Bible in 90 Days
The Doomed Flock
11 Open your doors, O Lebanon,
That a (A)fire may feed on your (B)cedars.
2 Wail, O [a]cypress, for the cedar has fallen,
Because the glorious trees have been destroyed;
Wail, O oaks of Bashan,
For the [b]impenetrable forest has come down.
3 There is a sound of the shepherds’ (C)wail,
For their glory is ruined;
There is a (D)sound of the young lions’ roar,
For the [c]pride of the Jordan is ruined.
4 Thus says the Lord my God, “Pasture the flock doomed to (E)slaughter. 5 Those who buy them slay them and [d]go (F)unpunished, and each of those who sell them says, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for (G)I have become rich!’ And their (H)own shepherds have no pity on them. 6 For I will (I)no longer have pity on the inhabitants of the land,” declares the Lord; “but behold, I will (J)cause the men to [e]fall, each into another’s [f]power and into the [g]power of his king; and they will strike the land, and I will (K)not deliver them from their [h]power.”
7 So I (L)pastured the flock doomed to slaughter, [i]hence the (M)afflicted of the flock. And I took for myself two (N)staffs: the one I called [j](O)Favor and the other I called [k](P)Union; so I pastured the flock. 8 Then I annihilated the three shepherds in (Q)one month, for my soul was impatient with them, and their soul also [l]was weary of me. 9 Then I said, “I will not pasture you. What is to (R)die, [m]let it die, and what is to be annihilated, [n]let it be annihilated; and [o]let those who are left eat one another’s flesh.” 10 I took my staff [p](S)Favor and cut it in pieces, to [q](T)break my covenant which I had made with all the peoples. 11 So it was [r]broken on that day, and [s]thus the (U)afflicted of the flock who were watching me realized that it was the word of the Lord. 12 I said to them, “If it is good in your sight, give me my (V)wages; but if not, [t]never mind!” So they weighed out (W)thirty shekels of silver as my wages. 13 Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the (X)potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them.” So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the Lord. 14 Then I cut in pieces my second staff [u](Y)Union, to (Z)break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
15 The Lord said to me, “Take again for yourself the equipment of a [v](AA)foolish shepherd. 16 For behold, I am going to raise up a shepherd in the land who will (AB)not care for the perishing, seek the scattered, heal the broken, or sustain the one standing, but will (AC)devour the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hoofs.
17 “(AD)Woe to the worthless shepherd
Who leaves the flock!
A (AE)sword will be on his arm
And on his right eye!
His (AF)arm will be totally withered
And his right eye will be [w]blind.”
Jerusalem to Be Attacked
12 The [x]burden of the word of the Lord concerning Israel.
Thus declares the Lord who (AG)stretches out the heavens, (AH)lays the foundation of the earth, and (AI)forms the spirit of man within him, 2 “Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a (AJ)cup [y]that causes reeling to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against (AK)Judah. 3 It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy (AL)stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be (AM)severely [z]injured. And all the (AN)nations of the earth will be gathered against it. 4 In that day,” declares the Lord, “I will strike every horse with bewilderment and his rider with madness. But I will [aa]watch over the house of Judah, while I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘[ab]A strong support for us are the inhabitants of Jerusalem through the Lord of hosts, their God.’
6 “In that day I will make the clans of Judah like a (AO)firepot among pieces of wood and a flaming torch among sheaves, so they will consume on the right hand and on the left all the surrounding peoples, while the (AP)inhabitants of Jerusalem again dwell on their own sites in Jerusalem. 7 The Lord also will (AQ)save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of (AR)David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will not be magnified above Judah. 8 In that day the Lord will (AS)defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who [ac](AT)is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like (AU)God, like the (AV)angel of the Lord before them. 9 And in that day I will [ad](AW)set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
10 “I will (AX)pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, [ae]the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have (AY)pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one (AZ)mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. 11 In that day there will be great (BA)mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the [af]plain of [ag]Megiddo. 12 The land will mourn, every family by itself; the family of the house of David by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves; 14 all the families that remain, every family by itself and their wives by themselves.
False Prophets Ashamed
13 “In that day a (BB)fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for (BC)sin and for (BD)impurity.
2 “It will come about in that day,” declares the Lord of hosts, “that I will (BE)cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered; and I will also remove the (BF)prophets and the (BG)unclean spirit from the land. 3 And if anyone still (BH)prophesies, then his father and mother who gave birth to him will say to him, ‘You shall (BI)not live, for you have spoken (BJ)falsely in the name of the Lord’; and his (BK)father and mother who gave birth to him will pierce him through when he prophesies. 4 Also it will come about in that day that the prophets will each be (BL)ashamed of his vision when he prophesies, and they will not put on a (BM)hairy robe in order to deceive; 5 but he will say, ‘I am (BN)not a prophet; I am a tiller of the ground, for a man [ah]sold me as a slave in my youth.’ 6 And one will say to him, ‘What are these wounds (BO)between your [ai]arms?’ Then he will say, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of [aj]my friends.’
7 “Awake, O (BP)sword, against My (BQ)Shepherd,
And against the man, My (BR)Associate,”
Declares the Lord of hosts.
“(BS)Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered;
And I will (BT)turn My hand [ak]against the little ones.
8 “It will come about in all the land,”
Declares the Lord,
“That (BU)two parts in it will be cut off and perish;
But the third will be left in it.
9 “And I will bring the third part through the (BV)fire,
Refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested.
They will (BW)call on My name,
And I will (BX)answer them;
I will say, ‘They are (BY)My people,’
And they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”
God Will Battle Jerusalem’s Foes
14 Behold, a (BZ)day is coming for the Lord when (CA)the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. 2 For I will (CB)gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the (CC)houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the Lord will go forth and (CD)fight against those nations, as [al]when He fights on a day of battle. 4 In that day His feet will (CE)stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be (CF)split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. 5 You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the (CG)earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. (CH)Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with [am]Him!
6 In that day there will be (CI)no light; the [an]luminaries will dwindle. 7 For it will be (CJ)a unique day which is (CK)known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at (CL)evening time there will be light.
8 And in that day (CM)living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter.
God Will Be King over All
9 And the Lord will be (CN)king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only (CO)one, and His name the only one.
10 All the land will be changed into a plain from (CP)Geba to (CQ)Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but [ao]Jerusalem will (CR)rise and (CS)remain on its site from (CT)Benjamin’s Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the (CU)Corner Gate, and from the (CV)Tower of Hananel to the king’s wine presses. 11 [ap]People will live in it, and there will (CW)no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem will (CX)dwell in security.
12 Now this will be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will (CY)rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth. 13 It will come about in that day that a great panic from the Lord will [aq]fall on them; and they will (CZ)seize one another’s hand, and the hand of one will [ar]be lifted against the hand of another. 14 (DA)Judah also will fight at Jerusalem; and the (DB)wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered, gold and silver and garments in great abundance. 15 So also like this (DC)plague will be the plague on the horse, the mule, the camel, the donkey and all the cattle that will be in those camps.
16 Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will (DD)go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the (DE)Feast of Booths. 17 And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the (DF)King, the Lord of hosts, there will be (DG)no rain on them. 18 If the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall on them; it will be the (DH)plague with which the Lord smites the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths. 19 This will be the [as]punishment of Egypt, and the [at]punishment of all the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths.
20 In that day there will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “(DI)HOLY TO THE LORD.” And the (DJ)cooking pots in the Lord’s house will be like the bowls before the altar. 21 Every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be (DK)holy to the Lord of hosts; and all who sacrifice will come and take of them and boil in them. And there will no longer be a [au](DL)Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts in that day.
God’s Love for Jacob
1 The [av](DM)oracle of the word of the Lord to (DN)Israel through [aw]Malachi.
2 “I have (DO)loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I (DP)have loved Jacob; 3 but I have hated Esau, and I have (DQ)made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.” 4 Though Edom says, “We have been (DR)beaten down, but we will [ax](DS)return and build up the ruins”; thus says the Lord of hosts, “They may (DT)build, but I will tear down; and men will call them the [ay]wicked territory, and the people [az]toward whom the Lord is indignant (DU)forever.” 5 Your eyes will see this and you will say, “(DV)The Lord [ba]be magnified beyond the [bb]border of Israel!”
Sin of the Priests
6 “‘A son (DW)honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a (DX)father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My [bc]respect?’ says the Lord of hosts to you, O (DY)priests who despise My name. But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’ 7 You are presenting (DZ)defiled [bd](EA)food upon My altar. But you say, ‘How have we defiled You?’ In that you say, ‘The (EB)table of the Lord is to be despised.’ 8 But when you present the (EC)blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? [be]Why not offer it to your (ED)governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?” says the Lord of hosts. 9 “But now [bf]will you not (EE)entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us? [bg]With such an offering on your part, will He (EF)receive any of you kindly?” says the Lord of hosts. 10 “Oh that there were one among you who would (EG)shut the [bh]gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of hosts, “(EH)nor will I accept an offering from [bi]you. 11 For from the (EI)rising of the sun even to its setting, (EJ)My name will be (EK)great among the nations, and in every place (EL)incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be (EM)great among the nations,” says the Lord of hosts. 12 “But you are (EN)profaning it, in that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.’ 13 You also say, ‘[bj]My, how (EO)tiresome it is!’ And you disdainfully sniff at it,” says the Lord of hosts, “and you bring what was taken by (EP)robbery and what is (EQ)lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I (ER)receive that from your hand?” says the Lord. 14 “But cursed be the (ES)swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a (ET)blemished animal to the Lord, for I am a great (EU)King,” says the Lord of hosts, “and My name is [bk](EV)feared among the [bl]nations.”
Priests to Be Disciplined
2 “And now this commandment is for you, O priests. 2 If you do (EW)not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name,” says the Lord of hosts, “then I will send the (EX)curse upon you and I will curse your blessings; and indeed, I have (EY)cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart. 3 Behold, I am going to (EZ)rebuke your [bm]offspring, and I will (FA)spread [bn]refuse on your faces, the [bo]refuse of your (FB)feasts; and you will be taken away [bp]with it. 4 Then you will know that I have sent this commandment to you, [bq]that My (FC)covenant may [br]continue with Levi,” says the Lord of hosts. 5 “My covenant with him was one of life and (FD)peace, and I gave them to him as an object of [bs]reverence; so he [bt](FE)revered Me and stood in awe of My name. 6 [bu](FF)True instruction was in his mouth and unrighteousness was not found on his lips; he walked (FG)with Me in peace and uprightness, and he (FH)turned many back from iniquity. 7 For the lips of a priest should preserve (FI)knowledge, and [bv]men should (FJ)seek [bw]instruction from his mouth; for he is the (FK)messenger of the Lord of hosts. 8 But as for you, you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to (FL)stumble [bx]by the instruction; you have [by](FM)corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says the Lord of hosts. 9 “So (FN)I also have made you despised and (FO)abased [bz]before all the people, just as you are not keeping My ways but are showing (FP)partiality in the [ca]instruction.
Sin in the Family
10 “Do we not all have (FQ)one father? (FR)Has not one God created us? Why do we deal (FS)treacherously each against his brother so as to profane the (FT)covenant of our fathers? 11 Judah has dealt (FU)treacherously, and an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has (FV)profaned the sanctuary of the Lord [cb]which He loves and has married the daughter of a foreign god. 12 As for the man who does this, may the (FW)Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob everyone who awakes and answers, or who (FX)presents [cc]an offering to the Lord of hosts.
13 “This is [cd]another thing you do: you cover the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and with groaning, because He (FY)no longer regards the [ce]offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. 14 Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because the Lord has been a witness between you and the (FZ)wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt (GA)treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 15 [cf]But not one has (GB)done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And [cg]what did that one do while he was seeking a (GC)godly [ch]offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal (GD)treacherously against the wife of your youth. 16 For [ci]I hate [cj](GE)divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “and [ck]him who covers his garment with [cl](GF)wrong,” says the Lord of hosts. “So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”
17 You have (GG)wearied the Lord with your words. Yet you say, “How have we wearied Him?” In that you say, “(GH)Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He (GI)delights in them,” or, “(GJ)Where is the God of (GK)justice?”
The Purifier
3 “(GL)Behold, I am going to send (GM)My [cm]messenger, and he will [cn](GN)clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; [co]and the [cp](GO)messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts. 2 “But who can (GP)endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a (GQ)refiner’s fire and like [cq]fullers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will (GR)purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may (GS)present to the Lord [cr]offerings in righteousness. 4 Then the [cs]offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be (GT)pleasing to the Lord as in the (GU)days of old and as in former years.
5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the (GV)sorcerers and against the (GW)adulterers and against those who (GX)swear falsely, and against those who oppress the (GY)wage earner in his wages, the (GZ)widow and the [ct]orphan, and those who turn aside the [cu](HA)alien and do not [cv]fear Me,” says the Lord of hosts. 6 “For [cw]I, the Lord, (HB)do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, [cx]are not consumed.
7 “From the (HC)days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. (HD)Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’
You Have Robbed God
8 “Will a man [cy]rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In (HE)tithes and [cz]offerings. 9 You are (HF)cursed with a curse, for you are [da]robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10 (HG)Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be [db]food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not (HH)open for you the windows of heaven and (HI)pour out for you a blessing until [dc](HJ)it overflows. 11 Then I will rebuke the (HK)devourer for you, so that it will not [dd]destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the Lord of hosts. 12 “(HL)All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a (HM)delightful land,” says the Lord of hosts.
13 “Your words have been [de]arrogant against Me,” says the Lord. “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ 14 You have said, ‘It is (HN)vain to serve God; and what (HO)profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked in mourning before the Lord of hosts? 15 So now we (HP)call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up but they also test God and (HQ)escape.’”
The Book of Remembrance
16 Then those who [df]feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord (HR)gave attention and heard it, and a (HS)book of remembrance was written before Him for those who [dg]fear the Lord and who esteem His name. 17 “They will be (HT)Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “on the (HU)day that I [dh]prepare My [di](HV)own possession, and I will [dj]spare them as a man [dk](HW)spares his own son who serves him.” 18 So you will again (HX)distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.
Final Admonition
4 “[dl]For behold, the day is coming, (HY)burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be (HZ)chaff; and the day that is coming will (IA)set them ablaze,” says the Lord of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.” 2 “But for you who [dm]fear My name, the (IB)sun of righteousness will rise with (IC)healing in its wings; and you will go forth and (ID)skip about like calves from the stall. 3 You will (IE)tread down the wicked, for they will be (IF)ashes under the soles of your feet (IG)on the day [dn]which I am preparing,” says the Lord of hosts.
4 “[do](IH)Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel.
5 “Behold, I am going to send you (II)Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. 6 He will [dp](IJ)restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and (IK)smite the land with a [dq]curse.”
The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah
1 The [dr]record of the genealogy of [ds]Jesus [dt]the Messiah, (IL)the son of David, (IM)the son of Abraham:
2 Abraham [du]was the father of Isaac, [dv]Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of [dw]Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, (IN)Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of [dx]Ram. 4 Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon. 5 Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. 6 Jesse was the father of David the king.
David (IO)was the father of Solomon by [dy]Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah. 7 Solomon (IP)was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of [dz]Asa. 8 Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of [ea]Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah. 9 Uzziah was the father of [eb]Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of [ec]Amon, and Amon the (IQ)father of Josiah. 11 Josiah became the father of [ed]Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the (IR)deportation to Babylon.
12 After the (IS)deportation to Babylon: Jeconiah became the father of [ee]Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel. 13 Zerubbabel was the father of [ef]Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor. 14 Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud. 15 Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob. 16 Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, (IT)who is called [eg]the Messiah.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the (IU)deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the (IV)deportation to Babylon to [eh]the Messiah, fourteen generations.
Conception and Birth of Jesus
18 Now the birth of Jesus [ei]Christ was as follows: when His (IW)mother Mary had been [ej]betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was (IX)found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned [ek](IY)to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “(IZ)Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for [el]the Child who has been [em]conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a Son; and (JA)you shall call His name Jesus, for [en]He (JB)will save His people from their sins.” 22 Now all this [eo]took place to fulfill what was (JC)spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “(JD)Behold, the virgin shall be with (JE)child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name [ep]Immanuel,” which translated means, “(JF)God with us.” 24 And Joseph [eq]awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 [er]but kept her a virgin until she (JG)gave birth to a Son; and (JH)he called His name Jesus.
The Visit of the Magi
2 Now after Jesus was (JI)born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of (JJ)Herod the king, [es]magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 2 “Where is He who has been born (JK)King of the Jews? For we saw (JL)His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the [et]Messiah was to be born. 5 They said to him, “(JM)In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written [eu]by the prophet:
6 ‘(JN)And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;
For out of you shall come forth a Ruler
Who will (JO)shepherd My people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them [ev]the exact time (JP)the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” 9 After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 After coming into the house they saw the Child with (JQ)Mary His mother; and they [ew]fell to the ground and (JR)worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been (JS)warned by God (JT)in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.
The Flight to Egypt
13 Now when they had gone, behold, an (JU)angel of the Lord *(JV)appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.”
14 So [ex]Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. 15 He [ey]remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “(JW)Out of Egypt I called (JX)My Son.”
Herod Slaughters Babies
16 Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by (JY)the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and (JZ)slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi. 17 Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
18 “(KA)A voice was heard in Ramah,
Weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children;
And she refused to be comforted,
Because they were no more.”
19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord *(KB)appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said, 20 “Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.” 21 So [ez]Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being (KC)warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee, 23 and came and lived in a city called (KD)Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a (KE)Nazarene.”
The Preaching of John the Baptist
3 Now (KF)in those days (KG)John the Baptist *[fa]came, [fb]preaching in the (KH)wilderness of Judea, saying, 2 “(KI)Repent, for (KJ)the kingdom of heaven [fc]is at hand.” 3 For this is the (KK)one referred to [fd]by Isaiah the prophet when he said,
“(KL)The voice of one [fe]crying in the wilderness,
‘(KM)Make ready the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight!’”
4 Now John himself had [ff](KN)a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was (KO)locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem (KP)was going out to him, and all Judea and all (KQ)the district around the Jordan; 6 and they were being (KR)baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the (KS)Pharisees and (KT)Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You (KU)brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from (KV)the wrath to come? 8 (KW)Therefore bear fruit (KX)in keeping with repentance; 9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘(KY)We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. 10 The (KZ)axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore (LA)every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 “As for me, (LB)I baptize you [fg]with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; (LC)He will baptize you [fh]with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His (LD)winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will (LE)gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the (LF)chaff with (LG)unquenchable fire.”
The Baptism of Jesus
13 (LH)Then Jesus *arrived (LI)from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. 14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” 15 But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us (LJ)to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he *permitted Him. 16 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and [fi](LK)he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and [fj]lighting on Him, 17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “(LL)This is [fk]My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
The Temptation of Jesus
4 (LM)Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness (LN)to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after He had (LO)fasted forty days and forty nights, He [fl]then became hungry. 3 And (LP)the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the (LQ)Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘(LR)Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil *took Him into (LS)the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and *said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written,
‘(LT)He will command His angels concerning You’;
and
‘On their hands they will bear You up,
So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “[fm]On the other hand, it is written, ‘(LU)You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
8 (LV)Again, the devil *took Him to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, “(LW)All these things I will give You, if You fall down and [fn]worship me.” 10 Then Jesus *said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘(LX)You shall worship the Lord your God, and [fo]serve Him only.’” 11 Then the devil *left Him; and behold, (LY)angels came and began to minister to Him.
Jesus Begins His Ministry
12 Now when Jesus heard that (LZ)John had been taken into custody, (MA)He withdrew into Galilee; 13 and leaving Nazareth, He came and (MB)settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:
15 “(MC)The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
[fp]By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the [fq]Gentiles—
16 “(MD)The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light,
And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death,
Upon them a Light dawned.”
17 (ME)From that time Jesus began to [fr]preach and say, “(MF)Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
The First Disciples
18 (MG)Now as Jesus was walking by (MH)the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, (MI)Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 And He *said to them, “[fs]Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 21 Going on from there He saw two other brothers, [ft](MJ)James the son of Zebedee, and [fu]John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
Ministry in Galilee
23 Jesus was going (MK)throughout all Galilee, (ML)teaching in their synagogues and (MM)proclaiming the [fv]gospel of the kingdom, and (MN)healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.
24 The news about Him spread (MO)throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, (MP)demoniacs, [fw](MQ)epileptics, (MR)paralytics; and He healed them. 25 Large crowds (MS)followed Him from Galilee and (MT)the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from (MU)beyond the Jordan.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.