Bible in 90 Days

The Birth of Jesus

2 At that time, Augustus Caesar sent an order that all people in the countries under Roman rule must list their names in a register. ² This was the first registration;^[a] it was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ And all went to their own towns to be registered.

⁴ So Joseph left Nazareth, a town in Galilee, and went to the town of Bethlehem in Judea, known as the town of David. Joseph went there because he was from the family of David. ⁵ Joseph registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged^[b] and who was now pregnant. ⁶ While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have the baby, ⁷ and she gave birth to her first son. Because there were no rooms left in the inn, she wrapped the baby with pieces of cloth and laid him in a feeding trough.

Shepherds Hear About Jesus

⁸ That night, some shepherds were in the fields nearby watching their sheep. ⁹ Then an angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord was shining around them, and they became very frightened. ¹⁰ The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I am bringing you good news that will be a great joy to all the people. ¹¹ Today your Savior was born in the town of David. He is Christ, the Lord. ¹² This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding box.”

¹³ Then a very large group of angels from heaven joined the first angel, praising God and saying:

¹⁵ When the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem. Let’s see this thing that has happened which the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶ So the shepherds went quickly and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was lying in a feeding trough. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they told what the angels had said about this child. ¹⁸ Everyone was amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured these things and continued to think about them. ²⁰ Then the shepherds went back to their sheep, praising God and thanking him for everything they had seen and heard. It had been just as the angel had told them.

²¹ When the baby was eight days old, he was circumcised and was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before the baby began to grow inside Mary.

Jesus Is Presented in the Temple

²² When the time came for Mary and Joseph to do what the law of Moses taught about being made pure,^[d] they took Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. ²³ (It is written in the law of the Lord: “Every firstborn male shall be given to the Lord.”)^{[e] 24} Mary and Joseph also went to offer a sacrifice, as the law of the Lord says: “You must sacrifice two doves or two young pigeons.”^[f]

Simeon Sees Jesus

²⁵ In Jerusalem lived a man named Simeon who was a good man and godly. He was waiting for the time when God would take away Israel’s sorrow, and the Holy Spirit was in him. ²⁶ Simeon had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he saw the Christ promised by the Lord. ²⁷ The Spirit led Simeon to the Temple. When Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the Temple to do what the law said they must do, ²⁸ Simeon took the baby in his arms and thanked God:

³³ Jesus’ father and mother were amazed at what Simeon had said about him. ³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, “God has chosen this child to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel. He will be a sign from God that many people will not accept ³⁵ so that the thoughts of many will be made known. And the things that will happen will make your heart sad, too.”

Anna Sees Jesus

³⁶ There was a prophetess, Anna, from the family of Phanuel in the tribe of Asher. Anna was very old. She had once been married for seven years. ³⁷ Then her husband died, and she was a widow for eighty-four years. Anna never left the Temple but worshiped God, going without food and praying day and night. ³⁸ Standing there at that time, she thanked God and spoke about Jesus to all who were waiting for God to free Jerusalem.

Joseph and Mary Return Home

³⁹ When Joseph and Mary had done everything the law of the Lord commanded, they went home to Nazareth, their own town in Galilee. ⁴⁰ The little child grew and became strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s goodness was upon him.

Jesus As a Boy

⁴¹ Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. ⁴² When he was twelve years old, they went to the feast as they always did. ⁴³ After the feast days were over, they started home. The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. ⁴⁴ Thinking that Jesus was with them in the group, they traveled for a whole day. Then they began to look for him among their family and friends. ⁴⁵ When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him there. ⁴⁶ After three days they found Jesus sitting in the Temple with the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and answers. ⁴⁸ When Jesus’ parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why did you do this to us? Your father and I were very worried about you and have been looking for you.”

⁴⁹ Jesus said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” ⁵⁰ But they did not understand the meaning of what he said.

⁵¹ Jesus went with them to Nazareth and was obedient to them. But his mother kept in her mind all that had happened. ⁵² Jesus became wiser and grew physically. People liked him, and he pleased God.

The Preaching of John

3 It was the fifteenth year of the rule of Tiberius Caesar. These men were under Caesar: Pontius Pilate, the ruler of Judea; Herod, the ruler of Galilee; Philip, Herod’s brother, the ruler of Iturea and Traconitis; and Lysanias, the ruler of Abilene. ² Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. ³ He went all over the area around the Jordan River preaching a baptism of changed hearts and lives for the forgiveness of sins. ⁴ As it is written in the book of Isaiah the prophet:

⁷ To the crowds of people who came to be baptized by John, he said, “You are all snakes! Who warned you to run away from God’s coming punishment? ⁸ Do the things that show you really have changed your hearts and lives. Don’t begin to say to yourselves, ‘Abraham is our father.’ I tell you that God could make children for Abraham from these rocks. ⁹ The ax is now ready to cut down the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”^[g]

¹⁰ The people asked John, “Then what should we do?”

¹¹ John answered, “If you have two shirts, share with the person who does not have one. If you have food, share that also.”

¹² Even tax collectors came to John to be baptized. They said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?”

¹³ John said to them, “Don’t take more taxes from people than you have been ordered to take.”

¹⁴ The soldiers asked John, “What about us? What should we do?”

John said to them, “Don’t force people to give you money, and don’t lie about them. Be satisfied with the pay you get.”

¹⁵ Since the people were hoping for the Christ to come, they wondered if John might be the one.

¹⁶ John answered everyone, “I baptize you with water, but there is one coming who is greater than I am. I am not good enough to untie his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ He will come ready to clean the grain, separating the good grain from the chaff. He will put the good part of the grain into his barn, but he will burn the chaff with a fire that cannot be put out.”^{[h] 18} And John continued to preach the Good News, saying many other things to encourage the people.

¹⁹ But John spoke against Herod, the governor, because of his sin with Herodias, the wife of Herod’s brother, and because of the many other evil things Herod did. ²⁰ So Herod did something even worse: He put John in prison.

Jesus Is Baptized by John

²¹ When all the people were being baptized by John, Jesus also was baptized. While Jesus was praying, heaven opened ²² and the Holy Spirit came down on him in the form of a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “You are my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with you.”

The Family History of Jesus

²³ When Jesus began his ministry, he was about thirty years old. People thought that Jesus was Joseph’s son.

Jesus Is Tempted by the Devil

4 Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. The Spirit led Jesus into the desert ² where the devil tempted Jesus for forty days. Jesus ate nothing during that time, and when those days were ended, he was very hungry.

³ The devil said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, tell this rock to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written in the Scriptures: ‘A person does not live on bread alone.’”^[k]

⁵ Then the devil took Jesus and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in an instant. ⁶ The devil said to Jesus, “I will give you all these kingdoms and all their power and glory. It has all been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish. ⁷ If you worship me, then it will all be yours.”

⁸ Jesus answered, “It is written in the Scriptures: ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”^[l]

⁹ Then the devil led Jesus to Jerusalem and put him on a high place of the Temple. He said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, jump down. ¹⁰ It is written in the Scriptures:

¹¹ It is also written:

¹² Jesus answered, “But it also says in the Scriptures: ‘Do not test the Lord your God.’”^[m]

¹³ After the devil had tempted Jesus in every way, he left him to wait until a better time.

Jesus Teaches the People

¹⁴ Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit, and stories about him spread all through the area. ¹⁵ He began to teach in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

¹⁶ Jesus traveled to Nazareth, where he had grown up. On the Sabbath day he went to the synagogue, as he always did, and stood up to read. ¹⁷ The book of Isaiah the prophet was given to him. He opened the book and found the place where this is written:

²⁰ Jesus closed the book, gave it back to the assistant, and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue was watching Jesus closely. ²¹ He began to say to them, “While you heard these words just now, they were coming true!”

²² All the people spoke well of Jesus and were amazed at the words of grace he spoke. They asked, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

²³ Jesus said to them, “I know that you will tell me the old saying: ‘Doctor, heal yourself.’ You want to say, ‘We heard about the things you did in Capernaum. Do those things here in your own town!’” ²⁴ Then Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, a prophet is not accepted in his hometown. ²⁵ But I tell you the truth, there were many widows in Israel during the time of Elijah. It did not rain in Israel for three and one-half years, and there was no food anywhere in the whole country. ²⁶ But Elijah was sent to none of those widows, only to a widow in Zarephath, a town in Sidon. ²⁷ And there were many with skin diseases living in Israel during the time of the prophet Elisha. But none of them were healed, only Naaman, who was from the country of Syria.”

²⁸ When all the people in the synagogue heard these things, they became very angry. ²⁹ They got up, forced Jesus out of town, and took him to the edge of the cliff on which the town was built. They planned to throw him off the edge, ³⁰ but Jesus walked through the crowd and went on his way.

Jesus Forces Out an Evil Spirit

³¹ Jesus went to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and on the Sabbath day, he taught the people. ³² They were amazed at his teaching, because he spoke with authority. ³³ In the synagogue a man who had within him an evil spirit shouted in a loud voice, ³⁴ “Jesus of Nazareth! What do you want with us? Did you come to destroy us? I know who you are—God’s Holy One!”

³⁵ Jesus commanded the evil spirit, “Be quiet! Come out of the man!” The evil spirit threw the man down to the ground before all the people and then left the man without hurting him.

³⁶ The people were amazed and said to each other, “What does this mean? With authority and power he commands evil spirits, and they come out.” ³⁷ And so the news about Jesus spread to every place in the whole area.

Jesus Heals Many People

³⁸ Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon.^[n] Simon’s mother-in-law was sick with a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. ³⁹ He came to her side and commanded the fever to leave. It left her, and immediately she got up and began serving them.

⁴⁰ When the sun went down, the people brought those who were sick to Jesus. Putting his hands on each sick person, he healed every one of them. ⁴¹ Demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God.” But Jesus commanded the demons and would not allow them to speak, because they knew Jesus was the Christ.

⁴² At daybreak, Jesus went to a lonely place, but the people looked for him. When they found him, they tried to keep him from leaving. ⁴³ But Jesus said to them, “I must preach about God’s kingdom to other towns, too. This is why I was sent.”

⁴⁴ Then he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.^[o]

Jesus’ First Followers

5 One day while Jesus was standing beside Lake Galilee, many people were pressing all around him to hear the word of God. ² Jesus saw two boats at the shore of the lake. The fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. ³ Jesus got into one of the boats, the one that belonged to Simon,^[p] and asked him to push off a little from the land. Then Jesus sat down and continued to teach the people from the boat.

⁴ When Jesus had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Take the boat into deep water, and put your nets in the water to catch some fish.”

⁵ Simon answered, “Master, we worked hard all night trying to catch fish, and we caught nothing. But you say to put the nets in the water, so I will.” ⁶ When the fishermen did as Jesus told them, they caught so many fish that the nets began to break. ⁷ They called to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats so full that they were almost sinking.

⁸ When Simon Peter saw what had happened, he bowed down before Jesus and said, “Go away from me, Lord. I am a sinful man!” ⁹ He and the other fishermen were amazed at the many fish they caught, as were ¹⁰ James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will fish for people.” ¹¹ When the men brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed Jesus.

Jesus Heals a Sick Man

¹² When Jesus was in one of the towns, there was a man covered with a skin disease. When he saw Jesus, he bowed before him and begged him, “Lord, you can heal me if you will.”

¹³ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man and said, “I will. Be healed!” Immediately the disease disappeared. ¹⁴ Then Jesus said, “Don’t tell anyone about this, but go and show yourself to the priest^[q] and offer a gift for your healing, as Moses commanded.^[r] This will show the people what I have done.”

¹⁵ But the news about Jesus spread even more. Many people came to hear Jesus and to be healed of their sicknesses, ¹⁶ but Jesus often slipped away to be alone so he could pray.

Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man

¹⁷ One day as Jesus was teaching the people, the Pharisees and teachers of the law from every town in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem were there. The Lord was giving Jesus the power to heal people. ¹⁸ Just then, some men were carrying on a mat a man who was paralyzed. They tried to bring him in and put him down before Jesus. ¹⁹ But because there were so many people there, they could not find a way in. So they went up on the roof and lowered the man on his mat through the ceiling into the middle of the crowd right before Jesus. ²⁰ Seeing their faith, Jesus said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

²¹ The Jewish teachers of the law and the Pharisees thought to themselves, “Who is this man who is speaking as if he were God? Only God can forgive sins.”

²² But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why are you thinking these things? ²³ Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? ²⁴ But I will prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, stand up, take your mat, and go home.”

²⁵ At once the man stood up before them, picked up his mat, and went home, praising God. ²⁶ All the people were fully amazed and began to praise God. They were filled with much respect and said, “Today we have seen amazing things!”

Levi Follows Jesus

²⁷ After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax collector’s booth. Jesus said to him, “Follow me!” ²⁸ So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.

²⁹ Then Levi gave a big dinner for Jesus at his house. Many tax collectors and other people were eating there, too. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and the men who taught the law for the Pharisees began to complain to Jesus’ followers, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

³¹ Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy people who need a doctor, but the sick. ³² I have not come to invite good people but sinners to change their hearts and lives.”

Jesus Answers a Question

³³ They said to Jesus, “John’s followers often fast^[s] for a certain time and pray, just as the Pharisees do. But your followers eat and drink all the time.”

³⁴ Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is still with them. ³⁵ But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

³⁶ Jesus told them this story: “No one takes cloth off a new coat to cover a hole in an old coat. Otherwise, he ruins the new coat, and the cloth from the new coat will not be the same as the old cloth. ³⁷ Also, no one ever pours new wine into old leather bags. Otherwise, the new wine will break the bags, the wine will spill out, and the leather bags will be ruined. ³⁸ New wine must be put into new leather bags. ³⁹ No one after drinking old wine wants new wine, because he says, ‘The old wine is better.’”

Jesus Is Lord over the Sabbath

6 One Sabbath day Jesus was walking through some fields of grain. His followers picked the heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them. ² Some Pharisees said, “Why do you do what is not lawful on the Sabbath day?”

³ Jesus answered, “Have you not read what David did when he and those with him were hungry? ⁴ He went into God’s house and took and ate the holy bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he gave some to the people who were with him.” ⁵ Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath day.”

Jesus Heals a Man’s Hand

⁶ On another Sabbath day Jesus went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man with a crippled right hand was there. ⁷ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees were watching closely to see if Jesus would heal on the Sabbath day so they could accuse him. ⁸ But he knew what they were thinking, and he said to the man with the crippled hand, “Stand up here in the middle of everyone.” The man got up and stood there. ⁹ Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath day: to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it?” ¹⁰ Jesus looked around at all of them and said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man held out his hand, and it was healed.

¹¹ But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were very angry and discussed with each other what they could do to Jesus.

Jesus Chooses His Apostles

¹² At that time Jesus went off to a mountain to pray, and he spent the night praying to God. ¹³ The next morning, Jesus called his followers to him and chose twelve of them, whom he named apostles: ¹⁴ Simon (Jesus named him Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, ¹⁵ Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon (called the Zealot), ¹⁶ Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who later turned Jesus over to his enemies.

Jesus Teaches and Heals

¹⁷ Jesus and the apostles came down from the mountain, and he stood on level ground. A large group of his followers was there, as well as many people from all around Judea, Jerusalem, and the seacoast cities of Tyre and Sidon. ¹⁸ They all came to hear Jesus teach and to be healed of their sicknesses, and he healed those who were troubled by evil spirits. ¹⁹ All the people were trying to touch Jesus, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

²⁰ Jesus looked at his followers and said,

²² “People will hate you, shut you out, insult you, and say you are evil because you follow the Son of Man. But when they do, you will be blessed. ²³ Be full of joy at that time, because you have a great reward in heaven. Their ancestors did the same things to the prophets.

²⁶ “How terrible when everyone says only good things about you, because their ancestors said the same things about the false prophets.

Love Your Enemies

²⁷ “But I say to you who are listening, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who are cruel to you. ²⁹ If anyone slaps you on one cheek, offer him the other cheek, too. If someone takes your coat, do not stop him from taking your shirt. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you, and when someone takes something that is yours, don’t ask for it back. ³¹ Do to others what you would want them to do to you. ³² If you love only the people who love you, what praise should you get? Even sinners love the people who love them. ³³ If you do good only to those who do good to you, what praise should you get? Even sinners do that! ³⁴ If you lend things to people, always hoping to get something back, what praise should you get? Even sinners lend to other sinners so that they can get back the same amount! ³⁵ But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without hoping to get anything back. Then you will have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God, because he is kind even to people who are ungrateful and full of sin. ³⁶ Show mercy, just as your Father shows mercy.

Look at Yourselves

³⁷ “Don’t judge others, and you will not be judged. Don’t accuse others of being guilty, and you will not be accused of being guilty. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸ Give, and you will receive. You will be given much. Pressed down, shaken together, and running over, it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you.”

³⁹ Jesus told them this story: “Can a blind person lead another blind person? No! Both of them will fall into a ditch. ⁴⁰ A student is not better than the teacher, but the student who has been fully trained will be like the teacher.

⁴¹ “Why do you notice the little piece of dust in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the big piece of wood in your own eye? ⁴² How can you say to your friend, ‘Friend, let me take that little piece of dust out of your eye’ when you cannot see that big piece of wood in your own eye! You hypocrite! First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to take the dust out of your friend’s eye.

Two Kinds of Fruit

⁴³ “A good tree does not produce bad fruit, nor does a bad tree produce good fruit. ⁴⁴ Each tree is known by its own fruit. People don’t gather figs from thornbushes, and they don’t get grapes from bushes. ⁴⁵ Good people bring good things out of the good they stored in their hearts. But evil people bring evil things out of the evil they stored in their hearts. People speak the things that are in their hearts.

Two Kinds of People

⁴⁶ “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do what I say? ⁴⁷ I will show you what everyone is like who comes to me and hears my words and obeys. ⁴⁸ That person is like a man building a house who dug deep and laid the foundation on rock. When the floods came, the water tried to wash the house away, but it could not shake it, because the house was built well. ⁴⁹ But the one who hears my words and does not obey is like a man who built his house on the ground without a foundation. When the floods came, the house quickly fell and was completely destroyed.”

Jesus Heals a Soldier’s Servant

7 When Jesus finished saying all these things to the people, he went to Capernaum. ² There was an army officer who had a servant who was very important to him. The servant was so sick he was nearly dead. ³ When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him to ask Jesus to come and heal his servant. ⁴ The men went to Jesus and begged him, saying, “This officer is worthy of your help. ⁵ He loves our people, and he built us a synagogue.”

⁶ So Jesus went with the men. He was getting near the officer’s house when the officer sent friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, because I am not worthy to have you come into my house. ⁷ That is why I did not come to you myself. But you only need to command it, and my servant will be healed. ⁸ I, too, am a man under the authority of others, and I have soldiers under my command. I tell one soldier, ‘Go,’ and he goes. I tell another soldier, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and my servant does it.”

⁹ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, this is the greatest faith I have found anywhere, even in Israel.”

¹⁰ Those who had been sent to Jesus went back to the house where they found the servant in good health.

Jesus Brings a Man Back to Life

¹¹ Soon afterwards Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his followers and a large crowd traveled with him. ¹² When he came near the town gate, he saw a funeral. A mother, who was a widow, had lost her only son. A large crowd from the town was with the mother while her son was being carried out. ¹³ When the Lord saw her, he felt very sorry for her and said, “Don’t cry.” ¹⁴ He went up and touched the coffin, and the people who were carrying it stopped. Jesus said, “Young man, I tell you, get up!” ¹⁵ And the son sat up and began to talk. Then Jesus gave him back to his mother.

¹⁶ All the people were amazed and began praising God, saying, “A great prophet has come to us! God has come to help his people.”

¹⁷ This news about Jesus spread through all Judea and into all the places around there.

John Asks a Question

¹⁸ John’s followers told him about all these things. He called for two of his followers ¹⁹ and sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the One who is to come, or should we wait for someone else?”

²⁰ When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you with this question: ‘Are you the One who is to come, or should we wait for someone else?’”

²¹ At that time, Jesus healed many people of their sicknesses, diseases, and evil spirits, and he gave sight to many blind people. ²² Then Jesus answered John’s followers, “Go tell John what you saw and heard here. The blind can see, the crippled can walk, and people with skin diseases are healed. The deaf can hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is preached to the poor. ²³ Those who do not stumble in their faith because of me are blessed!”

²⁴ When John’s followers left, Jesus began talking to the people about John: “What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed^[t] blown by the wind? ²⁵ What did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, people who have fine clothes and much wealth live in kings’ palaces. ²⁶ But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, and I tell you, John is more than a prophet. ²⁷ This was written about him:

²⁸ I tell you, John is greater than any other person ever born, but even the least important person in the kingdom of God is greater than John.”

²⁹ (When the people, including the tax collectors, heard this, they all agreed that God’s teaching was good, because they had been baptized by John. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and experts on the law refused to accept God’s plan for themselves; they did not let John baptize them.)

³¹ Then Jesus said, “What shall I say about the people of this time? What are they like? ³² They are like children sitting in the marketplace, calling to one another and saying,

³³ John the Baptist came and did not eat bread or drink wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon in him.’ ³⁴ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! He eats too much and drinks too much wine, and he is a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ³⁵ But wisdom is proved to be right by what it does.”

A Woman Washes Jesus’ Feet

³⁶ One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, so Jesus went into the Pharisee’s house and sat at the table. ³⁷ A sinful woman in the town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house. So she brought an alabaster jar of perfume ³⁸ and stood behind Jesus at his feet, crying. She began to wash his feet with her tears, and she dried them with her hair, kissing them many times and rubbing them with the perfume. ³⁹ When the Pharisee who asked Jesus to come to his house saw this, he thought to himself, “If Jesus were a prophet, he would know that the woman touching him is a sinner!”

⁴⁰ Jesus said to the Pharisee, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”

Simon said, “Teacher, tell me.”

⁴¹ Jesus said, “Two people owed money to the same banker. One owed five hundred coins^[u] and the other owed fifty. ⁴² They had no money to pay what they owed, but the banker told both of them they did not have to pay him. Which person will love the banker more?”

⁴³ Simon, the Pharisee, answered, “I think it would be the one who owed him the most money.”

Jesus said to Simon, “You are right.” ⁴⁴ Then Jesus turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I came into your house, you gave me no water for my feet, but she washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You gave me no kiss of greeting, but she has been kissing my feet since I came in. ⁴⁶ You did not put oil on my head, but she poured perfume on my feet. ⁴⁷ I tell you that her many sins are forgiven, so she showed great love. But the person who is forgiven only a little will love only a little.”

⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

⁴⁹ The people sitting at the table began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰ Jesus said to the woman, “Because you believed, you are saved from your sins. Go in peace.”

The Group with Jesus

8 After this, while Jesus was traveling through some cities and small towns, he preached and told the Good News about God’s kingdom. The twelve apostles were with him, ² and also some women who had been healed of sicknesses and evil spirits: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out; ³ Joanna, the wife of Cuza (the manager of Herod’s house); Susanna; and many others. These women used their own money to help Jesus and his apostles.

A Story About Planting Seed

⁴ When a great crowd was gathered, and people were coming to Jesus from every town, he told them this story:

⁵ “A farmer went out to plant his seed. While he was planting, some seed fell by the road. People walked on the seed, and the birds ate it up. ⁶ Some seed fell on rock, and when it began to grow, it died because it had no water. ⁷ Some seed fell among thorny weeds, but the weeds grew up with it and choked the good plants. ⁸ And some seed fell on good ground and grew and made a hundred times more.”

As Jesus finished the story, he called out, “Let those with ears use them and listen!”

⁹ Jesus’ followers asked him what this story meant.

¹⁰ Jesus said, “You have been chosen to know the secrets about the kingdom of God. But I use stories to speak to other people so that:

¹¹ “This is what the story means: The seed is God’s message. ¹² The seed that fell beside the road is like the people who hear God’s teaching, but the devil comes and takes it away from them so they cannot believe it and be saved. ¹³ The seed that fell on rock is like those who hear God’s teaching and accept it gladly, but they don’t allow the teaching to go deep into their lives. They believe for a while, but when trouble comes, they give up. ¹⁴ The seed that fell among the thorny weeds is like those who hear God’s teaching, but they let the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life keep them from growing and producing good fruit. ¹⁵ And the seed that fell on the good ground is like those who hear God’s teaching with good, honest hearts and obey it and patiently produce good fruit.

Use What You Have

¹⁶ “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. Instead, the person puts it on a lampstand so those who come in will see the light. ¹⁷ Everything that is hidden will become clear, and every secret thing will be made known. ¹⁸ So be careful how you listen. Those who have understanding will be given more. But those who do not have understanding, even what they think they have will be taken away from them.”

Jesus’ True Family

¹⁹ Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but there was such a crowd they could not get to him. ²⁰ Someone said to Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.”

²¹ Jesus answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who listen to God’s teaching and obey it!”

Jesus Calms a Storm

²² One day Jesus and his followers got into a boat, and he said to them, “Let’s go across the lake.” And so they started across. ²³ While they were sailing, Jesus fell asleep. A very strong wind blew up on the lake, causing the boat to fill with water, and they were in danger.

²⁴ The followers went to Jesus and woke him, saying, “Master! Master! We will drown!”

Jesus got up and gave a command to the wind and the waves. They stopped, and it became calm. ²⁵ Jesus said to his followers, “Where is your faith?”

The followers were afraid and amazed and said to each other, “Who is this that commands even the wind and the water, and they obey him?”

A Man with Demons Inside Him

²⁶ Jesus and his followers sailed across the lake from Galilee to the area of the Gerasene^[v] people. ²⁷ When Jesus got out on the land, a man from the town who had demons inside him came to Jesus. For a long time he had worn no clothes and had lived in the burial caves, not in a house. ²⁸ When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him. He said with a loud voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” ²⁹ He said this because Jesus was commanding the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had taken hold of him. Though he had been kept under guard and chained hand and foot, he had broken his chains and had been forced by the demon out into a lonely place.

³⁰ Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

He answered, “Legion,”^[w] because many demons were in him. ³¹ The demons begged Jesus not to send them into eternal darkness.^{[x] 32} A large herd of pigs was feeding on a hill, and the demons begged Jesus to allow them to go into the pigs. So Jesus allowed them to do this. ³³ When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd ran down the hill into the lake and was drowned.

³⁴ When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and told about this in the town and the countryside. ³⁵ And people went to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind, because the demons were gone. But the people were frightened. ³⁶ The people who saw this happen told the others how Jesus had made the man well. ³⁷ All the people of the Gerasene country asked Jesus to leave, because they were all very afraid. So Jesus got into the boat and went back to Galilee.

³⁸ The man whom Jesus had healed begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹ “Go back home and tell people how much God has done for you.” So the man went all over town telling how much Jesus had done for him.

Jesus Gives Life to a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman

⁴⁰ When Jesus got back to Galilee, a crowd welcomed him, because everyone was waiting for him. ⁴¹ A man named Jairus, a leader of the synagogue, came to Jesus and fell at his feet, begging him to come to his house. ⁴² Jairus’ only daughter, about twelve years old, was dying.

While Jesus was on his way to Jairus’ house, the people were crowding all around him. ⁴³ A woman was in the crowd who had been bleeding for twelve years,^[y] but no one was able to heal her. ⁴⁴ She came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his coat, and instantly her bleeding stopped. ⁴⁵ Then Jesus said, “Who touched me?”

When all the people said they had not touched him, Peter said, “Master, the people are all around you and are pushing against you.”

⁴⁶ But Jesus said, “Someone did touch me, because I felt power go out from me.” ⁴⁷ When the woman saw she could not hide, she came forward, shaking, and fell down before Jesus. While all the people listened, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. ⁴⁸ Jesus said to her, “Dear woman, you are made well because you believed. Go in peace.”

⁴⁹ While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of the synagogue leader and said to him, “Your daughter is dead. Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”

⁵⁰ When Jesus heard this, he said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just believe, and your daughter will be well.”

⁵¹ When Jesus went to the house, he let only Peter, John, James, and the girl’s father and mother go inside with him. ⁵² All the people were crying and feeling sad because the girl was dead, but Jesus said, “Stop crying. She is not dead, only asleep.”

⁵³ The people laughed at Jesus because they knew the girl was dead. ⁵⁴ But Jesus took hold of her hand and called to her, “My child, stand up!” ⁵⁵ Her spirit came back into her, and she stood up at once. Then Jesus ordered that she be given something to eat. ⁵⁶ The girl’s parents were amazed, but Jesus told them not to tell anyone what had happened.

Jesus Sends Out the Apostles

9 Jesus called the twelve apostles together and gave them power and authority over all demons and the ability to heal sicknesses. ² He sent the apostles out to tell about God’s kingdom and to heal the sick. ³ He said to them, “Take nothing for your trip, neither a walking stick, bag, bread, money, or extra clothes. ⁴ When you enter a house, stay there until it is time to leave. ⁵ If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off of your feet^[z] as you leave the town, as a warning to them.”

⁶ So the apostles went out and traveled through all the towns, preaching the Good News and healing people everywhere.

Herod Is Confused About Jesus

⁷ Herod, the governor, heard about all the things that were happening and was confused, because some people said, “John the Baptist has risen from the dead.” ⁸ Others said, “Elijah has come to us.” And still others said, “One of the prophets who lived long ago has risen from the dead.” ⁹ Herod said, “I cut off John’s head, so who is this man I hear such things about?” And Herod kept trying to see Jesus.

More than Five Thousand Fed

¹⁰ When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then Jesus took them with him to a town called Bethsaida where they could be alone together. ¹¹ But the people learned where Jesus went and followed him. He welcomed them and talked with them about God’s kingdom and healed those who needed to be healed.

¹² Late in the afternoon, the twelve apostles came to Jesus and said, “Send the people away. They need to go to the towns and countryside around here and find places to sleep and something to eat, because no one lives in this place.”

¹³ But Jesus said to them, “You give them something to eat.”

They said, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish, unless we go buy food for all these people.” ¹⁴ (There were about five thousand men there.)

Jesus said to his followers, “Tell the people to sit in groups of about fifty people.”

¹⁵ So the followers did this, and all the people sat down. ¹⁶ Then Jesus took the five loaves of bread and two fish, and looking up to heaven, he thanked God for the food. Then he divided the food and gave it to the followers to give to the people. ¹⁷ They all ate and were satisfied, and what was left over was gathered up, filling twelve baskets.

Jesus Is the Christ

¹⁸ One time when Jesus was praying alone, his followers were with him, and he asked them, “Who do the people say I am?”

¹⁹ They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah.^[aa] And others say you are one of the prophets from long ago who has come back to life.”

²⁰ Then Jesus asked, “But who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Christ from God.”

²¹ Jesus warned them not to tell anyone, saying, ²² “The Son of Man must suffer many things. He will be rejected by the Jewish elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law. He will be killed and after three days will be raised from the dead.”

²³ Jesus said to all of them, “If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want. They must be willing to give up their lives daily to follow me. ²⁴ Those who want to save their lives will give up true life. But those who give up their lives for me will have true life. ²⁵ It is worthless to have the whole world if they themselves are destroyed or lost. ²⁶ If people are ashamed of me and my teaching, then the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and with the glory of the Father and the holy angels. ²⁷ I tell you the truth, some people standing here will see the kingdom of God before they die.”

Jesus Talks with Moses and Elijah

²⁸ About eight days after Jesus said these things, he took Peter, John, and James and went up on a mountain to pray. ²⁹ While Jesus was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became shining white. ³⁰ Then two men, Moses and Elijah,^[ab] were talking with Jesus. ³¹ They appeared in heavenly glory, talking about his departure which he would soon bring about in Jerusalem. ³² Peter and the others were very sleepy, but when they awoke fully, they saw the glory of Jesus and the two men standing with him. ³³ When Moses and Elijah were about to leave, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (Peter did not know what he was talking about.)

³⁴ While he was saying these things, a cloud came and covered them, and they became afraid as the cloud covered them. ³⁵ A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen. Listen to him!”

³⁶ When the voice finished speaking, only Jesus was there. Peter, John, and James said nothing and told no one at that time what they had seen.

Jesus Heals a Sick Boy

³⁷ The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met Jesus. ³⁸ A man in the crowd shouted to him, “Teacher, please come and look at my son, because he is my only child. ³⁹ An evil spirit seizes my son, and suddenly he screams. It causes him to lose control of himself and foam at the mouth. The evil spirit keeps on hurting him and almost never leaves him. ⁴⁰ I begged your followers to force the evil spirit out, but they could not do it.”

⁴¹ Jesus answered, “You people have no faith, and your lives are all wrong. How long must I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”

⁴² While the boy was coming, the demon threw him on the ground and made him lose control of himself. But Jesus gave a strong command to the evil spirit and healed the boy and gave him back to his father. ⁴³ All the people were amazed at the great power of God.

Jesus Talks About His Death

While everyone was wondering about all that Jesus did, he said to his followers, ⁴⁴ “Don’t forget what I tell you now: The Son of Man will be handed over to people.” ⁴⁵ But the followers did not understand what this meant; the meaning was hidden from them so they could not understand. But they were afraid to ask Jesus about it.

Who Is the Greatest?

⁴⁶ Jesus’ followers began to have an argument about which one of them was the greatest. ⁴⁷ Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he took a little child and stood the child beside him. ⁴⁸ Then Jesus said, “Whoever accepts this little child in my name accepts me. And whoever accepts me accepts the One who sent me, because whoever is least among you all is really the greatest.”

Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us

⁴⁹ John answered, “Master, we saw someone using your name to force demons out of people. We told him to stop, because he does not belong to our group.”

⁵⁰ But Jesus said to him, “Don’t stop him, because whoever is not against you is for you.”

A Town Rejects Jesus

⁵¹ When the time was coming near for Jesus to depart, he was determined to go to Jerusalem. ⁵² He sent some messengers ahead of him, who went into a town in Samaria to make everything ready for him. ⁵³ But the people there would not welcome him, because he was set on going to Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ When James and John, followers of Jesus, saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven and destroy those people?”^[ac]

⁵⁵ But Jesus turned and scolded them. [And Jesus said, “You don’t know what kind of spirit you belong to. ⁵⁶ The Son of Man did not come to destroy the souls of people but to save them.”]^[ad] Then they went to another town.

Following Jesus

⁵⁷ As they were going along the road, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you any place you go.”

⁵⁸ Jesus said to them, “The foxes have holes to live in, and the birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to rest his head.”

⁵⁹ Jesus said to another man, “Follow me!”

But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

⁶⁰ But Jesus said to him, “Let the people who are dead bury their own dead. You must go and tell about the kingdom of God.”

⁶¹ Another man said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go and say good-bye to my family.”

⁶² Jesus said, “Anyone who begins to plow a field but keeps looking back is of no use in the kingdom of God.”