Christian Bible
Revised Standard Version

Excerpts from the Original Electronic Text at the web site of the Bible Gateway, Gospel Communications Network.

Matthew 1

1
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2
Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
3
and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,
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and Ram the father of Ammin'adab, and Ammin'adab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon,
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and Salmon the father of Bo'az by Rahab, and Bo'az the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,
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and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uri'ah,
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and Solomon the father of Rehobo'am, and Rehobo'am the father of Abi'jah, and Abi'jah the father of Asa,
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and Asa the father of Jehosh'aphat, and Jehosh'aphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzzi'ah,
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and Uzzi'ah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezeki'ah,
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and Hezeki'ah the father of Manas'seh, and Manas'seh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josi'ah,
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and Josi'ah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
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And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoni'ah was the father of She-al'ti-el, and She-al'ti-el the father of Zerub'babel,
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and Zerub'babel the father of Abi'ud, and Abi'ud the father of Eli'akim, and Eli'akim the father of Azor,
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and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eli'ud,
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and Eli'ud the father of Elea'zar, and Elea'zar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob,
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and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
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So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.
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Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit;
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and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
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But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit;
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she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."
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All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
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"Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us).
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When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife,
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but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.


Matthew 2

1
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying,
2
"Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him."
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When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;
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and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
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They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet:
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'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.'"
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Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared;
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and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him."
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When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was.
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When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy;
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and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
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And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
13
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him."
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And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt,
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and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt have I called my son."
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Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men.
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Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
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"A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they were no more."
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But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying,
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"Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead."
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And he rose and took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.
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But when he heard that Archelaus reigned over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee.
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And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazarene."


Matthew 3

1
In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
2
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
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For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."
4
Now John wore a garment of camel's hair, and a leather girdle around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.
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Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan,
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and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
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But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sad'ducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8
Bear fruit that befits repentance,
9
and do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
10
Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
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"I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
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His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
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Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.
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John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
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But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness." Then he consented.
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And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him;
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and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."


Matthew 4

1
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2
And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry.
3
And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."
4
But he answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"
5
Then the devil took him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple,
6
and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, 'He will give his angels charge of you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"
7
Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"
8
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them;
9
and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me."
10
Then Jesus said to him, "Begone, Satan! for it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'"
11
Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him.
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Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee;
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and leaving Nazareth he went and dwelt in Caper'na-um by the sea, in the territory of Zeb'ulun and Naph'tali,
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that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
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"The land of Zeb'ulun and the land of Naph'tali, toward the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles--
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the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned."
17
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
18
As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
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And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
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Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
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And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zeb'edee and John his brother, in the boat with Zeb'edee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.
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Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.
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And he went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people.
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So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them.
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And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decap'olis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.


Matthew 5

1
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him.
2
And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
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"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
8
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11
"Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
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Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.
13
"You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.
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"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid.
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Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
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Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
17
"Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them.
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For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.
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Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
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For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
21
"You have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.'
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But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be liable to the hell of fire.
23
So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,
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leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
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Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison;
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truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny.
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"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.'
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But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
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If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.
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And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
31
"It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'
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But I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
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"Again you have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.'
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But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,
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or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
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And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.
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Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil.
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"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'
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But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also;
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and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well;
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and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
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Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you.
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"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
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But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
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so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
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For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
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And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
48
You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.


Matthew 6

1
"Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2
"Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
3
But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
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so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
5
"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
6
But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
7
"And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
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Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
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Pray then like this: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
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Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
11
Give us this day our daily bread;
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And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors;
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And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.
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For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you;
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but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
16
"And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
17
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
18
that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
19
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal,
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but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.
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For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22
"The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light;
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but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24
"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
25
"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
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Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
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And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life?
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And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin;
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yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
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But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith?
31
Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
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For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.
34
"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.


Matthew 7

1
"Judge not, that you be not judged.
2
For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.
3
Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
4
Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye?
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You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
6
"Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you.
7
"Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
8
For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
9
Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?
10
Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?
11
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
12
So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.
13
"Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
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For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
15
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
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You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles?
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So, every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears evil fruit.
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A sound tree cannot bear evil fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
19
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20
Thus you will know them by their fruits.
21
"Not every one who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22
On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?'
23
And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.'
24
"Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock;
25
and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
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And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand;
27
and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it."
28
And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
29
for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.


Matthew 8

1
When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him;
2
and behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean."
3
And he stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
4
And Jesus said to him, "See that you say nothing to any one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to the people."
5
As he entered Caper'na-um, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him
6
and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress."
7
And he said to him, "I will come and heal him."
8
But the centurion answered him, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.
9
For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."
10
When Jesus heard him, he marveled, and said to those who followed him, "Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.
11
I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,
12
while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth."
13
And to the centurion Jesus said, "Go; be it done for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed at that very moment.
14
And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever;
15
he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and served him.
16
That evening they brought to him many who were possessed with demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick.
17
This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, "He took our infirmities and bore our diseases."
18
Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side.
19
And a scribe came up and said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."
20
And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head."
21
Another of the disciples said to him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."
22
But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead."
23
And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.
24
And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.
25
And they went and woke him, saying, "Save, Lord; we are perishing."
26
And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
27
And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?"
28
And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way.
29
And behold, they cried out, "What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?"
30
Now a herd of many swine was feeding at some distance from them.
31
And the demons begged him, "If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine."
32
And he said to them, "Go." So they came out and went into the swine; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and perished in the waters.
33
The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, and what had happened to the demoniacs.
34
And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood.


Matthew 9

1
And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city.
2
And behold, they brought to him a paralytic, lying on his bed; and when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven."
3
And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming."
4
But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?
5
For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'?
6
But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" --he then said to the paralytic--"Rise, take up your bed and go home."
7
And he rose and went home.
8
When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
9
As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him.
10
And as he sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples.
11
And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
12
But when he heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
13
Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."
14
Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"
15
And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
16
And no one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made.
17
Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; if it is, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved."
18
While he was thus speaking to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, "My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live."
19
And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples.
20
And behold, a woman who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment;
21
for she said to herself, "If I only touch his garment, I shall be made well."
22
Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well." And instantly the woman was made well.
23
And when Jesus came to the ruler's house, and saw the flute players, and the crowd making a tumult,
24
he said, "Depart; for the girl is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him.
25
But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.
26
And the report of this went through all that district.
27
And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, "Have mercy on us, Son of David."
28
When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to him, "Yes, Lord."
29
Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you."
30
And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly charged them, "See that no one knows it."
31
But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.
32
As they were going away, behold, a dumb demoniac was brought to him.
33
And when the demon had been cast out, the dumb man spoke; and the crowds marveled, saying, "Never was anything like this seen in Israel."
34
But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the prince of demons."
35
And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity.
36
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
37
Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;
38
pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."


Matthew 10

1
And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity.
2
The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zeb'edee, and John his brother;
3
Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
4
Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
5
These twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans,
6
but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7
And preach as you go, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
8
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying, give without pay.
9
Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts,
10
no bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the laborer deserves his food.
11
And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it, and stay with him until you depart.
12
As you enter the house, salute it.
13
And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.
14
And if any one will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town.
15
Truly, I say to you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomor'rah than for that town.
16
"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
17
Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues,
18
and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles.
19
When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour;
20
for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
21
Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death;
22
and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.
23
When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns 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 the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Be-el'zebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.
26
"So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.
27
What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops.
28
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
29
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's will.
30
But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
31
Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
32
So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven;
33
but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
34
"Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35
For I have come to set 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 foes will be those of his own household.
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 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 who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me.
41
He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.
42
And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward."


Matthew 13

1
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.
2
And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat there; and the whole crowd stood on the beach.
3
And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow.
4
And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.
5
Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil,
6
but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away.
7
Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.
8
Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
9
He who has ears, let him hear."
10
Then the disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"
11
And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
12
For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
13
This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14
With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says: 'You shall indeed hear but never understand, and you shall indeed see but never perceive.
15
For this people's heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal them.'
16
But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.
17
Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
18
"Hear then the parable of the sower.
19
When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path.
20
As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;
21
yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.
22
As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
23
As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."
24
Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field;
25
but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.
26
So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.
27
And the servants of the householder came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?'
28
He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?'
29
But he said, 'No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.
30
Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"
31
Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field;
32
it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."
33
He told them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened."
34
All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed he said nothing to them without a parable.
35
This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world."
36
Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field."
37
He answered, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of man;
38
the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one,
39
and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels.
40
Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age.
41
The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers,
42
and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.
43
Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
44
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls,
46
who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind;
48
when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad.
49
So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous,
50
and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.
51
"Have you understood all this?" They said to him, "Yes."
52
And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."
53
And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there,
54
and coming to his own country he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?
55
Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?
56
And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?"
57
And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."
58
And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.


Matthew 14

1
At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus;
2
and he said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist, he has been raised from the dead; that is why these powers are at work in him."
3
For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison, for the sake of Hero'di-as, his brother Philip's wife;
4
because John said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."
5
And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet.
6
But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Hero'di-as danced before the company, and pleased Herod,
7
so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.
8
Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter."
9
And the king was sorry; but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given;
10
he sent and had John beheaded in the prison,
11
and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.
12
And his disciples came and took the body and buried it; and they went and told Jesus.
13
Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a lonely place apart. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.
14
As he went ashore he saw a great throng; and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick.
15
When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a lonely place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves."
16
Jesus said, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat."
17
They said to him, "We have only five loaves here and two fish."
18
And he said, "Bring them here to me."
19
Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass; and taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.
20
And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over.
21
And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
22
Then he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.
23
And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,
24
but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them.
25
And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.
26
But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear.
27
But immediately he spoke to them, saying, "Take heart, it is I; have no fear."
28
And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water."
29
He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus;
30
but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me."
31
Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "O man of little faith, why did you doubt?"
32
And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
33
And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
34
And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret.
35
And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent round to all that region and brought to him all that were sick,
36
and besought him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were made well.


Matthew 16

1
And the Pharisees and Sad'ducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.
2
He answered them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather; for the sky is red.'
3
And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
4
An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah." So he left them and departed.
5
When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread.
6
Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sad'ducees."
7
And they discussed it among themselves, saying, "We brought no bread."
8
But Jesus, aware of this, said, "O men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves the fact that you have no bread?
9
Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered?
10
Or the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered?
11
How is it that you fail to perceive that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sad'ducees."
12
Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sad'ducees.
13
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare'a Philip'pi, he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?"
14
And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli'jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
15
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
16
Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
17
And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
18
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.
19
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
20
Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
21
From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
22
And Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you."
23
But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men."
24
Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
25
For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
26
For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?
27
For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done.
28
Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom."