Bible in 90 Days

The Beatitudes

5 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the hillside, and sat down. His disciples came to him. ² He took a deep breath, and began his teaching:

³ “Blessings on the poor in spirit! The kingdom of heaven is yours.

⁴ “Blessings on the mourners! You’re going to be comforted.

⁵ “Blessings on the meek! You’re going to inherit the earth.

⁶ “Blessings on people who hunger and thirst for God’s justice! You’re going to be satisfied.

⁷ “Blessings on the merciful! You’ll receive mercy yourselves.

⁸ “Blessings on the pure in heart! You will see God.

⁹ “Blessings on the peacemakers! You’ll be called God’s children.

¹⁰ “Blessings on people who are persecuted because of God’s saving plan! The kingdom of heaven belongs to you.

¹¹ “Blessings on you, when people slander you and persecute you, and say all kinds of wicked things about you falsely because of me! ¹² Celebrate and rejoice: there’s a great reward for you in heaven. That’s how they persecuted the prophets who went before you.”

Fulfilling the law

¹³ “You’re the salt of the earth! But if the salt becomes tasteless, how is it going to get salty again? It’s no good for anything. You might as well throw it out and walk all over it.

¹⁴ “You’re the light of the world! A city can’t be hidden if it’s on top of a hill. ¹⁵ People don’t light a lamp and put it under a bucket; they put it on a lampstand. Then it gives light to everybody in the house. ¹⁶ That’s how you must shine your light in front of people! Then they will see what wonderful things you do, and they’ll give glory to your father in heaven.

¹⁷ “Don’t suppose that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy them; I came to fulfill them! ¹⁸ I’m telling you the truth: until heaven and earth disappear, not one stroke, not one dot, is going to disappear from the law, until it’s all come true. ¹⁹ So anyone who relaxes a single one of these commandments, even the little ones, and teaches that to people, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But anyone who does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

²⁰ “Yes, let me tell you: unless your covenant behavior is far superior to that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get in to the kingdom of heaven.”

On murder and reconciliation

²¹ “You heard that it was said to the ancient people, ‘You shall not murder’; and anyone who commits murder shall be liable to judgment. ²² But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; anyone who uses foul and abusive language will be liable to the lawcourt; and anyone who says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to the fires of Gehenna.

²³ “So, if you are coming to the altar with your gift, and there you remember that your brother has a grievance against you, ²⁴ leave your gift right there in front of the altar, and go first and be reconciled to your brother. Then come back and offer your gift. ²⁵ Make friends with your opponent quickly, while you are with him in the street, in case your opponent hands you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you find yourself being thrown into jail. ²⁶ I’m telling you the truth: you won’t get out until you’ve paid every last copper coin.”

On adultery and oaths

²⁷ “You heard,” Jesus continued, “that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I say to you: everyone who gazes at a woman in order to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye trips you up, tear it out and throw it away. Yes: it’s better for you to have one part of your body destroyed than for your whole body to be thrown into Gehenna. ³⁰ And if your right hand trips you up, cut it off and throw it away. Yes: it’s better for you to have one part of your body destroyed than for your whole body to go into Gehenna.

³¹ “It was also said, ‘If someone divorces his wife, he should give her a legal document to prove it.’ ³² But I say to you: everyone who divorces his wife, unless it’s in connection with immorality, makes her commit adultery; and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

³³ “Again, you heard that it was said to the people long ago: ‘You shall not swear falsely, but you shall give to the Lord what you promised under oath.’ ³⁴ But I say to you: don’t swear at all! Don’t swear by heaven (it’s God’s throne!); ³⁵ don’t swear by the earth (it’s God’s footstool!); don’t swear by Jerusalem (it’s the city of the great king!); ³⁶ don’t swear by your head (you can’t make one hair of it turn white or black!). ³⁷ When you’re talking, say ‘Yes’ when you mean Yes, and ‘No’ when you mean No. Anything more than that comes from the evil one.”

Loving your enemies

³⁸ “You heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹ But I say to you: don’t use violence to resist evil! Instead, when someone hits you on the right cheek, turn the other one towards him. ⁴⁰ When someone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your cloak, too. ⁴¹ And when someone forces you to go one mile, go a second one with him. ⁴² Give to anyone who asks you, and don’t refuse someone who wants to borrow from you.

⁴³ “You heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you: love your enemies! Pray for people who persecute you! ⁴⁵ That way, you’ll be children of your father in heaven! After all, he makes his sun rise on bad and good alike, and sends rain both on the upright and on the unjust. ⁴⁶ Look at it like this: if you love those who love you, do you expect a special reward? Even tax-collectors do that, don’t they? ⁴⁷ And if you only greet your own family, what’s so special about that? Even Gentiles do that, don’t they? ⁴⁸ Well then: you must be perfect, just as your heavenly father is perfect.”

Piety in secret

6 “When you are practicing your piety, mind you don’t do it with an eye on the audience! Otherwise, you won’t have any reward from your father in heaven.

² “So when you give money to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet in front of you. That’s what people do when they’re just play-acting, in the synagogues and the streets. They do it so that people will be impressed at them. I’m telling you the truth: they’ve received their reward in full. ³ No: when you give money, don’t let your left hand have any idea what your right hand is up to. ⁴ That way, your giving will be in secret. And your father, who sees in secret, will repay you.

⁵ “When you pray, you mustn’t be like the play-actors. They love to pray standing in the synagogues and on street corners, so that people will notice them. I’m telling you the truth: they have received their reward in full. ⁶ No: when you pray, go into your own room, shut the door, and pray to your father who is there in secret. And your father, who sees in secret, will repay you.”

The Lord’s Prayer

⁷ “When you pray, don’t pile up a jumbled heap of words! That’s what the Gentiles do. They reckon that the more they say, the more likely they are to be heard. ⁸ So don’t be like them. You see, your father knows what you need before you ask him.

⁹ “So this is how you should pray:

¹⁴ “Yes: if you forgive people the wrong they have done, your heavenly father will forgive you as well. ¹⁵ But if you don’t forgive people, neither will your heavenly father forgive you what you have done wrong.”

On fasting and lasting treasure

¹⁶ “When you fast, don’t be gloomy like the play-actors. They make their faces quite unrecognizable, so that everyone can see they’re fasting. I’m telling you the truth: they have received their reward in full. ¹⁷ No: when you fast, tidy your hair and beard the way you normally do, and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that others won’t notice you’re fasting—except your father, privately. Then your father, who sees in private, will repay you.

¹⁹ “Don’t store up treasure on earth. Moths and rust will eat it away, and robbers will break in and steal it. ²⁰ No: store up for yourselves treasure in heaven! Moths and rust don’t eat it away there, and no robbers break in and steal it. ²¹ Show me your treasure, and I’ll show you where your heart is.

²² “The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is honest and clear, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eye is evil, your whole body is in the dark. So, if the light within you turns out to be darkness, darkness doesn’t come any darker than that.

²⁴ “Nobody can serve two masters. Otherwise, they will either hate the first and love the second, or be devoted to the first and despise the second. You can’t serve both God and wealth.”

Do not worry

²⁵ “So let me tell you: don’t worry about your life—what to eat, what to drink; don’t worry about your body—what to wear. There’s more to life than food! There’s more to the body than a suit of clothes! ²⁶ Have a good look at the birds in the sky. They don’t plant seeds, they don’t bring in the harvest, they don’t store things in barns—and your father in heaven feeds them! Think how different you are from them! ²⁷ Can any of you add fifteen inches to your height just by worrying about it?

²⁸ “And why worry about what to wear? Take a tip from the lilies in the countryside. They don’t work; they don’t weave; ²⁹ but, let me tell you, not even Solomon in all his finery was dressed as well as one of these. ³⁰ So if God gives that sort of clothing even to the grass in the field, which is here today and on the bonfire tomorrow, isn’t he far more likely to clothe you too, you little-faith lot?

³¹ “So don’t worry away with your ‘What’ll we eat?’ and ‘What’ll we drink?’ and ‘What’ll we wear?’ ³² Those are all the kinds of things the Gentiles fuss about, and your heavenly father knows you need them all. ³³ Instead, make your top priority God’s kingdom and his way of life, and all these things will be given to you as well.

³⁴ “So don’t worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow can worry about itself. One day’s trouble at a time is quite enough.”

On judging others

7 “Don’t judge people, and you won’t be judged yourself. ² You’ll be judged, you see, by the judgment you use to judge others! You’ll be measured by the measuring-rod you use to measure others! ³ Why do you stare at the splinter in your neighbor’s eye, but ignore the plank in your own? ⁴ How can you say to your neighbor, ‘Here—let me get that splinter out of your eye,’ when you’ve got the plank in your own? ⁵ You’re just play-acting! First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you’ll see clearly enough to take the splinter out of your neighbor’s eye.

⁶ “Don’t give holy things to dogs. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they will trample them under their feet—and then turn round and attack you!”

On prayer

⁷ “Ask and it will be given to you! Search and you will find! Knock and the door will be opened for you! ⁸ Everyone who asks receives; everyone who searches finds; everyone who knocks will have the door opened. ⁹ Don’t you see? Supposing your son asks you for bread—which of you is going to give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish—which of you is going to give him a serpent? ¹¹ Well then: you may be evil, but you still know how to give good gifts to your children; how much more will your father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

¹² “So whatever you want people to do to you, do just that to them. Yes; this is what the law and the prophets are all about.”

The two ways

¹³ “Go in by the narrow gate. The gate that leads to destruction, you see, is nice and wide, and the road going there has plenty of room. Lots of people go that way. ¹⁴ But the gate leading to life is narrow, and the road going there is a tight squeeze. Not many people find their way through.

¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets. They will come to you dressed like sheep, but inside they are hungry wolves. ¹⁶ You’ll be able to tell them by the fruit they bear: you don’t find grapes growing on thorn-bushes, do you, or figs on thistles? ¹⁷ Well, in the same way, good trees produce good fruit, and bad trees produce bad fruit. ¹⁸ Actually, good trees can’t produce bad fruit, nor can bad ones produce good fruit! ¹⁹ Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown on the fire. ²⁰ So: you must recognize them by their fruits.

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Master, Master’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; only people who do the will of my father in heaven. ²² On that day lots of people will say to me, ‘Master, Master—we prophesied in your name, didn’t we? We cast out demons in your name! We performed lots of powerful deeds in your name!’

²³ “Then I will have to say to them, ‘I never knew you! You’re a bunch of evildoers—go away from me!’ ”

True obedience

²⁴ “So, then, everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ Heavy rain fell; floods rose up; the winds blew and beat on that house. It didn’t fall, because it was founded on the rock. ²⁶ And all those who hear these words of mine and don’t do them—they will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ Heavy rain fell; floods rose up; the winds blew and battered the house—and down it fell! It fell with a great crash.”

²⁸ When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching. ²⁹ He was teaching them, you see, on his own authority, quite unlike their scribes.

Two healings

8 When Jesus came down from the hillside, large crowds followed him. ² Suddenly someone with a virulent skin disease approached, and knelt down in front of him.

“Master,” he said, “if you want, you can make me clean!”

³ Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him.

“I do want to,” he said. “Be clean!” At once his disease was cured.

⁴ “Take care,” Jesus said to him, “not to say anything to anyone. Instead, go and show yourself to the priest, and make the offering which Moses commanded. That will be a proof to them.”

⁵ Jesus went into Capernaum. A centurion came up and pleaded with him.

⁶ “Master,” he said, “my servant is lying at home, paralyzed. He’s in a very bad state.”

⁷ “I’ll come and make him better,” said Jesus.

⁸ “Master,” replied the centurion, “I don’t deserve to have you come under my roof! Just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ I know what authority’s all about, you see—I’ve got soldiers answering to me, and I can say to one of them, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another one, ‘Come here!’ and he comes, and I can say, ‘Do this,’ to my slave, and he does it!”

¹⁰ Jesus was fair amazed when he heard this.

“I’m telling you the truth,” he said to the people who were following. “I haven’t found faith like this—not even in Israel! ¹¹ Let me tell you this: lots of people will come from East and West and join the great party of celebration with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. ¹² But the children of the kingdom will be thrown into outer darkness, where people will weep and gnash their teeth.”

¹³ Then he turned to the centurion.

“Go home,” he said. “Let it be for you as you believed.”

And his servant was healed at that very moment.

On following Jesus

¹⁴ Jesus went into Peter’s house. There he saw Peter’s mother-in-law laid low with a fever. ¹⁵ He touched her hand. The fever left her, and she got up and waited on him.

¹⁶ When evening came, they brought to him many people who were possessed by demons. He cast out the spirits with a word of command, and healed everyone who was sick. ¹⁷ This happened so that the word spoken by Isaiah the prophet might come true:

¹⁸ When Jesus saw the crowd all around him, he told them to go across to the other side of the lake. ¹⁹ A scribe came up and spoke to him.

“Teacher,” he said, “I will follow you wherever you go!”

²⁰ “Foxes have their dens,” replied Jesus, “and the birds in the sky have their nests. But the son of man has nowhere he can lay his head.”

²¹ “Master,” said another of his disciples, “let me first go and see to my father’s funeral.”

²² “Follow me!” replied Jesus. “And leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

The calming of the storm

²³ So Jesus got into the boat, and his disciples followed him. ²⁴ All of a sudden a great storm blew up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves. Jesus, however, was asleep. ²⁵ They came and woke him up.

“Help! Master! Rescue us!” they shouted. “We’re done for!”

²⁶ “Why are you so scared, you little-faith lot?” he replied.

Then he got up and told the wind and the sea to behave themselves, and there was a great calm. ²⁷ They were all astonished.

“What sort of man is this,” they said, “that the winds and the sea do what he says?”

The healing of the demoniacs

²⁸ So he went across to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes. Two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs. They were very violent and made it impossible for anyone to go along that road.

²⁹ “What is it with us and you, son of God?” they yelled. “Have you come here to torture us ahead of the time?”

³⁰ Some way off from where they were there was a large herd of pigs feeding.

³¹ “If you cast us out,” the demons begged Jesus, “send us into the herd of pigs!”

³² “Off you go, then!” said Jesus.

So the demons went out of the men and into the pigs. Then and there the entire herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake, and were drowned in the water.

³³ The herdsmen took to their heels. They went off to the town and told the whole tale, including the bit about the demon-possessed men. ³⁴ So the whole town came out to see Jesus for themselves. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their district.

The healing of the paralytic

9 Jesus got into the boat, and crossed back over to his own town.

² Some people brought to him a paralyzed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Cheer up, my son! Your sins are forgiven!”

³ “This fellow’s blaspheming!” said some of the scribes to themselves.

⁴ Jesus read their thoughts. “Why let all this wickedness fester in your hearts?” he said. ⁵ “Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ⁶ But, to let you know that the son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he spoke to the paralyzed man—“Get up, pick up your bed, and go home!”

⁷ And he got up, and went away to his home. ⁸ When the crowds saw it they were frightened, and praised God for giving authority like this to humans.

The call of Matthew

⁹ As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax-office.

“Follow me!” he said to him. And he got up and followed him.

¹⁰ When he was at home, sitting down to a meal, there were lots of tax-collectors and sinners there who had come to have dinner with Jesus and his disciples. ¹¹ When the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax-collectors and sinners?”

¹² Jesus heard them.

“It isn’t the healthy who need a doctor,” he said, “it’s the sick. ¹³ Go and learn what this saying means: ‘It’s mercy I want, not sacrifice.’ My job isn’t to call upright people, but sinners.”

¹⁴ Then John’s disciples came to him with a question.

“How come,” they asked, “we and the Pharisees fast frequently, but your disciples don’t fast at all?”

¹⁵ “Wedding guests can’t fast, can they,” replied Jesus, “as long as the bridegroom is with them? But sooner or later the bridegroom will be taken away from them. They’ll fast then all right.

¹⁶ “No one,” he went on, “sews a patch of unshrunk cloth onto an old coat. The patch will simply pull away from the coat, and you’ll have a worse hole than you started with. ¹⁷ People don’t put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the skins will split, the wine will be lost, and the skins will be ruined. They put new wine into new skins, and then both are fine.”

The raising of the little girl

¹⁸ As Jesus was saying this, suddenly an official came up and knelt down in front of him.

“It’s my daughter!” he said. “She’s just died! But—if you’ll come and lay your hand on her, she’ll come back to life!”

¹⁹ Jesus got up and followed him. So did his disciples.

²⁰ Just then a woman appeared. She had suffered from internal bleeding for twelve years. She came up behind Jesus and touched the hem of his coat.

²¹ “If I can only touch his coat,” she said to herself, “I’ll be rescued.”

²² Jesus turned round and saw her.

“Cheer up, my daughter!” he said. “Your faith has rescued you.”

And the woman was healed from that moment.

²³ Jesus went into the official’s house. There he saw the flute-players, and everybody in a great state of agitation.

²⁴ “Go away!” he said. “The little girl isn’t dead. She’s asleep!” And they laughed at him.

²⁵ So when the crowd had been put out, he went in and took hold of her hand, and she got up. ²⁶ The report of this went out around the whole of that region.

Jesus’ fame increases

²⁷ As Jesus was leaving the area, two blind men followed him, shouting “Have pity on us, son of David!” at the tops of their voices.

²⁸ Jesus went into the house, and the blind men came to him.

“Do you believe that I can do this?” asked Jesus.

“Yes, Master,” they replied.

²⁹ Then Jesus touched their eyes. “As you have believed, so let it happen,” he said. ³⁰ And their eyes were opened.

Then Jesus gave them a stern warning. “Take good care,” he said, “that nobody gets to know about this.” ³¹ But they went out and spread the news in the whole of that region.

³² After they had left, people brought to Jesus a demon-possessed man who couldn’t speak. ³³ Jesus cast out the demon, and the man spoke. The crowds were amazed. “Nothing like this ever happened in Israel,” they said. ³⁴ But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”

³⁵ Jesus went around all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, announcing the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness. ³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he felt deeply sorry for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “There’s plenty of harvest to be had, but not many workers! ³⁸ So pray the master of the harvest to send more workers to harvest his fields!”

The Twelve are sent out

10 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal every disease and every sickness.

² These are the names of the twelve apostles. First, Simon, who is called Peter (“the rock”), and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; ³ Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax-collector, James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Cananaean; and Judas Iscariot (who betrayed him).

⁵ Jesus sent these Twelve off with the following instructions.

“Don’t go into Gentile territory,” he said, “and don’t go into a Samaritan town. ⁶ Go instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷ As you go, declare publicly that the kingdom of heaven has arrived. ⁸ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse people with skin diseases, cast out demons.

“You received without cost; give without charge. ⁹ Don’t take any gold or silver or copper in your belts; ¹⁰ no bag for the road, no second cloak, no sandals, no stick. Workers deserve their keep.

¹¹ “When you go into a town or village, make careful inquiry for someone who is good and trustworthy, and stay there until you leave. ¹² When you go into the house give a solemn greeting. ¹³ If the house is trustworthy, let your blessing of peace rest upon it, but if not, let it return to you. ¹⁴ If anyone won’t welcome you or listen to your message, go out of the house or the town and shake the dust off your feet. ¹⁵ I’m telling you the truth: it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.”

Sheep among wolves

¹⁶ “See here,” Jesus continued, “I’m sending you out like sheep surrounded by wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes, and as innocent as doves.

¹⁷ “Watch out for danger from people around you. They will hand you over to councils, and flog you in their synagogues. ¹⁸ You will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as evidence to them and to the nations. ¹⁹ But when they hand you over, don’t worry how to speak or what to say. What you have to say will be given to you at that moment. ²⁰ It won’t be you speaking, you see; it will be the spirit of your father speaking in you.

²¹ “One brother will betray another to death; fathers will betray children, and children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. ²² You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who holds out to the end will be delivered.

²³ “When they persecute you in one town, run off to the next one. I’m telling you the truth: you won’t have gone through all the towns of Israel before the son of man comes.”

Warnings and encouragements

²⁴ “The disciple isn’t greater than the teacher; the slave isn’t greater than the master. ²⁵ It’s quite enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave to be like the master. If they called the master of the house ‘Beelzebul,’ think what they’re going to call his family!

²⁶ “Don’t be afraid of them. Nothing is hidden, you see, that won’t come to light; nothing is secret that won’t be made known. ²⁷ What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light, and what you hear whispered in your ears, announce from the roofs of the houses.

²⁸ “Don’t be afraid of people who can kill the body, but can’t kill the soul. The one you should be afraid of is the one who can destroy both body and soul in Gehenna. ²⁹ How much would you get for a couple of sparrows? A single copper coin if you’re lucky? And not one of them falls to the ground without your father knowing about it. ³⁰ When it comes to you—why, every hair on your head is counted. ³¹ So don’t be afraid! You’re worth much more than a great many sparrows.”

Jesus causes division

³² “So: everyone who owns up in front of others to being on my side, I will own them before my father in heaven. ³³ But anyone who disowns me in front of others, I will disown that person before my father in heaven.

³⁴ “Don’t think it’s my job to bring peace on the earth. I didn’t come to bring peace—I came to bring a sword! ³⁵ I came to divide a man from his father, a daughter from her mother, and a daughter-in-law from her mother-in-law. ³⁶ Yes, you’ll find your enemies inside your own front door.

³⁷ “If you love your father or mother more than me, you don’t deserve me. If you love your son or daughter more than me, you don’t deserve me. ³⁸ Anyone who doesn’t pick up their cross and follow after me doesn’t deserve me. ³⁹ If you find your life you’ll lose it, and if you lose your life because of me you’ll find it.

⁴⁰ “Anyone who welcomes you, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me, welcomes the one who sent me. ⁴¹ Anyone who welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and anyone who receives an upright person in the name of an upright person will receive an upright person’s reward. ⁴² Anyone who gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, in the name of a disciple—I’m telling you the truth, they won’t go short of their reward!”

Jesus and John the Baptist

11 So when Jesus had finished giving instructions to the twelve disciples, he moved on from there to teach and preach in their towns.

² Meanwhile, John, who was in prison, heard about these messianic goings-on. He sent word through his followers.

³ “Are you the one who is coming?” he asked. “Or should we be looking for someone else?”

⁴ “Go and tell John what you’ve seen and heard,” replied Jesus. ⁵ “Blind people are seeing! Lame people are walking! People with virulent skin diseases are being cleansed! Deaf people can hear again! The dead are being raised to life! And—the poor are hearing the good news! ⁶ And God bless you if you’re not upset by what I’m doing.”

The identity of John the Baptist

⁷ As the messengers were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John.

“What were you expecting to see,” he asked, “when you went out into the desert? A reed wobbling in the wind? ⁸ No? Then, what were you expecting to see? Someone dressed in silks and satins? If you want to see people like that you’d have to go to somebody’s royal palace. ⁹ All right, so what were you expecting to see? A prophet? Ah, now we’re getting there: yes indeed, and much more than a prophet! ¹⁰ This is the one the Bible was talking about when it says,

¹¹ “I’m telling you the truth: John the Baptist is the greatest mother’s son there ever was. But even the least significant person in heaven’s kingdom is greater than he is. ¹² From the time of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has been forcing its way in—and the men of force are trying to grab it! ¹³ All the prophets and the law, you see, made their prophecies up to the time of John. ¹⁴ In fact, if you’ll believe it, he is Elijah, the one who was to come. ¹⁵ If you’ve got ears, then listen!”

Jesus condemns the cities

¹⁶ “What picture shall I give you for this generation?” asked Jesus. “It’s like a bunch of children sitting in the town square, and singing songs to each other. ¹⁷ This is how it goes:

¹⁸ “What do I mean? When John appeared, he didn’t have any normal food or drink—and people said ‘What’s got into him, then? Some demon?’ ¹⁹ Then along comes the son of man, eating and drinking normally, and people say, ‘Ooh, look at him—guzzling and boozing, hanging around with tax-collectors and other riff-raff.’ But, you know, wisdom is as wisdom does—and wisdom will be vindicated!”

²⁰ Then he began to berate the towns where he’d done most of his powerful deeds, because they hadn’t repented.

²¹ “A curse on you, Chorazin!” he said. “A curse on you, Bethsaida! If Tyre and Sidon had seen the kind of powerful things you saw, they would have repented long ago with hairshirts and ashes. ²² But I can tell you this: on the day of judgment Tyre and Sidon will have a better time of it than you will. ²³ And what about you, Capernaum? You think you’re going to be exalted to heaven, do you? No—you’ll be sent down to Hades! If the powerful works that happened in you had happened in Sodom, it would still be standing today. ²⁴ But I can tell you this: on the day of judgment the land of Sodom will have a better time of it than you will!”

Jesus’ invitation

²⁵ At that time Jesus turned to God with this prayer: “I give you my praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth! You hid these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to children! ²⁶ Yes, Father, that’s the way you decided to do it! ²⁷ My father gave me everything: nobody knows the son except the father, and nobody knows the father except the son—and anyone the son wants to reveal him to.

²⁸ “Are you having a real struggle? Come to me! Are you carrying a big load on your back? Come to me—I’ll give you a rest! ²⁹ Pick up my yoke and put it on; take lessons from me! My heart is gentle, not arrogant. You’ll find the rest you deeply need. ³⁰ My yoke is easy to wear, my load is easy to bear.”

Lord of the sabbath

12 At that time Jesus went through the cornfields on the sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck ears of corn and eat them. ² When the Pharisees observed this they said to him, “Look here! Your disciples are doing something that’s not permitted on the sabbath!”

³ “Did you never read what David did?” replied Jesus. “When he and his men were hungry, ⁴ they went into God’s house and ate the holy bread which neither he nor his men were allowed to eat—only the priests had that right. ⁵ Or didn’t you read in the law that the priests in the Temple do things on the sabbath which are against sabbath law—and they aren’t guilty? ⁶ Let me tell you this: something greater than the Temple is here. ⁷ If you’d known what this saying means:

you wouldn’t have passed judgment on blameless people. ⁸ Yes, you see: the son of man is master of the sabbath, too.”

⁹ He left the place and went into their synagogue, ¹⁰ where there was a man with a withered hand.

They put the question to him: “Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath?”

(They asked this so that they could frame a charge against him.)

¹¹ “Supposing one of you has just one sheep,” replied Jesus, “and it falls into a ditch on the sabbath. You’ll grab it and haul it out, won’t you? ¹² Well then, think how much more important a human being is than a sheep! So, you see, it is permitted to do good on the sabbath.”

¹³ Then he said to the man, “Stretch your hand out.” He stretched it out, and it was restored to health, just like the other one. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees went off and plotted against him, with the intention of doing away with him.

The servant

¹⁵ Jesus discovered the plots against him, and left the district. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them all, ¹⁶ giving them strict instructions not to tell people about him. ¹⁷ This was so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might come true:

Jesus and Beelzebul

²² They brought to Jesus a man who was possessed by a demon that made him unable to see or speak. Jesus healed him, so that the sick man was able to talk and see. ²³ All the crowds were astonished.

“He can’t be David’s Son, can he?” they said.

²⁴ The Pharisees heard this.

“The fellow can only cast out demons,” they said, “because he’s in league with Beelzebul, the prince of demons!”

²⁵ Jesus knew their thoughts. “Suppose a kingdom is split down the middle,” he said to them. “It’ll go to rack and ruin! If a city or a household is split down the middle, it’s doomed! ²⁶ And if the satan drives out the satan, he’s split down the middle—so how can his kingdom stay standing?

²⁷ “What’s more, if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, whose power are your people channeling when they cast them out? Yes, they’ll tell you what’s what! ²⁸ But if I’m casting out demons because I’m in league with God’s spirit—well, then, God’s kingdom has arrived on your doorstep!

²⁹ “Look at it like this. Suppose you want to break into a strong man’s house and steal his belongings. How are you going to do that unless you first tie up the strong man? Then you can plunder his house to your heart’s content. ³⁰ If you’re not with me, you’re against me. Unless you’re gathering the flock with me, you’re scattering it.

³¹ “So let me tell you this: people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy; but blasphemy against the spirit will not be forgiven. ³² If anyone speaks a word against the son of man, it will be forgiven. But if anyone speaks a word against the holy spirit, it won’t be forgiven, either in the present age or in the age to come.”

The sign of Jonah

³³ “You must make up your mind between two possibilities,” Jesus went on. “Either the tree is good, in which case its fruit is good; or the tree is bad, in which case its fruit is bad. You can tell the tree by its fruits, after all.

³⁴ “You’re a family of snakes! How can you say good things when you’re bad inside? What the mouth speaks is what fills the heart. ³⁵ A good person produces good things from a good storeroom; an evil person produces evil things from an evil storeroom. ³⁶ Let me tell you this: on judgment day people will have to own up to every trivial word they say. ³⁷ Yes: you will be vindicated by your own words—and you will be condemned by your own words.”

³⁸ “Teacher,” responded some of the scribes and Pharisees. “We would like to see a sign from you.”

³⁹ “This wicked and immoral generation is looking for a sign,” replied Jesus. “But no sign will be given to it—except the sign of Jonah. ⁴⁰ Jonah, you see, was in the stomach of the sea-monster for three days and three nights—and in the same way the son of man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. ⁴¹ The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment along with this generation and will condemn it. They, after all, repented when they heard Jonah’s warnings! And, in case you hadn’t noticed, something greater than Jonah is here. ⁴² The Queen of the South will be raised at the judgment with this generation and will condemn it. She, after all, came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon! And, in case you hadn’t noticed, something greater than Solomon is here.”

Jesus’ true family

⁴³ “When the unclean spirit goes out of a person,” Jesus continued, “it goes wandering through waterless places looking for somewhere to rest, and doesn’t find anywhere. ⁴⁴ Then it says, ‘I’ll go back to my house, the one I left.’ When it gets there it finds it standing empty, clean and tidy. ⁴⁵ Then it goes out and collects seven other spirits to join it, spirits worse than itself. They go in and take up residence there. The poor person ends up worse off than they were to start with! And that’s what will happen with this wicked generation.”

⁴⁶ Suddenly, while he was speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers came and stood outside, hoping for a chance to speak to him.

⁴⁷ “Look,” someone said to him, “your mother and your brothers are standing outside wanting to speak to you.”

⁴⁸ “Who is my mother?” said Jesus to the person who had spoken to him. “Who are my brothers?”

⁴⁹ Then he stretched out his hand towards his disciples.

“Look!” he said. “Here are my mother and my brothers. ⁵⁰ Yes; anyone who does what my heavenly father wants is my brother, and my sister, and my mother.”

The parable of the sower

13 That very day Jesus went out of the house and sat down beside the sea. ² Large crowds gathered around him, so he got into a boat and sat down. The whole crowd was standing on the shore.

³ He had much to say to them, and he said it all in parables.

“Listen!” he said. “Once there was a sower who went out to sow. ⁴ As he sowed, some seed fell beside the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some seed fell on rocky soil, where it didn’t have much earth. It sprang up at once because it had no depth of soil. ⁶ But when the sun was high it got scorched, and it withered because it didn’t have any root. ⁷ Other seed fell in among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. ⁸ Other seed fell into good soil, and produced a crop, some a hundred times over, some sixty, and some thirty times over. ⁹ If you’ve got ears, then listen!”

The reason for parables

¹⁰ His disciples came to him.

“Why are you speaking to them in parables?” they asked.

¹¹ “You’ve been given the gift of knowing the secrets of the kingdom of heaven,” he replied, “but they haven’t been given it. ¹² Anyone who already has something will be given more, and they will have plenty. But anyone who has nothing—even what they have will be taken away! ¹³ That’s why I speak to them in parables, so that they may look but not see, and hear but not understand or take it in. ¹⁴ Isaiah’s prophecy is coming true in them:

¹⁶ “But there’s great news for your eyes: they can see! And for your ears: they can hear! ¹⁷ I’m telling you the truth: many prophets and holy people longed to see what you see and didn’t see it, and to hear what you hear and didn’t hear it.”

The parable of the sower explained

¹⁸ “All right, then,” Jesus continued, “this is what the sower story is all about. ¹⁹ When someone hears the word of the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This corresponds to what was sown beside the path. ²⁰ What was sown on rocky ground is the person who hears the word and immediately receives it with delight, ²¹ but doesn’t have any root of their own. Someone like that only lasts a short time; as soon as there’s any trouble or persecution because of the word, they trip up at once. ²² The one sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but the world’s worries and the seduction of wealth choke the word and it doesn’t bear fruit. ²³ But the one sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. Someone like that will bear fruit: one will produce a hundred times over, another sixty, and another thirty times over.”

The parable of the weeds

²⁴ He put another parable to them.

“The kingdom of heaven,” he said, “is like this! Once upon a time a man sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ While the workers were asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds in among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶ When the crop came up and produced wheat, then the weeds appeared as well.

²⁷ “So the farmer’s servants came to him.

“ ‘Master,’ they said, ‘didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’

²⁸ “ ‘This is the work of an enemy,’ he replied.

“ ‘So,’ the servants said to him, ‘do you want us to go and pull them up?’

²⁹ “ ‘No,’ he replied. ‘If you do that you’ll probably pull up the wheat as well, while you’re collecting the weeds. ³⁰ Let them both grow together until the harvest. Then, when it’s time for harvest, I will give the reapers this instruction: First gather the weeds and tie them up in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ ”

³¹ He put another parable to them.

“The kingdom of heaven,” he said, “is like a grain of mustard seed, which someone took and sowed in his field. ³² It’s the smallest of all the seeds, but when it grows it turns into the biggest of the shrubs. It becomes a tree, and the birds in the sky can then come and nest in its branches.”

³³ He told them another parable.

“The kingdom of heaven is like leaven,” he said, “which a woman took and hid inside three measures of flour, until the whole thing was leavened.”

³⁴ Jesus said all these things to the crowds in parables. He didn’t speak to them without a parable. ³⁵ This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:

The parable of the weeds explained

³⁶ Then Jesus left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came and joined him.

“Explain to us,” they said, “the parable of the weeds in the field.”

³⁷ “The one who sows the good seed,” said Jesus, “is the son of man. ³⁸ The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one; ³⁹ the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels.

⁴⁰ “So: when the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, that’s what it will be like at the close of the age. ⁴¹ The son of man will send out his angels, and they will collect together out of his kingdom everything that causes offense, and everyone who acts wickedly. ⁴² They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father. If you have ears, then hear!”

Other parables

⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven,” Jesus continued, “is like treasure hidden in a field. Someone found it and hid it, and in great delight went off and sold everything he possessed, and bought that field.

⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a trader who was looking for fine pearls, ⁴⁶ and who found one that was spectacularly valuable. He went off and sold everything he possessed, and bought it.

⁴⁷ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea, and collected every type of fish. ⁴⁸ When it was full, the fishermen brought it to shore. They sat down and selected the good ones, which they put into a bucket; but they threw out the bad ones. ⁴⁹ That’s what it will be like at the close of the age. The angels will go off and separate the wicked from the righteous, ⁵⁰ and they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

⁵¹ “Have you understood all this?” asked Jesus.

“Yes,” they answered.

⁵² “Well, then,” he said to them, “every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his storeroom some new things and some old things.”

⁵³ When Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there.

Opposition in Nazareth

⁵⁴ Jesus came to the town where he had been brought up. He taught them in their synagogue, and they were astonished.

“Where did this fellow get this wisdom, and these powers?” they said.

⁵⁵ “Isn’t he the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother called Mary, and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judah? ⁵⁶ And aren’t all his sisters here with us? So where does he get it all from?” ⁵⁷ They were offended by him.

So Jesus said to them, “No prophet lacks respect—except in his own town and his own house!”

⁵⁸ And he didn’t perform many mighty works there, because they didn’t believe.

The death of John the Baptist

14 At that time Herod the Tetrarch heard reports about Jesus.

² “This fellow must be John the Baptist,” he said to his servants. “He’s been raised from the dead! That’s why these powers are at work in him.”

³ This is what had happened. Herod had seized John, tied him up and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. ⁴ John had been telling him that it wasn’t right for him to have her. ⁵ Herod wanted to kill him, but he was afraid of the crowd, because they reckoned that John was a prophet.

⁶ When Herod’s birthday came around, the daughter of Herodias danced for the assembled company, and delighted Herod. ⁷ So he swore a great oath that he would give her whatever she requested. ⁸ Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me—here, on a platter—the head of John the Baptizer!” ⁹ The king was sorry; but because of his oaths, and his guests, he gave orders for it to be given to her. ¹⁰ He sent to the prison and had John beheaded. ¹¹ His head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she passed it on to her mother. ¹² His disciples came and took away the body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

The feeding of the five thousand

¹³ When Jesus heard it, he went away from there in a boat to a deserted spot by himself. The crowds heard about it, and they followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When he came out and saw the large crowd, he was sorry for them. He healed their sick.

¹⁵ When it was evening, the disciples came to him.

“This is a deserted spot,” they said, “and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so that they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”

¹⁶ “They don’t need to go away,” said Jesus. “You give them something to eat.”

¹⁷ “All we have here,” they said, “is five loaves of bread and two fish.”

¹⁸ “Bring them here to me,” he said.

¹⁹ He told the crowds to sit down on the grass. Then he took the five loaves and the two fish and looked up to heaven. He blessed the loaves, broke them, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ²⁰ Everybody ate and was satisfied, and they picked up twelve baskets full of broken pieces. ²¹ There were about five thousand men who had eaten, besides women and children.

²² Jesus at once made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the opposite shore, while he dismissed the crowds.

Jesus walks on water

²³ After he had sent the crowds away, Jesus went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came he was there by himself. ²⁴ The boat had already gone some distance from the shore and was being smashed around by the waves, since the wind was against it.

²⁵ At the very dead of night he came towards them, walking on the water. ²⁶ The disciples saw him walking on the sea and panicked. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and they screamed in terror. ²⁷ But Jesus at once spoke to them.

“Cheer up,” he said, “it’s me! Don’t be frightened!”

²⁸ “If it’s really you, Master,” said Peter in reply, “give me the word to come to you on the water.”

²⁹ “Come along, then,” said Jesus.

Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came towards Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the strong wind he was afraid, and began to sink.

“Master,” he yelled, “rescue me!”

³¹ Jesus at once reached out his hand and caught him.

“A fine lot of faith you’ve got!” he said. “Why did you doubt?”

³² They got into the boat, and the wind died down. ³³ The people in the boat worshiped him.

“You really are God’s son!” they said.

³⁴ So they crossed over to the land called Gennesaret. ³⁵ The men of that region recognized him and sent word to all the surrounding district. They brought all their sick people to him, ³⁶ and begged him to be allowed simply to touch the hem of his clothes. And everyone who touched it was cured.

Discussions of clean and unclean

15 At that time some Pharisees and scribes came from Jerusalem to Jesus. They had a question for him.

² “Why,” they said, “do your disciples go against the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands when they eat their food!”

³ “Why,” Jesus replied, “do you go against the command of God because of your tradition? ⁴ What God said was ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘If anyone speaks evil of father or mother, they must certainly die.’ ⁵ But you say, ‘If anyone says to father or mother, “What you might have gained from me is given to God,” ⁶ they don’t need to honor their father anymore.’ As a result, you make God’s word null and void because of your tradition.

⁷ “You play-actors! Isaiah had the right words for you in his prophecy:

The parable of clean and unclean

¹⁰ Then Jesus called the crowd, and said to them, “Listen and understand. ¹¹ What makes someone unclean isn’t what goes into the mouth. It’s what comes out of the mouth that makes someone unclean.”

¹² Then the disciples came to Jesus.

“Do you know,” they said, “that the Pharisees were horrified when they heard what you said?”

¹³ “Every plant that my heavenly father hasn’t planted,” replied Jesus, “will be plucked up by the roots. ¹⁴ Let them be. They are blind guides. But if one blind person guides another, both of them will fall into a pit.”

¹⁵ Peter spoke up. “Explain the riddle to us,” he said.

¹⁶ “Are you still slow on the uptake as well?” replied Jesus. ¹⁷ “Don’t you understand that whatever goes into the mouth travels on into the stomach and goes out into the drain? ¹⁸ But what comes out of the mouth begins in the heart, and that’s what makes someone unclean. ¹⁹ Out of the heart, you see, come evil plots, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, and blasphemy. ²⁰ These are the things that make someone unclean. But eating with unwashed hands doesn’t make a person unclean.”

The Canaanite woman

²¹ Jesus left that place and went off to the district of Tyre and Sidon. ²² A Canaanite woman from those parts came out and shouted, “Have pity on me, Lord, son of David! My daughter is demon-possessed! She’s in a bad way!” ²³ Jesus, however, said nothing at all to her.

His disciples came up.

“Please send her away,” they asked. “She’s shouting after us.”

²⁴ “I was only sent,” replied Jesus, “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

²⁵ The woman, however, came and threw herself down at his feet.

“Master,” she said, “please help me!”

²⁶ “It isn’t right,” replied Jesus, “to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

²⁷ “I know, Master,” she said. “But even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from their master’s table.”

²⁸ “You’ve got great faith, haven’t you, my friend!” replied Jesus. “All right; let it be as you wish.”

And her daughter was healed from that moment.

The feeding of the four thousand

²⁹ Jesus went away from there, and arrived beside the sea of Galilee. He went up the mountain and sat down. ³⁰ Large crowds came to him, with their lame, blind, crippled, mute and many others. They laid them at his feet, and he healed them. ³¹ When the crowd saw the mute speaking, the crippled made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing, they were astonished, and they gave praise to the God of Israel.

³² Jesus called his disciples, and said, “I am really sorry for the crowd. They’ve been around me now for three days and they haven’t got anything to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry; they might faint on the way home.”

³³ The disciples said to him, “Where could we get enough bread to feed a crowd this size, out here in the country?”

³⁴ “How many loaves have you got?” asked Jesus.

“Seven,” they replied, “and a few fish.”

³⁵ Jesus told the crowd to sit down on the ground. ³⁶ Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ³⁷ They all ate and were satisfied. And they picked up seven baskets full of what was left of the broken pieces. ³⁸ There were four thousand men who had eaten, besides the women and children.

³⁹ Jesus sent the crowds away. Then he got into the boat and went over to the Magadan coast.