Through the Bible – Day 91

_1-3The Israelites called a meeting of the nation. And since they were God's people, the meeting was held at the place of worship in Mizpah. Men who could serve as soldiers came from everywhere in Israel—from Dan in the north, Beersheba in the south, and Gilead east of the River Jordan. Four hundred thousand of them came to Mizpah, and they each felt the same about what those men from the tribe of Benjamin had done.

News about the meeting at Mizpah reached the tribe of Benjamin.

As soon as the leaders of the tribes of Israel took their places, the Israelites said, “How could such a horrible thing happen?”

₄The husband of the murdered woman answered:

₈The whole army was in agreement, and they said, “None of us will go home. _9-10We'll send one tenth of the men from each tribe to get food for the army. And we'll ask God who should attack Gibeah, because those men deserve to be punished for committing such a horrible crime in Israel.”

₁₁Everyone agreed that Gibeah had to be punished.

₁₂The tribes of Israel sent messengers to every town and village in Benjamin. And wherever the messengers went, they said, “How could those worthless men in Gibeah do such a disgusting thing? ₁₃We can't allow such a terrible crime to go unpunished in Israel! Hand the men over to us, and we will put them to death.”

But the people of Benjamin refused to listen to the other Israelites. ₁₄Men from towns all over Benjamin's territory went to Gibeah and got ready to fight Israel. ₁₅The Benjamin tribe had twenty-six thousand soldiers, not counting the seven hundred who were Gibeah's best warriors. ₁₆In this army there were seven hundred left-handed experts who could sling a stone at a target the size of a hair and hit it every time.

₁₇The other Israelite tribes organized their army and found they had four hundred thousand experienced soldiers. ₁₈So they went to the place of worship at Bethel and asked God, “Which tribe should be the first to attack the people of Benjamin?”

“Judah,” the LORD answered.

₁₉The next morning the Israelite army moved its camp to a place near Gibeah. ₂₀Then they left their camp and got into position to attack the army of Benjamin.

₂₁Benjamin's soldiers came out of Gibeah and attacked, and when the day was over, twenty-two thousand Israelite soldiers lay dead on the ground.

_22-24The people of Israel went to the place of worship and cried until sunset. Then they asked the LORD, “Should we attack the people of Benjamin again, even though they are our relatives?”

“Yes,” the LORD replied, “attack them again!”

The Israelite soldiers encouraged each other to be brave and to fight hard. Then the next day they went back to Gibeah and took up the same positions as they had before.

₂₅That same day, Benjamin's soldiers came out of Gibeah and attacked, leaving another eighteen thousand Israelite soldiers dead on the battlefield.

_26-28The people of Israel went to the place of worship at Bethel, where the sacred chest was being kept. They sat on the ground, crying and not eating for the rest of the day. Then about sunset, they offered sacrifices to please the LORD and to ask his blessing. Phinehas the priest then prayed, “Our LORD, the people of Benjamin are our relatives. Should we stop fighting or attack them again?”

“Attack!” the LORD answered. “Tomorrow I will let you defeat them.”

₂₉The Israelites surrounded Gibeah, but stayed where they could not be seen. ₃₀Then the next day, they took the same positions as twice before, _31-41but this time they had a different plan. They said, “When the men of Benjamin attack, we will run off and let them chase us away from the town and into the country roads.”

The soldiers of Benjamin attacked the Israelite army and started pushing it back from the town. They killed about thirty Israelites in the fields and along the road between Gibeah and Bethel. The men of Benjamin were thinking, “We're mowing them down like we did before.”

The Israelites were running away, but they headed for Baal-Tamar, where they regrouped. They had set an ambush, and they were sure it would work. Ten thousand of Israel's best soldiers had been hiding west of Gibeah, and as soon as the men of Benjamin chased the Israelites into the countryside, these ten thousand soldiers made a surprise attack on the town gates. They dashed in and captured Gibeah, killing everyone there. Then they set the town on fire, because the smoke would be the signal for the other Israelite soldiers to turn and attack the soldiers of Benjamin.

The fighting had been so heavy around the soldiers of Benjamin, that they did not know the trouble they were in. But then they looked back and saw clouds of smoke rising from the town. They looked in front and saw the soldiers of Israel turning to attack. This terrified them, because they realized that something horrible was happening. And it was horrible—over twenty-five thousand soldiers of Benjamin died that day, and those who were left alive knew that the LORD had given Israel the victory.

₄₂The men of Benjamin headed down the road towards the desert, trying to escape from the Israelites. But the Israelites stayed just behind them, keeping up their attack. Men even came out of the nearby towns to help kill the men of Benjamin, ₄₃who were having to fight on all sides. The Israelite soldiers never let up their attack. They chased and killed the warriors of Benjamin as far as a place directly east of Gibeah, ₄₄until eighteen thousand of these warriors lay dead.

₄₅Some other warriors of Benjamin turned and ran down the road towards Rimmon Rock in the desert. The Israelites killed five thousand of them on the road, then chased the rest until they had killed two thousand more. ₄₆Twenty-five thousand soldiers of Benjamin died that day, all of them experienced warriors. ₄₇Only six hundred of them finally made it into the desert to Rimmon Rock, where they stayed for four months.

₄₈The Israelites turned back and went to every town in Benjamin's territory, killing all the people and animals, and setting the towns on fire.

₁When the Israelites had met at Mizpah before the war with Benjamin, they had made this sacred promise: “None of us will ever let our daughters marry any man from Benjamin.”

₂After the war with Benjamin, the Israelites went to the place of worship at Bethel and sat there until sunset. They cried loudly and bitterly ₃and prayed, “Our LORD, you are the God of Israel. Why did you let this happen? Now one of our tribes is almost gone.”

₄Early the next morning, the Israelites built an altar and offered sacrifices to please the LORD and to ask his blessing. ₅Then they asked each other, “Did any of the tribes of Israel fail to come to the place of worship? We made a sacred promise that anyone who didn't come to the meeting at Mizpah would be put to death.”

₆The Israelites were sad about what had happened to the Benjamin tribe, and they said, “One of our tribes was almost wiped out. ₇Only a few men of Benjamin weren't killed in the war. We need to get wives for them, so the tribe won't completely disappear. But how can we do that, after promising in the LORD's name that we wouldn't let them marry any of our daughters?”

_8-9Again the Israelites asked, “Did any of the tribes stay away from the meeting at Mizpah?”

After asking around, they discovered that no one had come from Jabesh in Gilead. _10-11So they sent twelve thousand warriors with these orders: “Attack Jabesh in Gilead and kill everyone, except the women who have never been married.”

₁₂The warriors attacked Jabesh in Gilead, and returned to their camp in Canaan with four hundred young women.

₁₃The Israelites met and sent messengers to the men of Benjamin at Rimmon Rock, telling them that the Israelites were willing to make peace with them. ₁₄So the men of Benjamin came back from Rimmon Rock, and the Israelites let them marry the young women from Jabesh. But there weren't enough women.

₁₅The Israelites were very sad, because the LORD had almost wiped out one of their tribes. ₁₆Then their national leaders said:

₁₉Then someone suggested, “What about the LORD's Festival that takes place each year in Shiloh? It's held north of Bethel, south of Lebonah, and just east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem.”

₂₀The leaders told the men of Benjamin who still did not have wives:

₂₃The men of Benjamin went to Shiloh and hid in the vineyards. The young women soon started dancing, and each man grabbed one of them and carried her off. Then the men of Benjamin went back to their own land and rebuilt their towns and started living in them again.

₂₄Afterwards, the rest of the Israelites returned to their homes and families.

₂₅In those days Israel wasn't ruled by a king, and everyone did what they thought was right.

₂₀Jesus looked at his disciples and said:

₃₇Jesus said:

₃₉Jesus also used some sayings as he spoke to the people. He said:

₁After Jesus had finished teaching the people, he went to Capernaum. ₂In that town an army officer's servant was sick and about to die. The officer liked this servant very much. ₃And when he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish leaders to ask him to come and heal the servant.

₄The leaders went to Jesus and begged him to do something. They said, “This man deserves your help! ₅He loves our nation and even built us a meeting place.” ₆So Jesus went with them.

When Jesus wasn't far from the house, the officer sent some friends to tell him, “Lord, don't go to any trouble for me! I am not good enough for you to come into my house. ₇And I am certainly not worthy to come to you. Just say the word, and my servant will get well. ₈I have officers who give orders to me, and I have soldiers who take orders from me. I can say to one of them, ‘Go!’ and he goes. I can say to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes. I can say to my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he will do it.”

₉When Jesus heard this, he was so surprised that he turned and said to the crowd following him, “In all of Israel I've never found anyone with this much faith!”

₁₀The officer's friends returned and found the servant well.

₁₁Soon Jesus and his disciples were on their way to the town of Nain, and a big crowd was going along with them. ₁₂As they came near the gate of the town, they saw people carrying out the body of a widow's only son. Many people from the town were walking along with her.

₁₃When the Lord saw the woman, he felt sorry for her and said, “Don't cry!”

₁₄Jesus went over and touched the stretcher on which the people were carrying the dead boy. They stopped, and Jesus said, “Young man, get up!” ₁₅The boy sat up and began to speak. Jesus then gave him back to his mother.

₁₆Everyone was frightened and praised God. They said, “A great prophet is here with us! God has come to his people.”

₁₇News about Jesus spread all over Judea and everywhere else in that part of the country.

_18-19John's followers told John everything that was being said about Jesus. So he sent two of them to ask the Lord, “Are you the one we should be looking for? Or must we wait for someone else?”

₂₀When these messengers came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are you the one we should be looking for? Or are we supposed to wait for someone else?’ ”

₂₁At that time Jesus was healing many people who were sick or in pain or were troubled by evil spirits, and he was giving sight to a lot of blind people. ₂₂Jesus said to the messengers sent by John, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard. Blind people are now able to see, and the lame can walk. People who have leprosy are being healed, and the deaf can now hear. The dead are raised to life, and the poor are hearing the good news. ₂₃God will bless everyone who doesn't reject me because of what I do.”

₂₄After John's messengers had gone, Jesus began speaking to the crowds about John:

₂₉Everyone had been listening to John. Even the tax collectors had obeyed God and had done what was right by letting John baptize them. ₃₀But the Pharisees and the experts in the Law of Moses refused to obey God and be baptized by John.

₃₁Jesus went on to say:

₃₆A Pharisee invited Jesus to have dinner with him. So Jesus went to the Pharisee's home and got ready to eat.

₃₇When a sinful woman in that town found out that Jesus was there, she bought an expensive bottle of perfume. ₃₈Then she came and stood behind Jesus. She cried and started washing his feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. The woman kissed his feet and poured the perfume on them.

₃₉The Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this and said to himself, “If this man really were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him! He would know that she is a sinner.”

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

“Teacher, what is it?” Simon replied.

₄₁Jesus told him, “Two people were in debt to a moneylender. One of them owed him five hundred silver coins, and the other owed him fifty. ₄₂Since neither of them could pay him back, the moneylender said that they didn't have to pay him anything. Which one of them will like him more?”

₄₃Simon answered, “I suppose it would be the one who had owed more and didn't have to pay it back.”

“You are right,” Jesus said.

₄₄He turned towards the woman and said to Simon, “Have you noticed this woman? When I came into your home, you didn't give me any water so I could wash my feet. But she has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. ₄₅You didn't greet me with a kiss, but from the time I came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. ₄₆You didn't even pour olive oil on my head, but she has poured expensive perfume on my feet. ₄₇So I tell you that all her sins are forgiven, and that is why she has shown great love. But anyone who has been forgiven for only a little will show only a little love.”

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

₄₉Some other guests started saying to one another, “Who is this who dares to forgive sins?”

₅₀But Jesus told the woman, “Because of your faith, you are now saved. May God give you peace!”

₁Soon after this, Jesus was going through towns and villages, telling the good news about God's kingdom. His twelve apostles were with him, ₂and so were some women who had been healed of evil spirits and all sorts of diseases. One of the women was Mary Magdalene, who once had seven demons in her. ₃Joanna, Susanna, and many others had also used what they owned to help Jesus and his disciples. Joanna's husband Chuza was one of Herod's officials.

₄When a large crowd from several towns had gathered around Jesus, he told them this story:

When Jesus had finished speaking, he said, “If you have ears, pay attention!”

₉Jesus' disciples asked him what the story meant. ₁₀So he answered:

₁₉Jesus' mother and brothers went to see him, but because of the crowd they could not get near him. ₂₀Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to see you.”

₂₁Jesus answered, “My mother and my brothers are those people who hear and obey God's message.”

₂₂One day, Jesus and his disciples got into a boat, and he said, “Let's cross the lake.” They started out, ₂₃and while they were sailing across, he went to sleep.

Suddenly a storm struck the lake, and the boat started sinking. They were in danger. ₂₄So they went to Jesus and woke him up, “Master, Master! We are about to drown!”

Jesus got up and ordered the wind and waves to stop. They obeyed, and everything was calm. ₂₅Then Jesus asked the disciples, “Don't you have any faith?”

But they were frightened and amazed. They said to each other, “Who is this? He can give orders to the wind and the waves, and they obey him!”

₂₆Jesus and his disciples sailed across Lake Galilee and came to shore near the town of Gerasa. ₂₇As Jesus was getting out of the boat, he was met by a man from that town. The man had demons in him. He had gone naked for a long time and no longer lived in a house, but in the graveyard.

₂₈The man saw Jesus and screamed. He knelt down in front of him and shouted, “Jesus, Son of God in heaven, what do you want with me? I beg you not to torture me!” ₂₉He said this because Jesus had already told the evil spirit to go out of him.

The man had often been attacked by the demon. And even though he had been bound with chains and leg irons and kept under guard, he smashed whatever bound him. Then the demon would force him out into lonely places.

₃₀Jesus asked the man, “What is your name?”

He answered, “My name is Lots.” He said this because there were ‘lots’ of demons in him. ₃₁They begged Jesus not to send them to the deep pit, where they would be punished.

₃₂A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. So the demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and Jesus let them go. ₃₃Then the demons left the man and went into the pigs. The whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.

₃₄When the men taking care of the pigs saw this, they ran to spread the news in the town and on the farms. ₃₅The people went out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they also found the man. The demons had gone out of him, and he was sitting there at the feet of Jesus. He had clothes on and was in his right mind. But the people were terrified.

₃₆Then all who had seen the man healed told about it. ₃₇Everyone from around Gerasa begged Jesus to leave, because they were so frightened.

When Jesus got into the boat to start back, ₃₈the man who had been healed begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him off and said, ₃₉“Go back home and tell everyone how much God has done for you.” The man then went all over town, telling everything that Jesus had done for him.

₄₀Everyone had been waiting for Jesus, and when he came back, a crowd was there to welcome him. ₄₁Just then the man in charge of the Jewish meeting place came and knelt down in front of Jesus. His name was Jairus, and he begged Jesus to come to his home ₄₂because his twelve-year-old child was dying. She was his only daughter.

While Jesus was on his way, people were crowding all around him. ₄₃In the crowd was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had spent everything she had on doctors, but none of them could make her well.

₄₄As soon as she came up behind Jesus and barely touched his clothes, her bleeding stopped.

₄₅“Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

While everyone was denying it, Peter said, “Master, people are crowding all around and pushing you from every side.”

₄₆But Jesus answered, “Someone touched me, because I felt power going out from me.” ₄₇The woman knew that she could not hide, so she came trembling and knelt down in front of Jesus. She told everyone why she had touched him and that she had been healed straight away.

₄₈Jesus said to the woman, “You are now well because of your faith. May God give you peace!”

₄₉While Jesus was speaking, someone came from Jairus' home and said, “Your daughter has died! Why bother the teacher any more?”

₅₀When Jesus heard this, he told Jairus, “Don't worry! Have faith, and your daughter will get well.”

₅₁Jesus went into the house, but he did not let anyone else go with him, except Peter, John, James, and the girl's father and mother. ₅₂Everyone was crying and weeping for the girl. But Jesus said, “The child isn't dead. She is just asleep.” ₅₃The people laughed at him because they knew she was dead.

₅₄Jesus took hold of the girl's hand and said, “Child, get up!” ₅₅She came back to life and got straight up. Jesus told them to give her something to eat. ₅₆Her parents were surprised, but Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

₁Jesus called together his twelve apostles and gave them complete power over all demons and diseases. ₂Then he sent them to tell about God's kingdom and to heal the sick. ₃He told them, “Don't take anything with you! Don't take a walking stick or a travelling bag or food or money or even a change of clothes. ₄When you are welcomed into a home, stay there until you leave that town. ₅If people won't welcome you, leave the town and shake the dust from your feet as a warning to them.”

₆The apostles left and went from village to village, telling the good news and healing people everywhere.

₇Herod the ruler heard about all that was happening, and he was worried. Some people were saying that John the Baptist had come back to life. ₈Others were saying that Elijah had come or that one of the prophets from long ago had come back to life. ₉But Herod said, “I had John's head cut off! Who is this I hear so much about?” Herod was eager to meet Jesus.

₁₀The apostles came back and told Jesus everything they had done. He then took them with him to the village of Bethsaida, where they could be alone. ₁₁But a lot of people found out about this and followed him. Jesus welcomed them. He spoke to them about God's kingdom and healed everyone who was sick.

₁₂Late in the afternoon the twelve apostles came to Jesus and said, “Send the crowd to the villages and farms around here. They need to find a place to stay and something to eat. There is nothing in this place. It is like a desert!”

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

But they replied, “We have only five small loaves of bread and two fish. If we are going to feed all these people, we will have to go and buy food.” ₁₄There were about five thousand men in the crowd.

Jesus said to his disciples, “Tell the people to sit in groups of fifty.” ₁₅They did this, and all the people sat down. ₁₆Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up towards heaven and blessed the food. Then he broke the bread and fish and handed them to his disciples to give to the people.

₁₇Everyone ate all they wanted. What was left over filled twelve baskets.

₁₈When Jesus was alone praying, his disciples came to him, and he asked them, “What do people say about me?”

₁₉They answered, “Some say that you are John the Baptist or Elijah or a prophet from long ago who has come back to life.”

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

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah sent from God.”

₂₁Jesus strictly warned his disciples not to tell anyone about this.

₂₂Jesus told his disciples, “The nation's leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make the Son of Man suffer terribly. They will reject him and kill him, but three days later he will rise to life.”

₂₃Then Jesus said to all the people:

₂₈About eight days later Jesus took Peter, John, and James with him and went up on a mountain to pray. ₂₉While he was praying, his face changed, and his clothes became shining white. ₃₀Suddenly Moses and Elijah were there speaking with him. ₃₁They appeared in heavenly glory and talked about all that Jesus' death in Jerusalem would mean.

₃₂Peter and the other two disciples had been sound asleep. All at once they woke up and saw how glorious Jesus was. They also saw the two men who were with him.

₃₃Moses and Elijah were about to leave, when Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here! Let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But Peter did not know what he was talking about.

₃₄While Peter was still speaking, a shadow from a cloud passed over them, and they were frightened as the cloud covered them. ₃₅From the cloud a voice spoke, “This is my chosen Son. Listen to what he says!”

₃₆After the voice had spoken, Peter, John, and James saw only Jesus. For some time they kept quiet and did not say anything about what they had seen.

₃₇The next day Jesus and his three disciples came down from the mountain and were met by a large crowd. ₃₈Just then someone in the crowd shouted, “Teacher, please do something for my son! He is my only child! ₃₉A demon often attacks him and makes him scream. It shakes him until he foams at the mouth, and it won't leave him until it has completely worn the boy out. ₄₀I begged your disciples to force out the demon, but they couldn't do it.”

₄₁Jesus said to them, “You people are stubborn and don't have any faith! How much longer must I be with you? Why do I have to put up with you?”

Then Jesus said to the man, “Bring your son to me.” ₄₂While the boy was being brought, the demon attacked him and made him shake all over. Jesus ordered the demon to stop. Then he healed the boy and gave him back to his father. ₄₃Everyone was amazed at God's great power.

While everyone was still amazed at what Jesus was doing, he said to his disciples, ₄₄“Pay close attention to what I am telling you! The Son of Man will be handed over to his enemies.” ₄₅But the disciples did not know what he meant. The meaning was hidden from them. They could not understand it, and they were afraid to ask.

₄₆Jesus' disciples were arguing about which one of them was the greatest. ₄₇Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he had a child stand there beside him. ₄₈Then he said to his disciples, “When you welcome even a child because of me, you welcome me. And when you welcome me, you welcome the one who sent me. Whichever one of you is the most humble is the greatest.”

₄₉John said, “Master, we saw a man using your name to force demons out of people. But we told him to stop, because he isn't one of us.”

₅₀“Don't stop him!” Jesus said. “Anyone who isn't against you is for you.”

₅₁Not long before it was time for Jesus to be taken up to heaven, he made up his mind to go to Jerusalem. ₅₂He sent some messengers on ahead to a Samaritan village to get things ready for him. ₅₃But he was on his way to Jerusalem, so the people there refused to welcome him. ₅₄When the disciples James and John saw what was happening, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to destroy these people?”

₅₅But Jesus turned and corrected them for what they had said. ₅₆Then they all went on to another village.

₅₇Along the way someone said to Jesus, “I'll go anywhere with you!”

₅₈Jesus said, “Foxes have dens, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man doesn't have a place to call his own.”

₅₉Jesus told someone else to come with him. But the man said, “Lord, let me wait until I bury my father.”

₆₀Jesus answered, “Let the dead take care of the dead, while you go and tell about God's kingdom.”

₆₁Then someone said to Jesus, “I want to go with you, Lord, but first let me go back and take care of things at home.”

₆₂Jesus answered, “Anyone who starts ploughing and keeps looking back isn't worth a thing to God's kingdom!”

₁Later the Lord chose seventy-two other followers and sent them out two by two to every town and village where he was about to go. ₂He said to them:

₁₇When the seventy-two followers returned, they were excited and said, “Lord, even the demons obeyed when we spoke in your name!”

₁₈Jesus told them:

₂₁At that same time, Jesus felt the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit, and he said:

₂₃Jesus then turned to his disciples and said to them in private, “You are really blessed to see what you see! ₂₄Many prophets and kings were eager to see what you see and to hear what you hear. But I tell you that they did not see or hear.”

₂₅An expert in the Law of Moses stood up and asked Jesus a question to see what he would say. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to have eternal life?”

₂₆Jesus answered, “What is written in the Scriptures? How do you understand them?”

₂₇The man replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.’ They also say, ‘Love your neighbours as much as you love yourself.’ ”

₂₈Jesus said, “You have given the right answer. If you do this, you will have eternal life.”

₂₉But the man wanted to show that he knew what he was talking about. So he asked Jesus, “Who are my neighbours?”

₃₀Jesus replied:

₃₆Then Jesus asked, “Which one of these three people was a real neighbour to the man who was beaten up by robbers?”

₃₇The teacher answered, “The one who showed pity.”

Jesus said, “Go and do the same!”

₃₈The Lord and his disciples were travelling along and came to a village. When they got there, a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. ₃₉She had a sister named Mary, who sat down in front of the Lord and was listening to what he said. ₄₀Martha was worried about all that had to be done. Finally, she went to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn't it bother you that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!”

₄₁The Lord answered, “Martha, Martha! You are worried and upset about so many things, ₄₂but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her.”

₁When Jesus had finished praying, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his followers to pray.”

₂So Jesus told them, “Pray in this way:

₅Then Jesus went on to say:

₁₄Jesus forced a demon out of a man who could not talk. And after the demon had gone out, the man started speaking, and the crowds were amazed. ₁₅But some people said, “He forces out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons!”

₁₆Others wanted to put Jesus to the test. So they asked him to show them a sign from God. ₁₇Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he said:

₂₇While Jesus was still talking, a woman in the crowd spoke up, “The woman who gave birth to you and nursed you is blessed!”

₂₈Jesus replied, “That's true, but the people who are really blessed are the ones who hear and obey God's message!”

₂₉As crowds were gathering around Jesus, he said:

₃₇When Jesus finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him home for a meal. Jesus went and sat down to eat. ₃₈The Pharisee was surprised that he did not wash his hands before eating. ₃₉So the Lord said to him:

₄₅A teacher of the Law of Moses spoke up, “Teacher, you said cruel things about us.”

₄₆Jesus replied:

₅₃Jesus was about to leave, but the teachers and the Pharisees wanted to get even with him. They tried to make him say what he thought about other things, ₅₄so that they could catch him saying something wrong.

₁As thousands of people crowded around Jesus and were stepping on each other, he told his disciples:

₁₃A man in a crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to give me my share of what our father left us when he died.”

₁₄Jesus answered, “Who gave me the right to settle arguments between you and your brother?”

₁₅Then he said to the crowd, “Don't be greedy! Owning a lot of things won't make your life safe.”

₁₆So Jesus told them this story:

₂₁“This is what happens to people who store up everything for themselves, but are poor in the sight of God.”

₂₂Jesus said to his disciples:

₄₁Peter asked Jesus, “Did you say this just for us or for everyone?”

₄₂The Lord answered:

₅₄Jesus said to all the people:

₁About this same time Jesus was told that Pilate had given orders for some people from Galilee to be killed while they were offering sacrifices. ₂Jesus replied:

₆Jesus then told them this story:

₁₀One Sabbath, Jesus was teaching in a Jewish meeting place, ₁₁and a woman was there who had been crippled by an evil spirit for eighteen years. She was completely bent over and could not straighten up. ₁₂When Jesus saw the woman, he called her over and said, “You are now well.” ₁₃He placed his hands on her, and at once she stood up straight and praised God.

₁₄The man in charge of the meeting place was angry because Jesus had healed someone on the Sabbath. So he said to the people, “Each week has six days when we can work. Come and be healed on one of those days, but not on the Sabbath.”

₁₅The Lord replied, “Are you trying to fool someone? Won't any one of you untie your ox or donkey and lead it out to drink on a Sabbath? ₁₆This woman belongs to the family of Abraham, but Satan has kept her bound for eighteen years. Isn't it right to set her free on the Sabbath?” ₁₇Jesus' words made his enemies ashamed. But everyone else in the crowd was happy about the wonderful things he was doing.

₁₈Jesus said, “What is God's kingdom like? What can I compare it with? ₁₉It is like what happens when someone plants a mustard seed in a garden. The seed grows as big as a tree, and birds nest in its branches.”

₂₀Then Jesus said, “What can I compare God's kingdom with? ₂₁It is like what happens when a woman mixes yeast into three batches of flour. Finally, all the dough rises.”

₂₂As Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, he taught the people in the towns and villages. ₂₃Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”

Jesus answered:

₃₁At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “You had better get away from here! Herod wants to kill you.”

₃₂Jesus said to them:

₁One Sabbath, Jesus was having dinner in the home of an important Pharisee, and everyone was carefully watching Jesus. ₂All of a sudden a man with swollen legs stood up in front of him. ₃Jesus turned and asked the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses, “Is it right to heal on the Sabbath?” ₄But they did not say a word.

Jesus took hold of the man. Then he healed him and sent him away. ₅Afterwards, Jesus asked the people, “If your son or ox falls into a well, wouldn't you pull him out straight away, even on the Sabbath?” ₆There was nothing they could say.

₇Jesus saw how the guests had tried to take the best seats. So he told them:

₁₂Then Jesus said to the man who had invited him:

₁₅After Jesus had finished speaking, one of the guests said, “The greatest blessing of all is to be at the banquet in God's kingdom!”

₁₆Jesus told him:

₂₅Large crowds were walking along with Jesus, when he turned and said:

₁Tax collectors and sinners were all crowding around to listen to Jesus. ₂So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses started grumbling, “This man is friendly with sinners. He even eats with them.”

₃Then Jesus told them this story:

₇Jesus said, “In the same way there is more happiness in heaven because of one sinner who turns to God than over ninety-nine good people who don't need to.”

₈Jesus told the people another story:

₁₀Jesus said, “In the same way God's angels are happy when even one person turns to him.”

₁₁Jesus also told them another story:

₁Jesus said to his disciples:

₁₄The Pharisees really loved money. So when they heard what Jesus said, they made fun of him. ₁₅But Jesus told them:

₁Jesus said to his disciples:

₅The apostles said to the Lord, “Make our faith stronger!”

₆Jesus replied:

₁₁On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus went along the border between Samaria and Galilee. ₁₂As he was going into a village, ten men with leprosy came towards him. They stood at a distance ₁₃and shouted, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

₁₄Jesus looked at them and said, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”

On their way they were healed. ₁₅When one of them discovered that he was healed, he came back, shouting praises to God. ₁₆He bowed down at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The man was from the country of Samaria.

₁₇Jesus asked, “Weren't ten men healed? Where are the other nine? ₁₈Why was this foreigner the only one who came back to thank God?” ₁₉Then Jesus told the man, “You may get up and go. Your faith has made you well.”

₂₀Some Pharisees asked Jesus when God's kingdom would come. He answered, “God's kingdom isn't something you can see. ₂₁There is no use saying, ‘Look! Here it is’ or ‘Look! There it is.’ God's kingdom is here with you.”

₂₂Jesus said to his disciples:

₃₇Then Jesus' disciples spoke up, “But where will this happen, Lord?”

Jesus said, “Where there is a corpse, there will always be vultures.”

₁Jesus told his disciples a story about how they should keep on praying and never give up:

₆The Lord said:

₉Jesus told a story to some people who thought they were better than others and who looked down on everyone else:

₁₄Then Jesus said, “When the two men went home, it was the tax collector and not the Pharisee who was pleasing to God. If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honoured.”

₁₅Some people brought their little children for Jesus to bless. But when his disciples saw them doing this, they told the people to stop bothering him. ₁₆So Jesus called the children over to him and said, “Let the children come to me! Don't try to stop them. People who are like these children belong to God's kingdom. ₁₇You will never get into God's kingdom unless you enter it like a child!”

₁₈An important man asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to have eternal life?”

₁₉Jesus said, “Why do you call me good? Only God is good. ₂₀You know the commandments: ‘Be faithful in marriage. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not tell lies about others. Respect your father and mother.’ ”

₂₁He told Jesus, “I have obeyed all these commandments since I was a young man.”

₂₂When Jesus heard this, he said, “There is one thing you still need to do. Go and sell everything you own! Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and be my follower.” ₂₃When the man heard this, he was sad, because he was very rich.

₂₄Jesus saw how sad the man was. So he said, “It's terribly hard for rich people to get into God's kingdom! ₂₅In fact, it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into God's kingdom.”

₂₆When the crowd heard this, they asked, “How can anyone ever be saved?”

₂₇Jesus replied, “There are some things that people cannot do, but God can do anything.”

₂₈Peter said, “Remember, we left everything to be your followers!”

₂₉Jesus answered, “You can be sure that anyone who gives up home or wife or brothers or family or children because of God's kingdom ₃₀will be given much more in this life. And in the future world they will have eternal life.”

₃₁Jesus took the twelve apostles aside and said:

₃₄The apostles did not understand what Jesus was talking about. They could not understand, because the meaning of what he said was hidden from them.

₃₅When Jesus was coming close to Jericho, a blind man sat begging beside the road. ₃₆The man heard the crowd walking by and asked what was happening. ₃₇Some people told him that Jesus from Nazareth was passing by. ₃₈So the blind man shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” ₃₉The people who were going along with Jesus told the man to be quiet. But he shouted even louder, “Son of David, have pity on me!”

₄₀Jesus stopped and told some people to bring the blind man over to him. When the blind man was getting near, Jesus asked, ₄₁“What do you want me to do for you?”

“Lord, I want to see!” he answered.

₄₂Jesus replied, “Look and you will see! Your eyes are healed because of your faith.” ₄₃Straight away the man could see, and he went with Jesus and started thanking God. When the crowds saw what happened, they praised God.

₁Jesus was going through Jericho, ₂where a man named Zacchaeus lived. He was in charge of collecting taxes and was very rich. _3-4Jesus was heading his way, and Zacchaeus wanted to see what he was like. But Zacchaeus was a short man and could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree.

₅When Jesus got there, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry down! I want to stay with you today.” ₆Zacchaeus hurried down and gladly welcomed Jesus.

₇Everyone who saw this started grumbling, “This man Zacchaeus is a sinner! And Jesus is going home to eat with him.”

₈Later that day Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “I will give half of my property to the poor. And I will now pay back four times as much to everyone I have ever cheated.”

₉Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “Today you and your family have been saved, because you are a true son of Abraham. ₁₀The Son of Man came to look for and to save people who are lost.”

₁₁The crowd was still listening to Jesus as he was getting close to Jerusalem. Many of them thought that God's kingdom would soon appear, ₁₂and Jesus told them this story:

₂₈When Jesus had finished saying all this, he went on towards Jerusalem. ₂₉As he was getting near Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples on ahead. ₃₀He told them, “Go into the next village, where you will find a young donkey that has never been ridden. Untie the donkey and bring it here. ₃₁If anyone asks why you are doing that, just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ”

₃₂They went off and found everything just as Jesus had said. ₃₃While they were untying the donkey, its owners asked, “Why are you doing that?”

₃₄They answered, “The Lord needs it.”

₃₅Then they led the donkey to Jesus. They put some of their clothes on its back and helped Jesus get on. ₃₆And as he rode along, the people spread clothes on the road in front of him. ₃₇When Jesus was setting off down the Mount of Olives, his large crowd of disciples were happy and praised God because of all the miracles they had seen. ₃₈They shouted,

₃₉Some Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, make your disciples stop shouting!”

₄₀But Jesus answered, “If they keep quiet, these stones will start shouting.”

₄₁When Jesus came closer and could see Jerusalem, he cried ₄₂and said:

₄₅When Jesus entered the temple, he started chasing out the people who were selling things. ₄₆He told them, “The Scriptures say, ‘My house should be a place of worship.’ But you have made it a place where robbers hide!”

₄₇Each day, Jesus kept on teaching in the temple. So the chief priests, the teachers of the Law of Moses, and some other important people tried to have him killed. ₄₈But they could not find a way to do it, because everyone else was eager to listen to him.

₁One day, Jesus was teaching in the temple and telling the good news. So the chief priests, the teachers, and the nation's leaders ₂asked him, “What right do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?”

₃Jesus replied, “I want to ask you a question. ₄Who gave John the right to baptize? Was it God in heaven or merely some human being?”

₅They talked this over and said to each other, “We can't say that God gave John this right. Jesus will ask us why we didn't believe John. ₆And we can't say that it was merely some human who gave John the right to baptize. The crowd will stone us to death, because they think John was a prophet.”

₇So they told Jesus, “We don't know who gave John the right to baptize.”

₈Jesus replied, “Then I won't tell you who gave me the right to do what I do.”

₉Jesus told the people this story:

Jesus asked, “What do you think the owner of the vineyard will do? ₁₆I'll tell you what. He will come and kill those tenants and let someone else have his vineyard.”

When the people heard this, they said, “This must never happen!”

₁₇But Jesus looked straight at them and said, “Then what do the Scriptures mean when they say, ‘The stone that the builders tossed aside is now the most important stone of all’? ₁₈Anyone who stumbles over this stone will get hurt, and anyone it falls on will be smashed to pieces.”

₁₉The chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses knew that Jesus was talking about them when he was telling this story. They wanted to arrest him at once, but they were afraid of the people.

₂₀Jesus' enemies kept watching him closely, because they wanted to hand him over to the Roman governor. So they sent some men who pretended to be good. But they were really spies trying to catch Jesus saying something wrong. ₂₁The spies said to him, “Teacher, we know that you teach the truth about what God wants people to do. And you treat everyone with the same respect, no matter who they are. ₂₂Tell us, should we pay taxes to the Emperor or not?”

₂₃Jesus knew that they were trying to trick him. So he told them, ₂₄“Show me a coin.” Then he asked, “Whose picture and name are on it?”

“The Emperor's,” they answered.

₂₅Then he told them, “Give the Emperor what belongs to him and give God what belongs to God.” ₂₆Jesus' enemies could not catch him saying anything wrong there in front of the people. They were amazed at his answer and kept quiet.

₂₇The Sadducees did not believe that people would rise to life after death. So some of them came to Jesus ₂₈and said:

₃₄Jesus answered: