Read the Gospels in 40 Days
7 Do not ye deem, that ye be not deemed;
2 for in what doom ye deem, ye shall be deemed, and in what measure ye mete, it shall be meted again to you.
3 But what seest thou a little mote in the eye of thy brother, and seest not a beam in thine own eye?
4 Or how sayest thou to thy brother, Brother, suffer I shall do out a mote from thine eye [Brother, suffer that I cast out a mote from thine eye], and lo! a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Hypocrite, first do out the beam of thine eye/do thou out first the beam of thine own eye, and then thou shalt see to do out the mote of the eye of thy brother.[a]
6 Do not ye give holy thing to hounds [Do not ye give holy things to hounds], neither cast ye your margarites before swine, lest peradventure they defoul them with their feet, and the hounds be turned, and tear you all to pieces.
7 Ask ye, and it shall be given to you; seek ye, and ye shall find; knock ye, and it shall be opened to you.
8 For each that asketh, taketh; and he that seeketh, findeth; and it shall be opened to him, that knocketh.
9 What man of you is, that if his son ask him bread [Or who of you is a man, whom if his son ask bread], whether he will take him a stone?
10 Or if he ask [a] fish, whether he will give him an adder? [Or if he shall ask a fish, whether he shall give to him a serpent?]
11 Therefore if ye, when ye be evil men, know how to give good gifts to your sons, how much more your Father that is in heavens shall give good things to men that ask him?
12 Therefore all things, whatever things ye will that men do to you, [and] do ye to them, for this is the law and the prophets.
13 Enter ye by the strait gate; for the gate that leadeth to perdition is large, and the way is broad, and there be many that enter by it. [Enter ye by the strait gate; for the gate is broad, and the way that leadeth to perdition, either damnation, is large, and many be that enter by it.]
14 How strait is the gate, and narrow the way, that leadeth to life, and there be few that find it [and few be that find it].
15 Be ye ware of false prophets, that come to you in clothings of sheep, but withinforth they be wolves of raven;[b]
16 of their fruits ye shall know them. Whether men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of briers?
17 So every good tree maketh good fruits; but an evil tree maketh evil fruits.
18 A good tree may not make evil fruits, neither an evil tree [may] make good fruits.
19 Every tree that maketh not good fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire.
20 Therefore of their fruits ye shall know them.
21 Not every man that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heavens; but he that doeth the will of my Father that is in heavens, he shall enter into the kingdom of heavens.[c]
22 Many shall say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, whether we have not prophesied in thy name, and have cast out fiends in thy name, and have done many works of power in thy name [whether we have not prophesied in thy name, and have cast out devils in thy name, and have done many virtues in thy name]?
23 And then I shall acknowledge to them, That I knew you never; depart away from me, ye that work wickedness.
24 Therefore every man that heareth these my words, and doeth them, shall be made like to a wise man, that hath builded his house on a stone[d].
25 And rain came down, and floods came, and winds blew, and rushed into that house; and it felled not down [and it fell not down], for it was founded on a stone.
26 And every man that heareth these my words, and doeth them not, is like to a fool, that hath builded his house on gravel[e].
27 And rain came down, and floods came, and winds blew, and hurled against that house; and it felled down [and it fell down], and the falling down thereof was great.
28 And it was done, when Jesus had ended these words, the people wondered on his teaching;
29 for he taught them, as he that had power [as a man having power], and not as the scribes and the Pharisees.
8 But when Jesus was come down from the hill, much people followed him [many companies followed him].
2 And lo! a leprous man came, and worshipped him, and said [saying], Lord, if thou wilt, thou mayest make me clean.
3 And Jesus held forth the hand, and touched him, and said [saying], I will, be thou made clean. And at once [And anon] the leprosy of him was cleansed.
4 And Jesus said to him [And Jesus saith to him], See, say thou to no man; but go, show thee to the priests, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, in witnessing to them.
5 And when he had entered into Capernaum, the centurion approached to him, and prayed him, [Soothly when he entered into Capernaum, (the) centurion nighed to him, praying him,]
6 and said, Lord, my child lieth in the house sick on the palsy, and is evil tormented. [and saying, Lord, my child lieth in the house sick in palsy, and is evil tormented.]
7 And Jesus said to him [And Jesus saith to him], I shall come, and shall heal him.
8 And the centurion answered, and said to him, Lord, I am not worthy, that thou enter under my roof; but only say thou by word [but only say by word], and my child shall be healed.
9 For why I am a man ordained under power, and have knights under me [having under me knights]; and I say to this, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
10 And Jesus heard these things, and wondered, and said to men following him, Truly I say to you, I found not so great faith in Israel.
11 And I say to you, that many shall come from the east and the west [that many shall come from the east and west], and shall rest with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heavens;
12 but the sons of the realm shall be cast out into outer-more darknesses; there shall be weeping, and grinding of teeth. [forsooth the sons of the realm shall be cast into uttermost darknesses; there shall be weeping, and beating together of teeth.]
13 And Jesus said to the centurion, Go, and as thou hast believed, be it done to thee. And the child was healed from that hour.
14 And when Jesus was come into the house of Simon Peter, he saw his wife's mother lying, and shaken with fevers [and shaking with the fevers].
15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she rose, and served [to] them.
16 And when it was even, they brought to him many that had devils, and he casted out spirits by word, and healed all that were evil-at-ease;[f]
17 that it were fulfilled, that was said by Esaias, the prophet [that it should be fulfilled, that thing that was said by Esaias, the prophet], saying, He took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
18 And Jesus saw much people about him, and bade his disciples go over the water. [Soothly Jesus seeing many companies about him, commanded his disciples to go over the water.]
19 And a scribe approached, and said to him[g], Master, I shall follow thee, whither ever thou shalt go.
20 And Jesus said to him, Foxes have dens, and birds of the air have nests, but man's Son hath not wherein to rest his head. [And Jesus said to him, Foxes have burrows, or dens, and birds of the air have nests, but man's Son hath not where he shall rest his head.]
21 [Soothly] Another of his disciples said to him, Lord, suffer me to go first, and bury my father.
22 But Jesus said to him, Follow thou me, and let the dead men bury their dead men.
23 And when he was gone up into a little ship, his disciples followed him.
24 And lo! a great stirring was made in the sea, so that the ship was covered with waves; but he slept.
25 And his disciples came to him, and raised him, and said [And his disciples came nigh to him, and raised him, saying], Lord, save us; we perish.
26 And Jesus said to them, What be ye of little faith aghast[h]? Then he rose [up], and commanded to the winds and the sea, and a great peaceableness was made.
27 And men wondered, and said [saying], What manner man is this, for the winds and the sea obey to him?
28 And when he was come over the water into the country of men of Gergesenes, two men met him, that had devils, and came out of graves, full mad, so that no man might go by that way.[i]
29 And lo! they cried, and said [saying], What to us and to thee, Jesus, the Son of God? art thou come hither before the time to torment us?
30 And not far from them was a flock [a flock, or drove,] of many swine pasturing.
31 And the devils prayed him, and said [saying], If thou castest out us from hence, send us into the drove of swine.
32 And he said to them, Go ye. And they went out, and went into the swine; and lo! in a great rush all the drove went headlong into the sea, and they were dead in the waters.
33 And the herders fled away, and came into the city, and told all these things, and of them that had the fiends [and of them that had the devils].
34 And lo! all the city went out to meet Jesus; and when they had seen him, they prayed [him], that he would pass from their coasts.
9 And Jesus went up into a boat, and passed over the water, and came into his city.
2 And lo! they brought to him a man sick in palsy, lying in a bed. And Jesus saw the faith of them, and said to the man sick in palsy, Son, have thou trust; thy sins be forgiven to thee [Forsooth Jesus, seeing the faith of them, said to the man sick in palsy, Son, have trust; thy sins be forgiven to thee].
3 And lo! some of the scribes said within themselves, This blasphemeth.
4 And when Jesus had seen their thoughts, he said, Whereto think ye evil things in your hearts?
5 What is lighter to say, Thy sins be forgiven to thee, either to say [or to say], Rise thou, and walk?
6 But that ye know that man's Son hath power to forgive sins in earth, then he said to the sick man in palsy [then he said to the man sick in palsy], Rise up; take thy bed, and go into thine house.
7 And he rose, and went into his house.
8 And the people seeing dreaded [Soothly the companies seeing dreaded], and glorified God, that gave such power to men.
9 And when Jesus passed from thence, he saw a man, Matthew by name, sitting in a tollbooth. And he said to him, Follow thou me. And he rose, and followed him.
10 And it was done, while he sat at the meat in the house, lo! many publicans and sinful men came, and sat at the meat with Jesus and his disciples. [And it was done, him sitting at the meat in the house, lo! many publicans and sinful men coming sat at the meat with Jesus and his disciples.]
11 And the Pharisees saw, and said to his disciples, Why eateth your master with publicans and sinful men?
12 And Jesus heard, and said, A physician is not needful to men that fare well, but to men that be evil-at-ease. [And Jesus hearing said, A leech is not needful to men that fare well, but to men having evil.]
13 But go ye, and learn what it is, I will mercy, and not sacrifice; for I came, not to call rightful men [forsooth I came, not to call rightwise men], but sinful men to penance.
14 Then the disciples of John came to him, and said [Then the disciples of John came nigh to him, saying], Why we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?
15 And Jesus said to them, Whether the sons of the spouse be able to mourn [Whether the sons of the spouse, or husband, may wail, or mourn], as long as the spouse is with them? But days shall come, when the spouse shall be taken away from them, and then they shall fast.
16 And no man putteth a patch of rough cloth [of rude, or new, cloth] into an old clothing [into an old cloth]; for it doeth away the fullness of the cloak [soothly it taketh away the plenty of it from the cloth], and a worse breaking is made.
17 Neither men put new wine into old bottles, else the bottles be broken, and destroyed, and the wine shed out. But men put new wine into new bottles, and both be kept.[j]
18 Whiles that Jesus spake these things to them, lo! a prince came, and worshipped him, and said [saying], Lord, my daughter is now dead; but come thou, and put thine hand on her, and she shall live [but come thou, and put thine hand upon her, and she shall live].
19 And Jesus rose, and his disciples, and followed him. [And Jesus rising followed him, and his disciples.]
20 And lo! a woman, that had a bloody flux twelve years, approached behind, and touched the hem of his cloak.[k]
21 For she said within herself, If I touch only the cloak of him[l], I shall be safe.
22 And Jesus turned, and saw her, and said, Daughter, have thou trust [Daughter, have trust]; thy faith hath made thee safe. And the woman was whole from that hour.
23 And when Jesus came into the house of the prince, and saw minstrels, and the people making noise,
24 he said, Go ye away [Go away], for the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they scorned him.
25 And when the folk was put out, he went in, and held her hand; and the damsel rose [up].
26 And this fame went out into all that land.
27 And when Jesus passed from thence, two blind men crying followed him, and said, Thou son of David, have mercy on us. [And Jesus passing thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us.]
28 And when he came into the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them [Soothly when he had come into the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus saith to them], What will ye, that I do to you? And they said, Lord, that our eyes be opened. And Jesus said, Believe ye, that I may do this thing to you [And Jesus said, Believe ye, that I may do this thing]? They said to him, Yea, Lord.
29 Then he touched their eyes, and said [saying], After your faith be it done to you.
30 And the eyes of them were opened. And Jesus threatened them, and said [saying], See ye, that no man know.
31 But they went out, and famed him through all that land.
32 And when they were gone out, lo! they brought to him a dumb man, having a devil.
33 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb man spake. And the people wondered, and said, It hath not been seen thus in Israel [And the companies wondered, saying, It appeared never so in Israel].
34 But the Pharisees said, In the prince of devils he casteth out devils.
35 And Jesus went about all the cities and castles, teaching in the synagogues of them, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every languor and every sickness [and healing all languishing, or ache, and all sickness].
36 And he saw the people, and had ruth on them [Forsooth Jesus, seeing companies, had ruth on them]; for they were travailed, and lying as sheep not having a shepherd.
37 Then he said to his disciples, Soothly there is much ripe corn, but few workmen.
38 Therefore pray ye the Lord of the ripe corn, that he send workmen into his ripe corn.
2001 by Terence P. Noble