Called to Blessing

⁸ Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be ^[a]courteous; ^9 (A)not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary ^(B)blessing, knowing that you were called to this, ^(C)that you may inherit a blessing. ¹⁰ For

Suffering for Right and Wrong

^13 (I)And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? ^14 (J)But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. ^(K)“And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” ¹⁵ But ^[c]sanctify ^[d]the Lord God in your hearts, and always ^(L)be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the ^(M)hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; ^16 (N)having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. ¹⁷ For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

Christ’s Suffering and Ours

¹⁸ For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring ^[e]us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, ¹⁹ by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, ²⁰ who formerly were disobedient, ^[f]when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. ^21 (O)There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism ^(P)(not the removal of the filth of the flesh, ^(Q)but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who has gone into heaven and ^(R)is at the right hand of God, ^(S)angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

Christ’s Example to Be Followed

4 Therefore, since Christ suffered ^[g]for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, ² that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, ^(T)but for the will of God. ³ For we have spent enough of our past ^[h]lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. ⁴ In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. ⁵ They will give an account to Him who is ready ^(U)to judge the living and the dead. ⁶ For this reason ^(V)the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but ^(W)live according to God in the spirit.

Serving for God’s Glory

⁷ But ^(X)the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. ⁸ And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ^(Y)“love will cover a multitude of sins.” ^9 (Z)Be hospitable to one another ^(AA)without grumbling. ^10 (AB)As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, ^(AC)as good stewards of ^(AD)the manifold grace of God. ^11 (AE)If anyone speaks, let him speak as the ^[i]oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that ^(AF)in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the ^[j]dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Suffering for God’s Glory

¹² Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; ¹³ but rejoice ^(AG)to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that ^(AH)when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. ¹⁴ If you are ^[k]reproached for the name of Christ, ^(AI)blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. ^[l]On their part He is blasphemed, ^(AJ)but on your part He is glorified. ¹⁵ But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a ^[m]busybody in other people’s matters. ¹⁶ Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this ^[n]matter.

¹⁷ For the time has come ^(AK)for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, ^(AL)what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? ¹⁸ Now

¹⁹ Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God ^(AN)commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

Shepherd the Flock

5 The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a ^(AO)witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the ^(AP)glory that will be revealed: ^2 (AQ)Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, ^(AR)not by compulsion but ^[o]willingly, ^(AS)not for dishonest gain but eagerly; ³ nor as ^(AT)being ^[p]lords over ^(AU)those entrusted to you, but ^(AV)being examples to the flock; ⁴ and when ^(AW)the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive ^(AX)the crown of glory that does not fade away.

Submit to God, Resist the Devil

⁵ Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, ^(AY)all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for

⁶ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, ⁷ casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

⁸ Be ^[q]sober, be ^[r]vigilant; ^[s]because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. ⁹ Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. ¹⁰ But ^[t]may the God of all grace, ^(BB)who called ^[u]us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, ^[v]perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. ^11 (BC)To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Farewell and Peace

¹² By ^(BD)Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying ^(BE)that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.

¹³ She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does ^(BF)Mark my son. ¹⁴ Greet one another with a kiss of love.

Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Greeting the Faithful

1 Simon Peter, a bondservant and ^(A)apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have ^[a]obtained ^(B)like^[b] precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

^2 (C)Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³ as His ^(D)divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him ^(E)who called us by glory and virtue, ^4 (F)by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be ^(G)partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the ^[c]corruption that is in the world through lust.

Fruitful Growth in the Faith

⁵ But also for this very reason, ^(H)giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue ^(I)knowledge, ⁶ to knowledge self-control, to self-control ^[d]perseverance, to perseverance godliness, ⁷ to godliness brotherly kindness, and ^(J)to brotherly kindness love. ⁸ For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither ^[e]barren ^(K)nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For he who lacks these things is ^(L)shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

¹⁰ Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent ^(M)to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; ¹¹ for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Peter’s Approaching Death

¹² For this reason ^(N)I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, ^(O)though you know and are established in the present truth. ¹³ Yes, I think it is right, ^(P)as long as I am in this ^[f]tent, ^(Q)to stir you up by reminding you, ^14 (R)knowing that shortly I must ^[g]put off my tent, just as ^(S)our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. ¹⁵ Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my ^[h]decease.

The Trustworthy Prophetic Word^(T)

¹⁶ For we did not follow ^(U)cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the ^(V)power and ^(W)coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were ^(X)eyewitnesses of His majesty. ¹⁷ For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ^(Y)“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” ¹⁸ And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on ^(Z)the holy mountain.

^19 [i]And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a ^(AA)light that shines in a dark place, ^(AB)until ^(AC)the day dawns and the morning star rises in your ^(AD)hearts; ²⁰ knowing this first, that ^(AE)no prophecy of Scripture is of any private ^[j]interpretation, ²¹ for ^(AF)prophecy never came by the will of man, ^(AG)but ^[k]holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

Destructive Doctrines

2 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be ^(AH)false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. ² And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. ³ By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction ^[l]does not slumber.

Doom of False Teachers

⁴ For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to ^[m]hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; ⁵ and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; ⁶ and turning the cities of ^(AI)Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; ⁷ and ^(AJ)delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked ⁸ (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, ^(AK)tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)— ⁹ then ^(AL)the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, ¹⁰ and especially ^(AM)those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. ^(AN)They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of ^[n]dignitaries, ¹¹ whereas ^(AO)angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.

Depravity of False Teachers

¹² But these, ^(AP)like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, ^13 (AQ)and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure ^(AR)to ^[o]carouse in the daytime. ^(AS)They are spots and blemishes, ^[p]carousing in their own deceptions while ^(AT)they feast with you, ¹⁴ having eyes full of ^[q]adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. ^(AU)They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. ¹⁵ They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of ^(AV)Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; ¹⁶ but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.

^17 (AW)These are wells without water, ^[r]clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness ^[s]forever.

Deceptions of False Teachers

¹⁸ For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who ^[t]have actually escaped from those who live in error. ¹⁹ While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of ^[u]corruption; ^(AX)for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into ^[v]bondage. ²⁰ For if, after they ^(AY)have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are ^(AZ)again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. ²¹ For ^(BA)it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. ²² But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: ^(BB)“A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”

God’s Promise Is Not Slack^(BC)

3 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which ^(BD)I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), ² that you may be mindful of the words ^(BE)which were spoken before by the holy prophets, ^(BF)and of the commandment of ^[w]us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, ³ knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, ^(BG)walking according to their own lusts, ⁴ and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of ^(BH)creation.” ⁵ For this they willfully forget: that ^(BI)by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth ^(BJ)standing out of water and in the water, ^6 (BK)by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. ⁷ But ^(BL)the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for ^(BM)fire until the day of judgment and ^[x]perdition of ungodly men.

⁸ But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and ^(BN)a thousand years as one day. ^9 (BO)The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but ^(BP)is longsuffering toward ^[y]us, ^(BQ)not willing that any should perish but ^(BR)that all should come to repentance.

The Day of the Lord

¹⁰ But ^(BS)the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which ^(BT)the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be ^[z]burned up. ¹¹ Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be ^(BU)in holy conduct and godliness, ^12 (BV)looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will ^(BW)be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will ^(BX)melt with fervent heat? ¹³ Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for ^(BY)new heavens and a ^(BZ)new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Be Steadfast

¹⁴ Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent ^(CA)to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; ¹⁵ and consider that ^(CB)the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, ¹⁶ as also in all his ^(CC)epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the ^(CD)rest of the Scriptures.

¹⁷ You therefore, beloved, ^(CE)since you know this beforehand, ^(CF)beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; ^18 (CG)but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

^(CH)To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

Greeting to the Twelve Tribes

1 James, ^(A)a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad:

Greetings.

Profiting from Trials

² My brethren, ^(B)count it all joy ^(C)when you fall into various trials, ^3 (D)knowing that the testing of your faith produces ^[a]patience. ⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be ^[b]perfect and complete, lacking nothing. ^5 (E)If any of you lacks wisdom, ^(F)let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and ^(G)it will be given to him. ^6 (H)But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is ^(I)a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

The Perspective of Rich and Poor

⁹ Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, ¹⁰ but the rich in his humiliation, because ^(J)as a flower of the field he will pass away. ¹¹ For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.

Loving God Under Trials

^12 (K)Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive ^(L)the crown of life ^(M)which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. ¹³ Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. ¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, ^(N)when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, ^(O)brings forth death.

¹⁶ Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. ^17 (P)Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, ^(Q)with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. ^18 (R)Of His own will He brought us forth by the ^(S)word of truth, ^(T)that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

Qualities Needed in Trials

^19 [c]So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, ^(U)slow to speak, ^(V)slow to wrath; ²⁰ for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Doers—Not Hearers Only

²¹ Therefore ^(W)lay aside all filthiness and ^[d]overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, ^(X)which is able to save your souls.

²² But ^(Y)be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For ^(Z)if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ²⁵ But ^(AA)he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, ^(AB)this one will be blessed in what he does.

²⁶ If anyone ^[e]among you thinks he is religious, and ^(AC)does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. ^27 (AD)Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: ^(AE)to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, ^(AF)and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Beware of Personal Favoritism

2 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, ^(AG)the Lord of glory, with ^(AH)partiality. ² For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in ^[f]fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in ^[g]filthy clothes, ³ and you ^[h]pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” ⁴ have you not ^[i]shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

⁵ Listen, my beloved brethren: ^(AI)Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be ^(AJ)rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom ^(AK)which He promised to those who love Him? ⁶ But ^(AL)you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you ^(AM)and drag you into the courts? ⁷ Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are ^(AN)called?

⁸ If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ^(AO)“You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; ⁹ but if you ^[j]show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as ^(AP)transgressors. ¹⁰ For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet ^(AQ)stumble in one point, ^(AR)he is guilty of all. ¹¹ For He who said, ^(AS)“Do not commit adultery,” also said, ^(AT)“Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. ¹² So speak and so do as those who will be judged by ^(AU)the law of liberty. ¹³ For ^(AV)judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown ^(AW)no ^(AX)mercy. ^(AY)Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith Without Works Is Dead^(AZ)

^14 (BA)What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? ^15 (BB)If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶ and ^(BC)one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? ¹⁷ Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” ^(BD)Show me your faith without ^[k]your works, ^(BE)and I will show you my faith by ^[l]my works. ¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! ²⁰ But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is ^[m]dead? ²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works ^(BF)when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? ²² Do you see ^(BG)that faith was working together with his works, and by ^(BH)works faith was made ^[n]perfect? ²³ And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ^(BI)“Abraham believed God, and it was ^[o]accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called ^(BJ)the friend of God. ²⁴ You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

²⁵ Likewise, ^(BK)was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

²⁶ For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

The Untamable Tongue

3 My brethren, ^(BL)let not many of you become teachers, ^(BM)knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. ² For ^(BN)we all stumble in many things. ^(BO)If anyone does not stumble in word, ^(BP)he is a ^[p]perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. ^3 [q]Indeed, ^(BQ)we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. ⁴ Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. ⁵ Even so ^(BR)the tongue is a little member and ^(BS)boasts great things.

See how great a forest a little fire kindles! ⁶ And ^(BT)the tongue is a fire, a world of ^[r]iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it ^(BU)defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of ^[s]nature; and it is set on fire by ^[t]hell. ⁷ For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. ⁸ But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, ^(BV)full of deadly poison. ⁹ With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made ^(BW)in the ^[u]similitude of God. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. ¹¹ Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? ¹² Can a ^(BX)fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? ^[v]Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

Heavenly Versus Demonic Wisdom

^13 (BY)Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have ^(BZ)bitter envy and ^[w]self-seeking in your hearts, ^(CA)do not boast and lie against the truth. ^15 (CB)This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. ¹⁶ For ^(CC)where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. ¹⁷ But ^(CD)the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, ^(CE)without partiality ^(CF)and without hypocrisy. ^18 (CG)Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Pride Promotes Strife

4 Where do ^[x]wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure ^(CH)that war in your members? ² You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and ^[y]war. ^[z]Yet you do not have because you do not ask. ^3 (CI)You ask and do not receive, ^(CJ)because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. ^4 [aa]Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that ^(CK)friendship with the world is enmity with God? ^(CL)Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, ^(CM)“The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?

⁶ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:

Humility Cures Worldliness

⁷ Therefore submit to God. ^(CO)Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ^8 (CP)Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. ^(CQ)Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and ^(CR)purify your hearts, you double-minded. ^9 (CS)Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ^10 (CT)Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Do Not Judge a Brother

^11 (CU)Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother ^(CV)and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. ¹² There is one ^[ab]Lawgiver, ^(CW)who is able to save and to destroy. ^(CX)Who^[ac] are you to judge ^[ad]another?

Do Not Boast About Tomorrow

¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow ^[ae]we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; ¹⁴ whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? ^(CY)It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. ¹⁵ Instead you ought to say, ^(CZ)“If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ But now you boast in your arrogance. ^(DA)All such boasting is evil.

¹⁷ Therefore, ^(DB)to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Rich Oppressors Will Be Judged

5 Come now, you ^(DC)rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! ² Your ^(DD)riches ^[af]are corrupted, and ^(DE)your garments are moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. ^(DF)You have heaped up treasure in the last days. ⁴ Indeed ^(DG)the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and ^(DH)the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of ^[ag]Sabaoth. ⁵ You have lived on the earth in pleasure and ^[ah]luxury; you have ^[ai]fattened your hearts ^[aj]as in a day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.

Be Patient and Persevering

⁷ Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. ⁸ You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord ^[ak]is at hand.

⁹ Do not ^[al]grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be ^[am]condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! ^10 (DI)My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and ^(DJ)patience. ¹¹ Indeed ^(DK)we count them blessed who ^(DL)endure. You have heard of ^(DM)the perseverance of Job and seen ^(DN)the end intended by the Lord—that ^(DO)the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

¹² But above all, my brethren, ^(DP)do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into ^[an]judgment.

Meeting Specific Needs^(DQ)

¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? Let him ^(DR)pray. Is anyone cheerful? ^(DS)Let him sing psalms. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, ^(DT)anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. ^(DU)And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ^16 [ao]Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. ^(DV)The effective, ^[ap]fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. ¹⁷ Elijah was a man ^(DW)with a nature like ours, and ^(DX)he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. ¹⁸ And he prayed ^(DY)again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

Bring Back the Erring One

¹⁹ Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone ^(DZ)turns him back, ²⁰ let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way ^(EA)will save ^[aq]a soul from death and ^(EB)cover a multitude of sins.

Greeting to the Called

¹ Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and ^(A)brother of James,

To those who are ^(B)called, ^[a]sanctified by God the Father, and ^(C)preserved in Jesus Christ:

² Mercy, ^(D)peace, and love be multiplied to you.

Contend for the Faith

³ Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you ^(E)concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting ^(F)you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. ⁴ For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord ^[b]God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Old and New Apostates

⁵ But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that ^(G)the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. ⁶ And the angels who did not keep their ^[c]proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; ⁷ as ^(H)Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the ^[d]vengeance of eternal fire.

^8 (I)Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and ^(J)speak evil of ^[e]dignitaries. ⁹ Yet Michael the archangel, in ^[f]contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, ^(K)“The Lord rebuke you!” ^10 (L)But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. ¹¹ Woe to them! For they have gone in the way ^(M)of Cain, ^(N)have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished ^(O)in the rebellion of Korah.

Apostates Depraved and Doomed

¹² These are ^[g]spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried ^[h]about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; ^13 (P)raging waves of the sea, ^(Q)foaming up their own shame; wandering stars ^(R)for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

¹⁴ Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, ¹⁵ to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the ^(S)harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Apostates Predicted

¹⁶ These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they ^(T)mouth great swelling words, ^(U)flattering people to gain advantage. ^17 (V)But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: ¹⁸ how they told you that ^(W)there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. ¹⁹ These are ^[i]sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.

Maintain Your Life with God

²⁰ But you, beloved, ^(X)building yourselves up on your most holy faith, ^(Y)praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, ^(Z)looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

²² And on some have compassion, ^[j]making a distinction; ²³ but ^(AA)others save ^[k]with fear, ^(AB)pulling them out of the ^[l]fire, hating even ^(AC)the garment defiled by the flesh.

Glory to God

Dedication to Theophilus

1 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those ^(A)things which ^[a]have been fulfilled among us, ² just as those who ^(B)from the beginning were ^(C)eyewitnesses and ministers of the word ^(D)delivered them to us, ³ it seemed good to me also, having ^[b]had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, ^(E)most excellent Theophilus, ^4 (F)that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.

John’s Birth Announced to Zacharias

⁵ There was ^(G)in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, ^(H)of the division of ^(I)Abijah. His ^(J)wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶ And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. ⁷ But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.

⁸ So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, ⁹ according to the custom of the priesthood, ^[c]his lot fell ^(K)to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. ^10 (L)And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. ¹¹ Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of ^(M)the altar of incense. ¹² And when Zacharias saw him, ^(N)he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

¹³ But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and ^(O)you shall call his name John. ¹⁴ And you will have joy and gladness, and ^(P)many will rejoice at his birth. ¹⁵ For he will be ^(Q)great in the sight of the Lord, and ^(R)shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, ^(S)even from his mother’s womb. ¹⁶ And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. ^17 (T)He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

¹⁸ And Zacharias said to the angel, ^(U)“How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”

¹⁹ And the angel answered and said to him, “I am ^(V)Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you ^[d]these glad ^(W)tidings. ²⁰ But behold, ^(X)you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”

²¹ And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. ²² But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.

²³ So it was, as soon as ^(Y)the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. ²⁴ Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, ²⁵ “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to ^(Z)take away my reproach among people.”

Christ’s Birth Announced to Mary

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

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

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

³⁵ And the angel answered and said to her, ^(AM)“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 ^(AN)the Son of God. ³⁶ Now 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. ³⁷ For ^(AO)with God nothing will be impossible.”

³⁸ Then 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

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

The Song of Mary

⁴⁶ And Mary said:

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

Birth of John the Baptist

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

Circumcision of John the Baptist

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

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

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

Zacharias’ Prophecy

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

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

Christ Born of Mary^(CG)

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 (CH)This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. ³ So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

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

Glory in the Highest

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

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

¹⁵ So 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.” ¹⁶ And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. ¹⁷ Now when they had seen Him, they made ^[q]widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. ¹⁸ And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. ^19 (CW)But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and ^(CX)praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Circumcision of Jesus

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

Jesus Presented in the Temple

²² Now when ^(DB)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 (DC)(as it is written in the law of the Lord, ^(DD)“Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, ^(DE)“A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

Simeon Sees God’s Salvation

²⁵ And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, ^(DF)waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶ And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not ^(DG)see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷ So he came ^(DH)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, ²⁸ he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:

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

Anna Bears Witness to the Redeemer

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

The Family Returns to Nazareth

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

The Boy Jesus Amazes the Scholars

⁴¹ His parents went to ^(DS)Jerusalem ^(DT)every year at the Feast of the Passover. ⁴² And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the ^(DU)custom of the feast. ⁴³ When they had finished the ^(DV)days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And ^[w]Joseph and His mother did not know it; ⁴⁴ but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. ⁴⁵ So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. ⁴⁶ Now 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. ⁴⁷ And ^(DW)all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. ⁴⁸ So 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.”

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

Jesus Advances in Wisdom and Favor

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

John the Baptist Prepares the Way^(ED)

3 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, ^(EE)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 [y]while ^(EF)Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to ^(EG)John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. ^3 (EH)And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance ^(EI)for the remission of sins, ⁴ as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:

John Preaches to the People^(EL)

⁷ Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, ^(EM)“Brood^[z] of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Therefore bear fruits ^(EN)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. ⁹ And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore ^(EO)every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

John Baptizes Jesus^(EZ)

²¹ When all the people were baptized, ^(FA)it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. ²² And 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 ^(FB)well pleased.”

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ^(FC)

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

Satan Tempts Jesus^(FO)

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

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

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

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

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

^9 (FW)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. ¹⁰ For it is written:

¹¹ and,

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

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

Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry^(GB)

^14 (GC)Then Jesus returned ^(GD)in the power of the Spirit to ^(GE)Galilee, and ^(GF)news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. ¹⁵ And He ^(GG)taught in their synagogues, ^(GH)being glorified by all.

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth^(GI)

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

²⁰ Then 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. ²¹ And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is ^(GN)fulfilled in your hearing.” ²² So all bore witness to Him, and ^(GO)marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, ^(GP)“Is this not Joseph’s son?”

²³ He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in ^(GQ)Capernaum,^[am] do also here in ^(GR)Your country.’ ” ²⁴ Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no ^(GS)prophet is accepted in his own country. ²⁵ But I tell you truly, ^(GT)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; ²⁶ but to none of them was Elijah sent except to ^[an]Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. ^27 (GU)And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”

²⁸ So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were ^(GV)filled with ^[ao]wrath, ^29 (GW)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. ³⁰ Then ^(GX)passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

Jesus Casts Out an Unclean Spirit^(GY)

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

³⁵ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ^[ap]“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. ³⁶ Then 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.” ³⁷ And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

Peter’s Mother-in-Law Healed^(HF)

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

Many Healed After Sabbath Sunset^(HJ)

^40 (HK)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 (HL)And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, ^(HM)“You are ^[ar]the Christ, the Son of God!”

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

Jesus Preaches in Galilee^(HO)

^42 (HP)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; ⁴³ but He said to them, “I must ^(HQ)preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.” ^44 (HR)And He was preaching in the synagogues of ^[at]Galilee.

Four Fishermen Called as Disciples^(HS)

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

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

⁵ But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught ^(HX)nothing; nevertheless ^(HY)at Your word I will let down the net.” ⁶ And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. ⁷ So 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. ⁸ When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ^(HZ)“Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

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

Jesus Cleanses a Leper^(ID)

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

¹³ Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” ^(IG)Immediately the leprosy left him. ^14 (IH)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, ^(II)just as Moses commanded.”

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

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralytic^(IN)

¹⁷ Now 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 ^[aw]to heal them. ^18 (IO)Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. ¹⁹ And 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 ^(IP)before Jesus.

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

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

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

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

Matthew the Tax Collector^(IW)

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

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

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

Jesus Is Questioned About Fasting^(JE)

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

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

^36 (JH)Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one ^[ba]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. ³⁷ And 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. ³⁸ But new wine must be put into new wineskins, ^[bb]and both are preserved. ³⁹ And no one, having drunk old wine, ^[bc]immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is ^[bd]better.’ ”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath^(JI)

6 Now ^(JJ)it happened ^[be]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. ² And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing ^(JK)what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”

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

Healing on the Sabbath^(JN)

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

The Twelve Apostles^(JT)

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

Jesus Heals a Great Multitude^(KA)

¹⁷ And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples ^(KB)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, ¹⁸ as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. ¹⁹ And the whole multitude ^(KC)sought to ^(KD)touch Him, for ^(KE)power went out from Him and healed them all.

The Beatitudes^(KF)

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

Jesus Pronounces Woes

Love Your Enemies^(KW)

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

^32 (LE)“But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ^34 (LF)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. ³⁵ But ^(LG)love your enemies, ^(LH)do good, and ^(LI)lend, ^[bl]hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and ^(LJ)you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. ^36 (LK)Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

Do Not Judge^(LL)

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

³⁹ And He spoke a parable to them: ^(LR)“Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? ^40 (LS)A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. ^41 (LT)And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? ⁴² Or 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^(LU)

^43 (LV)“For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. ⁴⁴ For ^(LW)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 (LX)A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil ^[bm]treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out ^(LY)of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Build on the Rock^(LZ)

^46 (MA)“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? ^47 (MB)Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: ⁴⁸ He 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 ^[bn]founded on the rock. ⁴⁹ But 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 ^[bo]fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”

Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant^(MC)

7 Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He ^(MD)entered Capernaum. ² And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. ³ So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. ⁴ And 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.”

⁶ Then 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. ⁷ Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But ^(ME)say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁸ For I also am a man placed under ^(MF)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.”

⁹ When 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!” ¹⁰ And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well ^[bp]who had been sick.

Jesus Raises the Son of the Widow of Nain

¹¹ Now 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. ¹² And 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. ¹³ When the Lord saw her, He had ^(MG)compassion on her and said to her, ^(MH)“Do not weep.” ¹⁴ Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, ^(MI)arise.” ¹⁵ So he who was dead ^(MJ)sat up and began to speak. And He ^(MK)presented him to his mother.

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

John the Baptist Sends Messengers to Jesus^(MP)

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

²⁰ When 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?’ ” ²¹ And that very hour He cured many of ^[bt]infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.

^22 (MS)Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: ^(MT)that the blind ^(MU)see, the lame ^(MV)walk, the lepers are ^(MW)cleansed, the deaf ^(MX)hear, the dead are raised, ^(MY)the poor have the gospel preached to them. ²³ And blessed is he who is not ^[bu]offended because of Me.”

^24 (MZ)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? ²⁵ But 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. ²⁶ But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. ²⁷ This is he of whom it is written:

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

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

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

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

A Sinful Woman Forgiven

^36 (NJ)Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. ³⁷ And 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, ³⁸ and 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. ³⁹ Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, ^(NK)“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.”

⁴⁰ And 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 ^(NL)denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴² And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”

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

And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” ⁴⁴ Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no ^(NM)water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. ⁴⁵ You gave Me no ^(NN)kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. ^46 (NO)You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. ^47 (NP)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.”

⁴⁸ Then He said to her, ^(NQ)“Your sins are forgiven.”

⁴⁹ And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, ^(NR)“Who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰ Then He said to the woman, ^(NS)“Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

Many Women Minister to Jesus

8 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and ^[ca]bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, ² and ^(NT)certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and ^[cb]infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, ^(NU)out of whom had come seven demons, ³ and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for ^[cc]Him from their ^[cd]substance.

The Parable of the Sower^(NV)

^4 (NW)And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: ⁵ “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. ⁶ Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. ⁷ And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. ⁸ But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded ^[ce]a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, ^(NX)“He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

The Purpose of Parables^(NY)

^9 (NZ)Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?”

¹⁰ And He said, “To you it has been given to know the ^[cf]mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that

The Parable of the Sower Explained^(OB)

^11 (OC)“Now the parable is this: The seed is the ^(OD)word of God. ¹² Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. ¹³ But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of ^[cg]temptation fall away. ¹⁴ Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, ^(OE)riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. ¹⁵ But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with ^(OF)patience.^[ch]

The Parable of the Revealed Light^(OG)

^16 (OH)“No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the ^(OI)light. ^17 (OJ)For nothing is secret that will not be ^(OK)revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. ¹⁸ Therefore take heed how you hear. ^(OL)For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he ^[ci]seems to ^(OM)have will be taken from him.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers Come to Him^(ON)

^19 (OO)Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd. ²⁰ And it was told Him by some, who said, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You.”

²¹ But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”

Wind and Wave Obey Jesus^(OP)

^22 (OQ)Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out. ²³ But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in ^[cj]jeopardy. ²⁴ And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”

Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. ²⁵ But He said to them, ^(OR)“Where is your faith?”

And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, ^(OS)“Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!”

A Demon-Possessed Man Healed^(OT)

^26 (OU)Then they sailed to the country of the ^[ck]Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷ And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons ^[cl]for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. ²⁸ When he saw Jesus, he ^(OV)cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, ^(OW)“What have I to do with ^(OX)You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!” ²⁹ For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.

³⁰ Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?”

And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him. ³¹ And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out ^(OY)into the abyss.

³² Now a herd of many ^(OZ)swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them. ³³ Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.

³⁴ When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. ³⁵ Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, ^(PA)sitting at the ^(PB)feet of Jesus, clothed and in his ^(PC)right mind. And they were afraid. ³⁶ They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was ^[cm]healed. ^37 (PD)Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the ^[cn]Gadarenes ^(PE)asked Him to ^(PF)depart from them, for they were seized with great ^(PG)fear. And He got into the boat and returned.

³⁸ Now ^(PH)the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹ “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed

⁴⁰ So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him. ^41 (PI)And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house, ⁴² for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she ^(PJ)was dying.

But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him. ^43 (PK)Now a woman, having a ^(PL)flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, ⁴⁴ came from behind and ^(PM)touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.

⁴⁵ And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?”

When all denied it, Peter ^[co]and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, ^[cp]and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”

⁴⁶ But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived ^(PN)power going out from Me.” ⁴⁷ Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.

⁴⁸ And He said to her, “Daughter, ^[cq]be of good cheer; ^(PO)your faith has made you well. ^(PP)Go in peace.”

^49 (PQ)While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the ^[cr]Teacher.”

⁵⁰ But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; ^(PR)only believe, and she will be made well.” ⁵¹ When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go ^[cs]in except ^[ct]Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl. ⁵² Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, ^(PS)“Do not weep; she is not dead, ^(PT)but sleeping.” ⁵³ And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.

⁵⁴ But He ^[cu]put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, ^(PU)arise.” ⁵⁵ Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat. ⁵⁶ And her parents were astonished, but ^(PV)He charged them to tell no one what had happened.

Sending Out the Twelve^(PW)

9 Then ^(PX)He called His twelve disciples together and ^(PY)gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. ^2 (PZ)He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. ^3 (QA)And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.

^4 (QB)“Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. ^5 (QC)And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, ^(QD)shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”

^6 (QE)So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

Herod Seeks to See Jesus^(QF)

^7 (QG)Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, ⁸ and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again. ⁹ Herod said, “John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?” ^(QH)So he sought to see Him.

Feeding the Five Thousand^(QI)

^10 (QJ)And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. ^(QK)Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. ¹¹ But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. ^12 (QL)When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.”

¹³ But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.”

And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.” ¹⁴ For there were about five thousand men.

Then He said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.” ¹⁵ And they did so, and made them all sit down.

¹⁶ Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He ^(QM)blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. ¹⁷ So they all ate and were ^[cv]filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ^(QN)

^18 (QO)And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”

¹⁹ So they answered and said, ^(QP)“John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again.”

²⁰ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

^(QQ)Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.”

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection^(QR)

^21 (QS)And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, ²² saying, ^(QT)“The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”

Take Up the Cross and Follow Him^(QU)

^23 (QV)Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross ^[cw]daily, and follow Me. ^24 (QW)For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. ^25 (QX)For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? ^26 (QY)For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ^(QZ)ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. ^27 (RA)But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.”

Jesus Transfigured on the Mount^(RB)

^28 (RC)Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹ As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. ³⁰ And behold, two men talked with Him, who were ^(RD)Moses and ^(RE)Elijah, ³¹ who appeared in glory and spoke of His ^[cx]decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. ³² But Peter and those with him ^(RF)were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. ³³ Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three ^[cy]tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said.

³⁴ While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the ^(RG)cloud. ³⁵ And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ^(RH)“This is ^[cz]My beloved Son. ^(RI)Hear Him!” ³⁶ When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. ^(RJ)But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.