Book 42 Luke 001:001 Seeing that many have attempted to draw up a narrative of the facts which are received with full assurance among us 001:002 on the authority of those who were from the beginning eye-witnesses and were devoted to the service of the divine Message, 001:003 it has seemed right to me also, after careful investigation of the facts from their commencement, to write for you, most noble Theophilus, a connected account, 001:004 that you may fully know the truth of the things which you have been taught by word of mouth. 001:005 There was in the time of Herod, the king of Judaea, a priest of the name of Zechariah, belonging to the class of Abijah. He had a wife who was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 001:006 They were both of them upright before God, blamelessly obeying all the Lord's precepts and ordinances. 001:007 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren; and both of them were far advanced in life. 001:008 Now while he was doing priestly duty before God in the prescribed course of his class, 001:009 it fell to his lot—according to the custom of the priesthood— to go into the Sanctuary of the Lord and burn the incense; 001:010 and the whole multitude of the people were outside praying, at the hour of incense. 001:011 Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense; 001:012 and Zechariah on seeing him was agitated and terrified. 001:013 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your petition has been heard: and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call his name John. 001:014 Gladness and exultant joy shall be yours, and many will rejoice over his birth. 001:015 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; no wine or fermented drink shall he ever drink; but he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from the very hour of his birth. 001:016 Many of the descendants of Israel will he turn to the Lord their God; 001:017 and he will be His forerunner in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn fathers' hearts to the children, and cause the rebellious to walk in the wisdom of the upright, to make a people perfectly ready for the lord." 001:018 "By what proof," asked Zechariah, "shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is far advanced in years." 001:019 "I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God," answered the angel, "and I have been sent to talk with you and tell you this good news. 001:020 And now you will be dumb and unable to speak until the day when this has taken place; because you did not believe my words— words which will be fulfilled at their appointed time." 001:021 Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, and were surprised that he stayed so long in the Sanctuary. 001:022 When, however, he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they knew that he must have seen a vision in the Sanctuary; but he kept making signs to them and continued dumb. 001:023 When his days of service were at an end, he went to his home; 001:024 and in course of time his wife Elizabeth conceived, and kept herself secluded five months. 001:025 "Thus has the Lord dealt with me," she said, "now that He has graciously taken away my reproach among men." 001:026 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 001:027 to a maiden betrothed to a man of the name of Joseph, a descendant of David. The maiden's name was Mary. 001:028 So Gabriel went into the house and said to her, "Joy be to you, favoured one! the Lord is with you." 001:029 She was greatly agitated at his words, and wondered what such a greeting meant. 001:030 But the angel said, "Do not be frightened, Mary, for you have found favour with God. 001:031 You will conceive in your womb and bear a son; and you are to call His name JESUS. 001:032 He will be great and He will be called 'Son of the Most High.' And the Lord God will give Him the throne of His forefather David; 001:033 and He will be King over the House of Jacob for the Ages, and of His Kingdom there will be no end." 001:034 "How can this be," Mary replied, "seeing that I have no husband?" 001:035 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for this reason your holy offspring will be called 'the Son of God.' 001:036 And see, your relative Elizabeth—she also has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 001:037 For no promise from God will be impossible of fulfilment." 001:038 "I am the Lord's maidservant," Mary replied; "may it be with me in accordance with your words!" And then the angel left her. 001:039 Not long after this, Mary rose up and went in haste into the hill country to a town in Judah. 001:040 Here she came to the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth; 001:041 and as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the babe leapt within her. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 001:042 and uttered a loud cry of joy. "Blest among women are you," she said, "and the offspring of your body is blest! 001:043 But why is this honour done me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 001:044 For, the moment your greeting reached my ears, the babe within me leapt for joy. 001:045 And blessed is she who has believed, for the word spoken to her from the Lord shall be fulfilled." 001:046 Then Mary said: "My soul extols the Lord, 001:047 And my spirit triumphs in God my Saviour; 001:048 Because He has not turned from His maidservant in her lowly position; For from this time forward all generations will account me happy, 001:049 Because the mighty One has done great things for me— Holy is His name!— 001:050 And His compassion is, generation after generation, Upon those who fear Him. 001:051 He has manifested His supreme strength. He has scattered those who were haughty in the thoughts of their hearts. 001:052 He has cast monarchs down from their thrones, And exalted men of low estate. 001:053 The hungry He has satisfied with choice gifts, But the rich He has sent empty-handed away. 001:054 His servant Israel He has helped, Remembering His compassion— 001:055 In fulfillment of His promises to our forefathers—For Abraham and his posterity for ever." 001:056 So Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months, and then returned home. 001:057 Now when Elizabeth's full time was come, she gave birth to a son; 001:058 and her neighbours and relatives heard how the Lord had had great compassion on her; and they rejoiced with her. 001:059 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and were going to call him Zechariah, after his father. 001:060 His mother, however, said, "No, he is to be called John." 001:061 "There is not one of your family," they said, "who has that name." 001:062 They asked his father by signs what he wished him to be called. 001:063 So he asked for a writing-tablet, and wrote, "His name is John." And they all wondered. 001:064 Instantly his mouth and his tongue were set free, and he began to speak and bless God. 001:065 And all who lived round about them were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judaea reports of all these things were spread abroad. 001:066 All who heard the story treasured it in their memories. "What then will this child be?" they said. For the lord's hand was indeed with him. 001:067 And Zechariah his father was filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke in a rapture of praise. 001:068 "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel," he said, "Because He has not forgotten His people but has effected redemption for them, 001:069 And has raised up a mighty Deliverer for us In the house of David His servant— 001:070 As He has spoken from all time by the lips of His holy Prophets— 001:071 To deliver us from our foes and from the power of all who hate us. 001:072 He dealt pitifully with our forefathers, And remembered His holy covenant, 001:073 The oath which He swore to Abraham our forefather, 001:074 To grant us to be rescued from the power of our foes And so render worship to Him free from fear, 001:075 In piety and uprightness before Him all our days. 001:076 And you moreover, O child, shall be called Prophet of the Most High; For you shall go on in front before the Lord to prepare the way for Him, 001:077 To give to His People a knowledge of salvation In the forgiveness of their sins, 001:078 Through the tender compassion of our God, Through which the daybreak from on high will come to us, 001:079 Dawning on those who now dwell in the darkness and shadow of death— To direct our feet into the path of peace." 001:080 And the child grew and became strong in character, and lived in the Desert till the time came for him to appear publicly to Israel. 002:001 Just at this time an edict was issued by Caesar Augustus for the registration of the whole Empire. 002:002 It was the first registration made during the governorship of Quirinius in Syria; 002:003 and all went to be registered—every one to the town to which he belonged. 002:004 So Joseph went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judaea, to David's town of Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 002:005 to have himself registered together with Mary, who was betrothed to him and was with child. 002:006 But while they were there, her full time came, 002:007 and she gave birth to her first-born son, and wrapped Him round, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 002:008 Now there were shepherds in the same part of the country, keeping watch over their sheep by night in the open fields, 002:009 when suddenly an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round them; and they were filled with terror. 002:010 But the angel said to them, "Put away all fear; for I am bringing you good news of great joy—joy for all the People. 002:011 For a Saviour who is the Anointed Lord is born to you to-day, in the town of David. 002:012 And this is the token for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." 002:013 And immediately there was with the angel a multitude of the army of Heaven praising God and saying, 002:014 "Glory be to God in the highest Heavens, And on earth peace among men who please Him!" 002:015 Then, as soon as the angels had left them and returned to Heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go over as far as Bethlehem and see this that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." 002:016 So they made haste and came and found Mary and Joseph, with the babe lying in the manger. 002:017 And when they saw the child, they told what had been said to them about Him; 002:018 and all who listened were astonished at what the shepherds told them. 002:019 But Mary treasured up all these things, often dwelling on them in her mind. 002:020 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen in accordance with the announcement made to them. 002:021 When eight days had passed and the time for circumcising Him had come, He was called JESUS, the name given Him by the angel before His conception in the womb. 002:022 And when the days for their purification appointed by the Law of Moses had passed, they took Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord— 002:023 as it is written in the Law of the Lord: "Every first-born male shall be called holy to the Lord." 002:024 And they also offered a sacrifice as commanded in the Law of the Lord, "a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons." 002:025 Now there was a man in Jerusalem of the name of Symeon, an upright and God-fearing man, who was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 002:026 To him it had been revealed by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death until he had seen the Lord's Anointed One. 002:027 Led by the Spirit he came to the Temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do with regard to Him according to the custom of the Law, 002:028 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 002:029 "Now, O Sovereign Lord, Thou dost send Thy servant away in peace, in fulfilment of Thy word, 002:030 Because mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, 002:031 Which Thou hast made ready in the sight of all nations— 002:032 A light to shine upon the Gentiles, And the glory of Thy people Israel." 002:033 And while the child's father and mother were wondering at the words of Symeon concerning Him, 002:034 Symeon blessed them and said to Mary the mother, "This child is appointed for the falling and the uprising of many in Israel and for a token to be spoken against; 002:035 and a sword will pierce through your own soul also; that the reasonings in many hearts may be revealed." 002:036 There was also Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, belonging to the tribe of Asher. She was of a very great age, having had after her maidenhood seven years of married life, 002:037 and then being a widow of eighty-four years. She was never absent from the Temple, but worshipped, by day and by night, with fasting and prayer. 002:038 And coming up just at that moment, she gave thanks to God, and spoke about the child to all who were expecting the deliverance of Jerusalem. 002:039 Then, as soon as they had accomplished all that the Law required, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 002:040 And the child grew and became strong and full of wisdom, and the favour of God rested upon Him. 002:041 Now His parents used to go up year by year to Jerusalem at the Feast of the Passover. 002:042 And when He was twelve years old they went up as was customary at the time of the Feast, and, 002:043 after staying the full number of days, when they started back home the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not discover this, 002:044 but supposing Him to be in the travelling company, they proceeded a day's journey. Then they searched up and down for Him among their relatives and acquaintances; 002:045 but being unable to find Him they returned to Jerusalem, making anxious inquiry for Him. 002:046 On the third day they found Him in the Temple sitting among the Rabbis, both listening to them and asking them questions, 002:047 while all who heard Him were astonished at His intelligence and at the answers He gave. 002:048 When they saw Him, they were smitten with amazement, and His mother said to Him, "My child, why have you behaved thus to us? Your father and I have been searching for you in anguish." 002:049 "Why is it that you have been searching for me?" He replied; "did you not know that it is my duty to be engaged upon my Father's business?" 002:050 But they did not understand the significance of these words. 002:051 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was always obedient to them; but His mother carefully treasured up all these incidents in her memory. 002:052 And as Jesus grew older He gained in both wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. 003:001 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being Governor of Judaea, Herod Tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip Tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias Tetrarch of Abilene, 003:002 during the High-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, a message from God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the Desert. 003:003 John went into all the district about the Jordan proclaiming a baptism of the penitent for the forgiveness of sins; 003:004 as it is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah, "The voice of one crying aloud! 'In the Desert prepare ye a road for the Lord: make His highway straight. 003:005 Every ravine shall be filled up, and every mountain and hill levelled down, the crooked places shall be turned into straight roads, and the rugged ways into smooth; 003:006 and then shall all mankind see God's salvation.'" 003:007 Accordingly John used to say to the crowds who came out to be baptized by him, "O vipers' brood, who has warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 003:008 Live lives which shall prove your change of heart; and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our forefather,' for I tell you that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones. 003:009 And even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees, so that every tree which fails to yield good fruit will quickly be hewn down and thrown into the fire." 003:010 The crowds repeatedly asked him, "What then are we to do?" 003:011 "Let the man who has two coats," he answered, "give one to the man who has none; and let the man who has food share it with others." 003:012 There came also a party of tax-gatherers to be baptized, and they asked him, "Rabbi, what are we to do?" 003:013 "Do not exact more than the legal amount," he replied. 003:014 The soldiers also once and again inquired of him, "And we, what are we to do?" His answer was, "Neither intimidate any one nor lay false charges; and be content with your pay." 003:015 And while the people were in suspense and all were debating in their minds whether John might possibly be the Anointed One, 003:016 he answered the question by saying to them all, "As for me, I am baptizing you with water, but One mightier than I is coming, whose very sandal-strap I am not worthy to unfasten: He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and with fire. 003:017 His winnowing-shovel is in His hand to clear out His threshing-floor, and to gather the wheat into His storehouse; but the chaff He will burn up in fire unquenchable." 003:018 With many exhortations besides these he declared the Good News to the people. 003:019 But Herod the Tetrarch, being repeatedly rebuked by him about Herodias his brother's wife, and about all the wicked deeds that he had done, 003:020 now added this to crown all the rest, that he threw John into prison. 003:021 Now when all the people had been baptized, and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the sky opened, 003:022 and the Holy Spirit came down in bodily shape, like a dove, upon Him, and a voice came from Heaven, which said, "Thou art My Son, dearly loved: in Thee is My delight." 003:023 And He—Jesus—when He began His ministry, was about thirty years old. He was the son (it was supposed) of Joseph, son of Heli, 003:024 son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Melchi, son of Jannai, son of Joseph, 003:025 son of Mattathias, son of Amos, son of Nahum, son of Esli, son of Naggai, 003:026 son of Mahath, son of Mattathias, son of Semein, son of Josech, son of Joda, 003:027 son of Johanan, son of Resa, son of Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, son of Neri, 003:028 son of Melchi, son of Addi, son of Cosam, son of Elmadam, son of Er, 003:029 son of Joshua, son of Eliezar, son of Jorim, son of Maththat, son of Levi, 003:030 son of Symeon, son of Judah, son of Joseph, son of Jonam, son of Eliakim, son of 003:031 Melea, son of Menna, son of Mattatha, son of Nathan, son of David, 003:032 son of Jesse, son of Obed, son of Boaz, son of Salmon, son of Nahshon, 003:033 son of Amminadab, son of Admin, son of Arni, son of Hezron, son of Perez, son of Judah, 003:034 son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of Terah, son of Nahor, 003:035 son of Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah, 003:036 son of Cainan, son of Arpachshad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech, 003:037 son of Methuselah, son of Enoch, son of Jared, son of Mahalalel, son of Kenan, 003:038 son of Enosh, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God. 004:001 Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led about by the Spirit in the Desert for forty days, 004:002 tempted all the while by the Devil. During those days He ate nothing, and at the close of them He suffered from hunger. 004:003 Then the Devil said to Him, "If you are God's Son, tell this stone to become bread." 004:004 "It is written," replied Jesus, "'It is not on bread alone that a man shall live.'" 004:005 The Devil next led Him up and caused Him to see at a glance all the kingdoms of the world. 004:006 And the Devil said to Him, "To you will I give all this authority and this splendour; for it has been handed over to me, and on whomsoever I will I bestow it. 004:007 If therefore you do homage to me, it shall all be yours.' 004:008 Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'To the Lord thy God thou shalt do homage, and to Him alone shalt thou render worship.'" 004:009 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem and caused Him to stand on the roof of the Temple, and said to Him, "If you are God's Son, throw yourself down from here; for it is written, 004:010 'He will give orders to His angels concerning thee, to guard thee safely;' 004:011 and 'On their hands they shall bear thee up, Lest at any moment thou shouldst strike thy foot against a stone.'" 004:012 The reply of Jesus was, "It is said, 'Thou shalt not put the Lord they God to the proof.'" 004:013 So the Devil, having fully tried every kind of temptation on Him, left Him for a time. 004:014 Then Jesus returned in the Spirit's power to Galilee; and His fame spread through all the adjacent districts. 004:015 And He proceeded to teach in their synagogues, winning praise from all. 004:016 He came to Nazareth also, where He had been brought up; and, as was His custom, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. 004:017 And there was handed to Him the book of the Prophet Isaiah, and, opening the book, He found the place where it was written, 004:018 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim Good News to the poor; He has sent me to announce release to the prisoners of war and recovery of sight to the blind: to send away free those whom tyranny has crushed, 004:019 to proclaim the year of acceptance with the Lord." 004:020 And rolling up the book, He returned it to the attendant, and sat down—to speak. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 004:021 Then He proceeded to say to them, "To-day is this Scripture fulfilled in your hearing." 004:022 And they all spoke well of Him, wondering at the sweet words of kindness which fell from His lips, while they asked one another, "Is not this Joseph's son?" 004:023 "Doubtless," said He, "you will quote to me the proverb, 'Physician, cure yourself: all that we hear that you have done at Capernaum, do here also in your native place.'" 004:024 "I tell you in solemn truth," He added, "that no Prophet is welcomed among his own people. 004:025 But I tell you in truth that there was many a widow in Israel in the time of Elijah, when there was no rain for three years and six months and there came a severe famine over all the land; 004:026 and yet to not one of them was Elijah sent: he was only sent to a widow at Zarephath in the Sidonian country. 004:027 And there was also many a leper in Israel in the time of the Prophet Elisha, and yet not one of them was cleansed, but Naaman the Syrian was." 004:028 Then all in the synagogue, while listening to these words, were filled with fury. 004:029 They rose, hurried Him outside the town, and brought Him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, to throw Him down the cliff; 004:030 but He passed through the midst of them and went His way. 004:031 So He came down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, where He frequently taught the people on the Sabbath days. 004:032 And they were greatly impressed by His teaching, because He spoke with the language of authority. 004:033 But in the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of a foul demon. In a loud voice he cried out, 004:034 "Ha! Jesus the Nazarene, what have you to do with us? I know who you are—God's Holy One!" 004:035 But Jesus rebuked the demon. "Silence!" He exclaimed; "come out of him." Upon this, the demon hurled the man into the midst of them, and came out of him without doing him any harm. 004:036 All were astonished and awe-struck; and they asked one another, "What sort of language is this? For with authority and real power He gives orders to the foul spirits and they come out." 004:037 And the talk about Him spread into every part of the neighbouring country. 004:038 Now when He rose and left the synagogue He went to Simon's house. Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from an acute attack of fever; and they consulted Him about her. 004:039 Then standing over her He rebuked the fever, and it left her; and she at once rose and waited on them. 004:040 At sunset all who had friends suffering from any illness brought them to Him, and He laid His hands on them all, one by one, and cured them. 004:041 Demons also came out of many, loudly calling out, "You are the Son of God." But He rebuked them and forbad them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ. 004:042 Next morning, at daybreak, He left the town and went away to a solitary place; but the people flocked out to find Him, and, coming to the place where He was, they endeavoured to detain Him that He might not leave them. 004:043 But He said to them, "I have to tell the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, because for this purpose I was sent." 004:044 And for some time He preached in the synagogues in Galilee. 005:001 On one occasion the crowd was pressing on Him and listening to God's Message, while He was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. 005:002 He, however, saw two fishing-boats drawn up on the beach (for the men had gone away from them and were washing the nets), 005:003 and going on board one of them, which was Simon's He asked him to push out a little from land. Then He sat down and taught the crowd of people from the boat. 005:004 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Push out into deep water, and let down your nets for a haul." 005:005 "Rabbi," replied Peter, "all night long we have worked hard and caught nothing; but at your command I will let down the nets." 005:006 This they did, and enclosed a vast number of fish; and their nets began to break. 005:007 So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them; they came, and they filled both the boats so that they almost sank. 005:008 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at the knees of Jesus, and exclaimed, "Master, leave my boat, for I am a sinful man." 005:009 (For he was astonished and terrified—he and all his companions— at the haul of fish which they had taken; 005:010 and so were Simon's partners James and John, the sons of Zabdi.) But Jesus replied to Simon, "Fear not: from this time you shall be a catcher of men." 005:011 Then, after bringing their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him. 005:012 On another occasion, when He was in one of the towns, there was a man there covered with leprosy, who, seeing Jesus, threw himself at His feet and implored Him, saying, "Sir, if only you are willing, you are able to make me clean." 005:013 Reaching out His hand and touching him, Jesus said, "I am willing; be cleansed!" And instantly the leprosy left him. 005:014 He ordered him to tell no one. "But go," He said, "show yourself to the Priest, and make the offering for your purification which Moses appointed, as evidence for them." 005:015 But all the more the report about Him spread abroad, and great multitudes crowded to hear Him and to be cured of their diseases; 005:016 but Jesus Himself constantly withdrew into the Desert and there prayed. 005:017 One day He was teaching, and there were Pharisees and teachers of the Law sitting there who had come from every village in Galilee and Judaea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present for Him to cure people. 005:018 And a party of men came carrying a palsied man on a bed, and they endeavoured to bring him in and lay him before Jesus. 005:019 But when they could find no way of doing so because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiling— bed and all—into the midst, in front of Jesus. 005:020 He saw their faith and said to him, "Friend, your sins are forgiven." 005:021 Then the Scribes and Pharisees began to cavil, asking, "Who is this, uttering blasphemies? Who but God alone can forgive sins?" 005:022 Well aware of their reasonings, Jesus answered their questions by asking in turn, "What is this that you are debating in your hearts? 005:023 Which is easier?—to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'? 005:024 But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"—Turning to the paralytic He said, "I bid you, Rise, take up your bed, and go home." 005:025 Instantly he stood up in their presence, took up the mattress on which he had been lying, and went away to his home, giving glory to God. 005:026 Amazement seized them all. "Glory to God!" was the abiding feeling. Yet fear flashed through their minds and they said, "We have seen strange things to-day." 005:027 After this He went out and noticed a tax-gatherer, Levi by name, sitting at the Toll office; and He said to him, "Follow me." 005:028 He rose, left everything, and followed Him. 005:029 Levi also gave a great entertainment at his house in honour of Jesus, and there was a large party of tax-gatherers and others at table with them. 005:030 This led the Pharisees and Scribes of their party to expostulate with His disciples and ask, "Why are you eating and drinking with these tax-gatherers and notorious sinners?" 005:031 But Jesus replied to them, "It is not men in good health who require a physician, but the sick. 005:032 I have not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners." 005:033 Again they said to Him, "John's disciples fast often and pray, as do also those of the pharisees; but yours eat and drink." 005:034 "Can you compel the bridal party to fast," replied Jesus, "so long as they have the bridegroom among them? 005:035 But a time for this will come, when the Bridegroom has been taken away from them: then, at that time, they will fast." 005:036 He also spoke in figurative language to them. "No one," He said, "tears a piece from a new garment to mend an old one. Otherwise he would not only spoil the new, but the patch from the new would not match the old. 005:037 Nor does any one pour new wine into old wine-skins. Otherwise the new wine would burst the skins, the wine itself would be spilt, and the skins be destroyed. 005:038 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 005:039 Nor does any one after drinking old wine wish for new; for he says, 'The old is better.'" 006:001 Now on the second-first Sabbath while He was passing through the wheatfields, His disciples were plucking the ears and rubbing them with their hands to eat the grain. 006:002 And some of the Pharisees asked, "Why are you doing what the Law forbids on the Sabbath?" 006:003 "Have you never read so much as this," answered Jesus—"what David did when he and his followers were hungry; 006:004 how he entered the house of God and took and ate the Presented Loaves and gave some to his followers—loaves which none but the Priests are allowed to eat?" 006:005 "The Son of Man," He added, "is Lord of the Sabbath also." 006:006 On another Sabbath He had gone to the synagogue and was teaching there; and in the congregation was a man whose right arm was withered. 006:007 The Scribes and the Pharisees were on the watch to see whether He would cure him on the Sabbath that they might be able to bring an accusation against Him. 006:008 He knew their thoughts, and said to the man with the withered arm, "Rise, and stand there in the middle." And he rose and stood there. 006:009 Then Jesus said to them, "I put it to you all whether we are allowed to do good on the Sabbath, or to do evil; to save a life, or to destroy it." 006:010 And looking round upon them all He said to the man, "Stretch out your arm." He did so, and the arm was restored. 006:011 But they were filled with madness, and began to discuss with one another what they should do to Jesus. 006:012 About that time He went out on one occasion into the hill country to pray; and He remained all night in prayer to God. 006:013 When it was day, He called His disciples; and He selected from among them twelve, whom He also named Apostles. 006:014 These were Simon, to whom also He had given the name of Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; 006:015 Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon called the Zealot; 006:016 James's relative Judas, and Judas Iscariot who proved to be a traitor. 006:017 With these He came down till He reached a level place, where there was a great crowd of His disciples, and a multitude of people from every part of Judaea, from Jerusalem, and from the sea-side district of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and to be cured of their diseases; 006:018 and those who were tormented by foul spirits were cured. 006:019 The whole crowd were eager to touch Him, because power went forth from him and cured every one. 006:020 Then fixing His eyes upon His disciples, Jesus said to them, "Blessed are you poor, because the Kingdom of God is yours. 006:021 "Blessed are you who hunger now, because your hunger shall be satisfied. "Blessed are you who now weep aloud, because you shall laugh. 006:022 "Blessed are you when men shall hate you and exclude you from their society and insult you, and spurn your very names as evil things, for the Son of Man's sake. 006:023 "Be glad at such a time, and dance for joy; for your reward is great in Heaven; for that is just the way their forefathers behaved to the Prophets! 006:024 "But alas for you rich men, because you already have your consolation! 006:025 "Alas for you who now have plenty to eat, because you will be hungry! "Alas for you who laugh now, because you will mourn and weep aloud! 006:026 "Alas for you when men shall all have spoken well of you; for that is just the way their forefathers behaved to the false Prophets! 006:027 "But to you who are listening to me I say, Love your enemies; seek the welfare of those who hate you; 006:028 bless those who curse you; pray for those who revile you. 006:029 To him who gives you a blow on one side of the face offer the other side also; and to him who is robbing you of your outer garment refuse not the under one also. 006:030 To every one who asks, give; and from him who takes away your property, do not demand it back. 006:031 And behave to your fellow men just as you would have them behave to you. 006:032 "If you love those who love you, what credit is it to you? Why, even bad men love those who love them. 006:033 And if you are kind to those who are kind to you, what credit is it to you? Even bad men act thus. 006:034 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is it to you? Even bad men lend to their fellows so as to receive back an equal amount. 006:035 Nevertheless love your enemies, be beneficent; and lend without hoping for any repayment. Then your recompense shall be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 006:036 Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate. 006:037 "Judge not, and you shall not be judged; condemn not, and you shall not be condemned; pardon, and you shall be pardoned; 006:038 give, and gifts shall be bestowed on you. Full measure, pressed, shaken down, and running over, shall they pour into your laps; for with the same measure that you use they shall measure to you in return." 006:039 He also spoke to them in figurative language. "Can a blind man lead a blind man?" He asked; "would not both fall into the ditch? 006:040 There is no disciple who is superior to his teacher; but every one whose instruction is complete will be like his teacher. 006:041 "And why look at the splinter in your brother's eye instead of giving careful attention to the beam in your own? 006:042 How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take that splinter out of your eye,' when all the while you yourself do not see the beam in your own eye? Vain pretender! take the beam out of your own eye first, and then you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother's eye. 006:043 "There is no good tree that yields unsound fruit, nor again any unsound tree that yields good fruit. 006:044 Every tree is known by its own fruit. It is not from thorns that men gather figs, nor from the bramble that they can get a bunch of grapes. 006:045 A good man from the good stored up in his heart brings out what is good; and an evil man from the evil stored up brings out what is evil; for from the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. 006:046 "And why do you all call me 'Master, Master' and yet not do what I tell you? 006:047 Every one who comes to me and listens to my words and puts them in practice, I will show you whom he is like. 006:048 He is like a man building a house, who digs and goes deep, and lays the foundation on the rock; and when a flood comes, the torrent bursts upon that house, but is unable to shake it, because it is securely built. 006:049 But he who has heard and not practised is like a man who has built a house upon the soft soil without a foundation, against which the torrent bursts, and immediately it collapses, and terrible is the wreck and ruin of that house." 007:001 After He had finished teaching all these things in the hearing of the people, He went into Capernaum. 007:002 Here the servant of a certain Captain, a man dear to his master, was ill and at the point of death; 007:003 and the Captain, hearing about Jesus, sent to Him some of the Jewish Elders, begging Him to come and restore his servant to health. 007:004 And they, when they came to Jesus, earnestly entreated Him, pleading, "He deserves to have this favour granted him, 007:005 for he loves our nation, and at his own expense he built our synagogue for us." 007:006 Then Jesus went with them. But when He was not far from the house, the Captain sent friends to Him with the message: "Sir, do not trouble to come. I am not worthy of having you come under my roof; 007:007 and therefore I did not deem myself worthy to come to you. Only speak the word, and let my young man be cured. 007:008 For I too am a man obedient to authority, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this or that,' and he does it." 007:009 Jesus listened to the Captain's message and was astonished at him, and He turned and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I tell you that not even in Israel have I found faith like that." 007:010 And the friends who had been sent, on returning to the house, found the servant in perfect health. 007:011 Shortly afterwards He went to a town called Nain, attended by His disciples and a great crowd of people. 007:012 And just as He reached the gate of the town, they happened to be bringing out for burial a dead man who was his mother's only son; and she was a widow; and a great number of the townspeople were with her. 007:013 The Lord saw her, was moved with pity for her, and said to her, "Do not weep." 007:014 Then He went close and touched the bier, and the bearers halted. "Young man," He said, "I command you, wake!" 007:015 The dead man sat up and began to speak; and He restored him to his mother. 007:016 All were awe-struck, and they gave glory to God—some saying, "A Prophet, a great Prophet, has risen up among us." Others said, "God has not forgotten His People." 007:017 And the report of what Jesus had done spread through the whole of Judaea and in all the surrounding districts. 007:018 John's disciples brought him an account of all these things; 007:019 so John called two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord. "Are you the Coming One?" he asked, "or is there another that we are to expect?" 007:020 The men came to Jesus and said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you with this question: 'Are you the Coming One, or is there another that we are to expect?'" 007:021 He immediately cured many of diseases, severe pain, and evil spirits, and to many who were blind He gave the gift of sight. 007:022 Then He answered the messengers, "Go and report to John what you have seen and heard. Blind men receive sight, the lame walk, lepers are purified, deaf persons hear, the dead are raised to life, the poor have the Good News proclaimed to them. 007:023 And blessed is every one who does not stumble and fall because of my claims." 007:024 When John's messengers were gone, He proceeded to say to the multitude concerning John, "What did you go out into the Desert to gaze at? A reed waving in the wind? 007:025 But what did you go out to see? A man wearing luxurious clothes? People who are gorgeously dressed and live in luxury are found in palaces. 007:026 But what did you go out to see? A Prophet? Aye, I tell you, and far more than a Prophet. 007:027 John is the man about whom it is written, 'See, I am sending My messenger before thy face, and he shall make ready thy way before thee.' 007:028 "I tell you that among all of women born there is not one greater than John. Yet one who is of lower rank in the Kingdom of God is greater than he. 007:029 And all the people, including the tax-gatherers, when they listened to him upheld the righteousness of God, by being baptized with John's baptism. 007:030 But the Pharisees and expounders of the Law have frustrated God's purpose as to their own lives, by refusing to be baptized. 007:031 "To what then shall I compare the men of the present generation, and what do they resemble? 007:032 They are like children sitting in the public square and calling out to one another, 'We have played the flute to you, and you have not danced: we have sung dirges, and you have not shown sorrow.' 007:033 For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon!' 007:034 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, there is a man who is overfond of eating and drinking— he is a friend of tax-gatherers and notorious sinners!' 007:035 But wisdom is justified by all who are truly wise." 007:036 Now one of the Pharisees repeatedly invited Him to a meal at his house; so He entered the house and reclined at the table. 007:037 And there was a woman in the town who was a notorious sinner. Having learnt that Jesus was at table in the Pharisee's house she brought a flask of perfume, 007:038 and, standing behind close to His feet, weeping, began to wet His feet with her tears; and with her hair she wiped the tears away again, while she lovingly kissed His feet and poured the perfume over them. 007:039 Noticing this, the Pharisee, His host, said to himself, "This man, if he were really a Prophet, would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching him— and would know that she is an immoral woman." 007:040 In answer to his thoughts Jesus said to him, "Simon, I have a word to say to you." "Rabbi, say on," he replied. 007:041 "There were once two men in debt to one money-lender," said Jesus; "one owed him five hundred shillings and the other fifty. 007:042 But neither of them could pay anything; so he freely forgave them both. Tell me, then, which of them will love him most?" 007:043 "I suppose," replied Simon, "the one to whom he forgave most." "You have judged rightly," Jesus rejoined. 007:044 Then turning towards the woman He said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house: you gave me no water for my feet; but she has made my feet wet with her tears, and then wiped the tears away with her hair. 007:045 No kiss did you give me; but she from the moment I came in has not left off tenderly kissing my feet. 007:046 No oil did you pour even on my head; but she has poured perfume upon my feet. 007:047 This is the reason why I tell you that her sins, her many sins, are forgiven—because she has loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little." 007:048 And He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." 007:049 Then the other guests began to say to themselves, "Who can this man be who even forgives sins?" 007:050 But He said to the woman, "Your faith has cured you: go, and be at peace." 008:001 Shortly after this He visited town after town, and village after village, proclaiming His Message and telling the Good News of the Kingdom of God. The Twelve were with Him, 008:002 and certain women whom He had delivered from evil spirits and various diseases—Mary of Magdala, out of whom seven demons had come, 008:003 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many other women, all of whom contributed to the support of Jesus and His Apostles. 008:004 And when a great crowd was assembling, and was receiving additions from one town after another, He spoke a parable to them. 008:005 "The sower," He said, "goes out to sow his seed; and as he sows, some of the seed falls by the way-side, and is trodden upon, or the birds of the air come and peck it up. 008:006 Another part drops upon the rock, and after growing up it withers away for want of moisture. 008:007 Another part falls among the thorns, and the thorns grow up with it and stifle it. 008:008 But some of the seed falls into good ground, and grows up and yields a return of a hundred for one." While thus speaking, He cried aloud and said, "Listen, every one who has ears to listen with!" 008:009 The disciples proceeded to ask Him what this parable meant. 008:010 "To you," He replied, "it is granted to know the secrets of the Kingdom of God; but all others are taught by parables, in order that they may see and yet not see, and may hear and yet not understand. 008:011 The meaning of the parable is as follows. The seed is God's Message. 008:012 Those by the way-side are those who have heard, and then the Devil comes and carries away the Message from their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 008:013 Those on the rock are the people who on hearing the Message receive it joyfully; but they have no root: for a time they believe, but when trial comes they fall away. 008:014 That which fell among the thorns means those who have heard, but as they go on their way, the Message is stifled by the anxieties, wealth and gaieties of time, and they yield nothing in perfection. 008:015 But as for that in the good ground, it means those who, having listened to the Message with open minds and in a right spirit, hold it fast, and patiently yield a return. 008:016 "When any one lights a lamp, he does not cover it with a vessel or hide it under a couch; he puts it on a lampstand, that people who enter the room may see the light. 008:017 There is nothing hidden, which shall not be openly seen; nor anything secret, which shall not be known and come into the light of day. 008:018 Be careful, therefore, how you hear; for whoever has anything, to him more shall be given, and whoever has nothing, even that which he thinks he has shall be taken away from him." 008:019 Then came to Him His mother and His brothers, but could not get near Him for the crowd. 008:020 But He was told, "Your mother and brothers are standing on the edge of the crowd, and want to see you." 008:021 "My mother and my brothers," He replied, "are these who hear God's Message and obey it." 008:022 One day He went on board a boat—both He and his disciples; and He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the Lake." So they set sail. 002:023 During the passage He fell asleep, and there came down a squall of wind on the Lake, so that the boat began to fill and they were in deadly peril. 008:024 So they came and woke Him, crying, "Rabbi, Rabbi, we are drowning." Then He roused Himself and rebuked the wind and the surging of the water, and they ceased and there was a calm. 008:025 "Where is your faith?" He asked them. But they were filled with terror and amazement, and said to one another, "Who then is this? for He gives orders both to wind and waves, and they obey Him." 008:026 Then they put in to shore in the country of the Gerasenes, which lies opposite to Galilee. 008:027 Here, on landing, He was met by one of the townsmen who was possessed by demons—for a long time he had not put on any garment, nor did he live in a house, but in the tombs. 008:028 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before Him, and said in a loud voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of God Most High? Do not torture me, I beseech you." 008:029 For already He had been commanding the foul spirit to come out of the man. For many a time it had seized and held him, and they had repeatedly put him in chains and fetters and kept guard over him, but he used to break the chains to pieces, and, impelled by the demon, to escape into the Desert. 008:030 "What is your name?" Jesus asked him. "Legion," he replied— because a great number of demons had entered into him; 008:031 and they besought Him not to command them to be gone into the Bottomless Pit. 008:032 Now there was a great herd of swine there feeding on the hill-side; and the demons begged Him to give them leave to go into them, and He gave them leave. 008:033 The demons came out of the man and left him, and entered into the swine; and the herd rushed violently over the cliff into the Lake and were drowned. 008:034 The swineherds, seeing what had happened, fled and reported it both in town and country; 008:035 whereupon the people came out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus, and they found the man from whom the demons had gone out sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they were terrified. 008:036 And those who had seen it told them how the demoniac was cured. 008:037 Then the whole population of the Gerasenes and of the adjacent districts begged Him to depart from them; for their terror was great. So He went on board and returned. 008:038 But the man from whom the demons had gone out earnestly asked permission to go with Him; but He sent him away. 008:039 "Return home," He said, "and tell there all that God has done for you." So he went and published through the whole town all that Jesus had done for him. 008:040 Now when Jesus was returning, the people gave Him a warm welcome; for they had all been looking out for Him. 008:041 Just then there came a man named Jair, a Warden of the Synagogue, who threw himself at the feet of Jesus, and entreated Him to come to his house; 008:042 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. And as He went, the dense throng crowded on Him. 008:043 And a woman who for twelve years had been afflicted with haemorrhage— and had spent on doctors all she had, but none of them had been able to cure her— 008:044 came close behind Him and touched the tassel of His robe; and instantly her flow of blood stopped. 008:045 "Who is it touched me?" Jesus asked. And when all denied having done so, Peter and the rest said, "Rabbi, the crowds are hemming you in and pressing on you." 008:046 "Some one has touched me," Jesus replied, "for I feel that power has gone out from me." 008:047 Then the woman, perceiving that she had not escaped notice, came trembling, and throwing herself down at His feet she stated before all the people the reason why she had touched Him and how she was instantly cured. 008:048 "Daughter," said He, "your faith has cured you; go, and be at peace." 008:049 While He was still speaking, some one came to the Warden of the Synagogue from his house and said, "Your daughter is dead; trouble the Rabbi no further." 008:050 Jesus heard the words and said to him, "Have no fear. Only believe, and she shall be restored to life." 008:051 So He came to the house, but allowed no one to go in with Him but Peter and John and James and the girl's father and mother. 008:052 The people were all weeping aloud and beating their breasts for her; but He said, "Leave off wailing; for she is not dead, but asleep." 008:053 And they jeered at Him, knowing that she was dead. 008:054 He, however, took her by the hand and called aloud, "Child, awake!" 008:055 And her spirit returned, and instantly she stood up; and He directed them to give her some food. 008:056 Her parents were astounded; but He forbad them to mention the matter to any one. 009:001 Then calling the Twelve together He conferred on them power and authority over all the demons and to cure diseases; 009:002 and sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to cure the sick. 009:003 And He commanded them, "Take nothing for your journey; neither stick nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have an extra under garment. 009:004 Whatever house you enter, make that your home, and from it start afresh. 009:005 Wherever they refuse to receive you, as you leave that town shake off the very dust from your feet as a protest against them." 009:006 So they departed and visited village after village, spreading the Good News and performing cures everywhere. 009:007 Now Herod the Tetrarch heard of all that was going on; and he was bewildered because of its being said by some that John had come back to life, 009:008 by others that Elijah had appeared, and by others that some one of the ancient Prophets had come back to life. 009:009 And Herod said, "John I have beheaded; but who is this, of whom I hear such reports?" And he sought for an opportunity of seeing Jesus. 009:010 The Apostles, on their return, related to Jesus all they had done. Then He took them and withdrew to a quiet retreat, to a town called Bethsaida. 009:011 But the immense crowd, aware of this, followed Him; and receiving them kindly He proceeded to speak to them of the Kingdom of God, and those who needed to be restored to health, He cured. 009:012 Now when the day began to decline, the Twelve came to Him and said, "Send the people away, that they may go to the villages and farms round about and find lodging and a supply of food; because here we are in an uninhabited district." 009:013 "You yourselves," He said, "must give them food." "We have nothing," they replied, "but five loaves and a couple of fish, unless indeed we were to go and buy provisions for all this host of people." 009:014 (For there were about 5,000 adult men.) But He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in parties of about fifty each." 009:015 They did so, making them all, without exception, sit down. 009:016 Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to Heaven He blessed them and broke them into portions which He gave to the disciples to distribute to the people. 009:017 So they ate and were fully satisfied, all of them; and what they had remaining over was gathered up, twelve baskets of fragments. 009:018 One day when He was praying by Himself the disciples were present; and He asked them, "Who do the people say that I am?" 009:019 "John the Baptist," they replied; "but others say Elijah; and others that some one of the ancient Prophets has come back to life." 009:020 "But you," He asked, "who do you say that I am?" "God's Anointed One," replied Peter. 009:021 And Jesus strictly forbad them to tell this to any one; 009:022 and He said, "The Son of Man must suffer much cruelty, be rejected by the Elders and High Priests and Scribes, and be put to death, and on the third day be raised to life again." 009:023 And He said to all, "If any one is desirous of following me, let him ignore self and take up his cross day by day, and so be my follower. 009:024 For whoever desires to save his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake shall save it. 009:025 Why, what benefit is it to a man to have gained the whole world, but to have lost or forfeited his own self. 009:026 For whoever shall have been ashamed of me and my teachings, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own and the Father's glory and in that of the holy angels. 009:027 I tell you truly that there are some of those who stand here who will certainly not taste death till they have seen the Kingdom of God." 009:028 It was about eight days after this that Jesus, taking with Him Peter, John, and James, went up the mountain to pray. 009:029 And while He was praying the appearance of His face underwent a change, and His clothing became white and radiant. 009:030 And suddenly there were two men conversing with Him, who were Moses and Elijah. 009:031 They came in glory, and kept speaking about His death, which He was so soon to undergo in Jerusalem. 009:032 Now Peter and the others were weighed down with sleep; but, keeping themselves awake all through, they saw His glory, and the two men standing with Him. 009:033 And when they were preparing to depart from Him, Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, we are thankful to you that we are here. Let us put up three tents—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He did not know what he was saying. 009:034 But while he was thus speaking, there came a cloud which spread over them; and they were awe-struck when they had entered into the cloud. 009:035 Then there came a voice from within the cloud: "This is My Son, My Chosen One: listen to Him." 009:036 After this voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They kept it to themselves, and said not a word to any one at that time about what they had seen. 009:037 On the following day, when they were come down from the mountain, a great crowd came to meet Him; 009:038 and a man from the crowd called out, "Rabbi, I beg you to pity my son, for he is my only child. 009:039 At times a spirit seizes him and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him, and makes him foam at the mouth, and does not leave him till it has well-nigh covered him with bruises. 009:040 I entreated your disciples to expel the spirit, but they could not." 009:041 "O unbelieving and perverse generation!" replied Jesus; "how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here to me." 009:042 Now while the youth was coming, the spirit dashed him to the ground and cruelly convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the foul spirit, and cured the youth and gave him back to his father. 009:043 And all were awe-struck at the mighty power of God. And while every one was expressing wonder at all that He was doing, He said to his disciples, 009:044 "As for you, store these my sayings in your memory; for, before long, the Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of men." 009:045 But they did not understand His meaning: it was veiled from them that they might not perceive it, and they were afraid to ask Him about it. 009:046 Now there arose a dispute among them, which of them was to be the greatest. 009:047 And Jesus, knowing the reasoning that was in their hearts, took a young child and made him stand by His side 009:048 and said to them, "Whoever for my sake receives this little child, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives Him who sent me. For the lowliest among you all—he is the greatest." 009:049 "Rabbi," replied John, "we have seen a man making use of your name to expel demons; and we forbad him, because he does not come with us." 009:050 "Do not forbid him," said Jesus, "for he who is not against you is on your side." 009:051 Now when the time drew near for Him to be received up again into Heaven, He proceeded with fixed purpose towards Jerusalem, and sent messengers before Him. 009:052 They went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for Him. 009:053 But the people there would not receive Him, because He was evidently going to Jerusalem. 009:054 When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Master, do you wish us to order fire to come down from Heaven and consume them?" 009:055 But He turned and rebuked them. 009:056 And they went to another village. 009:057 And, as they proceeded on their way, a man came to Him and said, "I will follow you wherever you go." 009:058 "The foxes have holes," said Jesus, "and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." 009:059 "Follow me," He said to another. "Master," the man replied, "allow me first to go and bury my father." 009:060 "Leave the dead," Jesus rejoined, "to bury their own dead; but you must go and announce far and wide the coming of the Kingdom of God." 009:061 "Master," said yet another, "I will follow you; but allow me first to go and say good-bye to my friends at home." 009:062 Jesus answered him, "No one who has put his hand to the plough, and then looks behind him, is fit for the Kingdom of God. 010:001 After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them before Him, by twos, to go to every town or place which He Himself intended to visit. 010:002 And He addressed them thus: "The harvest is abundant, but the reapers are few: therefore entreat the Owner of the harvest to send out more reapers into His fields. And now go. 010:003 Remember that I am sending you out as lambs into the midst of wolves. 010:004 Carry no purse, bag, nor change of shoes; and salute no one on your way." 010:005 "Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house!' 010:006 And if there is a lover of peace there, your peace shall rest upon it; otherwise come back upon you. 010:007 And in that same house stay, eating and drinking at their table; for the labourer deserves his wages. Do not move from one house to another. 010:008 "And whatever town you come to and they receive you, eat what they put before you. 010:009 Cure the sick in that town, and tell them, "'The Kingdom of God is now at your door.' 010:010 "But whatever town you come to and they will not receive you, go out into the broader streets and say, 010:011 "'The very dust of your town that hangs about us we wipe off as a protest. Only be sure of this, that the Kingdom of God is close at hand.' 010:012 "I tell you that it will be more endurable for Sodom on the great day than for that town. 010:013 "Alas for thee, Chorazin! Alas for thee, Bethsaida! For had the miracles been performed in Tyre and Sidon which have been performed in you, long ere now they would have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 010:014 However, for Tyre and Sidon it will be more endurable at the Judgement than for you. 010:015 And thou, Capernaum, shalt thou be lifted high as Heaven? Thou shalt be driven down as low as Hades. 010:016 "He who listens to you listens to me; and he who disregards you disregards me, and he who disregards me disregards Him who sent me." 010:017 When the Seventy returned, they exclaimed joyfully, "Master, even the demons submit to us when we utter your name." 010:018 "I saw Satan fall like a lightning-flash out of Heaven," He replied. 010:019 "I have given you power to tread serpents and scorpions underfoot, and to trample on all the power of the Enemy; and in no case shall anything do you harm. 010:020 Nevertheless rejoice not at this, that the spirits submit to you; but rejoice that your names are registered in Heaven." 010:021 On that same occasion Jesus was filled by the Holy Spirit with rapturous joy. "I give Thee fervent thanks," He exclaimed, "O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that Thou hast hidden these things from sages and men of understanding, and hast revealed them to babes. Yes, Father, for such has been Thy gracious will. 010:022 All things are delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is but the Father, nor who the Father is but the Son, and he to whom the Son may choose to reveal Him." 010:023 And He turned towards His disciples and said to them apart, "Blessed are the eyes which see what you see! 010:024 For I tell you that many Prophets and kings have desired to see the things you see, and have not seen them, and to hear the things you hear, and have not heard them." 010:025 Then an expounder of the Law stood up to test Him with a question. "Rabbi," he asked, "what shall I do to inherit the Life of the Ages?" 010:026 "Go to the Law," said Jesus; "what is written there? how does it read?" 010:027 "'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God,'" he replied, "'with thy whole heart, thy whole soul, thy whole strength, and thy whole mind; and thy fellow man as much as thyself.'" 010:028 "A right answer," said Jesus; "do that, and you shall live." 010:029 But he, desiring to justify himself, said, "But what is meant by my 'fellow man'?" 010:030 Jesus replied, "A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell among robbers, who after both stripping and beating him went away, leaving him half dead. 010:031 Now a priest happened to be going down that way, and on seeing him passed by on the other side. 010:032 In like manner a Levite also came to the place, and seeing him passed by on the other side. 010:033 But a certain Samaritan, being on a journey, came where he lay, and seeing him was moved with pity. 010:034 He went to him, and dressed his wounds with oil and wine and bound them up. Then placing him on his own mule he brought him to an inn, where he bestowed every care on him. 010:035 The next day he took out two shillings and gave them to the innkeeper. "'Take care of him,' he said, 'and whatever further expense you are put to, I will repay it you at my next visit.' 010:036 "Which of those three seems to you to have acted like a fellow man to him who fell among the robbers?" 010:037 "The one who showed him pity," he replied. "Go," said Jesus, "and act in the same way." 010:038 As they pursued their journey He came to a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed Him to her house. 010:039 She had a sister called Mary, who seated herself at the Lord's feet and listened to His teaching. 010:040 Martha meanwhile was busy and distracted in waiting at table, and she came and said, "Master, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do all the waiting? Tell her to assist me." 010:041 "Martha, Martha," replied Jesus, "you are anxious and worried about a multitude of things; 010:042 and yet only one thing is really necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion and she shall not be deprived of it." 011:001 At one place where He was praying, when He rose from His knees one of His disciples said to Him, "Master, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." 011:002 So He said to them, "When you pray, say, 'Father may Thy name be kept holy; let Thy Kingdom come; 011:003 give us day after day our bread for the day; 011:004 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive every one who fails in his duty to us; and bring us not into temptation.'" 011:005 And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend and shall go to him in the middle of the night and say, "'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 011:006 for a friend of mine has just come to my house from a distance, and I have nothing for him to eat'? 011:007 "And he from indoors shall answer, "'Do not pester me. The door is now barred, and I am here in bed with my children. I cannot get up and give you bread.' 011:008 "I tell you that even if he will not rise and give him the loaves because he is his friend, at any rate because of his persistency he will rouse himself and give him as many as he requires. 011:009 "So I say to you, 'Ask, and what you ask for shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and the door shall be opened to you.' 011:010 For every one who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door shall be opened. 011:011 And what father is there among you, who, if his son asks for a slice of bread, will offer him a stone? or if he asks for a fish, will instead of a fish offer him a snake? 011:012 or if he asks for an egg, will offer him a scorpion? 011:013 If you then, with all your human frailty, know how to give your children gifts that are good for them, how much more certainly will your Father who is in Heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" 011:014 On once occasion He was expelling a dumb demon; and when the demon was gone out the dumb man could speak, and the people were astonished. 011:015 But some among them said, "It is by the power of Baal-zebul, the Prince of the demons, that he expels the demons." 011:016 Others, to put Him to the test, asked Him for a sign in the sky. 011:017 And, knowing their thoughts, He said to them, "Every kingdom in which civil war rages goes to ruin: family attacks family and is overthrown. 011:018 And if Satan really has engaged in fierce conflict with himself, how shall his kingdom stand?—because you say that I expel demons by the power of Baal-zebul. 011:019 And if it is by the power of Baal-zebul that I expel the demons, by whom do your disciples expel them? They therefore shall be your judges. 011:020 But if it is by the power of God that I drive out the demons, it is evident that the Kingdom of God has come upon you. 011:021 "Whenever a strong man, fully armed and equipped, is guarding his own castle, he enjoys peaceful possession of his property; 011:022 but as soon as another stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away that complete armour of his in which he trusted, and distributes the plunder he has collected. 011:023 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever is not gathering with me is scattering abroad. 011:024 "When a foul spirit has left a man, it roams about in the Desert, seeking a resting-place; but, unable to find any, it says, 'I will return to the house I have left;" 011:025 and when it comes, it finds the house swept clean and in good order. 011:026 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more malignant than itself, and they enter and dwell there; and in the end that man's condition becomes worse than it was at first. 011:027 As He thus spoke a woman in the crowd called out in a loud voice, "Blessed is the mother who carried you, and the breasts that you have sucked." 011:028 "Nay rather," He replied, "they are blessed who hear God's Message and carefully keep it." 011:029 Now when the crowds came thronging upon Him, He proceeded to say, "The present generation is a wicked generation: it requires some sign, but no sign shall be given to it except that of Jonah. 011:030 For just as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be a token to the present generation. 011:031 The Queen of the South will awake at the Judgement together with the men of the present generation, and will condemn them; because she came from the extremity of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; but mark! One greater than Solomon is here. 011:032 There will stand up men of Nineveh at the Judgement together with the present generation, and will condemn it; because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and mark! One greater than Jonah is here. 011:033 "When any one lights a lamp, he never puts it in the cellar or under the bushel, but on the lampstand, that people who come in may see the light. 011:034 The lamp of the body is the eye. When your eyesight is good, your whole body also is lighted up; but when it is defective, your body is darkened. 011:035 Consider therefore whether the light that is in you is anything but mere darkness. 011:036 If, however, your whole body is penetrated with light, and has no part dark, it will be so lighted, all of it, as when the lamp with its bright shining gives you light." 011:037 When He had thus spoken, a Pharisee invited Him to breakfast at his house; so He entered and took His place at table. 011:038 Now the Pharisee saw to his surprise that He did not wash His hands before breakfasting. 011:039 The Master however said to him, "Here we see how you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup or plate, while your secret hearts are full of greed and selfishness. 011:040 Foolish men! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? 011:041 But as to what is within, give alms, and instantly all is clean in you. 011:042 "But alas for you Pharisees! for you pay tithes on your mint and rue and every kind of garden vegetable, and are indifferent to justice and the love of God. These are the things you ought to have attended to, while not neglecting the others. 011:043 Alas for you Pharisees! for you love the best seats in the synagogues, and you like to be bowed to in places of public resort. 011:044 Alas for you! for you are like the tombs which lie hidden, and the people who walk over them are not aware of their existence." 011:045 Hereupon one of the expounders of the Law exclaimed, "Rabbi, in saying such things you reproach us also." 011:046 "Alas too for you expounders of the Law!" replied Jesus, "for you load men with cumbrous burdens which you yourselves will not touch with one of your fingers. 011:047 Alas for you! for you repair the tombs of the Prophets, whom your forefathers killed. 011:048 It follows that you bear testimony to the actions of your forefathers and that you fully approve thereof. They slew, you build. 011:049 "For this reason also the Wisdom of God has said, 'I will send Prophets and Apostles to them, of whom they will kill some and persecute others,' 011:050 so that the blood of all the Prophets, that is being shed from the creation of the world onwards, may be required from the present generation. 011:051 Yes, I tell you that, from the blood of Abel down to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the House, it shall all be required from the present generation. 011:052 "Alas for you expounders of the Law! for you have taken away the key of knowledge: you yourselves have not entered, and those who wanted to enter you have hindered." 011:053 After He had left the house, the Scribes and Pharisees commenced a vehement attempt to entangle Him and make Him give off-hand answers on numerous points, 011:054 lying in wait to catch some unguarded expression from His lips. 012:001 Meanwhile the people had come streaming towards Him by tens of thousands, so that they were trampling one another under foot. And now He proceeded to say to His disciples first, "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is to say, beware of hypocrisy. 012:002 There is nothing that is covered up which will not be uncovered, nor hidden which will not become known. 012:003 Whatever therefore you have said in the dark, will be heard in the light; and what you have whispered within closed doors will be proclaimed from the house-tops. 012:004 "But to you who are my friends I say, "'Be not afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do nothing further. 012:005 I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who after killing has power to throw into Gehenna: yes, I say to you, fear him. 012:006 Are not five sparrows sold for a penny? and yet not one of them is a thing forgotten in God's sight. 012:007 But the very hairs on your heads are all counted. Away with fear: you are more precious than a multitude of sparrows.' 012:008 "And I tell you that every man who shall have acknowledged me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. 012:009 But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. 012:010 "Moreover every one who shall speak against the Son of Man, may obtain forgiveness; but he who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never obtain forgiveness. 012:011 And when they are bringing you before synagogues and magistrates and governors, do not anxiously ponder the manner or matter of your defence, nor what you are to say; 012:012 for the Holy Spirit shall teach you at that very moment what you must say." 012:013 Just then a man in the crowd appealed to Him. "Rabbi," he said, "tell my brother to give me a share of the inheritance." 012:014 "Man," He replied, "who has constituted me a judge or arbitrator over you?" 012:015 And to the people He said, "Take care, be on your guard against all covetousness, for no one's life consists in the superabundance of his possessions." 012:016 And He spoke a parable to them. "A certain rich man's lands," He said, "yielded abundant crops, 012:017 and he debated within himself, saying, "'What am I to do? for I have no place in which to store my crops.' 012:018 "And he said to himself, "'This is what I will do: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and in them I will store up all my harvest and my wealth; 012:019 and I will say to my life, "'Life, you have ample possessions laid up for many years to come: take your ease, eat, drink, enjoy yourself.' 012:020 "But God said to him, "'Foolish man, this night your life is demanded from you; and these preparations—for whom shall they be?' 012:021 "So is it with him who amasses treasure for himself, but has no riches in God." 012:022 Then turning to His disciples He said, "For this reason I say to you, 'Dismiss all anxious care for your lives, inquiring what you are to eat, and for your bodies, what you are to put on.' 012:023 For life is a greater gift than food, and the body is a greater gift than clothing. 012:024 Observe the ravens. They neither sow nor reap, and have neither store-chamber nor barn. And yet God feeds them. How far more precious are you than the birds! 012:025 And which of you is able by anxious thought to add a moment to his life? 012:026 If then you are unable to do even a very little thing, why be over-anxious about other matters? 012:027 Observe the lilies, how they grow. They neither labour nor spin. And yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was as beautifully dressed as one of these. 012:028 But if God so clothes the vegetation in the fields, that blooms to-day and to-morrow will be thrown into the oven, how much more certainly will He clothe you, you men of feeble faith! 012:029 "Therefore, do not be asking what you are to eat nor what you are to drink; and do not waver between hope and fear. 012:030 For though the nations of the world pursue these things, as for you, your Father knows that you need them. 012:031 But make His Kingdom the object of your pursuit, and these things shall be given you in addition. 012:032 "Dismiss your fears, little flock: your Father finds a pleasure in giving you the Kingdom. 012:033 Sell your possessions and give alms. Provide yourselves with purses that will never wear out, a treasure inexhaustible in Heaven, where no thief can come nor moth consume. 012:034 For where your wealth is stored, there also will your heart be. 012:035 "Have your girdles on, and let your lamps be alight; 012:036 and be yourselves like men waiting for their master— on the look-out till he shall return from the wedding feast— that, when he comes and knocks, they may open the door instantly. 012:037 Blessed are those servants, whom their Master when He comes shall find on the watch. I tell you in solemn truth, that He will tie an apron round Him, and will bid them recline at table while He comes and waits on them. 012:038 And whether it be in the second watch or in the third that He comes and finds them so, blessed are they. 012:039 Of this be sure, that if the master of the house had known what time the robber was coming, he would have kept awake and not have allowed his house to be broken into. 012:040 Be you also ready, for at an hour when you are not expecting Him the Son of Man will come." 012:041 "Master," said Peter, "are you addressing this parable to us, or to all alike?" 012:042 "Who, then," replied the Lord, "is the faithful and intelligent steward whom his Master will put in charge of His household to serve out their rations at the proper times? 012:043 Blessed is that servant whom his Master when He comes shall find so doing. 012:044 I tell you truly that He will put him in authority over all His possessions. 012:045 But if that servant should say in his heart, 'My Master is a long time in coming,' and should begin to beat the menservants and the maids, and to eat and drink, drinking even to excess; 012:046 that servant's Master will come on a day when he is not expecting Him and at an hour that he knows not of, and will punish him severely, and make him share the lot of the unfaithful. 012:047 And that servant who has been told his Master's will and yet made no preparation and did not obey His will, will receive many lashes. 012:048 But he who had not been told it and yet did what deserved the scourge, will receive but few lashes. To whomsoever much has been given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been entrusted, of him a larger amount will be demanded. 012:049 "I came to throw fire upon the earth, and what is my desire? Oh that it were even now kindled! 012:050 But I have a baptism to undergo; and how am I pent up till it is accomplished! 012:051 Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? No, I tell you that I came to bring dissension. 012:052 For from this time there will be in one house five persons split into parties. Three will form a party against two and two will form a party against three; 012:053 father against son and son against father; mother attacking daughter and daughter her mother, mother-in-law her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law her mother-in-law." 012:054 Then He said to the people also, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, 'There is to be a shower;' and it comes to pass. 012:055 And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, 'It will be burning hot;' and it comes to pass. 012:056 Vain pretenders! You know how to read the aspect of earth and sky. How is it you cannot read this present time? 012:057 "Why, too, do you not of yourselves arrive at just conclusions? 012:058 For when, with your opponent, you are going before the magistrate, on the way take pains to get out of his power; for fear that, if he should drag you before the judge, the judge may hand you over to the officer of the court, and the officer lodge you in prison. 012:059 Never, I tell you, will you get free till you have paid the last farthing." 013:001 Just at that time people came to tell Him about the Galilaeans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 013:002 "Do you suppose," He asked in reply, "that those Galilaeans were worse sinners than the mass of the Galilaeans, because this happened to them? 013:003 I tell you, certainly not. On the contrary, if you are not penitent you will all perish as they did. 013:004 Or those eighteen on whom the tower at Siloam fell, do you suppose they had failed in their duty more than all the rest of the people who live in Jerusalem? 013:005 I tell you, certainly not. On the contrary, if you do not repent you will all perish just as they did." 013:006 And He gave them the following parable. "A man," He said, "who had a fig-tree growing in his garden came to look for fruit on it and could find none. 013:007 So he said to the gardener, "'See, this is the third year I have come to look for fruit on this fig-tree and cannot find any. Cut it down. Why should so much ground be actually wasted?' 013:008 "But the gardener pleaded, "'Leave it, Sir, this year also, till I have dug round it and manured it. 013:009 If after that it bears fruit, well and good; if it does not, then you shall cut it down.'" 013:010 Once He was teaching on the Sabbath in one of the synagogues 013:011 where a woman was present who for eighteen years had been a confirmed invalid: she was bent double, and was unable to lift herself to her full height. 013:012 But Jesus saw her, and calling to her, He said to her, "Woman, you are free from your weakness." 013:013 And He put His hands on her, and she immediately stood upright and began to give glory to God. 013:014 Then the Warden of the Synagogue, indignant that Jesus had cured her on a Sabbath, said to the crowd, "There are six days in the week on which people ought to work. On those days therefore come and get yourselves cured, and not on the Sabbath day." 013:015 But the Lord's reply to him was, "Hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his bullock or his ass from the stall and lead him to water? 013:016 And this woman, daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan had bound for no less than eighteen years, was she not to be loosed from this chain because it is the Sabbath day?" 013:017 When He had said this, all His opponents were ashamed, while the whole multitude was delighted at the many glorious things continually done by Him. 013:018 This prompted Him to say, "What is the Kingdom of God like? and to what shall I compare it? 013:019 It is like a mustard seed which a man drops into the soil in his garden, and it grows and becomes a tree in whose branches the birds roost." 013:020 And again He said, "To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? 013:021 It is like yeast which a woman takes and buries in a bushel of flour, to work there till the whole is leavened." 013:022 He was passing through town after town and village after village, steadily proceeding towards Jerusalem, 013:023 when some one asked Him, "Sir, are there but few who are to be saved?" 013:024 "Strain every nerve to force your way in through the narrow gate," He answered; "for multitudes, I tell you, will endeavour to find a way in and will not succeed. 013:025 As soon as the Master of the house shall have risen and shut the door, and you have begun to stand outside and knock at the door and say, "'Sir, open the door for us'—"'I do not know you,' He answers; 'you are no friends of mine.' 013:026 "Then you will plead, "'We have eaten and drunk in your company and you have taught in our streets.' 013:027 "But He will reply, "'I tell you that you are no friends of mine. Begone from me, all of you, wrongdoers that you are.' 013:028 "There will be the weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of God, and yourselves being driven far away. 013:029 They will come from east and west, from north and south, and will sit down at the banquet in the Kingdom of God. 013:030 And I tell you that some now last will then be first, and some now first will then be last." 013:031 Just at that time there came some Pharisees who warned Him, saying, "Leave this place and continue your journey; Herod means to kill you." 013:032 "Go," He replied, "and take this message to that fox: "'See, to-day and to-morrow I am driving out demons and effecting cures, and on the third day I finish my course.' 013:033 "Yet I must continue my journey to-day and to-morrow and the day following; for it is not conceivable that a Prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem. 013:034 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou who murderest the Prophets and stonest those who have been sent to thee, how often have I desired to gather thy children just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not come! 013:035 See, your house is left to you. But I tell you that you will never see me again until you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'" 014:001 One day—it was a Sabbath—He was taking a meal at the house of one of the Rulers of the Pharisee party, while they were closely watching Him. 014:002 In front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy. 014:003 This led Jesus to ask the lawyers and Pharisees, "Is it allowable to cure people on the Sabbath?" 014:004 They gave Him no answer; so He took hold of the man, cured him, and sent him away. 014:005 Then He turned to them and said, "Which of you shall have a child or an ox fall into a well on the Sabbath day, and will not immediately lift him out?" 014:006 To this they could make no reply. 014:007 Then, when He noticed that the invited guests chose the best seats, He used this as an illustration and said to them, 014:008 "When any one invites you to a wedding banquet, do not take the best seat, lest perhaps some more honoured guest than you may have been asked, 014:009 and the man who invited you both will come and will say to you, 'Make room for this guest,' and then you, ashamed, will move to the lowest place. 014:010 On the contrary, when you are invited go and take the lowest place, that when your host comes round he may say to you, 'My friend, come up higher.' This will be doing you honour in the presence of all the other guests. 014:011 For whoever uplifts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be uplifted. 014:012 Also to His host, who had invited Him, He said, "When you give a breakfast or a dinner, do not invite your friends or brothers or relatives or rich neighbours, lest perhaps they should invite you in return and a requital be made you. 014:013 But when you entertain, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind; 014:014 and you will be blessed, because they have no means of requiting you, but there will be requital for you at the Resurrection of the righteous." 014:015 After listening to this teaching, one of His fellow guests said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall feast in God's Kingdom." 014:016 "A man once gave a great dinner," replied Jesus, "to which he invited a large number of guests. 014:017 At dinner-time he sent his servant to announce to those who had been invited, "'Come, for things are now ready.' 014:018 "But they all without exception began to excuse themselves. The first told him, "'I have purchased a piece of land, and must of necessity go and look at it. Pray hold me excused.' 014:019 "A second pleaded, "'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and am on my way to try them. Pray hold me excused.' 014:020 "Another said, "'I am just married. It is impossible for me to come.' 014:021 "So the servant came and brought these answers to his master, and they stirred his anger. "'Go out quickly,' he said, 'into the streets of the city—the wide ones and the narrow. You will see poor men, and crippled, blind, lame: fetch them all in here.' 014:022 "Soon the servant reported the result, saying, "'Sir, what you ordered is done, and there is room still.' 014:023 "'Go out,' replied the master, 'to the high roads and hedge-rows, and compel the people to come in, so that my house may be filled. 014:024 For I tell you that not one of those who were invited shall taste my dinner.'" 014:025 On His journey vast crowds attended Him, towards whom He turned and said, 014:026 "If any one is coming to me who does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes and his own life also, he cannot be a disciple of mine. 014:027 No one who does not carry his own cross and come after me can be a disciple of mine. 014:028 "Which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not sit down first and calculate the cost, asking if he has the means to finish it?— 014:029 lest perhaps, when he has laid the foundation and is unable to finish, all who see it shall begin to jeer at him, 014:030 saying, 'This man began to build, but could not finish.' 014:031 Or what king, marching to encounter another king in war, does not first sit down and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand men to meet the one who is advancing against him with twenty thousand? 014:032 If not, while the other is still a long way off, he sends messengers and sues for peace. 014:033 Just as no one of you who does not detach himself from all that belongs to him can be a disciple of mine. 014:034 "Salt is good: but if even the salt has become tasteless, what will you use to season it? 014:035 Neither for land nor dunghill is it of any use; they throw it away. Listen, every one who has ears to listen with!" 015:001 Now the tax-gatherers and the notorious sinners were everywhere in the habit of coming close to Him to listen to Him; 015:002 and this led the Pharisees and the Scribes indignantly to complain, saying, "He gives a welcome to notorious sinners, and joins them at their meals!" 015:003 So in figurative language He asked them, 015:004 "Which of you men, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in their pasture and go in search of the lost one till he finds it? 015:005 And when he has found it, he lifts it on his shoulder, glad at heart. 015:006 Then coming home he calls his friends and neighbours together, and says, 'Congratulate me, for I have found my sheep— the one I had lost.' 015:007 I tell you that in the same way there will be rejoicing in Heaven over one repentant sinner—more rejoicing than over ninety-nine blameless persons who have no need of repentance. 015:008 "Or what woman who has ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully till she finds it? 015:009 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbours, and says, "'Congratulate me, for I have found the coin which I had lost.' 015:010 "I tell you that in the same way there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one repentant sinner." 015:011 He went on to say, "There was a man who had two sons. 015:012 The younger of them said to his father, "'Father, give me the share of the property that comes to me.' "So he divided his wealth between them. 015:013 No long time afterwards the younger son got all together and travelled to a distant country, where he wasted his money in debauchery and excess. 015:014 At last, when he had spent everything, there came a terrible famine throughout that country, and he began to feel the pinch of want. 015:015 So he went and hired himself to one of the inhabitants of that country, who sent him on to his farm to tend swine; 015:016 and he longed to make a hearty meal of the pods the swine were eating, but no one gave him any. 015:017 "But on coming to himself he said, "'How many of my father's hired men have more bread than they want, while I here am dying of hunger! 015:018 I will rise and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you: 015:019 I no longer deserve to be called a son of yours: treat me as one of your hired men.' 015:020 "So he rose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and pitied him, and ran and threw his arms round his neck and kissed him tenderly. 015:021 "'Father,' cried the son, 'I have sinned against Heaven and before you: no longer do I deserve to be called a son of yours.' 015:022 "But the father said to his servants, "'Fetch a good coat quickly— the best one—and put it on him; and bring a ring for his finger and shoes for his feet. 015:023 Fetch the fat calf and kill it, and let us feast and enjoy ourselves; 015:024 for my son here was dead and has come to life again: he was lost and has been found.' "And they began to be merry. 015:025 "Now his elder son was out on the farm; and when he returned and came near home, he heard music and dancing. 015:026 Then he called one of the lads to him and asked what all this meant. 015:027