The New Testament of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Part 14

IV.

AND Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan; and he was led in the Sprit into the wilderness (2)forty days, tempted by the Devil. And he ate nothing in those days; and when they were ended, he hungered.

(3)And the Devil said to him: If thou art the Son of G.o.d, command this stone that it become bread. (4)And Jesus answered him, saying: It is written, Man shall not live on bread alone.

(5)And the Devil, leading him up into a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. (6)And the Devil said to him: All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them; because it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomsoever I will. (7)If thou therefore wilt wors.h.i.+p me, all shall be thine. (8)And Jesus answering said to him: It is written, Thou shalt wors.h.i.+p the Lord thy G.o.d, and him only shalt thou serve.

(9)And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him: If thou art the Son of G.o.d, cast thyself down from hence. (10)For it is written: He will give his angels command concerning thee, to keep thee; (11)and on their hands they shall bear thee up, lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone. (12)And Jesus answering said to him: It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy G.o.d.

(13)And having finished every temptation, the Devil departed from him for a season.

(14)And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee; and there went out a report concerning him through all the surrounding country. (15)And he taught in their synagogues, being honored by all.

(16)And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day; and he stood up to read. (17)And there was delivered to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And unrolling the book, he found the place where it was written:

(18)The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; Because he anointed me to publish good tidings to the poor; He has sent me to proclaim deliverance to the captives, And recovering of sight to the blind, To send the oppressed away free, (19)To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

(20)And rolling up the book he gave it again to the servant, and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him.

(21)And he began to say to them: To-day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. (22)And all bore witness to him, and wondered at the words of grace which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said: Is not this Joseph's son? (23)And he said to them: Ye will surely say to me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself. Whatever we heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. (24)And he said: Verily I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. (25)But I tell you of a truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there was a great famine throughout all the land; (26)and to none of them was Elijah sent, but unto Zarephath of Sidonia, to a woman that was a widow.

(27)And there were many lepers in Israel, in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.

(28)And all in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath. (29)And they rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, to cast him down headlong. (30)But he, pa.s.sing through the midst of them, went away.

(31)And he came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the sabbath; (32)and they were astonished at his teaching, because his word was with power.

(33)And in the synagogue there was a man having a spirit of an unclean demon; and he cried out with a loud voice, (34)saying: Ah! what have we to do with thee, Jesus of Nazareth? Didst thou come to destroy us?

I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of G.o.d. (35)And Jesus rebuked him, saying: Hold thy peace, and come out from him. And the demon throwing him in the midst came out from him, doing him no harm.

(36)And amazement came on all; and they spoke with one another, saying: What is this word, that with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out? (37)And there went out a rumor concerning him into every place of the country around.

(38)And he rose up and went from the synagogue, and entered into the house of Simon. And the mother-in-law of Simon was seized with a violent fever[4:38]; and they besought him for her. (39)And standing over her he rebuked the fever, and it left her; and immediately she arose and ministered to them.

(40)Now when the sun was setting, all that had any sick with divers diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on each one of them, and healed them. (41)And demons also came out from many, crying out, and saying: Thou art the Son of G.o.d. And he, rebuking them, suffered them not to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

(42)And when it was day he went out, and went into a desert place. And the mult.i.tudes sought him, and came to him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them. (43)And he said to them: I must publish the good news of the kingdom of G.o.d to other cities also; because for this I was sent forth. (44)And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.

V.

AND it came to pa.s.s, as the mult.i.tude pressed upon him to hear the word of G.o.d, and he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, (2)that he saw two s.h.i.+ps standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them, and were was.h.i.+ng the nets. (3)And entering into one of the s.h.i.+ps, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And sitting down, he taught the mult.i.tudes out of the s.h.i.+p.

(4)And when he ceased speaking, he said to Simon: Put out into the deep; and do ye let down your nets for a draught. (5)And Simon answering said to him: Master, we toiled all night and took nothing; but at thy word I will let down the net. (6)And having done this, they inclosed a great mult.i.tude of fishes; and their net began to break.

(7)And they beckoned to their partners in the other s.h.i.+p, to come and help them. And they came, and filled both the s.h.i.+ps, so that they began to sink. (8)And Simon Peter, seeing it, fell down at the knees of Jesus, saying: Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

(9)For astonishment had seized him, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken; (10)and likewise also James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.

And Jesus said to Simon: Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. (11)And having brought their s.h.i.+ps to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

(12)And it came to pa.s.s, when he was in one of the cities, that there was a man full of leprosy. And seeing Jesus he fell on his face, and besought him, saying: Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst cleanse me.

(13)And stretching forth his hand he touched him, saying: I will; be thou cleansed. And immediately the leprosy departed from him. (14)And he charged him to tell no one: But go, and show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing as Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.

(15)But all the more went abroad the report concerning him; and great mult.i.tudes came together to hear, and to be healed of their infirmities. (16)And he was wont to retire into the solitary places, and pray.

(17)And it came to pa.s.s, on a certain day, that he was teaching; and there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every village of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem; and there was power of the Lord for healing them. (18)And, behold, men brought on a bed a man who was palsied; and they sought to bring him in, and to lay him before him. (19)And not finding by what way they might bring him in, because of the mult.i.tude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with the couch into the midst before Jesus. (20)And seeing their faith he said: Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. (21)And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying: Who is this that speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but G.o.d alone? (22)But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, answering said to them: What reason ye in your hearts? (23)Which is easier, to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee; or to say, Arise and walk? (24)But that ye may know that the Son of man has power on the earth to forgive sins, (he said to the palsied man,) I say to thee, arise, and taking up thy couch go to thy house. (25)And immediately standing up before them, he took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his house, glorifying G.o.d. (26)And they were all amazed; and they glorified G.o.d, and were filled with fear, saying: We have seen strange things to-day.

(27)And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the place of receiving custom; and he said to him: Follow me. (28)And leaving all, he arose and followed him.

(29)And Levi made him a great feast in his own house; and there was a great company of publicans and of others who reclined at the table with them. (30)And the Pharisees, and their scribes[5:30], murmured against his disciples, saying: Why do ye eat and drink with the publicans and sinners? (31)And Jesus answering said to them: They who are well need not a physician, but they who are sick. (32)I have not come to call righteous men, but sinners to repentance.

(33)And they said to him: Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but thine eat and drink? (34)And he said to them: Can ye make the sons of the bridechamber fast, [5:34] while the bridegroom is with them? (35)But days will come, when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then shall they fast in those days. (36)And he spoke also a parable to them: No one rends a piece from a new garment, and puts it on an old garment; else both the new will make a rent, and the piece from the new agrees not with the old. (37)And no one puts new wine into old skins; else the new wine will burst the skins, and will itself be poured out, and the skins will perish. (38)But new wine must be put into new skins, and both are preserved together[5:38]. (39)And no one having drunk old wine straightway desires new; for he says: The old is better[5:39].

VI.

AND it came to pa.s.s on the second sabbath after the first[6:1], that he was going through grain-fields; and his disciples plucked and ate the ears of grain, rubbing them with their hands. (2)And some of the Pharisees said: Why do ye that which it is not lawful to do on the sabbath? (3)And Jesus answering them said: And have ye not read this, what David did when he hungered, himself and they who were with him; (4)how he went into the house of G.o.d, and took and ate the show-bread, and gave to those who were with him, which it is not lawful to eat except for the priests alone? (5)And he said to them: The Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

(6)And it came to pa.s.s also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught. And there was a man whose right hand was withered. (7)And the scribes and Pharisees were watching, whether he would heal on the sabbath; that they might find an accusation against him. (8)But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man having the withered hand: Arise, and stand forth in the midst. And he rose up, and stood. (9)Then said Jesus to them: I will ask you what is lawful[6:9] on the sabbath, to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy it? (10)And looking round on them all, he said to him: Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so, and his hand was restored.

(11)And they were filled with madness, and conferred one with another, as to what they should do to Jesus.

(12)And it came to pa.s.s in those days, that he went out into the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to G.o.d. (13)And when it was day, he called to him his disciples. And having chosen from them twelve (whom he named also apostles); (14)Simon, whom he also named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip and Bartholomew, (15)and Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon called Zelotes, (16)and Judas brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a betrayer; (17)and having come down with them, he stood on a plain, and a company of his disciples, and a great mult.i.tude of people from all Judaea and Jerusalem and the sea-coast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases; (18)and those vexed by unclean spirits were healed; (19)and all the mult.i.tude sought to touch him, because power went out from him and healed them all.

(20)And he, lifting up his eyes on his disciples, said: Happy are ye poor; for yours is the kingdom of G.o.d. (21)Happy are ye that hunger now; for ye shall be filled. Happy are ye that weep now; for ye shall laugh.

(22)Happy are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from them, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of man. (23)Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy; for, behold, your reward is great in heaven; for in the same manner did their fathers to the prophets.

(24)But woe to you that are rich; for ye have received your consolation. (25)Woe to you that are full; for ye shall hunger. Woe to you that laugh now; for ye shall mourn and weep. (26)Woe! when all men shall speak well of you; for in the same manner did their fathers to the false prophets.

(27)But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, (28)bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you[6:28]. (29)To him who smites thee on the cheek offer also the other; and him who takes away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.

(30)Give to every one that asks of thee; and of him who takes away thy goods demand them not again. (31)And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also in like manner to them.

(32)For if ye love those who love you, what thanks have ye? For even the sinners love those who love them. (33)And if ye do good to those who do good to you, what thanks have ye? For even the sinners do the same. (34)And if ye lend to those of whom ye hope to receive, what thanks have ye? And sinners lend to sinners, that they may receive as much in return.

(35)But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be sons of the Highest; for he is kind to the unthankful and evil. (36)Be ye merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

(37)And judge not, and ye shall not be judged; condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned; acquit, and ye shall be acquitted.

(38)Give, and it shall be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom. For with the same measure with which ye mete it shall be measured to you again.

(39)And he spoke also a parable to them: Can the blind lead the blind?

Shall they not both fall into the ditch? (40)A disciple is not above the teacher; but every one shall be perfected as his teacher.

(41)And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

(42)How canst thou say to thy brother: Brother, let me cast out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Hypocrite! cast out first the beam out of thine eye, and then thou shalt see clearly to cast out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.

(43)For there is no good tree that bears corrupt fruit, nor corrupt tree that bears good fruit. (44)For every tree is known from its own fruit. For from thorns they do not gather figs, nor from a bramble bush do they harvest grapes. (45)The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good; and the evil, out of the evil, brings forth that which is evil; for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.