Introduction

Since many have undertaken to compile an account of the things [a](A)accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who (B)from the beginning [b]were (C)eyewitnesses and [c](D)servants of (E)the [d]word, it seemed fitting to me as well, (F)having [e]investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you (G)in an orderly sequence, (H)most excellent (I)Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the [f]things you have been [g](J)taught.

John the Baptist’s Birth Foretold

(K)In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the (L)division of [h]Abijah; and he had a wife [i]from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. They were both (M)righteous in the sight of God, walking (N)blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. And yet they had no child, because Elizabeth was infertile, and they were both advanced in [j]years.

Now it happened that while (O)he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot (P)to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer (Q)outside at the hour of the incense offering. 11 Now (R)an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 Zechariah was troubled when he saw the angel, and (S)fear [k]gripped him. 13 But the angel said to him, “(T)Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and (U)you shall [l]name him John. 14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice over his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will (V)drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit [m]while still in his mother’s womb. 16 And he will (W)turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 And it is he who will (X)go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of (Y)Elijah, (Z)to turn the hearts of fathers back to their children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, to (AA)make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know this? For (AB)I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in her [n]years.” 19 The angel answered and said to him, “I am (AC)Gabriel, who [o](AD)stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”

21 And meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, and were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple, and he repeatedly (AE)[p]made signs to them, and remained speechless. 23 When the days of his priestly service were concluded, he went back home.

24 Now after these days his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, and she kept herself [q]in seclusion for five months, saying, 25 “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to (AF)take away my disgrace among people.”

Jesus’ Birth Foretold

26 Now in the sixth month the angel (AG)Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named (AH)Nazareth, 27 to (AI)a virgin [r]betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, (AJ)of the [s]descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was [t]Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord [u]is with you.” 29 But she (AK)was very perplexed at this statement, and was pondering what kind of greeting this was. 30 And the angel said to her, “(AL)Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you (AM)shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of (AN)the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him (AO)the throne of His father David; 33 (AP)and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, (AQ)and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I [v]am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “(AR)The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of (AS)the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also (AT)the [w]holy Child will be called (AU)the Son of God. 36 And behold, even your relative Elizabeth herself has conceived a son in her old age, and [x]she who was called infertile is now in her sixth month. 37 For (AV)nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the Lord’s bond-servant; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 Now [y]at this time Mary set out and went in a hurry to (AW)the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was (AX)filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And [z]how has it happened to me that the mother of (AY)my Lord would come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And (AZ)blessed is she who [aa]believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her [ab]by the Lord.”

Mary’s Song: The Magnificat

46 And Mary said:

(BA)My soul [ac](BB)exalts the Lord,
47 And (BC)my spirit has rejoiced in (BD)God my Savior.
48 For (BE)He has had regard for the humble state of His bond-servant;
For behold, from now on all generations will [ad]call me (BF)blessed.
49 For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name.
50 (BG)And His mercy is to generation [ae]after generation
Toward those who fear Him.
51 (BH)He has done [af]mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the [ag]thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has (BI)exalted those who were humble.
53 (BJ)He has filled the hungry with good things,
And sent the rich away empty-handed.
54 He has given help to His servant Israel,
[ah]In remembrance of His mercy,
55 (BK)Just as He spoke to our fathers,
(BL)To Abraham and his [ai]descendants forever.”

56 Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.

John the Baptist Is Born

57 Now the time [aj]had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had [ak](BM)displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.

59 And it happened that on (BN)the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zechariah, [al]after his father. 60 And yet his mother responded and said, “No indeed; but (BO)he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” 62 And they [am](BP)made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. 63 And he asked for a tablet and wrote [an]as follows, “(BQ)His name is John.” And they were all amazed. 64 (BR)And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began speaking in praise of God. 65 And fear came on all those who lived around them; and all these matters were being talked about in (BS)the entire hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For indeed (BT)the hand of the Lord was with him.

Zechariah’s Prophecy

67 And his father Zechariah (BU)was filled with the Holy Spirit and (BV)prophesied, saying:

68 (BW)Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited us and accomplished (BX)redemption for His people,
69 And has raised up a (BY)horn of salvation for us
In the house of (BZ)His servant David—
70 (CA)Just as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets (CB)from ancient times—
71 [ao](CC)Salvation (CD)from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us;
72 (CE)To show mercy to our fathers,
(CF)And to remember His holy covenant,
73 (CG)The oath which He swore to our father Abraham,
74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Would serve Him without fear,
75 (CH)In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
76 And you, child, also will be called the (CI)prophet of (CJ)the Most High;
For you will go on (CK)before the Lord to (CL)prepare His ways;
77 To give His people the knowledge of salvation
[ap]By (CM)the forgiveness of their sins,
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which (CN)the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
79 (CO)To shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the (CP)way of peace.”

80 (CQ)Now the child grew and was becoming strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

Jesus’ Birth in Bethlehem

Now in those days a decree went out from (CR)Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of (CS)all [aq]the inhabited earth. [ar]This was the first census taken while [as]Quirinius was governor of (CT)Syria. And all the people were on their way to register for the census, each to his own city. Now Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because (CU)he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was [at]betrothed to him, and was pregnant. While they were there, the [au]time came for her to give birth. And she (CV)gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a [av]manger, because there was no [aw]room for them in the inn.

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock at night. And (CW)an angel of the Lord suddenly (CX)stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 And so the angel said to them, “(CY)Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a (CZ)Savior, who is [ax](DA)Christ (DB)the Lord. 12 And (DC)this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a [ay]manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly [az]army of angels praising God and saying,

14 (DD)Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among people [ba](DE)with whom He is pleased.”

15 When the angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem, then, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the [bb]manger. 17 When they had seen Him, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it were amazed about the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary (DF)treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds went back, (DG)glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

Jesus Presented at the Temple

21 And when (DH)eight days were completed [bc]so that it was time for His circumcision, (DI)He was also named Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

22 (DJ)And when the days for [bd]their purification according to the Law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord: “(DK)Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what has been stated in the Law of the Lord: “(DL)A pair of turtledoves or two young doves.”

25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was (DM)righteous and devout, (DN)looking forward to the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And (DO)it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not (DP)see death before he had seen the Lord’s [be]Christ. 27 And he came [bf]by the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, [bg](DQ)to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, 28 then he took Him in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29 “Now, Lord, You are letting Your bond-servant depart in peace,
(DR)According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have (DS)seen Your salvation,
31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all the peoples:
32 (DT)A light for revelation [bh]for the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”

33 And His father and (DU)mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to (DV)His mother Mary, “Behold, this Child is appointed for (DW)the fall and [bi]rise of many in Israel, and as a sign to be [bj]opposed— 35 and a sword will pierce your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

36 And there was a (DX)prophetess, [bk]Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of (DY)the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in [bl]years (DZ)and had lived with her husband for seven years after her [bm]marriage, 37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She did not leave the temple grounds, serving night and day with (EA)fasts and prayers. 38 And at that very [bn]moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak about Him to all those who were (EB)looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

Return to Nazareth

39 And when His parents had completed everything in accordance with the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to (EC)their own city of Nazareth. 40 (ED)Now the Child continued to grow and to become strong, [bo]increasing in wisdom; and the favor of God was upon Him.

Visit to Jerusalem

41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at (EE)the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up there according to the custom of the feast; 43 and as they were returning, after spending the (EF)full number of days required, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but His parents were unaware of it. 44 Instead, they thought that He was somewhere in the caravan, and they went a day’s journey; and then they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 And when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, looking for Him. 46 Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him (EG)were amazed at His understanding and His answers. 48 When Joseph and Mary saw Him, they were bewildered; and (EH)His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, (EI)Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You!” 49 And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that (EJ)I had to be in My Father’s [bp]house?” 50 And yet (EK)they on their part did not understand the statement which He had [bq]made to them. 51 And He went down with them and came to (EL)Nazareth, and He continued to be subject to them; and (EM)His mother (EN)treasured all these [br]things in her heart.

52 And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and [bs]stature, and in (EO)favor with God and people.

John the Baptist Preaches

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when (EP)Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and (EQ)Herod was tetrarch of Galilee and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, in the high priesthood of (ER)Annas and (ES)Caiaphas, (ET)the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. And he came into all (EU)the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance [bt]for the forgiveness of sins; as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

(EV)The voice of one calling [bu]out in the wilderness,
Prepare the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight!
(EW)Every ravine will be filled,
And every mountain and hill will be lowered;
The crooked will become straight,
And the rough roads smooth;
(EX)And all [bv]flesh will (EY)see the salvation of God!’”

So he was saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “(EZ)You [bw]offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore produce fruits that are consistent with repentance, and (FA)do not start saying [bx]to yourselves, ‘(FB)We have Abraham as our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children for Abraham. But indeed the axe is already being laid at the root of the trees; so (FC)every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10 And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “(FD)Then what are we to do?” 11 And he would answer and say to them, “The one who has two [by]tunics is to (FE)share with the one who has none; and the one who has food is to do likewise.” 12 Now even (FF)tax collectors came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what are we to do?” 13 And he said to them, “[bz]Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” 14 And soldiers also were questioning him, saying, “What are we to do, we as well?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone, nor [ca](FG)harass anyone, and (FH)be content with your wages.”

15 Now while the people were in a state of expectation and they all were thinking carefully in their hearts about John, (FI)whether he himself perhaps was the [cb]Christ, 16 (FJ)John responded to them all, saying, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but He is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the straps of His sandals; He will baptize you [cc]with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His (FK)winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with (FL)unquenchable fire.”

18 So with many other exhortations he preached the gospel to the people. 19 But when (FM)Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by him regarding (FN)Herodias, his brother’s wife, and regarding all the evil things which (FO)Herod had done, 20 Herod also added this to them all: (FP)he locked John up in prison.

Jesus Is Baptized

21 (FQ)Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized, and while He was (FR)praying, heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven: “(FS)You are My beloved Son, in You I am well pleased.”

Genealogy of Jesus

23 (FT)When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years old, being, as was commonly held, the son of (FU)Joseph, [cd]the son of [ce]Eli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of [cf]Hesli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, (FV)the son of Zerubbabel, the son of [cg]Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of [ch]Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of [ci]Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 (FW)the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of [cj]Salmon, the son of [ck]Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of [cl]Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, (FX)the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of [cm]Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of [cn]Heber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, (FY)the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

The Temptation of Jesus

(FZ)Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, (GA)returned from the Jordan and was led around [co]by the Spirit in the wilderness for (GB)forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He was hungry. And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written: ‘(GC)Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

(GD)And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of [cp](GE)the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and [cq]its glory, (GF)for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I want. Therefore if You [cr]worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” Jesus replied to him, “It is written: ‘(GG)You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”

(GH)And he brought Him into Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; 10 for it is written:

(GI)He will give His angels orders concerning You, to protect You,’

11 and,

(GJ)On their hands they will lift You up,
So that You do not strike Your foot against a stone.’”

12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been stated, ‘(GK)You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

13 And so when the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

Jesus’ Public Ministry

14 And (GL)Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and (GM)news about Him spread through all the surrounding region. 15 And He began (GN)teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all.

16 And He came to (GO)Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, (GP)He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and (GQ)stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. And He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

18 (GR)The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He anointed Me to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim release to captives,
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set free those who are oppressed,
19 (GS)To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

20 And He (GT)rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and (GU)sat down; and the eyes of all the people in the synagogue were intently directed at Him. 21 Now He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your [cs]hearing.” 22 And all the people were [ct]speaking well of Him, and admiring the [cu]gracious words which were coming from His [cv]lips; and yet they were saying, “(GV)Is this not Joseph’s son?” 23 And He said to them, “No doubt you will [cw]quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! All the miracles that we heard were done (GW)in Capernaum, do here in (GX)your hometown as well.’” 24 But He said, “Truly I say to you, (GY)no prophet is welcome in his hometown. 25 But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel (GZ)in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a [cx]severe famine came over all the land; 26 and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to [cy](HA)Zarephath, in the land of (HB)Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And there were many with leprosy in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was [cz]cleansed, but only (HC)Naaman the Syrian.” 28 And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; 29 and they got up and (HD)drove Him out of the city, and brought Him to the [da]crest of the hill on which their city had been built, so that they could throw Him down from the cliff. 30 But He (HE)passed through their midst and went on His way.

31 And (HF)He came down to (HG)Capernaum, a city of Galilee; and He was teaching them on the Sabbath; 32 and (HH)they were amazed at His teaching, because (HI)His [db]message was delivered with authority. 33 In the synagogue there was a man [dc]possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 “Leave us alone! [dd](HJ)What business do You have with us, Jesus [de]of (HK)Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—(HL)the Holy One of God!” 35 But Jesus (HM)rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, it came out of him without doing him any harm. 36 And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking with one another, saying, “What is [df]this message? For (HN)with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” 37 And (HO)the news about Him was spreading into every locality of the surrounding region.

Many Are Healed

38 (HP)Then He got up and left the synagogue, and entered Simon’s home. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was (HQ)suffering from a high fever, and they asked Him [dg]to help her. 39 And standing over her, He (HR)rebuked the fever, and it left her; and she immediately got up and served them.

40 (HS)Now while (HT)the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He was (HU)laying His hands on each one of them and (HV)healing them. 41 Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, “You are (HW)the Son of God!” And yet He was (HX)rebuking them and would (HY)not allow them to speak, because they knew that He was the [dh]Christ.

42 (HZ)Now when day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him, and they came to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving them. 43 But He said to them, “I must also preach the kingdom of God to the other cities, (IA)because I was sent for this purpose.”

44 So He kept on preaching in the synagogues (IB)of [di]Judea.

The First Disciples

(IC)Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by (ID)the lake of Gennesaret; and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. And (IE)He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little distance from the land. And He sat down and continued teaching the crowds from the boat. Now when He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and (IF)let down your nets for a catch.” Simon responded and said, “(IG)Master, (IH)we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but [dj]I will do as You say and let down the nets.” And when they had done this, (II)they caught a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to tear; so they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, to the point that they were sinking. But when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and likewise also were [dk]James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, (IJ)Do not fear; from now on you will be (IK)catching people.” 11 When they had brought their boats to land, (IL)they left everything and followed Him.

A Man with Leprosy Healed

12 (IM)While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man [dl]covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 13 And He reached out with His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And He ordered him to tell no one, saying, “But go and (IN)show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 15 But (IO)the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus Himself would often slip away [dm]to the [dn]wilderness and (IP)pray.

A Man Lowered Through a Roof

17 [do]One day He was teaching, and (IQ)there were some Pharisees and (IR)teachers of the Law sitting there who had (IS)come from every village of Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem; and (IT)the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. 18 (IU)And some men were carrying a man on a stretcher who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. 19 But when they did not find any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on (IV)the roof and let him down (IW)through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. 20 And seeing their faith, He said, [dp]Friend, (IX)your sins are forgiven you.” 21 The scribes and the Pharisees (IY)began thinking of the implications, saying, “(IZ)Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? (JA)Who can forgive sins, except God alone?” 22 But Jesus, [dq]aware of their thoughts, responded and said to them, “Why are you thinking this way in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say: ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” He said to the (JB)man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher, and go home.” 25 And immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home (JC)glorifying God. 26 And [dr]they were all struck with astonishment and began (JD)glorifying God. They were also filled (JE)with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today!”

Call of Levi (Matthew)

27 (JF)After that He went out and looked at a tax collector named [ds](JG)Levi sitting in the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 And he (JH)left everything behind, and got up and began following Him.

29 And (JI)Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a large crowd of (JJ)tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them. 30 (JK)The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling to His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and [dt]sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered and said to them, (JL)It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners.”

33 And they said to Him, “(JM)The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do [du]the same, but Yours eat and drink.” 34 And Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the [dv]attendants of the groom fast while the groom is with them, can you? 35 (JN)But the days will come; and when the groom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.” 36 And He was also telling them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the patch from the new garment will not match the old. 37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one, after drinking old wine wants new; for he says, ‘The old is fine.’”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

(JO)Now it happened that [dw]Jesus was passing through some grainfields on a Sabbath, and His disciples (JP)were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what (JQ)is not lawful on the Sabbath?” And Jesus, answering them, said, “Have you not even read (JR)what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him, how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the [dx]consecrated bread, which (JS)is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?” And He was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

(JT)On another Sabbath He entered (JU)the synagogue and taught; and a man was there [dy]whose right hand was withered. Now the scribes and the Pharisees (JV)were watching Him [dz]closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse Him. But He (JW)knew [ea]what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and [eb]come forward!” And he got up and [ec]came forward. And Jesus said to them, “I ask you whether it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do harm, to save a life or to destroy it?” 10 And after (JX)looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored. 11 But they themselves were filled with senseless rage, and began discussing together what they might do to Jesus.

Choosing the Twelve

12 Now it was [ed]at this time that He went off to (JY)the mountain to (JZ)pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer with God. 13 And when day came, (KA)He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as (KB)apostles: 14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and his brother Andrew; and [ee]James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew; 15 and (KC)Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot; 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

17 And then Jesus (KD)came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was (KE)a large crowd of His disciples, and a great multitude of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and the coastal region of (KF)Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled by unclean spirits were being cured. 19 And all the [ef]people were trying to (KG)touch Him, because (KH)power was coming from Him and healing them all.

The Beatitudes

20 And He raised His eyes toward His disciples and began saying, (KI)Blessed are [eg]you who are poor, for (KJ)yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are [eh]you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are [ei]you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22 (KK)Blessed are you when the people hate you, and when they [ej](KL)exclude you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice on that day and (KM)jump for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For their fathers used to [ek]treat the prophets (KN)the same way. 24 But woe to (KO)you who are rich, for (KP)you are receiving your comfort in full. 25 Woe to you who [el]are well-fed now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when all the people speak well of you; for their fathers used to [em]treat the (KQ)false prophets the same way.

27 “But I say to you who hear, (KR)love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, (KS)pray for those who are abusive to you. 29 (KT)Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your [en]cloak, do not withhold your [eo]tunic from him either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. 31 [ep](KU)Treat people the same way you want them to [eq]treat you. 32 (KV)If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 (KW)And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. 35 But (KX)love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be (KY)sons of (KZ)the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil people. 36 [er]Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

37 (LA)Do not [es]judge, and you will not be judged; and do not [et]condemn, and you will not be condemned; [eu](LB)pardon, and you will be pardoned. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. They will [ev]pour (LC)into your lap a (LD)good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

39 Now He also spoke a parable to them: (LE)A person who is blind cannot guide another who is blind, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 (LF)A [ew]student is not above the teacher; but everyone, when he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher. 41 Why do you look at the [ex]speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the [ey]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 [ez]speck that is in your brother’s eye. 43 (LG)For there is no good tree that bears bad fruit, nor, [fa]on the other hand, a bad tree that bears good fruit. 44 (LH)For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. 45 (LI)The good person out of the good [fb]treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil person out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; (LJ)for his mouth speaks from [fc]that which fills his heart.

The Parable of the Builders

46 “Now (LK)why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 (LL)Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and [fd]acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who [fe]dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when there was a flood, the river burst against that house and yet it could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; and the river burst against it and it immediately collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

Footnotes

  1. Luke 1:1 Or on which there is full conviction
  2. Luke 1:2 Lit became
  3. Luke 1:2 Or ministers
  4. Luke 1:2 I.e., gospel
  5. Luke 1:3 Or followed
  6. Luke 1:4 Lit words
  7. Luke 1:4 Or orally instructed in
  8. Luke 1:5 Gr Abia
  9. Luke 1:5 I.e., of priestly descent
  10. Luke 1:7 Lit days
  11. Luke 1:12 Lit fell upon
  12. Luke 1:13 Lit call his name
  13. Luke 1:15 Lit still from his
  14. Luke 1:18 Lit days
  15. Luke 1:19 Lit stand beside
  16. Luke 1:22 Possibly gesturing or nodding to them
  17. Luke 1:24 Or hidden
  18. Luke 1:27 Unlike engagement, a betrothed couple was considered married, but did not yet live together
  19. Luke 1:27 Lit house
  20. Luke 1:27 Gr Mariam, Heb Miriam; so throughout Luke
  21. Luke 1:28 Or be
  22. Luke 1:34 Lit do not know a man
  23. Luke 1:35 Lit the holy one fathered
  24. Luke 1:36 Lit this is the sixth month for her who
  25. Luke 1:39 Lit in these days
  26. Luke 1:43 Lit from where this to me
  27. Luke 1:45 Or believed, because there will be
  28. Luke 1:45 Lit from
  29. Luke 1:46 Lit makes great
  30. Luke 1:48 Or consider
  31. Luke 1:50 Lit and
  32. Luke 1:51 Lit might
  33. Luke 1:51 Lit thought, attitude
  34. Luke 1:54 Lit So as to remember
  35. Luke 1:55 Lit seed
  36. Luke 1:57 Lit was fulfilled
  37. Luke 1:58 Lit magnified His mercy with her
  38. Luke 1:59 Lit after the name of
  39. Luke 1:62 I.e., gestured or nodded
  40. Luke 1:63 Lit saying
  41. Luke 1:71 Or Deliverance
  42. Luke 1:77 Or Consisting in
  43. Luke 2:1 I.e., the Roman Empire
  44. Luke 2:2 Or This took place as a first census
  45. Luke 2:2 Gr Kyrenios
  46. Luke 2:5 Unlike engagement, a betrothed couple was considered married, but did not yet live together
  47. Luke 2:6 Lit days were completed
  48. Luke 2:7 Or feeding trough
  49. Luke 2:7 Or space
  50. Luke 2:11 I.e., the Messiah
  51. Luke 2:12 Or feeding trough
  52. Luke 2:13 Or host
  53. Luke 2:14 Lit of good pleasure; or of goodwill
  54. Luke 2:16 Or feeding trough
  55. Luke 2:21 Lit so as to circumcise Him
  56. Luke 2:22 I.e., Mary’s, with Joseph’s support
  57. Luke 2:26 I.e., Messiah
  58. Luke 2:27 Or in
  59. Luke 2:27 Lit to do for Him according to
  60. Luke 2:32 Lit of the Gentiles
  61. Luke 2:34 Or resurrection
  62. Luke 2:34 Or refused
  63. Luke 2:36 Or Hannah
  64. Luke 2:36 Lit days
  65. Luke 2:36 Lit virginity
  66. Luke 2:38 Lit hour
  67. Luke 2:40 Lit becoming full of
  68. Luke 2:49 Or affairs; or business; lit in the things of My Father
  69. Luke 2:50 Lit spoken
  70. Luke 2:51 Lit words
  71. Luke 2:52 Or age
  72. Luke 3:3 Or with reference to
  73. Luke 3:4 Or out, Prepare in the wilderness the way
  74. Luke 3:6 I.e., mankind
  75. Luke 3:7 Or brood
  76. Luke 3:8 Or among
  77. Luke 3:11 A long shirt worn next to the skin
  78. Luke 3:13 Lit Do
  79. Luke 3:14 Or blackmail
  80. Luke 3:15 I.e., Messiah
  81. Luke 3:16 The Gr here can be translated in, with, or by
  82. Luke 3:23 Lit of Eli, and so throughout the genealogy
  83. Luke 3:23 Also spelled Heli
  84. Luke 3:25 Also spelled Esli
  85. Luke 3:27 Gr Salathiel; names of people in the Old Testament are given in their Old Testament form through v 38
  86. Luke 3:29 Gr Jesus
  87. Luke 3:30 Gr Judas
  88. Luke 3:32 Gr Sala
  89. Luke 3:32 Gr Naasson
  90. Luke 3:33 Gr Arni
  91. Luke 3:35 Gr Ragau
  92. Luke 3:35 Gr Eber
  93. Luke 4:1 Or under the influence of; lit in
  94. Luke 4:5 Lit the inhabited earth
  95. Luke 4:6 Lit their (referring to the kingdoms in v 5)
  96. Luke 4:7 Or bow down before
  97. Luke 4:21 Lit ears
  98. Luke 4:22 Or testifying
  99. Luke 4:22 Lit words of grace
  100. Luke 4:22 Lit mouth
  101. Luke 4:23 Lit tell me this
  102. Luke 4:25 Lit great
  103. Luke 4:26 Gr Sarepta
  104. Luke 4:27 I.e., healed
  105. Luke 4:29 Lit brow
  106. Luke 4:32 Lit word
  107. Luke 4:33 Lit having a spirit
  108. Luke 4:34 Lit What to us and to you (an ancient idiom)
  109. Luke 4:34 Lit the Nazarene
  110. Luke 4:36 Or this word, that with authority...come out?
  111. Luke 4:38 Lit about her
  112. Luke 4:41 I.e., Messiah
  113. Luke 4:44 I.e., the country of the Jews (including Galilee)
  114. Luke 5:5 Lit upon Your word
  115. Luke 5:10 Or Jacob
  116. Luke 5:12 Lit full of
  117. Luke 5:16 Lit in
  118. Luke 5:16 Or deserted places
  119. Luke 5:17 Lit On one of the days
  120. Luke 5:20 Lit Man
  121. Luke 5:22 Or perceiving
  122. Luke 5:26 Lit astonishment took them all
  123. Luke 5:27 Also called Matthew
  124. Luke 5:30 I.e., irreligious Jews
  125. Luke 5:33 Lit likewise
  126. Luke 5:34 Lit sons of the bridal chamber
  127. Luke 6:1 Lit He
  128. Luke 6:4 Lit loaves of presentation
  129. Luke 6:6 Lit and his
  130. Luke 6:7 Or maliciously
  131. Luke 6:8 Lit their thoughts
  132. Luke 6:8 Lit stand into the middle
  133. Luke 6:8 Lit stood
  134. Luke 6:12 Lit in these days
  135. Luke 6:14 Or Jacob, also vv 15 and 16
  136. Luke 6:19 Lit crowd
  137. Luke 6:20 Lit the poor
  138. Luke 6:21 Lit the ones who
  139. Luke 6:21 Lit the ones who
  140. Luke 6:22 Or excommunicate
  141. Luke 6:23 Lit do to
  142. Luke 6:25 Or have plenty to eat
  143. Luke 6:26 Lit do to
  144. Luke 6:29 Or outer garment
  145. Luke 6:29 A long shirt worn next to the skin
  146. Luke 6:31 Lit Do to
  147. Luke 6:31 Lit do to
  148. Luke 6:36 Or Prove yourselves merciful
  149. Luke 6:37 Or continually judge
  150. Luke 6:37 Or continually condemn
  151. Luke 6:37 Or continually pardon
  152. Luke 6:38 Lit give
  153. Luke 6:40 Or disciple
  154. Luke 6:41 Or splinter
  155. Luke 6:42 Or splinter
  156. Luke 6:42 Or splinter
  157. Luke 6:43 Lit again
  158. Luke 6:45 Or treasury, storehouse
  159. Luke 6:45 Lit the abundance of
  160. Luke 6:47 Lit does
  161. Luke 6:48 Lit dug and went deep

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