Read the Gospels in 40 Days
[1 Forsooth for many men endeavoured to ordain the telling of things, which be filled in us,
2 as they that saw at the beginning, and were ministers of the word, betaken,
3 it is seen also to me, having from the beginning all things diligently by order, to write to thee, thou best Theophilus,
4 that thou know the truth of those words, of which thou art learned.][a]
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judaea, there was a priest [there was some priest], Zacharias by name, of the sort of Abia, and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6 And [they] both were just before God, going in all the commandments and justifyings of the Lord, without plaint.
7 And they had no child, for [that] Elisabeth was barren, and both were of great age in their days [and both had gone far in their days].
8 And it befell [Soothly it was done], that when Zacharias should do the office of priesthood, in the order of his course before God,
9 after the custom of the priesthood, he went forth by lot [by sort he went forth], and entered into the temple [of the Lord], to incense.
10 And all the multitude of the people was withoutforth, and prayed in the hour of incensing [praying in the hour of incense].
11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, and stood on the right half of the altar of incense [standing on the right half of the altar of incense].
12 And Zacharias seeing was afraid [And Zacharias seeing was distroubled], and dread fell upon him.
13 And the angel said to him, Zacharias, dread thou not; for thy prayer is heard, and Elisabeth, thy wife, shall bear to thee a son, and his name shall be called John.
14 And joy and gladding shall be to thee; and many shall have joy in his nativity, or birth.
15 For he shall be great before the Lord, and he shall not drink wine nor cider, and he shall be full-filled with the Holy Ghost [and he shall be filled of the Holy Ghost] yet from his mother's womb.
16 And he shall convert many of the children of Israel to their Lord God; [And he shall convert many of the sons of Israel to the Lord God of them;]
17 and he shall go before him in the spirit and virtue of Elias; and he shall turn the hearts of the fathers into the sons [and shall turn the hearts of the fathers into the sons], and men out of belief to the prudence of just men, to make ready a perfect people to the Lord.
18 And Zacharias said to the angel, Whereof shall I know this? for I am old, and my wife hath gone far in her days.
19 And the angel answered, and said to him [And the angel answering said to him], For I am Gabriel, that stand nigh before God; and I am sent to thee to speak, and to evangelize to thee these things [and to evangelize, or tell, to thee these things].
20 And lo! thou shalt be dumb, and thou shalt not be able to speak till into the day, in which these things shall be done; for thou hast not believed to my words, which shall be fulfilled in their time.
21 And the people was abiding Zacharias, and they wondered, that he tarried in the temple.
22 And he went out, and might not speak to them, and they knew that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he beckoned to them, and dwelled still dumb.
23 And it was done, when the days of his office were fulfilled, he went into his house.
24 And after these days Elisabeth, his wife, conceived, and hid her(self) five months, and said [saying],
25 For so the Lord did to me in the days, in which he beheld, to take away my reproof among men.
26 But in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, whose name was Nazareth [to which the name Nazareth],
27 to a maiden [to a virgin], wedded to a man, whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the name of the maiden was Mary.
28 And the angel entered to her, and said, Hail, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed be thou among women.
29 And when she had heard, she was troubled in his word, and thought what manner salutation this was.
30 And the angel said to her, Dread thou not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.
31 Lo! thou shalt conceive in [the] womb, and shalt bear a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus.
32 This shall be great [He shall be great], and he shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give to him the seat of David, his father,
33 and he shall reign in the house of Jacob without end [and he shall reign in the house of Jacob into without end], and of his realm shall be none end.
34 And Mary said to the angel, On what manner shall this thing be done, for I know not man?
35 And the angel answered, and said to her, The Holy Ghost shall come from above into thee, and the virtue of the Highest shall overshadow thee; and therefore that holy thing that shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God.
36 And lo! Elisabeth, thy cousin, and she also hath conceived a son in her old (age), and this month is the sixth to her that is called barren;
37 for every word shall not be impossible with God.
38 And Mary said, Lo! the handmaid of the Lord[b]; be it done to me after thy word. And the angel departed from her.
39 And Mary rose up in those days, and went with haste into the mountains, into a city of Judaea. [Soothly Mary rising up in those days, went with haste into the hilly places, into a city of Judaea.]
40 And she entered into the house of Zacharias, and greeted Elisabeth.
41 And it was done, as Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the young child in her womb gladded. And Elisabeth was full-filled with the Holy Ghost [And Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost],
42 and cried with a great voice, and said, Blessed be thou among women, and blessed be the fruit of thy womb.
43 And whereof is this thing to me, that the mother of my Lord come to me?
44 For lo! as the voice of thy salutation was made in mine ears, the young child gladded in joy in my womb [the young child gladded with joy in my womb].
45 And blessed be thou, that hast believed, for those things that be said of the Lord to thee [for those things that be said to thee from the Lord], shall be perfectly done.
46 And Mary said, My soul magnifieth the Lord,
47 and my spirit hath gladded in God, mine health [mine health-giver].
48 For he hath beheld the meekness of his handmaiden. For lo! of this all generations shall say that I am blessed.[c]
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things, and his name is holy.
50 And his mercy is from kindred into kindreds [from kindreds into kindreds], to men that dread him.
51 He made might in his arm, he scattered proud men with the thought of his heart.
52 He put down mighty men from their seats, and enhanced meek men.
53 He hath full-filled hungry men with goods [He hath filled hungry men with good things], and he hath left rich men void.
54 He, having mind of his mercy, took Israel, his child;
55 as he hath spoken to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed, into worlds.
56 And Mary dwelled with her, as it were three months [Forsooth Mary dwelled with her as three months], and turned again into her house.
57 But the time of bearing child was fulfilled to Elisabeth, and she bare a son.
58 And the neighbours and the cousins of her heard, that the Lord had magnified his mercy with her; and they thanked him [and they together joyed to her].
59 And it was done in the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, by the name of his father.
60 And his mother answered, and said, Nay, but he shall be called John.
61 And they said to her, For no man is in thy kindred, that is called [by] this name.
62 And they beckoned to his father, what he would that he were called. [Soothly they made a sign to his father, whom he would him to be called.]
63 And he asking a stylus [a pointel], wrote, saying, John is his name. And all men wondered.
64 And at once his mouth was opened [Forsooth his mouth was opened anon], and his tongue, and he spake, and blessed God.
65 And dread was made on all their neighbours, and all these words were published on all the mountains of Judaea [on all the hilly places of Judaea].
66 And all men that heard putted in their heart, and said, What manner child shall this be? For the hand of the Lord was with him. [And all men that heard put in their heart, saying, Who guessest thou, this child shall be? And soothly the hand of the Lord was with him.]
67 And Zacharias, his father, was full-filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, and said, [And Zacharias, his father, was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,]
68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath visited, and made redemption of his people.
69 And he hath raised to us an horn of health in the house of David, his child.
70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, that were from the world.
71 Health from our enemies, and from the hand of all men that hated us [and from the hand of all that hated us].
72 To do mercy with our fathers, and to have mind of his holy testament.
73 The great oath [The oath] that he swore to Abraham, our father,
74 to give himself to us. That we without dread delivered from the hand of our enemies, serve to him [That we delivered from the hand of our enemies, serve to him without dread],
75 in holiness and rightwiseness before him in all our days.
76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest; for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord, to make ready his ways.
77 To give science of health to his people, into remission of their sins;
78 by the inwardness of the mercy of our God, in the which [in which] he springing up from on high hath visited us.
79 To give light to them that sit in darknesses and in the shadow of death; to direct [to dress] our feet into the way of peace.
80 And the child waxed, and was comforted in spirit, and was in desert places unto the day [and was in desert till the day] of his showing to Israel.
2 And it was done in those days, a commandment went out from the emperor Augustus [a commandment went out from Caesar Augustus], that all the world should be described.
2 This first describing was made of Cyrenius, justice of Syria [justice, or keeper, of Syria].
3 And all men went to make profession, [or acknowledging,] each into his own city.[d]
4 And Joseph went up from Galilee, from the city Nazareth [of the city of Nazareth], into Judaea, into a city of David, that is called Bethlehem, for that he was of the house and of the family of David,
5 that he should acknowledge with Mary, his wife, that was wedded to him, and was great with child. [that he should acknowledge with Mary, spoused to him wife, with child.]
6 And it was done, while they were there, the days were fulfilled, that she should bear child.
7 And she bare her firstborn son, and wrapped him in `clothes, and laid him in a feed-trough [and put him in a cratch], for there was no place to him in no chamber.
8 And shepherds were in the same country, waking and keeping the watches of the night on [upon] their flock.
9 And lo! the angel of the Lord stood beside them, and the clearness of God shined about them [and the clearness of God shone about them]; and they dreaded with great dread.
10 And the angel said to them, Do not ye dread; for lo! I preach to you a great joy [lo! soothly I evangelize to you a great joy], that shall be to all people.
11 For a Saviour is born to day to you, that is Christ the Lord, in the city of David.
12 And this is a token to you; ye shall find a young child wrapped in `clothes, and laid in a feed-trough [and put in a cratch].
13 And suddenly there was made with the angel a multitude of heavenly knighthood, praising God, and saying,
14 Glory be in the highest things to God, and in earth peace be to men of good will. [Glory in the highest things to God, and in earth peace to men of good will.]
15 And it was done, as the angels passed away from them into heaven, the shepherds spake together, and said, Go we over [till] to Bethlehem, and see we this word that is made, which the Lord hath made, and showed to us.
16 And they hieing came, and found Mary and Joseph, and the young child laid in a feed-trough [put in a cratch].
17 And they seeing, knew of the word that was said to them of this child.
18 And all men that heard wondered, and of these things that were said to them of the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these words, bearing together in her heart.
20 And the shepherds turned again, glorifying and praising God in all things that they had heard and seen, as it was said to them.
21 And after that eight days were ended, that the child should be circumcised, his name was called Jesus, which was called of the angel, before that he was conceived in the womb.
22 And after that the days of the purification of Mary were fulfilled, after Moses' law, they took him into Jerusalem, to offer him to the Lord,
23 as it is written in the law of the Lord, For every male-kind opening the womb, shall be called holy to the Lord;
24 and that they shall give an offering, after that it is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons [or two culver birds].
25 And lo! a man was in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and this man was just and virtuous, and abode the comfort of Israel [and this man was just and dread-full, abiding the comfort of Israel]; and the Holy Ghost was in him.
26 And he had taken an answer of the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, but he saw first the Christ of the Lord.
27 And he came in Spirit into the temple. And when his father and mother led [in] the child Jesus to do after the custom of the law for him,
28 he took him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
29 Lord, now thou lettest go thy servant after thy word in peace; [Lord, now thy leavest thy servant after thy word in peace;]
30 for mine eyes have seen thine health,
31 which thou hast made ready before the face of all peoples;
32 light to the showing of heathen men, and glory of thy people Israel.
33 And his father and his mother were wondering on [upon] these things, that were said of him.
34 And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, his mother, Lo! this is set into the falling down and into the rising again [into the falling and into the rising again] of many men in Israel, and into a token, to whom it shall be against-said.
35 And a sword shall pass through thine own soul, that the thoughts be showed of many hearts.
36 And Anna was a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the lineage of Aser. And she had gone forth in many days, and had lived with her husband seven years from her maidenhood.
37 And this was a widow to fourscore years and four; and she departed not from the temple [which departed not from the temple], but served God night and day in fastings and prayers.
38 And this came upon them in that hour, and acknowledged to the Lord [And this in that hour above coming, acknowledged to the Lord], and spake of him to all that abided the redemption of Israel.
39 And as they had full done all things [And as they had perfectly done all things], after the law of the Lord, they turned again into Galilee, into their city Nazareth.
40 And the child waxed, and was comforted, full of wisdom; and the grace of God was in him.
41 And his father and mother went each year into Jerusalem [And his father and mother went by all years into Jerusalem], in the solemn day of pask.
42 And when Jesus was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem, after the custom of the feast day.
43 And when the days were done, they turned again; and the child abode in Jerusalem, and his father and mother knew it not.
44 For they guessing that he had been in the fellowship, came a day's journey, and sought him among his cousins and his acknowledged.[e]
45 And when they found him not, they turned again into Jerusalem, and sought him [seeking him].
46 And it befell [And it was done], that after the third day they found him in the temple, sitting in the middle of the doctors, hearing them and asking them.
47 And all men that heard him, wondered on the prudence and the answers of him.
48 And they saw, and wondered. And his mother said to him, Son, what hast thou done to us thus? Lo! thy father and I sorrowing have sought thee.
49 And he said to them, What is it that ye sought me? knew ye not that in those things that be of my Father [wist ye not, that in those things that be my Father's], it behooveth me to be?
50 And they understood not the word, which he spake to them.
51 And he came down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. And his mother kept together all these words, and bare them in her heart [bearing together in her heart].
52 And Jesus profited in wisdom, age, and grace, with God and men.
3 In the fifteen year of the empire of Tiberius, the emperor, when Pilate of Pontii governed Judaea, and Herod was prince of Galilee, and Philip, his brother, was prince of Ituraea, and of the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias was prince of Abilene,
2 under the princes of priests Annas and Caiaphas, the word of the Lord was made on [upon] John, the son of Zacharias, in desert.
3 And he came into all the country of Jordan, and preached [preaching] baptism of penance into remission of sins.
4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias, the prophet, The voice of a crier in desert [The voice of one crying in desert], Make ye ready the way of the Lord, make ye his paths right.
5 Each valley shall be full-filled, and every hill and little hill shall be made low; and depraved things shall be into dressed things, and sharp things into plain ways; [Each valley shall be filled, and each mountain and little hill shall be made low; and shrewd things shall be into dressed things, and sharp things into plain ways;]
6 and every flesh [and each flesh] shall see the health of God.
7 Therefore he said to the people, which went out to be baptized of him, Kindlings of adders, who showed to you to flee from the wrath to coming?[f]
8 Therefore do ye worthy fruits of penance, and begin ye not to say, We have a father Abraham; for I say to you, that God is mighty to raise of these stones the sons of Abraham [soothly I say to you, God is mighty of these stones to raise the sons of Abraham].
9 And now an ax is set [is put] to the root of the tree; and therefore every tree that maketh not good fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire [shall be cut down, and sent into the fire].
10 And the people asked him, and said [saying], What then shall we do?
11 He answered, and said to them [Soothly he answering said to them], He that hath two coats, give he to him that hath none; and he that hath meats, do in like manner.
12 And [the] publicans came to be baptized; and they said to him, Master, what shall we do?
13 And he said to them, Do ye nothing more, than that that is ordained to you.
14 And [the] knights asked him, and said, What shall also we do [Forsooth and the knights asked him, saying, What shall and we do]? And he said to them, Smite ye wrongfully no man, neither make ye false challenge, and be ye satisfied with your wages [and be satisfied with your wages].
15 When all the people guessed, and all men thought in their hearts of John, lest peradventure he were Christ,
16 John answered, and said [saying] to all men, [Soothly] I baptize you in water; but a stronger than I shall come after me, of whom I am not worthy to unbind the lace of his shoes [of whose I am not worthy to unbind the thong of his shoes]; he shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost and fire.
17 Whose fan in his hand/Whose winnowing tool is in his hand, and he shall purge his floor of corn [and he shall purge his corn floor], and shall gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he shall burn with fire unquenchable.
18 And many other things also he spake, and preached to the people. [Forsooth and he stirring, or admonishing, many other things, evangelized to the people.]
19 But Herod [the] tetrarch, when he was blamed of John for Herodias, the wife of his brother, and for all the evils that Herod did,
20 he increased this over all, and shut John in prison.[g]
21 And it was done, when all the people was baptized, and when Jesus was baptized, and prayed [and praying], heaven was opened.
22 And the Holy Ghost came down in bodily likeness, as a dove on him; and a voice was made from heaven, Thou art my dear-worthy Son, in thee it hath well pleased to me.
23 And Jesus himself was beginning as of thirty years, that he was guessed the son of Joseph, which was of Heli,
24 which was of Matthat, which was of Levi, which was of Melchi, that was [which was] of Janna, that was of Joseph,
25 that was of Mattathias, that was of Amos, that was of Naum, that was of Esli, that was of Nagge,
26 that was of Maath, that was of Mattathias, that was of Semei, that was of Joseph, that was of Juda,
27 that was of Joanna, that was of Rhesa, that was of Zorobabel, that was of Salathiel, that was of Neri,
28 that was of Melchi, that was of Addi, that was of Cosam, that was of Elmodam, that was of Er,
29 that was of Jose, that was of Eliezer, that was of Jorim, that was of Matthat, that was of Levi,
30 that was of Simeon, that was of Juda, that was of Joseph, that was of Jonan, that was of Eliakim,
31 that was of Melea, that was of Menan, that was of Mattatha, that was of Nathan, that was of David,
32 that was of Jesse, that was of Obed, that was of Booz, that was of Salmon, that was of Naasson,
33 that was of Aminadab, that was of Aram, that was of Esrom, that was of Phares, that was of Juda,
34 that was of Jacob, that was of Isaac, that was of Abraham, that was of Thara, that was of Nachor,
35 that was of Saruch, that was of Ragau, that was of Phalec, that was of Heber, that was of Sala,
36 that was of Cainan, that was of Arphaxad, that was of Sem, that was of Noe, that was of Lamech,
37 that was of Mathusala, that was of Enoch, that was of Jared, that was of Maleleel, that was of Cainan,
38 that was of Enos, that was of Seth, that was of Adam, that was of God.
2001 by Terence P. Noble