The Daily Audio Bible

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.