Matthew 1-15

New Life Version

The Families Jesus Came Through ^(A)

1 These are the families through which Jesus Christ came. He came through David and Abraham. ² Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. ³ Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah. Their mother was Tamar. Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father of Aram. ⁴ Aram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon. ⁵ Salmon was the father of Boaz. The mother of Boaz was Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed. The mother of Obed was Ruth. Obed was the father of Jesse. ⁶ Jesse was the father of David the king.

King David was the father of Solomon. His mother had been the wife of Uriah. ⁷ Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam was the father of Abijah. Abijah was the father of Asa. ⁸ Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was the father of Joram. Joram was the father of Uzziah. ⁹ Uzziah was the father of Jotham. Jotham was the father of Ahaz. Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah. ¹⁰ Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh. Manasseh was the father of Amon. Amon was the father of Josiah. ¹¹ Josiah was the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time the people were taken to Babylon.

¹² After they were taken to the city of Babylon, Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel. ¹³ Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud. Abiud was the father of Eliakim. Eliakim was the father of Azor. ¹⁴ Azor was the father of Zadok. Zadok was the father of Achim. Achim was the father of Eliud. ¹⁵ Eliud was the father of Eleazar. Eleazar was the father of Matthan. Matthan was the father of Jacob. ¹⁶ Jacob was the father of Joseph. Joseph was the husband of Mary. She was the mother of Jesus Who is called the Christ. ¹⁷ So the number of families from Abraham to David was fourteen. The number of families from David to the time the people were taken to Babylon was fourteen. The number of families after they were taken to Babylon to the birth of Jesus Christ was fourteen.

The Birth of Jesus ^(B)

¹⁸ The birth of Jesus Christ was like this: Mary His mother had been promised in marriage to Joseph. Before they were married, it was learned that she was to have a baby by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Joseph was her promised husband. He was a good man and did not want to make it hard for Mary in front of people. He thought it would be good to break the promised marriage without people knowing it. ²⁰ While he was thinking about this, an angel of the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She is to become a mother by the Holy Spirit. ²¹ A Son will be born to her. You will give Him the name Jesus because He will save His people from the punishment of their sins.”

²² This happened as the Lord said it would happen through the early preacher. ²³ He said, “The young woman, who has never had a man, will give birth to a Son. They will give Him the name Immanuel. This means God with us.” ^{(C) 24} Joseph awoke from his sleep. He did what the angel of the Lord told him to do. He took Mary as his wife. ²⁵ But he did not have her, as a husband has a wife, until she gave birth to a Son. Joseph gave Him the name Jesus.

Wise Men Visit the Young Child Jesus

2 Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in the country of Judea. It was the time when Herod was king of that part of the country. Soon after Jesus was born, some wise men who learned things from stars came to Jerusalem from the East. ² They asked, “Where is the King of the Jews Who has been born? We have seen His star in the East. We have come to worship Him.”

³ King Herod heard this. He and all the people of Jerusalem were worried. ⁴ He called together all the religious leaders of the Jews and the teachers of the Law. Herod asked them where Christ was to be born. ⁵ They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea. The early preacher wrote, ⁶ ‘You, Bethlehem of Judah, are not the least of the leaders of Judah. Out of you will come a King Who will lead My people the Jews.’” ^(D)

⁷ Then Herod had a secret meeting with the men who learned things from stars. He asked them about what time the star had been seen. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and find the young Child. When you find Him, let me know. Then I can go and worship Him also.”

⁹ After the king had spoken, they went on their way. The star they had seen in the East went before them. It came and stopped over the place where the young Child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were filled with much joy.

¹¹ They went into the house and found the young Child with Mary, His mother. Then they got down before Him and worshiped Him. They opened their bags of riches and gave Him gifts of gold and perfume and spices. ¹² Then God spoke to them in a dream. He told them not to go back to Herod. So they went to their own country by another road.

Joseph Goes to Egypt

¹³ When they had gone, an angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream. He said, “Get up. Take the young Child and His mother to the country of Egypt. Go as fast as you can! Stay there until you hear from Me. Herod is going to look for the young Child to kill Him.” ¹⁴ During the night he got up and left with the young Child and His mother for Egypt. ¹⁵ He stayed there until Herod died. This happened as the Lord had said through an early preacher, “I called My Son out of Egypt.” ^(E)

Herod Had All the Young Boys Killed

¹⁶ Herod learned that the wise men had fooled him. He was very angry. He sent men to kill all the young boys two years old and under in Bethlehem and in all the country near by. He decided to do this from what he had heard from the wise men as to the time when the star was seen. ¹⁷ Then it happened as the early preacher Jeremiah said it would happen. ¹⁸ He said, “The sound of crying and much sorrow was heard in Ramah. Rachel was crying for her children. She would not be comforted because they were dead.” ^(F)

Joseph Goes from Egypt to Nazareth ^(G)

¹⁹ After Herod died, an angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream while he was in Egypt. ²⁰ He said, “Get up. Take the young Child and His mother and go into the land of the Jews. Those who tried to kill the young Child are dead.” ²¹ Joseph got up. He took the young Child and His mother and came into the land of the Jews. ²² Joseph heard that Archelaus was the king of the country of Judea. Herod, the father of Archelaus, had died. Joseph was afraid to go there. God told him in a dream to go to the country of Galilee and he went. ²³ Joseph stayed in a town called Nazareth. It happened as the early preachers said it would happen. They said, “Jesus will be called a Nazarene.”

John the Baptist Makes the Way Ready for Jesus ^(H)

3 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the desert in the country of Judea. ² He said, “Be sorry for your sins and turn from them! The holy nation of heaven is near.” ³ The early preacher Isaiah spoke of this man. He said, “Listen! His voice calls out in the desert! ‘Make the way ready for the Lord. Make the road straight for Him!’” ^(I)

⁴ John wore clothes made of hair from camels. He had a leather belt around him. His food was locusts and wild honey.

⁵ Then the people of Jerusalem and of all the country of Judea and those from near the Jordan River went to him. ⁶ Those who told of their sins were baptized by him in the Jordan River. ⁷ He saw many proud religious law-keepers and other people of the religious group who believe no one will be raised from the dead. They were coming to him to be baptized. He said to them, “You family of snakes! Who told you how to keep from God’s anger that is coming? ⁸ Do something to show me that your hearts are changed. ⁹ Do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God can make children for Abraham out of these stones.

¹⁰ “Even now the ax is on the root of the trees. Every tree that does not give good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ¹¹ For sure, I baptize with water those who are sorry for their sins and turn from them. The One Who comes after me will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He is greater than I. I am not good enough to take off His shoes. ¹² He comes ready to clean the grain. He will gather the grain in and clean it all. The clean grain He will put into a building. He will burn that which is no good with a fire that cannot be put out.”

The Baptism of Jesus ^(J)

¹³ Jesus came from Galilee. He went to John at the Jordan River to be baptized by him. ¹⁴ John tried to stop Him. He said, “I need to be baptized by You. Do You come to me?” ¹⁵ Jesus said to him, “Let it be done now. We should do what is right.” John agreed and baptized Jesus. ¹⁶ When Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens opened. He saw the Spirit of God coming down and resting on Jesus like a dove. ¹⁷ A voice was heard from heaven. It said, “This is My much-loved Son. I am very happy with Him.”

Jesus Was Tempted ^(K)

4 Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to a desert. There He was tempted by the devil. ² Jesus went without food for forty days and forty nights. After that He was hungry. ³ The devil came tempting Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to be made into bread.” ⁴ But Jesus said, “It is written, ‘Man is not to live on bread only. Man is to live by every word that God speaks.’” ^(L)

⁵ Then the devil took Jesus up to Jerusalem, the holy city. He had Jesus stand on the highest part of the house of God. ⁶ The devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. It is written, ‘He has told His angels to look after You. In their hands they will hold You up. Then Your foot will not hit against a stone.’” ^{(M) 7} Jesus said to the devil, “It is written also, ‘You must not tempt the Lord your God.’” ^(N)

⁸ Again the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain. He had Jesus look at all the nations of the world to see how great they were. ⁹ He said to Jesus, “I will give You all these nations if You will get down at my feet and worship me.” ¹⁰ Jesus said to the devil, “Get away, Satan. It is written, ‘You must worship the Lord your God. You must obey Him only.’” ^{(O) 11} Then the devil went away from Jesus. Angels came and cared for Him.

Jesus Preaches in Galilee ^(P)

¹² When Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been put in prison, He went to the country of Galilee. ¹³ He left Nazareth and went to live in the city of Capernaum. It is by the lake in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali.

¹⁴ This happened as the early preacher Isaiah said it would happen. He said, ¹⁵ “The land of Zebulun and Naphtali is along the road to the lake. It is on the other side of the Jordan River in Galilee. These people are not Jews. ¹⁶ The people who sat in darkness saw a great light. Light did shine on those in the land who were near death.” ^(Q)

¹⁷ From that time on, Jesus went about preaching. He said, “Be sorry for your sins and turn from them. The holy nation of heaven is near.”

Jesus Calls Peter and Andrew ^(R)

¹⁸ Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee. He saw two brothers. They were Simon (his other name was Peter) and Andrew, his brother. They were putting a net into the sea for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ Jesus said to them, “Follow Me. I will make you fish for men!” ²⁰ At once they left their nets and followed Him.

²¹ Going from there, Jesus saw two other brothers. They were James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were sitting in a boat with their father, mending their nets. Jesus called them. ²² At once they left the boat and their father and followed Jesus.

Jesus Keeps On Preaching in Galilee ^(S)

²³ Jesus went over all Galilee. He taught in their places of worship and preached the Good News of the holy nation. He healed all kinds of sickness and disease among the people. ²⁴ The news about Him went over all the country of Syria. They brought all the sick people to Him with many kinds of diseases and pains. They brought to Him those who had demons. They brought those who at times lose the use of their minds. They brought those who could not use their hands and legs. He healed them. ²⁵ Many people followed Him from Galilee and Judea. They followed Him from the cities of Decapolis and Jerusalem. They followed Him from Judea and from the other side of the Jordan River.

Jesus Teaches on the Mountain ^(T)

5 Jesus saw many people. He went up on the mountain and sat down. His followers came to Him. ² He began to teach them, saying, ³ “Those who know there is nothing good in themselves are happy, because the holy nation of heaven is theirs. ⁴ Those who have sorrow are happy, because they will be comforted. ⁵ Those who have no pride in their hearts are happy, because the earth will be given to them. ⁶ Those who are hungry and thirsty to be right with God are happy, because they will be filled. ⁷ Those who show loving-kindness are happy, because they will have loving-kindness shown to them. ⁸ Those who have a pure heart are happy, because they will see God. ⁹ Those who make peace are happy, because they will be called the sons of God. ¹⁰ Those who have it very hard for doing right are happy, because the holy nation of heaven is theirs. ¹¹ You are happy when people act and talk in a bad way to you and make it very hard for you and tell bad things and lies about you because you trust in Me. ¹² Be glad and full of joy because your reward will be much in heaven. They made it very hard for the early preachers who lived a long time before you.

Jesus Teaches about Salt and Light

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. If salt loses its taste, how can it be made to taste like salt again? It is no good. It is thrown away and people walk on it. ¹⁴ You are the light of the world. You cannot hide a city that is on a mountain. ¹⁵ Men do not light a lamp and put it under a basket. They put it on a table so it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light shine in front of men. Then they will see the good things you do and will honor your Father Who is in heaven.

Jesus Teaches about the Law

¹⁷ “Do not think that I have come to do away with the Law of Moses or the writings of the early preachers. I have not come to do away with them but to complete them. ¹⁸ I tell you, as long as heaven and earth last, not one small mark or part of a word will pass away of the Law of Moses until it has all been done. ¹⁹ Anyone who breaks even the least of the Law of Moses and teaches people not to do what it says, will be called the least in the holy nation of heaven. He who obeys and teaches others to obey what the Law of Moses says, will be called great in the holy nation of heaven. ²⁰ I tell you, unless you are more right with God than the teachers of the Law and the proud religious law-keepers, you will never get into the holy nation of heaven.

Jesus Teaches about Anger and Killing

²¹ “You have heard that men were told long ago, ‘You must not kill another person. If someone does kill, he will be guilty and will be punished for his wrong-doing.’ ²² But I tell you that whoever is angry with his brother will be guilty and have to suffer for his wrong-doing. Whoever says to his brother, ‘You have no brains,’ will have to stand in front of the court. Whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be sent to the fire of hell. ²³ If you take your gift to the altar and remember your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift on the altar. Go and make right what is wrong between you and him. Then come back and give your gift. ²⁵ Agree with the one who is against you while you are talking together, or he might take you to court. The court will hand you over to the police. You will be put in prison. ²⁶ For sure, I tell you, you will not be let out of prison until you have paid every piece of money of the fine.

Jesus Teaches about Husband and Wife

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said long ago, ‘You must not do sex sins.’ ²⁸ But I tell you, anyone who even looks at a woman with a sinful desire of wanting her has already sinned in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye is the reason you sin, take it out and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰ If your right hand is the reason you sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go to hell.

Jesus Teaches about Marriage

³¹ “It has been said, ‘Whoever wants to divorce his wife should have it put in writing, telling her he is leaving her.’ ³² But I tell you, whoever divorces his wife except if she has not been faithful to him, makes her guilty of a sex sin. Whoever marries a woman who has been divorced is guilty of a sex sin.

Jesus Teaches about What to Say

³³ “You have heard that it was said long ago, ‘You must not make a promise you cannot keep. You must carry out your promises to the Lord.’ ³⁴ I tell you, do not use strong words when you make a promise. Do not promise by heaven. It is the place where God is. ³⁵ Do not promise by earth. It is where He rests His feet. Do not promise by Jerusalem. It is the city of the great King. ³⁶ Do not promise by your head. You are not able to make one hair white or black. ³⁷ Let your yes be YES. Let your no be NO. Anything more than this comes from the devil.

Jesus Teaches about Fighting

³⁸ “You have heard that it has been said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹ But I tell you, do not fight with the man who wants to fight. Whoever hits you on the right side of the face, turn so he can hit the other side also. ⁴⁰ If any person takes you to court to get your shirt, give him your coat also. ⁴¹ Whoever makes you walk a short way, go with him twice as far. ⁴² Give to any person who asks you for something. Do not say no to the man who wants to use something of yours.

Jesus Teaches about Loving Those Who Hate You

⁴³ “You have heard that it has been said, ‘You must love your neighbor and hate those who hate you.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love those who hate you. (*Respect and give thanks for those who say bad things to you. Do good to those who hate you.) Pray for those who do bad things to you and who make it hard for you. ⁴⁵ Then you may be the sons of your Father Who is in heaven. His sun shines on bad people and on good people. He sends rain on those who are right with God and on those who are not right with God. ⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what reward can you expect from that? Do not even the tax-gatherers do that? ⁴⁷ If you say hello only to the people you like, are you doing any more than others? The people who do not know God do that much. ⁴⁸ You must be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Jesus Teaches on the Mountain about Helping Others

6 “Be sure you do not do good things in front of others just to be seen by them. If you do, you have no reward from your Father in heaven. ² When you give to the poor, do not be as those who pretend to be someone they are not. They blow a horn in the places of worship and in the streets so people may respect them. For sure, I tell you, they have all the reward they are going to get. ³ When you give, do not let your left hand know what your right hand gives. ⁴ Your giving should be in secret. Then your Father Who sees in secret will reward you.

Jesus Teaches about Prayer

⁵ “When you pray, do not be as those who pretend to be someone they are not. They love to stand and pray in the places of worship or in the streets so people can see them. For sure, I tell you, they have all the reward they are going to get. ⁶ When you pray, go into a room by yourself. After you have shut the door, pray to your Father Who is in secret. Then your Father Who sees in secret will reward you. ⁷ When you pray, do not say the same thing over and over again making long prayers like the people who do not know God. They think they are heard because their prayers are long. ⁸ Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

⁹ “Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, Your name is holy. ¹⁰ May Your holy nation come. What You want done, may it be done on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us the bread we need today. ¹² Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

¹³ ‘Do not let us be tempted, but keep us from sin. *Your nation is holy. You have power and shining-greatness forever. Let it be so.’

Jesus Teaches about Forgiveness

¹⁴ “If you forgive people their sins, your Father in heaven will forgive your sins also. ¹⁵ If you do not forgive people their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Jesus Teaches about Not Eating So You Can Pray Better

¹⁶ “When you go without food so you can pray better, do not be as those who pretend to be someone they are not. They make themselves look sad so people will see they are going with out food. For sure, I tell you, they have all the reward they are going to get. ¹⁷ When you go without food so you can pray better, put oil on your head and wash your face. ¹⁸ Then nobody knows you are going without food. Then your Father Who sees in secret will reward you.

Jesus Teaches about Having Riches

¹⁹ “Do not gather together for yourself riches of this earth. They will be eaten by bugs and become rusted. Men can break in and steal them. ²⁰ Gather together riches in heaven where they will not be eaten by bugs or become rusted. Men cannot break in and steal them. ²¹ For wherever your riches are, your heart will be there also. ²² The eye is the light of the body. If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ If your eye is bad, your whole body will be dark. If the light in you is dark, how dark it will be! ²⁴ No one can have two bosses. He will hate the one and love the other. Or he will listen to the one and work against the other. You cannot have both God and riches as your boss at the same time.

Jesus Teaches about Cares of Life

²⁵ “I tell you this: Do not worry about your life. Do not worry about what you are going to eat and drink. Do not worry about what you are going to wear. Is not life more important than food? Is not the body more important than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds in the sky. They do not plant seeds. They do not gather grain. They do not put grain into a building to keep. Yet your Father in heaven feeds them! Are you not more important than the birds? ²⁷ Which of you can make himself a little taller by worrying? ²⁸ Why should you worry about clothes? Think how the flowers grow. They do not work or make cloth. ²⁹ But I tell you that Solomon in all his greatness was not dressed as well as one of these flowers. ³⁰ God clothes the grass of the field. It lives today and is burned in the stove tomorrow. How much more will He give you clothes? You have so little faith! ³¹ Do not worry. Do not keep saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘What will we wear?’ ³² The people who do not know God are looking for all these things. Your Father in heaven knows you need all these things. ³³ First of all, look for the holy nation of God. Be right with Him. All these other things will be given to you also. ³⁴ Do not worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will have its own worries. The troubles we have in a day are enough for one day.

Jesus Teaches on the Mountain about Saying What Is Wrong in Others

7 “Do not say what is wrong in other people’s lives. Then other people will not say what is wrong in your life. ² You will be guilty of the same things you find in others. When you say what is wrong in others, your words will be used to say what is wrong in you. ³ Why do you look at the small piece of wood in your brother’s eye, and do not see the big piece of wood in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take that small piece of wood out of your eye,’ when there is a big piece of wood in your own eye? ⁵ You who pretend to be someone you are not, first take the big piece of wood out of your own eye. Then you can see better to take the small piece of wood out of your brother’s eye.

⁶ “Do not give that which belongs to God to dogs. Do not throw your pearls in front of pigs. They will break them under their feet. Then they will turn and tear you to pieces.

Jesus Teaches about Prayer

⁷ “Ask, and what you are asking for will be given to you. Look, and what you are looking for you will find. Knock, and the door you are knocking on will be opened to you. ⁸ Everyone who asks receives what he asks for. Everyone who looks finds what he is looking for. Everyone who knocks has the door opened to him. ⁹ What man among you would give his son a stone if he should ask for bread? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, would he give him a snake? ¹¹ You are bad and you know how to give good things to your children. How much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him?

Jesus Teaches about Others

¹² “Do for other people whatever you would like to have them do for you. This is what the Jewish Law and the early preachers said.

Jesus Teaches about Two Roads

¹³ “Go in through the narrow door. The door is wide and the road is easy that leads to hell. Many people are going through that door. ¹⁴ But the door is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life that lasts forever. Few people are finding it.

Jesus Teaches about False Teachers

¹⁵ “Watch out for false teachers. They come to you dressed as if they were sheep. On the inside they are hungry wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruit. Do men pick grapes from thorns? Do men pick figs from thistles? ¹⁷ It is true, every good tree has good fruit. Every bad tree has bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot have bad fruit. A bad tree cannot have good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not have good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ So you will know them by their fruit. ²¹ Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will go into the holy nation of heaven. The one who does the things My Father in heaven wants him to do will go into the holy nation of heaven. ²² Many people will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not preach in Your Name? Did we not put out demons in Your Name? Did we not do many powerful works in Your Name?’ ²³ Then I will say to them in plain words, ‘I never knew you. Go away from Me, you who do wrong!’

Jesus Teaches about Houses Built on Rock or Sand

²⁴ “Whoever hears these words of Mine and does them, will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. ²⁵ The rain came down. The water came up. The wind blew and hit the house. The house did not fall because it was built on rock. ²⁶ Whoever hears these words of Mine and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down. The water came up. The wind blew and hit the house. The house fell and broke apart.” ²⁸ Then Jesus finished talking. The people were surprised and wondered about His teaching. ²⁹ He was teaching them as One Who has the right and the power to teach. He did not teach as the teachers of the Law.

The Healing of a Man with a Bad Skin Disease ^(U)

8 Jesus came down from the mountain. Many people followed Him. ² A man with a bad skin disease came and got down before Him and worshiped Him. He said, “Lord, if You will, You can heal me!” ³ Then Jesus put His hand on him and said, “I will. You are healed!” At once the man was healed. ⁴ Jesus said to him, “Go now, but tell no one. Let the religious leader see you. Give the gift in worship that Moses told you to give. This will show them you have been healed.” ^(V)

Healing of the Captain’s Servant ^(W)

⁵ Jesus came to the city of Capernaum. A captain of the army came to Him. He asked for help, ⁶ saying, “Lord, my servant is sick in bed. He is not able to move his body. He is in much pain.” ⁷ Jesus said to the captain, “I will come and heal him.” ⁸ The captain said, “Lord, I am not good enough for You to come to my house. Only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ I am a man who works for someone else and I have men working under me. I say to this man, ‘Go!’ and he goes. I say to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”

¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, He was surprised and wondered about it. He said to those who followed Him, “For sure, I tell you, I have not found so much faith in the Jewish nation. ¹¹ I say to you, many people will come from the east and from the west. They will sit down with Abraham and with Isaac and with Jacob in the holy nation of heaven. ¹² But those who should have belonged to the holy nation of heaven will be thrown out into outer darkness, where there will be crying and grinding of teeth.” ¹³ Jesus said to the captain, “Go your way. It is done for you even as you had faith to believe.” The servant was healed at that time.

Peter’s Mother-In-Law Healed ^(X)

¹⁴ Jesus came to Peter’s house. He saw Peter’s wife’s mother in bed. She was very sick. ¹⁵ He touched her hand and the sickness left her. She got up and cared for Jesus.

Many People Are Healed ^(Y)

¹⁶ That evening they brought to Jesus many people who had demons in them. The demons were put out when Jesus spoke to them. All the sick people were healed. ¹⁷ It happened as the early preacher Isaiah said it would happen. He said, “He took on Himself our sickness and carried away our diseases.” ^(Z)

Testing Some Followers ^(AA)

¹⁸ Jesus saw many people and told them to go to the other side of the lake. ¹⁹ A teacher of the Law came to Jesus. He said, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” ²⁰ Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes. Birds have nests. But the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”

²¹ Another of His followers said to Him, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” ²² Jesus said to him, “Follow Me. Let the people who are dead bury their own dead.”

The Wind and Waves Obey Jesus ^(AB)

²³ Jesus got into a boat. His followers followed Him. ²⁴ At once a bad storm came over the lake. The waves were covering the boat. Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵ His followers went to Him and called, “Help us, Lord, or we will die!” ²⁶ He said to them, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then He stood up. He spoke sharp words to the wind and the waves. Then the wind stopped blowing. ²⁷ Then men were surprised and wondered about it. They said, “What kind of a man is He? Even the winds and the waves obey Him.”

Demons Ask Jesus to Let Them Live in Pigs ^(AC)

²⁸ Jesus came to the other side of the lake into the country of the Gadarenes. Two men came to Him from among the graves. They had demons in them and were very wild men. They were so bad that no one would go near them. ²⁹ They called out, saying, “What do You want of us, You Son of God? Have You come here to make us suffer before it is our time to suffer?”

³⁰ A long way from there many pigs were eating. ³¹ The demons begged Jesus, saying, “If You put us out, send us into the pigs.” ³² Jesus said to the demons, “Go!” They came out of the men and went into the pigs. At once the pigs ran down the mountain side. They fell into the water and died.

³³ The men who cared for the pigs ran fast into the city and told everything. They told what happened to the men who had the demons. ³⁴ Every person in the city came to meet Jesus. When they saw Jesus, they asked Him to leave their country.

The Healing of a Man Who Could Not Move His Body ^(AD)

9 Jesus got into a boat. He crossed over to the other side and came into His own city. ² They took a man to Him who was on his bed. This man was not able to move his body. Jesus saw their faith. He said, “Son, take hope. Your sins are forgiven.” ³ Some of the teachers of the Law said to themselves, “This man speaks as if He is God, but He is not!” ⁴ Jesus knew what they were thinking. He said, “Why do you think bad thoughts in your hearts? ⁵ Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’ ⁶ But this is to show you that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins.” He said to the sick man, “Get up! Take your bed and go home.” ⁷ He got up and went to his home. ⁸ All the people saw this. They were surprised and wondered about it. Then they gave thanks to God because He had given such power to men.

Jesus Calls Matthew ^(AE)

⁹ As Jesus went from there, He saw a man called Matthew. Matthew was sitting at his work gathering taxes. Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.” Matthew got up and followed Jesus. ¹⁰ Jesus ate in Matthew’s house. Many men who gathered taxes and many who were sinners came to Matthew’s house and sat down with Jesus and His followers. ¹¹ The proud religious law-keepers saw this. They said to the followers of Jesus, “Why does your Teacher eat with men who gather taxes and with sinners?” ¹² Jesus heard them and said, “People who are well do not need a doctor. ¹³ But go and understand these words, ‘I want loving-kindness and not a gift to be given.’ ^(AF) For I have not come to call good people. I have come to call those who are sinners.”

Jesus Teaches about Going without Food So You Can Pray Better ^(AG)

¹⁴ Then the followers of John the Baptist came to Jesus. They asked, “Why do we and the proud religious law-keepers many times go without food so we can pray better? But Your followers never go without food so they can pray better.” ¹⁵ Jesus said, “Can the friends at a wedding be sorry when the man just married is with them? But the days will come when the man just married will be taken from them. Then they will not eat food so they can pray better.

¹⁶ “No one sews a piece of new cloth on an old coat, because if the new piece pulls away, it makes the hole bigger. ¹⁷ Men do not put new wine into old skin bags. If they did, the skins would break and the wine would run out. The bags would be no good. They put new wine into new skin bags and both can be used.”

Two Healed Through Faith ^(AH)

¹⁸ While Jesus talked to them, a leader of the people came and got down before Him, and worshiped Him. He said, “My daughter has just died. But come, lay Your hand on her and she will live.” ¹⁹ Jesus got up and followed him. His followers went also. ²⁰ Just then a woman who had been sick with a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind. She touched the bottom of His coat. ²¹ She said to herself, “If I only touch the bottom of His coat, I will be healed.” ²² Then Jesus turned around. He saw her and said, “Daughter, take hope! Your faith has healed you.” At once the woman was healed.

²³ Jesus came into the leader’s house. He saw the people playing music and making much noise. ²⁴ He said to them, “Go now! For the girl is not dead, but is sleeping.” But they laughed at Him. ²⁵ He sent the people outside. Then He went in and took the girl’s hand. She was raised up. ²⁶ News of this went out into all the country.

The Healing of Two Blind Men

²⁷ Jesus went on from there. Two blind men followed Him. They called out, “Take pity on us, Son of David.” ²⁸ Jesus went into the house. The blind men came to Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do you have faith that I can do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Sir!” ²⁹ Then Jesus put His hands on their eyes and said, “You will have what you want because you have faith.” ³⁰ Their eyes were opened. Jesus told them to tell no one. ³¹ But when they had gone, they told about Him everywhere in the country.

³² As they went on their way, a man who had a demon and could not talk was brought to Jesus. ³³ When the demon was put out of him, the man was able to talk. Many people were surprised and wondered about it. They said, “We have never seen in the nation of the Jews like this.” ³⁴ But the proud religious law-keepers said, “He puts out demons by the help of the leader of the demons.”

³⁵ Jesus went on to all the towns and cities. He taught in their places of worship. He preached the Good News of the holy nation of God. He healed every sickness and disease the people had. ³⁶ As He saw many people, He had loving-pity on them. They were troubled and were walking around everywhere. They were like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then He said to His followers, “There is much grain ready to gather. But the workmen are few. ³⁸ Pray then to the Lord Who is the Owner of the grain fields that He will send workmen to gather His grain.”

Jesus Calls Twelve Followers and Sends Them Out ^(AI)

10 Jesus called His twelve followers to Him. He gave them power to put out demons and to heal all kinds of sickness and disease. ² These are the names of the twelve followers. There were Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John who were the sons of Zebedee. ³ There were Philip and Bartholomew and Thomas. There was Matthew, the man who gathered taxes. There were James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeaus, and ⁴ Simon the Canaanite. There was Judas Iscariot who handed Jesus over to be killed.

⁵ Jesus sent out these twelve followers. He told them to go, saying, “Stay away from people who are not Jews. And do not go to any town in the country of Samaria. ⁶ But go to the Jewish people who are lost. ⁷ As you go, preach. Say, ‘The holy nation of heaven is near.’ ⁸ Heal the sick and those with bad skin diseases. Raise the dead. Put out demons. You have received much, now give much. ⁹ Do not take gold or silver or brass money with you. ¹⁰ Do not take a bag of things for the trip. Do not take two coats or shoes or a walking stick. A workman should receive his food and what he needs.

¹¹ “When you come to a city or town, find a home that is respected and stay there until you leave. ¹² As you go into a house, tell them you hope good comes to them. ¹³ And if the house is respected, give them your good wishes. If it is not respected, let your good wishes come back to you. ¹⁴ Whoever does not receive you or does not listen to what you say, as you leave that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. ¹⁵ For sure, I tell you, it will be easier for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day men stand before God and are told they are guilty, than for that city.

¹⁶ “I am sending you out like sheep with wolves all around you. Be wise like snakes and gentle like doves. ¹⁷ But look out for men. They will take you up to their courts and they will hurt you in their places of worship. ¹⁸ They will take you in front of the leaders of the people and of the kings because of Me. You will tell them and the people who do not know God about Me. ¹⁹ When you are put into their hands, do not worry what you will say or how you will say it. The words will be given you when the time comes. ²⁰ It will not be you who will speak the words. The Spirit of your Father will speak through you.

²¹ “A brother will hand over a brother to be put to death. A father will hand over his child to be put to death. Children will hand over their parents to be put to death. ²² You will be hated by all people because of Me. But he who stays true to the end will be saved. ²³ When they make it hard for you in one town, go to another. For sure, I tell you, before you have gone through the Jewish cities, the Son of Man will come.

²⁴ “A follower is not greater than his teacher. A servant who is owned by someone is not greater than his owner. ²⁵ A follower should be happy to be as his teacher, and a servant who is owned by someone should be happy to be as his owner. If they have called the head of the house Satan, how much more will they speak against those of the house. ²⁶ Then do not be afraid of them. For nothing is covered up that will not be brought out into the light. There is nothing hid that will not be made known. ²⁷ You tell in the light what I tell you in the dark. You must speak with a loud voice from the roofs of houses what you have heard. ²⁸ Do not be afraid of them who kill the body. They are not able to kill the soul. But fear Him Who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two small birds sold for a very small piece of money? And yet not one of the birds falls to the earth without your Father knowing it. ³⁰ God knows how many hairs you have on your head. ³¹ So do not be afraid. You are more important than many small birds.

³² “Whoever makes Me known in front of men, I will make him known to My Father in heaven. ³³ But whoever does not make Me known in front of men and acts as if he does not know Me, I will not make him known to My Father in heaven.

³⁴ “Do not think I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ I came to turn a man against his father. I came to turn a daughter against her mother. I came to turn a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. ³⁶ A man will be hated by his own family.

Giving Up Things of This Earth ^(AJ)

³⁷ “He who loves his father and mother more than Me is not good enough for Me. He who loves son or daughter more than Me is not good enough for Me. ³⁸ He who does not take his cross and follow Me is not good enough for Me. ³⁹ He who wants to keep his life will have it taken away from him. He who loses his life because of Me will have it given back to him.

⁴⁰ “Whoever receives you, receives Me. Whoever receives Me, receives Him Who sent Me. ⁴¹ Whoever receives a preacher who speaks for God because he is a preacher, will get the reward of a preacher who speaks for God. Whoever receives a man right with God, because he is a man right with God, will get the reward of a man right with God. ⁴² For sure, I tell you, anyone who gives a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he follows Me, will not lose his reward.”

John the Baptist Asks about Jesus ^(AK)

11 When Jesus finished telling His twelve followers what to do, He went away from there to teach and preach in their towns.

² When John the Baptist was in prison, he heard what Jesus was doing. He sent his followers. ³ They asked, “Are You the One Who was to come, or should we look for another?” ⁴ Jesus said to them, “Go and tell John what you see and hear. ⁵ The blind are made to see. Those who could not walk are walking. Those who have had bad skin diseases are healed. Those who could not hear are hearing. The dead are raised up to life and the Good News is preached to poor people. ⁶ He is happy who is not ashamed of Me and does not turn away because of Me.”

Jesus Tells about John the Baptist ^(AL)

⁷ As the followers of John the Baptist went away, Jesus began to tell the people about John. He said, “What did you go out to see in the desert? A small tree shaking in the wind? ⁸ But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in good clothes? Those who are dressed in good clothes are in the houses of kings. ⁹ What did you go out to see? One who speaks for God? Yes, I tell you, he is more than one who speaks for God. ¹⁰ This is the man the Holy Writings spoke of when they said, ‘See! I will send My helper to carry news ahead of You. He will make Your way ready for You!’ ^{(AM) 11} For sure, I tell you, of those born of women, there is no one greater than John the Baptist. The least in the holy nation of heaven is greater than he. ¹² From the days of John the Baptist until now, the holy nation of heaven has suffered very much. Fighting men try to take it. ¹³ All the early preachers and the Law told about it until the time of John. ¹⁴ And if you will believe it, he is Elijah who was to come. ^{(AN) 15} You have ears, then listen!

Jesus Speaks Against Cities in Galilee

¹⁶ “What are the people of this day like? They are like children playing in the center of town where people gather. They call to their friends. ¹⁷ They say, ‘We played music for you, but you did not dance. We showed sorrow in front of you, but you did not show sorrow.’ ¹⁸ John came and did not eat or drink. They said, ‘He has a demon.’ ¹⁹ Then the Son of Man came and ate and drank. They said, ‘See! He eats too much and likes wine. He is a friend of men who gather taxes and of sinners!’ But wisdom shows itself to be right by what it does.”

²⁰ Then He began to say strong words against the cities where most of His powerful works were done. He spoke to them because they were not sorry for their sins and did not turn from them. ²¹ “It is bad for you, city of Chorazin! It is bad for you, town of Bethsaida! For if the powerful works which were done in you had been done in the cities of Tyre and Sidon, they would have turned from their sins long ago. They would have shown their sorrow by putting on clothes made from hair and would have sat in ashes. ²² I tell you, it will be better for Tyre and Sidon on the day men stand before God and are told they are guilty, than for you.

²³ “And Capernaum, are you to be lifted up into heaven? You will be taken down to hell. If the powerful works which were done in you had been done in the city of Sodom, it would be here to this day. ²⁴ But I say to you that it will be better for the land of Sodom on the day men stand before God and are told they are guilty, than for you.”

Jesus Prays to His Father

²⁵ At that time Jesus said, “Thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You hid these things from the wise and from those who have much learning. You have shown them to little children. ²⁶ Yes, Father, it was good in Your sight.

²⁷ “Everything has been given to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son but the Father. No one knows the Father but the Son, and those to whom the Son wants to make the Father known.

Jesus Calls People to Follow Him

²⁸ “Come to Me, all of you who work and have heavy loads. I will give you rest. ²⁹ Follow My teachings and learn from Me. I am gentle and do not have pride. You will have rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My way of carrying a load is easy and My load is not heavy.”

Jesus Teaches about the Day of Rest ^(AO)

12 At that time Jesus walked through the grain-fields on the Day of Rest. His followers were hungry and began to pick off grain to eat. ² The proud religious law-keepers saw this. They said to Jesus, “See! Your followers do what the Law says not to do on the Day of Rest.” ³ He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his men were hungry? ⁴ He went into the house of God and ate the special bread used in worship which was against the Law for him or those with him to eat! Only the Jewish religious leaders were to eat that special bread. ⁵ Have you not read in the Law how the religious leaders do that which is not right to do on the Day of Rest, and yet they are not guilty? ⁶ I tell you that Someone greater than the house of God is here. ⁷ If you had understood what the words mean, ‘I want loving-kindness and not a gift to be given,’ ^(AP) you would not say a person is guilty who has done no wrong. ⁸ For the Son of Man is Lord of the Day of Rest.”

Jesus Heals on the Day of Rest ^(AQ)

⁹ From there Jesus went into their place of worship. ¹⁰ A man was there with a dried-up hand. The proud religious law-keepers asked Jesus, “Does the Law say it is right to heal on the Day of Rest?” They wanted something to say against Him. ¹¹ He said to them, “If one of you has a sheep which falls into a hole on the Day of Rest, will you not take hold of it and pull it out? ¹² How much better is a man than a sheep! So it is right to do good on the Day of Rest.” ¹³ Then He said to the man, “Put out your hand.” He held it out and it was made as well as the other. ¹⁴ The proud religious law-keepers went out and made plans against Him. They planned how they might kill Him.

Jesus Heals Many People ^(AR)

¹⁵ Jesus knew this and went away from there. Many people followed Him and He healed all of them. ¹⁶ He told them to tell no one of Him. ¹⁷ It happened as the early preacher Isaiah said it would happen, saying, ¹⁸ “See! My Servant Whom I have chosen! My much Loved, in Whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit in Him. He will say to the nations what is right from wrong. ¹⁹ He will not fight or speak with a loud voice. No man will hear His voice in the streets. ²⁰ He will not break a broken branch. He will not put out a little fire until He makes things right. ²¹ In His name the nations will have hope.” ^(AS)

A Nation That Cannot Stand ^(AT)

²² Then they brought to Him a man who had a demon. He was blind and could not speak. Jesus healed him and he could talk and see. ²³ All the people were surprised and said, “Can this Man be the Son of David?” ²⁴ But when the proud religious law-keepers heard it, they said, “This Man puts out demons only by Satan, the leader of demons.”

²⁵ Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every nation divided into groups that fight each other is going to be destroyed. Every city or family divided into groups that fight each other will not stand. ²⁶ If the devil puts out the devil, he is divided against himself. How will his nation stand? ²⁷ If I put out demons by Satan, by whom do your followers put them out? So your followers will say if you are guilty. ²⁸ But if I put out demons by the Spirit of God, then the holy nation of God is come to you. ²⁹ How can anyone go into a strong man’s house and take away his things, unless he ties up the strong man first? Only then can he take things from his house.

The Sin That Cannot Be Forgiven

³⁰ “Whoever is not with Me is against Me. Whoever is not gathering with Me is sending everywhere. ³¹ I tell you, every sin and every bad word men speak against God will be forgiven, but bad words spoken against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. ³² Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven in this life or in the life to come.

The Sin of Saying Bad Things

³³ “A good tree gives good fruit. A bad tree gives bad fruit. A tree is known by its fruit. ³⁴ You family of snakes! How can you say good things when you are sinful? The mouth speaks what the heart is full of. ³⁵ A good man will speak good things because of the good in him. A bad man will speak bad things because of the sin in him. ³⁶ I say to you, on the day men stand before God, they will have to give an answer for every word they have spoken that was not important. ³⁷ For it is by your words that you will not be guilty and it is by your words that you will be guilty.”

Jesus Tells about Jonah ^(AU)

³⁸ Then some of the teachers of the Law and the proud religious law-keepers said to Jesus, “Teacher, we would like to have you do something special for us to see.” ³⁹ He said to them, “The sinful people of this day look for something special to see. There will be nothing special to see but the powerful works of the early preacher Jonah. ⁴⁰ Jonah was three days and three nights in the stomach of a big fish. The Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the grave also. ⁴¹ The men of the city of Nineveh will stand up with the people of this day on the day men stand before God. Those men will say these people are guilty because the men of Nineveh were sorry for their sins and turned from them when Jonah preached. And see, Someone greater than Jonah is here!

⁴² “The queen of the south will stand up with the people of this day on the day men stand before God. She will say that these people are guilty because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wise sayings of Solomon. And see, Someone greater than Solomon is here!

A Person Filled with Bad or Good ^(AV)

⁴³ “When a demon is gone out of a man, it goes through dry places to find rest. It finds none. ⁴⁴ Then it says, ‘I will go back into my house from which I came.’ When it goes back, it sees that it is empty. But it sees that the house has been cleaned and looks good. ⁴⁵ Then it goes out and comes back bringing with it seven demons more sinful than itself. They go in and live there. In the end that man is worse than at first. It will be like this with the sinful people of this day.”

The New Kind of Family ^(AW)

⁴⁶ While Jesus was still talking to the people, His mother and His brothers came and stood outside. They wanted to talk to Him. ⁴⁷ Someone said to Him, “Your mother and brothers are outside and want to talk to you.” ⁴⁸ Jesus said, “Who is My mother? And who are My brothers?” ⁴⁹ He put out His hand to His followers and said, “See, these are My mother and My brothers! ⁵⁰ Whoever does what My father in heaven wants him to do is My brother and My sister and My mother.”

Jesus Teaches with Picture-Stories ^(AX)

13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the shore of the lake. ² Then He got in a boat and sat down because so many people had gathered around Him. Many people were standing on the shore.

The Picture-Story of the Man Who Planted Seeds

³ Jesus taught them many things by using picture-stories. He said, “A man went out to plant seeds. ⁴ As he planted the seeds, some fell by the side of the road. The birds came and ate the seeds. ⁵ Some seeds fell between rocks. The seeds came up at once because there was so little ground. ⁶ When the sun was high in the sky, they dried up and died because they had no root. ⁷ Some seeds fell among thorns. The thorns grew and did not give the seeds room to grow. ⁸ Some seeds fell on good ground and gave much grain. Some gave one hundred times as much grain. Some gave sixty times as much grain. Some gave thirty times as much grain. ⁹ You have ears, then listen.”

Why Jesus Used Picture-Stories

¹⁰ The followers of Jesus came to Him and said, “Why do You speak to them in picture-stories?” ¹¹ He said to the followers, “You were given the secrets about the holy nation of heaven. The secrets were not given to the others. ¹² He who has will have more given to him. He will have even more than enough. But he who has little will have even that taken away from him.

¹³ “This is why I speak to them in picture-stories. They have eyes but they do not see. They have ears but they do not hear and they do not understand. ¹⁴ It happened in their lives as Isaiah said it would happen. He said, ‘You hear and hear but do not understand. You look and look but do not see. ¹⁵ The hearts of these people have become fat. They hear very little with their ears. They have closed their eyes. If they did not do this, they would see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts. Then they would be changed in their ways, and I would heal them.’ ^{(AY) 16} But how great are your eyes because they see. How great are your ears because they hear. ¹⁷ For sure, I tell you, that many early preachers and men right with God have wanted to see the things you see, but they did not see them. They wanted to hear the things you hear, but they did not hear them.

Jesus Tells about the Man Who Planted Seeds

¹⁸ “Listen to the picture-story of the man who planted seeds in the ground. ¹⁹ When anyone hears the Word about the holy nation and does not understand it, the devil comes and takes away what was put in his heart. He is like the seed that fell by the side of the road. ²⁰ The seed which fell between rocks is like the person who receives the Word with joy as soon as he hears it. ²¹ Its root is not deep and it does not last long. When troubles and suffering come because of the Word, he gives up and falls away. ²² The seed which fell among thorns is like the person who hears the Word but the cares of this life, and the love for money let the thorns come up and do not give the seed room to grow and give grain. ²³ The seed which fell on good ground is like the one who hears the Word and understands it. He gives much grain. Some seed gives one hundred times as much grain. Some gives sixty times as much grain. Some gives thirty times as much grain.”

The Picture-Story of the Good Seed and the Weed Seed

²⁴ Jesus told them another picture-story. He said, “The holy nation of heaven is like a man who planted good seed in his field. ²⁵ During the night someone who hated him came and planted weed seed with the good seed in his field and went away. ²⁶ When the good seed started to grow and give grain, weeds came up also.

²⁷ “The servants of the man who planted the seed came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not plant good seed in your field? Why does it have weeds also?’ ²⁸ The man who planted the seed said, ‘Someone who hates me has done this.’ The servants asked him, ‘Should we go and pull the weeds out from among the good grain?’ ²⁹ He said, ‘No, because if you pull out the weeds, the good grain will come up also. ³⁰ Let them grow together until the time to gather the grain. Then I will say to the workmen, “Gather the weeds first and put them together to be burned. Then gather the good grain into my building.”’”

The Picture-Story of the Mustard Seed

³¹ Jesus told them another picture-story. He said, “The holy nation of heaven is like mustard seed which a man planted in his field. ³² It is the smallest of seeds. But when it is full-grown, it is larger than the grain of the fields and it becomes a tree. The birds of the sky come and stay in its branches.”

The Picture-Story of the Yeast

³³ Jesus gave them another picture-story. He said, “The holy nation of heaven is like yeast that a woman put into three pails of flour until it had become much more than at first.”

³⁴ Jesus told all these things using picture-stories to the many people. He did not speak to them without using picture-stories. ³⁵ It happened as the early preacher said it would happen, “I will open My mouth in picture-stories. I will tell things which have been kept secret from the beginning of the world.” ^(AZ)

Jesus Tells about the Weed Seed

³⁶ After Jesus sent the people away, He went into the house. His followers came to Him and said, “Tell us what You mean by the picture-story of the weeds in the field.” ³⁷ Jesus said, “He Who plants the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸ The field is the world. The good seeds are the children of the holy nation. The weeds are the children of the devil. ³⁹ The devil is the one who got in and planted the weeds. The time to gather is the end of the world. The men who gather are the angels. ⁴⁰ As the weeds are gathered together and burned in the fire, so will it be in the end of the world. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send His angels. They will gather out of His holy nation all things that cause people to sin and those who do sin. ⁴² They will put them into a stove of fire. There will be loud crying and grinding of teeth. ⁴³ Then the ones right with God will shine as the sun in the holy nation of their Father. You have ears, then listen!”

The Picture-Stories of the Gold Buried in the Field and of Buying a Pearl

⁴⁴ “The holy nation of heaven is like a box of riches buried in a field. A man found it and then hid it again. In his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

⁴⁵ “Again, the holy nation of heaven is like a man who buys and sells. He is looking for good pearls. ⁴⁶ When he finds one good pearl worth much money, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.

The Picture-Story of the Fish Net

⁴⁷ “The holy nation of heaven is like a big net which was let down into the sea. It gathered fish of every kind. ⁴⁸ When it was full, they took it to the shore. They sat down and put the good fish into pails. They threw the bad fish away. ⁴⁹ It will be like this in the end of the world. Angels will come and take the sinful people from among those who are right with God. ⁵⁰ They will put the sinful people into a stove of fire where there will be loud crying and grinding of teeth.”

⁵¹ Jesus asked them, “Have you understood all these picture-stories?” They said, “Yes, Lord!” ⁵² He said to them, “Every teacher of the Law who has become a follower of the holy nation of heaven is like a man who owns his house. He takes new and old riches from his house.”

They Do Not Believe in Jesus in Nazareth ^(BA)

⁵³ When Jesus had finished these picture-stories, He went away from there. ⁵⁴ He came to His own town and taught them in their places of worship. They were surprised and wondered, saying, “Where did this Man get this wisdom? How can He do these powerful works? ⁵⁵ Is not this the son of the man who makes things from wood? Is not Mary His mother? Are not James and Joseph and Simon and Judas His brothers? ⁵⁶ And are not all His sisters here? Then where did He get all these things?” ⁵⁷ And they were ashamed of Him and turned away because of Him. Jesus said to them, “One who speaks for God is shown no respect in his own town and in his own house.”

⁵⁸ He did not do many powerful works there because they did not put their trust in Him.

John the Baptist Is Put in Prison ^(BB)

14 At that time King Herod heard much about Jesus. ² He said to his helpers, “This must be John the Baptist. He has risen from the dead. That is why these powerful works are done by him.” ³ For Herod had taken John and put him in prison. It was because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. ⁴ For John had said to him, “It is against the Law for you to have her.” ⁵ He would have killed John but he was afraid of the people. The people thought John was one who spoke for God.

John the Baptist Is Killed ^(BC)

⁶ On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced in front of them. Herod was made happy by her. ⁷ He promised he would give her anything she asked. ⁸ Because her mother told her to do it, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist on a plate.” ⁹ The king was sorry. But he said for it to be given because he had promised and because of those who were eating with him. ¹⁰ He sent to the prison and had John’s head cut off. ¹¹ It was brought in on a plate and given to the girl. She brought it to her mother. ¹² Then the followers of John came and took his body and buried it. They went and told Jesus.

The Feeding of the Five Thousand ^(BD)

¹³ When Jesus heard that John had been killed, He went from there by boat to a desert. He wanted to be alone. When the people knew it, they followed after Him by land from the cities. ¹⁴ When He got out of the boat, He saw many people. He had loving-pity for them and healed those who were sick.

¹⁵ When it was evening, His followers came to Him. They said, “This is a desert. The day is past. Send the people away so they may go into the towns and buy food for themselves.” ¹⁶ Jesus said to them, “They do not have to go away. Give them something to eat.” ¹⁷ They said to Him, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish.” ¹⁸ Jesus said, “Bring them to Me.” ¹⁹ He told the people to sit down on the grass. Then He took the five loaves of bread and two fish. He looked up to heaven and gave thanks. He broke the loaves in pieces and gave them to His followers. The followers gave them to the people. ²⁰ They all ate and were filled. They picked up twelve baskets full of pieces of bread and fish after the people were finished eating. ²¹ About five thousand men ate. Women and children ate also.

Jesus Walks on the Water ^(BE)

²² At once Jesus had His followers get into the boat. He told them to go ahead of Him to the other side while He sent the people away. ²³ After He had sent them away, He went up the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone. ²⁴ By this time the boat was far from land and was being thrown around by the waves. The wind was strong against them.

²⁵ Just before the light of day, Jesus went to them walking on the water. ²⁶ When the followers saw Him walking on the water, they were afraid. They said, “It is a spirit.” They cried out with fear. ²⁷ At once Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take hope. It is I. Do not be afraid!”

²⁸ Peter said to Jesus, “If it is You, Lord, tell me to come to You on the water.” ²⁹ Jesus said, “Come!” Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water to Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the strong wind, he was afraid. He began to go down in the water. He cried out, “Lord, save me!” ³¹ At once Jesus put out His hand and took hold of him. Jesus said to Peter, “You have so little faith! Why did you doubt?”

³² When Jesus and Peter got into the boat, the wind stopped blowing. ³³ Those in the boat worshiped Jesus. They said, “For sure, You are the Son of God!”

People Are Healed at Gennesaret ^(BF)

³⁴ When they had gone over to the other side, they came to the land of Gennesaret. ³⁵ When the men of that land saw it was Jesus, they sent word into all the country around. They brought all who were sick to Jesus. ³⁶ They begged Him that they might touch the bottom of His coat. As many as touched the bottom of His coat were healed.

Jesus Speaks Sharp Words to the Leaders ^(BG)

15 Some of the teachers of the Law and the proud religious law-keepers from Jerusalem came to Jesus. They asked, ² “Why do Your followers not obey the teaching that was given to them by our fathers? They do not wash their hands before they eat.” ³ Jesus said to them, “Why do you break the Law of God by trying to keep their teaching? ⁴ For God said, ‘Show respect to your father and mother.’ ^(BH) And, ‘He who curses his father or mother will be put to death.’ ^{(BI) 5} But you say that if a man says to his parents that anything he has, that might have been of help to them, is already given to God, ⁶ he does not have to show respect by helping his father and mother. You are putting aside the Word of God to keep their teaching. ⁷ You who pretend to be someone you are not, Isaiah told about you. He said, ⁸ ’These people show respect to Me with their mouth, but their heart is far from Me. ⁹ Their worship of Me is worth nothing. They teach what men have made up.’” ^(BJ)

¹⁰ Jesus called the people to Him and said to them, “Listen and understand this! ¹¹ It is not what goes into a man’s mouth that makes his mind and heart sinful. It is what comes out of a man’s mouth that makes him sinful.”