Montgomery - Mark

Chapter 1

1:1  Beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

1:2  even as it is written in the prophet Isaiah, Behold, I am sending my messenger before your face to prepare your way.

1:3  The voice of one crying aloud. In the desert make ready a road for the Lord. Make his paths straight.

1:4  In the desert came Johnwho baptized, and preached a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;

1:5  and all the land of Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem, kept going out to him, and were baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins.

1:6  And Johnwas clothed with camel’s hair, and he had a leather girdle round his loins, and he ate locusts, and "honey of the wood."

1:7  He made proclamation. "There is One mightier than I coming after me, and I am not worthy to stoop down and unfasten his sandal strap;

1:8  I have baptized you in water, but he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit."

1:9  It was at that time that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by Johnin the Jordan;

1:10  and as soon as he rose from the water he saw the sky cleft asunder, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him,

1:11  and a voice from the sky. "Thou art my Son, my beloved; in thee is my delight."

1:12  Then the Spirit drove him at once into the desert,

1:13  and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was among the wild beasts, but the angels were ministering to him.

1:14  After Johnhad been thrown into prison Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel of God.

1:15  "The time is now come," he said, "and the kingdom of God is near! Repent and believe the gospel."

1:16  And as he was passing along by the sea of Galilee he saw Simon and Andrew, Simon’s brother, casting their net into the sea, for they were fishermen;

1:17  so Jesus said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men."

1:18  At once they left their nets and followed him.

1:19  As he went a little farther on he saw James, the son of Zebedee, and Johnhis brother, who also were in their boat mending the nets.

1:20  Straightway he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants and went after him.

1:21  So they came to Capernaum, and as soon as the Sabbath Day came he went into the synagogue and began to teach.

1:22  They were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them with authority, not like the Scribes.

1:23  And at that very moment, there in their synagogue, a man in the grip of an unclean spirit shrieked out.

1:24  "What business have you with us, you Jesus of Nazareth? Are you come to destroy us? I know you who you are, the Holy One of God."

1:25  But Jesus rebuked him, saying. "Be quit! Come out of him."

1:26  So the unclean spirit, after tearing him, came out of him with a loud cry;

1:27  and every one was amazed so that they began questioning among themselves. "What does this mean? A new teaching with authority? He lays commands even upon unclean spirits and they obey him."

1:28  And at once his fame spread everywhere through that part of Galilee.

1:29  On leaving the synagogue they went at once with Jamesand Johnto the house of Simon and Andrew.

1:30  Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick of fever, and without delay they told him about her.

1:31  So he came and took her hand and raised her up. The fever left her at once, and she began to wait upon them.

1:32  At evening when the sun had set, people came and brought to him all the sick and demon-possessed,

1:33  and the whole town was gathered at the door.

1:34  He cured many who were ill with various diseases, and drove out many demons. But he did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who he was.

1:35  In the morning he rose a great while before day and went out to a desert place, and there prayed.

1:36  And Simon and his companions hunted him up,

1:37  and told him, "Every one is looking for you."

1:38  "Let us go away," he answered, "to the neighboring country towns, that I may preach there, too; because for that purpose I came forth."

1:39  So he went throughout Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and driving out demons.

1:40  One day a leper cane to him and besought him as he knelt down to him, saying, "If you choose, you are able to cleanse me."

1:41  Jesus, moved with compassion, put out his hand and touched him, saying, "I do choose, be clean!"

1:42  The leprosy at once left him, and he was made clean.

1:43  Jesus immediately sent him away, charging him sternly and saying.

1:44  "See you say nothing to any one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your purification what Moses commanded for a testimony to them."

1:45  But he went out and began to tell every one and to publish it broadcast, so that Jesus could no longer enter any town openly; but he had to remain outside in lonely places, and people kept coming to him from every quarter.

Chapter 2

2:1  Some days later when Jesus entered Capernaum again the news spread, "He is in the house";

2:2  and at once such a crowd gathered that there was no longer room for them, even around the door.

2:3  While he was speaking his message, they came bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four men.

2:4  When they could not get him near to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof under which he stood, and after making an opening, they let down the cot on which the paralytic was lying.

2:5  Then Jesus, when he perceived their faith, said to the paralytic, "Son your sins are forgiven."

2:6  But there were some Scribes sitting there who reasoned in their hearts.

2:7  "Why does this man speak like this? He blasphemes. Who is able to forgive sins but One, God himself?"

2:8  Jesus clearly perceived at once be the Spirit that they were thus reasoning in their hearts and said to them.

2:9  "Why do you reason thus in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your cot and walk’?

2:10  But to let you see that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" -he said to the paralytic-

2:11  "I bid you rise, take up your cot, and go home."

2:12  The man rose, at once took up his cot, and went out before them all; at which they were all astounded, and gave God glory, saying, "We never saw anything like this."

2:13  Then Jesus went again to the seaside, and the whole crowd kept coming to him, and he taught them.

2:14  As he was passing by he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting in the tax-office; and he said to him, "Follow me." So he rose and followed him.

2:15  Later on Levi was sitting at table in his house, and together with Jesus and his disciples a number of tax-gatherers and sinners were guests, for there were many of them who used to follow him.

2:16  But when some scribes of the Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax-gatherers, they said to his disciples, "Is he eating and drinking with tax-gatherers and sinners?"

2:17  On hearing this Jesus said to them. "It is not the healthy who need a physician, but the sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

2:18  Now the disciples of Johnand the Pharisees were keeping a fast, and people came to ask him, "How is it that the disciples of Johnand the Pharisees are fasting, but your disciples are not?"

2:19  "Can friends of the bridegroom fast while he is still with them?" asked Jesus. "As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

2:20  But the days will come when the Bridegroom will be taken away from them; then, on that day, they will fast.

2:21  No one ever sews a piece of unshrunk cloth onto an old garment, otherwise the patch tears away from it - the new from the old - and a worse tear is made.

2:22  And no one ever pours new wine into old wine-skins, else the wine would burst the skins, and both wine and skins would be lost. New wine is poured into fresh wine-skins.

2:23  One Sabbath he was walking along through the wheat-fields, and his disciples, as they began to make their way across, were pulling the heads of wheat.

2:24  "Look," said the Pharisees to him, "Why are they doing on the Sabbath Day what is against the law?"

2:25  He answered them. "Have you never read what David did when he was needy and hungry, he and his men?

2:26  How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which none but priests may eat, and gave some to his men?

2:27  "The Sabbath," he told them, "was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath;

2:28  so the Son of man is Master even of the Sabbath."

Chapter 3

3:1  Again he went into a synagogue where there was a man with his hand withered.

3:2  And they kept watching Jesus to see whether he would cure him on the Sabbath; so as to have some charge to bring against him.

3:3  "Stand up," Jesus said to the man with the withered hand, "and come forward."

3:4  Then he asked them. "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath Day, or to do harm? to save a life, or to destroy it?"

3:5  They were silent. Then looking around upon them with anger, and deeply grieved by the hardening of their hearts, he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand!" He stretched it out, and the hand was at once completely restored.

3:6  As soon as they came out, the Pharisees plotted against him with the Herodians, in order to destroy him.

3:7  Then Jesus withdrew to the sea with his disciples; and a great crowd of people from Galilee followed.

3:8  From Judea, too, and Jerusalem, and Idumea, and from beyond Jordan, and from the district of Tyre and Sidon, they came to him a vast multitude, because they heard what he was doing.

3:9  So he directed his disciples to keep a little boat in readiness for him, because of the crowd, to prevent their crushing him.

3:10  For he had healed so many that all the people who had ailments pressed upon him so as to touch him.

3:11  And whenever the unclean spirits beheld him, they threw themselves down at his feet, screaming out, "You are the Son of God."

3:12  But over and over, he strictly forbade them to make him known.

3:13  Then he went up the hillside and called to him those whom he chose, and they came to him.

3:14  Twelve of them whom he also called "Apostles," he appointed to be with him, and also that he might send them out to preach,

3:15  and to have authority to cast out demons.

3:16  There was Simon, whom he surnamed Peter,

3:17  and James(them he surnamed Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder),

3:18  and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and Jamesthe son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus, and Simon the Zealot,

3:19  and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.

3:20  Then he went into a house, but again such a multitude assembled that they could not get their food.

3:21  When his relatives heard of it, they came to take possession of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind."

3:22  The Scribes also who had come down from Jerusalem, said, "He is Beelzebub," and, "He casts out demons by the power of the Prince of the demons."

3:23  So when he had called them to him he spoke to them in parables. "How," said he, "can Satan cast out Satan?

3:24  If a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand;

3:25  if a household be divided against itself, that household cannot stand;

3:26  and if Satan has revolted against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand. Nay, he meets his end!

3:27  "Indeed, no one can enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property without first binding the strong man; then he can plunder his house.

3:28  In solemn truth I tell you that the sons of men shall be forgiven all their sins and all the blasphemies they may utter,

3:29  but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit is never forgiven. Nay, he is in the grasp of an eternal sin."

3:30  Because they kept saying, "He has an unclean spirit."

3:31  Then his mother and his brothers came up, and standing outside, they sent a messenger to him to call him.

3:32  Now a crowd was sitting round him and they told him, "See! your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, wanting to see you."

3:33  "Who are my mother and my brothers?" he replied.

3:34  Then, with a glance at those who were in the circle sitting around him, he added.

3:35  "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God, that one is my brother and sister and mother."

Chapter 4

4:1  Afterwards Jesus began to teach by the seaside, and a vast multitude of people gathered about him, so that he went on board a boat on the sea, and sat there, while all the people stayed on shore, at the water’s edge.

4:2  Then he began teaching them in parables many things. In his teaching he said to them.

4:3  "Listen! the Sower once went out to sow,

4:4  and as he sowed, it happened that some seed fell on the road, and birds came and picked it up;

4:5  some other seed fell on stony soil, where it had not much earth; and it sprang up quickly because it had no depth of soil,

4:6  but when the sun rose it was scorched and withered away because it had no root.

4:7  Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked it, so that it yielded no crop.

4:8  But some seed fell into good soil and yielded a crop that sprang up and increased, yielding thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold.

4:9  "Any one who has ears to hear," he added, "let him listen to this."

4:10  When he was alone his followers and the Twelve began asking about the parables.

4:11  He went on to say to them. "The secret truth concerning the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those outside everything is told in parables,

4:12  so that, "for all their looking they may not see, and for all their hearing, they may not understand, lest perchance they should turn and be pardoned.

4:13  "You do not understand this parable," said Jesus. "Then how will you understand the other parables?

4:14  "What the Sower sows is the Word. There are those ‘on the wayside’ where the Word is sown.

4:15  As soon as they hear it, Satan immediately comes and snatches away the Word which has been sown in them.

4:16  And like the sowing upon ‘stony ground’ are those who, whenever they hear the Word, at once receive it with joy,

4:17  but because they have no root in themselves they last for a time; but when suffering or persecution ensues because of the Word, they at once fall away.

4:18  There are others who are ‘sown among thorns.’

4:19  When they have heard the Word, the anxieties of life and the snares of wealth, and all sorts of other ambitions, come in to choke the Word, so that it proves unfruitful.

4:20  But those, on the other hand, who were sown on that good soil, are those who listen to the Word, and welcome it, and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold."

4:21  He went on to say. "Is the lamp brought in to be put under the bushel or the bed? Is it not rather to be put on the lamp-stand?

4:22  There is nothing hidden except what is to be disclosed, and nothing concealed except what is to be revealed.

4:23  If any man has ears to hear, let him hear."

4:24  And he said to them. "Take heed what you hear. With what measure you measure it will be measured to you, and more will be given to you.

4:25  For he who holds, to him will more be given, and he who holds not, from him will be taken even what he holds." "It is with the kingdom of God," he continued, "as if a man should have sown seed in the earth;

4:27  night and day he sleeps and wakes while the seed is sprouting and growing tall, he knows not how.

4:28  Of its own accord the earth bears its crops; first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.

4:29  Then as soon as the crop is ready the man has the sickle put in at once, because harvest-time is come.

4:30  "To what shall we compare the kingdom of God?" he said again. "in what parable shall we set it forth?

4:31  It is like a mustard-seed, which, when sown in the soil, is the smallest seed in the world;

4:32  yet when sown shoots up and becomes larger than any plant, sending out such branches that the wild birds build their nests under its shadow."

4:33  With many such illustrations Jesus used to tell his message to people as far as they were able to receive it;

4:34  and to them it was his practice never to speak except in parables. But he used to explain everything in private to his disciples.

4:35  On the evening of that same day Jesus said to them, "Let us go across to the other side."

4:36  So, leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them just as he was in the boat; and the other boats were with him.

4:37  But a great gale of wind came up, and the waves were dashing into the boat so that it began to fill.

4:38  Now he himself was sleeping on the cushion in the stern, so they woke him up, saying, "Master, do you not care if we perish?"

4:39  And he awoke, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!"

4:40  The wind fell, and there ensued a great calm. Then he said to them. "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?"

4:41  Then they were awestruck, and said one to another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey him!"

Chapter 5

5:1  Then they came to the country of the Gadarenes, on the opposite side of the sea;

5:2  and he had no sooner stepped out of the boat, than a man out of the tombs came to meet him, a man with an unclean spirit,

5:3  who lived among the tombs.

5:4  Not even with a chain could any man bind him, for he had been bound with fetters and chains again and again, and had snapped the chains, and broken the fetters; and there was no one strong enough to master him.

5:5  And always, night and day, he remained among the tombs and in the mountains, shrieking and gashing himself with stones.

5:6  As he caught sight of Jesus from afar, he ran and knelt before him,

5:7  and with a shriek he cried out in a loud voice. "Jesus, son of God most high, what business have you with me? I adjure you by God, torment me not!"

5:8  For Jesus was saying, "Foul spirit, come out of the man."

5:9  He continued asking him, "What is your mane?" "Legion is my name, for we are many."

5:10  Over and over he continued to beg Jesus not to send them away out of the country.

5:11  Now there was on the hillside a great drove of swine feeding.

5:12  So the spirits begged him, saying, "Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them."

5:13  And he gave them leave. And out came the foul spirits and entered the swine; and the drove rushed down from the steep into the sea, in number about two thousand, and were choked in the sea.

5:14  On this the swineherds ran away and spread the news in town and country. So the people went to see what had happened.

5:15  When they got to Jesus they found the demoniac sitting there clothed and in his right mind - the man who had had the "Legion" - and they were awestruck.

5:16  And those who had been eye-witnesses told them what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine.

5:17  Then they began to beg Jesus to depart from their district.

5:18  As he was getting into the boat the man who had been demon-possessed kept begging to go with him; but he said,

5:19  "Go home to your own people, and tell them what great things God has done for you, and has had mercy upon you."

5:20  So he went and began to publish abroad in the District of the Ten Towns all that Jesus had done for him; and every one was astonished and all men marveled.

5:21  Then after Jesus had recrossed in a boat to the other side, a vast multitude came crowding around him; so he stayed on the seashore.

5:22  Then one of the wardens of the synagogue, named Jairus, came up, and as soon as he saw Jesus, fell at his feet, with many entreaties,

5:23  "My little daughter," he said, "is dying. I beseech you, come and lay your hands on her, that she may recover and live."

5:24  So he went with him, and a great crowd followed him and thronged about him.

5:25  Now there was a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years,

5:26  and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, but was no better; on the contrary, rather grew worse.

5:27  She had heard about Jesus, so she came in the crowd behind and touched his cloak.

5:28  "If I can touch even his clothes," she kept saying to herself, "I shall get well."

5:29  At once the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was cured of her complaint.

5:30  Jesus, instantly conscious that the power within him had gone forth, turned about in the crowd, and said, "Who touched my clothes?"

5:31  "You see the crowd thronging about you," said his disciples, "and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’"

5:32  But he kept looking about to see who had done it,

5:33  and the woman knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.

5:34  "Daughter," he said, "your faith has saved you. Go in peace, and be cured of your complaint."

5:35  While he was still speaking men came from the house of the warden of the synagogue to tell him, "Your daughter is dead, why trouble the Teacher any further?"

5:36  But Jesus, paying no attention to the remark, said to the warden of the synagogue, "Have no fear, only believe."

5:37  He would not permit any one to go with him, except Peter and Jamesand John, the brother of James.

5:38  As they came to the house of the warden of the synagogue, he gazed upon a tumult, many weeping and wailing shrilly.

5:39  "Why all this tumult and loud weeping?" he asked.

5:40  "The child is not dead, but asleep." And they began to laugh him to scorn. Then he put them all outside, took the father and mother of the child and those he brought with him, and entered the room where the child was lying.

5:41  Then he took the child’s hand and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," that is to say, "Little girl, I am speaking to you; arise!"

5:42  And instantly the little girl stood up, and began to walk, for she was twelve years old, They were at once beside themselves with utter amazement.

5:43  He, however, repeatedly cautioned them not to let any one know about it, and directed them to give her something to eat.

Chapter 6

6:1  Jesus left that place, and accompanied by his disciples, came into his own part of the country.

6:2  When it came Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue; many, as they listened, were deeply impressed. "Where did he get all this?" they asked; "What is the wisdom that is given to this man, and miracles such as these that happen at his hands?

6:3  Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of Jamesand Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?"

6:4  So they disapproved of him. Then Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his native land and among his relatives and in his home."

6:5  And he was unable to do any miracle there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick folk and healed them.

6:6  And he wondered at their lack of faith. So he went among the neighboring villages, teaching.

6:7  Then summoning the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits.

6:8  He bade them take nothing but a staff for their journey; no bread, no wallet, no coins in their purse;

6:9  they were to wear sandals, but not to put on two tunics.

6:10  "Wherever you enter a house," he told them, "remain there until you leave the place;

6:11  and if any place does not receive you, or listen to you, as you go out of it shake off the dust under your feet, as a warning to them."

6:12  So they fared forth and summoned men to repentance.

6:13  They cast out many demons, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them.

6:14  King Herod heard it, for the name of Jesus had become well known, People were saying, "Johnthe Baptist is risen from the dead, and on that account these powers are working in him."

6:15  "He is Elijah," said others. And still others were saying, "He is a prophet, like one of the old prophets."

6:16  But when Herod heard, he said, "That Johnwhom I beheaded has come back to life."

6:17  Now this Herod had sent and arrested John, and bound him in prison, for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married.

6:18  For Johnhad often told Herod, "It is not right for you to live with your brother’s wife."

6:19  So Herodias hated him, and wished to put him to death;

6:20  but she could not, for Herod was afraid of Johnbecause he knew that he was a just and holy man. So he kept him safe. When he listened to Johnhe was much exercised, yet he found pleasure in listening to him.

6:21  Then came a convenient day, when Herod on his birthday held a feast for his lords and generals and the leading men of Galilee,

6:22  at which the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced. She charmed Herod and his guests. "Ask me whatever you want," said the king to the young girl, "and I will give it to you."

6:23  He even swore to her that whatever she asked, he would give it to her, up to half his kingdom.

6:24  So she came out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask for?" "The head of Johnthe Baptist," she replied.

6:25  So she at once hurried in to the king and made her request, "I want you," she said, "to give me, without delay, the head of Johnthe Baptist on a charger."

6:26  Then the king was exceedingly sorry; yet on account of his oaths and his guests he was unwilling to disappoint her.

6:27  So he sent at once a soldier of the guard with orders to bring his head.

6:28  And he went and beheaded Johnin prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the young girl, and she gave it to her mother.

6:29  When John’s disciples heard of this, they came, and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.

6:30  When the apostles had come back to Jesus, they told him all the things they had done, and all they had taught.

6:31  Then he said to them, "Come apart, yourselves, to a quiet spot, and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they could not get time even to eat.

6:32  So they sailed away privately to a solitary place.

6:33  However, many saw them going, and recognized them, and ran together by land from all the neighboring towns, and arrived there first.

6:34  So when Jesus landed he saw a vast multitude, and he was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.

6:35  Then when the day was now far spent, his disciples came to him and said. "This place is desert, and the day is now far spent.

6:36  Send the people away so that they may go to the farms and villages about here, and buy themselves something to eat."

6:37  In answer he said to them, "You yourselves are to give them food." "Are we to go and buy fifty dollars worth of bread," they said, "and give them food?"

6:38  "How many loaves have you?" he answered. "Go and see." When they had found out, they said, "Five, and two fishes."

6:39  Then he directed them to make all sit down by companies on the green grass.

6:40  And they sat down like beds in a garden, by hundreds and by fifties.

6:41  Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven he blessed, broke the loaves in pieces, and kept giving to the disciples to distribute.

6:42  The two fish also he divided to them all.

6:43  All ate and had enough; and they carried away broken fragments of bread and of fish, enough to fill twelve baskets.

6:44  Those who ate the bread were five thousand adult men.

6:45  Then he at once compelled the disciples to embark in the boat and go before him to Bethsaida on the other side, while he sent the people away.

6:46  After he had taken leave of them, he went away into the mountain to pray.

6:47  And when evening came, the boat was half-way across the sea, while he was on shore alone;

6:48  but when he saw them distressed in rowing (for the wind was against them), about the fourth watch of the night he went to them, walking upon the sea,

6:49  they thought it was an apparition and shrieked aloud, for they all saw him and were terrified.

6:50  But he at once spoke with them, saying. "Courage! It is I. Do not be afraid!"

6:51  Then he got into the boat beside them, and the wind ceased, and they were utterly astounded,

6:52  for they had not understood about the loaves; on the contrary their heart was hardened.

6:53  When they had crossed over they landed at Gennesaret and moored to the shore.

6:54  As soon as they got out of the boat, the people at once recognized him,

6:55  and began running over that whole country, and carrying the sick about on their beds, wherever they heard he was.

6:56  And whenever he entered into villages or cities or the fields they would lay the sick in the market-places and beseech him to let them touch even the tassel of his cloak, and all who touched him were made well.

Chapter 7

7:1  One day the Pharisees came to him in a body with some Scribes who had come from Jerusalem.

7:2  They had noticed that some of his disciples were eating with "common," that is to say, unwashed hands.

7:3  For the Pharisees and all of the Jews do not eat until they have ceremoniously washed their hands in obedience to the tradition of the elders;

7:4  and when they come from the market-place they do not eat without bathing first. and they have many other customs which they have received and observe, such as the washing of cups and jugs and copper pans.

7:5  So the Pharisees and Scribes asked him. "Why do your disciples not follow the traditions of the elders? Why do they eat with ‘common’ unwashed hands?"

7:6  "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, hypocrites," he answered. "As it is written, "This people honor me with their lips, While their hearts are far from me;

7:7  But in vain do they worship me, For their teaching is only human precepts.

7:8  "You neglect the commandment of God, and hold fast the traditions of men."

7:9  "It is praiseworthy, is it," he exclaimed, "to reject the command of God that you may keep your tradition!

7:10  For although Moses said, Honor your father and mother, and Let him who curses father or mother suffer death,

7:11  you say that if a man tells his father or mother, ‘This money which otherwise you would have received from me, is Korban’ (that is, a thing devoted to God),

7:12  you exempt him from doing any service for his father or mother.

7:13  Thus by your tradition which you have handed down you set at naught the word of God; and you do many other things like that."

7:14  Then again he called the crowd to him and said.

7:15  "Listen to me, all of you, and understand; there is nothing outside a man which by entering in can defile him; but it is what comes from him that defiled him."

7:17  After he had left the crowd and gone indoors his disciples began asking him about the parable.

7:18  "Are even you without understanding?" he said. "Do you not perceive that nothing whatever from without can defile a man by entering him,

7:19  because it does not go into his heart, but into his belly, and passes away, ejected from him?" By these words he pronounced all foods clean.

7:20  "What comes out of a man," he continued, "is what defiles him.

7:21  From within, from the heart of man, proceed evil purposes -

7:22  fornication, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, wantonness, envy, slander, arrogance, reckless folly -

7:23  all these wicked things issue from within and defile a man."

7:24  After he rose and left that place, he went away into the region of Tyre and Sidon. Here he went into a house and wished no one to know it but he could not be hid.

7:25  Forthwith a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet

7:26  (the woman was a Greek, a Syro-phoenician by race), and again and again she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

7:27  "Let the children be filled first," he said to her. "It is unseemly to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs."

7:28  "True, Master," she answered, "but the dogs under the table do pick up the children’s crumbs."

7:29  "For that saying of yours, go home," he replied; "the demon has departed from your daughter."

7:30  So she went home, and found the child lying in her bed and the demon departed.

7:31  Again he left the region of Tyre, and passed through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, crossing the District of the Ten Towns.

7:32  And they brought to him a deaf man who stammered, and begged him to lay his hands upon him.

7:33  So Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put his finger in the man’s ears, and moistened his tongue with saliva;

7:34  then looking up to heaven with a sigh, he said to him, "Ephphatha!" (that is, "Be opened.")

7:35  And his ears were opened and the bond of his tongue was loosened, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus charged them not to tell any one, but the more he charged them, the more they published it;

7:36  and people were amazed beyond measure saying. "How successfully he does things! Even the deaf he makes to hear, and the dumb to speak."

Chapter 8

8:1  In those days when a large crowd had again assembled and had nothing to eat, Jesus called together his disciples and said to them.

8:2  "My heart aches for the crowd, because they have remained with me three days now, and they have nothing to eat;

8:3  and if I send them away fasting to their homes, they will faint on the way. Moreover, some of them are from a distance."

8:4  "Where will it be possible," answered his disciples, "for one to fill these men with bread in a lonely place like this?"

8:5  He asked them, "How many loaves have you?" "Seven," they said.

8:6  So he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground; and when he had taken the seven loaves, he gave thanks, broke them, and gave to his disciples to distribute to the crowd.

8:7  They had also a few small fish; after blessing these he told his disciples to distribute them also.

8:8  They ate and were filled and they took up of broken pieces that were left, seven hampers.

8:9  They that had eaten were about four thousand.

8:10  Then he sent them away, got at once into the boat with his disciples. and came into the district of Dalmanutha.

8:11  And the Pharisees came out and began to question him, seeking from him a sign from heaven, by way of testing him.

8:12  At this Jesus sighed deeply in his spirit, and said. "Why does the present generation seek a sign? In solemn truth I tell you that no sign shall be given this generation."

8:13  Then he left them, and getting into the boat again, went away to the other side,

8:14  Now they had forgotten to take bread, and had not in the boat with them more than one loaf.

8:15  So he gave them this warning. "Look out! Be on the watch against the leaven of the Pharisees, and the leaven of Herod."

8:16  And they began arguing with one another because they had no bread, He noted this and said to them.

8:17  "Why are you arguing together because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive and understand?

8:18  Are your minds so slow to comprehend? You have eyes, do you not see? You have ears, do you not hear?

8:19  Do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves among the five thousand, how many baskets of broken pieces did you take up?" "Twelve," they said.

8:20  "And when the seven for the four thousand, how many hampers full of fragments did you pick up?"

8:21  "Do you not yet understand?" he said.

8:22  Then they came to Bethsaida, where some people brought a blind man to Jesus, and begged him to touch him.

8:23  Taking the blind man by the hand, he led him outside the village; and, after spitting on his eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, "Can you make out anything?"

8:24  The man looked up and said, "I can make out the people, for as they move about, I see them like trees."

8:25  Then Jesus again put his hands on the man’s eyes; and the man, staring straight ahead, recovered his sight and continued to see everything perfectly.

8:26  Then Jesus sent him home, saying, "Do not even go into the village."

8:27  From there Jesus and his disciples went to the villages of Caesarea Philippi, and on the way he began to question his disciples saying, "Who do people say I am?"

8:28  And they told him. "Some say Johnthe Baptist, others, Elijah, and others that you are one of the prophets."

8:29  And he continued questioning them, "But you yourselves, Who do you say I am?" Peter in reply said to him, "You are Christ."

8:30  Then he strictly charged them not to say this about him to any one;

8:31  and he began to explain to them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests, and the Scribes, and be put to death,and after two days rise again.

8:32  This he told them quite openly. Then Peter took him and began to rebuke him.

8:33  But he turned round, and looked upon his disciples, and rebuked Peter. "Get thee behind me, Satan," he said, "for your thoughts are not God’s thoughts, but man’s."

8:34  Then summoning the crowd to him, with his disciples. he said. "If any man wishes to follow me, let him renounce self, take up his cross, and so follow me.

8:35  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever, for my sake and the gospel’s, loses his life will save it.

8:36  For what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own life?

8:37  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his life?

8:38  Whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this unfaithful and wicked generation, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

Chapter 9

9:1  "In solemn truth I tell you," he said, "there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God, come with power."

9:2  Six days later Jesus took with him Peter and Jamesand John, and brought them by themselves up a high mountain apart from the rest.

9:3  Here in their presence he was transfigured; and his clothes also became glistering with a radiant whiteness, such as no bleaching on earth could give.

9:4  Moreover there appeared to them Elijah, with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus.

9:5  "Master," said Peter, addressing Jesus, "it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three tents one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

9:6  (For he did not know what to say, they were so awestruck.)

9:7  Then there came a cloud overshadowing them; and there came a voice out of the cloud. "This is my Son, my beloved. Listen to him."

9:8  And suddenly as they looked around, they saw no one any more beside them, but Jesus alone.

9:9  As they came down the mountain he strictly forbade them to narrate to any one what they had seen, until after the Son of man had risen from the dead.

9:10  This order they faithfully kept, questioning among themselves what "rising again from the dead" meant.

9:11  So they asked him, "How is it that the Scribes say that Elijah must first come?"

9:12  "Elijah does indeed first come," he said, "and restores all things, But how is it written about the Son of Man, that he will endure great suffering, and be rejected?

9:13  "Elijah indeed has already come," he added, "and they have done to him whatever they pleased, even as it is written of him."

9:14  When they rejoined the disciples they saw a great crowd surrounding them, and some Scribes disputing with them.

9:15  As soon as they saw him, all the people were astounded and ran up to greet him.

9:16  He asked them, "What are you discussing with them?"

9:17  "Master," answered one of the crowd, "I brought my son to you; he has a dumb spirit in him;

9:18  and wherever it seizes him it dashes him down; he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth, and is wasting away. I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not."

9:19  "O unbelieving generation!" replied Jesus; "how long must I be with you? How long must I be patient with you? Bring him to me."

9:20  So they brought the boy to him, and when he saw Jesus, the spirit at once convulsed him, and he fell to the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.

9:21  Then Jesus asked the father, "How long has he been like this?"

9:22  "From childhood," he answered; "and often it has thrown him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."

9:23  Jesus said to him. "‘If you can’!All things can be for one who believes."

9:24  The boy’s father with a cry said instantly. "I do believe; help my unbelief."

9:25  And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit. "You dumb and deaf spirit," he said, "come out of him, I command you, and never enter him again."

9:26  So with a loud shriek it came out, after throwing the boy into convulsion after convulsion. The boy looked like a corpse, so that most of them said that he was dead.

9:27  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he stood up.

9:28  When Jesus had gone into the house, his disciples asked him in private, "Why could not we cast it out?"

9:29  "This kind can only be cast out by prayer," he replied.

9:30  Jesus and his disciples, after leaving that place, passed through Galilee; but he was unwilling that any one should know it,

9:31  for he was explaining to his disciples that the Son of man was to be betrayed into the hands of men, and that they would put him to death, but that after he had been put to death, he would rise again after three days,

9:32  But they did not understand his words, and were afraid to ask him the meaning.

9:33  Then they came to Capernaum; and when he got into the house he asked them, "What were you discussing on the road?"

9:34  But they were silent, for on the road they were disputing together which one was greatest.

9:35  So he sat down and called the Twelve, and said to them, "If any one wishes to be first, he must be last of all, and the servant of all."

9:36  Then Jesus took a little child, set it among them, and folding it in his arms, he said,

9:37  "Whoever in my name receives one such little child, receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me, but Him who sent me."

9:38  "Master," said John, "we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he did not follow us."

9:39  "Do not try to stop him," Jesus answered, "for there is no one who performs a miracle in my name who can soon speak evil of me.

9:40  He who is not against us is for us.

9:41  For whoever gives you even a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, in solemn truth I tell you, that he shall certainly not lose his reward.

9:42  "And if any one shall cause one of these little ones who believe on me to stumble, it would be better for him if he were thrown out into the sea with a great millstone about his neck.

9:43  "If your hand cause you to stumble, cut it off! It is better to be maimed and to enter into life than to have two hands and go away into hell, into the fire that cannot be put out.

9:45  If your foot cause you to stumble, cut it off! It is better to enter into the life a cripple, than to have two feet and be cast into hell.

9:47  If your eye cause you to stumble, tear it out! It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God one-eyed that to keep both your eyes and be cast into hell,

9:48  where their worm never dies and the fire does not go out.

9:49  For by fire every one will be salted;

9:50  salt is excellent, but if the salt has lost its savor, what will you use to restore its saltness? Then have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."

Chapter 10

10:1  On leaving that place Jesus came into the borders of Judea, on the other side of the Jordan, Once more the people flocked about him, and again, as usual, he began teaching them.

10:2  Presently some Pharisees came up and tested him, by asking if it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife.

10:3  "What did Moses command you?" he replied,

10:4  "Moses," said they, "permitted a man to draw up a bill of separation and divorce her."

10:5  But Jesus said to them. "Moses gave you that command because of the hardness of your hearts;

10:6  but from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.

10:7  "For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh;

10:8  so that they are no more two, but one flesh.

10:9  What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder."

10:10  When indoors the disciples began to question Jesus again about this, and he said.

10:11  "Any man who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her;

10:12  and if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery."

10:13  Now people were bringing little children to Jesus for him to touch them; but the disciples rebuked them.

10:14  Jesus was indignant when he saw it, and said. "Let the little children come to me. Do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such.

10:15  I tell you true that unless a man receives the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not even enter it."

10:16  Then he took them in his arms, and laid his hand upon them in blessing.

10:17  As he started to go forth into the road, a man came running up to him, and knelt down before him. "Good Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

10:18  Jesus said to him. "Why do you call me ‘good’?No one is good save one, God himself.

10:19  You know the commandments. Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not cheat, honor your father and mother."

10:20  "Teacher," he answered, "I have observed all these from my youth."

10:21  Jesus loved him as he looked at him, and said. "One thing you lack. Go, sell all you have and give to the poor; and you shall have wealth in heaven; and come, follow me."

10:22  But his face fell at these words, and he went away saddened, for he was one who had great wealth.

10:23  Then Jesus looked round on his disciples and said, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter into the kingdom of God!"

10:24  The disciples were amazed at his words. Jesus looked around and said again to them.

10:25  "My sons, how hard it is for those who trust in money to enter the kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven."

10:26  "Then who can be saved?" they said to themselves astonished beyond measure.

10:27  When he had looked at them, Jesus said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God."

10:28  "But we," Peter began to say, "we have left our all and have followed you."

10:29  "I tell you solemnly," said Jesus, "that there is no man who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or lands, for my sake and the gospel’s,

10:30  but shall receive a hundred times as much, now in this present world, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, lands-and persecutions with them - and in the world to come eternal life.

10:31  But many who are first shall be last, and the last, first."

10:32  They were still on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus led the way; and they were amazed, and some, although they followed, were afraid. Then once more he took the Twelve, and began to tell them what was about to befall him.

10:33  "See," said he, "we are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of man will be betrayed to the high priests and the Scribes. They will condemn him to death, and will hand him over to the Gentiles,

10:34  who will mock him, spit upon him, flog him, and put him to death; and after three days he will rise again."

10:35  Presently there came up to him Jamesand John, the sons of Zebedee, and said, "Teacher, we wish you would do for us whatever we ask you."

10:36  "What is it you want me to do for you?" said he.

10:37  They answered, "Allow us to sit, one at your right hand, and the other at your left hand, in your glory."

10:38  "You know not what you are asking," said Jesus. "Can you drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"

10:39  They answered him, "We can." "You shall indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism that I am baptized with shall you be baptized,

10:40  but a seat upon my right hand or my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been reserved."

10:41  When they heard this the ten began to be indignant at Jamesand John, so Jesus called them to him and said.

10:42  "You know that those who are regarded as rulers among the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make them feel their authority.

10:43  Not so shall it be among you. On the contrary whoever would become great among you shall be your servant;

10:44  and whoever among you would be first, shall be slave of all,

10:45  and justly, for even the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life, a ransom for many."

10:46  Then they reached Jericho; and as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimeus, the son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting beside the road.

10:47  Hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began shouting and saying, "Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me!"

10:48  and many kept rebuking him and telling him to be quiet, but he only shouted much louder, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

10:49  Then Jesus stood still, saying, "Call him." So they called the blind man,and said, "Courage, rise, he is calling you."

10:50  The man threw off his cloak, sprang to his feet, and came to Jesus.

10:51  "What do you want me to do?" said Jesus, addressing him. And the blind man answered, "O Rabboni, that I might receive my sight!"

10:52  "Go," said Jesus, "your own faith has saved you," and immediately he received his sight, and began to follow Jesus along the road.

Chapter 11

11:1  Now when they were approaching Jerusalem, near Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives,

11:2  Jesus sent two of his disciples and told them. "Go to that village in front of you, and immediately on entering it you will find a colt tied, upon which no man has ever sat; untie him and bring him here.

11:3  And if any man asks you, ‘Why are you doing that?" answer, ‘The Lord has need of him, and he will immediately send him back.’"

11:4  So they went and found a colt tied outside a door, in the open street, and untied it.

11:5  And some of the bystanders began to say to them, "What are you trying to do, untying that colt?"

11:6  So they answered them just as Jesus had told them, and they let them take it.

11:7  Then they brought the colt to Jesus, and when they had thrown cloaks upon it, Jesus seated himself on it.

11:8  Then many spread their cloaks on the road, and others, soft leafy branches, which they had cut from the fields;

11:9  and those who went before him and those who came after kept shouting. "Hosanna! Blessed be He who comes in the name of the Lord!

11:10  Blessed be the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna, in the highest!"

11:11  Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple, and after he had looked around at everything, as the hour was now late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

11:12  The next day after leaving Bethany he was hungry,

11:13  and seeing a fig tree in the distance full of leaves, he came to see if he could find anything on it, and found on it nothing but leaves (for it was not the time of figs).

11:14  So, addressing the tree, he said, "Let no man ever more eat fruit from you." And the disciples heard it.

11:15  Presently they reached Jerusalem, and, after entering the Temple courts, Jesus began to drive out those who were buying and selling there, and to upset the tables of the money-changers, and the stalls of those who sold doves,

11:16  and he would not allow any one to carry a vessel through the Temple courts, Then he began to teach.

11:17  "Is it not written," he said, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations? But you have made it a den of robbers."

11:18  The chief priests and the Scribes heard this, and they began to seek means of destroying him; for they were afraid of him because all the crowd were greatly struck with his teaching.

11:19  Now every evening he used to go outside the city;

11:20  and as they (he and his disciples) were passing along in the morning, they saw the fig tree already withered from the root.

11:21  Then Peter remembered, and exclaimed, "Look, Rabbi, the fig tree which you cursed is withered up."

11:22  "Take hold on God’s faithfulness," said Jesus to them in reply.

11:23  "In solemn truth I tell you that if any one shall say to this mountain, ‘Up and hurl yourself into the sea!’ and shall not doubt in his heart, but on the contrary shall believe that what he says will happen, it will be granted him.

11:24  That is why I am telling you that whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it shall be yours.

11:25  And whenever you stand up to pray, forgive, if you have anything against any one, that so your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."

11:27  Once more they came into Jerusalem; and as he was walking in the Temple courts, there came to him the high priests and Scribes and elders and asked him.

11:28  "By what authority do you do these things? or who gave you this authority to do these things?"

11:29  "And I will put one question to you," replied Jesus. "Answer this, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

11:30  The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men? Answer me!"

11:31  Then they began arguing with one another. "If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why then did you not believe him?"

11:32  On the other hand, if we say, ‘From men’!"They were afraid, however, of the people, for every one held that Johnhad been really a prophet.

11:33  So their answer to Jesus was, "We do not know." "Neither will I tell you," said Jesus, "by what authority I do these things."

Chapter 12

12:1  Presently Jesus began to speak to them in parables. "There was once a man," he said, "who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the wine-press, built a tower, rented it to tenants, and went abroad.

12:2  At vintage-time he sent a slave to the vine-dressers to collect some of the proceeds of the vineyard;

12:3  but they seized him, and flogged him, and sent him away empty-handed.

12:4  Then he sent another slave to them; and this man they knocked over the head and handled shamefully.

12:5  And he sent another; and him they killed; and many others; beating some, and killing some.

12:6  He had still one, a Son beloved, He sent him last to them, saying, "‘They will reverence my Son.’

12:7  "But those tenants said to themselves. ‘Here is the heir! Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’

12:8  "So they took him and killed him, and threw his body out of the vineyard.

12:9  What will the owner of the Vineyard do?" "He will come and put the tenants to death," they said, "and will give the vineyard to others."

12:10  "Have you not read this Scripture?" (he continued) "The very stone which the builders rejected Has now become the corner-stone;

12:11  This is the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes."

12:12  And they kept seeking to lay hold on him, but were afraid of the crowd, for they knew well that he had spoken this parable about them; so they left him and went away.

12:13  But they sent some of the Pharisees to Jesus afterward, and some of the Herodians to entrap him in conversation.

12:14  So when they came, they said. "Teacher, we know that you are sincere and are not afraid of any one, for you do not regard the face of men; nay, but you reach the way of God in truth. Is it right to pay poll- tax to Caesar or not?

12:15  Shall we pay, or not pay?" But he, knowing well their hypocrisy, said to them. "Why are you testing me? Bring me a dollar for me to look at."

12:16  And they brought it. "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" "Caesar’s," they answered.

12:17  And Jesus said, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God, the things that are God’s." They were amazed at him.

12:18  Then came up some Sadducees, men who say there is no resurrection. They too questioned him, saying.

12:19  "Teacher, Moses taught us that if a man’s brother die, and leave a wife behind him, but no child, that his brother is to marry the widow and to raise up a family for his brother.

12:20  There were once seven brothers, the eldest of whom married a wife, and died leaving no family.

12:21  The second married her, and died without offspring; the third likewise;

12:22  and the seven had her, and died without issue.

12:23  And last of all the woman too died. In the resurrection whose wife shall she be? For the seven had her as wife."

12:24  "Is not this the reason for your error," Jesus answered them, "that you know not the Scripture nor the power of God?

12:25  When they rise from the dead men do not marry, and women are not given in marriage, but they are as the angels are in heaven.

12:26  But in regard to the rising again of the dead, have you never read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the Bush, how God spoke to him, saying, "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?

12:27  God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are in grave error."

12:28  Just then up came one of the Scribes who had heard them arguing, and realized that Jesus had answered them admirably. "What commandment," he asked, "is the first of all?"

12:29  Jesus replied. "The first is. "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord;

12:30  and thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.

12:31  "The second is this, "Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself. Other command greater than these there is none."

12:32  "Admirably said, O Teacher," exclaimed the Scribe. "You have truthfully said that He is one,

12:33  and that beside him there is none other, and to love him with all one’s heart and with all one’s understanding and with all one’s might, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself is far beyond all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."

12:34  Jesus saw that he had answered with discrimination, and said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." After that no one ventured to question him.

12:35  While he was teaching in the Temple courts, Jesus in his turn asked. "How is it that the Scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?

12:36  David himself said in the Holy Spirit, "The Lord said to my Lord, ’Sit at my right hand until I make thy foes the footstool of thy feet.’

12:37  "David himself then calls him Lord; so how can he be his son?" Now the great mass of the people were wont to listen to him with delight;

12:38  and in his teaching he said. "Look out for the Scribes who like to walk about in long robes, and to receive salutations in the street, and to have prominent places in the synagogues,

12:39  and seats of honor at dinner-parties;

12:40  they who consume the property of widows and make long, pretentious prayers. The greater shall their condemnation be."

12:41  Then Jesus took his seat opposite the treasury and watched the people putting their offerings into the chest. Many rich people were putting in large sums.

12:42  There came also a poor widow who dropped in two little coins, worth a cent.

12:43  On this he called his disciples to him, and said. "I tell you solemnly that this poor widow has put in more than all who have put their offerings into the treasury;

12:44  for they have all put in what they could spare out of their surplus, but she, out of her penury, has put in all that she possessed, her whole living."

Chapter 13

13:1  As Jesus was walking out of the Temple courts, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and buildings these are!"

13:2  "You see these mighty buildings? There shall not be left here one stone upon another which shall not be thrown down," he answered.

13:3  When he had seated himself on the Mount of Olives, facing the Temple, Peter and Jamesand Johnand Andrew asked him privately,

13:4  "Tell us when these things shall be, and what shall be the sign that all these predictions are about to be fulfilled."

13:5  So Jesus began to tell them.

13:6  "Be ye watchful lest any one mislead you. Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and will mislead many.

13:7  But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars do not be dismayed, such things must come, but the end is not yet.

13:8  For nation shall rise in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines; these are the beginning of birth-pangs.

13:9  "You yourselves must be on your guard. They will hand you over to the courts, and you will be flogged on the synagogues; and you will stand before rulers and kings for my sake, to witness to them for me.

13:10  But the gospel must first be proclaimed to all the nations.

13:11  When, however, they are leading you all to trial, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but whatever is given you in that hour, that say, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

13:12  "And brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise up against their parents, and have them put to death.

13:13  You will be hated by all men for my name’s sake, but he that endures to the end shall be saved.

13:14  "But when you see the Abomination of Desolation ‘standing where he ought not’ (let the reader ponder this), then let those in Judea flee to the mountains;

13:15  let him who is on the housetop not go down, nor go in to get anything out of his house;

13:16  and he who is in the field, let him not turn back to get his cloak.

13:17  And alas for the pregnant women, and for those that are nursing their infants in those days!

13:18  Pray that it may not come in the winter.

13:19  For those will be days of suffering the like of which has never been from the beginning of God’s creation until now, and never shall be.

13:20  And had not the Lord cut short those days, not a single person would escape; but for the elect’s sake whom he has chosen, he has cut them short.

13:21  "At that time if any one tell you, ‘See, here is Christ,’ or ‘See, there he is,’ do not believe it;

13:22  for false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show signs and wonders, to lead astray the very chosen, if they can.

13:23  Be on your guard! I have told you it all beforehand.

13:24  "But when the tribulation is past, in those days the sun will be darkened and the moon will not shed her light,

13:25  and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

13:26  Then will they see the Son of man coming in clouds, with great power and glory.

13:27  Then he will send forth the angels and gather his chosen from the four winds, from uttermost earth to uttermost sky.

13:28  "From the fig tree learn now her parable; as soon as ever her branches are full of sap and bursting into leaf, you know that summer is near.

13:29  So also do you, whenever you see these things happening, know that He is near, at your very door.

13:30  I tell you truly that the present generation shall not pass until all these things begin to happen.

13:31  Earth and sky shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

13:32  But concerning that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven,

13:33  nor the Son, but only the Father.

13:34  Take heed! Awake! for you never know the time. As a man gone abroad and leaving his house gives authority to his slaves, to each his task;

13:35  and orders the porter to keep watch; keep watch then, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming - in the evening, at midnight, at cockcrow, or in the morning -

13:36  lest he should come unexpectedly and find you sleeping;

13:37  and what I say to you, I say to all. Be awake and on guard."

Chapter 14

14:1  Now two days later was the feast of the Passover and of Unleavened Bread. Both the chief priests and the Scribes were continually seeking how they might arrest him by a stratagem and kill him;

14:2  but, "Not on a feast-day," they said, "for fear there should be a riot among the people."

14:3  And while he was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the Leper, while he was dining, a woman came with an alabaster vase of very costly, pure spikenard perfume, and, breaking the vase, she poured the perfume on his head.

14:4  Some of those who were present said among themselves indignantly. "Why has the perfume been wasted like this?

14:5  That perfume could have been sold for more than one hundred and fifty dollars, and given to the poor."

14:6  So they began upbraiding her, but Jesus said. "Let her alone. Why are you troubling her?

14:7  She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor among you, and can show them kindness whenever you wish, but me you will not always have.

14:8  She has done what she could. she has before time anointed my body for my burial.

14:9  I tell you in solemn truth that wherever the gospel is preached throughout the whole world, there what she has done shall be told in remembrance of her."

14:10  Now Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went away to the high priests to betray Jesus to them;

14:11  and they were glad when they heard it, and promised to pay him money. So he kept looking for an opportunity to betray him.

14:12  And the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread, the day for killing the paschal lamb, his disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make preparation for you to eat the Passover?"

14:13  Then he sent two of his disciples, and told them. "Go into the city, and you will meet a man carrying a jar of water.

14:14  Follow him; and whatever house he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher asks, "Where is your guest-chamber, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"‘

14:15  He will himself show you a large, upper room, furnished and ready. there make preparation for us."

14:16  So the disciples went off, and came into the city, and found everything as he had told them.

14:17  So they made ready the Passover, and as night fell he came, with the Twelve.

14:18  While they were at the table, eating, Jesus said solemnly. "It is one of you who will betray me - one who is eating with me."

14:19  They began to be sorrowful and to say to him, one after another, "Surely, not I?"

14:20  "It is one of the Twelve," said Jesus, "one who is dipping into the same dish with me.

14:21  For the Son of man is going his way, as the Scripture says, but woe to that man through whom the Son of man is betrayed! It were good for that man if he had never been born."

14:22  And as they were eating he took bread, and after the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "Take it, this is my body."

14:23  Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank of it,

14:24  and he said. "This is my covenant blood, which is poured out for many.

14:25  Solemnly I tell you I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

14:26  Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

14:27  And Jesus said to them. "All of you are about to stumble, for it is written, "I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered abroad.

14:28  "But after my resurrection I will go before you into Galilee."

14:29  "Although they all stumble and fall, yet will not I," answered Peter.

14:30  Jesus said to him, "I tell you in solemn truth that you yourself, today on this very night, before the cock crow twice, shall three times disown me."

14:31  But Peter kept protesting passionately, "Though I must die with you, I will not disown you!" And they all kept saying the same.

14:32  So they came to a place named Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit down here while I pray."

14:33  Then he took Peter and Jamesand Johnwith him, and began to be full of terror and distress;

14:34  and he said to them. "My soul is full of anguish, even unto death; wait here, and keep watch."

14:35  So he went a little farther, and throwing himself upon the ground, he prayed repeatedly that, if it were possible, the hour might pass away from him.

14:36  "Abba, Father," he said, "all things are possible with thee. Take this cup away from me. Yet not what I will, but what thou wilt."

14:37  Then he came and found them asleep, and he said to Peter. "Are you sleeping, Simon? Could you not keep watch one hour?

14:38  Keep watch, all of you, and pray that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’

14:39  Then he went away again and prayed, saying the same words;

14:40  and when he returned he found them once more asleep, for their eyes were heavy with sleep, and they knew not what to say to him.

14:41  Then he came the third time, and said. "Sleep on now, and take your rest! It is over. My hour is come. Look! the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

14:42  Rouse yourselves, let us go. See! my betrayer is at hand."

14:43  At that instant, while he was yet speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, came up, and with him a mob armed with swords and clubs, sent by the high priests and Scribes and elders.

14:44  Now the betrayer had given them a sign. "The one I kiss," he said, "is the man. Arrest him, and take him away safely."

14:45  So he came and going straight up to Jesus he said.

14:46  "Rabbi," and kissed him. Then they laid hands on him and took him.

14:47  But one of the bystanders drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest, and cut off his ear.

14:48  But Jesus interposed, saying. "Are you come out to arrest me with swords and clubs, as if I were a robber?

14:49  Day after day I was face to face with you in the Temple courts, teaching, and you did not seize me. But this is done that the Scriptures might be fulfilled."

14:50  Then they all forsook him and fled.

14:51  One young man, however, began following him, with only a linen sheet thrown round his naked body.

14:52  They seized him, but he left the linen sheet and fled away naked.

14:53  Then they took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests and elders and Scribes came with him.

14:54  Peter also had followed Jesus at a distance, until he was inside the court of the high priest. There he was sitting among the officers, warming himself in the light of the fire.

14:55  Meanwhile the high priests and all of the Sanhedrin were trying to get evidence against Jesus, so as to have him put to death, but they found none;

14:56  for though many gave false witness against him, their testimony did not agree.

14:57  Some came forward and swore falsely, saying,

14:58  "We heard him say, ‘I will tear down this temple made by hands, and in three days I will build another temple not made by hands.’"

14:59  But even their evidence did not agree.

14:60  Then the high priest rose and stood forth among them. "Have you no answer to make?" he asked Jesus; "What is it that these testify against you?"

14:61  But he remained silent, and answered nothing. Again the high priest questioned him. "Are you the Christ," he said, "the Son of the Blessed?"

14:62  "I am," Jesus answered, "and you all shall see the Son of man seated on the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."

14:63  Then the high priest tore his vestments. "Why do we need any further witness?" he exclaimed.

14:64  "Did you hear his blasphemy? What is your verdict?"

14:65  Then they all condemn him to be worthy of death. Some began to spit on him, and to blindfold him while striking him and saying, "Prophesy." The officers, too, received him into custody with blows.

14:66  Now while Peter was below in the courtyard, there came one of the maid servants of the high priest, and saw Peter warming himself.

14:67  She looked at him, and said, "You too were with the Nazarene, Jesus."

14:68  But he denied it. He said. "I don’t know, I don’t understand what you are saying." Then he went out into the porch, and the cock crew.

14:69  Again the maid servant saw him, and began again to tell the bystanders, "He is one of them."

14:70  A second time he continued to deny it. After a little the by- standers began to say to Peter again, "Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean."

14:71  But he began with curses an solemn oaths to say, "I do not know the man you are talking about."

14:72  At that instant for the second time a cock crew. Then Peter recalled the word which Jesus had spoken to him, "Before the cock crows twice you will disown me thrice." And as he thought of it, he began to weep aloud.

Chapter 15

15:1  As soon as it was down, after the high priests had conferred with the elders and the whole Sanhedrin, they bound Jesus, and took him away, and handed him over to Pilate.

15:2  Pilate questioned him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" In reply Jesus said, "It is as you say."

15:3  When the chief priests continued making many accusations against him, Pilate repeatedly questioned him.

15:4  "Do you make no answer?" he said,

15:5  "See, how many accusations they are making." But Jesus no longer made any answer, at which Pilate wondered.

15:6  Now at the time of the feast it was customary to release to them a prisoner, whatever one they asked for.

15:7  A man named Barabbas was there in prison, with some rioters who had committed murder during an uprising.

15:8  So when the crowd went up and began asking Pilate to follow his usual custom,

15:9  he asked them, "Do you wish me to release the King of the Jews?"

15:10  For he recognized that it was through spite that the high priests had handed him over.

15:11  But the chief priests incited the crowds to have Barabbas released to them, instead.

15:12  So Pilate spoke to them once more, "What them shall I do to him you call ‘King of the Jews’?"

15:13  Then they shouted again, "Crucify him!"

15:14  "Why, what wrong has he done?" Pilate kept saying. But they shouted furiously, "Crucify him!"

15:15  So Pilate, who wished to make himself strong with the crowd, released Barabbas to them, and gave Jesus over for crucifixion, after he had scourged him.

15:16  The soldiers then led him away into the courtyard (Praetorium), and called together the whole battalion.

15:17  They clothed Jesus in purple, and plaited a crown of thorns, and placed it on his head.

15:18  Then they began to salute him. "Hail, King of the Jews," they said.

15:19  They kept striking him on the head with a rod, and spitting upon him; and on bended knee they did him homage.

15:20  And after their sport with him, they stripped off the purple robe, and put on his own clothes, and led him out to crucify him.

15:21  Simon a Cyrenian, a passer-by, who was coming from the country (the father of Alexander and Rufus), they commandeered to carry the cross of Jesus.

15:22  So they led him to the place called Golgotha - a name which means "the place of a skull."

15:23  There they attempted to give him wine mingled with myrrh; but he refused it. Then they crucified him, and divided his garments among them, casting lots upon them to see what each should take.

15:25  It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.

15:26  Over his head there was written the words of the charge against him. "The King of the Jews"

15:27  Now with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right hand and one on his left.

15:29  And the passers-by kept jeering at him, wagging their heads and saying. "Ah! you who were to ‘destroy the sanctuary and rebuild it in three days,’ save yourself!

15:30  Come down from the cross!

15:31  In the same way the high priests also, as well as the Scribes, kept on mocking him to themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but himself he cannot save.

15:32  The Christ! The King of Israel! Let him now come down from the cross, that we may see and believe." They also who had been crucified with Jesus kept reviling him.

15:33  At noon a darkness came over the whole country, lasting until three in the afternoon.

15:34  At three o’clock Jesus cried in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

15:35  When they heard this, some of the bystanders said, "Listen, he is calling for Elijah."

15:36  Then a man ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, and put it on a stick, and offered it to him to drink, saying, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down!"

15:37  But Jesus uttered a loud cry and expired.

15:38  And the curtain of the Sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.

15:39  Then the army captain, who was standing facing Jesus when he thus died, said, "in truth this man was a Son of God."

15:40  There were some women also watching from a distance. Among them were both Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Jamesthe younger and of Joses, and Salome,

15:41  women who used to follow him when he was in Galilee, and minister to him; and many other women who had come up to Jerusalem with him.

15:42  Toward sunset, as it was the preparation (that is the day preceding the Sabbath),

15:43  there came Joseph of Arimathea, a Councilor, honorable in rank, who was himself also looking for the kingdom of God. He boldly went in to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus.

15:44  But Pilate wondered whether he were already dead. So he summoned the army captain, and inquired if he had been any time dead;

15:45  and when he learned the fact from the army captain he gave the body to Joseph.

15:46  So Joseph bought him a sheet, and took Jesus down, wound him in the sheet, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of a rock, and then rolled a stone against the opening of the tomb;

15:47  and Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were watching to see where he was laid.

Chapter 16

16:1  When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices in order to go and anoint him.

16:2  And very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb as the sun was rising;

16:3  and they kept saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?"

16:4  But then as they looked up they saw that the stone, which was a very large one, was already rolled away;

16:5  and upon entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe.

16:6  They were terrified, but he said to them. "Do not be terrified! You are seeking Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified? He is risen; he is not here. See, the place where they laid him!

16:7  But go, tell his disciples and Peter, "‘He is going before you into Galilee, where you will see him, as he told you.’"

16:8  So they went out, and ran from the tomb, for they were trembling and amazed; and they said nothing to any one, for they were afraid -

16:9  Now after his resurrection, early on the first day of the week he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had driven out seven demons.

16:10  She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept.

16:11  But they, although they heard that he was living and had been seen by her did not believe it.

16:12  After this he appeared in another form to two of them as they were walking on their way into the country.

16:13  They too went, and told the others; but they did not believe them, either.

16:14  Afterward he appeared to the Eleven themselves, as they were eating, and reproached them for their lack of faith, and stubborn hearts, because they disbelieved those who had seen him risen.

16:15  And he said to them. "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.

16:16  He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who disbelieves shall be condemned.

16:17  Moreover these signs shall follow those who believe. They shall drive out demons in my name; they shall speak with new tongues in foreign languages;

16:18  they shall pick up serpents, and if they drink any poison it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover."

16:19  So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.

16:20  But they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the message by the miracles which followed.