Lenten Lights is a series of devotional readings leading up to Easter. A brief introduction to the series can be read here.

Fourth Sunday of Lent (if reading weekly)

or

Tuesday before Easter (if reading daily)

[Four candles lit before reading]

Even before the world was created, God knew that Jesus would be the Way, the Truth and the Life for all who believed in him. But God didn’t just ignore his people then, waiting until the time came for Jesus. No, he gave them a way to be forgiven. If they offered sacrifices from a heart of worship, they could renew their friendship with God as they proved their reliance on him.

BUT people did not rely on God. Some did not follow his way of sacrifice and worship. And there was an even deeper problem. Many may have followed the outward ritual, but they didn’t trust God in their hearts. They didn’t love him. They didn’t live lives that reflected his glory.

The Lord called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord , you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock.

“He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord . He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.”

For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

With what shall I come before the Lord , and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel. . . “In the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’

But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward. From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day. Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers.

[Snuff the next candle. Do not light again until Easter.]

“So you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you. You shall call to them, but they will not answer you. And you shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, and did not accept discipline; truth has perished; it is cut off from their lips.’”

(Taken from Leviticus 1:1-4; Psalm 51:16-17; Jeremiah 7:21-28)

__________

Taken from Lenten Lights

Audio

Luke 10

Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two

¹After this the Lord appointed^(A) seventy-two^[a]others and^(B) sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. ^2(C)And he said to them, ”The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.^(D) Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. ³Go your way;^(E) behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. ^4(F) Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and^(G)greet no one on the road.⁵Whatever house you enter, first say,^(H) ’Peace be to this house!’ ⁶And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not,^(I) it will return to you. ⁷And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for^(J) the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house.⁸Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. ⁹Heal the sick in it and say to them,^(K) ’The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹⁰But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ^11(L) ’Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that^(M)the kingdom of God has come near.’ ¹²I tell you,^(N) it will be more bearable on^(O) that day for Sodom than for that town.

Woe to Unrepentant Cities

^13(P) ”Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in^(Q) Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. ^14(R) But it will be more bearable in the judgment for^(S) Tyre and Sidon than for you.¹⁵And you, Capernaum,^(T) will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to^(U) Hades. ^16(V) ”The one who hears you hears me, and^(W)the one who rejects you rejects me, and^(X) the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

The Return of the Seventy-Two

^17(Y) The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord,^(Z) even the demons are subject to us in your name!” ¹⁸And he said to them, ^(AA) ”I saw Satan^(AB) fall like lightning from heaven.¹⁹Behold, I have given you authority^(AC) to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of^(AD) the enemy, and^(AE) nothing shall hurt you. ^20(AF) Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that^(AG) your names are written in heaven.”

Jesus Rejoices in the Father’s Will

^21(AH) In that same hour^(AI) he rejoiced^(AJ) in the Holy Spirit and said, ”I thank you, Father,^(AK)Lord of heaven and earth, that^(AL) you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and^(AM) revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for^(AN) such was your gracious will.^[b] 22(AO) All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is^(AP) except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” ²³Then turning to the disciples he said privately,^(AQ) ”Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!²⁴For I tell you^(AR) that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

^25(AS) And behold, a^(AT) lawyer stood up to^(AU)put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to^(AV) inherit eternal life?” ²⁶He said to him,”What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” ²⁷And he answered,^(AW) ”You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and^(AX) your neighbor as yourself.”²⁸And he said to him, ”You have answered correctly;^(AY) do this, and you will live.” ²⁹But he,^(AZ) desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ³⁰Jesus replied,”A man^(BA) was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. ³¹Now by chance a^(BB) priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. ³²So likewise^(BC) a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³But a^(BD) Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. ³⁴He went to him and^(BE) bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.³⁵And the next day he took out two^(BF) denarii^[c]and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ ³⁶Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” ³⁷He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, ”You go, and do likewise.”

Martha and Mary

³⁸Now as they went on their way, Jesus^[d]entered a village. And a woman named^(BG)Martha^(BH) welcomed him into her house. ³⁹And she had a sister called^(BI) Mary, who^(BJ) sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. ⁴⁰But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” ⁴¹But the Lord answered her, ”Martha, Martha, you are^(BK)anxious and troubled about many things, ⁴²but one thing is necessary.^[e] Mary has chosen^(BL) the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 11

The Lord’s Prayer

¹Now Jesus^[f] was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray,^(BM) as John taught his disciples.” ²And he said to them, ^(BN) ”When you pray, say:

^(BO) ”Father,^(BP) hallowed be^(BQ) your name.^(BR)Your kingdom come. ^3(BS) Give us^(BT) each day our daily bread,^[g] 4and^(BU) forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And^(BV) lead us not into temptation.” ⁵And he said to them, ”Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, ⁶for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; ⁷and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? ⁸I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything^(BW) because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence^[h] he will rise and give him whatever he needs. ⁹And I tell you,^(BX) ask, and^(BY) it will be given to you;^(BZ) seek, and you will find;^(CA) knock, and it will be opened to you.¹⁰For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. ¹¹What father among you, if his son asks for^[i] a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; ¹²or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³If you then,^(CB) who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father^(CC) give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Jesus and Beelzebul

^14(CD) Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. ¹⁵But some of them said, “He casts out demons^(CE) by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” ¹⁶while others,^(CF) to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. ^17(CG) But he,^(CH) knowing their thoughts, said to them, ”Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. ¹⁸And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.¹⁹And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul,^(CI) by whom do^(CJ) your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. ²⁰But if it is by^(CK) the finger of God that I cast out demons, then^(CL) the kingdom of God has come upon you. ²¹When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; ^22(CM) but when one stronger than he attacks him and^(CN) overcomes him, he takes away his^(CO) armor in which he trusted and^(CP) divides his spoil. ^23(CQ) Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

Return of an Unclean Spirit

^24(CR) ”When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through^(CS) waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ ²⁵And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. ²⁶Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And^(CT) the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

True Blessedness

²⁷As he said these things,^(CU) a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him,^(CV)“Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” ²⁸But he said, ^(CW)“Blessed rather are those^(CX) who hear the word of God and^(CY) keep it!”

The Sign of Jonah

^29(CZ) When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, ^(DA) ”This generation is an evil generation.^(DB) It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. ³⁰For as^(DC) Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. ^31(DD) The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and^(DE) condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold,^(DF) something greater than Solomon is here. ^32(DG) The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and^(DH) condemn it, for^(DI) they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold,^(DJ) something greater than Jonah is here.

The Light in You

^33(DK) ”No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. ³⁴Your eye is^(DL) the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is^(DM) bad, your body is full of darkness. ^35(DN)Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. ³⁶If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright,^(DO) as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”

Woes to the Pharisees and Lawyers

³⁷While Jesus^[j] was speaking,^(DP) a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. ³⁸The Pharisee was astonished to see^(DQ) that he did not first wash before dinner. ³⁹And the Lord said to him, ^(DR) ”Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of^(DS) greed and wickedness. ^40(DT) You fools!^(DU) Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? ⁴¹But^(DV)give as alms those things that are within, and behold,^(DW) everything is clean for you. ^42(DX) ”But woe to you Pharisees! For^(DY) you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect^(DZ) justice and^(EA) the love of God.^(EB)These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. ⁴³Woe to you Pharisees! For^(EC) you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. ⁴⁴Woe to you!^(ED) For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”

⁴⁵One of^(EE) the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.” ⁴⁶And he said, ”Woe to you^(EF) lawyers also! For^(EG) you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. ^47(EH) Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. ^48(EI) So you are witnesses and you^(EJ) consent to the deeds of^(EK)your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. ⁴⁹Therefore also^(EL) the Wisdom of God said,^(EM) ’I will send them^(EN) prophets and apostles,^(EO) some of whom they will^(EP) kill and persecute,’ ⁵⁰so that^(EQ) the blood of all the prophets, shed^(ER) from the foundation of the world, may be^(ES) charged against this generation, ⁵¹from the blood of^(ET) Abel to the blood of^(EU) Zechariah, who perished between^(EV)the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be^(EW) required of this generation. ⁵²Woe to you^(EX) lawyers!^(EY) For you have taken away the key of^(EZ) knowledge. You^(FA) did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”

⁵³As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, ^54(FB)lying in wait for him,^(FC) to catch him in something he might say.

Luke 12

Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees

¹In the meantime,^(FD) when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, ^(FE) ”Beware of^(FF) the leaven of the Pharisees,^(FG) which is hypocrisy. ^2(FH) Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. ³Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in^(FI) private rooms shall be proclaimed on^(FJ) the housetops.

Have No Fear

⁴“I tell you, my friends,^(FK) do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. ⁵But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him^(FL) who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell.^[k] Yes, I tell you, fear him! ⁶Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?^[l] And^(FM) not one of them is forgotten before God. ⁷Why,^(FN) even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not;^(FO) you are of more value than many sparrows.

Acknowledge Christ Before Men

⁸“And I tell you,^(FP) everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge^(FQ) before the angels of God,⁹but^(FR) the one who denies me before men^(FS)will be denied^(FT) before the angels of God.¹⁰And^(FU) everyone who speaks a word^(FV) against the Son of Man^(FW) will be forgiven, but the one who^(FX) blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. ^11(FY) And when they^(FZ) bring you before the synagogues and^(GA) the rulers and^(GB) the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, ^12(GC) for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

The Parable of the Rich Fool

^13(GD) Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴But he said to him, ^(GE)“Man,^(GF) who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵And he said to them, ^(GG) ”Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” ¹⁶And he told them a parable, saying, ^(GH) ”The land of a rich man produced plentifully, ¹⁷and he thought to himself,^(GI) ’What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ ¹⁸And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my^(GJ) barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up^(GK) for many years; relax,^(GL) eat, drink, be merry.’ ²⁰But God said to him,^(GM) ’Fool!^(GN) This night^(GO) your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared,^(GP) whose will they be?’ ²¹So is the one^(GQ) who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Do Not Be Anxious

²²And he said to his disciples, ^(GR) ”Therefore I tell you,^(GS) do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. ²³For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. ^24(GT) Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them.^(GU) Of how much more value are you than the birds! ²⁵And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his^(GV) span of life?^[m]26If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?²⁷Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,^[n] yet I tell you,^(GW) even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.²⁸But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you,^(GX) O you of little faith! ²⁹And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor^(GY) be worried. ³⁰For^(GZ) all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹Instead,^(HA) seek^(HB) his^[o]kingdom,^(HC) and these things will be added to you. ^32(HD) ”Fear not, little^(HE) flock, for^(HF) it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you^(HG) the kingdom. ^33(HH) Sell your possessions, and^(HI)give to the needy.^(HJ) Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with^(HK) a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. ^34(HL)For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

You Must Be Ready

^35(HM) ”Stay dressed for action^[p] and^(HN) keep your lamps burning, ³⁶and be like men who are^(HO) waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and^(HP)knocks. ^37(HQ) Blessed are those servants^[q] whom the master finds^(HR) awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you,^(HS) he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. ³⁸If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! ^39(HT) But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour^(HU) the thief was coming, he^[r] would not have left his house to be broken into. ⁴⁰You also must be^(HV) ready, for^(HW) the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” ⁴¹Peter said, “Lord,^(HX) are you telling this parable for us or for all?” ⁴²And the Lord said,”Who then is^(HY) the faithful and^(HZ) wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? ^43(IA) Blessed is that servant^[s]whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ⁴⁴Truly, I say to you,^(IB) he will set him over all his possessions. ⁴⁵But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master^(IC) is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and^(ID) get drunk,⁴⁶the master of that servant will come^(IE) on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. ^47(IF) And that servant who^(IG) knew his master’s will but^(IH) did not get ready^(II) or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. ^48(IJ) But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating,^(IK) will receive a light beating.^(IL) Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

Not Peace, but Division

^49(IM) ”I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! ^50(IN) I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how^(IO) great is my distress until it is accomplished! ^51(IP) Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth?^(IQ) No, I tell you, but rather division. ⁵²For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three.⁵³They will be divided,^(IR) father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Interpreting the Time

⁵⁴He also said to the crowds, ^(IS) ”When you see^(IT) a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. ⁵⁵And^(IU)when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be^(IV) scorching heat,’ and it happens.⁵⁶You hypocrites!^(IW) You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

Settle with Your Accuser

⁵⁷“And why^(IX) do you not judge^(IY) for yourselves what is right? ^58(IZ) As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison.⁵⁹I tell you,^(JA) you will never get out until you have paid the very last^(JB) penny.”^[t]

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Luke 4

Audio

The Temptation of Jesus

^1(A) And Jesus,^(B) full of the Holy Spirit,^(C) returned from the Jordan and was led^(D) by the Spirit in the wilderness ²for^(E)forty days,^(F) being tempted by the devil.^(G) And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. ³The devil said to him, “If you are^(H) the Son of God, command^(I) this stone to become bread.” ⁴And Jesus answered him, ^(J) ”It is written,^(K) ’Man shall not live by bread alone.’” ^5(L) And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, ⁶and said to him, “To you^(M) I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. ⁷If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” ⁸And Jesus answered him, ^(N) ”It is written,

^(O) ”‘You shall worship the Lord your God,
and^(P) him only shall you serve.’” ^9(Q) And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are^(R) the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, ¹⁰for it is written,

^(S) ”‘He will command his angels concerning you,
to guard you,’

¹¹and

^(T) ”‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

¹²And Jesus answered him, ”It is said,^(U) ’You shall not^(V) put the Lord your God to the test.’”¹³And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him^(W) until an opportune time.

Jesus Begins His Ministry

^14(X) And Jesus returned^(Y) in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and^(Z) a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. ¹⁵And^(AA)he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

^16(AB) And he came to^(AC) Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And^(AD) as was his custom,^(AE) he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up^(AF) to read.¹⁷And^(AG) the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
^18(AH) ”The Spirit of the Lord^(AI) is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to^(AJ) proclaim good news to the poor.
^(AK) He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and^(AL) recovering of sight to the blind,
^(AM) to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
^19(AN) to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” ²⁰And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and^(AO) sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were^(AP) fixed on him. ²¹And he began to say to them, ”Today^(AQ) this Scripture^(AR) has been fulfilled in your hearing.”²²And all spoke well of him and marveled at^(AS)the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said,^(AT) ”Is not this^(AU) Joseph’s son?” ²³And he said to them, ”Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb,^(AV) ’Physician, heal yourself.’ What we have heard you did^(AW) at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.”²⁴And he said, ”Truly, I say to you,^(AX) no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. ²⁵But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when^(AY) the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, ²⁶and Elijah was sent to none of them^(AZ) but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. ²⁷And^(BA) there were many lepers^[a] in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed,^(BB) but only Naaman the Syrian.” ²⁸When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. ²⁹And they rose up and^(BC) drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. ³⁰But^(BD) passing through their midst, he went away.

Jesus Heals a Man with an Unclean Demon

^31(BE) And he^(BF) went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And^(BG) he was teaching them^(BH)on the Sabbath, ³²and^(BI) they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority.³³And^(BJ) in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, ³⁴“Ha!^[b](BK) What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?^(BL) I know who you are—^(BM) the Holy One of God.” ³⁵But Jesus^(BN) rebuked him, saying, ”Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. ³⁶And^(BO) they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” ³⁷And^(BP) reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

Jesus Heals Many

^38(BQ) And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now^(BR) Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. ³⁹And he stood over her and^(BS) rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them. ⁴⁰Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and^(BT) he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. ^41(BU) And demons also came out of many,^(BV) crying, “You are^(BW) the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and^(BX) would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

Jesus Preaches in Synagogues

^42(BY) And when it was day, he departed and went^(BZ) into a desolate place. And^(CA) the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, ⁴³but he said to them, ^(CB) ”I must^(CC) preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” ⁴⁴And he was preaching^(CD) in the synagogues of Judea.^[c]

Luke 5

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

¹On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by^(CE) the lake of Gennesaret, ^2(CF) and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were^(CG) washing their nets. ³Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And^(CH) he sat down and taught the people from the boat. ⁴And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ^(CI) ”Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” ⁵And Simon answered, “Master,^(CJ) we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” ⁶And when they had done this,^(CK) they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. ⁷They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them.^(CL) And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. ⁸But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying,^(CM) ”Depart from me, for^(CN) I am a sinful man, O Lord.” ⁹For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, ¹⁰and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, ”Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” ¹¹And when they had brought their boats to land,^(CO) they left everything and followed him.

Jesus Cleanses a Leper

¹²While he was in one of the cities,^(CP) there came a man full of leprosy.^[d] And when he saw Jesus, he^(CQ) fell on his face and begged him, “Lord,^(CR) if you will, you can make me clean.”¹³And Jesus^[e] stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, ”I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. ¹⁴And he charged him^(CS) to tell no one, but ”go and show^(CT) yourself to the priest, and^(CU) make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded,^(CV) for a proof to them.” ^15(CW) But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. ¹⁶But^(CX) he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

¹⁷On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and^(CY) teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And^(CZ)the power of the Lord was with him to heal.^[f]18(DA) And behold, some men were bringing^(DB)on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, ¹⁹but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on^(DC) the roof and let him down with his bed^(DD) through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. ²⁰And^(DE)when he saw their faith, he said, ”Man,^(DF) your sins are forgiven you.” ²¹And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks^(DG) blasphemies?^(DH) Who can forgive sins but God alone?” ²²When Jesus^(DI) perceived their thoughts, he answered them, ”Why do you question in your hearts? ²³Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? ²⁴But that you may know that^(DJ) the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—”I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” ²⁵And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home,^(DK) glorifying God. ²⁶And amazement seized them all, and they^(DL) glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”

Jesus Calls Levi

^27(DM) After this he went out and saw^(DN) a tax collector named^(DO) Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, ”Follow me.” ²⁸And^(DP)leaving everything, he rose and followed him. ²⁹And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company^(DQ) of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them.³⁰And the Pharisees and^(DR) their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying,^(DS) ”Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”³¹And Jesus answered them, ”Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ^32(DT) I have not come to call the righteous^(DU) but sinners^(DV) to repentance.”

A Question About Fasting

³³And they said to him,^(DW) ”The disciples of John^(DX) fast often and^(DY) offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” ³⁴And Jesus said to them, ^(DZ) ”Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? ^35(EA) The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and^(EB) then they will fast in those days.”³⁶He also told them a parable: ”No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old.³⁷And no one puts new wine into old^(EC)wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. ³⁸But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. ³⁹And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”^[g]

Luke 6

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

^1(ED) On a Sabbath,^[h] while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples^(EE) plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. ²But some of the Pharisees said,^(EF)“Why are you doing^(EG) what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” ³And Jesus answered them,^(EH) ”Have you not read^(EI) what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:⁴how he entered the house of God and took and ate^(EJ) the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?” ⁵And he said to them,^(EK) ”The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

A Man with a Withered Hand

⁶On another Sabbath,^(EL) he entered the synagogue^(EM) and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. ⁷And the scribes and the Pharisees^(EN) watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath,^(EO) so that they might find a reason to accuse him.⁸But^(EP) he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, ”Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. ⁹And Jesus said to them, ”I ask you,^(EQ) is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” ¹⁰And^(ER) after looking around at them all he said to him, ”Stretch out your hand.” And^(ES) he did so, and his hand was restored. ¹¹But they were filled with^(ET) fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

The Twelve Apostles

¹²In these days^(EU) he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. ¹³And when day came,^(EV) he called his disciples^(EW) and^(EX) chose from them twelve, whom he named^(EY) apostles: ¹⁴Simon,^(EZ) whom he named Peter, and^(FA) Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew,¹⁵and^(FB) Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called^(FC)the Zealot, ¹⁶and^(FD) Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Jesus Ministers to a Great Multitude

¹⁷And^(FE) he came down with them and stood on a level place, with^(FF) a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of^(FG)Tyre and Sidon, ¹⁸who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases.^(FH) And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.¹⁹And all the crowd^(FI) sought to touch him, for^(FJ)power came out from him and healed them all.

The Beatitudes

²⁰And^(FK) he lifted up his eyes on his disciples,^(FL)and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for^(FM) yours is the kingdom of God.

^21(FN) ”Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.

^(FO) ”Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

²²“Blessed are you when^(FP) people hate you and when they^(FQ) exclude you and revile you and^(FR)spurn your name as evil,^(FS) on account of the Son of Man! ^23(FT) Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for^(FU) so their fathers did to the prophets.

Jesus Pronounces Woes

^24(FV) ”But woe to you who are rich,^(FW) for you^(FX) have received your consolation. ²⁵“Woe to you who are full now, for^(FY) you shall be hungry.

“Woe to^(FZ) you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

²⁶“Woe to you,^(GA) when all people speak well of you, for^(GB) so their fathers did to^(GC) the false prophets.

Love Your Enemies

²⁷“But I say to you who hear,^(GD) Love your enemies,^(GE) do good to those who hate you,^28(GF) bless those who curse you,^(GG) pray for those who abuse you. ^29(GH) To one who^(GI)strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic^[i] either. ^30(GJ) Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. ³¹And^(GK) as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. ^32(GL) ”If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴And^(GM) if you^(GN) lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.³⁵But^(GO) love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and^(GP) you will be sons of^(GQ) the Most High, for^(GR) he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. ^36(GS) Be merciful, even as^(GT) your Father is merciful.

Judging Others

^37(GU) (GV) ”Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;^38(GW) give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put^(GX) into your lap. For^(GY)with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” ³⁹He also told them a parable: ^(GZ) ”Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? ^40(HA) A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is^(HB) fully trained will be like his teacher. ^41(HC) Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but^(HD) do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴²How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

A Tree and Its Fruit

⁴³“For^(HE) no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, ⁴⁴for^(HF)each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. ^45(HG) The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces^(HH) evil,^(HI) for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Build Your House on the Rock

^46(HJ) ”Why^(HK) do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? ^47(HL) Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: ⁴⁸he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.^[j] 49(HM) But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and^(HN) the ruin of that house was great.”

Audio

Luke 1

Dedication to Theophilus

¹Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that^(A)have been accomplished among us, ^2(B) just as those who^(C)from the beginning were^(D)eyewitnesses and^(E) ministers of^(F) the word^(G) have delivered them to us, ³it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write^(H) an orderly account for you,^(I) most excellent^(J) Theophilus, ⁴that you may have^(K) certainty concerning the things^(L) you have been taught.

Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

^5(M) In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah,^[a](N) of^(O) the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶And they were both^(P) righteous before God, walking^(Q) blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. ⁷But they had no child, because^(R) Elizabeth was barren, and^(S) both were advanced in years. ⁸Now^(T) while he was serving as priest before God when^(U) his division was on duty, ⁹according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot^(V) to enter^(W) the temple of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰And the whole multitude of the people^(X)were praying^(Y) outside at the hour of incense. ¹¹And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of^(Z) the altar of incense. ¹²And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and^(AA) fear fell upon him. ¹³But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for^(AB) your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and^(AC) you shall call his name John. ¹⁴And you will have joy and gladness, and many will^(AD) rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵for he will be^(AE) great before the Lord. And^(AF) he must not drink wine or strong^(AG)drink, and^(AH) he will be^(AI) filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. ¹⁶And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, ¹⁷and^(AJ) he will go before him^(AK)in the spirit and power of Elijah,^(AL) to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and^(AM) the disobedient to the wisdom of the just,^(AN) to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

¹⁸And Zechariah said to the angel,^(AO) ”How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” ¹⁹And the angel answered him, “I am^(AP) Gabriel.^(AQ) I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. ²⁰And behold,^(AR) you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” ²¹And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in^(AS) the temple. ²²And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in^(AT) the temple. And^(AU) he kept making signs to them and remained mute. ²³And^(AV) when his time of^(AW)service was ended, he went to his home.

²⁴After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, ²⁵“Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me,^(AX) to take away my reproach among people.”

Birth of Jesus Foretold

²⁶In the sixth month the angel^(AY) Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named^(AZ)Nazareth, ^27(BA) to a virgin betrothed^[b] to a man whose name was Joseph,^(BB) of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And he came to her and said, “Greetings,^(BC) O favored one,^(BD) the Lord is with you!”^[c] 29But^(BE) she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for^(BF) you have found favor with God. ³¹And behold,^(BG) you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and^(BH) you shall call his name Jesus.³²He will be great and will be called the Son of^(BI)the Most High. And the Lord God^(BJ) will give to him the throne of^(BK) his father David, ³³and he will reign over the house of Jacob^(BL) forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” ³⁴And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”^[d]

³⁵And the angel answered her,^(BM) ”The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of^(BN)the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born^[e] will be called^(BO) holy—^(BP) the Son of God. ³⁶And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her^(BQ) who was called barren. ³⁷For^(BR) nothing will be impossible with God.” ³⁸And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant^[f] of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And^(BS) the angel departed from her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹In those days Mary arose and went with haste into^(BT) the hill country, to a town in Judah, ⁴⁰and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth^(BU) was filled with the Holy Spirit,⁴²and she exclaimed with a loud cry,^(BV) ”Blessed are you among women, and^(BW) blessed is^(BX) the fruit of your womb! ⁴³And why is this granted to me that the mother of^(BY) my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵And^(BZ) blessed is she who believed that there would be^[g] a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Mary’s Song of Praise: The Magnificat

⁴⁶And Mary said,

^(CA) ”My^(CB) soul^(CC) magnifies the Lord,
^47(CD) and my^(CE) spirit rejoices in^(CF) God my Savior,
⁴⁸for^(CG) he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations^(CH) will call me blessed;
⁴⁹for^(CI) he who is mighty^(CJ) has done great things for me,
and^(CK) holy is his name.
⁵⁰And^(CL) his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
^51(CM) He has shown strength with his arm;
^(CN) he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
^52(CO) he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
^(CP) and exalted those of humble estate;
⁵³he has filled^(CQ) the hungry with good things,
and the rich^(CR) he has sent away empty.
⁵⁴He has^(CS) helped^(CT) his servant Israel,
^(CU) in remembrance of his mercy,
^55(CV) as he spoke to our fathers,
^(CW) to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” ⁵⁶And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

The Birth of John the Baptist

⁵⁷Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. ⁵⁸And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord^(CX) had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.⁵⁹And^(CY) on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, ⁶⁰but his mother answered, “No;^(CZ) he shall be called John.”⁶¹And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” ⁶²And^(DA) they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. ⁶³And he asked for^(DB) a writing tablet and wrote,^(DC) ”His name is John.” And they all wondered. ^64(DD) And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue^(DE) loosed, and he spoke,^(DF) blessing God. ⁶⁵And^(DG) fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all^(DH) the hill country of Judea, ⁶⁶and all who heard them^(DI) laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For^(DJ) the hand of the Lord was with him.

Zechariah’s Prophecy

⁶⁷And his father Zechariah^(DK) was filled with the Holy Spirit and^(DL) prophesied, saying,
^68(DM) ”Blessed be the Lord^(DN) God of Israel,
for he has^(DO) visited and^(DP) redeemed his people
⁶⁹and^(DQ) has raised up^(DR) a horn of salvation for us
^(DS) in the house of his servant David,
^70(DT) as^(DU) he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, ^71(DV) that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
^72(DW) to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and^(DX) to remember his holy^(DY) covenant,
^73(DZ) the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
⁷⁴that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him^(EA) without fear,
^75(EB) in holiness and righteousness before him^(EC) all our days.
⁷⁶And you, child, will be called^(ED) the prophet of^(EE) the Most High;
for^(EF) you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
⁷⁷to give knowledge of salvation to his people
^(EG) in the forgiveness of their sins,
⁷⁸because of the^(EH) tender mercy of our God,
whereby^(EI) the sunrise shall^(EJ) visit us^[h](EK)from on high
⁷⁹to^(EL) give light to^(EM) those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into^(EN) the way of^(EO) peace.” ^80(EP) And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was^(EQ) in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

Luke 2

The Birth of Jesus Christ

¹In those days^(ER) a decree went out from^(ES)Caesar Augustus that all the world should be^(ET)registered. ²This was the first^(EU) registration when^[i] Quirinius^(EV) was governor of Syria. ³And all went to be registered, each to his own town.⁴And Joseph also went up^(EW) from Galilee, from the town of^(EX) Nazareth, to Judea, to^(EY) the city of David, which is called^(EZ) Bethlehem,^(FA)because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,^[j] who was with child. ⁶And^(FB) while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷And she gave birth to her firstborn son and^(FC) wrapped him in swaddling cloths and^(FD)laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in^(FE) the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

⁸And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And an angel of the Lord^(FF) appeared to them, and^(FG) the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. ¹⁰And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all^(FH)the people. ¹¹For^(FI) unto you is born this day in^(FJ) the city of David^(FK) a Savior, who is^(FL)Christ^(FM) the Lord. ¹²And^(FN) this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby^(FO) wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel^(FP) a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
^14(FQ) ”Glory to God^(FR) in the highest,
^(FS) and on earth^(FT) peace among those with whom he is pleased!”^[k] 15When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby^(FU) lying in a manger. ¹⁷And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.¹⁹But^(FV) Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰And the shepherds returned,^(FW) glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

²¹And^(FX) at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised,^(FY) he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Jesus Presented at the Temple

²²And^(FZ) when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem^(GA) to present him to the Lord ²³(as it is written in^(GB) the Law of the Lord,^(GC) ”Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) ²⁴and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in^(GD) the Law of the Lord,^(GE) ”a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” ²⁵Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was^(GF) righteous and^(GG) devout,^(GH) waiting for^(GI) the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not^(GJ)see death before he had seen^(GK) the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when^(GL) the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, ²⁸he took him up in his arms and^(GM) blessed God and said,
²⁹“Lord, now you are letting your servant^[l]depart^(GN) in peace,
^(GO) according to your word;
³⁰for^(GP) my eyes have seen your^(GQ) salvation
^31(GR) that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
^32(GS) a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and^(GT) for glory to^(GU) your people Israel.” ³³And^(GV) his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. ³⁴And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed^(GW) for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign^(GX) that is opposed³⁵(and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

³⁶And there was^(GY) a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, ³⁷and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.^[m] She did not depart from the temple,^(GZ) worshiping with^(HA) fasting and prayer night and day. ³⁸And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were^(HB) waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

The Return to Nazareth

³⁹And when they had performed everything according to^(HC) the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of^(HD)Nazareth. ^40(HE) And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

The Boy Jesus in the Temple

⁴¹Now^(HF) his parents went^(HG) to Jerusalem every year at^(HH) the Feast of the Passover.⁴²And when he was twelve years old,^(HI) they went up according to custom. ⁴³And when the feast^(HJ) was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem.^(HK) His parents did not know it, ⁴⁴but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, ⁴⁵and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. ⁴⁶After three days they found him in the temple,^(HL) sitting among^(HM) the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸And when his parents^[n] saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold,^(HN) your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” ⁴⁹And he said to them, ”Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that^(HO) I must be in^(HP) my Father’s house?”^[o]50And^(HQ) they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. ⁵¹And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And^(HR) his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. ⁵²And Jesus^(HS) increased in wisdom and in stature^[p] and in favor with God and man.

Luke 3

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

¹In the fifteenth year of the reign of^(HT) Tiberius Caesar,^(HU) Pontius Pilate^(HV) being governor of Judea, and^(HW) Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, ²during^(HX) the high priesthood of Annas and^(HY) Caiaphas,^(HZ) the word of God came to^(IA)John the son of Zechariah in^(IB) the wilderness.³And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming^(IC) a baptism of repentance^(ID) for the forgiveness of sins. ⁴As it is written in^(IE) the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

^(IF) ”The voice of one crying in the wilderness:^(IG) ’Prepare the way of the Lord,^[q]
make his paths straight.
^5(IH) Every valley shall be filled,
^(II) and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
^(IJ) and the crooked shall become straight,
and the rough places shall become level ways,
^6(IK) and all flesh shall see^(IL) the salvation of God.’” ⁷He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him,^(IM) ”You brood of^(IN)vipers! Who warned you to flee from^(IO) the wrath to come? ⁸Bear fruits^(IP) in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves,^(IQ) ’We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from^(IR) these stones to raise up children for Abraham. ⁹Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees.^(IS) Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

¹⁰And the crowds asked him,^(IT) ”What then shall we do?” ¹¹And he answered them,^(IU) ”Whoever has two tunics^[r] is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”^12(IV) Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher,^(IW) what shall we do?”¹³And he said to them,^(IX) ”Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” ¹⁴Soldiers also asked him, “And we,^(IY) what shall we do?” And he said to them,^(IZ) ”Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your^(JA) wages.”

¹⁵As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John,^(JB) whether he might be^(JC) the Christ, ^16(JD)John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but^(JE) he who is mightier than I is coming,^(JF) the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you^(JG) with the Holy Spirit and with^(JH) fire. ¹⁷His^(JI) winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to^(JJ) gather the wheat into his barn,^(JK) but the chaff he will burn with^(JL) unquenchable fire.”

¹⁸So^(JM) with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. ¹⁹But^(JN)Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, ²⁰added this to them all, that^(JO) he locked up John in prison.

²¹Now when all the people were baptized, and when^(JP) Jesus also had been baptized and was praying,^(JQ) the heavens were opened, ²²and^(JR)the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and^(JS) a voice came from heaven,^(JT) ”You are my beloved Son;^[s] with you I am well pleased.”^[t]

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

²³Jesus,^(JU) when he began his ministry, was about^(JV) thirty years of age, being^(JW) the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,²⁴the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,²⁵the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,²⁶the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, ²⁷the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa,^(JX)the son of Zerubbabel, the son^(JY) of Shealtiel,^[u]the son of Neri, ²⁸the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, ²⁹the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, ³⁰the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, ³¹the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of^(JZ) Nathan, the son of David, ^32(KA) the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon, ³³the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, ^34(KB) the son of Jacob,^(KC) the son of Isaac,^(KD) the son of Abraham,^(KE) the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,³⁵the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, ³⁶the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, ³⁷the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,³⁸the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

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Mark 15

Jesus Delivered to Pilate

^1(A) And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests^(B)held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole Council. And^(C) they bound Jesus and^(D) led him away and^(E) delivered him over to^(F) Pilate. ^2(G) And Pilate asked him,^(H) ”Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, ^(I)“You have said so.” ³And the chief priests accused him of many things. ⁴And Pilate again asked him,^(J) ”Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” ⁵But Jesus^(K)made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified

^6(L) Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. ⁷And among the rebels in prison, who had^(M) committed murder^(N) in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. ⁸And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. ⁹And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” ¹⁰For he perceived that^(O) it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. ¹¹But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. ¹²And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with^(P) the man you call the King of the Jews?” ¹³And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” ¹⁴And Pilate said to them, “Why,^(Q) what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” ¹⁵So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having^(R) scourged^[a] Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

^16(S) And the soldiers led him away inside^(T) the palace (that is,^(U) the governor’s headquarters),^[b] and they called together the whole^(V) battalion.^[c] 17And they clothed him in^(W)a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. ¹⁸And they began to salute him,^(X) ”Hail, King of the Jews!” ¹⁹And they were striking his head with a reed and^(Y) spitting on him and^(Z) kneeling down in homage to him.²⁰And when they had^(AA) mocked him, they stripped him of^(AB) the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they^(AC) led him out to crucify him.

The Crucifixion

^21(AD) And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.^22(AE) And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). ²³And they offered him wine mixed with^(AF) myrrh, but he did not take it. ²⁴And they crucified him and^(AG) divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. ²⁵And^(AH) it was the third hour^[d] when they crucified him. ²⁶And the inscription of the charge against him read,^(AI) ”The King of the Jews.”²⁷And with him they crucified two^(AJ) robbers,^(AK)one on his right and one on his left.^[e] 29And^(AL)those who passed by derided him,^(AM) wagging their heads and saying,^(AN) ”Aha!^(AO) You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, ³⁰save yourself, and come down from the cross!” ³¹So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying,^(AP) ”He saved others;^(AQ) he cannot save himself.³²Let^(AR) the Christ,^(AS) the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may^(AT) see and believe.”^(AU) Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

The Death of Jesus

³³And when the sixth hour^[f] had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.^[g] 34And at the ninth hour Jesus^(AV) cried with a loud voice, ^(AW) ”Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, ”My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ³⁵And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” ³⁶And someone ran and filled a sponge with^(AX) sour wine, put it on a reed^(AY) and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” ³⁷And Jesus^(AZ) uttered a loud cry and^(BA) breathed his last. ³⁸And^(BB) the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. ^39(BC) And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he^[h] breathed his last, he said,^(BD) ”Truly this man was the Son^[i] of God!” ⁴⁰There were also^(BE) women looking on^(BF) from a distance, among whom were^(BG) Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and^(BH) Salome. ⁴¹When he was in Galilee, they followed him and^(BI)ministered to him, and there were also many other women who^(BJ) came up with him to Jerusalem.

Jesus Is Buried

^42(BK) And when evening had come, since it was^(BL) the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, ⁴³Joseph of Arimathea,^(BM) a respected member of the Council, who^(BN) was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ⁴⁴Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died.^[j] And summoning^(BO) the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. ⁴⁵And when he learned from^(BP) the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. ⁴⁶And Joseph^[k]bought^(BQ) a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and^(BR) laid him in a tomb^(BS) that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled^(BT) a stone against the entrance of the tomb. ^47(BU) Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

Mark 16

The Resurrection

^1(BV) (BW) When the Sabbath was past,^(BX) Mary Magdalene and^(BY) Mary the mother of James and^(BZ) Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. ²And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. ³And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away^(CA) the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” ⁴And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—^(CB) it was very large. ⁵And^(CC) entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side,^(CD) dressed in^(CE) a white robe, and^(CF) they were alarmed. ⁶And he said to them,^(CG) ”Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. ⁷But go, tell his disciples and Peter that^(CH) he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” ⁸And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

[Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9-20.]^[l]

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

⁹[[Now when he rose early on the first day of the week,^(CI) he appeared first to^(CJ) Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. ^10(CK) She went and told those who had been with him,^(CL) as they^(CM) mourned and wept. ¹¹But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they^(CN) would not believe it.

Jesus Appears to Two Disciples

^12(CO) After these things^(CP) he appeared in^(CQ)another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. ^13(CR) And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.

The Great Commission

¹⁴Afterward^(CS) he appeared^(CT) to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their^(CU) unbelief and^(CV)hardness of heart, because^(CW) they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.¹⁵And he said to them, ^(CX) "Go into all the world and^(CY) proclaim the gospel to^(CZ) the whole creation. ^16(DA) Whoever believes and is^(DB)baptized^(DC) will be saved, but^(DD) whoever does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷And^(DE) these signs will accompany those who believe:^(DF) in my name they will cast out demons;^(DG) they will speak in new tongues; ^18(DH) they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them;^(DI) they will lay their hands^(DJ) on the sick, and they will recover." ¹⁹So then the Lord Jesus,^(DK) after he had spoken to them,^(DL) was taken up into heaven and^(DM) sat down at the right hand of God. ²⁰And they went out and preached everywhere, while^(DN) the Lord worked with them and confirmed^(DO) the message^(DP) by accompanying signs.]]

Mark 13-14

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Mark 10-12

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Mark 10

Teaching About Divorce

And he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again. And again, as was his custom, he taught them.

² And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” ³ He answered them,“What did Moses command you?” ⁴ They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.”⁵ And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. ⁶ But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ⁷  ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife,^[a] 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. ⁹  What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

¹⁰ And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. ¹¹ And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, ¹² and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

Let the Children Come to Me

¹³  And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. ¹⁵  Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” ¹⁶ And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

The Rich Young Man

¹⁷  And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up andknelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁸ And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” ²⁰ And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” ²¹ And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” ²² Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

²³ And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” ²⁴ And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is^[b] to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enterthe kingdom of God.” ²⁶ And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him,^[c] “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” ²⁸ Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” ²⁹ Jesus said,“Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, ³⁰ who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and inthe age to come eternal life. ³¹ But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

³²  And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, andJesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, ³³ saying,“See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they willcondemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles.³⁴ And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”

The Request of James and John

³⁵  And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” ³⁶ And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” ³⁷ And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” ³⁸ Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” ³⁹ And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drinkyou will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized,you will be baptized, ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has beenprepared.” ⁴¹ And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. ⁴²  And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ⁴³ But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,^[d] 44 and whoever would be first among you must beslave^[e] of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus

⁴⁶  And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. ⁴⁷ And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸ And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁹ And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” ⁵⁰ And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. ⁵¹ And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.”⁵² And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

Mark 11

The Triumphal Entry

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus^[f] sent two of his disciples² and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. ³ If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” ⁴ And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. ⁵ And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” ⁶ And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. ⁷ And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. ⁸ And manyspread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. ⁹ And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna!Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! ¹⁰ Blessed isthe coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

¹¹  And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

¹²  On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. ¹³  And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.¹⁴ And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

¹⁵  And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. ¹⁶ And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple.¹⁷ And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” ¹⁸ And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. ¹⁹  And when evening came they^[g]went out of the city.

The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree

²⁰  As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. ²¹ And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.”²² And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. ²³  Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, butbelieves that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer,believe that you have received^[h] it, and it will be yours. ²⁵ And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”^[i]

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

²⁷  And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, ²⁸ and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” ²⁹ Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. ³⁰ Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” ³¹ And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ ³² But shall we say, ‘From man’?”— they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. ³³ So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Mark 12

The Parable of the Tenants

And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants andwent into another country. ² When the season came, he sent a servant^[j] to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. ³  And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ⁴  Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. ⁵ And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. ⁶ He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ⁷ But those tenants said to one another,‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ ⁸ And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. ⁹ What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰  Have you not read this Scripture:

“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;^[k]
11 this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

¹² And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.

Paying Taxes to Caesar

¹³  And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some ofthe Herodians, to trap him in his talk. ¹⁴ And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances,^[l] but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” ¹⁵ But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Whyput me to the test? Bring me a denarius^[m] and let me look at it.” ¹⁶ And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.”¹⁷ Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.

The Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

¹⁸ And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying,¹⁹ “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man^[n] must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. ²⁰ There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. ²¹ And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. ²² And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. ²³ In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”

²⁴ Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?²⁵ For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry norare given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. ²⁶ And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? ²⁷ He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”

The Great Commandment

²⁸  And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”²⁹ Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰ And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ ³¹  The second is this:‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” ³² And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. ³³ And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” ³⁴ And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Whose Son Is the Christ?

³⁵  And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? ³⁶ David himself,in the Holy Spirit, declared,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet.”’

³⁷ David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly.

Beware of the Scribes

³⁸  And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces ³⁹ and have the best seats in the synagogues andthe places of honor at feasts, ⁴⁰  who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

The Widow’s Offering

⁴¹  And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. ⁴² And a poor widow came and put in twosmall copper coins, which make a penny.^[o] 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. ⁴⁴ For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Footnotes:

1. Mark 10:7 Some manuscripts omit and hold fast to his wife
2. Mark 10:24 Some manuscripts add for those who trust in riches
3. Mark 10:26 Some manuscripts to one another
4. Mark 10:43 Greek diakonos
5. Mark 10:44 Greek bondservant (doulos)
6. Mark 11:1 Greek he
7. Mark 11:19 Some manuscripts he
8. Mark 11:24 Some manuscripts are receiving
9. Mark 11:25 Some manuscripts add verse 26: But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your trespasses
10. Mark 12:2 Greek bondservant; also verse 4
11. Mark 12:10 Greek the head of the corner
12. Mark 12:14 Greek you do not look at people’s faces
13. Mark 12:15 A denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer
14. Mark 12:19 Greek his brother
15. Mark 12:42 Greek two lepta, which make a kodrantes; akodrantes (Latin quadrans) was a Roman copper coin worth about 1/64 of a denarius (which was a day’s wage for a laborer)

English Standard Version (ESV)The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

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Mark 7

Traditions and Commandments

^1(A) Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes^(B) who had come from Jerusalem, ²they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were^(C) defiled, that is, unwashed. ³(For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash^[a] their hands, holding to^(D) the tradition of^(E) the elders, ⁴and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.^[b] And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as^(F) the washing of^(G) cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.^[c])⁵And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to^(H) the tradition of^(I)the elders,^(J) but eat with^(K)defiled hands?” ⁶And he said to them, ”Well did Isaiah prophesy of you^(L) hypocrites, as it is written,

^(M) ”‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
⁷in vain do they worship me,
teaching as^(N) doctrines the commandments of men.’ ⁸You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

⁹And he said to them, ”You have a fine way of^(O) rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!¹⁰For Moses said,^(P) ’Honor your father and your mother’; and,^(Q) ’Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ ¹¹But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”‘ (that is, given to God)^[d]— ¹²then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, ¹³thus^(R) making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

What Defiles a Person

¹⁴And he called the people to him again and said to them, ^(S) ”Hear me, all of you, and understand: ^15(T) There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”^[e] 17And when he had entered^(U) the house and left the people,^(V) his disciples asked him about the parable. ¹⁸And he said to them,”Then^(W) are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, ¹⁹since it enters not his heart^(X) but his stomach, and is expelled?”^[f] (^(Y) Thus he declared all foods clean.) ²⁰And he said, ^(Z) ”What comes out of a person is what defiles him. ²¹For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft,^(AA) murder, adultery,²²coveting, wickedness, deceit,^(AB) sensuality,^(AC)envy,^(AD) slander,^(AE) pride,^(AF) foolishness. ^23(AG)All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith

²⁴And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon.^[g] And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. ²⁵But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. ^26(AH) Now the woman was a^(AI) Gentile,^(AJ)a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. ²⁷And he said to her, ”Let the children be^(AK) fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and^(AL)throw it to the dogs.” ²⁸But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s^(AM) crumbs.” ²⁹And he said to her, ”For this statement you may^(AN) go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” ³⁰And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

Jesus Heals a Deaf Man

^31(AO) Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to^(AP) the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the^(AQ) Decapolis. ³²And they brought to him^(AR) a man who was deaf and^(AS)had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. ³³And^(AT) taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue.³⁴And^(AU) looking up to heaven,^(AV) he sighed and said to him, ”Ephphatha,” that is, ”Be opened.”^35(AW) And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. ³⁶And^(AX) Jesus^[h]charged them to tell no one. But^(AY) the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. ³⁷And they were^(AZ) astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Mark 8

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

^1(BA) In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, ^2(BB)“I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. ³And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” ⁴And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” ⁵And he asked them, ”How many loaves do you have?” They said,^(BC) ”Seven.” ⁶And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and^(BD) having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. ⁷And they had a few small fish. And^(BE) having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them.⁸And^(BF) they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over,^(BG) seven baskets full. ⁹And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. ¹⁰And immediately he got into^(BH) the boat with his disciples and went to the district of^(BI)Dalmanutha.^[i]

The Pharisees Demand a Sign

^11(BJ) The Pharisees came and began to argue with him,^(BK) seeking from him^(BL) a sign from heaven^(BM) to test him. ¹²And^(BN) he sighed deeply^(BO) in his spirit and said, ”Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” ¹³And^(BP) he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.

The Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod

¹⁴Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.¹⁵And he cautioned them, saying, ”Watch out;^(BQ)beware of^(BR) the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of^(BS) Herod.”^[j] 16And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. ¹⁷And^(BT) Jesus, aware of this, said to them, ”Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread?^(BU) Do you not yet perceive^(BV) or understand? Are your hearts hardened? ^18(BW) Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? ¹⁹When I broke^(BX) the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” ²⁰“And^(BY) the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” ²¹And he said to them, ”Do you not yet understand?”

Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida

²²And they came^(BZ) to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. ²³And^(CA) he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when^(CB) he had^(CC) spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, ”Do you see anything?” ²⁴And he looked up and said, “I see men, but they look like trees, walking.” ²⁵Then Jesus^[k] laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. ²⁶And he sent him to his home, saying, ^(CD) ”Do not even enter the village.”

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

^27(CE) And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, ”Who do people say that I am?” ²⁸And they told him,^(CF) ”John the Baptist; and others say,^(CG) Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” ²⁹And he asked them, ”But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him,^(CH)“You are^(CI) the Christ.” ^30(CJ) And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

^31(CK) And he began to teach them that^(CL) the Son of Man must^(CM) suffer many things and^(CN)be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and^(CO) after three days rise again. ³²And he said this^(CP) plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.³³But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ^(CQ) ”Get behind me, Satan! For you^(CR) are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” ³⁴And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, ”If anyone would come after me, let him^(CS) deny himself and^(CT) take up his cross and follow me. ³⁵For^(CU) whoever would save his life^[l] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake^(CV) and the gospel’s will save it.^36(CW) For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? ³⁷For^(CX) what can a man give in return for his soul? ³⁸For^(CY)whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this^(CZ) adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed^(DA) when he comes in the glory of his Father with^(DB) the holy angels.”

Mark 9

¹And he said to them, ”Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not^(DC) taste death^(DD) until they see the kingdom of God after it has come^(DE) with power.”

The Transfiguration

^2(DF) And after six days Jesus took with him^(DG)Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was^(DH)transfigured before them, ³and^(DI) his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one^[m] on earth could bleach them. ⁴And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. ⁵And Peter said to Jesus,^(DJ) ”Rabbi,^[n]it is good that we are here. Let us make three^(DK) tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” ⁶For^(DL) he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. ⁷And^(DM) a cloud overshadowed them, and^(DN) a voice came out of the cloud,^(DO) ”This is my beloved Son;^[o] listen to him.” ⁸And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. ^9(DP) And as they were coming down the mountain,^(DQ) he charged them to tell no one what they had seen,^(DR) until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. ^10(DS) So they kept the matter to themselves,^(DT) questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. ¹¹And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say^(DU) that first Elijah must come?” ¹²And he said to them, ”Elijah does come first^(DV) to restore all things. And^(DW)how is it written of the Son of Man that he should^(DX) suffer many things and^(DY) be treated with contempt? ¹³But I tell you that Elijah has come, and^(DZ) they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit

^14(EA) And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. ¹⁵And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him,^(EB) were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him.¹⁶And he asked them, ”What are you arguing about with them?” ¹⁷And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has^(EC) a spirit that makes him mute. ¹⁸And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and^(ED) they were not able.” ¹⁹And he answered them, ”O^(EE) faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” ²⁰And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it^(EF) convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. ²¹And Jesus asked his father, ”How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. ²²And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But^(EG) if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” ²³And Jesus said to him, ^(EH) ”‘If you can’!^(EI) All things are possible for one who believes.” ²⁴Immediately the father of the child cried out^[p] and said, “I believe;^(EJ) help my unbelief!” ²⁵And when Jesus saw that^(EK) a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ^(EL) ”You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” ²⁶And after crying out and^(EM)convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” ²⁷But Jesus^(EN) took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. ²⁸And when he had^(EO) entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”²⁹And he said to them, ”This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”^[q]

Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection

^30(EP) They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, ³¹for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, ”The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed,^(EQ) after three days he will rise.” ^32(ER) But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

Who Is the Greatest?

³³And^(ES) they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house^(ET) he asked them, ”What were you discussing on the way?” ³⁴But they kept silent, for on the way^(EU) they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. ³⁵And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, ^(EV) ”If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” ³⁶And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and^(EW)taking him in his arms, he said to them, ^37(EX)“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us

^38(EY) John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone^(EZ) casting out demons in your name,^[r]and^(FA) we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” ³⁹But Jesus said, ”Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.^40(FB) For the one who is not against us is for us.⁴¹For truly, I say to you,^(FC) whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.

Temptations to Sin

^42(FD) ”Whoever causes one of^(FE) these little ones who believe in me to sin,^[s](FF) it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. ^43(FG) And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to^(FH) hell,^[t] to^(FI) the unquenchable fire.^[u] 45(FJ) And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into^(FK)hell. ^47(FL) And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into^(FM) hell, ⁴⁸‘where^(FN) their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ ⁴⁹For everyone will be salted with fire.^[v] 50(FO) Salt is good,^(FP) but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again?^(FQ) Have salt in yourselves, and^(FR) be at peace with one another.”