Introduction

1 Since [as is well known] many have undertaken to compile an orderly account of the things which have been fulfilled among us [by God], ² exactly as they were handed down to us by those [with personal experience] who from the beginning [of Christ’s ministry] were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word [that is, of the teaching concerning salvation through faith in Christ], ³ it seemed fitting for ^[a]me as well, [and so I have decided] after having carefully searched out and investigated all the events accurately, from the very beginning, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus;^{(A) 4} so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been ^[b]taught [that is, the history and doctrine of the faith].

Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

⁵ In the days of Herod [the Great], king of Judea, there was a certain priest whose name was ^[c]Zacharias, of ^[d]the division of Abijah. His wife was ^[e]a descendant of Aaron [the first high priest of Israel], and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶ They both were righteous (approved) in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. ⁷ But they were childless, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both far advanced in years.

⁸ Now it happened while Zacharias was serving as priest before God in the appointed order of his priestly division, ⁹ as was the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter [the sanctuary of] the temple of the Lord and ^[f]burn incense [on the altar of incense].^{(B) 10} And all the congregation was praying outside [in the court of the temple] at the hour of the incense offering. ¹¹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. ¹² When Zacharias saw the angel, he was troubled and overcome with fear. ¹³ But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, because your petition [in prayer] was heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him ^[g]John. ¹⁴ You will have great joy and delight, and many will rejoice over his birth, ¹⁵ for he will be great and distinguished in the sight of the Lord; and will never drink wine or liquor, and he will be filled with and empowered to act by the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb.^{(C) 16} He will turn many of the sons of Israel back [from sin] to [love and serve] the Lord their God. ¹⁷ It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous [which is to seek and submit to the will of God]—in order to make ready a people [perfectly] prepared [spiritually and morally] for the Lord.”^(D)

¹⁸ And Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I be certain of this? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in age.” ¹⁹ The angel replied and said to him, “I am Gabriel; I stand and minister in the [very] presence of God, and I have been sent [by Him] to speak to you and to bring you this good news.^{(E) 20 [h]}Listen carefully, you will be continually silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe what I told you; but my words will be fulfilled at their proper time.”

²¹ The people [outside in the court] were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering about his long delay in the temple. ²² But when he did come out, he was unable to speak to them. They realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he kept making signs to them, and remained mute. ²³ When his time of priestly service was finished, he returned to his home.

²⁴ Now after this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, and for five months she secluded herself completely, saying, ²⁵ “This is how the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor on me, to take away my ^[i]disgrace among men.”^(F)

Jesus’ Birth Foretold

²⁶ Now in the sixth month [of Elizabeth’s pregnancy] the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin ^[j]betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ And coming to her, the angel said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” ²⁹ But she was greatly perplexed at what he said, and kept carefully considering what kind of greeting this was. ³⁰ The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ Listen carefully: you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. ³² He will be great and eminent and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; ³³ and He will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.”^{(G) 34} Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin and have no intimacy with any man?” ³⁵ Then the angel replied to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you [like a cloud]; for that reason the holy (pure, sinless) Child shall be called the Son of God.^{(H) 36} And listen, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. ³⁷ For with God nothing [is or ever] shall be impossible.” ³⁸ Then Mary said, “^[k]Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel left her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹ Now at this time Mary arose and hurried to the hill country, to a city of Judah (Judea), ⁴⁰ and she entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, her baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered by Him. ⁴² And she exclaimed loudly, “Blessed [worthy to be praised] are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³ And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? ⁴⁴ For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ And blessed [spiritually fortunate and favored by God] is she who believed and confidently trusted that there would be a fulfillment of the things that were spoken to her [by the angel sent] from the Lord.”

The Magnificat

⁴⁶ And Mary said,

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

John Is Born

⁵⁷ Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. ⁵⁸ Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown His great mercy toward her, and they were rejoicing with her.

⁵⁹ It happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child [as required by the Law], and they intended to name him Zacharias, after his father;^{(K) 60} but his mother answered, “No indeed; instead he will be called John.” ⁶¹ And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by that name.” ⁶² Then they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. ⁶³ And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John.” And they were all astonished. ⁶⁴ At once Zacharias’ mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began speaking, praising and blessing and thanking God. ⁶⁵ Then fear came on all their neighbors; and all these things were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. ⁶⁶ All who heard these things kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this little boy turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him [to bring about his birth].

Zacharias’ Prophecy

⁶⁷ Now Zacharias his father was filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered by Him, and he prophesied, saying,

⁸⁰ The child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel [as John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah].

Jesus’ Birth in Bethlehem

2 Now in those days a decree went out from [the emperor] ^[m]Caesar Augustus, that all the inhabited world (the Roman Empire) should be ^[n]registered [in a census]. ² This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ And everyone went to register for the census, each to his own city. ⁴ So Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, ⁵ in order to register with Mary, who was ^[o]betrothed to him, and was with child.^{(P) 6} While they were there [in Bethlehem], the time came for her to give birth, ⁷ and she gave birth to her Son, her firstborn; and she wrapped Him in [^[p]swaddling] cloths and laid Him in a ^[q]manger, because there was no [private] room for them in the inn.

⁸ In the same region there were shepherds staying out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord flashed and shone around them, and they were terribly frightened. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for ^[r]all the people. ¹¹ For this day in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (the Messiah).^{(Q) 12} And this will be a sign for you [by which you will recognize Him]: you will find a Baby wrapped in [swaddling] cloths and lying in a manger.”^{(R) 13} Then suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host (angelic army) praising God and saying,

¹⁵ When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying one to another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem, and see this [wonderful] thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ So they went in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the Baby as He lay in the manger. ¹⁷ And when they had seen this, they made known what had been told them about this Child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were astounded and wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured all these things, giving careful thought to them and pondering them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.

Jesus Presented at the Temple

²¹ At the end of eight days, when He was to be circumcised, He was named Jesus, the name given [to Him] by the angel [Gabriel] before He was conceived in the womb.

²² And when the time for their purification came [that is, the mother’s purification and the baby’s dedication] according to the Law of Moses, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord [set apart as the Firstborn]^{(S) 23} (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy [set apart and dedicated] to the Lord)”^{(T) 24} and [they came also] to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord [to be appropriate for a family of modest means], “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”^(U)

²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout [carefully observing the divine Law], and looking for the ^[s]Consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed). ²⁷ Prompted by the Spirit, he came into the temple [enclosure]; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, ^[t]to do for Him the custom required by the Law, ²⁸ Simeon took Him into his arms, and blessed and praised and thanked God, and said,

³³ And His [legal] father and His mother were amazed at what was said about Him. ³⁴ Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Listen carefully: this Child is appointed and destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for ^[u]a sign that is to be opposed—^{(X) 35} and a sword [of deep sorrow] will pierce through your own soul—so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

³⁶ There was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, and had lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage,^{(Y) 37} and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She did not leave the [area of the] temple, but was serving and worshiping night and day with fastings and prayers. ³⁸ She, too, came up at that very moment and began praising and giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all who were looking for the redemption and deliverance of Jerusalem.

Return to Nazareth

³⁹ And when they had done everything [in connection with Jesus’ birth] according to the Law of the Lord, they went back to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. ⁴⁰ And the Child continued to grow and become strong [in spirit], filled with wisdom; and the grace (favor, spiritual blessing) of God was upon Him.^(Z)

Visit to Jerusalem

⁴¹ Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year for the Passover Feast.^{(AA) 42} And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem, according to the custom of the Feast; ⁴³ and as they were returning [to ^[v]Nazareth], after spending the required number of days [at the Feast], the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem. Now His parents did not know this, ⁴⁴ but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and traveled a day’s journey; and [then] they began searching [anxiously] for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. ⁴⁵ When they did not find Him, they went back to Jerusalem looking for Him [everywhere]. ⁴⁶ Three days later they found Him in the [court of the] temple, sitting among the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ All who heard Him were amazed by His intelligence and His understanding and His answers. ⁴⁸ When they saw Him, they were overwhelmed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us like this? Listen, Your ^[w]father and I have been [greatly distressed and] anxiously looking for You.” ⁴⁹ And He answered, “Why did you have to look for Me? Did you not know that I had to be ^[x]in My Father’s house?” ⁵⁰ But they did not understand what He had said to them. ⁵¹ He went down to Nazareth with them, and was continually submissive and obedient to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

⁵² And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and men.^(AB)

John the Baptist Preaches

3 Now in the fifteenth year of [Emperor] ^[y]Tiberius Caesar’s reign—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod [Antipas] was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene— ² in the high ^[z]priesthood of Annas and ^[aa]Caiaphas [his son-in-law], the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. ³ And he went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin; ⁴ as it is written and forever remains written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

⁷ So he began saying to the crowds who were coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of ^[ad]vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath [of God that is] to come? ⁸ Therefore produce fruit that is worthy of [and consistent with your] repentance [that is, live changed lives, turn from sin and seek God and His righteousness]. And do not even begin to say to yourselves [as a defense], ‘We have Abraham for our father [and so our heritage assures us of salvation]’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children (descendants) for Abraham [for God can replace the unrepentant, regardless of their heritage, with those who are obedient].^{(AD) 9} Even now the axe [of God’s judgment] is swinging toward the root of the trees; so every tree that does not produce good fruit is being cut down and thrown into the fire.”

¹⁰ The crowds asked him, “Then what are we to do?” ¹¹ And John replied, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do the same.” ¹² Even some tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked, “Teacher, what are we to do?” ¹³ And he told them, “Collect no more than the fixed amount you have been ordered to [collect].” ¹⁴ Some soldiers asked him, “And what about us, what are we to do?” And he replied to them, “Do not ^[ae]extort money from anyone or harass or blackmail anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.”

¹⁵ Now the people were in a state of expectation, and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed). ¹⁶ John answered them all by saying, “As for me, I baptize you [only] ^[af]with water; but One who is mightier [more powerful, more noble] than I is coming, and I am not fit to untie the strap of His sandals [even as His slave]. He will baptize you [who truly repent] with the Holy Spirit and [you who remain unrepentant] with ^[ag]fire.^{(AE) 17} His ^[ah]winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat (believers) into His barn (kingdom); but He will burn up the chaff (the unrepentant) with unquenchable fire.”

¹⁸ So with many other appeals and various admonitions John preached the good news (gospel) to the people. ¹⁹ But when Herod [Antipas] the tetrarch was repeatedly reprimanded [and convicted by John’s disapproval] for having ^[ai]Herodias, his brother’s wife [as his own], and for all the wicked things that Herod had done,^{(AF) 20} he also added this to them all: he locked up John in prison.

Jesus’ Baptism

²¹ Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, the [visible] heaven was opened,^{(AG) 22} and the ^[aj]Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, “You are My Son, My Beloved, in You I am well-pleased and delighted!”^(AH)

Genealogy of Jesus

²³ When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son [by marriage] of 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 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, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of 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 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 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 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, ³³ the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, ³⁴ the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, ³⁵ the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Heber, the son of Shelah, ³⁶ the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, 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.^(AI)

The Devil Tempts Jesus

4 Now Jesus, full of [and in perfect communication with] the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness^{(AJ) 2} for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they ended, He was hungry.^{(AK) 3} Then the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to turn into bread.” ⁴ Jesus replied to him, “It is written and forever remains written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone^[ak].’”^(AL)

⁵ Then he led Jesus up [to a high mountain] and displayed before Him all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth [and their magnificence] in the twinkling of an eye. ⁶ And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this realm and its glory [its power, its renown]; because it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. ⁷ Therefore if You worship before me, it will all be Yours.” ⁸ Jesus replied to him, “It is written and forever remains written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.’”^(AM)

⁹ Then he led Jesus to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle (highest point) of the temple, and said [mockingly] to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; ¹⁰ for it is written and forever remains written,

¹¹ and,

¹² Jesus replied to him, “It is said [in Scripture], ‘you shall not tempt the Lord your God [to prove Himself to you].’”^(AO)

¹³ When the devil had finished every temptation, he [temporarily] left Him until a more opportune time.

Jesus’ Public Ministry

¹⁴ Then Jesus went back to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and the news about Him spread through the entire region. ¹⁵ And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised and glorified and honored by all.

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

²⁰ Then He rolled up the scroll [having stopped in the middle of the verse], gave it back to the attendant and sat down [to teach]; and the eyes of all those in the synagogue were [attentively] fixed on Him. ²¹ He began speaking to them: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing and in your presence.” ²² And [as He continued on] they all were speaking well of Him, and were in awe and were wondering about the words of grace which were coming from His lips; and they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” ²³ So He said to them, “You will no doubt quote this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal Yourself! Whatever [miracles] that we heard were done [by You] in Capernaum, do here in Your hometown as well.’” ²⁴ Then He said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown. ²⁵ But in truth I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was closed up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; ²⁶ and yet Elijah was not sent [by the Lord] to a single one of them, but only to Zarephath in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.^{(AR) 27} And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and not one of them was cleansed [by being healed] except Naaman the Syrian.”^{(AS) 28} As they heard these things [about God’s grace to these two Gentiles], the people in the synagogue were filled with a great rage; ²⁹ and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the crest of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to hurl Him down the cliff. ³⁰ But passing [miraculously] through the crowd, He went on His way.

³¹ Then He came down [from the hills of Nazareth] to Capernaum, a city of Galilee [on the shore of the sea], and He was teaching them on the Sabbath;^{(AT) 32} and they were surprised [almost overwhelmed] at His teaching, because His message was [given] with authority and power and great ability. ³³ There was a man in the synagogue who was possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon; and he cried out with a loud and terrible voice, ³⁴ “Let us alone! ^[al]What business do we have [in common] with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” ³⁵ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent (muzzled, gagged) and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown the man down among them, he came out of him without injuring him in any way. ³⁶ They were all astonished and in awe, and began saying to one another, “What is this message? For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they come out!” ³⁷ And the news about Him spread into every place in the surrounding district (Galilee).

Many Are Healed

³⁸ Then Jesus got up and left the synagogue and went to Simon’s (Peter’s) house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Him to help her.^{(AU) 39} Standing over her, He rebuked the fever, and it left her; and immediately she got up and began serving them [as her guests].

⁴⁰ While the sun was setting [marking the end of the Sabbath day], all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Jesus; and laying His hands on each one of them, He was healing them [exhibiting His authority as Messiah].^{(AV) 41} Demons also were coming out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But He rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that He was the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).

⁴² When daybreak came, Jesus left [Simon Peter’s house] 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, “I must preach [the good news of] the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because I was sent for this purpose.”

⁴⁴ So He continued preaching in the synagogues of Judea [the country of the Jews, including Galilee].

The First Disciples

5 Now it happened that while Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret (Sea of Galilee), with the people crowding all around Him and listening to the word of God; ² that He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake, but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. ³ He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little distance from the shore. And He sat down and began teaching the crowds from the boat. ⁴ When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon [Peter], “Put out into the deep water and lower your nets for a catch [of fish].” ⁵ Simon replied, “Master, we worked hard all night [to the point of exhaustion] and caught nothing [in our nets], but at Your word I will [do as you say and] lower the nets [again].” ⁶ When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets were [at the point of] breaking; ⁷ so they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats [with fish], so that they began to sink. ⁸ But when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” ⁹ For he and all his companions were completely astounded at the catch of fish which they had taken; ¹⁰ and so were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon [Peter]. Jesus said to Simon, “Have no fear; from now on you will be catching men!” ¹¹ After they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and ^[am]followed Him [becoming His disciples, believing and trusting in Him and following His example].

The Leper and the Paralytic

¹² While Jesus was in one of the cities, there came a man covered with [an advanced case of] 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 and well.”^{(AW) 13} And Jesus reached out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him. ¹⁴ Jesus ordered him to tell no one [that he might happen to meet], “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your purification, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony (witness) to them [that this is a work of Messiah].”^{(AX) 15} But the news about Him was spreading farther, and large crowds kept gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their illnesses. ¹⁶ But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray [in seclusion].

¹⁷ One day as He was teaching, there were Pharisees and teachers of the Law sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present with Him to heal. ¹⁸ Some men came carrying on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed, and they tried to bring him in and lay him down in front of Jesus.^{(AY) 19} But finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the ^[an]roof [and removed some tiles to make an opening] and lowered him through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. ²⁰ When Jesus saw their [active] faith [springing from confidence in Him], He said, “Man, your sins are forgiven.” ²¹ The scribes and the Pharisees began to consider and question [the implications of what He had said], saying, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies [by claiming the rights and prerogatives of God]? Who can forgive sins [that is, remove guilt, nullify sin’s penalty, and assign righteousness] except God alone?” ²² But Jesus, knowing their [hostile] thoughts, answered them, “Why are you questioning [these things] in your hearts? ²³ Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ²⁴ But, in order that you may know that the Son of Man (the Messiah) has authority and power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralyzed man, “I say to you, get up, pick up your stretcher and go home.” ²⁵ He immediately stood up before them, picked up his stretcher, and went home glorifying and praising God. ²⁶ They were all astonished, and they began glorifying God; and they were filled with [reverential] fear and kept saying, “We have seen wonderful and incredible things today!”

Call of Levi (Matthew)

²⁷ After this Jesus went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi (Matthew) sitting at the tax booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me [as My disciple, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk].”^{(AZ) 28} And he left everything behind and got up and began to follow Jesus [as His disciple].

²⁹ Levi (Matthew) gave a great banquet for Him at his house; and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining at the table with them. ³⁰ The Pharisees and their scribes [seeing those with whom He was associating] began murmuring in discontent to His disciples, asking, “Why are you eating and drinking with the tax collectors and sinners [including non-observant Jews]?” ³¹ And Jesus replied to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but [only] those who are sick. ³² I did not come to call the [self-proclaimed] righteous [who see no need to repent], but sinners to repentance [to change their old way of thinking, to turn from sin and to seek God and His righteousness].”

³³ Then they said to Him, “The disciples of John [the Baptist] often practice fasting and offer prayers [of special petition], and so do the disciples of the Pharisees; but Yours eat and drink.” ³⁴ Jesus said to them, “Can you make the wedding guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? ³⁵ But days [for mourning] will come when the bridegroom is [forcefully] taken away from them. They will fast in those days.” ³⁶ He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old one; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. ³⁷ And no one puts new wine into old ^[ao]wineskins; otherwise the new [fermenting] wine will [expand and] 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, wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is fine.’”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

6 One Sabbath while Jesus was passing through fields of standing grain, it happened that His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.^{(BA) 2} But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what ^[ap]is unlawful on the Sabbath?”^{(BB) 3} Jesus replied to them, “Have you not even read [in the Scriptures] what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him—^{(BC) 4} how he went into the house of God, and took and ate the ^[aq]consecrated bread, which is not lawful [for anyone] to eat except the priests alone, and [how he also] gave it to the men who were with him?”^{(BD) 5} Jesus was saying to them, “The Son of Man (the Messiah) is Lord [even] of the Sabbath.”

⁶ On another Sabbath He went into the synagogue and taught, and a man was present whose right hand was withered.^{(BE) 7} The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely [with malicious intent], to see if He would [actually] heal [someone] on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse Him. ⁸ But He was aware of their thoughts, and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward.” So he got up and stood there. ⁹ Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you directly: Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it?” ¹⁰ After looking around at them all, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” And he did, and his hand was [fully] restored. ¹¹ But the scribes and Pharisees were filled with senseless rage [and lacked spiritual insight], and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

Choosing the Twelve

¹² Now at this time Jesus went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. ¹³ When day came, He called His disciples and selected twelve of them, whom He also named ^[ar]apostles (special messengers, personally chosen representatives):^{(BF) 14} Simon, whom He also named Peter, and his brother Andrew; and [the brothers] ^[as]James and John; and Philip, and Bartholomew [also called Nathanael]; ¹⁵ and Matthew (Levi, the tax collector) and Thomas; and ^[at]James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot; ¹⁶ Judas [also called Thaddaeus] the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor [to the Lord].

¹⁷ Then Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a vast multitude of people from all over Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon, ¹⁸ who had come to listen to Him and to be healed of their diseases. Even those who were troubled by unclean spirits (demons) were being healed. ¹⁹ All the people were trying to touch Him, because [healing] power was coming from Him and healing them all.

The Beatitudes

²⁰ And looking toward His disciples, He began ^[au]speaking: “Blessed [spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired] are you who are poor [in spirit, those devoid of spiritual arrogance, those who regard themselves as insignificant], for the kingdom of God is yours [both now and forever].^{(BG) 21} Blessed [joyful, nourished by God’s goodness] are you who hunger now [for righteousness, actively seeking right standing with God], for you will be [completely] satisfied. Blessed [forgiven, refreshed by God’s grace] are you who weep now [over your sins and repent], for you will laugh [when the burden of sin is lifted]. ²² Blessed [morally courageous and spiritually alive with life-joy in God’s goodness] are you when people hate you, and exclude you [from their fellowship], and insult you, and scorn your name as evil because of [your association with] the Son of Man. ²³ Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for your reward in heaven is great [absolutely inexhaustible]; for their fathers used to treat the prophets in the same way. ²⁴ But ^[av]woe (judgment is coming) to you who are rich [and place your faith in possessions while remaining spiritually impoverished], for you are [already] receiving your comfort in full [and there is nothing left to be awarded to you]. ²⁵ Woe to you who are well-fed (gorged, satiated) now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now [enjoying a life of self-indulgence], for you will mourn and weep [and deeply long for God]. ²⁶ Woe to you when all the people speak well of you and praise you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.

²⁷ “But I say to you who hear [Me and pay attention to My words]: ^[aw]Love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies, [make it a practice to] do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless and show kindness to those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹ Whoever ^[ax]strikes you on the cheek, offer him the other one also [simply ignore insignificant insults or losses and do not bother to retaliate—maintain your dignity]. Whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.^{(BH) 30} Give to everyone who asks of you. ^[ay]Whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. ³¹ Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. ³² If you [only] love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³ If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴ If you lend [money] to those from whom you expect to receive [it back], what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners expecting to receive back the same amount. ³⁵ But love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies, and do good, and lend, ^[az]expecting nothing in return; for your reward will be great (rich, abundant), and you will be sons of the Most High; because He Himself is kind and gracious and good to the ungrateful and the wicked. ³⁶ Be merciful (responsive, compassionate, tender) just as your [heavenly] Father is merciful.

³⁷ “^[ba]Do not judge [others self-righteously], and you will not be judged; do not condemn [others when you are guilty and unrepentant], and you will not be condemned [for your hypocrisy]; pardon [others when they truly repent and change], and you will be pardoned [when you truly repent and change].^{(BI) 38} Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over [with no space left for more]. For with the standard of measurement you use [when you do good to others], it will be measured to you in return.”

³⁹ He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man guide [another] blind man? Will they not both fall into a hole in the ground? ⁴⁰ A student is not superior to his teacher; but everyone, after he has been completely trained, will be like his teacher. ⁴¹ Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice or consider the log that is in your own eye? ⁴² How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, allow me to 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 (play actor, pretender), 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. ⁴³ For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit.^{(BJ) 44} For each tree is known and identified by its own fruit. For figs are not picked from thorn bushes, nor is a cluster of grapes picked from a briar bush. ⁴⁵ The [intrinsically] good man produces what is good and honorable and moral out of the good treasure [stored] in his heart; and the [intrinsically] evil man produces what is wicked and depraved out of the evil [in his heart]; for his mouth speaks from the overflow of his heart.

A Secure Foundation

⁴⁶ “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not practice what I tell you? ⁴⁷ Everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and obeys them, I will show you whom he is like:^{(BK) 48} he is like a [far-sighted, practical, and sensible] man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and yet could not shake it, because it had been securely built and founded on the rock. ⁴⁹ But the one who has [merely] heard and has not practiced [what I say], is like a [foolish] man who built a house on the ground without any foundation, and the torrent burst against it; and it immediately collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”