Read the Gospels in 40 Days

13 Now there were some present at that very season who told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ² And he answered and said unto them, Think ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they have suffered these things? ³ I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner perish. ⁴ Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them, think ye that they were ^[a]offenders above all the men that dwell in Jerusalem? ⁵ I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

⁶ And he spake this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit thereon, and found none. ⁷ And he said unto the vinedresser, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why doth it also cumber the ground? ⁸ And he answering saith unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: ⁹ and if it bear fruit thenceforth, well; but if not, thou shalt cut it down.

¹⁰ And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath day. ¹¹ And behold, a woman that had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years; and she was bowed together, and could in no wise lift herself up. ¹² And when Jesus saw her, he called her, and said to her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. ¹³ And he laid his hands upon her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. ¹⁴ And the ruler of the synagogue, being moved with indignation because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, answered and said to the multitude, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the day of the sabbath. ¹⁵ But the Lord answered him, and said, Ye hypocrites, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the ^[b]stall, and lead him away to watering? ¹⁶ And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound, lo, these eighteen years, to have been loosed from this bond on the day of the sabbath? ¹⁷ And as he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame: and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.

¹⁸ He said therefore, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I liken it? ¹⁹ It is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his own garden; and it grew, and became a tree; and the birds of the heaven lodged in the branches thereof.

²⁰ And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? ²¹ It is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three ^[c]measures of meal, till it was all leavened.

²² And he went on his way through cities and villages, teaching, and journeying on unto Jerusalem. ²³ And one said unto him, Lord, are they few that are saved? And he said unto them, ²⁴ Strive to enter in by the narrow door: for many, I say unto you, shall seek to enter in, and shall not be ^[d]able. ²⁵ When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, open to us; and he shall answer and say to you, I know you not whence ye are; ²⁶ then shall ye begin to say, We did eat and drink in thy presence, and thou didst teach in our streets; ²⁷ and he shall say, I tell you, I know not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. ²⁸ There shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and yourselves cast forth without. ²⁹ And they shall come from the east and west, and from the north and south, and shall ^[e]sit down in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ And behold, there are last who shall be first, and there are first who shall be last.

³¹ In that very hour there came certain Pharisees, saying to him, Get thee out, and go hence: for Herod would fain kill thee. ³² And he said unto them, Go and say to that fox, Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures to-day and to-morrow, and the third day I ^[f]am perfected. ³³ Nevertheless I must go on my way to-day and to-morrow and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem. ³⁴ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her own brood under her wings, and ye would not! ³⁵ Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

14 And it came to pass, when he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a sabbath to eat bread, that they were watching him. ² And behold, there was before him a certain man that had the dropsy. ³ And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath, or not? ⁴ But they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go. ⁵ And he said unto them, Which of you shall have ^[g]an ass or an ox fallen into a well, and will not straightway draw him up on a sabbath day? ⁶ And they could not answer again unto these things.

⁷ And he spake a parable unto those that were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief seats; saying unto them, ⁸ When thou art bidden of any man to a marriage feast, ^[h]sit not down in the chief seat; lest haply a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him, ⁹ and he that bade thee and him shall come and say to thee, Give this man place; and then thou shalt begin with shame to take the lowest place. ¹⁰ But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest place; that when he that hath bidden thee cometh, he may say to thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have glory in the presence of all that ^[i]sit at meat with thee. ¹¹ For every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

¹² And he said to him also that had bidden him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, nor thy kinsmen, nor rich neighbors; lest haply they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee. ¹³ But when thou makest a feast, bid the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: ¹⁴ and thou shalt be blessed; because they have not wherewith to recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed in the resurrection of the just.

¹⁵ And when one of them that ^[j]sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. ¹⁶ But he said unto him, A certain man made a great supper; and he bade many: ¹⁷ and he sent forth his ^[k]servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. ¹⁸ And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a field, and I must needs go out and see it; I pray thee have me excused. ¹⁹ And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them; I pray thee have me excused. ²⁰ And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. ²¹ And the ^[l]servant came, and told his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his ^[m]servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor and maimed and blind and lame. ²² And the ^[n]servant said, Lord, what thou didst command is done, and yet there is room. ²³ And the lord said unto the ^[o]servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and constrain them to come in, that my house may be filled. ²⁴ For I say unto you, that none of those men that were bidden shall taste of my supper.

²⁵ Now there went with him great multitudes: and he turned, and said unto them, ²⁶ If any man cometh unto me, and hateth not his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ Whosoever doth not bear his own cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. ²⁸ For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doth not first sit down and count the cost, whether he have wherewith to complete it? ²⁹ Lest haply, when he hath laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all that behold begin to mock him, ³⁰ saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. ³¹ Or what king, as he goeth to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? ³² Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and asketh conditions of peace. ³³ So therefore whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. ³⁴ Salt therefore is good: but if even the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be seasoned? ³⁵ It is fit neither for the land nor for the dunghill: men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.