Read the Gospels in 40 Days
1 ¶ Forasmuch as many have attempted to set forth in order the history of those things which among us have been most certain,
2 even as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning taught us and thus were ministers of the word,
3 it seemed good also to me, after having understood all the things from the beginning with great diligence, to write them unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
4 that thou mightest know the security of those things in which thou hast been instructed.
5 ¶ There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia, and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless.
7 And they had no child because Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well advanced in years.
8 And it came to pass that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course,
9 according to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense entering into the temple of the Lord.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the time of incense.
11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
16 And he shall turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God.
17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the rebellious to the prudence of the just, to make ready a prepared people for the Lord.
18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.
19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and am sent to speak unto thee and to show thee this gospel.
20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb and not able to speak until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou didst not believe my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
21 And the people waited for Zacharias and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.
22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he communicated with signs and remained speechless.
23 And it came to pass that as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived and hid herself five months, saying,
25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
26 ¶ And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee named Nazareth
27 to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David and the virgin’s name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her and said, Hail, thou that art much graced, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his words and wondered in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30 Then the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son and shalt call his name Jesus.
32 He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David;
33 and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy relative Elisabeth, she has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing is impossible.
38 Then Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
39 ¶ And Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste into a city of Juda
40 and entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elisabeth.
41 And it came to pass that when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit;
42 and she spoke out with a loud voice and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For, behold, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
45 And blessed is she that believed, for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
46 Then Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saving Health,
48 for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden; for, behold, from now on all generations shall call me blessed.
49 For he that is mighty has done great things unto me, and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is on those that fear him from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away.
54 He has received his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy
55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever.
56 And Mary abode with her about three months and then returned to her own house.
57 ¶ Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered and she brought forth a son.
58 And her neighbours and her relatives heard how the Lord had showed great mercy upon her, and they rejoiced with her.
59 And it came to pass that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they called him Zacharias after the name of his father.
60 And his mother answered and said, Not so, but he shall be called John.
61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
62 And they communicated with signs to his father, asking how he would have him called.
63 And he asked for a writing table and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they all marvelled.
64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spoke blessing God.
65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them, and all these things were spoken of throughout all the hill country of Judaea.
66 And all those that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, Who shall this child be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 ¶ And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and made redemption for his people
69 And has raised up a horn of saving health for us in the house of his servant David,
70 as he spoke by the mouth of the saints who from the beginning were his prophets;
71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all that hate us;
72 to fulfill mercy unto our fathers and remembering his holy covenant
73 of the oath which he made to our father Abraham,
74 that he would grant unto us, that without fear delivered out of the hand of our enemies, we might serve him
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.
76 And thou, child, shalt be called prophet of the Most High, for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 giving knowledge of saving health unto his people for the remission of their sins
78 through the bowels of mercy of our God, whereby the dayspring from on high has visited us
79 to give light to those that dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death, to direct our feet into the way of peace.
80 And the child grew and was comforted of the Spirit and was in the deserts until the day of his showing unto Israel.
2 ¶ And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, each one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth into Judaea unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem (because he was of the house and family of David)
5 to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6 And so it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 ¶ And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the clarity of the Lord shone round about them, and they feared greatly.
10 But the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you a gospel of great joy, which shall be to all the people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will in man.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord has made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad that which had been told them concerning this child.
18 And all those that heard it marvelled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
21 ¶ And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which he was called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord)
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.
25 ¶ And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he should see the Christ of the Lord.
27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
28 then he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
29 Lord, now let thy slave depart in peace, according to thy word,
30 for mine eyes have seen thy saving health,
31 which thou hast prepared before the face of all the peoples:
32 a light to be revealed unto the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel.
33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
34 And Simeon blessed them and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel and for a sign which shall be spoken against
35 (yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser; she was of a great age and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity,
37 and she was a widow eighty-four years, who departed not from the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers.
38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord and spoke of him to all those that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
39 And when they had completed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee to their own city Nazareth.
40 And the child grew and was comforted of the Spirit, filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon him.
41 ¶ And his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.
42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.
43 And having completed the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.
44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances.
45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.
46 And it came to pass that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions.
47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
48 And when they saw him, they were amazed; and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? Knew ye not that it behooves me to be about my Father’s business?
50 And they understood not the word which he spoke unto them.
51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was subject unto them, but his mother kept all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in age and in grace with God and men.
3 ¶ Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,
2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came upon John the son of Zachariah in the wilderness.
3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;
4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked ways shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;
6 and all flesh shall see the saving health of God.
7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who taught you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham for our father; for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees; every tree therefore which does not bring forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.
10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
11 He answered and said unto them, He that has two coats, let him impart to him that has none; and he that has food, let him do likewise.
12 Then the publicans also came to be baptized and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?
13 And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.
14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Oppress no one, neither accuse anyone falsely; and be content with your wages.
15 ¶ And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not,
16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you in water, but one mightier than I comes, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose; he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire;
17 whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his threshing floor and will gather the wheat into his storehouse, but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.
18 And exhorting many other things he announced the gospel unto the people.
19 Then Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip’s wife and for all the evils which Herod had done,
20 added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.
21 ¶ Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass that, Jesus also being baptized and praying, the heaven was opened,
22 and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee is my delight.
23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, who was the son of Heli,
24 who was the son of Matthat, who was the son of Levi, who was the son of Melchi, who was the son of Janna, who was the son of Joseph,
25 who was the son of Mattathias, who was the son of Amos, who was the son of Naum, who was the son of Esli, who was the son of Nagge,
26 who was the son of Maath, who was the son of Mattathias, who was the son of Semei, who was the son of Joseph, who was the son of Juda,
27 who was the son of Joanna, who was the son of Rhesa, who was the son of Zorobabel, who was the son of Salathiel, who was the son of Neri,
28 who was the son of Melchi, who was the son of Addi, who was the son of Cosam, who was the son of Elmodam, who was the son of Er,
29 who was the son of Joshua, who was the son of Eliezer, who was the son of Jorim, who was the son of Matthat, who was the son of Levi,
30 who was the son of Simeon, who was the son of Juda, who was the son of Joseph, who was the son of Jonan, who was the son of Eliakim,
31 who was the son of Melea, who was the son of Menan, who was the son of Mattatha, who was the son of Nathan, who was the son of David,
32 who was the son of Jesse, who was the son of Obed, who was the son of Booz, {Greek word for “Boaz”} who was the son of Salmon, who was the son of Naasson,
33 who was the son of Aminadab, who was the son of Aram, who was the son of Esrom, who was the son of Phares, who was the son of Juda,
34 who was the son of Jacob, who was the son of Isaac, who was the son of Abraham, who was the son of Thara, who was the son of Nachor,
35 who was the son of Saruch, who was the son of Ragau, who was the son of Peleg, who was the son of Heber, who was the son of Sala,
36 who was the son of Cainan, who was the son of Arphaxad, who was the son of Shem, who was the son of Noah, who was the son of Lamech,
37 who was the son of Mathusala, who was the son of Enoch, who was the son of Jared, who was the son of Maleleel, who was the son of Cainan,
38 who was the son of Enos, who was the son of Seth, who was the son of Adam, who was the son of God.
Copyright © 2013, 2020 by Ransom Press International