Luke 1:26-7:50

New King James Version

Christ’s Birth Announced to Mary

²⁶Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin ^(A)betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And having come in, the angel said to her, ^(B)“Rejoice, highly favored one, ^(C)the Lord is with you; ^[a]blessed are you among women!”

²⁹But ^[b]when she saw him, ^(D)she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. ³⁰Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found ^(E)favor with God. ³¹^(F)And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and ^(G)shall call His name Jesus. ³²He will be great, ^(H)and will be called the Son of the Highest; and ^(I)the Lord God will give Him the ^(J)throne of His ^(K)father David. ³³^(L)And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

³⁴Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I ^[c]do not know a man?”

³⁵And the angel answered and said to her, ^(M)“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called ^(N)the Son of God. ³⁶Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. ³⁷For ^(O)with God nothing will be impossible.”

³⁸Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, ^(P)to a city of Judah, ⁴⁰and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was ^(Q)filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴²Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, ^(R)“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. ⁴⁵^(S)Blessed is she who ^[d]believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

The Song of Mary

⁴⁶And Mary said:

^(T)“My soul ^[e]magnifies the Lord,
⁴⁷And my spirit has ^(U)rejoiced in ^(V)God my Savior.
⁴⁸For ^(W)He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth ^(X)all generations will call me blessed.
⁴⁹For He who is mighty ^(Y)has done great things for me,
And ^(Z)holy is His name.
⁵⁰And ^(AA)His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
⁵¹^(AB)He has shown strength with His arm;
^(AC)He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
⁵²^(AD)He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
⁵³He has ^(AE)filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
⁵⁴He has helped His ^(AF)servant Israel,
^(AG)In remembrance of His mercy,
⁵⁵^(AH)As He spoke to our ^(AI)fathers,
To Abraham and to his ^(AJ)seed forever.”

⁵⁶And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.

Birth of John the Baptist

⁵⁷Now Elizabeth’s full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. ⁵⁸When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they ^(AK)rejoiced with her.

Circumcision of John the Baptist

⁵⁹So it was, ^(AL)on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. ⁶⁰His mother answered and said, ^(AM)“No; he shall be called John.”

⁶¹But they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” ⁶²So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called.

⁶³And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, “His name is John.” So they all marveled. ⁶⁴Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God. ⁶⁵Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. ⁶⁶And all those who heard them ^(AN)kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be?” And ^(AO)the hand of the Lord was with him.

Zacharias’ Prophecy

⁶⁷Now his father Zacharias ^(AP)was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

⁶⁸“Blessed^(AQ) is the Lord God of Israel,
For ^(AR)He has visited and redeemed His people,
⁶⁹^(AS)And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of His servant David,
⁷⁰^(AT)As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets,
Who have been ^(AU)since the world began,
⁷¹That we should be saved from our enemies
And from the hand of all who hate us,
⁷²^(AV)To perform the mercy promised to our fathers
And to remember His holy covenant,
⁷³^(AW)The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:
⁷⁴To grant us that we,
Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
Might ^(AX)serve Him without fear,
⁷⁵^(AY)In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.

⁷⁶“And you, child, will be called the ^(AZ)prophet of the Highest;
For ^(BA)you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,
⁷⁷To give ^(BB)knowledge of salvation to His people
By the remission of their sins,
⁷⁸Through the tender mercy of our God,
With which the ^[f]Dayspring from on high ^[g]has visited us;
⁷⁹^(BC)To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To ^(BD)guide our feet into the way of peace.”

⁸⁰So ^(BE)the child grew and became strong in spirit, and ^(BF)was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

Christ Born of Mary^(BG)

2 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ²^(BH)This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. ³So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

⁴Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to ^(BI)the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, ^(BJ)because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵to be registered with Mary, ^(BK)his betrothed ^[h]wife, who was with child. ⁶So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. ⁷And ^(BL)she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a ^[i]manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Glory in the Highest

⁸Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And ^[j]behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, ^(BM)and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰Then the angel said to them, ^(BN)“Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy ^(BO)which will be to all people. ¹¹^(BP)For there is born to you this day in the city of David ^(BQ)a Savior, ^(BR)who is Christ the Lord. ¹²And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a ^[k]manger.”

¹³^(BS)And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

¹⁴“Glory^(BT) to God in the highest,
And on earth ^(BU)peace, ^(BV)goodwill^[l] toward men!”

¹⁵So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. ¹⁷Now when they had seen Him, they made ^[m]widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. ¹⁸And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹^(BW)But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and ^(BX)praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Circumcision of Jesus

²¹^(BY)And when eight days were completed ^[n]for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called ^(BZ)Jesus, the name given by the angel ^(CA)before He was conceived in the womb.

Jesus Presented in the Temple

²²Now when ^(CB)the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord ²³^(CC)(as it is written in the law of the Lord, ^(CD)“Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), ²⁴and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, ^(CE)“A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

Simeon Sees God’s Salvation

²⁵And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, ^(CF)waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not ^(CG)see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷So he came ^(CH)by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, ²⁸he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:

²⁹“Lord, ^(CI)now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
³⁰For my eyes ^(CJ)have seen Your salvation
³¹Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
³²^(CK)A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”

³³^[o]And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. ³⁴Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the ^(CL)fall and rising of many in Israel, and for ^(CM)a sign which will be spoken against ³⁵(yes, ^(CN)a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Anna Bears Witness to the Redeemer

³⁶Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of ^(CO)Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; ³⁷and this woman was a widow ^[p]of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers ^(CP)night and day. ³⁸And coming in that instant she gave thanks to ^[q]the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who ^(CQ)looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

The Family Returns to Nazareth

³⁹So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. ⁴⁰^(CR)And the Child grew and became strong ^[r]in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

The Boy Jesus Amazes the Scholars

⁴¹His parents went to ^(CS)Jerusalem ^(CT)every year at the Feast of the Passover. ⁴²And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the ^(CU)custom of the feast. ⁴³When they had finished the ^(CV)days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And ^[s]Joseph and His mother did not know it; ⁴⁴but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. ⁴⁵So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. ⁴⁶Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷And ^(CW)all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. ⁴⁸So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”

⁴⁹And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be ^(CX)about ^(CY)My Father’s business?” ⁵⁰But ^(CZ)they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.

Jesus Advances in Wisdom and Favor

⁵¹Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was ^[t]subject to them, but His mother ^(DA)kept all these things in her heart. ⁵²And Jesus ^(DB)increased in wisdom and stature, ^(DC)and in favor with God and men.

John the Baptist Prepares the Way^(DD)

3 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, ^(DE)Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, ²^[u]while ^(DF)Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to ^(DG)John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. ³^(DH)And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance ^(DI)for the remission of sins, ⁴as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:

^(DJ)“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.
⁵Every valley shall be filled
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough ways smooth;
⁶And ^(DK)all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”

John Preaches to the People^(DL)

⁷Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, ^(DM)“Brood^[v] of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸Therefore bear fruits ^(DN)worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. ⁹And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore ^(DO)every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

¹⁰So the people asked him, saying, ^(DP)“What shall we do then?”

¹¹He answered and said to them, ^(DQ)“He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, ^(DR)let him do likewise.”

¹²Then ^(DS)tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”

¹³And he said to them, ^(DT)“Collect no more than what is appointed for you.”

¹⁴Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?”

So he said to them, “Do not ^[w]intimidate anyone ^(DU)or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”

¹⁵Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, ¹⁶John answered, saying to all, ^(DV)“I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will ^(DW)baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and ^(DX)gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”

¹⁸And with many other exhortations he preached to the people. ¹⁹^(DY)But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his ^[x]brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, ²⁰also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.

John Baptizes Jesus^(DZ)

²¹When all the people were baptized, ^(EA)it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. ²²And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am ^(EB)well pleased.”

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ^(EC)

²³Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at ^(ED)about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) ^(EE)the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, ²⁴the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph, ²⁵the son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, ²⁶the son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah, ²⁷the son of Joannas, the son of Rhesa, the son of ^(EF)Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, ²⁸the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er, ²⁹the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, ³⁰the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim, ³¹the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of ^(EG)Nathan, ^(EH)the son of David, ³²^(EI)the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, ³³the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, ³⁴the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, ^(EJ)the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, ³⁵the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, ³⁶^(EK)the son of Cainan, the son of ^(EL)Arphaxad, ^(EM)the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, ³⁷the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, ³⁸the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, ^(EN)the son of God.

Satan Tempts Jesus^(EO)

4 Then ^(EP)Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and ^(EQ)was led by the Spirit ^[y]into the wilderness, ²being ^[z]tempted for forty days by the devil. And ^(ER)in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.

³And the devil said to Him, “If You are ^(ES)the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

⁴But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ^(ET)‘Man shall not live by bread alone, ^[aa]but by every word of God.’ ”

⁵^[ab]Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. ⁶And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for ^(EU)this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. ⁷Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”

⁸And Jesus answered and said to him, ^[ac]“Get behind Me, Satan! ^[ad]For it is written, ^(EV)‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

⁹^(EW)Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. ¹⁰For it is written:

^(EX)‘He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you,’

¹¹and,

^(EY)‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

¹²And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ^(EZ)‘You shall not ^[ae]tempt the Lord your God.’ ”

¹³Now when the devil had ended every ^[af]temptation, he departed from Him ^(FA)until an opportune time.

Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry^(FB)

¹⁴^(FC)Then Jesus returned ^(FD)in the power of the Spirit to ^(FE)Galilee, and ^(FF)news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. ¹⁵And He ^(FG)taught in their synagogues, ^(FH)being glorified by all.

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth^(FI)

¹⁶So He came to ^(FJ)Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, ^(FK)He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. ¹⁷And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

¹⁸“The^(FL) Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me ^[ag]to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To ^(FM)set at liberty those who are ^[ah]oppressed;
¹⁹To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

²⁰Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. ²¹And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is ^(FN)fulfilled in your hearing.” ²²So all bore witness to Him, and ^(FO)marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, ^(FP)“Is this not Joseph’s son?”

²³He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in ^(FQ)Capernaum,^[ai] do also here in ^(FR)Your country.’ ” ²⁴Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no ^(FS)prophet is accepted in his own country. ²⁵But I tell you truly, ^(FT)many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; ²⁶but to none of them was Elijah sent except to ^[aj]Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. ²⁷^(FU)And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”

²⁸So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were ^(FV)filled with ^[ak]wrath, ²⁹^(FW)and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. ³⁰Then ^(FX)passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

Jesus Casts Out an Unclean Spirit^(FY)

³¹Then ^(FZ)He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. ³²And they were ^(GA)astonished at His teaching, ^(GB)for His word was with authority. ³³^(GC)Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, ³⁴saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? ^(GD)I know who You are—^(GE)the Holy One of God!”

³⁵But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ^[al]“Be quiet, and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him. ³⁶Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, “What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” ³⁷And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

Peter’s Mother-in-Law Healed^(GF)

³⁸^(GG)Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. But Simon’s wife’s mother was ^[am]sick with a high fever, and they ^(GH)made request of Him concerning her. ³⁹So He stood over her and ^(GI)rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them.

Many Healed After Sabbath Sunset^(GJ)

⁴⁰^(GK)When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. ⁴¹^(GL)And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, ^(GM)“You are ^[an]the Christ, the Son of God!”

And He, ^(GN)rebuking them, did not allow them to ^[ao]speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.

Jesus Preaches in Galilee^(GO)

⁴²^(GP)Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; ⁴³but He said to them, “I must ^(GQ)preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.” ⁴⁴^(GR)And He was preaching in the synagogues of ^[ap]Galilee.

Four Fishermen Called as Disciples^(GS)

5 So ^(GT)it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to ^(GU)hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, ²and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. ³Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He ^(GV)sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.

⁴When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, ^(GW)“Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

⁵But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught ^(GX)nothing; nevertheless ^(GY)at Your word I will let down the net.” ⁶And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. ⁷So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. ⁸When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ^(GZ)“Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

⁹For he and all who were with him were ^(HA)astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; ¹⁰and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. ^(HB)From now on you will catch men.” ¹¹So when they had brought their boats to land, ^(HC)they ^[aq]forsook all and followed Him.

Jesus Cleanses a Leper^(HD)

¹²^(HE)And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of ^(HF)leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and ^[ar]implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

¹³Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” ^(HG)Immediately the leprosy left him. ¹⁴^(HH)And He charged him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, ^(HI)just as Moses commanded.”

¹⁵However, ^(HJ)the report went around concerning Him all the more; and ^(HK)great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. ¹⁶^(HL)So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and ^(HM)prayed.

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralytic^(HN)

¹⁷Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present ^[as]to heal them. ¹⁸^(HO)Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. ¹⁹And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst ^(HP)before Jesus.

²⁰When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”

²¹^(HQ)And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? ^(HR)Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

²²But when Jesus ^(HS)perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? ²³Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? ²⁴But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, ^(HT)“I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”

²⁵Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, ^(HU)glorifying God. ²⁶And they were all amazed, and they ^(HV)glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!”

Matthew the Tax Collector^(HW)

²⁷^(HX)After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, ^(HY)“Follow Me.” ²⁸So he left all, rose up, and ^(HZ)followed Him.

²⁹^(IA)Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And ^(IB)there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. ³⁰^[at]And their scribes and the Pharisees ^[au]complained against His disciples, saying, ^(IC)“Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

³¹Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ³²^(ID)I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Jesus Is Questioned About Fasting^(IE)

³³Then they said to Him, ^(IF)“Why^[av] do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?”

³⁴And He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the ^(IG)bridegroom is with them? ³⁵But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.”

³⁶^(IH)Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one ^[aw]puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. ³⁷And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. ³⁸But new wine must be put into new wineskins, ^[ax]and both are preserved. ³⁹And no one, having drunk old wine, ^[ay]immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is ^[az]better.’ ”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath^(II)

6 Now ^(IJ)it happened ^[ba]on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. ²And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing ^(IK)what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”

³But Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read this, ^(IL)what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: ⁴how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, ^(IM)which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?” ⁵And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

Healing on the Sabbath^(IN)

⁶^(IO)Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. ⁷So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would ^(IP)heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an ^(IQ)accusation against Him. ⁸But He ^(IR)knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Arise and stand here.” And he arose and stood. ⁹Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: ^(IS)Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or ^[bb]to destroy?” ¹⁰And when He had looked around at them all, He said to ^[bc]the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored ^[bd]as whole as the other. ¹¹But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

The Twelve Apostles^(IT)

¹²Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in ^(IU)prayer to God. ¹³And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; ^(IV)and from them He chose ^(IW)twelve whom He also named apostles: ¹⁴Simon, ^(IX)whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; ¹⁵Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; ¹⁶Judas ^(IY)the son of James, and ^(IZ)Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.

Jesus Heals a Great Multitude^(JA)

¹⁷And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples ^(JB)and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, ¹⁸as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. ¹⁹And the whole multitude ^(JC)sought to ^(JD)touch Him, for ^(JE)power went out from Him and healed them all.

The Beatitudes^(JF)

²⁰Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:

^(JG)“Blessed are you poor,
For yours is the kingdom of God.
²¹^(JH)Blessed are you who hunger now,
For you shall be ^(JI)filled.^[be]
^(JJ)Blessed are you who weep now,
For you shall ^(JK)laugh.
²²^(JL)Blessed are you when men hate you,
And when they ^(JM)exclude you,
And revile you, and cast out your name as evil,
For the Son of Man’s sake.
²³^(JN)Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!
For indeed your reward is great in heaven,
For ^(JO)in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.

Jesus Pronounces Woes

²⁴“But^(JP) woe to you ^(JQ)who are rich,
For ^(JR)you have received your consolation.
²⁵^(JS)Woe to you who are full,
For you shall hunger.
^(JT)Woe to you who laugh now,
For you shall mourn and ^(JU)weep.
²⁶^(JV)Woe ^[bf]to you when ^[bg]all men speak well of you,
For so did their fathers to the false prophets.

Love Your Enemies^(JW)

²⁷^(JX)“But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸^(JY)bless those who curse you, and ^(JZ)pray for those who spitefully use you. ²⁹^(KA)To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. ^(KB)And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. ³⁰^(KC)Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. ³¹^(KD)And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.

³²^(KE)“But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴^(KF)And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. ³⁵But ^(KG)love your enemies, ^(KH)do good, and ^(KI)lend, ^[bh]hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and ^(KJ)you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. ³⁶^(KK)Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

Do Not Judge^(KL)

³⁷^(KM)“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. ^(KN)Forgive, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸^(KO)Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your ^(KP)bosom. For ^(KQ)with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

³⁹And He spoke a parable to them: ^(KR)“Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? ⁴⁰^(KS)A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. ⁴¹^(KT)And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? ⁴²Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit^(KU)

⁴³^(KV)“For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. ⁴⁴For ^(KW)every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. ⁴⁵^(KX)A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil ^[bi]treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out ^(KY)of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Build on the Rock^(KZ)

⁴⁶^(LA)“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? ⁴⁷^(LB)Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: ⁴⁸He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was ^[bj]founded on the rock. ⁴⁹But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it ^[bk]fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”

Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant^(LC)

7 Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He ^(LD)entered Capernaum. ²And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. ³So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. ⁴And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, ⁵“for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.”

⁶Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. ⁷Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But ^(LE)say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁸For I also am a man placed under ^(LF)authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

⁹When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” ¹⁰And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well ^[bl]who had been sick.

Jesus Raises the Son of the Widow of Nain

¹¹Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. ¹²And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. ¹³When the Lord saw her, He had ^(LG)compassion on her and said to her, ^(LH)“Do not weep.” ¹⁴Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, ^(LI)arise.” ¹⁵So he who was dead ^(LJ)sat up and began to speak. And He ^(LK)presented him to his mother.

¹⁶^(LL)Then fear ^[bm]came upon all, and they ^(LM)glorified God, saying, ^(LN)“A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, ^(LO)“God has visited His people.” ¹⁷And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.

John the Baptist Sends Messengers to Jesus^(LP)

¹⁸^(LQ)Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things. ¹⁹And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to ^[bn]Jesus, saying, “Are You ^(LR)the Coming One, or ^[bo]do we look for another?”

²⁰When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ ” ²¹And that very hour He cured many of ^[bp]infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.

²²^(LS)Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: ^(LT)that the blind ^(LU)see, the lame ^(LV)walk, the lepers are ^(LW)cleansed, the deaf ^(LX)hear, the dead are raised, ^(LY)the poor have the gospel preached to them. ²³And blessed is he who is not ^[bq]offended because of Me.”

²⁴^(LZ)When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ²⁵But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. ²⁶But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. ²⁷This is he of whom it is written:

^(MA)‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before You.’

²⁸For I say to you, among those born of women there is ^[br]not a ^(MB)greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

²⁹And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors ^[bs]justified God, ^(MC)having been baptized with the baptism of John. ³⁰But the Pharisees and ^[bt]lawyers rejected ^(MD)the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.

³¹^[bu]And the Lord said, ^(ME)“To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like? ³²They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:

‘We played the flute for you,
And you did not dance;
We mourned to you,
And you did not weep.’

³³For ^(MF)John the Baptist came ^(MG)neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ ³⁴The Son of Man has come ^(MH)eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a ^[bv]winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ³⁵^(MI)But wisdom is justified by all her children.”

A Sinful Woman Forgiven

³⁶^(MJ)Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. ³⁷And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, ³⁸and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. ³⁹Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, ^(MK)“This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”

⁴⁰And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”

So he said, “Teacher, say it.”

⁴¹“There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred ^(ML)denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴²And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”

⁴³Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”

And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” ⁴⁴Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no ^(MM)water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. ⁴⁵You gave Me no ^(MN)kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. ⁴⁶^(MO)You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. ⁴⁷^(MP)Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”