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

⁶The Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you would tell this sycamore tree, ‘Be uprooted and transplanted into the sea,’ and it would obey you!

The attitude of a servant

⁷Now, who is there among you, having a servant plowing or sheepherding, that will say when that servant⁸⁰¹ returns from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down at the table.’ ⁸Instead, will you not tell him, ‘Prepare my supper, clothe yourself properly, and serve me while I eat and drink. Afterwards, you may eat and drink?’ ⁹Does the master⁸⁰² thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded? I think not!^{803 10}So you also, when you have done all those things which you are commanded [to do], say, ‘We are unworthy servants, we have [only] done our duty!’”

The healing of ten lepers

¹¹As Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, it happened that he was passing between [the borders of] Samaria and Galilee. ¹²As he entered into a certain village, ten men who were lepers met him, and they stood at a distance. ¹³They lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

¹⁴When Jesus saw them, he told them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests”. And it happened that as they went, they were cleansed. ¹⁵One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice. ¹⁶He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks; and this man was a Samaritan. ¹⁷Jesus said, “Were not ten cleansed? But where are the nine [others]? ¹⁸Was no one found who came back to glorify God, except for this foreigner?” ¹⁹Then Jesus said to him, “Get up and go your way. Your faith has healed⁸⁰⁴ you!”

The coming of the Kingdom – The coming of the Son of Man

²⁰Being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus answered them, “The Kingdom of God does not come with observation! ²¹Neither will people say, ‘Look, here!’ or, ‘Look, there!’ for behold, the Kingdom of God is in your midst”.⁸⁰⁵

²²Jesus told the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. ²³People will tell you, ‘Look, here!’ or ‘Look, there!’ Do not go away or follow [them], ²⁴for as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. ²⁵But first, he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. ²⁶As it happened in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. ²⁷People ate, drank, got married and were given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered into the ship; and the flood came, destroying them all. ²⁸Likewise, even as it happened in the days of Lot: people ate, drank, bought, sold, planted and built. ²⁹But in the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from the sky which destroyed them all. ³⁰It will be the same in the day that the Son of Man is revealed. ³¹In that day, whoever is on the housetop, [having] his goods in the house, should not go down to take them away! Likewise, whoever is in the field should not return. ³²Remember Lot’s wife! ³³Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it. ³⁴I tell you that in that night, there will be two people in one bed! One will be taken, and the other will be left. ³⁵There will be two grinding grain together. One will be taken, and the other will be left”. ³⁶⁸⁰⁶

³⁷In reply, the disciples asked him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the body is, there the eagles will also be assembled”.⁸⁰⁷

18

The parable of the persistent widow

Jesus also told them a parable [illustrating] that they must always pray and not give up, ²saying: “In a certain city, there was a judge who did not fear God and did not care [about anyone]. ³A widow lived in that city, and she often came to him, saying: ‘Defend me from my adversary!’ ⁴For a time, he would not [do anything], but after a while, he said to himself, ‘Although I neither fear God nor care for anyone, ⁵yet because this widow is bothering me, I will defend her, or else she will wear me out⁸⁰⁸ by her continual visits.’”

⁶The Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge has to say! ⁷Will not God grant justice to his elect who are crying out to him day and night,⁸⁰⁹ although he exercises patience regarding them?^{810 8}I tell you that he will avenge them quickly! And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

The parable of the Publican and the Pharisee

⁹Jesus also spoke this parable to certain people who were convinced of their own righteousness and who despised everyone else.

¹⁰“Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a Publican.^{811 11}The Pharisee stood and prayed by himself, like this: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of men, dishonest, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹²I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I earn.’ ¹³But the tax collector, standing far aside, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he would beat his breast, saying: ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴I tell you, this man, rather than the other, went down to his house justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted”.

About children and the Kingdom

¹⁵People were also bringing their infants to him, so that Jesus might lay hands⁸¹² on them. But when the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. ¹⁶Jesus summoned his disciples and told them, “Allow the little children to come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁷Amen, I tell you: whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will in no way enter into it”.

The question of the rich ruler – About riches and renunciation

¹⁸A certain ruler⁸¹³ asked him, “Good Teacher, what shall⁸¹⁴ I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁹Jesus asked him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good,⁸¹⁵ except one – God. ²⁰You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”⁸¹⁶

²¹The ruler replied, “I have observed all these things from my youth”.

²²When Jesus heard this, he said, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have, distribute it to the poor, and you will have a treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me”.

²³But when the man heard these things, he became very distressed because he was very rich.

²⁴Jesus, seeing that he had become very distressed, said, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter into the Kingdom of God! ²⁵Indeed, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for someone who is wealthy to enter into the Kingdom of God!”

²⁶Those who heard this exclaimed, “Then, who can be saved?”

²⁷But Jesus replied, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God”.

²⁸Peter said, “Look, we have left everything and followed you!”

²⁹And Jesus said to them, “Amen, I tell you: there is no one who has left house, or wife, or brothers, or parents, or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, ³⁰who will not receive many times more in this [present] time, and in the age to come, eternal life”.

A third announcement of the passion

³¹He took the Twelve aside, and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all the things that are written through the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be fulfilled. ³²For he will be delivered to the Gentiles, mocked, mistreated, and spit upon. ³³Having flogged him, they will kill him, and on the third day, he will rise again”.

³⁴However, they understood none of these things. What Jesus was saying was concealed from them, and they did not understand the things that were said.

The healing of a blind man

³⁵As Jesus⁸¹⁷ was approaching Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the road, begging. ³⁶Hearing a crowd going by, he asked what this meant. ³⁷People told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. ³⁸He began to cry out, “Jesus, you son of David, have mercy on me!” ³⁹Then, those who led the way rebuked him, ordering him to be quiet. But the blind man⁸¹⁸ cried out all the more, “You son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁰Standing still, Jesus commanded that the blind man⁸¹⁹ be brought to him. When the man had come near, Jesus asked him, ⁴¹”What do you want me to do?”

The man replied, “Lord, that I may see again!”

⁴²Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight. Your faith has healed you”.

⁴³Immediately, the man received his sight and began to follow Jesus, glorifying God. When all the people saw this, they praised God.

19

Zacchaeus the tax collector

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through town. ²There was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. ³He was trying to see who Jesus was, and could not because of the crowd, because he was short. ⁴He ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Jesus who was [about] to pass that way. ⁵When Jesus came to the place, he looked up, saw Zacchaeus, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house!” ⁶He hurried, came down, and received Jesus with joy. ⁷But when the people saw it, they all grumbled, saying, “He has gone in to stay with a man who is a sinner!”

⁸Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have wrongfully obtained money from anyone, I restore four times as much!”

⁹Then Jesus said to him, “Today, salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost”.

The parable of the ten mina coins

¹¹As the people heard these things, Jesus⁸²⁰ went on to tell [them] a parable because he was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that the Kingdom of God would be revealed immediately. ¹²He said therefore, “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return. ¹³So he called ten of his slaves⁸²¹ gave them ten mina coins,⁸²² and told them, ‘Do business [with these] until I come.’ ¹⁴But his subjects hated him, and they sent a delegation after him, to say: ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’

¹⁵It so happened that when he returned after receiving the kingdom, that he commanded these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, so that he might know what they had earned by conducting business. ¹⁶The first came before him, saying: ‘Lord, your mina has made ten more minas!’

¹⁷The king⁸²³ said to him, ‘Well done, you good servant! Because you were found faithful with very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’

¹⁸The second came, saying: ‘Your mina, Lord, has made five minas!’

¹⁹And so, the king said to him, ‘And you are to be set over five cities.’

²⁰Another came, saying: ‘Lord, behold, your mina, which I kept laid away in a piece of cloth. ²I was afraid of you, because you are a strict man! You take up what you did not lay down, and you reap what you did not sow.’

²²The king said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth will I judge you, you wicked servant! You perceived⁸²⁴ that I was a severe man, taking up what I did not lay down, and reaping what I did not sow. ²³Why then did you not place my money on deposit, and at my coming, I would have collected it with interest on it?’ ²⁴He then said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina away from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ ²⁵At this, they said to the master,⁸²⁵ ‘Lord, he [already] has ten minas!’

²⁶‘For I tell you that to everyone who [already] has, more will be given; but from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ²⁷As for those enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them here, bring them here and kill them before me.’”

The Entrance into Jerusalem

²⁸Having said these things, Jesus went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. ²⁹It so happened that when he approached Bethsphage⁸²⁶ and Bethany, at the mountain that is called Olivet, he sent two of his disciples, ³⁰saying, “Go your way into the village on the other side. There, as you enter, you will find a colt tied up, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it, and bring it. ³¹If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ reply, ‘The Lord needs it!’”

³²Those who were sent went away found things exactly as Jesus had told them. ³³As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” ³⁴They replied, “The Lord needs it!” ³⁵They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt, and set Jesus on them. ³⁶As he went, they [also] spread their cloaks in the way. ³⁷As Jesus was now approaching, at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the deeds of power which they had seen. ³⁸[They were] saying, “Blessed is he who is coming, a King in the Name of the Lord!⁸²⁷ Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest!”

³⁹And from the multitude, some of the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

⁴⁰But he answered them, “I tell you that if these were silent, the stones would cry out!”

The Lord weeps over Jerusalem

⁴¹As Jesus⁸²⁸ was drawing near, he saw the city and began to weep over it, ⁴²saying, “If you, even you, had today recognized what is for your peace! But now, those things⁸²⁹ are hidden from your eyes! ⁴³For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will throw up a fortification against you, surround you, and hem you in on every side. ⁴⁴They will crush you and your children within you to the ground. They will not leave in you one stone [standing] on another, because you did not know the time of your visitation”.

The cleansing of the temple

⁴⁵Then Jesus entered into the temple, and he began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, ⁴⁶saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’⁸³⁰ but you have made it a ‘den of robbers!’”⁸³¹

⁴⁷He was teaching every day in the temple, but the chief priests, the scribes and the leading men among the people were looking for a way to destroy him. ⁴⁸However, they could not find a way to do so because all the people were captured by every word that he said.

20

By what authority

It happened on one of those days, as he was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the Good News, that the⁸³²priests and scribes came to him with the presbyters. ²They asked him, “Tell us: by what authority do you do these things? Who is giving you this authority?”

³He answered them, “I too will ask you one question. Tell me: ⁴the baptism of John, was it from heaven,⁸³³ or from men?”

⁵They discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will reply, ‘Why then did not you believe him?’ ⁶But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us because they are convinced that John was a prophet”. ⁷So they answered that they did not know where it was from.

⁸Then Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things”.

The parable of the tenant farmers

⁹He began to tell the people this parable. “A certain man planted a vineyard, and rented it out to some farmers, and went into another country for a long time. ¹⁰At the proper season, he sent a servant to the farmers to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But the farmers beat the servant and sent him away with nothing.^{834 11}The owner⁸³⁵ then sent yet another servant, and they also beat him, treated him with contempt, and sent him away empty. ¹²The owner⁸³⁶ sent yet a third [servant], and they also wounded him, and threw him out. ¹³Then, the lord of the vineyard thought, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son! It may be that seeing him, they will respect him.’

¹⁴But when the farmers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying: ‘This is the heir! Come, let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ ¹⁵So, they threw the son⁸³⁷ out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now, what will the lord of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶He will come and destroy these farmers, and he will give the vineyard to others”.

When the people⁸³⁸ heard this, they exclaimed, “May it never be!”

¹⁷But Jesus looked at them, and said, “Then what is this that is written:

‘The stone which the builders rejected,

Has become the chief cornerstone?’⁸³⁹

18Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces,

and it will crush to dust whoever it falls on.

About paying taxes to Caesar

¹⁹The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to lay hands on him that very hour, but they feared the people because they knew that he had spoken this parable against them. ²⁰They watched him and sent out spies who pretended to be righteous in order to trap him in something he might say, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. ²¹They asked him, “Teacher, we know that you say and teach what is right, and that you are not partial to anyone but truly teach the way of God. ²²Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

²³But Jesus perceived their trickery and said to them, “Why are you testing me?^{840 24}Show me a denarius! Whose image and inscription are on it?”

They answered, “Caesar’s”.

²⁵So Jesus said to them, “Then, give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and [give] to God what belongs to God!”

²⁶And they were not able to ensnare him in his words before the people. They marveled at his answer and remained silent.

The Sadducees question the resurrection

²⁷Some of the Sadducees came to him, people who deny that there is a resurrection. ²⁸They asked him, “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man dies having a wife and without a child, his brother should take the wife and raise up a posterity for his brother. ²⁹There were therefore seven brothers: the first took a wife and died childless. ³⁰The second took her as wife,⁸⁴¹ and he [also] died childless. ³¹The third took her, and likewise all seven [brothers] left no children and died. ³²Afterwards, the woman also died. ³³Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife”.

³⁴Jesus replied to them, “The children of this age get married and are given in marriage. ³⁵But those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead do not marry or are given in marriage. ³⁶They cannot die any more, because they are like the angels, and they are children of God, being children of the resurrection. ³⁷But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the [story of the burning] bush, when he called the Lord ‘The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’^{842 38}Now, he is not the God of the dead, but of the living, because all are alive to him!”

³⁹Some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you speak well!” ⁴⁰Then, they did not dare to ask him any more questions.

About David’s son

⁴¹Jesus asked them, “Why do they say that the Christ is David’s son? ⁴²David himself says in the book of Psalms,

‘The Lord⁸⁴³ said to my Lord,⁸⁴⁴

Sit at my right hand,

⁴³until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet.’⁸⁴⁵

⁴⁴David therefore calls him Lord, so how is he his son?”

⁴⁵While all the people were listening, Jesus⁸⁴⁶ said to his disciples, ⁴⁶“Beware of the scribes who like to walk in long robes and who love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts. ⁴⁷They⁸⁴⁷ devour the houses of widows and for a pretense say long prayers: they will receive greater condemnation!”

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The gift of the poor widow

Looking up, Jesus saw the rich who were putting their gifts into the treasury. ²Then, he saw a certain poor widow casting in two small brass coins.^{848 3}He said, “Amen, I tell you that this poor widow has put in more than all of them! ⁴For all these [people] put in gifts for God from their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, put in all that she had to live on”.

Destruction of the temple foretold – The signs of the end

⁵As some were talking about the temple and how it was adorned with beautiful stonework and votive offerings, Jesus⁸⁴⁹ said, ⁶“As for these things which you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left here [standing] on another and that will not be thrown down!”

⁷Then, they asked him, “Teacher, so when will these things take place? What is the sign that these things are about to happen?”

⁸Jesus replied, “Watch out that you do not get led astray, for many will come in my Name, saying: ‘I am he⁸⁵⁰,’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not follow them! ⁹When you hear of wars and insurrections,⁸⁵¹ do not be terrified, for these things must happen first, but the end will not come right away”. ¹⁰Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹There will be great earthquakes, famines, and plagues in various places. There will be fearful events⁸⁵² and great signs from heaven.

Coming persecutions

¹²But before all these things [happen], you will be placed under arrest and be persecuted, you will be handed over to synagogues and prisons, brought before kings and governors for my Name’s sake. ¹³It will turn out for you as an occasion to bear witness. ¹⁴Therefore, settle it in your hearts not to ponder in advance how to answer, ¹⁵for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to withstand or contradict. ¹⁶You will be handed over even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends. Some of you will be put to death.^{853 17}You will be hated by all for my Name’s sake, ¹⁸yet not a hair of your head will perish. ¹⁹By your endurance you will acquire your lives.

The fall of Jerusalem foretold – The time of the Gentiles

²⁰But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is at hand. ²¹Then, let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains! Let those who are in the midst of her depart! Let those who are in the countryside not enter in [the city]. ²²For these are days of vengeance,⁸⁵⁴ so that all things which are written may be fulfilled. ²³Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who nurse infants in those days! For there will be great distress in the land, and wrath to this people. ²⁴They will fall by the edge of the sword and will be taken away as captives into all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The coming of the Son of Man

²⁵There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and on the earth, the anxiety of nations, perplexed over the roaring of the sea and the waves. ²⁶People will faint from fear, apprehensive what is coming upon the world, as the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷Then, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸But when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption⁸⁵⁵ is near”.

Learning from the fig tree – A call to be watchful

²⁹Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. ³⁰When they are already budding, you see it and know on your own that the summer is already near. ³¹Likewise, when you see these things happening, understand that the Kingdom of God is near. ³²Amen, I tell you: this generation will not pass away until all [these] things are accomplished. ³³Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

³⁴And so, be on guard, for fear that your hearts may be weighed down with entertaining distractions, overdrinking, and the worries of this life, and that day will come upon you unexpectedly. ³⁵For it will come like a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶Therefore, be watchful all the time, praying that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand before the Son of Man”.

³⁷Every day, Jesus was teaching in the temple, and every evening, he would go out and spend the night on the mountain that is called Olivet. ³⁸Then early in the morning, all the people came to him in the temple in order to listen to him.

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The plot against Jesus

Now, the feast of unleavened bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching. ²The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to do away with Jesus⁸⁵⁶ by killing him,⁸⁵⁷ but they feared the people. ³Then Satan entered into Judas, called Iscariot, who was numbered with the Twelve. ⁴So Judas went and talked with the chief priests and officers of the guard about how he might deliver him to them. ⁵They rejoiced and agreed to give him money. ⁶Judas agreed and began to look for an opportunity to deliver him to them when there would be no crowd.

Preparations for the Passover – The Lord’s Supper or Eucharist

⁷Then, the day of unleavened bread came, on which the Passover must be sacrificed. ⁸So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat [the Passover meal]”.

⁹They asked him, “Where do you want us to make preparations?”

¹⁰Jesus replied, “Behold, when you have entered into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him into the house which he enters. ¹¹Then tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ ¹²He will show you a large, furnished upper room. Make preparations there”.

¹³They went, found things as Jesus had told them, and made preparations for the Passover. ¹⁴When the hour had come, he sat down with the Twelve apostles. ¹⁵He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, ¹⁶for I tell you, I will not eat⁸⁵⁸ of it until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God”. ¹⁷Then, taking a cup and having given thanks, he said, “Take this, and share it among you, ¹⁸for I tell you, I shall never again drink from the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes”.

¹⁹And having taken bread⁸⁵⁹ and given thanks, he broke it and gave [it] to them, saying, “This is my body⁸⁶⁰ which is given for you. Do this in memory⁸⁶¹ of me”. ²⁰Likewise, he took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. ²¹But behold, the hand of the one who betrays me is with me at the table. ²²The Son of Man indeed is going, as it has been determined, but woe to that man through whom he is betrayed!”

²³Then they began to discuss among themselves which of them it was who would do this thing.

Greatness and servanthood – The Twelve – Simon Peter’s role

²⁴An argument also arose between them about which one of them was considered to be the greatest. ²⁵Jesus said to them, “The kings of the nations have lordship over the people, and those who have authority over people⁸⁶² are called ‘benefactors.’ ²⁶But not so with you! Instead, the one who is the greater among you should become as the younger, and the one who is leading as the one who serves. ²⁷Indeed, who is greater, the one reclining at the table, or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? Yet, I am among you as one who serves. ²⁸But you are those who have remained with me in my trials, ²⁹and now I bestow a kingdom upon you, just as my Father bestowed [a kingdom] upon me, ³⁰so that you may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom; and you will sit on thrones, judging the Twelve tribes of Israel”.

³¹And the Lord said,⁸⁶³ “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has asked to have you,⁸⁶⁴ so that he might sift you⁸⁶⁵ [all] like wheat! ³²But I have prayed for you,⁸⁶⁶ that your faith would not fail. And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brethren”.

³³But Simon said, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death!”

³⁴At this Jesus replied, “I tell you, Peter, by the time the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me!”

³⁵Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you out without purse, bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?”

They replied, “Nothing”.

³⁶He then said to them, “But now, whoever has a purse should take it, and likewise a bag! Whoever has no sword should sell his cloak and buy one! ³⁷For I tell you that what is written must still be fulfilled in me: ‘He was counted with transgressors.’⁸⁶⁷ Indeed, the things [written] concerning me are [reaching] a completion”.

³⁸So the disciples exclaimed, “Lord, behold, here are two swords!” but he told them, “That is enough!”

The agony in the garden

³⁹Jesus came out, and went, as his custom was, to the Mount of Olives. His disciples also followed him. ⁴⁰Having arrived at the place, he said to them, “Pray that you do not enter into temptation!”

⁴¹He then withdrew from them about a stone’s throw [away], knelt down and prayed, ⁴²saying, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done”.

⁴³And an angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him. ⁴⁴Being in agony, he prayed [even] more intensely, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.⁸⁶⁸

⁴⁵When he rose up from his prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of sheer grief. ⁴⁶He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation!”

The Lord’s betrayal and arrest in the garden

⁴⁷While he was still speaking, behold, a multitude [came], and he who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He came near to Jesus to kiss him, ⁴⁸but Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

⁴⁹When those who were around him saw what was about to happen, they said to him, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” ⁵⁰And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.

⁵¹But Jesus said, “Let me at least do this”⁸⁶⁹ – and he touched the servant’s ear, and healed him. ⁵²Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and presbyters who had come against him, “Have you come out as against someone leading a rebellion, with swords and clubs? ⁵³When I was with you in the temple every day, you did not stretch out your hands against me! But this is your hour, and the power of the darkness”.

Peter’s threefold denial

⁵⁴They arrested him and led him away, and brought him into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed from a distance. ⁵⁵When people⁸⁷⁰ had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter also sat among them. ⁵⁶A certain servant girl saw him as he sat in the light, and looking intently at him, she exclaimed, “This man also was with him!”

⁵⁷However, Peter⁸⁷¹ denied Jesus,⁸⁷² saying, “Woman, I do not know him!”

⁵⁸A little while later, someone else saw him, and said, “You also are one of them!”

But Peter answered, “Sir,⁸⁷³ I am not!”

⁵⁹After about one hour had passed, another insisted, saying, “Truly, this man also was with him, for he is a Galilean!”

⁶⁰But Peter said, “Sir, I do not know what you are talking about!” And immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. ⁶¹Then the Lord turned, and looked at Peter, and Peter remembered the Lord’s word, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times”. ⁶²So Peter went out and wept bitterly.

⁶³Now, the men who held Jesus [in custody] were mocking him and beating him. ⁶⁴Having blindfolded him, they struck him on the face⁸⁷⁴ and asked him, “Prophesy! Who is the one who struck you?” ⁶⁵They said many other insulting things to him.

Before the Sanhedrin

⁶⁶As soon as it was day, the assembly of the presbyters of the people was gathered, both chief priests and scribes. They brought Jesus⁸⁷⁵ into their council, saying: ⁶⁷“If you are the Christ,⁸⁷⁶ tell us”.

But Jesus said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, ⁶⁸and if I question [you], you will not answer me or release me⁸⁷⁷. ⁶⁹But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the Power of God”.

⁷⁰They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?”

He said to them, “You say it because I am”.

⁷¹Then they exclaimed, “Why do we need any more witnesses? We ourselves have heard [it] from his own mouth!”

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Before Pilate – Before Herod

Their whole group arose and brought Jesus before Pilate. ²They began to bring charges against him, saying, “We have found this man perverting the nation, forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king”.

³So Pilate questioned him, saying, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

Jesus replied, “You say it”.

⁴Pilate said to the chief priests and to the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man”.

⁵Still, they insisted, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee [and] even to this place”. ⁶But when Pilate heard Galilee mentioned, he asked if the man was a Galilean. ⁷When he found out that Jesus was from Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem during those days.

⁸Now, when Herod saw Jesus, he was extremely glad because he had desired to see him for a long time as he had heard many things about him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by him. ⁹He questioned Jesus with many words, but Jesus gave no reply. ¹⁰[Meanwhile], the chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. ¹¹Then Herod and his soldiers humiliated and mocked Jesus.⁸⁷⁸ Dressing him in a luxurious robe, they sent him back to Pilate. ¹²And Herod and Pilate became friends that very day, [although] before this, they had been enemies.

Pilate condemns the Lord to be crucified

¹³Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people. ¹⁴He said to them, “You brought this man to me as someone who perverts the people, and behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. ¹⁵Neither has Herod, for he has sent him back. As you can see, this man has done nothing worthy of death! ¹⁶Therefore, I will punish him and [then] release him”.

¹⁷Now, Pilate had to release one prisoner to them at the feast.^{879 18}But they all cried out together, saying, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!”¹⁹This one had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion⁸⁸⁰ in the city, and for murder.

²⁰Then Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus. ²¹But they shouted, saying, “Crucify! Crucify him!”

²²For the third time, Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has this man done? I have found no reason for death in him. I will therefore chastise him and release him”. ²³But they were insistent with loud voices, demanding that Jesus⁸⁸¹ be crucified. And their shouts and the shouts of the chief priests prevailed. ²⁴So Pilate decreed that what they were asking for should be done. ²⁵He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, as the people had requested. But Jesus, he delivered up to their will.

Simon of Cyrene – The way of the cross

²⁶As the soldiers were leading Jesus away, they seized Simon, a Cyrenian [who was] coming from the countryside. They laid the cross on him, to carry it after Jesus. ²⁷A great multitude of the people followed him, including women who also mourned and lamented him. ²⁸But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me! Instead, weep for yourselves and for your children! ²⁹For behold, the days are coming in which people will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ ³⁰Then, people will begin to tell the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to tell the hills, ‘Cover us.’^{882 31}For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will be done when it is dry?”

³²There were also others, two criminals, [who were] led with him to be put to death.

The Lord is crucified – Paradise promised to the condemned

³³When they arrived to the place which is called The Skull,⁸⁸³ the soldiers⁸⁸⁴ crucified him there with the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.

³⁴Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”.⁸⁸⁵

Dividing his garments among them, the soldiers⁸⁸⁶ [began to] cast lots. ³⁵The people stood by, watching, and with them the rulers also scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others! Let him save himself, if this is the anointed one⁸⁸⁷ of God, the chosen one!”

³⁶The soldiers also mocked him, coming up to him, offering him vinegar, ³⁷and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”

³⁸An inscription was also written over him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, “This is the king of the Jews”.

³⁹One of the criminals who hanged there began to insult Jesus,⁸⁸⁸ saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us as well!”

⁴⁰But the other spoke up and rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same condemnation? ⁴¹We indeed [are punished] justly, because we are receiving the due reward for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong”. ⁴²He then said to Jesus, “Lord,⁸⁸⁹ remember me when you come in⁸⁹⁰ your Kingdom”.

⁴³And Jesus said to him, “Amen I tell you: today, you will be with me in Paradise”.⁸⁹¹

The Lord’s death and burial

⁴⁴It was now about the sixth hour,⁸⁹² and darkness came over the whole land⁸⁹³ until the ninth hour.^{894 45}The sun was darkened, and the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two. ⁴⁶Crying with a loud voice, Jesus said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” Having said this, he breathed his last.

⁴⁷When the centurion saw what had taken place, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly, this was a righteous man”. ⁴⁸When all the multitudes that had come together to see this saw what had happened, they returned home beating their breasts. ⁴⁹But all those who knew Jesus⁸⁹⁵ and the women who had followed with him from Galilee stood at a distance, watching these things.

⁵⁰And now, there was a man named Joseph, who was a member of the council, a good and righteous man ⁵¹(who had not consented to their counsel and deed). He was from Arimathaea, a city of the Jews, and he was also waiting for the Kingdom of God. ⁵²This man went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. ⁵³He took it down, wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that was cut in stone, where no one had ever been laid. ⁵⁴It was the [day of the] Preparation,⁸⁹⁶ and the Sabbath was drawing near. ⁵⁵The women who had come with Jesus⁸⁹⁷ out of Galilee followed [Joseph] and saw the tomb, and how his body was laid. ⁵⁶They returned [home], and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath, they rested according to the commandment.

24

The Lord’s resurrection

On the first day of the week,⁸⁹⁸ at early dawn, they and some others came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared. ²But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. ³So they entered in and did not find the body⁸⁹⁹ of the Lord Jesus. ⁴And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. ⁵Terrified, the women bowed their faces to the ground.

The two men⁹⁰⁰ said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? ⁶He is not here, but he is risen!⁹⁰¹ Remember what he told you when he was still in Galilee, ⁷saying that the Son of Man must be delivered up into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and [on] the third day rise again?”

⁸Then, they remembered Jesus’⁹⁰² words. ⁹Returning from the tomb, they told all these things to the eleven, and to all the others. ¹⁰Now, they were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James.⁹⁰³ The other women with them told these things to the apostles. ¹¹But these words seemed to be nonsense to them, and they did not believe them. ¹²However, Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Stooping and looking in, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves. He returned to his home, wondering what had taken place.⁹⁰⁴

Appearance on the road to Emmaus

¹³It then happened that two of the disciples were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was sixty stadia⁹⁰⁵ from Jerusalem. ¹⁴They were talking with each other about all of these things which had taken place. ¹⁵And as they were talking together and discussing this, Jesus himself came near and went along with them. ¹⁶However, their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷He asked them, “What are you talking about as you walk?” And they stopped walking, looking sad.

¹⁸One of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger⁹⁰⁶ in Jerusalem who does not know what has happened there in these days?”

¹⁹“What things?” he asked to them.

They replied, “The things concerning Jesus, the Nazarene! He was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people; ²⁰and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and had him crucified. ²¹But we were hoping that he was the one who would redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things have taken place. ²²Also, certain women of our company have puzzled⁹⁰⁷ us: having arrived early at the tomb, ²³they did not find his body. And they came back saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive! ²⁴Some of us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see him”.

²⁵He said to them, “You foolish men! So slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and enter into his glory?” ²⁷And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. ²⁸As they were approaching the village where they were going, he acted like he would continue on his way.

²⁹“Stay with us!” they urged him, saying, “It is almost evening, and the day is almost over!”

So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰Now, it happened that when he had sat down at the table with them, he took the bread and gave thanks. Breaking it, he gave it to them. ³¹And their eyes were opened; they knew⁹⁰⁸ him, and he vanished out of their sight. ³²Then they said one to another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us along the way, and while he opened the Scriptures to us?” ³³They rose up that very hour, returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together and [also] those who were with them. ³⁴They were saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵Then, the two related what had happened along the way, and how they had recognized him in the breaking of the bread.

Appearance to the disciples

³⁶As they were saying these things, Jesus himself stood among them⁹⁰⁹ and said to them, “Peace be to you!”

³⁷But they were startled and frightened, supposing that they had seen a spirit.

³⁸He said to them, “Why are you troubled? Why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹See my hands and my feet, that it is truly me. Touch me and see! A spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see that I have”. ⁴⁰When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.^{910 41}While they still did not believe for joy and were perplexed, he said to them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”

⁴²They gave him a piece of a broiled fish and a honeycomb from a beehive.^{911 43}He took them, and ate in front of them. ⁴⁴He said to them, “This is what I told you, while I was still with you, that everything written in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms,⁹¹² concerning me must be fulfilled”.

⁴⁵He then opened their minds, so that they might understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶He said to them, “This is what is written, that it was necessary for the Christ⁹¹³ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, ⁴⁷and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his Name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things! ⁴⁹Behold, I send forth the promise⁹¹⁴ of my Father on you. But wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high”.

The Ascension

⁵⁰He led them out as far as Bethany, lifted up his hands, and blessed them. ⁵¹It happened, while he was blessing them, that he withdrew⁹¹⁵ from them⁹¹⁶ and was carried up into heaven.^{917 52}They expressed adoration to⁹¹⁸ him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; ⁵³and they were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.⁹¹⁹