Luke 2-6

New King James Version

Christ Born of Mary^(A)

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 (B)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 ^(C)the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, ^(D)because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, ^(E)his betrothed ^[a]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 ^(F)she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a ^[b]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 ^[c]behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, ^(G)and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰ Then the angel said to them, ^(H)“Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy ^(I)which will be to all people. ^11 (J)For there is born to you this day in the city of David ^(K)a Savior, ^(L)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 ^[d]manger.”

^13 (M)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 ^[f]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 (Q)But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and ^(R)praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Circumcision of Jesus

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

Jesus Presented in the Temple

²² Now when ^(V)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 (W)(as it is written in the law of the Lord, ^(X)“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, ^(Y)“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, ^(Z)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 ^(AA)see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷ So he came ^(AB)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 [h]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 ^(AF)fall and rising of many in Israel, and for ^(AG)a sign which will be spoken against ³⁵ (yes, ^(AH)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 ^(AI)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 ^[i]of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers ^(AJ)night and day. ³⁸ And coming in that instant she gave thanks to ^[j]the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who ^(AK)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 (AL)And the Child grew and became strong ^[k]in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

The Boy Jesus Amazes the Scholars

⁴¹ His parents went to ^(AM)Jerusalem ^(AN)every year at the Feast of the Passover. ⁴² And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the ^(AO)custom of the feast. ⁴³ When they had finished the ^(AP)days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And ^[l]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 ^(AQ)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 ^(AR)about ^(AS)My Father’s business?” ⁵⁰ But ^(AT)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 ^[m]subject to them, but His mother ^(AU)kept all these things in her heart. ⁵² And Jesus ^(AV)increased in wisdom and stature, ^(AW)and in favor with God and men.

John the Baptist Prepares the Way^(AX)

3 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, ^(AY)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 [n]while ^(AZ)Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to ^(BA)John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. ^3 (BB)And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance ^(BC)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^(BF)

⁷ Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, ^(BG)“Brood^[o] of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Therefore bear fruits ^(BH)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 ^(BI)every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

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

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

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

¹³ And he said to them, ^(BN)“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 ^[p]intimidate anyone ^(BO)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, ^(BP)“I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will ^(BQ)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 ^(BR)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 (BS)But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his ^[q]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^(BT)

²¹ When all the people were baptized, ^(BU)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 ^(BV)well pleased.”

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ^(BW)

²³ Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at ^(BX)about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) ^(BY)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 ^(BZ)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 ^(CA)Nathan, ^(CB)the son of David, ^32 (CC)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, ^(CD)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 (CE)the son of Cainan, the son of ^(CF)Arphaxad, ^(CG)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, ^(CH)the son of God.

Satan Tempts Jesus^(CI)

4 Then ^(CJ)Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and ^(CK)was led by the Spirit ^[r]into the wilderness, ² being ^[s]tempted for forty days by the devil. And ^(CL)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 ^(CM)the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

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

^5 [u]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 ^(CO)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, ^[v]“Get behind Me, Satan! ^[w]For it is written, ^(CP)‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

^9 (CQ)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, ^(CT)‘You shall not ^[x]tempt the Lord your God.’ ”

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

Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry^(CV)

^14 (CW)Then Jesus returned ^(CX)in the power of the Spirit to ^(CY)Galilee, and ^(CZ)news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. ¹⁵ And He ^(DA)taught in their synagogues, ^(DB)being glorified by all.

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth^(DC)

¹⁶ So He came to ^(DD)Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, ^(DE)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 ^(DH)fulfilled in your hearing.” ²² So all bore witness to Him, and ^(DI)marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, ^(DJ)“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 ^(DK)Capernaum,^[ab] do also here in ^(DL)Your country.’ ” ²⁴ Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no ^(DM)prophet is accepted in his own country. ²⁵ But I tell you truly, ^(DN)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 ^[ac]Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. ^27 (DO)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 ^(DP)filled with ^[ad]wrath, ^29 (DQ)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 ^(DR)passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

Jesus Casts Out an Unclean Spirit^(DS)

³¹ Then ^(DT)He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. ³² And they were ^(DU)astonished at His teaching, ^(DV)for His word was with authority. ^33 (DW)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? ^(DX)I know who You are—^(DY)the Holy One of God!”

³⁵ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ^[ae]“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^(DZ)

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

Many Healed After Sabbath Sunset^(ED)

^40 (EE)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 (EF)And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, ^(EG)“You are ^[ag]the Christ, the Son of God!”

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

Jesus Preaches in Galilee^(EI)

^42 (EJ)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 ^(EK)preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.” ^44 (EL)And He was preaching in the synagogues of ^[ai]Galilee.

Four Fishermen Called as Disciples^(EM)

5 So ^(EN)it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to ^(EO)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 ^(EP)sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.

⁴ When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, ^(EQ)“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 ^(ER)nothing; nevertheless ^(ES)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, ^(ET)“Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

⁹ For he and all who were with him were ^(EU)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. ^(EV)From now on you will catch men.” ¹¹ So when they had brought their boats to land, ^(EW)they ^[aj]forsook all and followed Him.

Jesus Cleanses a Leper^(EX)

^12 (EY)And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of ^(EZ)leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and ^[ak]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.” ^(FA)Immediately the leprosy left him. ^14 (FB)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, ^(FC)just as Moses commanded.”

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

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralytic^(FH)

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 ^[al]to heal them. ^18 (FI)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 ^(FJ)before Jesus.

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

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

²² But when Jesus ^(FM)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, ^(FN)“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, ^(FO)glorifying God. ²⁶ And they were all amazed, and they ^(FP)glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!”

Matthew the Tax Collector^(FQ)

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

^29 (FU)Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And ^(FV)there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. ^30 [am]And their scribes and the Pharisees ^[an]complained against His disciples, saying, ^(FW)“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 (FX)I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Jesus Is Questioned About Fasting^(FY)

³³ Then they said to Him, ^(FZ)“Why^[ao] 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 ^(GA)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 (GB)Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one ^[ap]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, ^[aq]and both are preserved. ³⁹ And no one, having drunk old wine, ^[ar]immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is ^[as]better.’ ”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath^(GC)

6 Now ^(GD)it happened ^[at]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 ^(GE)what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”

³ But Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read this, ^(GF)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, ^(GG)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^(GH)

^6 (GI)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 ^(GJ)heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an ^(GK)accusation against Him. ⁸ But He ^(GL)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: ^(GM)Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or ^[au]to destroy?” ¹⁰ And when He had looked around at them all, He said to ^[av]the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored ^[aw]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^(GN)

¹² Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in ^(GO)prayer to God. ¹³ And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; ^(GP)and from them He chose ^(GQ)twelve whom He also named apostles: ¹⁴ Simon, ^(GR)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 ^(GS)the son of James, and ^(GT)Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.

Jesus Heals a Great Multitude^(GU)

¹⁷ And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples ^(GV)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 ^(GW)sought to ^(GX)touch Him, for ^(GY)power went out from Him and healed them all.

The Beatitudes^(GZ)

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

Jesus Pronounces Woes

Love Your Enemies^(HQ)

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

^32 (HY)“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 (HZ)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 ^(IA)love your enemies, ^(IB)do good, and ^(IC)lend, ^[ba]hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and ^(ID)you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. ^36 (IE)Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

Do Not Judge^(IF)

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

³⁹ And He spoke a parable to them: ^(IL)“Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? ^40 (IM)A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. ^41 (IN)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^(IO)

^43 (IP)“For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. ⁴⁴ For ^(IQ)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 (IR)A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil ^[bb]treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out ^(IS)of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Build on the Rock^(IT)

^46 (IU)“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? ^47 (IV)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 ^[bc]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 ^[bd]fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”