Matthew 4:17-17:25

Disciples’ Literal New Testament

¹⁷ From that time on Jesus began to proclaim and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn-near”.

Jesus Calls Peter And Andrew And Then James And John To Follow Him

¹⁸ And while walking beside the Sea of Galilee He saw two brothers— Simon (the one being called Peter) and Andrew, his brother— throwing a casting-net into the sea, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ And He says to them, “Come after Me and I will make you fishermen of people”. ²⁰ And immediately the ones, having left the nets, followed Him. ²¹ And having gone on from there He saw two other brothers— James (the son of Zebedee) and John, his brother— preparing^[a] their nets in the boat with Zebedee their father. And He called them. ²² And immediately the ones, having left the boat and their father, followed Him.

Jesus Goes Around All Galilee Teaching And Healing Every Disease

²³ And He was going around in all Galilee— teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good-news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every infirmity among the people. ²⁴ And the report^[b] of Him went into all Syria^[c]. And they brought to Him all the ones being ill, being gripped^[d] with various diseases and torments, and being demon-possessed, and having seizures^[e], and paralytics. And He cured them.

The Teachings of The King: True Righteousness Expounded With Divine Authority

²⁵ And large crowds from Galilee and Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and beyond the Jordan followed Him. 5 ¹ And having seen the crowds, He went up on the mountain. And He having sat-down, His disciples^[f] came to Him. ² And having opened His mouth He was teaching^[g] them^[h], saying—

These Are The Ones God Considers Blessed

³ “Blessed^[i] are the poor in spirit, because the kingdom of the heavens is theirs. ⁴ Blessed are the ones mourning, because they^[j] will be comforted. ⁵ Blessed are the gentle ones, because they will inherit the earth. ⁶ Blessed are the ones hungering and thirsting as to righteousness, because they will be filled-to-satisfaction. ⁷ Blessed are the merciful ones, because they will be shown-mercy. ⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God. ⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God^[k]. ¹⁰ Blessed are the ones having been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, because the kingdom of the heavens is theirs. ¹¹ You are blessed ones whenever they reproach you and persecute you and speak every [kind of] evil against you while lying, because-of ^[l] Me. ¹² Be rejoicing and be overjoyed, because your reward is great in the heavens. For in this manner they persecuted the prophets before you.

You Are Salt And Light. Salt Must Be Tasty. Light Must Shine

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should become-tasteless, with what will it be salted^[m]? It no longer has strength for anything except, having been thrown outside, to be trampled-underfoot by people. ¹⁴ You are the light of the world. A city lying on a hill is not able to be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do they burn a lamp and put it under the basket, but on the lampstand— and it shines on all the ones in the house. ¹⁶ In this manner, let your light shine in front of people so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in the heavens.

I Came To Fulfill The Law. Your Righteousness Must Abound More Than The Pharisees

¹⁷ “Do not think that I came to abolish^[n] the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill^[o]. ¹⁸ For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, one iota^[p] or one stroke^[q] will by no means pass away from the Law until all things take-place^[r]. ¹⁹ Therefore, whoever breaks^[s] one of the least of these commandments and in this manner teaches people— he will be called least in the kingdom of the heavens. But whoever does and teaches them— this one will be called great in the kingdom of the heavens. ²⁰ For I say to you that unless your righteousness abounds more^[t] than [that of] the scribes and Pharisees, you will by-no-means^[u] enter into the kingdom of the heavens!

Some Say Do Not Murder. I Say Do Not Get Angry

²¹ “You heard that it was said to^[v] the ancient ones, ‘You shall not murder’, and ‘Whoever murders shall be liable^[w] to the judgment’. ²² But I say to you that everyone being angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca’^[x], shall be liable to the Sanhedrin. And whoever says, ‘Fool’^[y], shall be liable to the Gehenna^[z] of ^[aa] fire. ²³ Therefore if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there in front of the altar, and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then, having come, be offering your gift. ²⁵ Be settling with your adversary quickly— until^[ab] you are with him on the way [to court]— that your adversary might not perhaps hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. ²⁶ Truly I say to you, you will by no means come out from there until you pay the last quadrans^[ac].

Some Say Do Not Commit Adultery. I Say Do Not Desire Another Woman

²⁷ “You heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit-adultery’. ²⁸ But I say to you that everyone looking-at a woman so-as to desire^[ad] her already committed-adultery-with her in his heart. ²⁹ And if your right eye is causing you to fall, tear it out^[ae] and throw it from you. For it is better^[af] for you that one of your body-parts perish and your whole body not be thrown into Gehenna. ³⁰ And if your right hand is causing you to fall, cut it off and throw it from you. For it is better for you that one of your body-parts perish and your whole body not go into Gehenna.

Some Say Get a Legal Divorce. I Say Divorcees Who Remarry Commit Adultery

³¹ “And it was said, ‘Whoever sends-away^[ag] his wife, let him give her a divorce^[ah] certificate’. ³² But I say to you that everyone sending-away his wife except for a matter^[ai] of sexual-immorality is causing her to commit-adultery^[aj]. And whoever marries a woman having been sent-away [from her husband] is committing-adultery.

Some Say Do Not Break Your Oath. I Say Do Not Swear an Oath At All

³³ “Again, you heard that it was said to the ancient ones, ‘You shall not break-your-oath^[ak], but you shall pay your oaths to the Lord’. ³⁴ But I say to you not to swear-with-an-oath^[al] at all— ³⁵ neither by heaven, because it is the throne of God; nor by earth, because it is a footstool of His feet; nor with reference to Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King; ³⁶ nor may you swear-with-an-oath by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black. ³⁷ But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’, [or] ‘No, no’. And the thing beyond these is from^[am] the evil one.

Some Say Avenge an Eye For an Eye. I Say Do Not Retaliate, But Do The Opposite

³⁸ “You heard that it was said, ‘An eye for^[an] an eye, and a tooth for a tooth’. ³⁹ But I say to you not to resist^[ao] the evil person. But whoever slaps^[ap] you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. ⁴⁰ And to the one wanting to sue you and take your tunic^[aq], permit him also the cloak. ⁴¹ And whoever will press you into service^[ar] for one mile, go with him two. ⁴² Give to the one asking you, and do not turn away from the one wanting to borrow from you.

Some Say Hate Your Enemies. I Say Love Them And Pray For Them

⁴³ “You heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy’. ⁴⁴ But I say to you, be loving your enemies, and be praying for the ones persecuting you, ⁴⁵ so that you may prove-to-be^[as] sons of your Father^[at] in the heavens— because He causes His sun to rise upon evil and good ones, and He sends rain upon righteous and unrighteous ones. ⁴⁶ For if you love the ones loving you, what reward do you have? Are not even the tax-collectors doing the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet your brothers only, what extraordinary thing are you doing? Are not even the Gentiles^[au] doing the same?

Be Perfect Reflections of Your Heavenly Father

⁴⁸ “Therefore you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

But Do Not Merely Put On a Show of Righteousness For Others

6 “But take-heed not to do your righteousness^[av] in-front-of people so-as to be seen^[aw] by them. Otherwise indeed, you do not have a reward with your Father in the heavens.

Don’t Give Money To Glorify Yourself. Give Without Thinking of Yourself At All

² “So whenever you do almsgiving^[ax], do not trumpet it before you as-indeed the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the lanes^[ay] so that they may be glorified by people. Truly I say to you, they are receiving their reward^[az] in full. ³ But while you are doing almsgiving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your almsgiving may be in secret. And your Father, the One seeing in secret, will reward you.

Don’t Pray To Impress Others. Always Pray As If Alone With Your Heavenly Father

⁵ “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. Because standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the wide-roads, they love to pray so that they may make-an-appearance^[ba] to people. Truly I say to you, they are receiving their reward in full. ⁶ But whenever you pray, enter into your inner-room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father, the One in secret. And your Father, the One seeing in secret, will reward you.

Don’t Babble On In Prayer. Pray As a Child of God, Aligned With His Purposes

⁷ “And while praying, do not babble as-indeed the Gentiles do. For they are thinking that they will be heard by means of their many-words^[bb]. ⁸ So do not be like them, for your Father knows of the things which you have a need before you ask Him. ⁹ Therefore, you be praying as follows, ‘Our Father in the heavens: ¹⁰ let^[bc] Your name be treated-as-holy. Let Your kingdom come. Let Your will be done^[bd]— as in heaven, also on earth. ¹¹ Give us today our daily bread. ¹² And forgive us our debts, as we also forgave^[be] our debtors. ¹³ And do not bring us into a temptation^[bf], but deliver^[bg] us from the evil one^[bh]’. ¹⁴ For if you forgive people their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive people their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Don’t Display Yourself As Fasting. Fast In Secret

¹⁶ “And whenever you fast, do not be like the sad-faced hypocrites. For they disfigure^[bi] their faces so that they may appear to people as ones fasting. Truly I say to you, they are receiving their reward in full. ¹⁷ But while you are fasting, anoint your head and wash your face ¹⁸ so that you may not appear to people as one fasting, but to your Father, the One in secret. And your Father, the One seeing in secret, will reward you.

Build Your Storehouse of Treasure In Heaven, Not On Earth

¹⁹ “Do not be treasuring-up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moth and eating^[bj] destroy, and where thieves break-in and steal. ²⁰ But be treasuring up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor eating destroys, and where thieves do not break in nor steal.

Your Heart Will Be Where Your Treasure Is. You Cannot Serve God And Money

²¹ “For where your treasure is, there your heart also will be. ²² The lamp^[bk] of the body is the eye. Therefore if your eye is single^[bl], your whole body will be full-of-light^[bm]. ²³ But if your eye is bad^[bn], your whole body will be full-of-darkness. If then the light in you is darkness^[bo], how great is the darkness! ²⁴ No one can be serving^[bp] two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted-to one and disregard^[bq] the other. You cannot be serving God and wealth^[br].

Don’t Be Anxious About Your Earthly Life. Seek God’s Kingdom And Righteousness

²⁵ “For this reason I say to you— do not be anxious^[bs] for your life as to what you may eat or what you may drink, nor for your body as to what you may put-on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the heaven— that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns. And your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth more than they? ²⁷ And which of you while being anxious is able to add one cubit^[bt] upon his life-span? ²⁸ And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe-closely the lilies of the field, how they grow— they do not labor nor spin. ²⁹ But I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. ³⁰ But if God dresses in this manner the grass of the field existing today and being thrown into an oven tomorrow, will He not by much more care for you— ones of-little-faith? ³¹ Therefore, do not be anxious^[bu], saying, ‘What may we eat?’ or ‘What may we drink?’ or ‘What may we put-on?’ ³² For the Gentiles are seeking-after all these things. For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. ³³ But be seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is the trouble^[bv] of it.

Don’t Be Judgmental of Others. But Use Discernment In Your Actions Toward Others

7 “Do not be judging^[bw], in order that you may not be judged. ² For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with what measure you measure, it will be measured to you. ³ And why do you look-at the speck in the eye of your brother, but do not consider^[bx] the log in your eye? ⁴ Or how will you say to your brother, ‘Permit me to take out the speck from your eye’, and behold— the log is in your eye? ⁵ Hypocrite! First take out the log from your eye, and then you will see-clearly to take out the speck from the eye of your brother. ⁶ Do not give the holy thing to the dogs^[by], nor throw your pearls in front of the pigs, so that they will not perhaps trample them with their feet, and having turned, tear you to pieces.

Keep Pursuing What You Need From God. He Will Give You Good Things

⁷ “Be asking, and it will be given to you; be seeking, and you will find; be knocking, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone asking receives; and the one seeking finds; and to the one knocking, it will be opened. ⁹ Or what person is there from-among you whom his son will ask-for bread— he will not give him a stone^[bz], will he? ¹⁰ Or indeed he will ask-for a fish— he will not give him a snake^[ca], will he? ¹¹ Therefore if you, being evil, know-how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in the heavens give good things to the ones asking Him!

Treat Others As You Yourself Want To Be Treated

¹² “Therefore, everything that you want^[cb] people to be doing to you, thus also you be doing to them. For this is the Law and the Prophets.

Enter God’s Kingdom Through The Narrow Gate, Which Is Found By Few

¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate, because wide is the gate and broad^[cc] is the road leading-away to destruction— and many are the ones entering through it. ¹⁴ How narrow is the gate and constricted^[cd] is the road leading-away to life— and few are the ones finding it.

Beware of False Prophets. The Nature of What They Produce Will Reveal Them

¹⁵ “Beware of the false-prophets— who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inside are ravenous^[ce] wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits. They do not collect grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles, do they? ¹⁷ Thus, every good tree produces good fruit, but the bad tree produces bad^[cf] fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree is not able to produce bad fruit, nor is a bad tree able to produce good^[cg] fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ So indeed, you will know them by their fruits.

Not Everyone Talking About God Knows Him. Only Those Doing His Will Enter His Kingdom

²¹ “Not everyone saying to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of My Father in the heavens. ²² Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast-out demons in Your name, and do many miracles^[ch] in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare^[ci] to them that ‘I never knew^[cj] you. Depart from Me, ones working lawlessness’. ²⁴ Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and is doing them will be-like a wise^[ck] man who built his house upon the bed-rock. ²⁵ And the rain came down, and the rivers^[cl] came, and the winds blew— and they fell against that house. And it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the bed-rock. ²⁶ And everyone hearing these words of Mine and not doing them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand. ²⁷ And the rain came down, and the rivers came, and the winds blew— and they struck-against that house. And it fell, and the falling^[cm] of it was great”.

The Works of The King: Divine Power In Action

²⁸ And it came about that when Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astounded^[cn] at His teaching. ²⁹ For He was teaching them as One having authority, and not as their scribes. 8 ¹ And^[co] He having come down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him.

Because Jesus Is Willing And Able To Heal, He Heals a Man With Leprosy

² And behold— a leper having come to Him was prostrating-himself before Him, saying, “Master, if You are willing, You are able to cleanse me”. ³ And having stretched-out His hand, He touched him, saying, “I am willing^[cp]. Be cleansed”. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. ⁴ And Jesus says to him, “See that you tell no one. But go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift which Moses commanded, for a testimony to them”.

Because of a Master’s Faith, Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Servant Who Is Not Even Present

⁵ And He having entered into Capernaum, a centurion^[cq] came to Him, appealing-to Him ⁶ and saying, “Master, my servant has been put in the house paralyzed, being terribly tormented”. ⁷ And He says to him, “Having come, I will^[cr] cure him”. ⁸ And having responded, the centurion said, “Master, I am not fit that You should come-in under my roof. But only speak it in a word^[cs] and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under myself. And I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it”. ¹⁰ Now having heard, Jesus marveled, and said to the ones following, “Truly I say to you, with no one in Israel did I find so-great a faith! ¹¹ And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and will lie-back [to eat] with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of the heavens. ¹² But the sons of ^[ct] the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. In that place, there will be the weeping and the grinding of teeth”. ¹³ And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go. Let it be done for you as you believed”. And his servant was healed at that hour.

The Healings Done By Jesus Fulfill What Was Predicted of Him In Isaiah

¹⁴ And Jesus, having come into the house of Peter, saw his mother-in-law having been put in bed, and being sick-with-fever. ¹⁵ And He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose, and was serving Him. ¹⁶ And having become evening, they brought to Him many being demon-possessed. And He cast-out the spirits with a word and cured all the ones being ill, ¹⁷ so that the thing might be fulfilled having been spoken through Isaiah the prophet saying “He took our weaknesses^[cu], and carried our diseases” [Isa 53:4].

Jesus Calls His Followers To Set Aside Earthly Goals And Limitations

¹⁸ Now Jesus, having seen a crowd around Him, gave-orders to depart to the other side. ¹⁹ And having come to Him, one scribe said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go”. ²⁰ And Jesus says to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the heaven have nests, but the Son of Man does not have^[cv] a place where He may lay His head”. ²¹ And another of His disciples said to Him, “Master, permit me first to go and bury^[cw] my father”. ²² But Jesus says to him, “Be following Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead”.

Even The Winds And Sea Obey Jesus

²³ And He having gotten into the boat, His disciples followed Him. ²⁴ And behold— a great shaking took place in the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves. But He was sleeping. ²⁵ And having gone to Him, they woke Him, saying, “Master, save us. We are perishing”. ²⁶ And He says to them, “Why are you afraid, ones of-little-faith?” Then having arisen, He rebuked the winds and the sea. And there was a great calm. ²⁷ And the men marveled, saying, “What kind of man is this One, that^[cx] even^[cy] the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Demons Recognize Jesus As The Son of God, And Submit To His Authority Over Them

²⁸ And He having come to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two men being demon-possessed met Him, coming out of the tombs. They were very violent^[cz], so that no one was strong-enough to pass through that way. ²⁹ And behold— they cried-out, saying, “What do we have to do with You^[da], Son of God? Did You come here to torment us before the time?” ³⁰ Now there was a herd of many pigs feeding far away from them. ³¹ And the demons were begging Him, saying, “If You are casting us out, send us out into the herd of pigs”. ³² And He said to them, “Go!” And the ones, having come out, went into the pigs. And behold— the whole herd rushed down the steep-bank into the sea and died in the waters. ³³ And the ones feeding^[db] them fled. And having gone into the city, they reported everything— even the things about the ones being demon-possessed. ³⁴ And behold— the whole city came out to meet with Jesus. And having seen Him, they begged that He pass on from their districts.

Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man To Prove He Has The Authority To Forgive Sins

9 And having gotten into a boat, He crossed-over and came to His own city^[dc]. ² And behold— they were bringing to Him a paralytic having been put on a bed. And Jesus, having seen their faith, said to the paralytic, “Take-courage, child. Your sins are forgiven”. ³ And behold— some of the scribes said within themselves, “This One is blaspheming”. ⁴ And Jesus, having seen their thoughts, said “Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts? ⁵ For which is easier: to say ‘Your sins are forgiven’, or to say ‘Arise, and walk’? ⁶ But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”— then He says to the paralytic, “Having arisen, pick up your bed and go to your house”. ⁷ And having arisen, he went to his house. ⁸ And having seen it, the crowds were awed^[dd]. And they glorified God, the One having given such authority to humans^[de].

Jesus Calls Matthew The Tax Collector And Eats With His Friends. I Came For Sinners

⁹ And while Jesus was passing on from there, He saw a man sitting at the tax-office, being called Matthew. And He says to him, “Be following Me!” And having stood up, he followed Him. ¹⁰ And it came about while He was reclining-back [to eat] in the^[df] house that behold— many tax-collectors and sinners^[dg], having come, were reclining-back-with Jesus and His disciples. ¹¹ And having seen it, the Pharisees were saying to His disciples, “For what reason is your Teacher eating with the tax-collectors and sinners?” ¹² And the One, having heard it, said, “The ones being strong have no need of a physician, but the ones being ill. ¹³ But having gone, learn what it means [in Hos 6:6]: ‘I desire mercy, and not a sacrifice’. For I did not come to call righteous ones, but sinners”.

Jesus Did Not Come To Patch Up The Old System, But To Inaugurate a New One

¹⁴ Then the disciples of John come to Him, saying “For what reason are we and the Pharisees fasting^[dh] often, but Your disciples are not fasting?” ¹⁵ And Jesus said to them, “The sons of the wedding-hall^[di] cannot be mourning as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But days will come when the bridegroom is taken-away from them, and then they will fast. ¹⁶ And no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. For the fullness of it takes^[dj] from the garment and a worse tear takes place. ¹⁷ Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise indeed the wineskins are burst, and the wine spills out and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into fresh^[dk] wineskins, and both are preserved”.

Jesus Raises a Girl After a Public Request, And Heals a Woman With a Secret Request

¹⁸ While He was speaking these things to them, behold— one [synagogue] official, having come, was prostrating-himself before Him, saying that “My daughter just-now came-to-an-end^[dl]. But having come, lay Your hand on her, and she will live”. ¹⁹ And having arisen, Jesus followed him, and [so did] His disciples. ²⁰ And behold— a woman having-a-bloody-discharge^[dm] for twelve years, having approached from behind, touched the tassel of His garment. ²¹ For she was saying within herself, “If I only touch His garment, I will be restored^[dn]”. ²² But Jesus, having turned and having seen her, said, “Take-courage, daughter. Your faith has restored you”. And the woman was restored from that hour. ²³ And Jesus, having come into the house of the official, and having seen the flute-players and the crowd being thrown-into-a-commotion^[do], ²⁴ was saying “Go away. For the little-girl did not die, but is sleeping”. And they were laughing-scornfully at Him. ²⁵ But when the crowd was put out, having gone in, He took-hold-of her hand and the little girl arose. ²⁶ And this news went out into that whole land.

Jesus Gives Sight To The Blind

²⁷ And while Jesus was passing on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying-out and saying, “Have-mercy-on us, Son of David!” ²⁸ And He having gone into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus says to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They say to Him, “Yes, Master”. ²⁹ Then He touched their eyes, saying, “Let it be done to you according-to^[dp] your faith”. ³⁰ And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly-commanded^[dq] them, saying, “See that no one knows it ”. ³¹ But the ones, having gone forth, widely-spread [the news about] Him in that whole land.

Jesus Heals The Mute

³² And while they were going forth, behold— they brought to Him a mute man being demon-possessed. ³³ And the demon having been cast-out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “It never was visible^[dr] like this in Israel!” ³⁴ But the Pharisees were saying, “He is casting out the demons by^[ds] the ruler of the demons”.

The King Sends Out Messengers To The Nation: Divine Compassion Reaches Out To The People

³⁵ And Jesus was going around all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good-news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every infirmity. ³⁶ And having seen the crowds, He felt-deep-feelings [of compassion] concerning them, because they had been troubled^[dt] and thrown-forth^[du] like sheep not having a shepherd. ³⁷ Then He says to His disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few! ³⁸ Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest that He send-out workers into His harvest”.

Jesus Grants The Twelve Power Over Demons And Every Disease

10 And having summoned His twelve disciples, He gave them authority over unclean spirits so as to be casting them out, and to be curing every disease and every infirmity. ² Now the names of the twelve apostles are these— first, Simon (the one being called Peter) and Andrew (his brother), and James (the son of Zebedee) and John (his brother), ³ Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew (the tax-collector), James (the son of Alphaeus) and Thaddaeus, ⁴ Simon (the Cananaean^[dv]) and Judas the Iscariot^[dw] (the one also having handed Him over).

Jesus Instructs The Twelve On Where To Go, What To Say, What To Do, How To Live

⁵ Jesus sent out these twelve, having instructed^[dx] them, saying— “Do not go into the path of Gentiles, and do not enter into a city of Samaritans. ⁶ But be proceeding instead to the lost^[dy] sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷ And while proceeding, be proclaiming, saying that ‘The kingdom of the heavens has drawn near’. ⁸ Be curing ones being sick, raising dead ones, cleansing lepers, casting out demons. You received freely— give freely. ⁹ Do not acquire^[dz] gold nor silver nor copper [money] for your [money] belts— ¹⁰ not a [traveler’s] bag for the journey, nor two^[ea] tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff. For the worker is worthy of his food. ¹¹ And into whatever city or village you enter, search-out^[eb] who is worthy in it, and stay there until you go forth. ¹² And while entering into the house, greet^[ec] it. ¹³ And if the house is worthy let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy let your peace return to you. ¹⁴ And whoever does not welcome you nor listen-to your words— shake-out the dust from your feet while going outside of that house or city. ¹⁵ Truly I say to you, it will be more-tolerable^[ed] for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that city.

Jesus Pre-Warns The Twelve About The Persecution They Will Face In The Future

¹⁶ “Behold— I am sending^[ee] you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be shrewd^[ef] as the snakes, and innocent^[eg] as the doves. ¹⁷ And beware of people. For they will hand you over to councils^[eh] and whip you in their synagogues. ¹⁸ And you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake— for a testimony to them^[ei] and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹ But whenever they hand you over, do not be anxious-about how or what you should speak. For what you should speak will be given to you in that hour. ²⁰ For you are not the ones speaking, but the Spirit of your Father is the One speaking in you. ²¹ And brother will hand-over brother to death, and a father his child. And children will rise-up-in-rebellion^[ej] against parents and they will put them to death. ²² And you will be being hated by all because of My name. But the one having endured to the end^[ek], this one will be saved. ²³ But whenever they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For truly I say to you— you will by no means finish the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes^[el].

Proclaim The Truth Boldly; Do Not Fear Them. God Will Watch Over You

²⁴ “A disciple^[em] is not above the teacher, nor is a slave above his master. ²⁵ It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they called the Household-Master^[en] Beelzebul^[eo], how much more His household-members! ²⁶ So do not fear^[ep] them. For nothing has been covered which will not be revealed, and is secret which will not be known. ²⁷ What I am saying to you in the darkness, speak in the light. And what you are hearing in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. ²⁸ And do not be fearing^[eq] anything from the ones killing the body but not being able to kill the soul. But be fearing instead the One being able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna^[er]. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for an assarion^[es]? And one of them will not fall on the ground apart from^[et] your Father. ³⁰ But even the hairs of your head have all been numbered! ³¹ So do not be fearing. You are more valuable than many sparrows.

Jesus Instructs Them About His Mission: I Came To Divide The World Over Myself

³² “Everyone therefore who will confess Me in front of people, I also will confess him in front of My Father in the heavens. ³³ But whoever denies^[eu] Me in front of people, I also will deny him in front of My Father in the heavens. ³⁴ Do not suppose that I came to cast peace over the earth. I did not come to cast peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I came to cause-a-separation^[ev]— a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. ³⁶ And the enemies of the person will be his household-members. ³⁷ The one loving father or mother above Me is not worthy of Me. And the one loving son or daughter above Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁸ And he who is not taking his cross^[ew] and following after Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁹ The one having found his life will lose it, and the one having lost his life for My sake will find it. ⁴⁰ The one welcoming^[ex] you is welcoming Me. And the one welcoming Me is welcoming the One having sent Me forth. ⁴¹ The one welcoming a prophet in the name^[ey] of a prophet will receive the reward of a prophet. And the one welcoming a righteous one in the name of a righteous one will receive the reward of a righteous one. ⁴² And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple— truly I say to you he will by no means lose his reward”.

After Commissioning The Twelve, Jesus Moves On To Teach In Other Cities

11 And it came about that when Jesus finished giving-directions to His twelve disciples, He passed-on from there that He might teach and proclaim in their cities.

John The Baptist Asks, Are You The King? Jesus Points Him To His Works

² Now John^[ez], having in prison heard-of the works of the Christ, having sent through his disciples, ³ said to Him, “Are You the One coming^[fa], or should we be looking-for a different one?” ⁴ And having responded, Jesus said to them, “Having gone, report to John the things which you are hearing and seeing^[fb]— ⁵ blind ones are seeing-again and lame ones are walking. Lepers are being cleansed and deaf ones are hearing. And dead ones are being raised and poor ones are having-good-news-announced^[fc] to them. ⁶ And blessed is whoever does not take-offense^[fd] in Me”.

Jesus Says John The Baptist Is The Fulfillment of The Prophecies of Malachi

⁷ And while these ones were proceeding, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John— “What^[fe] did you go out into the wilderness to look-at? A reed being shaken by the wind? ⁸ But what did you go out to see? A man having been dressed in soft garments? Behold— the ones wearing the soft garments are in the houses of kings! ⁹ But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰ This one is about whom it has been written [in Mal 3:1]: ‘Behold— I am sending-forth My messenger ahead of Your presence, who will make Your way ready in front of You’. ¹¹ Truly I say to you, a greater^[ff] one than John the Baptist has not arisen among ones born of women. But the least^[fg] one in the kingdom of the heavens is greater^[fh] than he. ¹² But the kingdom of the heavens is being treated-violently^[fi] from the days of John the Baptist until now, and violent ones are snatching it away. ¹³ For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. ¹⁴ And if you are willing to accept it, he himself is Elijah— the one going-to^[fj] come. ¹⁵ Let the one having ears hear^[fk].

But This Generation Rejects Both The One Preparing And The One Who Came

¹⁶ “But to what will I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces who, calling to the others, ¹⁷ say ‘We played the flute for you and you did not dance. We lamented^[fl] and you did not beat-your-breast^[fm]’. ¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking^[fn], and they say ‘He has a demon’. ¹⁹ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say ‘Behold— a man who is a glutton and drunkard^[fo], a friend of tax-collectors and sinners’. And wisdom was vindicated^[fp] by her works^[fq]”.

Woe To You Cities Who Have Seen My Works And Not Repented

²⁰ Then He began to reproach^[fr] the cities in which most-of ^[fs] His miracles took place, because they did not repent. ²¹ “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! Because if the miracles having taken place in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. ²² Nevertheless^[ft] I say to you— it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. ²³ And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted up to heaven? You will go-down as far as Hades. Because if the miracles having taken place in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until today. ²⁴ Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you”.

It Pleases God To Hide The Kingdom From The Wise And Reveal It To The Childlike

²⁵ At that time, having responded, Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that^[fu] You hid these things from wise ones and intelligent ones, and You revealed them to children^[fv]. ²⁶ Yes, Father, because^[fw] in-this-manner it became well-pleasing in Your sight. ²⁷ All things were handed-over to Me by My Father. And no one knows^[fx] the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom^[fy] the Son wills^[fz] to reveal Him. ²⁸ Come to Me, all the ones being weary and having been burdened^[ga], and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy^[gb], and My burden^[gc] is light”.

Regarding The Sabbath, Jesus Makes Himself The Issue: I Am Lord of The Sabbath

12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry and began to pluck^[gd] heads [of grain] and eat. ² And the Pharisees, having seen it, said to Him, “Behold— Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to be doing on a Sabbath”. ³ And the One said to them, “Did you not read [in 1 Sam 21:1-6] what David did when he was hungry, and the ones with him— ⁴ how he entered into the house of God and they ate the Bread of Presentation^[ge] which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for the ones with him, but for the priests alone? ⁵ Or did you not read in the Law that on the Sabbaths, the priests in the temple profane^[gf] the Sabbath and are guiltless^[gg]? ⁶ But I say to you that a greater-thing than the temple is here. ⁷ But if you had known what it means [in Hos 6:6]— ‘I desire mercy, and not a sacrifice’— you would not have condemned the guiltless ones. ⁸ For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath^[gh]”.

Jesus Deliberately Heals a Man On The Sabbath, Inflaming The Pharisees

⁹ And having passed-on from there, He went into their synagogue. ¹⁰ And behold— there was a man having a withered hand. And they questioned Him, saying, ‘Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath?’— in order that they might accuse Him. ¹¹ And the One said to them, “What person will there be from-among you who will have one sheep, and if this sheep falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and raise it? ¹² How much then is a person more-valuable than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to be acting commendably^[gi] on the Sabbath”. ¹³ Then He says to the man, “Stretch-out your hand”. And he stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. ¹⁴ And having gone out, the Pharisees took counsel against Him, so that they might destroy Him.

Jesus Speaks By His Actions. He Does Not Quarrel Or Shout, Fulfilling Isaiah

¹⁵ But Jesus, having known it, withdrew from there. And large crowds followed Him, and He cured them all. ¹⁶ And He warned them that they should not make Him known, ¹⁷ in order that the thing might be fulfilled having been spoken through Isaiah the prophet saying ¹⁸ “Behold My servant Whom I chose, My Beloved in Whom My soul was^[gj] well-pleased: I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will announce^[gk] justice to the Gentiles. ¹⁹ He will not quarrel, nor shout, nor will anyone hear His voice in the wide-roads. ²⁰ He will not break a reed having been bruised, and He will not quench a smoldering wick, until He leads-out^[gl] justice^[gm] to victory. ²¹ And the Gentiles will put-hope in His name” [Isa 42:1-4].

The Crowds Call Jesus The Messiah. The Pharisees Attribute His Power To The Devil

²² Then a blind and mute man being demon-possessed was brought to Him. And He cured him, so that the mute man was speaking and seeing. ²³ And all the crowds were astonished, and were saying, “This One is not the Son of David, is He?” ²⁴ But the Pharisees, having heard it, said, “This One is not casting out the demons except by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons!”

Such Blasphemy Against The Spirit Will Not Be Forgiven

²⁵ And knowing their thoughts, He said to them— “Every kingdom having been divided against itself is desolated, and every city or house having been divided against itself will not stand; ²⁶ and if Satan is casting-out Satan, he was divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? ²⁷ And if I am casting out the demons by Beelzebul, by whom^[gn] are your sons casting them out? For this reason they will be your judges; ²⁸ but if I am casting out the demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God came^[go] upon you. ²⁹ Or how can anyone enter into the house of the strong man and snatch-away his things unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. ³⁰ The one not being with Me^[gp] is against Me. And the one not gathering with Me is scattering. ³¹ For this reason I say to you— every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to people. But the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven^[gq]. ³² And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven to him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven to him— neither in this age nor in the one coming. ³³ Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad^[gr]. For the tree is known by the fruit. ³⁴ Brood of vipers! How are you able to speak good things, being evil? For the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart— ³⁵ the good person brings out good things from his good treasure^[gs], and the evil person brings out evil things from his evil treasure. ³⁶ And I say to you that every useless^[gt] word which people will speak— they will render an account for it on the day of judgment. ³⁷ For by your words you will be declared-righteous, and by your words you will be condemned”.

Pharisees Ask Jesus For a Sign. He Offers Only The Sign of Jonah: Three Days In a Grave

³⁸ Then some of the scribes and Pharisees responded to Him, saying “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You”. ³⁹ But the One, having responded, said to them— “An evil and adulterous^[gu] generation is seeking-for a sign. And a sign will not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet. ⁴⁰ For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea-creature^[gv], so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights^[gw] in the heart of the earth.

The Ninevites Will Condemn This Generation, For They Repented At Jonah’s Message

⁴¹ “Ninevite men will rise-up at the judgment with this generation, and they will condemn it. Because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and behold— a greater thing than Jonah is here. ⁴² The Queen of the South will be raised at the judgment with this generation, and she will condemn it. Because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold— a greater thing than Solomon is here.

The Demons I Cast Out Now Will Return Later, And You Will Be Worse Off

⁴³ “Now when the unclean spirit departs from the person, it goes through waterless places seeking rest^[gx], and does not find it. ⁴⁴ Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from where I came-out’. And having come, it finds it being unoccupied, having been swept and put-in-order^[gy]. ⁴⁵ Then it proceeds and takes along with itself seven other spirits more evil than itself. And having gone in, they dwell there, and the last^[gz] state of that person becomes worse than the first. So it will be^[ha] also with this evil generation”.

Jesus Says That Whoever Does The Will of God Is His Brother And Sister And Mother

⁴⁶ While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold— His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. ⁴⁷ And someone said to Him, “Behold— Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak to You”. ⁴⁸ But the One, having responded, said to the one speaking to Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” ⁴⁹ And having stretched-out His hand toward His disciples, He said “Behold— My mother and My brothers! ⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of My Father in the heavens— he is My brother and sister and mother”.

Jesus Teaches The Crowds Using Parables

13 On that day Jesus, having gone out of the house, sat beside the sea. ² And large crowds were gathered-together with Him so that He, having gotten into a boat, sits-down [to teach]. And the whole crowd was standing on the shore. ³ And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying—

The Sower’s Seed Falls On Different Kinds of Soil. Only The Good Soil Produces Fruit

“Behold— the one sowing went out that he might sow. ⁴ And during his sowing, some seeds fell along the road. And having come, the birds ate them up. ⁵ And others fell on the rocky^[hb] places where they were not having much soil. And immediately they sprang-up, because of not having a depth of soil. ⁶ But the sun having risen, they were scorched. And because of not having a root, they were dried-up. ⁷ And others fell on the thorns. And the thorns came up and choked^[hc] them. ⁸ And others fell on the good soil and were giving fruit— one a hundred, and another sixty, and another thirty. ⁹ Let the one having ears, hear”.

Jesus Tells His Disciples He Uses Parables To Both Hide And Reveal The Truth

¹⁰ And having come to Him, the disciples said to Him, “For what reason are You speaking to them in parables?” ¹¹ And the One, having responded, said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know^[hd] the mysteries^[he] of the kingdom of the heavens. But it has not been given to those ones. ¹² For whoever has— it will be given to him, and he will be caused to abound. But whoever does not have— even what he has will be taken-away from him. ¹³ For this reason I am speaking to them in parables— because while seeing, they are not seeing; and while hearing, they are not hearing, nor understanding. ¹⁴ And the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled in them, the one^[hf] saying [in Isa 6:9-10]: ‘In hearing, you will hear and by no means understand. And while seeing, you will see and by no means perceive. ¹⁵ For the heart of this people became dull^[hg], and they hardly^[hh] heard with their ears, and they closed their eyes that^[hi] they might not ever see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand in their heart and turn-back, and I shall heal^[hj] them’. ¹⁶ But blessed^[hk] are your eyes because they are seeing, and your ears, because they are hearing. ¹⁷ For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous ones desired to experience^[hl] the things which you are seeing, and they did not experience them, and to hear the things which you are hearing, and they did not hear them.

Jesus Explains The Parable of The Sower To His Disciples

¹⁸ “You therefore, hear the parable of the one having sown: ¹⁹ Anyone hearing the word^[hm] of the kingdom and not understanding it— the evil one comes and snatches-away the thing having been sown in his heart. This person is the one having been sown the seed along the road. ²⁰ And the one having been sown the seed on the rocky places— this person is the one hearing the word and immediately receiving it with joy. ²¹ And he does not have a root in himself, but is temporary^[hn]. And affliction or persecution having come about because of the word— immediately he is caused-to-fall. ²² And the one having been sown the seed into the thorns— this person is the one hearing the word, and the anxiety^[ho] of the age^[hp] and the deceitfulness^[hq] of riches is choking the word, and it becomes unfruitful. ²³ And the one having been sown the seed on the good soil— this person is the one hearing the word and understanding^[hr] it, who indeed^[hs] is bearing-fruit^[ht] and producing: one a hundred, and another sixty, and another thirty”.

A Field Is Sown With Good And Bad Seed: At Harvest The Weeds Will Be Burned

²⁴ He put-before them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of the heavens became-like^[hu] a man having sown good seed in his field. ²⁵ But during the men’s sleeping, his enemy came and re-sowed^[hv] darnel^[hw] between the wheat, and went away. ²⁶ Now when the grass budded and produced fruit^[hx], then the darnel appeared also. ²⁷ And having come to him, the slaves of the house-master said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then from where does it have the darnel?’ ²⁸ And the one said to them, ‘A hostile man did this’. And the slaves say to him, ‘Then do you want us, having gone, to collect them?’ ²⁹ But the one says, ‘No, that while collecting the darnel, you may not perhaps uproot the wheat together with them. ³⁰ Permit both to grow together until the harvest. And at the time of the harvest I will say to the harvesters, “Collect first the darnel, and bind them into bundles so-as to burn them up. But gather the wheat into my barn”’”.

The Mustard Seed: God’s Kingdom Will Start Very Small And Grow Very Large

³¹ He put-before them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of the heavens is like a seed of a mustard-plant, which having taken, a man sowed in his field— ³² which is smaller than all the seeds, but when it grows is larger than the garden-plants. And it becomes a tree^[hy], so that the birds of the heaven come and are nesting in its branches”.

Like Leaven In Bread, God’s Kingdom Will Permeate The World

³³ He spoke another parable to them, “The kingdom of the heavens is like leaven, which having taken, a woman concealed^[hz] into three measures^[ia] of wheat-flour until which time the whole thing was leavened”.

Jesus Spoke In Parables In Fulfillment of Psalm 78:2

³⁴ Jesus spoke all these things to the crowds in parables. And He was speaking nothing to them apart from a parable, ³⁵ so that the thing might be fulfilled having been spoken through the prophet saying “I will open My mouth in parables. I will utter things having been hidden since the foundation of the world” [Ps 78:2].

Jesus Teaches His Disciples Using Parables

³⁶ Then, having left the crowds, He went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Make-clear to us the parable of the darnel of the field”. ³⁷ And the One, having responded, said—

Jesus Explains The Parable of The Good And Bad Seed Sown In The Field

“The one sowing the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸ And the field is the world. And the good seed— these are the sons of ^[ib] the kingdom. And the darnel are the sons of the evil one. ³⁹ And the enemy having sown them is the devil. And the harvest is the conclusion of the age. And the harvesters are angels. ⁴⁰ Therefore, just as the darnel is collected and burned up with fire, so it will be at the conclusion of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will collect out of His kingdom all the causes-of-falling and the ones doing lawlessness. ⁴² And they will throw them into the furnace of ^[ic] fire. In that place, there will be the weeping and the grinding of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous ones will shine-forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let the one having ears, hear.

God’s Kingdom Is Like a Hidden Treasure Worth Selling All You Have To Obtain

⁴⁴ “The kingdom of the heavens is like a treasure having been hidden in the field, which having found, a man hid. And from his joy^[id], he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. ⁴⁵ Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a man who is a merchant seeking fine pearls. ⁴⁶ And having found one very-valuable pearl, having gone, he has sold all that he was having, and he bought it.

God’s Kingdom Is Like a Net Catching Every Kind of Fish. The Bad Are Thrown Out

⁴⁷ “Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a drag-net^[ie] having been cast into the sea and having gathered fish of every kind— ⁴⁸ which, when it was filled, having pulled it up on the shore, and having sat-down, they collected the good ones into containers and threw the bad^[if] ones outside. ⁴⁹ So it will be at the conclusion of the age. The angels will go forth and separate the evil ones out of the midst of the righteous ones. ⁵⁰ And they will throw them into the furnace of fire. In that place, there will be the weeping and the grinding of teeth.

Teachers in My Kingdom Will Expound From a Treasure of Old And New Things

⁵¹ “Did you understand all these things?” They say to Him, “Yes”. ⁵² And the One said to them, “For this reason^[ig], every scribe^[ih] having become-a-disciple^[ii] in^[ij] the kingdom of the heavens is like a man who is a house-master, who brings out new things and old^[ik] things from his treasure”.

The Hometown People Are Astounded At Jesus, But Unbelieving

⁵³ And it came about that when Jesus finished these parables, He went-away from there. ⁵⁴ And having come into His hometown^[il], He was teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and saying “From where did this wisdom and the miracles come to this One? ⁵⁵ Is not this One the son of the carpenter? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Jude^[im]? ⁵⁶ And His sisters, are they not all with us? From where then did all these things come to this One?” ⁵⁷ And they were taking-offense^[in] at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without-honor except in his hometown and in his house”. ⁵⁸ And He did not do many^[io] miracles there because of their unbelief.

Herod Says The Miracles of Jesus Mean He Is John The Baptist Back From The Dead

14 At that time, Herod the tetrarch^[ip] heard the report about Jesus ² and said to his servants, “This One is John the Baptist. He himself arose from the dead, and for this reason the miraculous-powers^[iq] are at-work in him”.

For Herod Had Beheaded John The Baptist

³ For^[ir] Herod, having seized John, bound him and put him away in prison because of Herodias^[is], the wife of Philip^[it] his brother. ⁴ For John was saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her”. ⁵ And while wanting to kill him, he feared the crowd, because they were holding him as a prophet. ⁶ But at Herod’s birthday-celebrations having come about, the daughter^[iu] of Herodias danced in their midst. And she pleased Herod. ⁷ Hence, he declared with an oath to give her whatever she asked. ⁸ And the one, having been prompted^[iv] by her mother, says, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist”. ⁹ And [although] having been grieved, the king ordered that it be given, because of the oaths and the ones reclining-back-with him [to eat]. ¹⁰ And having sent, he beheaded John in the prison. ¹¹ And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. ¹² And having come to him, his disciples took away the corpse and buried him. And having gone^[iw], they reported it to Jesus.

Jesus Creates More Than Enough Bread And Fish To Feed 5000 Men

¹³ And having heard-of it ^[ix], Jesus withdrew from there privately in a boat to a desolate place. And having heard-of it, the crowds followed Him on foot from the cities. ¹⁴ And having gone-out^[iy], He saw a large crowd and felt-deep-feelings [of compassion] for them. And He cured their sick ones. ¹⁵ And having become evening^[iz], the disciples came to Him saying, “This place is desolate and the hour already passed. Send-away the crowds in order that having gone away into the villages, they may buy themselves food”. ¹⁶ But Jesus said to them, “They have no need to go away— you give them something to eat”. ¹⁷ But the ones say to Him, “We do not have anything here except five loaves and two fish!” ¹⁸ But the One said, “Bring them here to Me”. ¹⁹ And having ordered the crowds to lie-back on the grass, having taken the five loaves and the two fish, having looked up to heaven, He blessed^[ja] them. And having broken them, He gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ²⁰ And they all ate and were filled-to-satisfaction. And they picked up the amount of the fragments being left over— twelve full baskets. ²¹ And the ones eating were about five-thousand men, apart from women and children.

Jesus Walks Across The Raging Sea To His Disciples. They Say, Truly You Are God’s Son

²² And immediately He compelled^[jb] the disciples to get into the boat and to be going ahead of Him to the other side while^[jc] He sent-away the crowds. ²³ And having sent-away the crowds, He went up on the mountain privately to pray. And having become evening^[jd], He was there alone. ²⁴ And the boat was already many stades^[je] distant from the land, being tormented by the waves. For the wind was contrary. ²⁵ And He came to them in the fourth watch^[jf] of the night, walking across^[jg] the sea. ²⁶ But the disciples, having seen Him walking on the sea, were frightened, saying that “It is a phantom^[jh]”. And they cried-out from the fear. ²⁷ But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take-courage, I am^[ji] the One. Do not be afraid^[jj]”. ²⁸ But having responded to Him, Peter said, “Master, if You are^[jk] the One, order me to come to You across the waters”. ²⁹ And the One said, “Come”. And having gone down from the boat, Peter walked across the waters and came^[jl] to Jesus. ³⁰ But seeing the strong wind, he became afraid. And having begun to sink, he cried-out, saying, “Master, save me!” ³¹ And immediately Jesus, having stretched-out His hand, took-hold-of him. And He says to him, “One of-little-faith, for what purpose^[jm] did you doubt?” ³² And they having gone-up^[jn] into the boat, the wind stopped. ³³ And the ones in the boat gave-worship^[jo] to Him, saying, “Truly^[jp] You are God’s Son”.

In Gennesaret, All Who Just Touch The Tassel of His Garment Are Healed

³⁴ And having crossed-over, they came on land in Gennesaret. ³⁵ And having recognized Him, the men of that place sent out into that whole surrounding-region. And they brought to Him all the ones being ill. ³⁶ And they were begging Him that they might only touch the tassel of His garment. And all-who touched it were restored.

Jesus Condemns The Pharisees For Obeying Their Traditions Instead of God’s Commands

15 Then Pharisees and scribes come to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying, ² “For what reason are Your disciples transgressing the tradition of the elders? For they are not washing^[jq] their hands when they eat bread”. ³ But the One, having responded, said to them, “For what reason indeed are you transgressing the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴ For God said [in Ex 20:12]: ‘Be honoring your father and your mother’, and [in Ex 21:17] ‘Let the one speaking-evil-of father or mother come-to-an-end^[jr] by a death’. ⁵ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or his mother: “Whatever you might be benefitted from me is a gift^[js] [to God]” ⁶ shall by-no-means honor^[jt] his father’. And you nullified^[ju] the word of God for the sake of your tradition. ⁷ Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied rightly concerning you, saying [in Isa 29:13]: ⁸ ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far distant from Me. ⁹ But they are worshiping Me in-vain^[jv]— teaching as teachings the commandments of humans’”. ¹⁰ And having summoned the crowd, He said to them, “Listen and understand. ¹¹ The thing entering into the mouth does not defile^[jw] the person. But the thing proceeding out of the mouth— this defiles the person”.

The Pharisees Focus On What Goes Into The Body Versus What Comes From The Heart

¹² Then having come to Him, the disciples say to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees, having heard Your statement, took-offense^[jx]? ¹³ But the One, having responded, said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. ¹⁴ Leave them alone. They are blind guides of blind ones. And if a blind one guides a blind one, both will fall into a pit”. ¹⁵ And having responded, Peter said to Him, “Explain this parable to us”. ¹⁶ And the One said, “Are you^[jy] even yet also without-understanding? ¹⁷ Do you not perceive that everything proceeding into the mouth advances into the stomach and is expelled into a latrine? ¹⁸ But the things proceeding out of the mouth come out of the heart. And those things defile the person. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil thoughts^[jz], murders, adulteries, sexual-immoralities, thefts, false-testimonies^[ka], blasphemies. ²⁰ These are the things defiling the person. But the eating with unwashed hands does not defile the person”.

A Gentile Woman Begs For Crumbs From The Master’s Table

²¹ And having gone out from there, Jesus withdrew into the regions of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And behold— a Canaanite woman having come out from those districts was crying out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Master, Son of David. My daughter is badly demon-possessed”. ²³ But the One did not respond a word to her. And having come to Him, His disciples were asking Him, saying, “Send her away, because she is crying-out after us”. ²⁴ But the One, having responded, said, “I was not sent-forth except for^[kb] the lost^[kc] sheep of the house of Israel”. ²⁵ But the one, having come, was prostrating-herself before Him, saying, “Master, help me”. ²⁶ And the One, having responded, said, “It is not good to take the bread of the children and throw it to the little-dogs^[kd]”. ²⁷ But the one said, “Yes, Master. For indeed the little-dogs eat from the crumbs falling from the table of their masters!” ²⁸ Then, having responded, Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you wish”. And her daughter was healed from that hour.

Jesus Again Creates Bread And Fish For a Group of 4000 Men

²⁹ And having passed on from there, Jesus went beside the Sea of Galilee. And having gone up on the mountain, He was sitting there. ³⁰ And large crowds came to Him, having with them lame ones, blind ones, crippled ones, mute ones, and many others. And they threw^[ke] them at His feet. And He cured them, ³¹ so that the crowd marveled— seeing mute ones speaking, crippled ones healthy, and lame ones walking, and blind ones seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel. ³² And Jesus, having summoned His disciples, said, “I feel-deep-feelings [of compassion] toward the crowd, because it is already three days they are remaining-with Me and they do not have anything they may eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, so that they may not perhaps become-exhausted^[kf] on the way”. ³³ And the disciples say to Him, “From where are there so many loaves for us in a desolate place so as to fill-to-satisfaction so large a crowd?” ³⁴ And Jesus says to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And the ones said, “Seven, and a few small-fish”. ³⁵ And having ordered the crowd to fall-back on the ground [to eat], ³⁶ He took the seven loaves and the fish. And having given-thanks, He broke them and was giving them to the disciples, and the disciples to the crowds. ³⁷ And they all ate and were filled-to-satisfaction. And they picked up the amount of the fragments being left-over— seven full large-baskets. ³⁸ And the ones eating were four-thousand men, apart from women and children.

The Pharisees Ask For a Sign From Heaven. No Sign Will Be Given Except Jonah’s

³⁹ And having sent away the crowds, He got into the boat and went to the districts of Magadan. 16 ¹ And having come to Him, the Pharisees and Sadducees— testing Him— asked Him to show them a sign out-of heaven. ² But the One, having responded, said to them, “Having become evening, you say, ‘Fair weather!— for the heaven is red’; ³ and early-in-the-morning, ‘Stormy-weather today!— for the lowering^[kg] heaven is red’. You^[kh] know-how to discern the appearance of the heaven but cannot discern the signs of the times! ⁴ An evil and adulterous^[ki] generation is seeking-for a sign. And a sign will not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah”.

Jesus Warns His Disciples To Beware of The Leaven of The Pharisees: Their Teachings

And having left them behind, He went away. ⁵ And the disciples, having come to the other side, forgot to take bread. ⁶ And Jesus said to them, “Watch-out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees”. ⁷ And the ones were discussing among themselves, saying that^[kj] “We did not take bread”. ⁸ But having known it, Jesus said, “Why are you discussing among yourselves, ones of-little-faith, that you do not have bread? ⁹ Do you not yet perceive? Do you not-even^[kk] remember the five loaves of the five-thousand, and how many baskets you received? ¹⁰ Not even the seven loaves of the four-thousand, and how many large-baskets you received? ¹¹ How is it you do not perceive that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees”. ¹² Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Who Do You Say That I Am? Peter Says, You Are The Messiah, The Son of The Living God

¹³ And Jesus, having come into the regions of Philip’s^[kl] Caesarea, was asking His disciples, saying, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ And the ones said, “Some, John the Baptist. And others, Elijah. And different ones, Jeremiah or one of the prophets”. ¹⁵ He says to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ And having responded, Simon Peter said “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”. ¹⁷ And having responded, Jesus said to him, “You are blessed, Simon Bar-Jonah^[km], because flesh and blood did not reveal it to you, but My Father in the heavens. ¹⁸ And I also^[kn] say to you that you are a rock^[ko], and upon this bed-rock^[kp] I will build My church— and the gates^[kq] of Hades will not prevail-against^[kr] it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys^[ks] of the kingdom of the heavens. And whatever you^[kt] bind^[ku] on earth will have been bound^[kv] in the heavens, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in the heavens”. ²⁰ Then He gave-orders to the disciples that they should tell no one that He is the Christ^[kw].

The King Begins To Predict His Death And Resurrection

²¹ From that time^[kx] on, Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised on the third day. ²² And having taken Him aside, Peter began to rebuke Him, saying, “God be merciful^[ky] to You, Lord! This shall never happen to You”. ²³ But the One, having turned, said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a cause-of-falling to Me, because you are not thinking the things of God, but the things of humans”.

Deny Yourself, Take Up Your Cross, And Follow Me. Some Here Will See Me In My Kingdom

²⁴ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny^[kz] himself, and take up his cross^[la], and be following Me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save^[lb] his life^[lc] will lose it. But whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. ²⁶ For what will a person be profited if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his life^[ld]? Or what will a person give in-exchange-for his life? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels. And then He will render to each one according to his practice^[le]. ²⁸ Truly I say to you that there are some of the ones standing here who will by no means taste death until^[lf] they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom”.

Three Disciples See Jesus Transformed, And Hear God Tell Them To Listen To Jesus

17 And after six days, Jesus takes-along Peter and James and John his brother, and brings them up on a high mountain privately. ² And He was transfigured^[lg] in front of them. And His face shined like the sun, and His garments became white as the light. ³ And behold— Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. ⁴ And having responded, Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If You wish, I will make three dwellings^[lh] here— one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”. ⁵ While he was still speaking, behold— a bright^[li] cloud overshadowed^[lj] them. And behold— a voice out of the cloud saying “This is My beloved Son, with Whom I was^[lk] well-pleased. Be listening-to Him”. ⁶ And having heard it, the disciples fell on their face and became extremely afraid. ⁷ And Jesus came to them, and having touched them, said, “Arise, and do not be afraid”. ⁸ And having lifted up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.

Jesus Tells The Three Disciples That John The Baptist Was Elijah

⁹ And while they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the sight^[ll] to no one until which time the Son of Man is raised from the dead”. ¹⁰ And the disciples questioned Him, saying, “Why^[lm] then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” ¹¹ And the One, having responded, said, “Elijah is coming^[ln] and will restore all things— ¹² but I say to you that Elijah already came. And they did not recognize him, but did with^[lo] him whatever they wanted. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer by them”. ¹³ Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them about John the Baptist.

Jesus Heals a Boy His Disciples Could Not Heal Because of Their Little Faith

¹⁴ And they having come to the crowd, a man came to Him, kneeling-before Him, ¹⁵ and saying, “Master, have mercy on my son, because he has seizures and is suffering badly. For he often falls into the fire, and often into the water. ¹⁶ And I brought him to Your disciples and they were not able to cure him”. ¹⁷ But having responded, Jesus said, “O unbelieving^[lp] and perverted generation! How long will I be with you? How long will I bear-with you? Bring him here to Me”. ¹⁸ And Jesus rebuked it, and the demon departed from him, and the boy was cured from that hour. ¹⁹ Then the disciples, having come to Jesus privately, said, “For what reason were we not able to cast it out?” ²⁰ And the One says to them, “Because of your little-faith. For truly I say to you, if you have faith like a seed^[lq] of a mustard-plant, you will say to this mountain, ‘Pass from-here to-there’, and it will pass. And nothing will be impossible for you. ^21 [lr]

Jesus Again Predicts His Death And Resurrection

²² And while they were being gathered^[ls] in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be handed-over into the hands of men. ²³ And they will kill Him. And He will be raised on the third day”. And they were extremely grieved.

Jesus Pays His Temple Tax With a Coin From a Fish He Sent Peter To Catch

²⁴ And they having come to Capernaum, the ones^[lt] taking the double-drachmas^[lu] came to Peter and said, “Does not your teacher pay the double-drachmas?” ²⁵ He says, “Yes”. And Peter having come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What seems right to you, Simon— from whom do the kings of the earth take taxes^[lv] or a poll-tax^[lw], from their sons^[lx] or from the strangers?”