Dedication to Theophilus

1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that ^(A)have been accomplished among us, ^2 (B)just as those who ^(C)from the beginning were ^(D)eyewitnesses and ^(E)ministers of ^(F)the word ^(G)have delivered them to us, ³ it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write ^(H)an orderly account for you, ^(I)most excellent ^(J)Theophilus, ⁴ that you may have ^(K)certainty concerning the things ^(L)you have been taught.

Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

^5 (M)In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah,^{[a] (N)}of ^(O)the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶ And they were both ^(P)righteous before God, walking ^(Q)blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. ⁷ But they had no child, because ^(R)Elizabeth was barren, and ^(S)both were advanced in years.

⁸ Now ^(T)while he was serving as priest before God when ^(U)his division was on duty, ⁹ according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot ^(V)to enter ^(W)the temple of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰ And the whole multitude of the people ^(X)were praying ^(Y)outside at the hour of incense. ¹¹ And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of ^(Z)the altar of incense. ¹² And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and ^(AA)fear fell upon him. ¹³ But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for ^(AB)your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and ^(AC)you shall call his name John. ¹⁴ And you will have joy and gladness, and many will ^(AD)rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵ for he will be ^(AE)great before the Lord. And ^(AF)he must not drink wine or strong ^(AG)drink, and ^(AH)he will be ^(AI)filled with the Holy Spirit, ^(AJ)even from his mother's womb. ¹⁶ And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, ¹⁷ and ^(AK)he will go before him ^(AL)in the spirit and power of Elijah, ^(AM)to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and ^(AN)the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, ^(AO)to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

¹⁸ And Zechariah said to the angel, ^(AP)“How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” ¹⁹ And the angel answered him, “I am ^(AQ)Gabriel. ^(AR)I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. ²⁰ And behold, ^(AS)you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” ²¹ And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in ^(AT)the temple. ²² And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in ^(AU)the temple. And ^(AV)he kept making signs to them and remained mute. ²³ And ^(AW)when his time of ^(AX)service was ended, he went to his home.

²⁴ After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, ²⁵ “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, ^(AY)to take away my reproach among people.”

Birth of Jesus Foretold

²⁶ In the sixth month the angel ^(AZ)Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named ^(BA)Nazareth, ^27 (BB)to a virgin betrothed^[b] to a man whose name was Joseph, ^(BC)of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. ²⁸ And he came to her and said, “Greetings, ^(BD)O favored one, ^(BE)the Lord is with you!”^{[c] 29} But ^(BF)she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰ And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for ^(BG)you have found favor with God. ³¹ And behold, ^(BH)you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and ^(BI)you shall call his name Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of ^(BJ)the Most High. And the Lord God ^(BK)will give to him the throne of ^(BL)his father David, ³³ and he will reign over the house of Jacob ^(BM)forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

³⁴ And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”^[d]

³⁵ And the angel answered her, ^(BN)“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of ^(BO)the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born^[e] will be called ^(BP)holy—^(BQ)the Son of God. ³⁶ And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her ^(BR)who was called barren. ³⁷ For ^(BS)nothing will be impossible with God.” ³⁸ And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant^[f] of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And ^(BT)the angel departed from her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹ In those days Mary arose and went with haste into ^(BU)the hill country, to a town in Judah, ⁴⁰ and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth ^(BV)was filled with the Holy Spirit, ⁴² and she exclaimed with a loud cry, ^(BW)“Blessed are you among women, and ^(BX)blessed is ^(BY)the fruit of your womb! ⁴³ And why is this granted to me that the mother of ^(BZ)my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ And ^(CA)blessed is she who believed that there would be^[g] a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat

⁴⁶ And Mary said,

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

The Birth of John the Baptist

⁵⁷ Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. ⁵⁸ And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord ^(CY)had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. ⁵⁹ And ^(CZ)on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, ⁶⁰ but his mother answered, “No; ^(DA)he shall be called John.” ⁶¹ And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” ⁶² And ^(DB)they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. ⁶³ And he asked for ^(DC)a writing tablet and wrote, ^(DD)“His name is John.” And they all wondered. ^64 (DE)And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue ^(DF)loosed, and he spoke, ^(DG)blessing God. ⁶⁵ And ^(DH)fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all ^(DI)the hill country of Judea, ⁶⁶ and all who heard them ^(DJ)laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For ^(DK)the hand of the Lord was with him.

Zechariah's Prophecy

⁶⁷ And his father Zechariah ^(DL)was filled with the Holy Spirit and ^(DM)prophesied, saying,

^80 (EQ)And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was ^(ER)in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

Temptations to Sin

17 And he said to his disciples, ^(A)“Temptations to sin^[a] are ^(B)sure to come, but ^(C)woe to the one through whom they come! ^2 (D)It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.^{[b] 3} Pay attention to yourselves! ^(E)If your brother sins, ^(F)rebuke him, and if he repents, ^(G)forgive him, ⁴ and if he sins against you ^(H)seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

Increase Our Faith

^5 (I)The apostles said to the Lord, ^(J)“Increase our faith!” ⁶ And the Lord said, ^(K)“If you had faith like ^(L)a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this ^(M)mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

Unworthy Servants

⁷ “Will any one of you who has a servant^[c] plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? ⁸ Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and ^(N)dress properly,^[d] and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? ⁹ Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? ¹⁰ So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are ^(O)unworthy servants;^[e] we have only done what was our duty.’”

Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers

^11 (P)On the way to Jerusalem ^(Q)he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers,^{[f] (R)}who stood at a distance ¹³ and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” ¹⁴ When he saw them he said to them, “Go and ^(S)show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. ¹⁵ Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, ^(T)praising God with a loud voice; ¹⁶ and ^(U)he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was ^(V)a Samaritan. ¹⁷ Then Jesus answered, “Were not ^(W)ten cleansed? Where are the nine? ¹⁸ Was no one found to return and ^(X)give praise to God except this ^(Y)foreigner?” ¹⁹ And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; ^(Z)your faith has ^(AA)made you well.”^[g]

The Coming of the Kingdom

²⁰ Being asked by the Pharisees ^(AB)when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God ^(AC)is not coming in ways that can be observed, ²¹ nor ^(AD)will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”^[h]

²² And he said to the disciples, ^(AE)“The days are coming when you will desire ^(AF)to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. ^23 (AG)And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. ^24 (AH)For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be ^(AI)in his day.^{[i] 25} But first ^(AJ)he must suffer many things and ^(AK)be rejected by this generation. ^26 (AL)Just as it was in the days of ^(AM)Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. ^27 (AN)They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. ²⁸ Likewise, just as it was in the days of ^(AO)Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, ^29 (AP)but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— ³⁰ so will it be ^(AQ)on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. ³¹ On that day, ^(AR)let the one who is on ^(AS)the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. ^32 (AT)Remember Lot's wife. ^33 (AU)Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will ^(AV)keep it. ³⁴ I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. ^35 (AW)There will be two women ^(AX)grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.”^{[j] 37} And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, ^(AY)“Where the corpse^[k] is, there the vultures^[l] will gather.”

Jesus Heals a Centurion's Servant

7 After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, ^(A)he entered Capernaum. ² Now a centurion had a servant^[a] who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. ³ When the centurion^[b] heard about Jesus, ^(B)he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. ⁴ And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, ^(C)“He is worthy to have you do this for him, ⁵ for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us ^(D)our synagogue.” ⁶ And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, ^(E)do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. ⁷ Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But ^(F)say the word, and let my servant be healed. ⁸ For I too am a man set under authority, with 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, ^(G)he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such ^(H)faith.” ¹⁰ And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.

Jesus Raises a Widow's Son

¹¹ Soon afterward^[c] he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. ¹² As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, ^(I)the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. ¹³ And when the Lord saw her, ^(J)he had compassion on her and ^(K)said to her, “Do not weep.” ¹⁴ Then he came up and touched ^(L)the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, ^(M)arise.” ¹⁵ And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus^{[d] (N)}gave him to his mother. ¹⁶ Fear seized them all, and ^(O)they glorified God, saying, ^(P)“A great prophet has arisen among us!” and ^(Q)“God has visited his people!” ¹⁷ And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

Messengers from John the Baptist

^18 (R)(S)The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, ¹⁹ calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one ^(T)who is to come, or ^(U)shall we look for another?” ²⁰ And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one ^(V)who is to come, or ^(W)shall we look for another?’” ²¹ In that hour ^(X)he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and ^(Y)on many who were blind he bestowed sight. ²² And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: ^(Z)the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, ^(AA)lepers^[e] are cleansed, and ^(AB)the deaf hear, ^(AC)the dead are raised up, ^(AD)the poor have good news preached to them. ²³ And blessed is the one who is ^(AE)not offended by me.”

²⁴ When John's messengers had gone, Jesus^[f] began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out ^(AF)into the wilderness to see? ^(AG)A reed shaken by the wind? ²⁵ What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings' courts. ²⁶ What then did you go out to see? ^(AH)A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ²⁷ This is he of whom it is written,

²⁸ I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” ²⁹ (^(AJ)When all the people heard this, and ^(AK)the tax collectors too, they declared God just,^{[g] (AL)}having been baptized with ^(AM)the baptism of John, ^30 (AN)but the Pharisees and ^(AO)the lawyers ^(AP)rejected ^(AQ)the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)

³¹ “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? ³² They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,

³³ For John the Baptist has come ^(AR)eating no bread and ^(AS)drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ ³⁴ The Son of Man has come ^(AT)eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, ^(AU)a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ³⁵ Yet ^(AV)wisdom is justified by all her children.”

A Sinful Woman Forgiven

^36 (AW)One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. ^37 (AX)And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, ³⁸ and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and ^(AY)wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. ³⁹ Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If ^(AZ)this man were ^(BA)a prophet, he ^(BB)would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” ⁴⁰ And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

⁴¹ “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred ^(BC)denarii, and the other fifty. ^42 (BD)When they could not pay, he ^(BE)cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” ⁴³ Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” ⁴⁴ Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; ^(BF)you gave me no water for my feet, but ^(BG)she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ^45 (BH)You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to ^(BI)kiss my feet. ^46 (BJ)You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. ⁴⁷ Therefore I tell you, her sins, ^(BK)which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” ⁴⁸ And he said to her, ^(BL)“Your sins are forgiven.” ⁴⁹ Then those who were at table with him began to say among^[h] themselves, ^(BM)“Who is this, who even forgives sins?” ⁵⁰ And he said to the woman, ^(BN)“Your faith has saved you; ^(BO)go in peace.”

Women Accompanying Jesus

8 Soon afterward he went on ^(BP)through cities and villages, proclaiming and ^(BQ)bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, ² and also ^(BR)some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: ^(BS)Mary, called Magdalene, ^(BT)from whom seven demons had gone out, ³ and ^(BU)Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them^[i] out of their means.

The Parable of the Sower

^4 (BV)And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, ^5 (BW)“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. ⁶ And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, ^(BX)it withered away, because it had no moisture. ⁷ And some fell among ^(BY)thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. ⁸ And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded ^(BZ)a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, ^(CA)“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables

⁹ And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, ¹⁰ he said, ^(CB)“To you it has been given to know ^(CC)the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so ^(CD)that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ ^11 (CE)Now the parable is this: The seed is ^(CF)the word of God. ¹² The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not ^(CG)believe and be saved. ¹³ And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it ^(CH)with joy. But these have no root; they ^(CI)believe for a while, and in time of testing ^(CJ)fall away. ¹⁴ And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but ^(CK)as they go on their way they are choked by the ^(CL)cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. ¹⁵ As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and ^(CM)bear fruit ^(CN)with patience.

A Lamp Under a Jar

^16 (CO)(CP)“No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. ^17 (CQ)For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. ^18 (CR)Take care then how you hear, ^(CS)for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”

Jesus' Mother and Brothers

^19 (CT)Then his mother and ^(CU)his brothers^[j] came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. ²⁰ And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” ²¹ But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those ^(CV)who hear the word of God and do it.”

Jesus Calms a Storm

^22 (CW)One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of ^(CX)the lake.” So they set out, ²³ and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on ^(CY)the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. ²⁴ And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and ^(CZ)rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, ^(DA)and there was a calm. ²⁵ He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they ^(DB)were afraid, and they ^(DC)marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that ^(DD)he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”

Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon

^26 (DE)Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes,^[k] which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷ When Jesus^[l] had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house ^(DF)but among the tombs. ²⁸ When he saw Jesus, he ^(DG)cried out and fell down before him and said ^(DH)with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, ^(DI)Son of ^(DJ)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 many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon ^(DK)into the desert.) ³⁰ Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, ^(DL)“Legion,” for many demons had entered him. ³¹ And they begged him not to command them to depart into ^(DM)the abyss. ³² Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. ³³ Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into ^(DN)the lake and drowned.

³⁴ When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. ³⁵ Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting ^(DO)at the feet of Jesus, ^(DP)clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. ³⁶ And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed^[m] man had been healed. ³⁷ Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes ^(DQ)asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. ³⁸ The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹ “Return to your home, and ^(DR)declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

Jesus Heals a Woman and Jairus's Daughter

⁴⁰ Now when Jesus returned, the crowd ^(DS)welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. ^41 (DT)And there came a man named Jairus, who was ^(DU)a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus' feet, he implored him to come to his house, ⁴² for he had ^(DV)an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying.

As Jesus went, the people ^(DW)pressed around him. ⁴³ And there was a woman ^(DX)who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her ^(DY)living on physicians,^[n] she could not be healed by anyone. ⁴⁴ She came up behind him and touched ^(DZ)the fringe of his garment, and ^(EA)immediately her discharge of blood ceased. ⁴⁵ And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter^[o] said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” ⁴⁶ But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that ^(EB)power has gone out from me.” ⁴⁷ And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. ⁴⁸ And he said to her, “Daughter, ^(EC)your faith has made you well; ^(ED)go in peace.”

⁴⁹ While he was still speaking, someone from ^(EE)the ruler's house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; ^(EF)do not trouble ^(EG)the Teacher any more.” ⁵⁰ But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” ⁵¹ And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except ^(EH)Peter and ^(EI)John and James, and the father and mother of the child. ⁵² And all were weeping and ^(EJ)mourning for her, but he ^(EK)said, “Do not weep, for ^(EL)she is not dead but ^(EM)sleeping.” ⁵³ And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. ⁵⁴ But ^(EN)taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, ^(EO)arise.” ⁵⁵ And ^(EP)her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. ⁵⁶ And her parents were amazed, but ^(EQ)he charged them to tell no one what had happened.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles

9 ^(ER)And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, ^2 (ES)and he sent them out to ^(ET)proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. ^3 (EU)And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, ^(EV)no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.^{[p] 4} And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. ⁵ And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town ^(EW)shake off the dust from your feet ^(EX)as a testimony ^(EY)against them.” ^6 (EZ)And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

Herod Is Perplexed by Jesus

^7 (FA)Now ^(FB)Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that ^(FC)John had been raised from the dead, ^8 (FD)by some that Elijah had appeared, and ^(FE)by others that one of the prophets of old had risen. ⁹ Herod said, “John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And ^(FF)he sought to see him.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

¹⁰ On their return ^(FG)the apostles told him all that they had done. ^(FH)And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida. ¹¹ When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he ^(FI)welcomed them and ^(FJ)spoke to them of the kingdom of God and ^(FK)cured those who had need of healing. ¹² Now ^(FL)the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, ^(FM)“Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place.” ¹³ But he said to them, ^(FN)“You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than ^(FO)five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.” ¹⁴ For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” ¹⁵ And they did so, and had them all sit down. ¹⁶ And taking the five loaves and the two fish, ^(FP)he looked up to heaven and ^(FQ)said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. ¹⁷ And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

^18 (FR)Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” ¹⁹ And they answered, ^(FS)“John the Baptist. But others say, ^(FT)Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” ²⁰ Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, ^(FU)“The Christ of God.”

Jesus Foretells His Death

^21 (FV)And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, ^22 (FW)saying, ^(FX)“The Son of Man must ^(FY)suffer many things and ^(FZ)be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on ^(GA)the third day be raised.”

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

²³ And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him ^(GB)deny himself and ^(GC)take up his cross ^(GD)daily and follow me. ²⁴ For ^(GE)whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. ^25 (GF)For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? ²⁶ For ^(GG)whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed ^(GH)when he comes in ^(GI)his glory and the glory of the Father and of ^(GJ)the holy angels. ²⁷ But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not ^(GK)taste death ^(GL)until they see the kingdom of God.”

The Transfiguration

^28 (GM)Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him ^(GN)Peter and John and James and ^(GO)went up on the mountain to pray.