Matthew 10:12-19:2 And as you enter into a household, greet it.

CAB⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹² And as you enter into a household, greet it. ¹³ And if indeed the house should be worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it should not be worthy, let your peace return to you. ¹⁴ And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. ¹⁵ Assuredly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city! ¹⁶ "Behold, I am sending you forth like sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves. ¹⁷ But beware of men, for they will hand you over to councils and they will flog you in their synagogues. ¹⁸ And you will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the nations. ¹⁹ But whenever they hand you over, do not worry how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; ²⁰ for you are not the ones speaking, but the Spirit of your Father who is speaking in you. ²¹ Now brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents, and put them to death. ²² And you will be hated by all people for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. ²³ But whenever they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly I say to you, by no means will you have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. ²⁴ A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. ²⁵ It is enough for a disciple that he become like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call his household members! ²⁶ Therefore do not fear them. For nothing is concealed that shall not be unveiled, and secret that shall not be made known. ²⁷ "What I say to you in the dark, say in the light; and what you hear in the ear, proclaim on the housetops. ²⁸ And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both the soul and the body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them shall fall on the ground apart from the will of your Father. ³⁰ But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ Therefore do not fear; you are worth more than many sparrows. ³² "Therefore whoever who will confess Me before men, I also will confess Him before My Father who is in heaven. ³³ But whoever denies Me before men, I also will deny him before My Father who is in heaven. ³⁴ "Do not suppose that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to 'turn a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; ³⁶ and 'a man's enemies will be his own household members.' ³⁷ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁸ And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁹ He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. ⁴⁰ "He that receives you receives Me, and he that receives Me receives Him who sent Me. ⁴¹ He that receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he that receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. ⁴² And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward." ¹¹ ¹ Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished directing His twelve disciples, that He moved on from there to teach and to preach in their cities. ² And when John had heard in prison about the works of the Messiah, having sent two of his disciples, ³ he said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for a different one?" ⁴ Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and report to John the things which you hear and see: ⁵ The blind receive sight, and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. ⁶ And blessed is the one who is not offended because of Me." ⁷ Now as these men were going, Jesus began to say to the crowds concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸ But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft garments are in kings' houses. ⁹ But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and far more than a prophet. ¹⁰ For this is he about whom it is written: 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.' ¹¹ "Assuredly I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ¹² And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men seize it. ¹³ For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. ¹⁴ And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah, the one who is about to come. ¹⁵ He who has ears to hear, let him hear! ¹⁶ But to what shall I compare this generation? It is similar to children who sit in the marketplaces and call to their playmates, ¹⁷ and say, 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; We mourned to you, and you did not lament.' ¹⁸ "For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' ¹⁹ "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' And so wisdom is justified by her children." ²⁰ Then He began to reproach the cities in which His very many miracles had been done, because they did not repent: ²¹ "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! Because if the miracles which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. ²² Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. ²³ And you, Capernaum, the one having been exalted to heaven, you will be brought down to Hades; because if the miracles which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. ²⁴ But I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you." ²⁵ At that time Jesus answered and said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them to babes. ²⁶ Yes, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. ²⁷ All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one fully knows the Son except the Father, nor does anyone fully know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. ²⁸ Come to Me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." ¹² ¹ At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples became hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. ² But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!" ³ But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and those who were with him: ⁴ how they entered the house of God, and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, except only for the priests? ⁵ Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are guiltless? ⁶ Yet I say to you that One greater than the temple is here. ⁷ But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. ⁸ For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." ⁹ And having departed from there, He went into their synagogue. ¹⁰ And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"--that they might accuse Him. ¹¹ Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who shall have one sheep, and if it should fall into a ditch on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? ¹² By how much then is a man worth more than a sheep! So then it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." ¹³ Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and it was restored whole like the other. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him. ¹⁵ But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great crowds followed Him, and He healed them all. ¹⁶ And He warned them that they should not make Him known, ¹⁷ so that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, ¹⁸ "Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will announce justice to the Gentiles. ¹⁹ He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. ²⁰ A bruised reed He shall not break, and a smoldering wick He shall not quench, till He bring forth justice to victory; ²¹ And in His name the nations shall hope." ²² Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. ²³ And all the crowds were amazed and said, "This is not the Son of David, is it?" ²⁴ But the Pharisees, having heard, said, "This Man does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, ruler of the demons." ²⁵ But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them: "Every kingdom being divided against itself is made desolate, and every city or house being divided against itself shall not stand. ²⁶ And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? ²⁷ And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. ²⁸ But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. ²⁹ Or how is one able to enter a strong man's house to plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his household. ³⁰ He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. ³¹ "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven unto men. ³² And whoever says a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the coming one. ³³ "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree rotten and its fruit rotten; for a tree is known by its fruit. ³⁴ Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵ A good man out of his good treasure brings forth good things, and an evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth evil things. ³⁶ But I say to you, that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. ³⁷ For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned." ³⁸ Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from You." ³⁹ But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ⁴⁰ For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ⁴¹ The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation and shall condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here. ⁴² The queen of the South shall rise up in the judgment with this generation and she shall condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here. ⁴³ "When an unclean spirit goes out from a man, he goes through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find any. ⁴⁴ Then he says, 'I will return to my house from where I came out.' And when he comes, he finds it unoccupied, swept, and adorned. ⁴⁵ Then he goes and takes along with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and entering in they dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Thus it shall also be for this wicked generation." ⁴⁶ And while He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. ⁴⁷ Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You." ⁴⁸ But He answered and said to him that told Him, "Who is My mother? And who are My brothers?" ⁴⁹ And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, "Behold; My mother, and My brothers! ⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother." ¹³ ¹ On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. ² And great crowds were gathered together to Him, so that He got into the boat and sat; and the crowd stood on the shore. ³ And He spoke to them many things in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seed fell alongside the road; and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵ But others fell on the stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth. ⁶ But when the sun rose, it was scorched, and because it had no root, it withered away. ⁷ But others fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them out. ⁸ But others fell on good ground and it was yielding fruit: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ⁹ He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" ¹⁰ And the disciples approached and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" ¹¹ He answered and said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ¹² For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he shall be in abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. ¹³ Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. ¹⁴ And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says: 'Hearing you shall hear and by no means understand, and seeing you shall see and by no means perceive. ¹⁵ For the heart of this people has become dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes have closed, lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn back, that I should heal them.' ¹⁶ "But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears, because they hear. ¹⁷ For assuredly I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and they did not see, and to hear what you hear, and they did not hear." ¹⁸ "Therefore hear the parable of the sower: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand, then the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed being sown beside the road. ²⁰ But the seed sown on stony ground, is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; ²¹ yet he has no root in himself, but is short-lived. For when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he stumbles. ²² But the seed sown in the thorns is he who hears the word, and the anxiety of this age, and the deceitfulness of riches chokes out the word, and it becomes fruitless. ²³ But the seed sown on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." ²⁴ Another parable He set before them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man sowing good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while the men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went away. ²⁶ But when the stalk had sprouted and produced fruit, then the tares also appeared. ²⁷ So the servants of the master of the house approached and said to him, 'Sir, was it not good seed you sowed in your field? From where then does it have tares?' ²⁸ "He said to them, 'An enemy did this.' So the servants said to him, 'Do you wish then that we should go and gather them up?' ²⁹ "But he said, 'No, lest gathering up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Leave both to grow together until the harvest; and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares, and bind them into bundles to burn them, but gather together the wheat into my barn." ' " ³¹ Another parable He set before them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, ³² which indeed is smaller than all the seeds; but whenever it is grown, it is greater than the garden vegetables and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." ³³ Another parable He spoke to them: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and mixed in with three measures of meal, until the whole was leavened." ³⁴ Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the crowds, and without a parable He did not speak to them, ³⁵ so that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: "I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things having been hidden from the foundation of the world." ³⁶ Then having dismissed the crowds, Jesus went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field." ³⁷ He answered and said to them: "He that sows the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸ And the field is the world, and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the evil one. ³⁹ The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. ⁴⁰ Therefore just as the tares are gathered and burned with fire, thus it will be at the end of this age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who work iniquity, ⁴² and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" ⁴⁴ "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure having been hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it, he went and sold everything he had, and bought that field." ⁴⁵ "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, ⁴⁶ who, when he found one very precious pearl, went and sold everything he had and bought it." ⁴⁷ "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet having been cast into the sea, and gathering some of every kind, ⁴⁸ which, when it was filled, they pulled up on the shore; and sitting down, they collected the good into vessels, but the rotten they threw out. ⁴⁹ Thus it shall be at the end of the age: the angels shall go forth and separate the evil from among the righteous, ⁵⁰ and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." ⁵¹ Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." ⁵² Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe having become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure new and old things." ⁵³ Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, He went away from there. ⁵⁴ And coming into His hometown, He began to teach them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and the miracles? ⁵⁵ Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Jude? ⁵⁶ And His sisters, are they not all with us? From where then did this Man get all these things?" ⁵⁷ So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown, and in his own house." ⁵⁸ And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief. ¹⁴ ¹ At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus, ² and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he has been raised from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him." ³ For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. ⁴ For John said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her." ⁵ Though desiring to kill him, he feared the crowd, because they counted him as a prophet. ⁶ Now when Herod's birthday was being celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and she pleased Herod. ⁷ Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she should ask. ⁸ So she, being urged on by her mother, said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist." ⁹ And the king was grieved, but because of the oaths, and because of those who reclined to eat with him, he commanded it to be given. ¹⁰ And having sent, he beheaded John in the prison. ¹¹ And his head was brought on a platter and it was given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. ¹² Then his disciples came forward and took the body and buried it, and coming, they reported it to Jesus. ¹³ When Jesus heard it, He withdrew from there in a boat for a deserted place privately. But when the crowds heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. ¹⁴ And coming out, Jesus saw a large crowd, and He was moved with compassion towards them, and healed their sick. ¹⁵ Now when evening came, His disciples came to Him, saying, "The place is deserted, and the hour is already late. Dismiss the crowds, that they may go to the villages and buy themselves food." ¹⁶ But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away. You give them food to eat." ¹⁷ And they said to Him, "We do not have anything here except five loaves of bread and two fish." ¹⁸ But He said, "Bring them here to Me." ¹⁹ And commanding the crowds to recline on the grass, taking the five loaves of bread and the two fish, looking up to heaven, He blessed, and breaking them, He gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the crowds. ²⁰ So they all ate and were satisfied, and they took up what they had left of the fragments, twelve baskets full. ²¹ Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, apart from women and children. ²² And immediately Jesus compelled the disciples to get into the boat, and to go ahead of Him to the other side, until He could dismiss the crowds. ²³ And having dismissed the crowds, He went up on the mountain privately to pray. And when evening had come, He was there alone. ²⁴ But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, being harassed by the waves, for the wind was against them. ²⁵ Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. ²⁶ And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. ²⁷ But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Have courage! It is I AM; do not fear." ²⁸ But Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the waters." ²⁹ So He said, "Come." And stepping down from the boat, Peter walked on the waters to go toward Jesus. ³⁰ But seeing the strong wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" ³¹ And immediately, Jesus reaching out His hand, laid hold of him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" ³² And when they had gotten into the boat, the wind ceased. ³³ Then those who were in the boat came and worshipped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God." ³⁴ And having crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret. ³⁵ And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, and they brought to Him all those who were ill, ³⁶ and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were completely healed. ¹⁵ ¹ Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem approached Jesus, saying, ² "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands whenever they eat bread." ³ He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God on account of your tradition? ⁴ For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, with death let him die.' ⁵ But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "It is a gift to God, whatever profit you might have received from me"-- ⁶ then by no means should he honor his father or mother.' Thus you have nullified the commandment of God on account of your tradition. ⁷ Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying, ⁸ 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and they honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. ⁹ And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' " ¹⁰ And having summoned the crowd, He said to them, "Hear and understand: ¹¹ Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man." ¹² Then His disciples approached and said to Him, " You know that when the Pharisees heard this message they were offended?" ¹³ But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. ¹⁴ Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. And if the blind guides the blind, both will fall into a ditch." ¹⁵ Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain to us this parable." ¹⁶ So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding? ¹⁷ Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach, and is cast out into a latrine? ¹⁸ But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. ²⁰ These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man." ²¹ And going out from there, Jesus withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And behold, a Canaanite woman coming forth from that region cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed." ²³ But He answered her not a word. And His disciples approached and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us." ²⁴ But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." ²⁵ Then she came and worshipped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" ²⁶ But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and to throw it to the little dogs." ²⁷ But she said, "Yes, Lord, for even the little dogs eat from the crumbs falling from their masters' table." ²⁸ Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour. ²⁹ And moving on from there, Jesus came alongside the Sea of Galilee, and going up into a mountain, He sat down there. ³⁰ And great crowds came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they put them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them. ³¹ So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. ³² Now Jesus, having summoned His disciples, He said, "I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been remaining with Me three days, and they do not have anything to eat. And I do not desire to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way." ³³ Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get so many loaves of bread in this deserted place, so as to satisfy so great a crowd?" ³⁴ Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven, and a few small fish." ³⁵ So He commanded the crowds to recline on the ground. ³⁶ And He took the seven loaves and the fish, having given thanks, He broke them, and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the crowd. ³⁷ So they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up what they had left of the fragments, seven hampers full. ³⁸ Now those who ate were four thousand men, apart from women and children. ³⁹ And having dismissed the crowds, He went up into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala. ¹⁶ ¹ Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him, they asked Him to show them a sign out of heaven. ² He answered and said to them, "When evening comes you say, 'Fine weather, for the sky is red'. ³ And in the morning, 'Today will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' Hypocrites! Indeed you know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. ⁴ An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." And leaving them behind He went away. ⁵ Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they forgot to take bread. ⁶ Then Jesus said to them, "Look out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." ⁷ But they were reasoning among themselves, saying, "We did not take bread." ⁸ But Jesus, knowing about it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why are you reasoning among yourselves, because you did not take bread? ⁹ Do you not yet perceive, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? ¹⁰ Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many hampers you took up? ¹¹ How is it you do not perceive that I did not speak to you about bread, but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?" ¹² Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. ¹³ When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He was questioning His disciples, saying, "Who do men pronounce Me, the Son of Man, to be?" ¹⁴ So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, but others say Elijah, and yet others say Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." ¹⁵ He said to them, "But who do you pronounce Me to be?" ¹⁶ And Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." ¹⁷ Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸ And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I shall build My church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹ And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on the earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on the earth will have been loosed in heaven." ²⁰ Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ. ²¹ From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go off to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and to be killed, and to be raised the third day. ²² And taking Him aside, Peter began to rebuke Him, saying, "God be gracious to You, Lord! This shall by no means happen to You!" ²³ But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block unto Me, because you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." ²⁴ Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. ²⁵ For whoever desires to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of Me shall find it. ²⁶ For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give as an exchange for his soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will render to each according to his works. ²⁸ Assuredly I say to you, there are some standing here who will by no means taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." ¹⁷ ¹ Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain in private; ² and He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. ³ And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. ⁴ Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You desire, let us make here three tents: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." ⁵ While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" ⁶ And when the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and they were greatly afraid. ⁷ But Jesus approached and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid." ⁸ And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus only. ⁹ And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead." ¹⁰ And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" ¹¹ Jesus answered and said to them, " Elijah truly does come first, and shall restore all things. ¹² But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they desired. Thus also the Son of Man is about to suffer by them." ¹³ Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist. ¹⁴ And when they came to the crowd, a man approached Him, kneeling to Him, and saying, ¹⁵ "Lord, have pity on my son, for he is moonstruck and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. ¹⁶ So I brought him to Your disciples, but they were not able to heal him." ¹⁷ Then Jesus answered and said, "O unfaithful and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me." ¹⁸ And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out from him; and the boy was healed from that very hour. ¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" ²⁰ So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly I say to you, if you have faith like a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, 'Be moved from here to there,' and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible for you. ²¹ However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." ²² And while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, ²³ and they will kill Him, and on the third day He shall be raised." And they were exceedingly sorrowful. ²⁴ When they had come to Capernaum, those who collected the temple tax came to Peter and said, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?" ²⁵ He said, "Yes." And when he entered into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?" ²⁶ Peter said to Him, "From strangers." Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free. ²⁷ Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, and cast in a hook, and take the first fish coming up. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a coin; taking that, give it to them for Me and you." ¹⁸ ¹ At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is the greater in the kingdom of heaven?" ² Then Jesus called a little child, and set him in their midst, ³ and said, "Assuredly I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you shall by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ And whoever receives one such little child in My name, receives Me. ⁶ "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him that a huge millstone be hanged on his neck, and he be drowned in the depth of the sea. ⁷ Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man through whom the offense comes! ⁸ And if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut them off and cast them from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, than having two hands or two feet, to be thrown into the eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, than having two eyes, to be thrown into the fiery hell. ¹⁰ "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. ¹¹ For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost. ¹² What do you think? If a certain man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains, and go and search for the one gone astray? ¹³ And if he happens to find it, assuredly I say to you that he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which did not go astray. ¹⁴ Thus it is not the will before your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. ¹⁵ "And if your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have won your brother. ¹⁶ But if he does not hear, take along with you one or two more, so that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' ¹⁷ But if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the assembly. But if he refuses even to hear the assembly, let him be to you as a heathen and a tax collector. ¹⁸ Assuredly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. ¹⁹ Again, assuredly I say to you that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." ²¹ Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" ²² Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy- seven times. ²³ Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ And when he began to settle up, one debtor was brought to him owing ten thousand talents. ²⁵ But since he had nothing with which to repay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and everything that he had, and to be repaid. ²⁶ Therefore falling down before him, the servant said, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will repay everything to you.' ²⁷ "And having compassion, the master of that servant released him, and forgave him the loan. ²⁸ But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. And taking hold of him, he was choking him, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!' ²⁹ "So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and kept begging him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you back.' ³⁰ "But he was not willing, but going off, he cast him into prison till he should pay back what was owed. ³¹ So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and they came and narrated to their master all that had taken place. ³² Then summoning him, his master said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. ³³ Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, as I also had compassion on you?' ³⁴ "And being angered, his master handed him over to the tormentors until he should pay all that was owed to him. ³⁵ Thus also My heavenly Father will do to you, if you do not forgive each one his brother their trespasses, from your hearts." ¹⁹ ¹ Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these words, that He with from Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. ² And great crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.