1:1 This is the record of the genealogy¹ of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

1:2 Abraham was the father² of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 1:3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah (by Tamar), Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 1:4Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 1:5Salmon the father of Boaz (by Rahab), Boaz the father of Obed (by Ruth), Obed the father of Jesse, 1:6and Jesse the father of David the King.

David was the father of Solomon (by the wife of Uriah³), 1:7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa,⁴ 1:8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 1:9 Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 1:10Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon,⁵ Amon the father of Josiah, 1:11 Josiah⁶ the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

1:12 After⁷ the deportation to Babylon, Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel,⁸ Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 1:13 Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 1:14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, 1:15 Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 1:16 Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, by whom⁹ Jesus was born, who is called Christ.¹⁰

1:17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to Christ,¹¹ fourteen generations.

1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ happened this way. While his mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they came together,¹² she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 1:19 Because Joseph, her husband to be,¹³ was a righteous man, and because he did not want to disgrace her, he intended to divorce her¹⁴ privately. 1:20When¹⁵ he had contemplated this, an¹⁶ angel of the Lord¹⁷ appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 1:21 She will give birth to a son and you will name him¹⁸ Jesus,¹⁹ because he will save his people from their sins.” 1:22 This all happened so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: 1:23 “Look! The virgin will conceive and bear a son, and they will call him²⁰ Emmanuel,”²¹ which means²² “God with us.”²³ 1:24 When²⁴ Joseph awoke from sleep he did what the angel of the Lord told him. He took his wife, 1:25 but did not have marital relations²⁵ with her until she gave birth to a son, whom he called²⁶ Jesus.

2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, in the time¹ of King Herod,² wise men³ from the East came to Jerusalem 2:2 saying, “Where is the one who is born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose⁴ and have come to worship him. 2:3 When King Herod⁵ heard this he was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him. 2:4 After assembling all the chief priests and experts in the law⁶ he asked them where the Christ⁷ was to be born. 2:5 “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they said, “for it is written this way by the prophet:

2:6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are in no way least among the rulers of Judah,
for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”⁸

2:7 Then Herod⁹ privately summoned the wise men and determined from them when the star had appeared. 2:8 He¹⁰ sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and look carefully for this child. When you find him, inform me so that I can go and worship him as well.” 2:9After¹¹ listening to the king they left, and once again¹² the star they saw in its rising¹³ led them until it stopped above the place where the child was.2:10 When they saw the star they shouted joyfully.¹⁴ 2:11As they came into the house and saw the child with Mary his mother, they bowed down¹⁵ and worshiped him. They opened their treasure boxes and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense,¹⁶ and myrrh.¹⁷ 2:12 After being warned in a dream not to return to Herod,¹⁸ they went back by another route to their own country.

2:13 After¹⁹ they had gone, an²⁰ angel of the Lord²¹ appeared in a dream to Joseph saying, “Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you; for Herod²² is going to look for the child to kill him.” 2:14Then he got up, took the child and his mother at night, and went to Egypt. 2:15 He stayed there until Herod²³ died. In this way what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet was fulfilled: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”²⁴

2:16 When Herod²⁵ saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he became outraged. He sent men²⁶ to kill all the children in Bethlehem and nearby from the age of two and under, according to the time he had learned from the wise men. 2:17 Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

2:18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud wailing,
Rachel weeping for her children;
and she did not want to be comforted, because they were²⁷ gone.”²⁸

2:19 After²⁹ Herod³⁰ had died, an angel of the Lord³¹ appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 2:20saying, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” 2:21 So³² he got up and took the child and his mother and returned to the land of Israel. 2:22 But when he heard that Archelaus³³ was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod,³⁴ he was afraid to go there. After³⁵ being warned in a dream, he went to the region of Galilee. 2:23 He came to a town called Nazareth³⁶ and lived there. Then what had been spoken by the prophets was fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.³⁷

3:1 In those days John the Baptist came into the wilderness¹ of Judea proclaiming,²3:2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” 3:3 (For he is the one who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet,³

“The voice⁴ of one calling out in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’”⁵

3:4 Now John’s clothing was made from camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.) 3:5 Then people⁶ were going out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan,3:6 and as they confessed their sins they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

3:7But when he saw many Pharisees⁷ and Sadducees⁸ coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 3:8 Therefore produce fruit⁹ that proves your¹⁰ repentance;3:9 and don’t think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones! 3:10 Even now the ax is laid at¹¹ the root of the trees; and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

3:11 “I baptize you with water, for repentance, but the one coming after me is more powerful than I—I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.¹² 3:12 His winnowing fork¹³ is in his hand, and he will clean out his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the storehouse;¹⁴ but the chaff he will burn up with inextinguishable fire.”¹⁵

3:13Then Jesus came from Galilee to John to be baptized by him in the Jordan River.¹⁶ 3:14But John¹⁷ tried to prevent¹⁸ him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?” 3:15 So Jesus replied¹⁹ to him, “Let it happen now,²⁰ for it is right for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John²¹ yielded²² to him. 3:16 After²³ Jesus was baptized, just as he was coming up out of the water, the²⁴ heavens²⁵ opened²⁶ and he saw the Spirit of God²⁷ descending like a dove²⁸ and coming on him. 3:17 And²⁹ a voice from heaven said,³⁰ “This is my one dear Son;³¹ in him³² I take great delight.”³³

4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness¹ to be tempted by the devil. 4:2 After he fasted forty days and forty nights he was famished.² 4:3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.”³ 4:4 But he answered,⁴ “It is written, ‘Man⁵ does not live⁶ by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”⁷ 4:5 Then the devil took him to the holy city,⁸ had him stand⁹ on the highest point¹⁰ of the temple, 4:6and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you’ and ‘with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”¹¹ 4:7 Jesus said to him, “Once again it is written: ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’”¹² 4:8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their grandeur.¹³ 4:9 And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you fall down and worship¹⁴ me.” 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘You are to worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”¹⁵ 4:11Then the devil left him, and angels¹⁶ came and began ministering to his needs.

4:12 Now¹⁷ when Jesus¹⁸ heard that John had been taken into custody,¹⁹ he went into Galilee. 4:13While in Galilee, he moved from Nazareth to make his home in Capernaum²⁰ by the sea,²¹ in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, 4:14 so that what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled²²:

4:15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way by the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
4:16 the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light;
and on those sitting in the region and the shadow of death a light has dawned.”²³

4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach this message:²⁴ “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

4:18 As²⁵ he was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen).²⁶ 4:19 He said to them, “Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people.”²⁷ 4:20 They²⁸ left their nets immediately and followed him. 4:21 Going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in a boat²⁹ with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. Then³⁰ Jesus called them. 4:22 They³¹ immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.

4:23 Jesus³² went throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,³³ preaching thegospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of disease and sickness among the people. 4:24So a report about him spread throughout Syria. People³⁴ brought to him all who suffered with various illnesses and afflictions, those possessed by demons, epileptics, paralytics; and he healed them. 4:25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis,³⁵ Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan River.³⁶

5:1When¹ he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain.² After he sat down his disciples came to him. 5:2Then³ he began to teach⁴ them by saying:

5:3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, because they will be comforted.

5:5 “Blessed are the meek, because they will inherit the earth.

5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because they will be satisfied.

5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, because they will be shown mercy.

5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God.

5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called the children of God.

5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

5:11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely on account of me. 5:12 Rejoice and be glad because your reward is great in heaven, for they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.

5:13“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor,⁵ how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and walked on by people. 5:14You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. 5:15 People⁶ do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.

5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish but to fulfill.5:18 I⁷ tell you the truth,⁸ until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter⁹ will pass from the law until everything takes place. 5:19 So anyone who breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others¹⁰ to do this, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches others to do so will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 5:20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in the law¹¹ and the Pharisees,¹² you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

5:21 “You have heard that it was said to an older generation,¹³ ‘Do not murder,’¹⁴ and ‘whoever murders will be subjected to judgment.’ 5:22 But I say to you that anyone who is angry with a brother will be subjected to judgment. And whoever insults¹⁵ a brother will be brought before¹⁶ the council,¹⁷ and whoever says ‘Fool’¹⁸ will be sent¹⁹ to fiery hell.²⁰ 5:23 So then, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 5:24leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your gift. 5:25 Reach agreement²¹ quickly with your accuser while on the way to court, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to a warden, and you will be thrown into prison. 5:26 I tell you the truth,²² you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.²³

5:27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’²⁴ 5:28But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 5:29If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into hell.²⁵ 5:30 If your right hand causesyou to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into hell.

5:31 “It was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a legal document.’²⁶ 5:32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife except for immorality makes her commit adultery, and anyone who marries a woman who has been divorced commits adultery.

5:33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to an older generation,²⁷ ‘Do not break an oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’²⁸ 5:34 But I say to you, do not take oaths at all; not by heaven, because it is the throne of God, 5:35 not by earth, because it is his footstool, and not by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. 5:36Do not take an oath by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black. 5:37 Let your word be ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no.’ More than this is from the evil one.²⁹

5:38“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’³⁰ 5:39 But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer.³¹ But whoever strikes you on the³² right cheek, turn the other to him as well.5:40 And if someone wants to sue you and to take your tunic,³³also give him your coat. 5:41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile,³⁴ go with him two. 5:42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not reject³⁵ the one who wants to borrow from you.

5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’³⁶ and ‘hate your enemy.’ 5:44 But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, 5:45 so that you may be like³⁷ your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 5:46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? The tax collectors do that too, don’t they? 5:47 And if you only greet your brothers, what more do you do? The Gentiles do that too, don’t they?5:48 So then, you be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

6:1 “Be¹ careful about not living righteously merely² to be seen by people. Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven. 6:2 Thus whenever you do charitable giving,³ do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues⁴ and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth,⁵ they have their reward. 6:3 But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 6:4 so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

6:5 “Whenever⁶ you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues⁷ and on street corners so that people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. 6:6 But whenever you pray, go into your room,⁸ close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. 6:7When⁹ you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles, because they think that by their many words they will be heard. 6:8 Do¹⁰ not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 6:9 So pray this way:

Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored,
6:10may your kingdom come,
may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
6:11 Please give us bread for today,
6:12 and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
6:13 Please do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.¹¹

6:14“For if you forgive others¹² their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 6:15 But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.

6:16 “When¹³ you fast, do not look sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unattractive¹⁴ so that people will see them fasting. I tell you the truth,¹⁵ they have their reward. 6:17 When¹⁶ you fast put oil on your head and wash your face 6:18 so that it will not be obvious to others when you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

6:19“Do not accumulate for yourself treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 6:20 But accumulate for yourself treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

6:22“The eye is the lamp of the body. If then your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light. 6:23 But if your eye is bad,¹⁷ your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

6:24“No one is able to serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. No one is able to serve God and possessions.¹⁸

6:25 “Because of this I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat or drink, or about your body, as to what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing? 6:26 Look at the birds of the sky:¹⁹ they do not sow, or harvest, or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you more valuable²⁰ than they are? 6:27Can any of you add time to his life by worrying?²¹ 6:28 Why worry about clothing? Think about how the flowers²² of the field grow. They do not work or spin, 6:29 yet I say to you that Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these! 6:30 And if God clothes the grass of the field this way, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire to heat the oven,²³ won’t he clothe you even more, you people of little faith?6:31 So then, don’t worry saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 6:32For the unconverted²⁴ pursue these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 6:33 But seek first his kingdom²⁵ and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you. 6:34 So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.²⁶

7:1 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. 7:2 For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive.¹ 7:3 Why² do you see the speck³ in your brother’s eye, but fail to see the beam of timber⁴ in your own eye? 7:4 Or why do you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while there is a beam in your own eye? 7:5 You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. 7:6 Do not give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs; otherwise they will trample them under their feet and turn around and tear you to pieces.

7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened for you. 7:8 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 7:9 Is⁵ there anyone among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?7:10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?7:11 So then, if you, who are evil,⁶ know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 7:12In⁷ everything, do to others as you would want them to do to you, for this fulfills⁸ the law and the prophets.

7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.7:14 But the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

7:15 “Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves.⁹ 7:16 You will recognize them by their fruit. People¹⁰ don’t gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles, do they? 7:17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 7:18 A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit. 7:19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 7:20So then, you will recognize them by their fruit.

7:21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven, only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 7:22 On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do¹¹ many powerful deeds?’ 7:23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away from me, lawbreakers!’¹²

7:24 “Everyone¹³ who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. 7:25 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house; but it did not collapse because it had been founded on rock. 7:26 Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 7:27 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed; it was a tremendous fall!”¹⁴

7:28When¹⁵ Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed by his teaching, 7:29 because he taught them like one who had authority, and not like their experts in the law.¹⁶

8:1After he came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him. 8:2 And a leper¹ approached, and bowed low before him, saying,² “Lord, you are able to cleanse me, if you are willing.”8:3 He reached out his hand and touched him saying, “I am willing. Be clean!” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 8:4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you do not speak to anyone; but go, show yourself to a priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded as a testimony to them.”³

8:5 When he came into Capernaum a centurion⁴ came to him asking for help,⁵ 8:6 saying, “Lord, my servant⁶ is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible anguish.” 8:7 Jesus⁷ said to him, “I will come and heal him.”8:8 But the centurion replied,⁸ “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Instead, just speak a word and my servant will be healed.8:9 For I too am a man under authority; I have⁹ soldiers under me, and I say to this one, ‘Go’ and he goes, and to another ‘Come’ and he comes, and to my slave¹⁰ ‘Do this’ and he does it.”8:10 When¹¹ Jesus heard this he was amazed and said to those who followed him, “I tell you the truth,¹² I have not found faith like this in anyone in Israel! 8:11 I¹³ tell you, many will come from the east and west to share the banquet¹⁴ with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 8:12 but the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”8:13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; just as you believed, it will be done for you.” And the servant¹⁵ was healed at that hour.

8:14 When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying down, ill with a fever.8:15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she got up and began to serve them.8:16When it was evening, many demon-possessed people were brought to him. He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick.8:17 In this way what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet was fulfilled:¹⁶

“He took our weaknesses, and carried our diseases.”¹⁷

8:18Now when Jesus saw great crowds¹⁸ around him, he gave orders to go to the other side of the sea. 8:19 Then an¹⁹ expert in the law²⁰ came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 8:20 Jesus said to him, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the sky²¹ have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 8:21 Another²² of the²³ disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 8:22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”²⁴

8:23 As he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 8:24 And a great storm developed on the sea so that the waves began to swamp the boat. But he was asleep. 8:25 So they came and got him up saying, “Lord, save us! We are going to die!” 8:26But he said to them, “Why are you cowardly, you people of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. 8:27And the men²⁵ were amazed and said,²⁶ “What sort of person is this that even the winds and the sea obey him?”

8:28 When he came to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes,²⁷ two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were extremely violent, so that no one was able to pass by that way.8:29 They²⁸ cried out, “Son of God, leave us alone!²⁹ Have you come here to torment us before the time?”³⁰ 8:30 A³¹ large herd of pigs was feeding some distance from them.8:31 Then the demons asked him,³² “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” 8:32 And he said,³³ “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs. Then the herd rushed over the cliff into the sea, and they drowned in the water. 8:33 The³⁴ herdsmen ran off, went into the town,³⁵ and told everything that had happened to the men who had been demon-possessed. 8:34 Then³⁶ the entire town³⁷ came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they begged him to leave.

9:1 After getting into a boat he crossed to the other side and came to his own town.¹ 9:2All of a sudden² people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher.³When⁴ Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, “Have courage, son! Your sins are forgiven.”9:3 Then⁵ some of the experts in the law⁶ said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming!” 9:4 When Jesus saw their reaction he said, “Why do you respond with evil in your hearts? 9:5 What is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’?9:6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on the earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic⁷— “Stand up, take your stretcher, and go home.”⁸ 9:7 And he stood up and went home.⁹ 9:8 When¹⁰ the crowd saw this they were afraid and honored God who had given such authority to men.¹¹

9:9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth.¹² “Follow me,” he said to him. And he got up and followed him.9:10 While¹³ Jesus¹⁴ was dining¹⁵ in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Jesus and his disciples. 9:11 When the Pharisees¹⁶ saw this they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 9:12 When¹⁷ Jesus heard this he said, “The healthy don’t need a physician, but those who are sick do. 9:13 Go and learn what this saying means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice.’¹⁸ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

9:14 Then John’s disciples came and asked, “Why do we and the Pharisees¹⁹ fast often, but your disciples don’t fast?” 9:15 Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests²⁰ are not able to mourn while the bridegroom is with them, are they? The²¹ days will come when the bridegroom is taken away, and then they will fast! 9:16No²² one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, because the patch will pull away from the garment and the tear will be worse. 9:17 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins;²³ otherwise the skins will burst and the wine will pour out and the skins will be destroyed.²⁴ Instead they put new wine into new wineskins and both are preserved.”

9:18 As he was saying these things, a ruler came, bowed low before him, and said, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live.” 9:19 So²⁵ Jesus and his disciples got up and followed him.9:20 But²⁶ a woman who had been suffering with a hemorrhage for twelve years²⁷ came up behind him and touched the edge²⁸ of his cloak. 9:21 For she kept saying to herself,²⁹ “If only I touch his cloak, I will be healed.”³⁰ 9:22 But when Jesus turned and saw her he said, “Have courage, daughter! Your faith has healed³¹ you.” And the woman was healed³² from that hour. 9:23When Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the disorderly crowd,9:24 he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead, only sleeping.” So³³ they began to laugh³⁴ at him. 9:25 When³⁵ the crowd had been dispersed, he went in and took her hand, and the girl got up. 9:26 And the news of this spread throughout that region.³⁶

9:27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, shouting out,³⁷ “Son of David, have mercy on us!”9:28When³⁸ he went into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus³⁹ said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 9:29 Then he touched their eyes saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” 9:30 And their eyes were opened. But Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about this.”9:31 But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that entire region.⁴⁰

9:32As⁴¹ they were going away,⁴² a man who could not talk and was demon-possessed was brought to him. 9:33After the demon was cast out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, “Never has anything like this been seen in Israel!” 9:34 But the Pharisees⁴³ said, “He casts out demons by the ruler of demons.”

9:35Then Jesus went throughout all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues,⁴⁴ preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and sickness.⁴⁵ 9:36 When⁴⁶ he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were bewildered and helpless,⁴⁷ like sheep without a shepherd. 9:37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few, 9:38 so ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.”

10:1Jesus¹ called his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits so they could cast them out and heal every kind of disease and sickness.² 10:2 Now³ these are the names of the twelve apostles: First, Simon (called Peter), and Andrew his brother; James son of Zebedee and John his brother;10:3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus; 10:4 Simon the Zealot⁴ and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.⁵

10:5 Jesus sent out these twelve instructing them as follows:⁶ “Do not go to Gentile regions⁷ and do not enter any Samaritan town.⁸ 10:6 Go⁹ instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 10:7 As¹⁰ you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’10:8 Heal the sick, raise the dead,¹¹ cleanse lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. 10:9 Do not take gold, silver or copper in your belts,10:10no bag for the journey, or two tunics,¹² or sandals or staff; for the worker is worthy of his provision. 10:11 Whatever¹³ town or village you enter, find out who is worthy there¹⁴ and stay with them¹⁵ until you leave. 10:12 As¹⁶ you enter the house, give it greetings.¹⁷ 10:13And if the house is worthy, let your peace come on it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 10:14 And if anyone will not welcome you or listen to your message, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or that town.10:15I tell you the truth,¹⁸ it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that town.

10:16 “I¹⁹ am sending you out like sheep surrounded by wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.10:17Beware²⁰ of people, because they will hand you over to courts²¹ and flog²² you in their synagogues.²³ 10:18 And you will be brought before governors and kings on account of me, as a witness to them and the Gentiles. 10:19 Whenever²⁴ they hand you over, do not be anxious about how to speak or what to say; for what you should say will be given to you at that time. 10:20 For it is not you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

10:21 “Brother²⁵ will hand over brother to death, and a father his child. And children will rise against²⁶ parents and have them put to death.10:22 And you will be hated by all on account of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 10:23 Whenever²⁷ they persecute you in one place,²⁸ flee to another. I tell you the truth,²⁹ you will not finish going through all the cities and towns³⁰ of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

10:24 “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave³¹ above his master.10:25 It is enough for the disciple to become like his teacher, and the slave³² like his master. If they have called the head of the house ‘Beelzebul,’ how much more will they defame the members of his household!

10:26 “Do³³ not be afraid of them. There³⁴ is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing secret that will not become known.10:27 What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops.10:28 Do³⁵ not be afraid of those who can kill the body but are not able to kill the soul. Instead, fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.³⁶ 10:29 Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny?³⁷ Yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.³⁸10:30 Even³⁹ all the hairs of your head are counted. 10:31 So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

10:32 “Whoever, then, acknowledges me before people, I will acknowledge⁴⁰ before my Father in heaven. 10:33 But whoever denies me before people, I will deny him also before my Father in heaven.

10:34“Do not think that I have come to bring⁴¹ peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace but a sword. 10:35 For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, 10:36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.⁴²

10:37“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.10:38 And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me, is not worthy of me.10:39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for me⁴³ will find it.

10:40“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. 10:41 Whoever receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. Whoever⁴⁴ receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 10:42And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple, I tell you the truth,⁴⁵ he will not lose his reward.

11:1 When¹ Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their towns.

11:2Now² when John³ in prison heard about the deeds Christ⁴ had done, he sent a question⁵ by his disciples:11:3 “Are you the one who is coming, or should we wait for another?”11:4 Jesus gave them this answer:⁶ “Go tell John what you hear and see-11:5the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news proclaimed to them. 11:6 Whoever⁷ does not stumble because of me is blessed.”

11:7While⁸ they were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness⁹ to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 11:8 What¹⁰ did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothes? Those¹¹ who wear soft clothes are in the homes of kings.11:9 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, even more than a prophet. 11:10 This is the one about whom it is written:

‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’¹²

11:11 “I tell you the truth,¹³ among those born of women, no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is.11:12From¹⁴ the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it.¹⁵ 11:13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John appeared.¹⁶ 11:14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, who is to come. 11:15 The one who has ears, listen!

11:16 “To¹⁷ what will I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces who call out to one another,¹⁸ 11:17 ‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance; we sang a lament, yet you did not mourn.’

11:18 “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ 11:19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him,¹⁹ a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by her deeds.”

11:20 Then Jesus began to criticize openly the towns and cities²⁰ in which he had done many of his miracles, because they did not repent. 11:21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles done among you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 11:22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.11:23 And you, Capernaum, you won’t be lifted up to heaven, will you? No, you will be brought down to Hades!²¹ For if the miracles done among you had been done in Sodom, it would have continued to this day.11:24 But I tell you, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you!”

11:25At that time Jesus said,²² “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and revealed them to infants; 11:26 yes, Father, for this was pleasing to you. 11:27 All things have been given to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son, and those to whom the Son decides to reveal him.²³ 11:28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 11:29 Take my yoke²⁴ on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 11:30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry.”

12:1 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on a Sabbath. His¹ disciples were hungry, and they began to pick the grain and eat.12:2 When² the Pharisees³ saw this they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing something illegal⁴ on the Sabbath.” 12:3 He⁵ said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and those with him were hungry— 12:4 how he went into the house of God and they ate⁶ the bread of presentation, which was not lawful for him or those with him to eat, but only for the priests? 12:5 Or have you not read in the law that the priests in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are not guilty? 12:6 I⁷ tell you that something greater than the temple is here.12:7 If⁸ you had known what this means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice,’⁹ you would not have condemned the innocent. 12:8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

12:9Then¹⁰ Jesus¹¹ left that place and went into their synagogue.¹²12:10 A¹³ man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him,¹⁴ “Is it lawful¹⁵ to heal on the Sabbath?” so that they could accuse him.12:11 He¹⁶ said to them, “Would not anyone of you, if he had one sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, take hold of it and lift it out? 12:12 How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 12:13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So¹⁷ he stretched it out and it was restored, as healthy as the other. 12:14 But the Pharisees¹⁸ went out and plotted against him, as to how they could assassinate¹⁹ him.

12:15Now when Jesus learned of this, he went away from there. Great²⁰ crowds²¹ followed him, and he healed them all. 12:16 But he sternly warned them not to make him known. 12:17This fulfilled what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet:²²

12:18 “Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
my loved one, in whom I²³ take great delight.
I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
12:19 He will not quarrel or cry out,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
12:20 He will not break a bruised reed or extinguish a smoldering wick,
until he brings justice to victory.
12:21 And in his name the Gentiles²⁴ will hope.”²⁵

12:22 Then they brought to him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. Jesus²⁶ healed him so that he could speak and see.²⁷ 12:23 All the crowds were amazed and said, “Could this one be the Son of David?” 12:24 But when the Pharisees²⁸ heard this they said, “He does not cast out demons except by Beelzebul, the ruler of demons!”12:25 Now when he²⁹ became aware of what they were thinking, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and no town or household divided against itself will stand. 12:26 So if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 12:27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 12:28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has already come on³⁰ you. 12:29 How³¹ else can someone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can thoroughly plunder the house. 12:30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 12:31For this reason I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 12:32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven.³² But anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven,³³ neither in this age nor the age to come.

12:33“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is known by its fruit.12:34Offspring of vipers! How are you able to say anything good, since you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart. 12:35 The good man³⁴ brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of an evil treasure. 12:36 I³⁵ tell you that on the day of judgment, people will give an account for every worthless word they speak. 12:37 For by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned.”

12:38 Then some of the experts in the law³⁶ along with some Pharisees³⁷ answered him,³⁸ “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” 12:39 But he answered them,³⁹ “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 12:40 For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish⁴⁰ for three days and three nights,⁴¹ so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.12:41 The people⁴² of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; yet⁴³ something greater than Jonah is here! 12:42 The Queen of the South will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; yet⁴⁴ something greater than Solomon is here!

12:43 “When⁴⁵ an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it travels through waterless places looking for rest, and does not find it.12:44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house that I came from.’ When it returns⁴⁶ it finds the house⁴⁷ empty, swept clean and put in order. 12:45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter in and live there; and the final condition of that person is worse than the first. It will be that way for this evil generation as well!”

12:46 While he was still speaking to the crowds,⁴⁸ his mother and brothers came and⁴⁹ stood outside, asking⁵⁰ to speak to him.12:47 Someone⁵¹ told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside wanting⁵² to speak to you.” 12:48 To the one who had said this, Jesus⁵³ replied,⁵⁴ “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” 12:49 And pointing⁵⁵ toward his disciples he said, “These⁵⁶ are my mother and my brothers!12:50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

13:1On that day after Jesus went out of the house he sat by the sea. 13:2And such a great crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat to sit while¹ the whole crowd stood on the shore. 13:3 He² told them many things in parables, saying: “Pay attention!³ A sower went out to sow. 13:4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the way, and the birds came and ate it up. 13:5 Other⁴ seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because it did not have enough depth of earth,13:6 but when the sun came up, it was scorched; and since it did not have a root, it withered. 13:7 Other⁵ seed fell among thorns, that grew up and choked it. 13:8 Other⁶ seed fell on good soil and it produced grain, some a hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty. 13:9The one who has ears, listen!”

13:10Then⁷ the disciples came to him and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 13:11He replied,⁸ “You have been given the opportunity to know the secrets⁹ of the kingdom of heaven, but they have not. 13:12 For whoever has will be given more, and will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.13:13 For this reason I speak to them in parables—that although they see they do not see and although they hear they do not hear nor do they understand.13:14 And concerning them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

‘You will listen carefully¹⁰ yet will never understand,
you will look closely¹¹ yet will never comprehend.
13:15 For the heart of this people has become dull;
they¹² are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes,
so that they would not see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’¹³

13:16“But your eyes are blessed because they see, and your ears because they hear. 13:17 I tell you the truth,¹⁴ many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

13:18“So listen to the parable of the sower:13:19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches what was sown in his heart; this is the seed sown along the way.13:20 What¹⁵ was sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word of God and immediately receives it with joy. 13:21But this one has no root and does not endure;¹⁶ when¹⁷ trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away. 13:22 What¹⁸ was sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but worldly cares and wealthy pleasures choke the word, so it produces nothing. 13:23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands. He bears fruit, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.”¹⁹

13:24 He gave them another parable:²⁰ “The kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed good seed in his field.13:25 But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed weeds²¹ among the wheat and went away.13:26 When²² the plants sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.13:27 So the slaves²³ of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’ 13:28 He²⁴ said, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So²⁵ the slaves²⁶ replied, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them?’ 13:29 But he said, ‘No, since in gathering the weeds you may uproot the wheat with them.13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At²⁷ harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned, but then²⁸ gather²⁹ the wheat into my barn.”’”

13:31 He gave³⁰ them another parable:³¹ “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed³² that a person took and sowed in his field. 13:32It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest garden plant and becomes a tree,³³ so that the birds of the sky³⁴ come and live in its branches.”

13:33He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and added to³⁵ three measures³⁶ of flour until all the dough had risen.”³⁷

13:34 Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the crowds; he did not speak to them without a parable. 13:35 This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet:³⁸

“I will open my mouth in parables,
I will announce what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.”³⁹

13:36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 13:37 He⁴⁰ answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.13:38 The⁴¹ field is the world and the good seed are the people⁴² of the kingdom. The⁴³ weeds are the people⁴⁴ of the evil one, 13:39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The⁴⁵ harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.13:40 As⁴⁶ the weeds are collected and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age.13:41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everything that causes sin as well as all lawbreakers.⁴⁷ 13:42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace,⁴⁸ where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13:43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.⁴⁹ The one who has ears, listen!

13:44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, hidden in a field, thata person found and hid. Then because of joy he went and sold all that he had and bought that field.

13:45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. 13:46 When⁵⁰ he found a pearl of great value, he went out and sold everything he had and bought it.

13:47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea that caught all kinds of fish. 13:48 When it was full, they pulled it ashore, sat down, and put the good fish into containers and threw the bad away. 13:49 It will be this way at the end of the age. Angels will come and separate the evil from the righteous 13:50 and throw them into the fiery furnace,⁵¹ where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

13:51 “Have you understood all these things?” They replied, “Yes.”13:52 Then he said to them, “Therefore every expert in the law⁵² who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his treasure what is new and old.”

13:53 Now when⁵³ Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there.13:54 Then he⁵⁴ came to his hometown and taught them in their synagogue.⁵⁵ They⁵⁶ were amazed and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers? 13:55 Isn’t he the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother called Mary? And aren’t his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 13:56 And aren’t all his sisters here with us? Where then did he get these things?” 13:57And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own hometown and in his own house.”13:58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

14:1At that time Herod the tetrarch¹ heard reports about Jesus, 14:2 and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead! And for this reason powers are at work in him.”14:3(Now Herod had arrested John, bound him,² and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife; 14:4 for John had repeatedly told³ him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”)⁴ 14:5 Although⁵ he wanted to kill John, he feared the crowd, because they accepted him as a prophet. 14:6 But on Herod’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod, 14:7 so much that he promised with an oath⁶ to give her whatever she asked. 14:8 Instructed⁷ by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” 14:9 The king