Read the Gospels in 40 Days
13 And some men were present in that time, that told to him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate mingled with the sacrifices of them.
2 And he answered, and said to them, Ween ye, that these men of Galilee were sinners more than all Galilaeans, for they suffered such things? [And he answering said to them, Ween ye, that these men of Galilee were sinners before all Galilaeans, for they suffered such things?]
3 I say to you, nay; all ye shall perish in like manner, but [if] ye have penance.
4 And as those eighteen, on which the tower in Siloam fell down [upon whom the tower in Siloam felled down], and slew them, guess ye, that they were debtors more than all men that dwell in Jerusalem?
5 I say to you, nay; but also all ye shall perish [but also ye all shall perish], if ye do not penance.
6 And he said this likeness, A man [Some man] had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit in it, and found none.
7 And he said to the tiller of the vineyard, Lo! three years be, since I come seeking fruit in this fig tree, and I find none; therefore cut it down, whereto occupieth it the earth?
8 And he answering said to him, Lord, suffer it also this year, [till] the while I delve about it, and I shall dung it [till the while I delve about it, and dung it];
9 [and] if it shall make fruit, [else] if not, in time [to] coming thou shalt cut it down.
10 And he was teaching in their synagogue in the sabbaths. [Forsooth he was teaching in the synagogue of them in sabbaths.]
11 And lo! a woman, that had a spirit of sickness eighteen years, and was crooked [and was bowed down], and neither in any manner might look upward.
12 Whom when Jesus had seen, he called [her] to him, and said to her, Woman, thou art delivered of thy sickness [Woman, thou art let go of thy sickness].
13 And he set on her his hands, and at once she stood upright [And he put to her the hands, and anon she was raised], and glorified God.
14 And the prince of the synagogue answered, having disdain for Jesus had healed in the sabbath; and he said to the people, There be six days, in which it behooveth to work; therefore come ye in these [therefore come in these], and be ye healed, and not in the day of sabbath.
15 But the Lord answered to him, and said, Hypocrite, whether each of you untieth not in the sabbath his ox, or ass, from the feed-trough, and leadeth to water?[a]
16 Behooved it not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo! eighteen years, to be unbound of this bond in the day of sabbath?
17 And when he said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed, and all the people joyed in all things, that were gloriously done of him.
18 Therefore he said, To what thing is the kingdom of God like? and to what thing shall I guess it to be like?
19 It is like to a corn of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden [cast into his yard]; and it waxed, and was made into a great tree, and fowls of the air rested in the branches thereof.
20 And again he said, To what thing shall I guess the kingdom of God like?
21 It is like to sourdough, that a woman took, and hid it in three measures of meal, till all were soured.[b]
22 And he went by cities and castles, teaching and making journey into Jerusalem.
23 And a man said to him, Lord, if there be few, that be saved? And he said to them,
24 Strive ye to enter by the strait gate; for I say to you, many seek to enter [in], and they shall not be able.
25 For when the husbandman is entered, and the door is closed [Forsooth when the husbandman hath entered and closed the door], ye shall begin to stand withoutforth, and knock at the door, and say [saying], Lord, open to us. And he shall answer, and say to you, I know you not, of whence ye be.
26 Then ye shall begin to say, We have eaten before thee and drunk [We have eaten and drunk before thee], and in our streets thou hast taught.
27 And he shall say to you, I know you not, of whence ye be; go away from me, all ye workers of wickedness.
28 There shall be weeping and grinding of teeth [There shall be weeping and beating together of teeth], when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God; and you to be put out.
29 And they shall come from the east and the west, and from the north and the south, and shall sit at the meat in the realm of God.
30 And lo! they that were the first, be the last; and they that were the last, be the first. [And lo! they that were first, be the last; and they that were last, be the first.]
31 In that day some of the Pharisees came nigh, and said to him, Go out, and go from hence [In that day some of the Pharisees came nigh, saying to him, Go out, and go hence], for Herod will slay thee.
32 And he said to them, Go ye, and say to that fox, Lo! I cast out fiends, and I make perfectly healings [and I make perfectly healths], to day and to morrow, and the third day I am ended.
33 Nevertheless it behooveth me to day, and to morrow, and the day that followeth [and the day following], to walk; for it falleth not [for] a prophet to perish out of Jerusalem.
34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that slayest prophets, and stonest them that be sent to thee, how oft would I gather together thy sons, as a bird gathereth his nest under feathers [as a bird his nest under pens, or wings], and thou wouldest not.
35 Lo! your house shall be left to you desert. And I say to you [Soothly I say to you], that ye shall not see me, till it come, when ye shall say, Blessed is he, that cometh in the name of the Lord.
14 And it was done, when he had entered into the house of a prince of Pharisees, in the sabbath, to eat bread, they espied him.
2 And lo! a man sick in the dropsy [And lo! some man sick in the dropsy] was before him.
3 And Jesus answering spake to the wise men of [the] law, and to the Pharisees, and said [saying], Whether it is leaveful to heal in the sabbath?
4 And they held peace. And Jesus took, and healed him, and let him go.
5 And he answered to them, and said, Whose ass or ox of you shall fall into a pit, and he shall not at once draw him out in the day of sabbath?[c]
6 And they might not answer to him to these things.
7 He said also a parable to men bidden to a feast, and he beheld how they chose the first sitting places, and said to them, [Forsooth he said also a parable to men bidden to a feast, beholding how they chose the first sitting places, saying to them,]
8 When thou art bidden to bridals, sit not to meat in the first place [When thou shalt be bidden to weddings, sit not at the meat in the first place]; lest peradventure a worthier than thou be bidden of him,
9 and lest he come that called thee and him, and say to thee, Give place to this, and then thou shalt begin with shame [and thou shalt begin with shame] to hold the lowest place.
10 But when thou art bidden to a feast, go, and sit down in the last place, that when he cometh, that bade thee to the feast, he say to thee, Friend, come higher [Friend, ascend up higher]. Then worship shall be to thee, before men that sit [together] at the meat.
11 For each that enhanceth himself, shall be lowed [shall be made low]; and he that meeketh himself, shall be highed.
12 And he said [also] to him, that had bidden him to the feast, When thou makest a meat, or a supper, do not thou call thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy cousins, neither neighbours, nor rich men; lest peradventure [and] they bid thee again to the feast, and it be yielded again to thee [and retribution, or yielding again, be made to thee].
13 But when thou makest a feast, call poor men, feeble [men], crooked, and blind,
14 and thou shalt be blessed; for they have not whereof to yield [again] to thee, for it shall be yielded to thee [forsooth it shall be requited to thee] in the rising again of just men.
15 And when one of them that sat together at the meat had heard these things, he said to him, Blessed is he, that shall eat bread in the realm of God.
16 And he said to him, A man made a great supper [Some man made a great supper], and called many.
17 And he sent his servant in the hour of supper, to say to men that were bidden to the feast, that they should come, for now all things be ready.
18 And all began together to excuse them(selves). The first said [to him], I have bought a town, and I have need to go out, and see it; I pray thee, have me excused.
19 And the tother said, I have bought five yokes of oxen, and I go to prove them; I pray thee, have me excused.
20 And another said, I have wedded a wife; and therefore I may not come.
21 And the servant turned again, and told these things to his lord. Then the husbandman was wroth, and said to his servant, Go out swiftly into the great streets and the small streets of the city [Then the husbandman wroth, said to his servant, Go out soon into great streets and small streets of the city], and bring in hither poor men, and feeble, [and] blind men, and crooked.
22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done, as thou hast commanded, and yet there is a void place [and yet there is a place].
23 And the lord said to the servant, Go out into ways and hedges, and constrain men to enter, that mine house be full-filled [that mine house be filled].
24 For I say to you, that none of those men that be called, shall taste my supper.
25 And much people went with him [Soothly many companies went with him]; and he turned, and said to them,
26 If any man cometh to me [If any man come to me], and hateth not his father, and mother, and wife, and sons, and brethren, and sisters, and yet [forsooth] his own life, he may not be my disciple.
27 And he that beareth not his cross, and cometh after me, may not be my disciple.
28 For who of you willing to build a tower, whether he sit not first/whether he first sitteth not, and counteth the expenses that be needful, if he have to perform?
29 Lest after that he hath set the foundament [Lest after he hath put the foundament], and be not able to perform, all that see, begin to scorn him,
30 and say [saying], For this man began to build, and might not make an end.
31 Or what king that will go to do a battle against another king, whether he sitteth not first, and bethinketh, if he may with ten thousand go to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?[d]
32 [Or] Else yet while he is afar, he sendeth a messenger, and prayeth those things that be of peace.
33 So therefore each of you, that forsaketh not all things that he hath [that renounceth not, or forsaketh not, all things that he wieldeth], may not be my disciple.
34 Salt is good; but if salt [shall] vanish, in what thing shall it be savoured?
35 Neither in earth, nor in [the] dunghill it is profitable, but it shall be cast out. He that hath ears of hearing, hear he.
2001 by Terence P. Noble