NOTE: You will notice that much of the book of Luke was written as poetry, for this is apparently how Jesus spoke many of his parables, and Luke in particular told of these parables. As the result, we have attempted to restore the rhythm of his words as closely as possible to the original poetic style, while attempting to maintain their exact meanings. And to those who would object, claiming that exact words are more important that style, we ask: Then why did Jesus put so much effort into style? The answer is obvious; He wanted at least some of his words to be remembered and quoted as parables or proverbs. Also; this unique teaching style tends to indicate that Jesus was the Lord who spoke the words of God (Jehovah) to many of the ancient Prophets, since most of those messages were also originally transmitted in poetry.

Chapter 1

¹ Since many others have already taken on the job of putting together a statement of the facts of the things we believe ² as they were given to us by those who were eyewitnesses from the earliest [times] and by caretakers of the message, ³ it seemed good for me to trace everything accurately from the start, then write it down for you in the order that it happened, mighty Theophilus, ⁴ so you can feel confident about the things you’ve been taught by word of mouth.

⁵ In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a Priest named ZechariJah, who was of the division of AbiJah. He had a wife named ElizaBeth, who was a descendant of Aaron. ⁶ Both of them were found righteous by God, because they obeyed all the Commandments and requirements of Jehovah. ⁷ However, they never had a child, because they were both well up in years, and ElizaBeth was sterile.

⁸ Now, it was while he was assigned as the Priest before God in his division of Priests that ⁹ (following the custom of the Priesthood) [ZechariJah] was chosen by lot to offer incense when he went into the Holy Place of Jehovah. ¹⁰ [At the time], there was a large crowd of people praying outside during the hour that the incense was being offered, ¹¹ and it was then that Jehovah’s messenger appeared to him, to the right of the incense altar.

¹² Well, ZechariJah was very disturbed and frightened by what he saw. ¹³ However, the messenger said to him, ‘Don’t be afraid ZechariJah, because the things that you begged for in prayer have been favorably heard. Your wife ElizaBeth will give birth to a son for you, and you should call his name John. ¹⁴ You’ll be happy and you’ll dance with joy… in fact, many people will rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵ because he will be great in the eyes of Jehovah. He may not drink any wine or liquor at all, and he will be filled with [God’s] Holy Breath while he’s still in his mother’s womb; ¹⁶ he will turn many sons of Israel back to Jehovah their God; ¹⁷ he will go just ahead of Him with the power and breath of EliJah; and he will prepare a people for Jehovah, turning the hearts of fathers back to their children, and the [hearts] of those who don’t obey to righteous good sense.’

¹⁸ But ZechariJah asked the messenger, ‘How can I be sure of this? After all, I’m old and my wife is well up in years.’

¹⁹ Then the messenger replied, ‘I am GabriEl – he who stands before God – and I was sent to bring this good news to you. ²⁰ But because you didn’t believe these words (which will come true right on time), {Look!} you will be silent and won’t able to talk until the day that these things happen.’

²¹ Meanwhile, the people [outside] were waiting for ZechariJah and they started wondering why he was taking so long in the Holy Place. ²² However, when he came out he couldn’t speak, and they realized that he had just seen something unusual. He gestured signs to them, but he couldn’t talk. ²³ Then, after the period of his assigned [Temple] service, he went back home.

²⁴ After that, ElizaBeth his wife became pregnant, and she hid herself for five months saying, ²⁵ ‘This is Jehovah’s will, so people won’t laugh at me.’

²⁶ It was in her sixth month that the Messenger GabriEl was sent from God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph (of the house of [King] David). This virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ And when he came to her he said, ‘Rejoice you most cared-for person, because Jehovah is with you.’

²⁹ Now, those words really bothered her, because she wondered just what type of greeting that was.

³⁰ Then the messenger told her, ‘Don’t be afraid, Mary, because you’ve found favor with God. ³¹ {Look!} You will conceive in your belly and give birth to a son who you are to name Jesus. ³² He will be great and he will be called the Son of the Most High, and Jehovah God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³ He will rule over the house of Jacob through the ages, and there will be no end to his Kingdom.’

³⁴ Then Mary asked the messenger, ‘How can this be possible, since I haven’t had sex with a man?’

³⁵ And the messenger replied, ‘The Holy Breath of God will come over you and the Power of the Most High will be a shadow over you. So, what will be born will be called Holy… God’s Son. ³⁶ {Look!} Why, your relative ElizaBeth is also pregnant with a son in her old age. And this is the sixth month for this so-called infertile woman, ³⁷ because nothing is impossible unless God says so.’

³⁸ Then Mary said, ‘{Look!} I’m Jehovah’s slave girl! May the thing you said happen to me!’ And at that, the messenger left her.

³⁹ So Mary got up and quickly traveled to a city of Judah in the hill country, where she ⁴⁰ entered the home of ZechariJah, and greeted ElizaBeth.

⁴¹ Well, just as ElizaBeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby in her womb jumped. Then ElizaBeth was filled with the Holy Breath [of God], ⁴² and she shouted aloud: ‘You’re a blest woman and the fruit of your womb is blest! ⁴³ So, how is it that the mother of my Lord comes to me? ⁴⁴ Look! When I heard the sound of your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. ⁴⁵ The woman who believes will be blest, for all things which have been spoken to her by the Lord will come true.’

⁴⁶ Then Mary said:

‘I glorify Jehovah with my life,
⁴⁷ And over my God and my Savior,
My body cries out in joy,
⁴⁸ Because He looked down on His lowly slave girl.

‘{Look!} I’ll be called blest by all generations,
⁴⁹ For the Powerful One did great things for me… and His Name is so Holy.

⁵⁰ ‘For generations He’s shown mercy to all those who fear Him,
⁵¹ But with His mightily arm He will scatter,
All those who think in their hearts that they’re better.

⁵² ‘Emperors He’s removed from their thrones,
And He’s put the humble in charge.
⁵³ He’s filled the hungry with good things,
And sent the rich away empty.

⁵⁴ ‘He came to the aid of Israel His boy,
And called to his mind [His great] mercy.
⁵⁵ This He explained to our fathers…
To Abraham and his seed through the age.’

⁵⁶ So Mary stayed there with ElizaBeth for about three months, and then she went back home.

⁵⁷ It soon came time for ElizaBeth to deliver her baby, and she had a son. ⁵⁸ So, when her neighbors and relatives heard how Jehovah had shown such magnificent mercy toward her, they were overjoyed too.

⁵⁹ Then, when they went to circumcise the boy (on the eighth day), they were going to name him after his father, ZechariJah. ⁶⁰ But his mother said, ‘Absolutely not! He’ll be called John.’

⁶¹ However, [the neighbors] said, ‘That isn’t the name of any of your relatives,’ ⁶² and they nodded to the father, asking what he wanted to call it.

⁶³ He then asked for a tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And this caused them to wonder.

⁶⁴ Then suddenly he opened his mouth, his tongue came loose, and he started speaking and praising God.

⁶⁵ This frightened everyone in the neighborhood. And these things were talked about throughout all the hills of Judea. ⁶⁶ Everyone who heard of it made a note in their hearts, wondering, ‘Just what will this boy [grow up to] be, because the hand of Jehovah is with him?’

⁶⁷ Then ZechariJah, [the boy’s] father, was filled with [God’s] Holy Breath and he prophesied:

⁶⁸ ‘Praise Jehovah Israel’s God,
For He looked down and set His people free.
⁶⁹ He raised the horn of salvation for us,
In the house of David his servant,
⁷⁰ Just as He said through the mouths of the holy,
In the age of Prophets,
⁷¹ To save us from our enemy’s hands,
And from the hands of all those who hate us.

⁷² ‘[He] has been kind to our fathers,
And remembered the Holy Agreement [that He made],
⁷³ In the oath that He swore unto Abraham our father,
⁷⁴ To save us from our enemy’s hands,
And to draw us to serve Him in most holy ways;
⁷⁵ To loyally stand there before Him,
In righteousness for [the rest of] our days.

⁷⁶ ‘But as for you, little boy;
A Prophet of the Most High you’ll be called.
You will go in front of the Lord,
To make preparations for His ways;
⁷⁷ To let His people know how [they can] be saved,
By forgiving their sins ⁷⁸ through the tender mercy of God,
Who will look on us from above,
As though it were the [dawn] of a new day,
⁷⁹ That will shine on those in the darkness,
And those who sit in the shadow of death,
And to straighten [the path for] our feet,
In the ways [that are leading to] peace.’

⁸⁰ Well, the little boy grew and kept getting stronger in the Breath [of God], and he lived in the desert until the day that he showed himself to Israel.

Chapter 2

¹ Back in those days, Tiberius Caesar had decreed that everyone on earth had to be registered, ² and this first registration took place when QuiRinius was the governor of Syria. ³ So, everyone had to return to his hometown to be registered. ⁴ And as the result, Joseph had to travel from Nazareth in Galilee to David’s city of BethLehem in Judea (because he was from the house and family of David) ⁵ to be registered with Mary, whom he married as he promised, and who was pregnant. ⁶ And it was while they were there that it came time for her to have her baby. ⁷ So she gave birth to her first son and wrapped him tightly in a cloth, then laid him in a feed trough (because there wasn’t any room for them in the lodge).

⁸ At that time, there were some shepherds staying outdoors in the surrounding countryside, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ Then Jehovah’s messenger appeared, standing over them with [His] Glory shining around them (which frightened them). ¹⁰ But the messenger told them, ‘Don’t be afraid. Look! I’m bringing you good news of great joy for everyone. ¹¹ Because, a Savior – the chosen Lord – was born to you today in David’s city. ¹² And this is the sign to look for: You’ll find an infant wrapped tightly in a cloth and lying in a feed trough.’

¹³ Then suddenly, a large heavenly army appeared with the messenger, praising God and saying:
¹⁴ ‘Glory to God in highest places,
And peace to men on the earth,
Who’ve proven themselves to be good.’

¹⁵ So, after the messengers [of God] went back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, ‘Let’s go to BethLehem and see this thing that Jehovah has revealed to us.’ ¹⁶ And at that, they went quickly and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the feed trough. ¹⁷ Then, when they saw this, they explained the things that they were told about the little boy.

¹⁸ Well, all those who heard of it were amazed by the things the shepherds told them, ¹⁹ and Mary started preserving all these words, drawing conclusions in her heart. ²⁰ So, the shepherds went on glorifying and praising God for all the things that they saw and heard, [telling things] just as it was told to them.

²¹ Now after eight days, it came time to circumcise him, and it was then that he was given the name Jesus (the name that [God’s] messenger said he should be called before he was conceived in [Mary’s] womb).

²² Then, at the end of the [forty] days of purification that were required by the Law of Moses, they took him to Jerusalem to present him to Jehovah, ²³ exactly as it was written in Jehovah’s Law, ‘Every male that opens a womb must be called holy to Jehovah.’ ²⁴ Then they offered the sacrifice that was specified in Jehovah’s Law, a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons.

²⁵ {Look!} There was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was a righteous and devout person, who had been awaiting Israel’s comforter, and [God’s] Holy Breath was with him. ²⁶ So it had been divinely shown to him by the Holy Breath that he wouldn’t die before he saw the Anointed of Jehovah. ²⁷ And it was because [God’s] Breath was leading him that he then entered the Temple.

Well, while the parents were bringing the boy Jesus in to do what the Law customarily required, ²⁸ [Simeon] took him in his arms and praised God saying:
²⁹ ‘Now, O Sovereign Lord,
You can set Your slave free in peace as You said,
³⁰ For my eyes have seen the one who will save;
³¹ The one You provided for all men to see;
³² A light of revelation to all the nations,
And a glory to Israel Your people.’

³³ Well, [Jesus’] father and mother were amazed at all the things that were being said about him.

³⁴ Simeon also blest them, but he told his mother Mary:
‘Look! This one is headed toward a fall.
For on behalf of many in Israel he will stand,
As a sign to be slandered.
³⁵ Your life will be pierced with a long sword,
To uncover the things many think in their hearts.’

³⁶ There was also the Prophetess Anna, a daughter of the tribe of Asher. This woman was well up in years and had only been married for seven years from her virginity. ³⁷ She was now an eighty-four-year-old widow who was always at the Temple, worshiping day and night, fasting, and praying. ³⁸ And in that same hour, she stood up and gave thanks to God and talked about [the child] to all those who were awaiting Jerusalem’s release by ransom.

³⁹ Then, after [Joseph and Mary] did everything that [Jehovah’s Law] required, they went back to their home in Nazareth of Galilee. ⁴⁰ So the little boy grew, became strong, and was filled with wisdom; and God continued to show favor on him.

⁴¹ Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. ⁴² And when he was twelve years old, they again followed the custom of going to the festival. ⁴³ Then, after the festival days were over and they were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents didn’t notice it. ⁴⁴ So, assuming that he was somewhere in the company of the people traveling together, they were a day’s journey away before they finally started searching for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵ But when they couldn’t find him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.

⁴⁶ Well after three days, they found him in the Temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking questions… ⁴⁷ and his understanding and answers amazed everyone who heard him.

⁴⁸ Now, when [Joseph and Mary] saw him, they were shocked. And his mother asked, ‘Child; Why did you treat us this way? Here your father and I have been worried to death searching for you.’

⁴⁹ But he replied, ‘Why did you have to search for me? Didn’t you know that I had to be in the House of my Father?’ ⁵⁰ However, they really didn’t understand what he was telling them.

⁵¹ Then he returned home to Nazareth with them and he always obeyed them, as his mother carefully kept all these things that were said in her heart. ⁵² So Jesus continued to progress in wisdom, physical growth, and in the favor of God and men.

Chapter 3

¹ It was in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea and Herod was district ruler of Galilee (but Philip his brother was district ruler of the countries of Ituraea and Trachonitis), and Lysanias was district ruler of Abilene, ² in the days of High Priests AnNas and CaiAphas, that God’s Words came to John, the son of ZechariJah, [while he was] in the desert.

³ So he traveled throughout all the country around the Jordan preaching a baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins, ⁴ just as it was written about him in the book of the Prophet Isaiah:
‘Listen! Someone is shouting in the desert,
Prepare the way of the Lord.
Make [all] his roads straight.
⁵ Fill every gully, and level each mountain and hill.
Straighten the curves and smooth-out the rough spots,
⁶ So all flesh will then see what God has provided to save them.’

⁷ And as he saw the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, he said: ‘Children of vipers; Who has scared you into running from the coming rage? ⁸ Produce the type of fruit that shows you’re ready for repentance. And don’t say of yourselves, Abraham is our father, because I tell you that God has the power to raise children of Abraham from these stones! ⁹ Why, the ax is now lying at the roots of the trees, and every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown in the fire!’

¹⁰ So the crowds asked him, ‘Then, what should we do?’

¹¹ And he answered:
‘He with two pairs of underclothes,
Should share them with the man who has none,
And those who have something to eat,
Should do the very same thing.’

¹² Why, even tax collectors came to be baptized. And they asked him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’

¹³ And he replied, ‘Just collect a fair tax.’

¹⁴ Then, when those in the military asked him, ‘What should we do?’ he said:
‘Don’t harass or falsely accuse.
Be satisfied with just your provisions.’

¹⁵ And because the people were looking for [the Messiah], everyone was wondering in their hearts about John, ‘Could he be the Anointed One?’

¹⁶ But John answered them all, saying:
‘My part is to baptize you in water.
But, someone who is greater is coming,
Whose sandals I’m unfit to untie.
And with Breath and fire he’ll baptize you people.

¹⁷ ‘His shovel is now in his hand,
To completely clean up his threshing floor,
And to bring the wheat into his stores.
But he’ll burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.’

¹⁸ Yes, he said many encouraging things as he preached the good news to the people.

¹⁹ However, Herod (the district ruler) had been scolded [by John], because of Herodias (his brother’s wife), and because of all the other bad things he had done. ²⁰ Then Herod added to this [badness] by locking John in prison.

²¹ Well, it was after all the [other] people had been baptized that Jesus was also baptized. And as he was praying, the sky opened up ²² and the Holy Breath [of God] came down upon him in the shape of a dove. Then a voice came from the sky [that said], ‘You are My loved Son; I approve of you.’

²³ It was when he was about thirty years old that Jesus came into his power, being the son (as the opinion was) of Joseph, of Heli, ²⁴ of MatThat, of Levi, of Melchi, of JanNai, of Joseph, ²⁵ of MatTathias, of Amos, of Nahum, of Esli, of NagGai, ²⁶ of MaAth, of MatTathias, of Semein, of JoSech, of Joda, ²⁷ of JoAnan, of Rhesa, of ZerubBabel, of ShealtiEl, of Neri, ²⁸ of Melchi, of Addi, of Cosam, of ElMadam, of Er, ²⁹ of JoShua, of EliEzer, of JoRim, of MatThat, of Levi, ³⁰ of Symeon, of Judas, of JoSeph, of JoNam, of EliAkim, ³¹ of Melea, of MenNa, of MatTatha, of Nathan, of David, ³² of Jesse, of Obed, of Boaz, of Salmon, of NahShon, ³³ of AminAdab, of Arni, of Hezron, of Perez, of Judah, ³⁴ of Jacob, of Isaac, of Abraham, of Terah, of Nahor, ³⁵ of Serug, of Reu, of Peleg, of Eber, of Shelah, ³⁶ of Cainan, of ArpachShad, of Shem, of Noah, of Lamech, ³⁷ of MethuSelah, of Enoch, of Jared, of MaHalaleEl, of Cainan, ³⁸ of Enosh, of Seth, of Adam, of God.

Chapter 4

¹ Now, Jesus was filled with the Holy Breath of God, so he left the Jordan, and [God’s] Breath led him into the desert, ² where he was tempted by the Slanderer for forty days. And he didn’t eat anything during that entire period, so by the end he was very hungry. ³ Then the Slanderer said to him, ‘If you’re a son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.’

⁴ But Jesus answered, ‘It’s written, Bread isn’t all that a man needs to survive.’

⁵ So [the Slanderer] took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the earth in an instant of time, ⁶ and he said, ‘I will give you power over all of these and the glory of them, because they’ve been given to me and I can give them to whomever I wish. ⁷ They will all be yours if you’ll just bow before me.’

⁸ But Jesus answered, ‘It’s written; You must worship Jehovah your God. He’s the only One you should worship.’

⁹ Then [the Slanderer] took him into Jerusalem and put him on a high battle tower of the Temple, and said, ‘If you’re a son of God, jump down from here, ¹⁰ because it’s written:
He will order His messengers to protect you,
¹¹ And they’ll lift you up on their hands,
So you won’t bump your foot on a stone.’

¹² But Jesus replied, ‘It is said, You shouldn’t test Jehovah your God.’

¹³ So after the Slanderer finished his tempting, he went away until the designated time.

¹⁴ Then the Power of [God’s] Breath moved Jesus to return to Galilee, and his fame spread throughout all that area. ¹⁵ He also started to teach in the synagogues, where he was honored by everyone.

¹⁶ Well, when he got to Nazareth (where he was brought up), as was his custom on the Sabbath, he went into the synagogue and stood up to read. ¹⁷ There he was handed the scroll of the Prophet IsaiJah. So he opened it and found the place where it said:
¹⁸ ‘Jehovah’s Breath is upon me,
For He chose me to tell good news to the poor.
He sent me to preach freedom to the prisoners,
And the regaining of sight to the blind,
To remove all the pressures from the people,
¹⁹ And to preach of the year that Jehovah has chosen.’

²⁰ Then he rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down – as everyone in the synagogue stared at him. ²¹ And he said: ‘Today this scripture that you just heard has been fulfilled.’

²² Then, everyone started saying good things about him and marveling at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they were asking, ‘Isn’t this Joseph’s son?’

²³ So he said, ‘You would undoubtedly like to apply the words to me, Cure yourself doctor. Do all the things we heard that you did in CaperNaum here in your own hometown.’

²⁴ Then he said, ‘I tell you the truth; No Prophet is accepted in his hometown. ²⁵ Now, it’s a fact that there were many widows in Israel back in the days of EliJah, when the skies were closed up for three-and-a-half years, causing a terrible famine in the land. ²⁶ But EliJah wasn’t sent to any of them, only to a widow in the land of Sidon. ²⁷ And there were also many lepers in Israel during the time of the Prophet EliSha, but the only one who was cleansed was NaAman, a Syrian.’

²⁸ Well, all those who heard him say this in the synagogue then became very angry, ²⁹ so they got up and pushed him outside the city to the edge of the mountain that the city was built on, to throw him down headfirst. ³⁰ But he just walked through their midst and continued on his way.

³¹ Next, he went to CaperNaum, a city in Galilee, where he also taught on the Sabbath, ³² and [people] were amazed by his way of teaching, because he spoke with authority.

³³ Now, there was a man in the synagogue [who was possessed by] an unclean demon. And [the man] shouted aloud, ³⁴ ‘Ah! What dealing do we have with you, Jesus… you Nazarene? Did you come here to destroy us? I know exactly who you are; [You’re] the Holy One of God.’

³⁵ But Jesus scolded it saying, ‘Muzzle it and come out of him.’ So, the demon threw the man down in their midst, then it came out without hurting him.

³⁶ At this, everyone was astonished and started speaking to each other and asking, ‘What kind of talk is this? He gives orders to unclean spirits with authority and power, and out they come!’ ³⁷ So the news about him echoed everywhere throughout that entire region.

³⁸ Then after he left that synagogue, he went to Simon’s house. Here Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever and they asked him to help her. ³⁹ So he stood over her, scolded the fever, and it left her. Then she got right up and started serving him.

⁴⁰ Well at sunset, all those who had people that were sick with various infirmities, brought them to him. So he laid his hands on each one and cured them. ⁴¹ Demons also came out of many of them, shouting, ‘You’re the Son of God!’ But, because they knew that he was the Anointed One, he scolded them and wouldn’t allow them to say anything.

⁴² Then the next day, he went out and walked to an isolated place. But the crowds started searching for him and they finally got out to where he was and tried to keep him from leaving. ⁴³ But he told them, ‘I have to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God to other cities, for that’s why I was sent.’

⁴⁴ So, thereafter he preached throughout the synagogues of Judea.

Chapter 5

¹ There was an occasion when people were crowded very close to [Jesus] and listening to the Word of God, while he was standing beside Lake GenNesaret. ² So, he noticed two boats that were docked at the lakeside, where the fishermen had gotten out and were washing off their nets. ³ Well, [Jesus] got into one of the boats that belonged to Simon, and asked him to pull out a little way from land. Then he sat down and started teaching the crowds from the boat. ⁴ And when he finished talking, he said to Simon, ‘Now, pull out to where it’s deep and let down your nets for a catch.’

⁵ But Simon replied, ‘Instructor; We’ve worked all night long and didn’t catch anything. However, because you asked, I’ll lower the nets.’

⁶ Well when they did this, they netted a huge number of fish. In fact, their nets started to rip, ⁷ so they waved at their partners in another boat to come help them. And when they got there, they filled both boats to the point that they were about to sink!

⁸ At seeing this, Simon Peter fell down at Jesus’ knees and said, ‘Get away from me, because I’m a sinful man, O Lord!’ ⁹ [He said this] because, when they brought in so many fish, Simon and those who were with him were amazed and overwhelmed… ¹⁰ as were his partners James and John (Zebedee’s sons).

But Jesus said to Simon, ‘Quit being afraid… from now on you’ll catch living men.’ ¹¹ So they brought their boats back to land and just walked away from everything to follow him.

¹² On another occasion, while he was in one of the cities, {Look!} there was a man who was full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell to his face and begged, ‘Lord; If you just want to, you can make me clean.’

¹³ So [Jesus] reached out his hand, touched him, and said, ‘I want to… be clean.’ And immediately, the leprosy left him. ¹⁴ Then he ordered the man not to tell anyone, saying, ‘Go and show yourself to the Priests and give an offering for your cleansing as a witness to them, just as Moses commanded.’

¹⁵ But word about him kept spreading, and huge crowds would assemble to listen and to be cured of their illnesses. ¹⁶ So he retreated to the deserts to pray.

¹⁷ Well several days later, he was teaching, as some Pharisees and teachers of the Law were [sitting among the crowd], and people had come from every village of Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem, because [Jesus] was healing by the power of Jehovah. ¹⁸ Then {Look!} some men carried a paralyzed man to him who was lying on a cot. And they were looking for a way to bring the man to [Jesus], ¹⁹ but because they couldn’t find a way through the crowd, they climbed onto the roof and lowered the little cot through the tiles, down in front of Jesus. ²⁰ And when he saw their faith, he said, ‘Man; Your sins are forgiven!’

²¹ Well at that, the scribes and Pharisees started asking each other, ‘Who is this that talks so blasphemously? Who can forgive sins other than God?’

²² But Jesus recognized what they were thinking and asked, ‘What are you concluding in your hearts? ²³ Which is easier to say, your sins are forgiven, or, get up and walk? ²⁴ But, just so you will know that the Son of Man has been given the power to forgive sins on the earth,’ he then told the paralyzed man, ‘I tell you; Get up, pick up your little cot, and go home!’

²⁵ Then the man immediately stood up before them all, picked up the [cot] that he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God. ²⁶ Well, everyone was delighted and they started glorifying God. But they were also afraid, saying, ‘We’ve seen some strange things today!’

²⁷ After that, [Jesus] went out and noticed a tax collector named [Matthew] Levi sitting in the tax office, and said, ‘Be my follower.’ ²⁸ Well, [Levi] got up, left everything behind, and started following him.

²⁹ Then Levi held a big reception feast for [Jesus] in his house, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining with them at the meal. ³⁰ And at this, the Pharisees and their scribes began complaining to the disciples, asking, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’

³¹ And Jesus replied ‘Those who are healthy don’t need a doctor, only the sick do. ³² So I came to call sinners to repentance, not righteous people.’

³³ Then later on, they said, ‘John’s disciples and those of the Pharisees fast frequently to ask things [of God]. But your [disciples] just go on eating and drinking.’

³⁴ And Jesus replied, ‘Friends of the bridegroom can’t be expected to fast while the groom is with them, can they? ³⁵ But the days will surely come when the groom will be taken away, and in those days they will fast.’

³⁶ Then he gave them an illustration:
‘No one cuts a patch from new clothes
And sews it onto old clothes;
For if they do, the new patch will tear off… 
And the patch from the new won’t match the old.

³⁷ ‘They don’t put new wine into old wineskins.
For if they do, the new wine will burst the old skins,
Spilling [the wine] and ruining the wineskins.
³⁸ So new wine must be put in new wineskins.
³⁹ And anyone who has tasted old wine,
Doesn’t want the new anyhow,
For they say The old [wine] is better.’

Chapter 6

¹ Now, [Jesus] happened to be walking through grain fields on a Sabbath, and his disciples were picking the grain, rubbing it in their hands, and eating it. ² Well, some of the Pharisees asked, ‘Why are you doing something that isn’t legal on the Sabbath?’

³ But Jesus said, ‘Haven’t you ever read how David did the same thing when he and his men got hungry… ⁴ how he went into the Temple of God and ate the presentation bread, sharing some with his men… something that isn’t legal for anyone to eat other than the Priests?’ ⁵ Then he added, ‘The Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath!’

⁶ On another Sabbath, he again went into the synagogue and started teaching. And a man was there whose right hand was withered, ⁷ so the scribes and Pharisees were watching [Jesus] closely to see if he would cure on the Sabbath… so they could find something to accuse him of. ⁸ However, [Jesus] knew what they were thinking, and he said to the man with the withered hand: ‘Get up and stand in the center.’ So [the man] stood up. ⁹ Then Jesus said, ‘Let me ask; Is it legal to do good or bad, or to save a life or destroy it on the Sabbath?’

¹⁰ Then (after looking around at everyone) he said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand’ (which he did), and his hand was healed! ¹¹ Well, [the scribes and Pharisees] absolutely went out of their minds and started talking to each other about what they could do to Jesus.

¹² It was around this same time that he went up a mountain to pray, spending the whole night in prayer to God. ¹³ Then the next day, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve who he started calling Apostles. ¹⁴ These were Simon (who he also named Peter), Andrew his brother, James, John, Philip, BarTholomew ([NathaniEl]), ¹⁵ Matthew, Thomas, James [the son] of AlphaEus, Simon (who is called the zealous one), ¹⁶ Judas [the son] of James ([ThadDaeus]), and Judas IsCariot (who turned traitor).

¹⁷ Then after they came down [the mountain], he found a level spot where a large group of his disciples and a huge crowd of people from Judea, Jerusalem, and the seaside areas of Tyre and Sidon came to listen to him and to be healed of their illnesses. ¹⁸ And there (as people who were being bothered by unclean spirits were cured), ¹⁹ the whole crowd was trying to touch him, as power flowed from him, and he healed them all.

²⁰ Then he looked at his disciples and said:

‘[You who] are poor are blest,
For the Kingdom of God is yours.
²¹ [You who] are hungry are blest,
For you will find satisfaction.
[You who] are crying are blest,
For you will [soon be found] laughing.

²² ‘You are blest whenever men hate you,
And no longer wish to be with you;
Or when they say bad things about you,
And call you wicked for the Son of Man’s sake.

²³ ‘When that day comes, be happy… jump for joy!
For {Look!} your reward in the heavens is great.
Why, these are the very same things,
That their fathers used to do to the Prophets.

²⁴ ‘But, woe to you who are rich,
For you now have all that you want.
²⁵ Woe to you with full [stomachs],
Because you will go hungry.
Woe to you who are laughing,
Because you’ll cry and you’ll mourn.
²⁶ And woe when all say nice things about you,
For their fathers did that for false prophets.

²⁷ ‘I tell all of you who will listen:
All your enemies you must love,
And do good to all those who hate you.
²⁸ Praise all those who would curse you,
And pray for those who insult you.

²⁹ ‘If someone hits you on the cheek,
Offer the other one also.
And if someone should take all your clothes,
Offer him also your underwear.

³⁰ ‘Give to each one who asks,
And don’t ask those who take to give back.
³¹ All you want men to do for you,
That’s how you should treat them.

³² ‘If you love just those who love you,
What kind of favor are you performing?
Even sinners love those who love them.
³³ And if you only do good things
For those who do good things to you,
What kind of favor is that?
For, even sinners will do the same thing.
³⁴ And if you lend without interest,
To those who you expect to pay back,
What kind of favor is that?
For even sinners lend to sinners without interest,
When they are expecting repayment.

³⁵ ‘So, love your enemies and do good things;
Lend without hope of return,
Then a great reward you’ll receive…
You’ll be sons of the Most High.
For, He’s kind to even the ungrateful and wicked,
³⁶ So show mercy as your Father shows mercy.

³⁷ ‘Don’t judge [others] and you won’t be judged.
Don’t condemn [others] and you won’t be condemned.
[Let others go] free and you will be freed.

³⁸ ‘Give, and others will give back.
They’ll hand to you a generous share,
That is tightly packed down and overflowing.
For the amount that you measure [to others],
Is the amount that they’ll measure to you.

³⁹ Then he gave them some illustrations, ‘Can a blind man guide a blind man? Both will fall into a pit, won’t they?

⁴⁰ ‘A disciple isn’t over his teacher, but everyone who learns well will be like his teacher.’

⁴¹ ‘Why look for straw in the eye of your brother,
When you can’t see the rafter in yours?
⁴² How can you say to your brother,
Let me remove that [chaff] from your eye,
While you can’t see the rafter in your own?
Hypocrite! First remove the rafter from your own eye,
And then you’ll be able to see clearly,
How to remove the [chaff] from the eye of your brother.

⁴³ ‘A good tree won’t produce rotten fruit,
And a rotten tree won’t give fruit that is good.
⁴⁴ So all trees are known by their fruit.

‘People don’t pick figs from the briers,
And they don’t cut grapes from thorn bushes.
⁴⁵ So a good man brings good from the good,
That he has treasured in his heart.
But the wicked bring bad from their badness.
For your mouths speak of things that fill up your hearts.

⁴⁶ ‘So, why do you call me and say, Lord, Lord,
When you don’t do the things that I say?

⁴⁷ ‘Here’s what he who comes to me is like…
He who listens and does it;
⁴⁸ He’s like a man who was building a house,
And dug deep to lay its foundation in the bedrock.
So, when a flood came and the river washed against it,
His house wasn’t shaken, for it was well built.

⁴⁹ ‘But he who hears and doesn’t do [what I say],
Is like a man who then built his house,
On the ground without a foundation.
So the river [overflowed] and washed against it,
And it collapsed right away, doing great damage.’

Chapter 7

¹ Well, when he finished saying all these things within earshot of the people, he entered Capernaum. ² And there was a centurion [in that city] who had a valued servant that was sick and near death. ³ So, when he heard about Jesus, he sent some Judean elders to ask him to come and save his slave’s life. ⁴ So they quickly went to Jesus and begged him saying, ‘[The centurion] is worthy of your doing this for him, ⁵ because he loves our nation and he built a synagogue for us.’

⁶ So Jesus went off with them, but he wasn’t very far from the house when the centurion sent his friends to say, ‘Sir, don’t bother [to come here], because I’m unfit to have you come under my roof. ⁷ It’s because I didn’t consider myself worthy that I didn’t come to you myself. So, just say the word and let my servant be healed. ⁸ You see, I’m also a man of power, [because I have] soldiers under me. And if I say to this one, be on your way, he’s on his way; and to another, come, he comes; and to my slave, do this, he does it.’

⁹ Well when Jesus heard this, he was amazed. So he turned to the crowd that was following him and said, ‘I tell you; I haven’t found so great a faith even in Israel.’

¹⁰ Then [the elders] who had been sent found the slave in good health when they returned to the house.

¹¹ And soon afterward, he traveled with his disciples and a large crowd to a city called Nain. ¹² And as he neared the city gate, {Look!} there was a dead man being carried out, who was the only son his mother had, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was also with her. ¹³ So when the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity and said, ‘Stop crying.’ ¹⁴ Then he went up and touched the open casket, and the pallbearers stopped. And he said, ‘Young man; I tell you to get up!’

¹⁵ Well at that, the dead man sat straight up and started talking. Then [Jesus] gave him to his mother. ¹⁶ However, everyone was frightened and started glorifying God saying, ‘A great Prophet has been raised among us,’ and ‘God has started paying attention to His people.’

¹⁷ So, news about him was spread throughout all of Judea and the surrounding countryside.

¹⁸ Now, John’s disciples were reporting to him about everything that had happened. ¹⁹ So John called two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect another?’

²⁰ And when they got to [Jesus], the men said, ‘John the Baptist sent us to ask if you’re the Anointed One, or if we’re to expect someone else.’

²¹ Well, during that hour he cured many who were sick, plagued, or had wicked spirits, and he granted many blind people the gift of vision. ²² Then he answered, ‘Now go your way and report what you saw and heard to John. [Tell him that] the blind are seeing, the lame are walking, lepers are being cleansed, the deaf are hearing, the dead are being raised, and the poor are being told the good news… ²³ he who doesn’t stumble over me is blest.’

²⁴ Well, after John’s messengers left, he asked the crowd about John:
‘What did you go to the desert to see,
Reeds that are blowing in the wind?
²⁵ So, what did you go out to see,
A man who is dressed in soft clothes?

‘Why, those who dress and live well,
Are those who live in a palace.
²⁶ So, what did you go out to see… a Prophet?
Yes, and I tell you, much more than a Prophet!
²⁷ This is the one about whom it’s written:
{Look!} I’m sending My messenger,
Who’ll prepare the way before you.

²⁸ ‘I tell you this:
Of those who from women are born,
None is greater than John,
But a person who is least in the Kingdom of God,
Will be greater than he.’

²⁹ Well, when all the common people and the tax collectors heard this, they spoke of God’s righteousness, because they had been baptized with John’s baptism. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and those who were trained in the Law disregarded this counsel from God, because [John] hadn’t baptized them.

³¹ [So, Jesus said:]
‘To whom should I compare this generation…
Who are they really like?
³² They’re like young children who sit in the market,
And then shout at each other and say:
We played the flute, but you didn’t dance.
We wailed, but you didn’t cry.

³³ ‘For, when John the Baptist arrived,
He didn’t feast or drink wine,
So you said that he has a demon.
³⁴ But the Son of Man came eating and drinking,
So you say, {Look} He’s a glutton and drinks too much wine…
He’s a friend of tax collectors and sinners!
³⁵ However; Wisdom is proven righteous by its results.’

³⁶ One of the Pharisees [named Simon] kept asking [Jesus] to dine with him. So he went to the house of the Pharisee and reclined at the table. ³⁷ And {Look!} a woman of the city (a known sinner) learned that he was reclining for a meal in the house of the Pharisee, so she brought an alabaster case of perfumed ointment. ³⁸ Then, sitting behind him at his feet, she wept and wet his feet with her tears, then she wiped them dry with her hair. She also kissed his feet tenderly and greased them with the perfumed ointment.

³⁹ Well, when the Pharisee who invited him saw this, he thought to himself, ‘If this man was a Prophet he’d know who, and just what kind of woman it is that’s touching him. She’s a sinner!’

⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, ‘Simon I have something to tell you.’

And [Simon] replied, ‘Go ahead and tell it, Teacher!’

⁴¹ ‘Two men each owed money to a certain lender; one was in debt for five hundred silver coins and the other for fifty. ⁴² Well, when they didn’t have anything to pay him back with, he freely forgave them both. So, which will love him more?’

⁴³ Then Simon answered, ‘I guess it’s the one who he forgave the most.’

At which [Jesus] said, ‘You judged correctly.’

⁴⁴ Then he turned to the woman and asked Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? When I came into your house, you didn’t give me any water for my feet, but this woman wet my feet with her tears and wiped them dry with her hair. ⁴⁵ You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time that I entered, this woman has been tenderly kissing my feet. ⁴⁶ You didn’t grease my head with oil, but this woman greased my feet with perfumed ointment. ⁴⁷ So I tell you; although she has many sins, they are forgiven because she showed a lot of love. But, whoever hasn’t been forgiven for much, doesn’t love much.’

⁴⁸ Then he told her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’

⁴⁹ Well at that, those who were reclining at the table with him started wondering to themselves, ‘Just who is this man who even forgives sins?’

⁵⁰ But he said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you. Go your own way in peace.’

Chapter 8

¹ Shortly thereafter, [Jesus] started traveling from city to city and village to village with the twelve, preaching and telling about the good news of the Kingdom of God. ² Now, [traveling with him] were some women who [he had] cured of wicked spirits and illnesses. There was Mary (who is called the Magdelean), from whom seven demons had come out; ³ Joanna, the wife of Chuza (Herod’s top aid); Susanna, and many others, who were serving his needs from the things they had.

⁴ Well, when a large crowd had gathered (along with those who traveled with him to city after city), he spoke to them using this illustration:
⁵ ‘A farmer went out to plant seeds.
And as he was planting,
Some fell next to the road and were walked on,
And the birds of the sky came to eat them.

⁶ ‘Others landed on the rocks,
And they dried up after they sprouted,
Because there was not enough water.

⁷ ‘Still others fell among all the thorns
And these thorns then grew up and choked them.

⁸ Yet others fell upon the good soil,
And after sprouting they produced fruit a hundred times over.’

And as he told them this, he shouted, ‘Let him who has ears to hear, listen!’

⁹ Well, his disciples asked him what this illustration meant. ¹⁰ So he said, ‘You’ve been allowed to understand the mystery of the Kingdom of God. But as for the rest, [all they hear is the] illustrations. So when they look, they look in vain, and although they hear they don’t understand.

¹¹ ‘Now, the illustration means this: The seed is the Word of God. ¹² Those beside the road are those who hear, but the Slanderer comes and takes the Word from their hearts, to prevent them from believing and being saved.

¹³ ‘Those that fall on the rocks, are those who hear and welcome the Word with joy, but because they don’t have any roots, they only believe for a season. And when seasons of testing come along, they pull away.

¹⁴ ‘As for those who fall among thorns; These are the ones who have heard, but because of daily concerns (wealth, and the pleasures of living), they are choked out and fail to produce.

¹⁵ ‘But [those that fall] on the good soil have good and pure hearts; and after hearing the word, they remember and continue to bear fruit.

¹⁶ ‘No one who lights a lamp,
Will then cover it up with a pot,
Or hide it under a bed.
They put it [up] on a lampstand,
So those who step in can see light.

¹⁷ ‘So, there’s nothing that’s hidden that will not be shown,
Or anything covered that will not be known,
And then brought into the open.

¹⁸ ‘So pay attention to the way that you listen,
For to whoever has, more will be given.
But, for those who have not,
What he imagines he has will be taken from him.’

¹⁹ Now, [Jesus’] mother and brothers came to see him, but they weren’t able to reach him because of the crowd. ²⁰ However, someone reported to him, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside; [they] want to see you.’

²¹ But he replied, ‘My mother and brothers are these who hear the Word of God and obey it.’

²² Well, some days later, [Jesus] and his disciples got into a boat and he told them, ‘Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.’ So they took off. ²³ And as they were sailing, he fell asleep. Now, a violent windstorm came down on the lake and the boat started to take on water, so they were in a dangerous position. ²⁴ Then [the disciples] went and woke him, saying, ‘Instructor; instructor; We’re about to drown!’

And when he awoke, he scolded the wind and the raging water, and they calmed down, becoming very peaceful. ²⁵ And he asked, ‘Where’s your faith?’

But they were so afraid and awestruck that they were asking each other, ‘Who really is this? Why, he even orders the wind and waves and they obey him!’

²⁶ Then they sailed to the country of the GeraSenes, which is on the shore opposite Galilee. ²⁷ But as he stepped out on land, a demonized man from the city came to meet him who hadn’t worn clothing for some time, and he didn’t live in a house, but [stayed] among the tombs.

²⁸ Well, when he saw Jesus, he shouted and fell down in front of him; then he said in a loud voice, ‘What dealings do I have with you Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torment me.’ ²⁹ ([He said this, because Jesus] had ordered the unclean spirit to come out of the man.)

[This man had been] arrested repeatedly, bound with chains and leg irons, and put under guard. But he would break the chains, and the demons forced him to [live in] such isolated places.

³⁰ So Jesus asked him, ‘What’s your name?’

And he replied, ‘Legion’ (because many demons had entered him). ³¹ And they kept begging him not to order them to go away into the abyss.

³² Now, a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the mountain, so they begged [Jesus] to allow them to go into [the pigs], and he gave them permission. ³³ Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the whole herd ran down a steep drop-off into the lake and drowned.

³⁴ Well, when the herders saw what had happened, they ran and reported it throughout the city and countryside. ³⁵ Then the people came out to see what happened, and when they went to Jesus, they found the man who the demons came out of wearing clothes and in his right mind, sitting at Jesus’ feet, and they were frightened. ³⁶ And those who saw all that had happened, told them how the demon-possessed man had been cured. ³⁷ So, the huge number who came from the surrounding area asked [Jesus] to leave them, because they were so frightened. Then he stepped into the boat to return.

³⁸ Then the man from whom the demons came out started begging to go with [Jesus]. But he sent the man away, saying, ³⁹ ‘Go back home and tell the things that God did for you.’ So he went away and proclaimed the things that Jesus had done throughout the whole city.

⁴⁰ A crowd was waiting when Jesus got back, because they were all expecting him. ⁴¹ But {Look!} a man named JaIrus (who was a presiding officer of the synagogue) came to him and fell at Jesus’ feet, begging him to come to his house, ⁴² because he had an only daughter (who was about twelve years old) that was dying.

Well, as he went there, the people were crowded around him. ⁴³ And a woman who had [been experiencing] a blood flow for twelve years, and who nobody had been able to cure, ⁴⁴ came up from behind and touched the fringe of his robe; and her flow of blood stopped instantly.

⁴⁵ Then Jesus asked, ‘Who touched me?’

Well, everyone denied it. And then Peter said, ‘Instructor; The crowds are all around you and pushing against you.’

⁴⁶ But Jesus said, ‘Someone touched me, because I noticed the power leaving me.’

⁴⁷ So, seeing that [what she did] didn’t go unnoticed, the woman came up trembling, fell down in front of him, and told everyone why she touched him and how she was healed instantly. ⁴⁸ Then he said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go your way in peace.’

⁴⁹ Well, as he was still talking, someone came up beside the presiding officer of the synagogue and told him, ‘Your daughter has died, so don’t bother the teacher anymore.’

⁵⁰ But when he heard this, Jesus told him, ‘Don’t be afraid; just have faith and she’ll be saved.’

⁵¹ Well, when he got to the house, he wouldn’t let anyone go inside with him, except Peter, John, James, and the girl’s father and mother. ⁵² There the people were all crying and beating themselves in grief over her, so he said, ‘Stop crying! She didn’t die, she’s just sleeping.’

⁵³ But then they all started laughing at him, because they knew she was dead. ⁵⁴ However, he took her by the hand and called her, saying, ‘Girl, get up!’ ⁵⁵ Then her breath returned and she stood right up, and he told them to give her something to eat.

⁵⁶ Well, her parents were beside themselves [with joy], but he instructed them not to tell anyone what had happened.

Chapter 9

¹ He then called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to cure illnesses, ² and sent them off to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal. ³ He told them: ‘Don’t carry anything with you… not a staff, or a food pouch, or bread, or silver, not even two pairs of underwear. ⁴ But wherever you enter a home, lodge there and go out [to preach]. ⁵ And wherever people fail to welcome you, shake the dust off your feet as you are leaving that city, as a witness against them.’

⁶ So, they left and traveled throughout all the villages, telling the good news and curing people everywhere.

⁷ Now, Herod (the district ruler) heard about everything that was happening and he was bothered by doubt. [This is] because, some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, ⁸ others were saying that EliJah had appeared, and still others said that one of the ancient Prophets had arisen.

⁹ So Herod said, ‘I beheaded John. So, just who is this that I’m hearing such things about?’ And he looked for an opportunity to see [Jesus].

¹⁰ Well, when the Apostles returned, they told [Jesus] everything they did. Then he took them along to a private spot near a city called BethSaida. ¹¹ But the crowds learned of it and followed him. So he welcomed them kindly and started talking to them about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who needed a cure.

¹² Well, the day was ending, and the twelve came and said to him, ‘Dismiss the crowd so they can go into the villages and surrounding countryside to find provisions and a place to rest, because we’re in an isolated spot.’

¹³ But he said, ‘You give them something to eat.’

And they replied, ‘We don’t have anything other than five loaves [of bread] and two fish… unless we go out and buy food for all these people.’ ¹⁴ Well, the crowd included about five thousand men. But he told his disciples, ‘Have them recline as they do at meals, in rows of about fifty each.’

¹⁵ So [the Apostles] did this and had everyone recline on the ground. ¹⁶ Then he took the five [loaves of] bread and the two fish, looked up to the sky and spoke a blessing over them, then he broke them up and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. ¹⁷ So, everyone ate and was satisfied; and [afterward] they picked up twelve baskets of leftovers!

¹⁸ Later, as he was praying in a quiet spot, his disciples came to him and he asked them, ‘Who are the crowds saying that I am?

¹⁹ And they answered, ‘John the Baptist, or EliJah… yet others say you’re one of the ancient Prophets who has been raised.’

²⁰ Then he asked, ‘You though; Who do you say that I am?’

And Peter replied, ‘[You’re] the Anointed One of God.’

²¹ And at that, he firmly instructed them not to tell this to anyone, ²² and said, ‘The Son of Man will have to suffer many things… he will be rejected by the elders, Chief Priests, and scribes, and then he will be killed. But on the third day he will awaken.’

²³ Then he told everyone, ‘If anyone wants to follow after me, let him forego all the things that he wants, then pick up his impaling pole each day, and keep on following me. ²⁴ For, those who wish to save their lives will lose it, but those who lose their lives for my sake will save it. ²⁵ And what good does it do a ma, if he gains the whole world but loses his life or is injured?

²⁶ ‘If anyone is ashamed of me and what I say, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory… and that of the Father and holy messengers. ²⁷ But I tell you the truth; Some standing here will not taste death until they see the Kingdom of God.’

²⁸ And it happened just as he said. About eight days later, he took Peter, John, and James along, and they went up the mountain to pray. ²⁹ Then it happened: While he was praying, his face changed and his clothes started to glow. ³⁰ Also, {Look!} there were two men talking to him… Moses and EliJah… ³¹ they were recognizable! And they started talking about the departure that [Jesus] was about to fulfill in Jerusalem.

³² Now, Peter and the others were very sleepy. But when they saw his glory and the two men standing with him, they were wide-awake. ³³ And through the separation that was between them, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Instructor; It’s good for us to be here, so let us put up three tents; one for you, one for Moses, and one for EliJah’ (but he really didn’t know what he was saying).

³⁴ And just as he said that, a cloud formed and started to cover them. Then [Moses and EliJah] disappeared into the cloud, which frightened [the Apostles]. ³⁵ And a voice came from the cloud that said, ‘This is My Son, the one who has been chosen. Listen to him!’

³⁶ And as the voice occurred, Jesus was found alone. And back then they didn’t say anything… they didn’t tell anyone about the things that they saw.

³⁷ The next day, after coming down the mountain, a hug crowd met him. ³⁸ And {Look!} a man shouted from the crowd, ‘Teacher! I beg you to take a look at my son, because he’s the only one I have. ³⁹ Look; a spirit comes over him and he screams. Then it throws him into convulsions and he foams [at the mouth]. It stops after that, but it leaves him bruised. ⁴⁰ I begged your disciples to throw it out, but they couldn’t.’

⁴¹ Then Jesus said: ‘O faithless and twisted generation; How much longer do I have to stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son over here!’ ⁴² However, just as [the son] was approaching, the demon threw him to the ground and forced him into a violent convulsion.

Then Jesus scolded the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father… and everyone was astonished by the majestic Power of God.

⁴³ Now, everyone was stunned by the things he was doing, but [Jesus] said to his disciples, ⁴⁴ ‘Let these words live in your ears: The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.’ ⁴⁵ However, they still didn’t understand what he was saying, for in fact, it was hidden from them so they couldn’t understand, and they were afraid to ask him any more.

⁴⁶ Then they started wondering which of them would be the greatest. ⁴⁷ But Jesus knew what they were thinking in their hearts, so he took a little boy and sat him down next to him. ⁴⁸ And then he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes this young child in my name is welcoming me. And whoever welcomes me also welcomes Him who sent me, because the one who acts as the least one among you is the greatest.’

⁴⁹ Then John said: ‘Instructor, we saw a man casting out demons by using your name, and we tried to stop him, because he isn’t one of us.’

⁵⁰ But Jesus said to him, ‘Don’t try to stop him, because those who aren’t against you are for you.’

⁵¹ Now, since the number of days (before he was going to be taken) was almost fulfilled, he became firm in his resolve to go to Jerusalem. ⁵² So he sent messengers ahead of him, and they entered a Samaritan village in order to prepare [for his arrival]. ⁵³ But he wasn’t welcomed there, because of the fact that he was headed toward Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ And when the Disciples James and John [heard about] this, they asked, ‘Lord, do you want us to call fire down from the sky to wipe them out?’ ⁵⁵ But, he turned [to them] and reprimanded them. ⁵⁶ So they traveled on to another village.

⁵⁷ It was as they were traveling along the road that someone said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go!’

⁵⁸ And Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have burrows, and [birds] in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’

⁵⁹ Then he said to someone else, ‘Become my follower.’

But the man replied, ‘First let me go and bury my father.’

⁶⁰ And [Jesus] told him, ‘Let the dead bury their dead, but you go out and preach the Kingdom of God!’

⁶¹ Then another one said, ‘I’ll follow you Lord. But first, let me say goodbye to those in my home.’

⁶² And Jesus answered, ‘No man who puts his hands to a plow and looks back, is well suited for the Kingdom of God.’

Chapter 10

¹ Well, after that, the Lord appointed seventy others who he sent out ahead of him in pairs (two by two), into every city and place that he was about to go. ² And he told them, ‘There’s a huge harvest, but there aren’t enough workers. So, beg the Master of the harvest to force more workers to do the harvesting. ³ Get going! But look; I’m sending you as lambs among wolves.

⁴ ‘Don’t carry a bag of money, a food pouch, or sandals. And don’t [stop to] greet people along the road. ⁵ As you enter a house you must say, May this house have peace. ⁶ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him; but if not, it will return to you. ⁷ So stay in that house and eat and drink the things they provide, because a worker deserves his reward. Don’t keep moving from one home to another.

⁸ ‘Whenever you enter a city and they welcome you, eat whatever they put before you. ⁹ Then, cure their sick and tell them, The Kingdom of God is near. ¹⁰ But, whenever you enter a city and they fail to welcome you, go into its main streets and say, ¹¹ We’re wiping off the dust that got stuck on our feet in this city, and giving it all back to you.

‘Remember this: The Kingdom of God is near! ¹² I tell you, it will be easier for Sodom to endure [the Judgment] day than for that city.

¹³ ‘Woe to you ChoraZin, and woe to you BethSaida, because if the powerful things that happened in you also happened in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented and been sitting in sackcloth and ashes a long time ago. ¹⁴ So, it will be easier for Tyre and Sidon to endure the Judgment than for you.

¹⁵ ‘And you, CaperNaum, will you be lifted into heaven? [No]! You will go down to your grave!

¹⁶ ‘Whoever listens to you is also listening to me, but whoever ignores you is also ignoring me… and whoever ignores me also ignores Him that sent me.’

¹⁷ Well, when the seventy who were sent out in pairs returned, they joyfully said, ‘Lord, even the demons obeyed us when we used your name.’

¹⁸ Then he said to them: ‘I saw the Opposer falling like lightning from the sky. ¹⁹ Look! I’ve given you the authority to step on serpents, scorpions, and on the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you. ²⁰ However, don’t be happy because [evil] spirits obeyed you; be happy because your names have been written in the heavens!’

²¹ And at that time, the Holy Breath [of God] caused him to shout joyfully, ‘I praise You publicly Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You hid these things from the wise and understanding, but You’ve uncovered them to virtual babies. Yes Father; That’s why this clear reasoning was approved by You.

²² ‘My Father has given me everything, and nobody knows the Son but the Father, or the Father but the Son (and those to whom the Son wants to show Him).’

²³ With that, he turned to his disciples and said privately, ‘The eyes that see the things you’re seeing are blest, ²⁴ because, I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see the things you’re looking at and didn’t see them… and to hear the things you’re hearing, but didn’t hear them.

²⁵ Then, {Look!} a man who knew the Law very well stood up, and to test [Jesus], he asked, ‘Teacher, what must I do to inherit life in the age?’

²⁶ And [Jesus] replied, ‘What is written in the Law… what have you read?’

²⁷ So he answered, ‘You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart, life, strength, and mind, and your neighbor as yourself.’

²⁸ And [Jesus] replied, ‘That’s the right answer. Keep on doing that and you’ll live.’

²⁹ But [the man] wanted to show how righteous he was, so he asked Jesus, ‘So, just who is my neighbor?’

³⁰ And Jesus said, ‘A man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho when he was jumped on by some robbers. They stripped him, beat him up, and left him for dead. ³¹ But, by coincidence, a Priest was traveling the same road. And when he saw [the injured man], he passed on the opposite side. ³² Likewise, when a Levite reached that place and saw him, he passed on the opposite side.

³³ ‘But when a Samaritan came along and saw him, he was moved with pity. ³⁴ So he got down, and poured oil and wine on his wounds, and bandaged them. Then he put him up on his own animal, and brought him to an inn and cared for him. ³⁵ Then the next day, he took out two silver coins, and gave them to the innkeeper and said, Take care of him and I’ll pay you for all that you spend beyond this, when I return by this way.

³⁶ ‘Now, which of the three seems to have made himself a neighbor to the man who was jumped by the robbers?’

³⁷ The [young man] answered, ‘The one who showed mercy to him.’

Then Jesus said, ‘Go your way and do the same thing.’

³⁸ Now, as they were traveling along, they entered a certain village, and there was a woman named Martha there who welcomed him into her home. ³⁹ This woman had a sister named Mary, who sat down at the feet of the Lord and kept listening to what he was saying. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted, because she was busy preparing [a meal]. So she came to him and said, ‘Lord, doesn’t it bother you that my sister has left me to do all the preparing by myself? Tell her to give me a hand.’

⁴¹ But the Lord replied: ‘Martha, Martha; You’re worried and upset about [preparing] many things. ⁴² But all we need is just a few things… or just one. So Mary chose the best part… something that they can’t take away.’

Chapter 11

¹ Now, he was in a certain place praying; and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us how to pray… as John taught his disciples.’

² Then he said, ‘When you pray, say: Father, May Your Name be made Holy, and may Your Kingdom come. ³ Give us the bread that we need for today. ⁴ And forgive us for our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us, and don’t bring us into temptation.’

⁵ Then he asked, ‘Which of you has a friend that you could go to at midnight and say, Friend, loan me three loaves [of bread], ⁶ because another friend of mine has come a long way and I don’t have anything [to feed him]. ⁷ Then he will answer from inside: Don’t cause trouble. The door is already locked, and my kids are in bed with me, so I can’t get up and give you anything.

⁸ ‘I tell you; Although he won’t get up to give him anything because he’s a friend, he will get up and give him the things he needs if [his friend] continues to bother him. ⁹ So, keep asking and it will be given to you; keep searching and you will find it; keep knocking and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For, all who ask will receive; all who keep searching will find; and to all who knock it will be opened.

¹¹ ‘Which father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, would you hand a scorpion to him?
¹³ Now, if you in your wicked condition, know to give good gifts to your children, How much more will the Father in heaven, give Holy Breath to all those who ask Him!’

¹⁴ [Jesus] once threw out a demon that caused a man to be unable to talk. And after the demon came out, the man spoke, which amazed the crowds. ¹⁵ But some of them said, ‘He throws out the demons with the help of Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.’

¹⁶ Then, others tried to tempt him by asking him to give them a sign from heaven. ¹⁷ Knowing what they were imagining, he said: ‘All kingdoms that are divided are destroyed, and a house that’s [divided] will fall. ¹⁸ So, if the Opposer is divided against himself, how will his kingdom then stand?

‘Now, you say that I’m casting out demons, with the help of Beelzebub. ¹⁹ But if I’m throwing out demons with Beelzebub’s power, then who do your sons use to cast them out? This is why they will judge you. ²⁰ For, if I’m casting out demons by the finger of God, the Kingdom of God has overrun you.

²¹ ‘When a strong, well-armed man guards his mansion, all of his things will be safe. ²² But if someone who’s stronger comes along, overpowering him, and taking away the weapons that he trusted, they will divide up the loot.

²³ ‘Now, whoever isn’t with me is against me, and those who don’t come to me will be scattered.

²⁴ ‘When an unclean spirit comes out of a man,
It travels through [many] dry places,
In search of a [good] place to rest.
And when it doesn’t find one it will say:
I’ll go back to the house I moved out of.

²⁵ ‘And when it finds it swept clean and arranged,
²⁶ With seven more spirits it returns,
Who are even more wicked than he;
And upon getting inside,
They’ll all continue to live there.
So the end result for that man,
Is worse than he was at the start.’

²⁷ Now, as he was saying these things, a woman in the crowd shouted, ‘Happy is the womb that carried you and the breasts that you sucked!’

²⁸ But he answered, ‘No, happy are those who hear the Word of God and obey it!’

²⁹ And as a crowd was starting to form, he said, ‘This is a wicked generation because it looks for a sign. However, no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah. ³⁰ For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be [a sign] to this generation.

³¹ ‘The Queen of the South will be raised in the Judgment,
With the men of this generation and condemn it,
For she came from the ends of the earth, to hear Solomon’s wisdom.
But look; Something more than Solomon is here!

³² ‘In the Judgment the men of Nineveh will be resurrected
With this generation and condemn it,
For they repented at the things preached by Jonah.
But look; Something more than Jonah is here!

³³ ‘No one lights a lamp and then hides it,
Or puts it under a basket.
They set it up on a lampstand,
So people can see where they’re going.

³⁴ ‘The lamp of your body is your eye,
And when your eye is kept simple,
Your whole body will be bright.
But when it is wicked your whole body is dark.

³⁵ ‘So, be careful that the light within you isn’t darkness,
³⁶ For, if your whole body is bright (with absolutely no dark parts),
It wll be a bright lamp
That shines to light up your way.’

³⁷ After he said this, a Pharisee asked [Jesus] to eat with him, so he went in and reclined at the table. ³⁸ Well, the Pharisee was surprised to see that he didn’t wash up before dinner. ³⁹ But the Lord told him: ‘You Pharisees like to wash the outsides of dishes and cups, while wickedness and stolen things are on their insides. ⁴⁰ Unreasonable people; Didn’t He who made the outsides also make the insides? ⁴¹ But if you give gifts to the needy, then {Look!} everything about you is clean… not just what you are on the outside.

⁴² ‘However; Woe to you Pharisees, for you offer your mint and your rue, along with your vegetables when you tithe, yet you overlook justice and love of God… you do all that you’re obliged to do, as you bypass all the rest.

⁴³ ‘Woe to you Pharisees; For you love the synagogue’s front seats, and all the greetings in the markets. ⁴⁴ Yes, woe to you; For you are like hidden graves, which men unwittingly walk on.’

⁴⁵ In answer, one who was trained in the Law said, ‘Teacher; When you say things like this you’re insulting us!’

⁴⁶ Then [Jesus] said:
‘Woe also to you who are trained in the Law,
For you pile loads upon men,
So high that they cannot be carried;
But you wouldn’t touch them with your [little] finger!

⁴⁷ ‘Yes, woe to you; for you build tombs for the Prophets,
Who were killed by your fathers!
⁴⁸ [So against yourselves] you bear witness,
For you approve of the things your ancestors did,
When they killed the very same Prophets… those whose tombs you are building.

⁴⁹ ‘It’s because of this, that thus says the Wisdom of God:
I will send them Apostles and Prophets;
They’ll persecute some and kill others,
⁵⁰ So that all the blood of all of the Prophets,
That’s been spilled since the founding of the world,
Will be laid upon this generation…
⁵¹From the blood of Abel to the blood of ZechariJah,
Who was murdered between the [Temple] and Altar.
Yes, I tell you: Upon this generation It will all be required.

⁵² ‘Woe to you who are trained in the Law,
For you’ve picked up the key to [great] knowledge,
Yet you’ve failed to enter [the door];
Then you block the way for those who are trying to enter!’

⁵³ Then he left that place.

And the scribes and Pharisees tried hard to pin him down, constantly asking him questions about things, ⁵⁴ lying in wait and trying to catch him in something he might say.

Chapter 12

¹ A crowd had gathered, and there were so many thousands there that they were literally stepping on each other. Then [Jesus warned] his disciples, ‘Watch out for the fermentation of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For:
² There’s nothing hidden that will not be shown,
And no secret that will not be known.
³ So the things that you say in the darkness,
Will be all heard in the light;
And what you whisper inside private rooms,
Will be preached from the housetops.

⁴ ‘I tell you this, my friends; Don’t fear those who kill the body, but can do nothing more than just that. ⁵ Let me show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who after the killing, has authority to throw you in the garbage… fear Him!

⁶ ‘Five sparrows sell for just two small coins… don’t they? Yet, in the eyes of God they’re never forgotten. ⁷ Why, even the hairs of your heads are all counted. So don’t be afraid; for you’re worth more than many sparrows.

⁸ ‘I tell you this: For all who’ll admit before men, that they are united with me, the Son of Man will also admit, unity with him before the messengers of God. ⁹ But, whoever before men denies knowing me, will be denied before the messengers of God.

¹⁰ ‘Those who speak a word against the Son of Man, will be forgiven [whatever they’ve said], but those who blaspheme [God’s] Holy Breath… they will not be forgiven.

¹¹ ‘When they bring you up before synagogues, or authorities and government officials, don’t worry about what you must do; or what you will say in defense, ¹² for you will be taught what to say, by [God’s] Holy Breath at that time.’

¹³ Then, someone in the crowd said, ‘Teacher; Tell my brother to share his inheritance with me!’

¹⁴ And [Jesus] asked, ‘Man; Who appointed me as the judge, or arbitrator between you?’ ¹⁵ Then he said, ‘Keep your eyes open and guard against greed, for life doesn’t come from owning many things.’

¹⁶ And then he gave them this illustration:
‘The fields of a certain rich man produced [a good harvest]. ¹⁷ So he started to think to himself; What shall I do now, for there’s not enough room to store all my crops? ¹⁸ And he said, Ah, I will do this: I’ll tear down my barns and build larger, and that’s where I’ll put all my wheat, as well as my other good things. ¹⁹ Then I will say to myself: Self, you have many good things, saved up [to last] many years. So now you can just take it easy… eat, drink, and enjoy! ²⁰ But God said: O foolish man; tonight they’re asking for your life; so who will these things then belong to?

²¹ ‘And that’s what happens to a man, who stores away treasures for himself, but fails to gain riches with God.’

²² Then he told his disciples, ‘This is why I have told you, not worry about your lives… about what you will eat, or about your bodies and what you will wear. ²³ For, your life is worth more than food, and your body’s worth [more] than [your] clothes. ²⁴ The ravens don’t plant seeds nor do they harvest, so they have no barns or storage sheds… because by God they are fed. And how much more are you worth than just birds?

²⁵ Who through worry adds a smidgen to his lifes? ²⁶ So if [worry] is unable fix little things, then why be concerned about all the rest?

²⁷ ‘Notice also how lilies grow, for they don’t work or make cloth. But I tell you that not Solomon in all his glory, was dressed as [well as] one of these. ²⁸ So, if God so well clothes the vegetation in the fields, that a here today and thrown in an oven tomorrow, how much more would He rather clothe you… you with so little faith!

²⁹ ‘So, stop searching for something to eat and to drink, and don’t wonder what you must do, ³⁰ for these are the things that the nations chase after. Why, your Father knows that you need all these things. ³¹ So; Keep seeking His Kingdom and you’ll get all the rest.

³² ‘Don’t be afraid, little flock, for your Father has agreed to give you the Kingdom. ³³ So sell the things that you own, and give to those who’re in need. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out… never-failing treasures in the heavens, where there are no thieves or moths to consume it. ³⁴ For, where your treasures are your hearts will be also.

³⁵ ‘So, wrap on your sashes and light your lamps, ³⁶ and act like men who’re awaiting the return, of their master from his wedding; so that when he arrives and starts knocking, they can open [the doors] right away.

³⁷ ‘For blest are those slaves who watching, when their master arrives! I tell you the truth; He’ll put on his apron and make them recline at the table, and then he’ll come and serve them! ³⁸ If in the second watch he arrives (or even if it’s during the third), they’ll be blest if they’re found doing this!

³⁹ ‘Recognize this: If the master of the house, had known when the thief would be coming, he would have been keeping watch, and not allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁰ So you too… keep ready! For the Son of Man will be coming, at an hour you consider unlikely.’

⁴¹ Then Peter asked, ‘Lord, are you giving this illustration to just us, or to everyone?’

⁴² And the Lord said, ‘Who is the faithful manager of the house… the sensible one who’s been assigned by his master, over all of his faithful friends, and to provide their food at the right time? ⁴³ For this slave will be blest if he’s found doing so, when his master arrives! ⁴⁴ I tell you the truth… he will put him in charge of all that he owns! ⁴⁵ But if that slave should say in his heart, My master’s delayed in returning, and those male and female servants he starts beating, then he feasts, and drinks, and gets drunk; ⁴⁶ that slave’s master will arrive on a day and an hour, that he has not been expected, and he’ll whip him and assign him among the unfaithful.

⁴⁷ ‘The slave who knows what his master expects, and doesn’t prepare or do what he wants, will be lashed with a whip many times. ⁴⁸ But those who don’t understand, and do things for which they deserve to be whipped, will be beaten with [just a] few [strokes]. For, from those given much, much is expected. And of those in charge of much, much is required.’

⁴⁹ ‘I came to start a fire on the earth, so what more could I wish for than to see it already lit? ⁵⁰ So, I have a baptism that I have to endure, and I’m under a heavy pressure until the time it’s completed.

⁵¹ ‘Did you think that I came to bring peace to the earth? I tell you; No! Rather, I came to bring division! ⁵² For from now on there’ll be five in a house who are divided three against two, and two against three. ⁵³ A Father will be divided against his son, and a son [will be] against his father; a mother [will be] against her daughter, and a daughter [will be] against her mother… mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’

⁵⁴ Then he told the crowd, ‘When you see a cloud arising in the west, you say that a storm is coming… and that’s what happens. ⁵⁵ Then, when the wind blows from the south, you say there’ll be a heat wave… and it happens. ⁵⁶ Hypocrites! You know how to read the earth and the sky, so why can’t you read the times?

⁵⁷ ‘Also; Why don’t you judge what’s righteous for yourselves? ⁵⁸ For example: When you take a case before a ruler, try to solve the problem along the way, so he doesn’t drag you before a judge, who will hand you over to the bailiff, who will then throw you in jail. ⁵⁹ I tell you; You won’t get out until you’ve paid your last cent.’

Chapter 13

¹ At the time, some who were there told him [the story] about certain Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. ² Then [Jesus] asked, ‘Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered these things? ³ No! I tell you that if you don’t repent you will all be destroyed too! ⁴ Or those eighteen that the tower at Siloam fell on and killed; Do you think they were worse sinners than every one else who lives in Jerusalem? ⁵ No! I tell you that if you don’t repent, you’ll all be destroyed that same way!’

⁶ Then he gave this illustration, ‘A man had a fig tree in his vineyard; and when he came looking for fruit, he failed to find any there. ⁷ Then he said to the person who cared for the vineyard, For three years I’ve come looking for fruit on this tree, and so far I’ve found none… cut it down! For, why should it waste all the space?

⁸ ‘But [the vinedresser] replied, Master; Leave it alone for just one more year, while I cultivate it and add fertilizer. ⁹ Then, if it produces fruit in the future… but if not, I’ll cut it down.’

¹⁰ Now, he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath ¹¹ where {Look!} there was a woman who had been very weak for eighteen years. She was bent over double and was unable to straighten herself. ¹² And when he saw this, Jesus called her and said, ‘Woman, you’re now free from this weakness.’ ¹³ Then he laid his hands on her and she straightened up instantly and started glorifying God.

¹⁴ But the chief of the synagogue resented this, because Jesus performed the cure on the Sabbath. So he told the crowd, ‘There are SIX DAYS when work should be done. Come to be cured on THOSE DAYS, not on the Sabbath!’

¹⁵ However, the Lord answered: ‘Hypocrites, don’t you untie your bulls or burros from their stalls and lead them out to drink on the Sabbath? ¹⁶ Why, this is a daughter of Abraham, and the Opposer has held her tied {Look!} for some eighteen years! Wasn’t it appropriate for her to be untied from this type of bondage on the Sabbath?’

¹⁷ Well, after he said that, all who opposed him were ashamed, while the crowd started to rejoice over all the glorious things he did.

¹⁸ Then he went on to say:
‘What will the Kingdom of God be like…
To what can it be compared?
¹⁹ It’s like the seed of a mustard [plant],
That a man planted in his garden,
Which grew and became like a tree,
Where birds of the sky roosted its branches.’

²⁰ And once again, he said:
‘To what should I compare the Kingdom of God?
²¹ It’s like fermentation that was hid by a woman
Inside three large measures of flour,
Until the mass rose and was all filled with fermentation.’

²² Well, he traveled through city after city and village after village teaching, as he continued on his way to Jerusalem.

²³ Then someone asked: ‘Lord, will only a few be saved?’

And he said to them: ²⁴ ‘Struggle to get through the narrow door, for I tell you that many will try to get in, but they just won’t have enough strength. ²⁵ Then after the master gets up and locks the door; if you’re standing outside and start knocking, and shouting Lord, open to us, he’ll say: I don’t know where you’re from.

²⁶ ‘Then you’ll say: Why, we ate and drank before you, and you taught us in our main streets.

²⁷ ‘But he’ll reply: I don’t know where you’re from. Go away… you who are doing unrighteous things!

²⁸ ‘This is where there’ll be crying and grinding of teeth: When you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of God, but you have been thrown on the outside. ²⁹ They’ll come from the east, west, north, and the south, and will recline at the table in the Kingdom of God. ³⁰ {Look!} However; Those who are last will be first, and those who are first will be last.’

³¹ In that very hour, some Pharisees came and said to him, ‘You’d better get out of here and go, because Herod wants to kill you.’

³² But he replied, ‘Go tell that old fox: {Look!} I’m casting out demons and healing today and tomorrow, and I’ll be finished on the following day. ³³ But I’ll travel on today, tomorrow, and the next day, because destroying a Prophet outside of Jerusalem isn’t allowed.

³⁴ ‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you killer of Prophets,
And stoner of those sent to you;
How often I wanted to gather your children,
As a hen takes her chicks under her wings…
But that isn’t the thing that you wanted.

³⁵ ‘Look! Your house has been taken from you!
And I tell you that you will not see me again,
Until you [finally] say: Praise him who comes in the Name of the Lord!’

Chapter 14

¹ There was a time when [Jesus] went to eat a meal at the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a Sabbath… and they were all watching him very closely. ² Then {Look!} a man came to him who had [a fluid-buildup condition called] dropsy. ³ So Jesus asked those who had studied the Law and the Pharisees, ‘Is it legal to cure on the Sabbath or not?’ ⁴ But they wouldn’t answer.

So he took hold of [the man], healed him, and then sent him on. ⁵ And thereafter he asked, ‘If your son or your bull were to fall into a well on the Sabbath, which of you wouldn’t immediately pull him out?’

⁶ And they weren’t unable to come up with an answer.

⁷ Then, after noticing how the guests were choosing the best spots at the table, he gave them this illustration:
⁸ ‘When someone invites you to a wedding banquet,
Don’t recline in the best places.
For, if someone more honored has been invited,
⁹ He who invited will come and tell you,
Let this man sit in that spot…
You’ll be shamed and must go to the very least place.

¹⁰ ‘So, whenever you are invited,
Go and recline in the very last place.
And when he who invited you then arrives, he will say:
Friend, please] choose a better spot!
Then you will be honored before all of the guests.

¹¹ So, those who promote themselves will be humbled,
And those who are humble will be promoted.’

¹² Then he said to the man who invited him:
‘When you spread a dinner or a supper,
Don’t call your friends and your brothers,
Or your relatives or your rich neighbors,
For you’ll be repaid if they invite you in return.

¹³ ‘But, whenever you hold a banquet,
Invite the poor and the crippled,
As well as the lame and the blind.
¹⁴ Then you will be blest,
For they have nothing with which to repay you,
And you’ll be repaid in the resurrection of the righteous.’

¹⁵ Well, when one of the guests heard this, he said to [Jesus], ‘Those who eat bread in the Kingdom of God are blest!’

¹⁶ And [Jesus] replied, ‘There was a man who prepared a large supper,
And he invited many to eat it.
¹⁷ So he sent his slave out when the supper was ready,
To tell all those who were invited,
Come on, for all is now ready!

¹⁸ ‘But, then they all started excusing themselves.
The first said: I must go to see a field that I bought.
Please have me excused.

¹⁹ ‘Another said, I bought five pairs of bulls,
And I must go to look them over.
Please have me excused.

²⁰ ‘Still another said, I have just gotten married,
So I’m unable to come now.

²¹ ‘Well, when the slave returned and reported these things to his master,
The master of the house became angry,
And he told his slave: Go quickly to the city’s main streets and alleys,
And bring the poor and the crippled,
As well as the blind and the lame.

²² ‘And later, the slave told his master: I have done all that you ordered, but there’s still plenty of room.

²³ ‘So, the master told him: Go out to the roads and backyards,
And make them come so my house will be filled!
²⁴ For I tell you that none of those I invited,
Will have a taste of my supper.’

²⁵ Now, there was a large crowd traveling with him. So he turned and said to them, ²⁶ ‘Unless those who come to me care less for their fathers, mothers, wives, children, brothers and sisters – yes even their own lives – they cannot become my disciples, ²⁷ nor can anyone follow me who won’t carry this own impaling pole.

²⁸ ‘Which of you that wants to build a tower,
Wouldn’t sit down first and calculate the costs,
So you’ll have enough to finish [the job]?
²⁹ For, you might just lay the foundation,
Then be unable to complete it,
And all who see it will then make fun, ³⁰ saying:
This man started the job, but he just couldn’t complete it.

³¹ ‘Or, what king, when he’s marching against another,
Doesn’t first sit down and ask his advisors,
If his ten thousand troops can beat
The one who comes with twenty thousand?

³² ‘And if he’s unable to do that;
While [his enemy] is still far away,
He’ll send ambassadors to sue for peace.

³³ ‘So, be sure! For no one who refuses to give up all that he owns can [qualify to] be my disciple!

³⁴ ‘Salt is good; but if salt loses its flavor, what good will it be as a seasoning? ³⁵ It’ll be no good for soil or manure, so people will throw it away… Let him who has ears to hear, listen!’

Chapter 15

¹ Well, all the tax collectors and sinners kept coming to [Jesus] to listen to him. ² And as the result, the Pharisees and scribes were mumbling, ‘This man welcomes sinners and even eats with them!’

³ So he gave them this illustration:
⁴ ‘Which of you who has a hundred sheep,
And then loses just one,
Wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine in the open range,
And search for the lost one until it’s found?
⁵ And when he finds it he rejoices and lifts it on his shoulders,
⁶ And when he gets home, calls his friends and neighbors (to say:)
Rejoice with me, for I’ve found my sheep that was lost.

⁷ ‘So I tell you; There is more rejoicing in heaven,
Over just one sinner who repents,
Than over ninety-nine of the righteous,
Who have no need to repent.

⁸ ‘Or when a woman with ten silver coins,
Finds that she has lost one,
She lights a lamp and carefully sweeps her whole house…
She searches until she has found it.
⁹ And when she finds it, she calls for all her friends and neighbors (to say:)
Rejoice with me, for I’ve found the silver coin that I lost.

¹⁰ ‘So I tell you; There’s joy among the messengers of God
Over each sinner who repents.’

¹¹ Then he said, ‘There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The youngest of them told his father, Father, give me my share of the inheritance. So he divided what he had with him. ¹³ And it wasn’t many days later, that the younger son collected his things, and traveled to a far away land, where he squandered all that he had.

¹⁴ ‘Well, after he’d spent [all his money], a famine came to that land, and his situation became quite desperate. ¹⁵ So, he went to work for a citizen of that country, who sent him into his fields to herd pigs. ¹⁶ Why, he even wanted to eat the carob pods that he was feeding those pigs, because no one would give him anything.

¹⁷ ‘Then, when he finally came to his senses, he asked himself, How many of my father’s hired hands have much bread, while here I’m about to die from a famine! ¹⁸ I’ll get up and travel to my father and tell him: Father I’ve sinned against heaven and you. ¹⁹ I’m no longer worthy to be called your son, so make me one of your hired hands.

²⁰ ‘Then he got up and returned to his father.

‘But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt pity. Then he ran and fell on his neck, and he tenderly kissed him. ²¹ And the son said, Father, I’ve sinned against heaven and you. I’m no longer worthy of being called your son, so make me one of your hired hands.

²² ‘But the father told his slaves, Quick! Bring out a robe and put it on him… the best one! And put a ring on his hand and sandals upon his feet. ²³ Then bring in the wheat-fed calf and kill it, and then let’s eat and enjoy ourselves! ²⁴ For, my son who was dead is alive again… he was lost and then he was found!

‘Then they started to celebrate.

²⁵ ‘Now, the older son was out in the fields, and as he was returning and neared the house, he heard [the sounds] of a band and dancing. ²⁶ So he called to one of the servants and asked, What is going on?

²⁷ ‘And he answered: Your brother has returned, and your father slaughtered the wheat-fed calf, because he’s returned healthy.

²⁸ ‘Then [the son] became angry and refused to enter. And finally his father came out to beg him. ²⁹ But he told his father, I’ve slaved for you all these years, and I’ve never once broken your rules. However, you never gave me so much as a young goat to enjoy with all my friends. ³⁰ Then as soon as your son arrives who spent all he had on whores, you slaughtered the wheat-fed calf for him!

³¹ ‘But [the father] said, Child, you’ve always been with me, and all that I have is yours. ³² But, we had to celebrate and rejoice, because your brother who was dead has come to life! He was lost and now he is found!’

Chapter 16

¹ Then [Jesus] went on to tell his disciples, ‘There was a rich man who had a house manager, who was falsely accused of mishandling his things. ² So [the rich man] called him and asked, What are these things that I’m hearing about you? Turn in your things; you’re no longer the manager [of my] house!

³ ‘Then the [man] thought to himself, Now, what should I do, since my master is taking away my position? I don’t have the strength to dig, and I’m too ashamed to beg. ⁴ I know what I’ll do when I lose my job… it’ll be something that will cause people to welcome me into their homes!

⁵ ‘So, he called in all who owed debts to his master, and then he asked the first one: How much do you owe my master?

⁶ ‘He replied, Nine hundred gallons of olive oil.

‘Then he told him, Here, take your contract; sit down and quickly write four hundred-fifty.

⁷ ‘He also asked the next, And how much do you owe?

‘And he replied, Thirty-six thousand quarts of wheat.

‘Then he told him, Take your contract; write twenty-nine thousand.

⁸ ‘Well, although he was unrighteous, his master spoke in praise of [that man], for he showed very good sense. You see; The sons of this age have more sense when it comes to dealing with this generation, than do the sons of the light.

⁹ ‘So I’m telling you all to make friends for yourselves with the unrighteous wealth [of this world], so when all else then fails, they’ll welcome you into their tents through the ages.

¹⁰ ‘The one who is faithful in small things, is also faithful in much; while the one who’s unrighteous in small things, is also unrighteous in much.

¹¹ ‘So, if you haven’t proven to be faithful, with the unrighteous wealth [of this world], who will entrust you with what’s true? ¹² And if you haven’t proven yourselves faithful, with things that belong to another, which of us will give you what’s ours?

¹³ ‘No servant of a house can slave for two masters; he’ll dislike the one and love the other, or he’ll stick to the one and despise the other. So you can’t slave for God and for wealth.’

¹⁴ Now, the Pharisees (who loved silver) were listening to these things and they were looking at him with contempt. ¹⁵ So he said to them:
‘You claim to be righteous before men,
But God knows [what’s in] your hearts.
For things that are important to men,
Are disgusting in the eyes of God.

¹⁶ ‘Until John there was the Law and the Prophets.
But since then, the Kingdom of God is good news,
And all are trying to squeeze in it.
¹⁷ But it’s easier for heaven and earth to pass away,
Than for a piece of a letter of the Law,
To go unfulfilled.

¹⁸ ‘So, he who divorces his wife,
And marries another commits adultery.
And he who marries a divorced woman,
Is also [guilty] of adultery.

¹⁹ ‘A rich man once dressed in purple and linen,
And he indulged himself in luxury each day.
²⁰ And there was a poor man named Lazarus,
Who used to be put at his gate.

‘He was covered with sores,
²¹ And wanted to eat of the things,
That were dropped from the table of the rich man…
And dogs came to lick all his sores.

²² ‘The poor man eventually died,
And [God’s] messengers carried him off
To Abraham’s favored position.

‘Then the rich man died and also was buried.
²³ And from his grave he raised his eyes,
And in his torment, he saw Abraham off in the distance,
And Lazarus lying there before him.

²⁴ ‘So, [the rich man] called out and said,
Father Abraham; Have mercy on me!
Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger,
In water to cool off my tongue,
For I am in pain in these flames.

²⁵ ‘But Abraham replied,
Child; Remember that you received all the good things in your life,
But Lazarus [received just] the bad things.
Now he is here [receiving my] comfort,
While you are there in [great] pain.

²⁶ ‘An abyss has been placed between us,
So those who are here cannot go go there,
Nor can people cross from there over to us.

²⁷ ‘So, he said,
Then, I ask you: Please father,
Send him to the house of my father,
²⁸ Because I have five other brothers…
Give a thorough witness to them,
So they don’t end in this tormenting place.

²⁹ ‘But Abraham said,
They have Moses and the Prophets.
[Your brothers] should listen to them.

³⁰ ‘Then he said,
No indeed, father Abraham;
For if someone from the dead should come they’d repent.

³¹ ‘But he replied,
If they won’t listen to Moses and the Prophets,
They still will not be persuaded,
Even if someone arises from the dead.’

Chapter 17

¹ Then he said to his disciples, ‘It’s unavoidable that traps will be set. However, woe to those who set them! ² It would be better if a millstone were hung ‘round his neck, and he was thrown into the sea, than to stumble one of these little ones. ³ So, pay attention to yourselves.

‘If your brother should ever sin [against you], go to him and discuss it, then if he repents, forgive him. ⁴ And even if he sins seven times each day; if he returns seven times to say, I repent, then you should forgive him.’

⁵ And at that, the Apostles said to the Lord, ‘Give us more faith.’

⁶ And the Lord answered,
‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed,
You could say to this mulberry tree,
Pull out of the ground and plant yourself in the sea;
It would likely obey you.

⁷ ‘Which of you who has a slave,
Who after he’s been plowing or tending a flock,
Would tell him when he returns,
Come right over here and recline at the table?
⁸ It’s more likely that you would tell him,
Prepare my supper, then put on an apron and serve me,
Until I’ve finished eating and drinking,
Then you can get food and drink for yourself.

⁹ ‘You won’t be grateful to the slave,
Because he did the things he’s assigned… Will you?
¹⁰ So you too… after you’ve done all you were assigned, say:
We are just worthless slaves…
We just did what we should have done.’

¹¹ Well, as [Jesus] was on his way to Jerusalem, he traveled through the midst of Samaria and then into Galilee. ¹² And as he entered a certain village, ten men with leprosy stood up some distance away ¹³ and shouted, ‘Jesus! Instructor! Have mercy on us!’

¹⁴ And when [Jesus] saw them, he said, ‘Go and present yourselves to the Priests.’

Then, as they were leaving, they were made clean. ¹⁵ However, one of them, when he realized that he was healed, came back glorifying God in a loud voice. ¹⁶ Then he fell to his face [at Jesus’] feet, thanking him (and this one was a Samaritan).

¹⁷ So Jesus asked,
‘Weren’t there ten [men] who were cleansed?
So, where then are the other nine men?
¹⁸ Was this man who’s of another race,
The only one who came back to glorify God?’

¹⁹ Then he told him, ‘Get up and go, for your faith has saved you.’

²⁰ Then the Pharisees asked [Jesus] when the Kingdom of God was coming. And he answered,
‘The coming of the Kingdom of God,
Won’t be easily noticed.
²¹ People won’t say Look, it’s here or it’s there,
But {Look!} the Kingdom of God is in your midst!’

²² Then he said to the disciples:
‘The time will come when you’ll wish you could see,
Just one of those days of the Son of Man,
But then you’ll be unable to see it.

²³ ‘People will say, Look here or See there!
But do not go out or chase them.
²⁴ For the Son of Man will be like the lightning,
That flashes from part of the sky to the other.
²⁵ But [first] he must first suffer many things,
And be rejected by this generation.

²⁶ ‘For, just as it happened in Noah’s day,
Is how it will be in the Son of Man’s day.
²⁷ They were eating, drinking, marrying and being married,
‘Til the day that Noah entered the chest,
And the Downpour came, bringing destruction on all.

²⁸ ‘And the same thing happened in Lot’s day;
They were eating, and drinking,
Buying, selling, planting, and building,
²⁹ To the day that Lot [fled from] Sodom.
Then fire and sulfur rained from the sky,
Bringing destruction on all.
³⁰ That is how it will be on the day,
When the Son of Man is revealed.

³¹ ‘On that day, the man on his roof
Must not go down to his house,
To retrieve any of his possessions.
And the man who’s out in the field,
Shouldn’t return for the things left behind.
³² For, remember [what happened to] Lot’s wife.

³³ ‘Those saving their lives will then lose it,
But those who’d lose it will come back to life.

³⁴ ‘I tell you; In that very night there’ll be two in one bed;
One will be taken and the other left behind.
³⁵ Two will be grinding at one mill;
One will be taken and the other left behind.’ ³⁶ ––

³⁷ So they asked him, ‘Where [will this happen] Lord?’

And he answered, ‘The vultures will gather at the carcass.’

Chapter 18

¹ Then he gave them an illustration to show why they should keep praying and not give up. ² He said:
‘There was a judge in a city,
Who had no fear of God,
And could not be shamed before men.

³ ‘But a widow in that city kept coming to him, saying:
I want justice from the person I [sued in your] court.

⁴ ‘Well, at first he did nothing at all,
But thereafter he started to think:
Although I do not fear God,
Nor can I be shamed by any man;
⁵ Since this widow keeps coming and creating more work,
I’ll be sure that she gets justice,
So she doesn’t pester me to death.’

⁶ Then the Lord concluded:
‘Listen to what this unrighteous judge said!
⁷ Won’t God who is patient give justice,
To His elected who call to Him day and night? ⁸ I tell you:
He will bring speedy justice!
But when the Son of Man arrives;
Will he find the faith on earth?’

⁹ Then he told this illustration to some who trusted in themselves, believing they were righteous and that everyone else was nothing:
¹⁰ ‘Two men went up to the Temple to pray;
A Pharisee and a tax collector.
¹¹ The Pharisee stood up and started to say,
These things about himself in prayer:
O God, I thank you, for I’m not like the rest,
Who are robbers, unrighteous, and adulterers…
Or like that tax collector.
¹² I fast twice every week,
And I contribute a tenth of all that I get.

¹³ ‘But the tax collector (who was standing at some distance), wouldn’t raise his eyes up toward heaven. He kept beating himself and saying:
O God, don’t be angry with this sinner.

¹⁴ ‘I tell you; This man returned home the more righteous,
For those who promote themselves will be humbled,
And whoever is humble will be promoted.’

¹⁵ Now, people started to bring their young children for [Jesus] to touch them. But when the disciples saw it they scolded them. ¹⁶ However, Jesus called [the children] to him saying, ‘Let the young children come to me. Don’t try to stop them! For, the Kingdom of God is for people like this. ¹⁷ I tell you the truth; Whoever doesn’t welcome the Kingdom of God like a child, will not enter it at all.’

¹⁸ Then a certain ruler asked him, ‘Good teacher; What do I have to do to inherit life in the age?’

¹⁹ And Jesus replied, ‘Why do you call me good? Nobody is good except One… God. ²⁰ You know the Commandments: Don’t commit adultery, don’t murder, don’t steal, don’t provide false testimony, honor your father and mother.’

²¹ Then [the ruler] said, ‘I’ve guarded these [things] since I was young.’

²² And Jesus said, ‘But there’s still one thing that you lack. Sell all you have and give to the poor, and you’ll have treasures in heaven. Then come be my follower.’

²³ Well, when he heard this, [the ruler] became very sad, because he was extremely rich.

²⁴ So Jesus looked at him and said,
‘How hard it will be for those who have money,
To make their way to the Kingdom of God!
²⁵ In fact; It would be easier for a camel,
To get through the eye of a needle,
Than for a rich man to enter God’s Kingdom.’

²⁶ Then those who heard this asked, ‘So then; Who can possibly be saved?’

²⁷ And he answered, ‘Things that are impossible for men are possible with God.’

²⁸ But Peter said, ‘Look, we’ve left everything and followed you!’

²⁹ And [Jesus] said to them, ‘I tell you the truth; There is no one who has left a house, or a wife, or brothers, or parents, or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, ³⁰ who won’t receive many times more in this period of time, and life in the age in the era that’s coming.’

³¹ Then he took the twelve aside and said to them, ‘Look! We’re going up to Jerusalem and everything that the Prophets wrote about the Son of Man will now be fulfilled. ³² He’ll be handed over to the nations and made fun of; he’ll be treated shamefully and spit on; ³³ and after flaying him with a whip they will kill him. But, then on the third day he’ll be resurrected.’

³⁴ However, they just didn’t get the meaning of any of these things, because what he said was hidden from them and they couldn’t understand it.

³⁵ Now, as he was approaching Jericho, there was a blind man who was sitting alongside the road begging. ³⁶ And as he heard a crowd moving past, he asked what was happening. ³⁷ And they replied, ‘Jesus the Nazarene is coming!’

³⁸ Well with that he shouted, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’

³⁹ And those walking ahead warned him to keep quiet. But he just shouted louder, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me.’

⁴⁰ Then Jesus stopped and gave orders to have him brought over. And when he got there, [Jesus] asked, ⁴¹ ‘What do you want me to do for you?’

And he answered, ‘Lord, let me see again!’

⁴² So Jesus said, ‘Then, see again… for your faith has saved you.’ ⁴³ And instantly his sight returned and he started following [Jesus], glorifying God. The people also praised God when they saw this.

Chapter 19

¹ Thereafter, [Jesus] started traveling through Jericho. ² And {Look!} there was a rich man called ZacChaeus, who was the chief tax collector, ³ and he wanted to see who this Jesus was, but he couldn’t, due to the crowd, because he was too short. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a fig-mulberry tree to see him, because that’s the direction [Jesus] was headed.

⁵ Now, when Jesus reached that spot, he looked up and said, ‘ZacChaeus, hurry and get down from there, because I’ll be staying at your house today.’

⁶ So he hurried and got down, rejoicing that he could welcome him as his guest. ⁷ But when [the crowds] saw this, they all started grumbling, ‘He’s going to spend the night at the home of a man who’s a sinner!’

⁸ But ZacChaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Lord, I will give half of my belongings to the poor; and whatever I got from anyone by extortion and false accusations, I’ll repay four times over.’

⁹ Then Jesus said, ‘Today salvation has come to this house! [You see], he’s also is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to search for and to save what was lost.’

¹¹ Well, while they were listening to these things, he told them another illustration, because he was getting close to Jerusalem, and they all thought that the Kingdom of God was about to happen instantly. ¹² So he said:
‘A certain man of noble birth,
Traveled to a far-away land,
To be appointed as king.
And [before he left] ¹³ he called ten of his slaves,
And gave them each a large silver coin,
And he told them: Do business [with this] until I return.

¹⁴ ‘However' He was hated by some of his subjects,
Who sent a group of ambassadors to say,
We don’t want him to rule over us!

¹⁵ ‘Well, when he returned (after being appointed as king),
He summoned the slaves to whom he’d entrusted the silver,
To find how much they had gained.

¹⁶ ‘So, the first came forward and said,
Lord, your coin has earned ten silver coins.

¹⁷ ‘So, he said: Well-done good, [faithful] slave!
And because you proved faithful in small things,
I appoint you over ten cities.

¹⁸ ‘Then the second [slave] came and said,
Lord, your coin earned five silver coins.

¹⁹ So he told this one: You’ll be over five cities.

²⁰ ‘But the other came up and said:
Lord here’s the silver coin [that you gave me],
For I wrapped in a bandanna…
²¹ I was afraid, for you’re a harsh man,
Who picks up what he hasn’t put down,
And harvests where he doesn’t plant.

²² ‘Then [the master] replied: O wicked slave;
 I judge you from [the words that came] from your mouth,
For, you knew that I’m a harsh man,
Who picks up what he doesn’t put down,
And harvests what he doesn’t plant?
²³ Then why didn’t you put my coin in a bank,
And when I returned I’d have collected it with interest?

²⁴ ‘With that, he said to those standing by: Take the coin and give it to the one who has ten!

²⁵ ‘And they said: But Lord, he already has ten!

²⁶ ‘I tell you this: More will be given to all those who have,
But what they have will be taken from hose who don’t have.
²⁷ Now, bring here those enemies of mine…
Those who didn’t want me as king,
And slaughter them all here before me.’

²⁸ So, after he said these things, he started leading the way on his trip up to Jerusalem. ²⁹ And when he got close to BethPhage and BethAny, to the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples ahead, ³⁰ saying, ‘Go to that village opposite us, and when you enter, you’ll find a colt tied that no one has ridden before. Untie it and bring it here. ³¹ And if anyone asks why you’re untying it, just tell them that the Lord needs it.’

³² So, those who were sent ahead found things just as he said they would be. ³³ And as they were untying the colt, the owners asked, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’

³⁴ And they replied, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ³⁵ Then they led it to Jesus, threw their robes over the colt, and set Jesus on [top of it]. ³⁶ And as he traveled along, they kept spreading their robes over the road.

³⁷ Then, as soon as he got near the road that comes down the Mount of Olives [into Jerusalem], the huge crowds of disciples started rejoicing and praising God, shouting about all the powerful things they had seen, ³⁸ saying, ‘Praise the one who comes as King in Jehovah’s Name! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest places!’

³⁹ However, some of the Pharisees among the crowd came up and said, ‘Teacher, scold your disciples!’

⁴⁰ But he answered, ‘I tell you that if they remained silent these stones would be shouting!’

⁴¹ And when he got close, he looked at the city and shed tears over it, ⁴² saying:
‘If you knew this today, the things that lead to peace…
But now they’ve been hidden from your eyes.
⁴³ For the days will arrive when your enemies will come,
And build a fort of pointed stakes around you.
They will completely surround you…
Then they’ll come at you in force from all sides.
⁴⁴ They’ll toss you and your children to the ground,
And they won’t leave a stone on a stone,
Because you failed to recognize,
The time when you were being inspected.’

⁴⁵ Then he went into the Temple and started throwing out the vendors, ⁴⁶ saying to them, ‘It’s written, My house will be a house of prayer, but you’ve made it a den of thieves!’

⁴⁷ [After that], he taught in the Temple every day. But the Chief Priests, scribes, and prominent people were looking to destroy him. ⁴⁸ Yet, they couldn’t come up with anything, because all the people were staying and listening to him.

Chapter 20

¹ One day, while he was teaching the people in the Temple and preaching the good news, the Chief Priests, scribes, and elders came up ² to him and asked, ‘Tell us; Where did you get the authority to do these things, and just who gave you that authority?’

³ So he replied, ‘Let me also ask you a question and you tell me: ⁴ Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?’

⁵ Then they got together and reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘If we say, from heaven, he’ll ask, then why didn’t you believe him? ⁶ But if we say, from men, all the people will stone us; because they believe that John was a Prophet.’ ⁷ So they replied that they didn’t know where it came from.

⁸ And Jesus said, ‘Then I’m not telling you where I got the authority to do these things.’

⁹ Next, he told the people this illustration:
‘A man once planted a vineyard,
And contracted it out to some farmers,
Then he traveled abroad for a long time.

¹⁰ ‘Well when the [harvest] came due,
He sent a slave to the farmers,
To ask for some fruit of the vineyard.
But the farmers then had him whipped,
And sent him away empty-handed.

¹¹ ‘Thereafter, [the man] did the same thing again…
But he sent a different slave.
Him they whipped and dishonored,
And sent him away empty-handed.

¹² ‘Then he sent them a third one,
Who they harmed and threw out.

¹³ ‘At this, the owner of the vineyard,
Asked himself What will I do?
I’ll send my dearly-loved son.
I’m sure that they’ll respect him.

¹⁴ ‘And when the farmers saw him,
They talked it over and decided:
This is the heir, so let’s kill him,
So his inheritance will then become ours.
¹⁵ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

‘So, what do you think the vineyard’s owner will do?
¹⁶ He‘ll come and destroy those [bad] farmers,
And entrust the vineyard to others.’

Well, when they heard this, the [Pharisees] said, ‘Never may that happen!’

¹⁷ But he looked at them and said, ‘Then, what is the meaning of the thing that was written, which says:
The stone that the builders rejected,
Became the [chief] cornerstone,
¹⁸ And all who fall on that stone will be shattered,
And all that it falls on will be smashed?’

¹⁹ Well, the scribes and Chief Priests looked for ways to grab him then, but they were afraid of the people. This is because they recognized that the illustration [he used] was talking about them.

²⁰ And watching him closely, they sent men pretending to be righteous to trick him into saying something that would give them a reason to turn him over to the government and the power of the governor. ²¹ So they asked him, ‘Teacher, we know that what you say and teach is right. And you aren’t swayed by a man’s appearance. You truthfully teach the way of God. ²² So, should we pay taxes to Caesar or not?’

²³ Well, recognizing what they were up to, he said, ²⁴ ‘Show me a coin… Whose image and inscription is upon it?’

And they said, ‘Caesar’s.’

²⁵ Then he answered, ‘Well now; Pay back Caesar’s things to Caesar, but [pay] Gods things to God.’

²⁶ So, they weren’t able to catch him in anything that he said in front of the people. They were just amazed by his answers and said nothing.

²⁷ However, some of the Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came up and asked, ²⁸ ‘Teacher; Moses wrote that if a man’s brother dies leaving his wife childless, his brother should take the brother’s wife and sire offspring for him. ²⁹ Now, let’s say there were seven brothers. The first took a wife and died childless. ³⁰ So the second, and ³¹ then the third took her, and the same thing happened to all seven. They all died without children. ³² Finally, the woman also died. ³³ So, whose wife will she be in the resurrection, since all seven had her as his wife?’

³⁴ Jesus replied, ‘The sons of this age marry and are married, ³⁵ but those who have been found worthy of that age and the resurrection from the dead don’t marry, nor do they get married. ³⁶ And they can’t die anymore, for they are equal to [God’s] messengers, and they are the sons of God, because they are sons of the resurrection.

³⁷ ‘Why, even Moses showed that the dead will be raised. For when [he was] at the thorn bush, he called Jehovah the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ³⁸ So He isn’t a God of the dead, but of the living, because they’re all living to Him.’

³⁹ Then some of the scribes said, ‘Teacher that was a fine answer.’ ⁴⁰ But they didn’t have the courage to ask him anything more after that.

⁴¹ So [Jesus] asked them, ‘Why do they say the Anointed One is David’s son? ⁴² For David himself says in the book of Psalms, Jehovah said to my Lord, Sit at my right ⁴³ until I put your enemies as a stool for your feet. ⁴⁴ So if David calls him Lord, how can he be his son?’

⁴⁵ And as all the people were listening, he said to the disciples: ⁴⁶ ‘Watch out for the scribes who like to walk around in robes; to be greeted in the markets; to have the front seats in the synagogues, and the first places at suppers. ⁴⁷ Then they swallow down the homes of the widows, and hide their intentions by saying long prayers. These will receive a heavier judgment.’

Chapter 21

¹ Now, as he looked up, he saw the rich dropping their gifts into the [Temple] treasury chests. ² Then he saw a poor widow drop in two small copper coins. ³ And he said, ‘I tell you the truth; Although this widow is poor, she dropped in more than they all did. ⁴ Because, they dropped in gifts from their surplus, but this person in need dropped in her whole means of living!’

⁵ Then, as certain ones were discussing the Temple – how fine its stonework was and how nicely it was adorned – ⁶ he said, ‘Do you see all these things? The days will come when there won’t be a stone on top of a stone here that won’t be thrown down.’

⁷ Then they asked him: ‘Teacher, when will these things happen, and what sign will there be when they are about to happen?’

⁸ And he said, ‘Watch out so that you aren’t misled, for many will come in my name saying I am he, and The time has come; but don’t follow them. ⁹ When you hear of wars and disorders, don’t be afraid, because it’s necessary for such things to happen first. But the end doesn’t come immediately.’

¹⁰ Then he told them, ‘Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, ¹¹ and there will be great natural disasters. There will also be plagues and food shortages in many places, as well as fearful sights and great signs in the sky.

¹² ‘But before that happens, people will grab hold of you and persecute you, then hand you over to the synagogues and prisons, and drag you before kings and governors because of my name… ¹³ this will be your sign. ¹⁴ Be determined not to plan your defense ahead of time, ¹⁵ because I’ll give you a mouth and wisdom, which no one who lies about you will be able to resist or contradict.

¹⁶ ‘But even your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends will betray you, and they will kill some of you. ¹⁷ Everyone will dislike you because of my name. ¹⁸ Yet, not a hair of your heads will be destroyed, ¹⁹ because, by enduring you will gain your lives.

²⁰ ‘When you see armies camped all around Jerusalem, know that her destruction is near. ²¹ Then those in Judea should escape to the mountains; those in the midst of her should get out; and those in the countryside must not enter her, ²² because those will be the days of vengeance and for fulfilling all the things that were written.

²³ ‘Woe to those who are pregnant and those nursing babies in those days, because there will be great shortages in the land as [God’s] rage is shown on these people. ²⁴ They will be cut down with swords or be carried off to the nations as captives. And Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations until the times of the nations are fulfilled.

²⁵ ‘There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And on the earth, the nations will be restless and confused because of the roaring and rolling of the sea, ²⁶ while men faint from fear and expectation of things that will happen on the earth. Because, the powers of the skies will be shaken, ²⁷ and then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸ But as these things start to happen, straighten up and lift your heads, because your salvation is getting near.’

²⁹ Then he gave them this illustration:
‘Look at the fig tree and all the other trees;
³⁰ For when they start putting out buds,
You can see for yourselves that summer is near.
³¹ Thus, when you see these things start to happen,
Know that the Kingdom of God is then near.

³² ‘I tell you the truth;
This generation will not pass away
Until all these things are fulfilled…
³³ The earth and sky will both pass away,
But my words will not pass away!

³⁴ ‘So pay attention to yourselves,
That your hearts don’t get heavy from overeating,
[Or with] heavy drinking and the worries of life,
And that day comes instantly to catch you like a snare;
³⁵ For it will come upon all
Who are sitting on the face of the earth.

³⁶ ‘So, stay awake during all of that time,
Begging for the strength to escape
All the things that will happen,
And to [be able to] stand before the Son of Man.’

³⁷ Well, [Jesus] taught in the Temple throughout the day, and at night he would go and camp on the hill called the Mount of Olives. ³⁸ Then all the people would come to the Temple early each morning to hear him.

Chapter 22

¹ Now, the Festival of (the Passover) was getting near, ² and the Chief Priests and scribes were looking for a way to get rid of him, but they were afraid of the people. ³ Then the Opposer entered Judas (the one called IsCariot, who was one of the twelve), ⁴ so he went off and talked to the Chief Priests and [Temple] captains about ways to betray [Jesus] to them.

⁵ Well, they were delighted, and they agreed to pay him in silver coins, ⁶ which he accepted. Then he started looking for opportunities to betray [Jesus] when there wasn’t a crowd around.

⁷ Then the day of No Fermentation finally arrived when the Passover was to be sacrificed, ⁸ so [Jesus] sent Peter and John ahead of him, saying, ‘Go get the Passover ready for us to eat.’

⁹ And they asked, ‘Where do you want us to prepare it?’

¹⁰ He answered, ‘{Look!} When you go into the city, a man carrying a clay jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters. ¹¹ Then say to the master of the house, The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹² And he will show you a large furnished upstairs room. Prepare it there.’

¹³ So they left and found things just as he said, and prepared the Passover.

¹⁴ When it was time, he reclined at the table with the Apostles. ¹⁵ Then he told them, ‘I really wanted to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. ¹⁶ Because I say to you; I won’t eat it again until it’s fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.’

¹⁷ Then, accepting a cup, he gave thanks and said, ‘Take this and pass it among yourselves. ¹⁸ Because I tell you; From now on I definitely won’t drink from the product of the vine again until the Kingdom of God arrives.’

¹⁹ Then he took a loaf [of bread], gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them saying, ‘This is my body, which is being handed over for you. Keep doing this in memory of me.’ ²⁰ And he did the same thing with the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the New Sacred Agreement of my blood, which is being poured out for you. ²¹ But look… the hand of my betrayer is with me here at the table! ²² Because the Son (who is for a fact from men) is going the way that was marked out for him… yet woe to that man through whom he’s betrayed!’

²³ So, they started trying to figure out among themselves which of them would really be the one who was going to do this.

²⁴ However, there was also an argument that broke out among them over which one seemed to be the greatest. ²⁵ So he said to them:
‘Kings of the nations act like masters,
And the powerful wish to be called benefactors.
²⁶ But you should not be that way.
The greatest should act like the youngest,
And the one taking the lead as the servant.

²⁷ ‘For, which is truly the greatest…
He who reclines at the table,
Or the one who does the serving?
Isn’t it he who reclines at the table?
Yet, I’m the one who is acting
As the servant among you.

²⁸ ‘You’re the ones who stayed with me during my trials,
²⁹ So I’m making this promise to you,
As my Father made a promise to me, for a Kingdom:
³⁰ In my Kingdom, you’ll eat and drink at my table
And upon thrones you will sit,
To judge Israel’s twelve tribes.

³¹ ‘Simon, O Simon; Look! The Opposer has demanded to have you men, so [he can] sift you like wheat. ³² But I’ve pleaded with [God] on your behalf, that your faith doesn’t give out, and that when you return you will strengthen your brothers.’

³³ Then [Peter] said to him, ‘Lord, I’m ready to go with you to prison and to death!’

³⁴ But he replied, ‘I tell you this Peter; A rooster won’t crow today until you’ve denied knowing me three times.’

³⁵ Then he told them, ‘When I sent you out without a money bag, food pouch, or sandals, you didn’t need anything, did you?’

And they replied, ‘No!’

³⁶ Then he said, ‘But now; Whoever has a moneybag must carry it along, as well as a food pouch. And the one who doesn’t have a sword should sell his cape and buy one. ³⁷ I tell you this: What was written about me must now be fulfilled… And he was numbered among the criminals. So the thing that has been bothering me so much is about to be finished.’

³⁸ Then they said, ‘Look, Lord; Here are two swords.’

And He said, ‘That’s enough.’

³⁹ Well, he then left [the city], and he went to the Mount of Olives as usual, and the disciples followed along. ⁴⁰ And when he got there, he told them, ‘Now, pray that you won’t be tempted.’

⁴¹ Then he walked away from them about a stones throw, bent down and started to pray, ⁴² saying, ‘Father; If you wish, let this cup pass from me. However, may Your will not mine take place.’

⁴³ Then he saw a messenger from heaven that strengthened him. ⁴⁴ Yet he was still in agony, so he prayed even harder; and his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground.

⁴⁵ Then, after the prayer, he got up and returned to the disciples and found them sleeping because of their grief. ⁴⁶ So he asked, ‘Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you aren’t tempted!’

⁴⁷ But while he was still talking, {Look!} there was a mob coming, and one of the twelve (called Judas) was leading them. Then he came up to Jesus to kiss him. ⁴⁸ But Jesus asked, ‘Judas; Do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?’

⁴⁹ And when those who were around him saw what was about to happen, they asked, ‘Lord, shall we fight them off with the sword?’ ⁵⁰ And one of them struck the Chief Priest’s slave, taking off his right ear.

⁵¹ Then Jesus said, ‘It has gone far enough;’ and he touched the ear and healed him.

⁵² Then Jesus asked the Chief Priests, Temple captains, and elders who came for him, ‘Are you coming with swords and clubs [as though I were] a robber? ⁵³ While I was with you in the Temple every day, and you didn’t try to grab me then… but this is your hour and the power of darkness.’

⁵⁴ So they arrested him and led him off, taking him to the house of the High Priest, as Peter was following at a distance. ⁵⁵ Then they lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and all sat down together, and Peter sat down among them. ⁵⁶ That’s when a servant girl noticed him sitting in the light of the fire. She looked at him hard, and said, ‘He was also with him!’

⁵⁷ But [Peter] denied it, saying, ‘I don’t know him, woman!’

⁵⁸ And a little while later, someone else saw him and said, ‘You’re one of them too!’

But Peter said, ‘Man, I’m not!’

⁵⁹ Then, after standing around for another hour, someone started insising, saying, ‘It’s a fact; This one was with him, because he’s a Galilean too!’

⁶⁰ But Peter said, ‘Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!’ And just as he was speaking, a rooster crowed.

⁶¹ Then the Lord turned and looked at Peter, and Peter remembered the words that the Lord said to him, ‘Before a rooster crows today, you will deny knowing me three times.’ ⁶² And he went outside and cried bitterly.

⁶³ Now, the men who had him in custody started making fun of him, and they whipped him. ⁶⁴ Then they covered [his head] and said, ‘Prophesy… who’s disciplining you?’ ⁶⁵ And they kept saying all sorts of slanderous things about him.

⁶⁶ Well, as it became day, the people’s body of elders assembled with the Chief Priests and scribes, and they brought him before the Jewish High Court, saying, ⁶⁷ ‘If you’re the Anointed One, tell us.’

But he answered, ‘If I told you, you wouldn’t even start to believe it. ⁶⁸ And if I asked you any questions, you wouldn’t answer at all. ⁶⁹ But from now on, the Son of Man will be sitting at the powerful right hand of God!’

⁷⁰ Well at this, they all asked, ‘So, are you the Son of God?’

And he said, ‘You yourselves are saying that I am!’

⁷¹ And they said, ‘Why do we need further witnesses? We’ve heard it all from his own mouth!’

Chapter 23

¹ So, the whole assembly got up and took [Jesus] to Pilate. ² And there they accused him, saying, ‘We found this man trying to undermine the principles of our nation by forbidding us to pay taxes to Caesar, and by saying that he’s the Anointed One… a king!’

³ So Pilate asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’

And he replied, ‘You’re the one who is saying this.’

⁴ Then Pilate told the Chief Priests and crowds, ‘I can’t find anything wrong with this man.’

⁵ But they insisted, saying, ‘He has been stirring up the people by teaching throughout all of Judea… [and that’s the reason why] he came here from Galilee!’

⁶ On hearing that, Pilate asked whether the man was a Galilean. ⁷ And after learning that he was from Herod’s realm, he sent him on to Herod (who was also in Jerusalem [for the Festival]).

⁸ Well, when Herod saw Jesus, he was overjoyed, because he had been wanting to see him for a long time, since he had heard so much about [Jesus], and he hoped to see him perform some sign. ⁹ So he asked many questions, but [Jesus] wouldn’t answer. ¹⁰ [And all the while], the Chief Priests and scribes kept getting up and accusing him.

¹¹ But, not knowing what to make of him, Herod and his troops made fun of him by dressing him in bright clothes, then they sent him back to Pilate. ¹² And it was because of this that Herod and Pilate became friends that day, since they really didn’t like each other before that.

¹³ So, Pilate then assembled the Chief Priests, the rulers, and the people, ¹⁴ and told them: ‘You brought this man to me as someone who was inciting the people to revolt. And look, I’ve examined him in front of you and I can’t find any basis for the charges you’re bringing against him. ¹⁵ In fact, Herod didn’t either, because he returned him to us. Look! He’s done nothing deserving of death, ¹⁶ so I’ll discipline him and release him.’ ¹⁷ ––

¹⁸ But with that, the entire crowd started shouting, ‘Hang him up! Release BarAbbas to us!’ ¹⁹ ([BarAbbas] was in prison because of [his involvement in] a revolt in the city and for murder.)

²⁰ Again Pilate called out to them, because he wanted to release Jesus. ²¹ But they started yelling, ‘Impale him! Impale him!’

²² So he asked them a third time: ‘Why… what bad thing did he do? I haven’t found anything he’s done that deserves death, so I’ll discipline him and let him go!’

²³ Then they started shouting impatiently, demanding to have him hung on a pole, and their voices began to win out. ²⁴ So Pilate decided to give in, ²⁵ and he released [BarAbbas] (who was in prison for rebellion and murder) to meet their demands, but did what they wanted [him to do] to Jesus.

²⁶ Now, as they were taking him away, they grabbed Simon (a Cyrenian who was coming in from the fields) and laid the impaling pole on him, so that he could carry it behind Jesus.

²⁷ Well, a huge crowd of people, including many women, followed behind, beating themselves in grief and wailing over him. ²⁸ Then Jesus turned to the women and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, stop crying for me… cry for yourselves and for your children. ²⁹ Because, {Look!} the days are coming when people will say:
Those without any children;
Those whose wombs didn’t give birth;
And whose breasts didn’t nurse are the blest!

³⁰ ‘Then they’ll say to the mountains; Fall upon us!
And to the hills, Come cover us over!
³¹ For. if they do these things when the tree is still moist,
What will happen after it’s withered?’

³² Two criminals were also being led out to be impaled with him, ³³ and when they got to the place that was referred to as ‘The Skull,’ they hung him and the criminals on poles there (one on his right and the other on his left).

³⁴ However, Jesus was saying: ‘Father; Forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing,’ as they were throwing dice to divide his clothes [among them]. ³⁵ And the people just stood there watching.

But their rulers were angrily looking on and saying, ‘He saved others, so let him save himself if he’s the Anointed One of God, the Messiah!’

³⁶ Even the soldiers made fun of him, coming up and offering him soured wine ³⁷ and saying, ‘If you’re the king of the Jews, save yourself!’

³⁸ There was also an inscription above him [that said], ‘This is the king of the Jews.’

³⁹ Then, one of the criminals who was hanging there started to speak badly to him saying, ‘Aren’t you the Anointed One? Save yourself… and us!’

⁴⁰ But the other scolded him saying, ‘Aren’t you at all afraid of God, since you’ve received the same judgment? ⁴¹ And that’s only right, because we’re getting what we deserve in full for the bad things we’ve done. But he didn’t do anything wrong!’

⁴² Then he said, ‘Jesus; Remember me when you come into your Kingdom.’

⁴³ And [Jesus] replied, ‘I tell you this today; You will be with me in Paradise.’

⁴⁴ Well, it was already about the sixth hour, and the whole earth was covered by a darkness [that lasted] until the ninth hour, ⁴⁵ because the sunlight had failed. Then the Temple curtain split down the middle, ⁴⁶ and Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Father, I leave my breath in Your hands.’ And after saying that, he died.

⁴⁷ And when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God and said, ‘This truly was a righteous man.’

⁴⁸ Well, all the crowds who came to watch this spectacle (when they saw the things that had happened) started beating themselves [in grief] again. ⁴⁹ And meanwhile, all who knew him, and the women who had followed him from Galilee, were standing at a distance and watching these things.

⁵⁰ Then {Look!} a man named Joseph (from AriMathea, a city in Judea), who was a good and righteous man, and one of the Council members ⁵¹ who didn’t go along with what they said or did, and who was also awaiting the Kingdom of God, ⁵² went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. ⁵³ So he took it down, wrapped it in fine linen, and laid it in a tomb that no one had been laid in before, that was carved from rock.

⁵⁴ Well, it was the day of Preparation, and the evening light was fading into the Sabbath. ⁵⁵ So the women who had come from Galilee with him followed along to look at the tomb and to see how his body was laid out. ⁵⁶ Then they went back to prepare spices and perfumed ointments… but of course, they followed the Commandments and rested on the Sabbath.

Chapter 24

¹ It was on the first day of the week, at early dawn, that they went to the tomb carrying the spices they had prepared. ² But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ and when they entered, they couldn’t find the Lord Jesus’ body.

⁴ And as they stood there confused, {Look!} two men in glowing clothes appeared beside them. ⁵ This frightened them and they hung their heads to the ground. Then [the men] asked, ‘Why are you looking for the living among the dead? ⁶ He isn’t here; he got up! Don’t you remember? When he spoke to you in Galilee, ⁷ he said; The Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be hung on a pole, then [he will be] resurrected on the third day.’

⁸ So, that’s when they remembered what he said, ⁹ and they left the tomb to report all these things to the eleven and the others.

¹⁰ It was Mary of Magdala, Joanna, Mary the [mother] of James, and the rest of the women who told the Apostles these things. ¹¹ However, what they said sounded like nonsense, and they didn’t believe them.

¹² Then Peter got up and ran to the tomb. And when he leaned in, all he saw were the wrappings. So he left, wondering just what had happened.

¹³ {Look!} That same day, two of them were on their way to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁴ and they were discussing all the things that had happened. ¹⁵ Now, as they were talking and reasoning, Jesus himself came up and started walking along with them, ¹⁶ but their eyes refused to recognize him. ¹⁷ So he asked, ‘What is the subject you’re debating as you’re walking along?’

Then they stopped and looked very sad. ¹⁸ And the one named Cleopas answered, ‘Are you living alone in Jerusalem so that you don’t know what has happened over the past few days?’

¹⁹ And [Jesus] asked, ‘What things?’

They replied, ‘The things [that happened to] Jesus the Nazarene… a Prophet who came with powerful words and deeds before God and all the people. ²⁰ Then, how our Chief Priests and rulers gave him over to be sentenced to death, and hung him on a pole. ²¹ But we were hoping that he was the one who was going to free Israel… it has been three days since these things happened!

²² ‘Then, some women among us shocked us. They went to the tomb early [this morning] ²³ and couldn’t find his body. So they came back saying they had a vision of messengers [from God] who say he’s still alive. ²⁴ Then, some from among us went to the tomb and found it just as the women said… they didn’t see him.’

²⁵ So [Jesus] said to them, ‘O senseless ones whose hearts are slow when it comes to believing all the things the Prophets said; ²⁶ Wasn’t it necessary for the Anointed One to suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’

²⁷ So, starting from Moses and the Prophets, he explained all the scriptures that talked about him.

²⁸ Well, when they reached the village that they were traveling to, he acted as though he was going on. ²⁹ But they pressured him, saying, ‘Stay with us, because it’s getting late and most of the day is already gone!’

So, he stayed with them. ³⁰ And as he reclined with them at the meal, he took the loaf, spoke a blessing over it, broke it, and started handing it to them. ³¹ At that, their eyes were fully opened and they recognized him… then he disappeared. ³² And they said to each other, ‘Weren’t our hearts burning as he talked to us along the road, completely explaining the Scriptures to us?’

³³ So they got up right away and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven with the rest who had gathered, ³⁴ who told them: ‘The Lord was in fact raised, and he appeared to Simon!’

³⁵ Then they also told what happened [to them] on the road and how he became recognizable by breaking the loaf.

³⁶ Well, while they were still talking about these things, there he stood in their midst saying, ‘May you have peace.’ ³⁷ But this frightened and terrified them, because they thought they were seeing a [wicked] spirit.

³⁸ So he said to them, ‘Why are you so worried, and what kind of ideas are your hearts coming up with? ³⁹ See… my hands and my feet. It’s me! Touch me and look, because a spirit doesn’t have flesh and bones as you see I have!’ ⁴⁰ And as he said this, he showed them his hands and feet.

⁴¹ But because they still didn’t believe (due to the joy and confusion), he asked, ‘Do you have something to eat?’

⁴² So they handed him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³ and he took it and ate it in front of them.

⁴⁴ Then he said to them, ‘These are the things that I told you while I was still with you, for everything that was written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets, and in the Psalms had to be fulfilled.’ ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the meanings of the Scriptures completely.

⁴⁶ And he said to them, ‘It was written that the Anointed One would suffer this way and rise from the dead on the third day. ⁴⁷ Then, [the message of] repentance for forgiveness of sins would be preached in all the nations in his name, starting from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ Now, you are to be the witnesses of these things.

⁴⁹ ‘And look; I’m sending you [something] that was promised by my Father. So, stay in the city until you are clothed with the power from above.’

⁵⁰ And with that, he led them out on the road to BethAny, and then he lifted his hands and blest them. ⁵¹ And as he was blessing them, he was taken away from them into the sky. ⁵² Then they bowed low to him, and they returned to Jerusalem in joy. ⁵³ [And after that], they were in the Temple continuously, praising God.

Notes

Blest or Happy?

There is quite a debate as to whether the Greek word makarios found in many places throughout the Bible should be translated blessed or happy.

Notice that we have chosen to translate it as blest, which is an older spelling of the word blessed, to get rid the affected pronunciation that was likely introduced by early preachers (bless-ed).

According to Zodhiates’ Complete Word Study Dictionary, the word should never translated happy, because happy is derived from the words happen, happening, or happenstance (luck). His reasoning (which we agree with) is that, when someone suffers for the sake of righteous principles, his/her reward isn’t just happiness (which can come from any source of good luck or fortune), but rather, it is a joy that comes from gaining a better relationship with God.

In other words, there is no exact word in English to use here, but blest seems to be a closer alternative than happy.

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No Marriage in the Resurrection?

At Matthew 22:30 Jesus said, ‘In the resurrection, men won’t marry nor will women be given in marriage, but they are like the messengers in heaven.’

This scripture is often quoted to show that those who are resurrected won’t marry (as Jesus said). However, does this apply both to those who receive a heavenly resurrection and to those who receive an earthly resurrection (Matthew 5:5)? Notice what Luke’s parallel account says (Luke 20:34-36): ‘The sons of this age marry and are married. But those who have been found worthy of that age and the resurrection from the dead don’t marry, nor do they get married. They can’t die anymore either, because they are equal to [God’s] messengers and they are [also] sons of God, because they are sons of the resurrection.’

Luke’s account shows that Jesus was referring specifically to ‘God’s sons’ (gr. uioi eisin Theou – sons are of God), which are thought to be those of the heavenly resurrection (the saints). So, the reference in Luke may not refer to an earthly resurrection.

However, the question the Sadducees asked was just about the resurrection (no designation of heavenly or earthly). So, was Jesus sidestepping the question to avoid a common word trap that had been used successfully in Sadducees’ arguments against the resurrection in the past, or was he implying that there would be no marrying in either resurrection? We don’t know, but the common belief at the time (among the Pharisees in particular) was that there would be a heavenly resurrection. So, there was likely no reason for Jesus to talk about an earthly resurrection.

Yet, there may be another explanation of the meaning of what Jesus said, for notice how the words are laid out in Mark 12:24-27; ‘Then Jesus answered, This is why you are so misled. You don’t understand the Scriptures or the power of God! When the dead are resurrected, they won’t marry or be married, they are as the messengers in heaven. As for the dead who are raised, didn’t you read in the book of Moses – in the story about the thorn bush – how God said to him, I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? He isn’t a God of the dead, but of the living. Yes, you are very misled.’

So, could Jesus have been saying that only those who are dead in God’s eyes won’t marry, but those He considers among the living will marry? Possibly. For, will children be born after the Battle of Armageddon? If you believe that the prophecy found in Isaiah 65 is talking about that period, then yes. For at Isaiah 65:23 we were told, ‘And My elected won’t labor for nothing, nor will they produce children for a curse, for their seed will be blest by God, as well as even their children.’

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The End of the Age

The Greek word aionos (pronounced ai-on-oss) is what the English word eon is derived from. It means an indefinite period. However, there is no exact English word to translate it. The best equivalents are age(s) or era(s). Please note that where the plural form of the word (ages) is used, it refers to a long time, at least multiple generations. However, where the singular form is used (age or era), this appears to mean a much shorter period, such as a lifetime, generation, or era. And where the term ages of ages is used (such as at Ephesians 3:21), which is usually said in reference to God, we would assume that this truly means forever.

It is noteworthy that aionos is the word that is used in the Greek Septuagint in place of the Hebrew word ohlam, which is also translated as forever and time indefinite in popular versions of the Hebrew Scriptures. So this one word (aionos) is translated as forever, everlasting, eternal, system of things, time indefinite, [end of] the world, long ago, from of old, etc. Obviously, something is very wrong here, because the word can’t mean a period having a definite end in one place and infinity in another.

Take for example, the unique way that aionos is used in the question that Jesus’ Apostles asked him, which is found at Matthew 24:3, ‘What will be the signs when you are near and this age will come to its conclusion?’

You can see that the word aionos obviously doesn’t mean forever, everlasting, or eternal in this case, nor did it mean world or system of things. It simply meant the age or the time before the end would come. And for them, that meant the age when the Temple at Jerusalem would be destroyed, because that’s what Jesus had just told them.

The word aionos (which we have translated as age here) is also translated as world (KJ) and as system of things (NW) in other Bibles. However, if the Apostles had meant any of those words, they would have used the Greek word cosmos, not aionos, for world or system of things.

The ancient Hebrews viewed everything (and rightly so) as having a beginning and an end. For that reason, you will only find three places in the Bible where words are used that imply no end and none that imply no beginning. An interesting possible insight on the reason for this can be found at Hebrews 1:10-12, which says:

‘Long ago, O Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and your hands made the heavens. They will destroy themselves, but you will remain. They will grow old just like clothes do. Then, as [you would do to] a robe, you> will wrap them up and repair them like clothes. Yes, you are the one, and your years will never run out.’

The problem with most Bible translations is that when they encounter the word aionos in all its different tenses, they interpret it according to accepted doctrine, not according to the way that Jesus and his disciples used it. So the common renderings forever, eternal, and everlasting are used even when the word is in its singular form (aioni, aiona, aionos, aionion, aionian, aionios, aioniou), and this totally distorts the meaning of the text.

Take for example, the scripture at John 5:24, where Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth; the one who hears what I say and believes in the One that sent me will have life in this age. He won’t have to be judged, but has crossed over from death to life.’

Most Bibles translate Jesus as saying that those who believe in the One who sent him will have everlasting life (or the equivalent). However, the words that Jesus used there were, zoe aionos (life age – singular), not zoe aionion (life ages – plural).

Notice how Jesus explained the meaning of these words with his next statement, ‘He won’t have to be judged, but has crossed over from death to life.’

So, what Jesus was saying here, wasn’t that they would have everlasting life, but that they would (in their current life) be considered among the living, not among the dead (see Revelation 20:12). This doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t live forever; it’s just that Jesus wasn’t really saying that.

From consideration of the evidence found in the bulk of Jesus’ words about life, the conclusion might be logically reached that he never taught the hope of ‘life eternal,’ ‘everlasting life,’ or ‘immortality,’ in those specific words. However, the concept is still there. What he taught was that (unlike those whom God considers to be ‘dead’) living people will receive ‘life in the age,’ meaning, they will be considered worthy of life by God during their lifetimes.

Two words imply infinity in the Bible. One is the Greek word athanasia (undying), which is only found in two places, 1 Corinthians15:53, where it mentions resurrected ones as clothing themselves with immortality, and at 1 Timothy 6:16, where Paul speaks of Jesus as having received it. The other Greek word, aidios, which is found at Romans 1:20 and at Jude 6, is used to describe God’s Power and Might as eternal.

For more information, select the linked documents, The Hereafter and Does the Bible Promise Everlasting Life?

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Breath

The Greek word pneuma (as in pneumonia, a breathing disease) means breath or wind – the movement of air. In other Bible translations, this word is often translated as spirit or ghost – as in Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. However, spirit is just a shortened form of the Latin word spiritu, which just means breath in Latin. And ghost conveys another meaning altogether.

The most common use of the word pneuma in the Bible is to imply an unseen force (such as breath or wind). And the problem with translating it as spirit or ghost is that many people have started believing that the unseen force that is called [God’s] Holy Breath herein, is another God-like person and part of a Divine ‘Trinity.’ This can’t be true, because the only scripture that can be used to support this theory (that is, where the Father, the Son, and the Holy Breath are supposed to be ‘one’) is found at Matthew 28:19, which simply says that baptism should be done ‘in the name of’ (or, in recognition of) these three. All other scriptures that are used to prove the Trinity theory fail to mention the Holy Breath as part of that group. And the King James wording of 1 John 5:7 (which was used for years to attempt to prove the Trinity) is spurious (something that was added to the Bible). In fact, the reference to the Holy Breath at Matthew 28:19 may also be spurious, and if so, then there are no actual Bible references that mention God’s Holy Breath along with the Father and the Son.

So to prevent confusion, the Greek word pneuma is frequently translated as breath herein. However, there are exceptions, as in instances where the Bible refers to demons as ‘spirits.’ Translating pneuma as breath in these cases, although correct, might just be confusing. There are also places where we have left pneuma translated as spirit, when the word implies a person's tendency (or spirit). And, since the nuance implied by the word Spirit in the English language (an unseen power) is correct, we recently changed back to translating pneuma as Spirit in several places, when referring to God’s Holy Spirit. However, recognize that pneuma is often best defined by calling it [God’s] Holy Breath. For an example, see the Note Worshiping God In Spirit and Truth.

Another important use of the word pneuma is in the phrase, ‘Breath of Life.’ This phrase means more than just breathing; it refers to the entire mechanics of life itself. It’s the unseen force of life for all creatures… it’s what makes each cell alive. However, nowhere does the Bible describe the ‘pneuma’ as immortal, nor is it the same as the soul (a breathing thing), so it can (figuratively) ‘return to God’ at death,’ because all hope of future life depends on God and His promise of a resurrection.

Note in particular how the term Breath is used at Job 27:3, where Job spoke of God’s Breath or Spirit. For there he asked, ‘Does the Breath of the Divine One remain in my nose?’ As you can see from his application of this word, pneuma obviously referred to God’s Breath in this case, not to a person or to an unseen force. He was talking about that which comes from God and caused him to breathe… the Breath of Life.

It is interesting that at Genesis 6:3 God says, ‘I won’t allow My Breath to stay with these men through the the age, for they are fleshly.’ In Greek that reads, ‘Ou me katameine to pneuma mou en tois anthropois toutoiseis ton aiona, dia ai einai autous sarka,’ or, ‘Not not should stay the Breath Mine with these men the age through, their being flesh.’

While the words Breath Mine (pneuma mou) here can refer to God’s Holy Breath, it seems more likely that He is referring to the breath of life that he gave Adam. So it appears as though what He was saying here is that the breath of life (of the people of that age) would be removed prematurely. However, since God referred to it as ‘My Breath,’ there may be a link implied between God’s Holy Breath and the breath of life. For more information, see the attached link ‘The Powers of God’s Holy Spirit.’

However, when Jesus died (as the words recorded at John 19:30 say), ‘he hung his head and quit breathing’ (gr. kai klinas ten kephalen paredoken to pneuma, or, and inclined his head giving/up the breath).

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Soul or?

The Greek word psyche (as in psychology) has been translated many ways, including soul, life, etc. However, psyche actually means something that breathes. It is used in the Bible to describe both breathing animals and breathing humans. So by definition, a soul cannot leave the body, because a soul is what the living body (whether human or animal) is (see Genesis 2:7).

In ancient Greece, philosophers eventually added another meaning to psyche: The inner person (as opposed to the person that others see and come to know). And with time, the pagan religion of Greece started to teach that this inner person is its own entity and can never die (is immortal). Over the centuries, this pagan Greek doctrine crept into the Christian religions. Please see the link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul for more history of the word.

However, such Greek philosophical thought never influenced Jesus and his Apostles. So, they consistently used psyche to indicate a living person or animal. The teaching that the soul is immortal stands in direct conflict with Jesus’ promise of a resurrection, because, if a person is immortal (can never die) he/she can never be resurrected (brought back to life).

In addition, the teaching of the immortality of the human soul is totally without support from the Bible. The word immortal(ity) (Gr: athanasia or undying) is only mentioned in the Bible in two places, and it isn’t used with or applied to the word soul in either case. Both of these scriptures show that immortality is only given by God as a reward for righteousness. And as Ezekiel 18:4 says, ‘The person (gr. psyche or ‘soul’) that is sinning will die (gr. apothaneitai).’

Of course, there are places in the Bible where the word soul means more than just a living, fleshly body. For example, God is recorded to have spoken of ‘My Soul’ in several places. Obviously, God is much more than just a ‘soul’ as most people think of that term, and He surely wasn’t talking about His having a human body. So we must conclude that what He was referring to is His life.

Then there are Jesus’ words found at Matthew 10:28, which read, ‘Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but can’t kill the person (psyche). Rather, be afraid of him who can destroy both the person and the body in the garbage dump.’ Here, Jesus is using the word psyche (soul) to refer to the value of life that remains with God until the resurrection. And he obviously isn’t referring the soul as immortal here, because he says God will destroy (gr. apolesai) the [unrighteous] soul or person.

Unfortunately, no single word can be used to translate psyche in every possible Bible application, so various terms are used herein, depending on the circumstances, but always in an attempt to harmonize with the meaning.

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Hades, Hell or the Grave?

The Greek word Hades (they pronounced it hah-des) has been translated both as Hell (which is thought of as a place of torture) and as the Grave in other Bible versions (such as the King James). Since one word can’t mean two very different things, which translation is correct?

Hades (like the English word Hell) actually means the place of the dead. However, as pagan Greek philosophy started to develop and creep into Christianity, the later-day Greek view of Hades (a place of torture) was applied to it. Was this a correct application?

An insight into how the ancient Hebrews and the early Christians understood the word can be gained by looking at how it was applied in the Greek Septuagint translation of the Ancient Scriptures of Israel (the ‘Old Testament’ Bible of Jesus’ day). There, the Hebrew word Sheol is translated into Greek as Hades in every instance, yet in each case, these are obvious references to the grave (the place of the dead), not to a place of conscious torture (see Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10).

Another revealing application of the word Hades is found at Revelation the 20:13. It says there, ‘The sea (gr. he thalassa) gave up its dead, death and the grave (gr. thanatos kai ho hades) gave up those dead in them, and they were all judged by the things they did.’

Notice that those who die at sea are differentiated from those who are buried in graves (Hades) and in other places (thanatos). So Hades is better translated as grave.

In the book of Job, another word that is used once in the Christian-era Scriptures and often translated as Hell, is found in two places. That Greek word is Tartarus, which refers to the place where evil gods or angels are sent. For more information, see the linked document; Is There a Burning Hell?

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Garbage Dump

The Greek word Gehenna is often translated Hell Fire. Yet, the word simply means the Valley (heb. ga) of Hinnom. The Valley of Hinnom (also referred to as ‘the Valley of the Sons of Hinnom’) was a garbage dump that was located along one of Jerusalem’s outer walls. It was a beautiful park before Jerusalem’s conquest by Babylon, but it was defiled when apostate Jews offered their children as sacrifices on an altar to the God Molech there (see 2 Chronicles 28:3). Then, after the repatriation to Jerusalem, the valley was used in a disrespectful way.

As a garbage dump, it was customary to keep the garbage burning to reduce the stench and to limit vermin, so sulfur and brimstone was frequently poured into the dump to keep the fires burning hot. This is why Jesus, when using the term, spoke of the fire as not being put out. Also, because worms (maggots) bred along the edges of the dump, he could say that the worms don’t die there. But there is no indication that he was talking about humans here.

The only cases where humans were actually thrown into Gehenna provides an insight into what Jesus was talking about when he referred to people going there: The dead bodies of particularly vile condemned criminals were thrown into Gehenna’s fires whenever the population felt that they were undeserving of a decent burial.

As you read the Scriptures, you will notice the importance that Hebrews placed on being ‘laid to rest with their ancestors.’ So when Jesus spoke of people being thrown into Gehenna, he was obviously referring to unrepentant sinners being thrown into the ‘garbage dump.’ In other words, in the eyes of God they were unworthy of a resurrection. This same fate (of no resurrection) is implied by the death of the wicked Queen JezeBel, whose body was eaten by dogs.

This outcome for the willfully wicked is also referred to in other places in Matthew’s account as the fire of the age. Why was that term used? Because fire destroys, and this destruction is for the ages.

For more information, see the linked document ‘Is there a Burning Hell?’

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Hate or Dislike?

The Greek word meso means middle (as in the English term, meso soprano). It is translated as middle, midst, among, and HATE in other Bibles. Obviously, hate (an extreme emotion) isn’t conveyed by the word middle, which simply means less. For that reason, the word is translated dislike (or the equivalent) is used herein, when it refers to the emotion.

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Cross or Pole?

The Greek word stauros simply means pole. So, regardless of popular tradition and doctrine, there is no mention of a pole with a cross piece (cross) in the original Bible. Also, the Greek word staurotheto (which is translated crucified or hung on a cross) is translated impaled (put on a pole or stake) here, because that’s what it means.

Does any of this really make any difference? No, for whether the Romans used just an upright pole or one with a crossbeam as a means of torture and execution is unimportant. However, if one views such a thing as an object of worship, then this is condemned in the Bible as idolatry. And they are also missing the point. For what should be held as sacred to us is the one who gave his life on our behalf, not the disgusting object of his execution.

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Eating with Unwashed Hands?

The Greek word (found at Matthew 15:2, 20) aniptois means unwashed or common, so the Apostles had simply failed to wash their hands before eating, and the Pharisees were objecting to this. It is often said that the Pharisees were objecting because the Apostles hadn’t performed a ‘ritual washing’ (to the elbows). However, that isn’t what the Pharisees had accused them of here.

The people of the southern Province of Judea believed in washing their hands vigorously (scrubbing) before eating a meal. They also rinsed vegetables that they brought from the market and washed their dishes (see Mark 7:2-4). However, these weren’t Galilean customs (Jesus and eleven of his Apostles were from Galilee). Notice Jesus’ conclusion to the matter, as found at Matthew 15: 20, ‘Eating with unwashed hands doesn’t dirty a man.’

Of course, Jesus wasn’t really condoning or promoting eating without washing hands. As the Son of God, he knew that disease and infection could be spread that way. What he was concerned with is a far more important matter. What the Pharisees were doing was taking Bible principles (such as cleanliness) and turning them into laws (which the Pharisees were also doing to promote disregard for parents).

For more information, see the linked document God’s Laws and Principles.

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The Kingdom

The word Kingdom is translated from the Greek word basileia, which refers to the realm of a king (basil).

A common misconception about this Kingdom is that it isn’t real… that it’s just a state of mind. This conclusion is based on Jesus’ words found at Luke 17:21 which say (in Greek), he basileia tou Theou entos hymon estin (the Kingdom of the God in you is). These words are then translated as, ‘for God’s Kingdom is within you.’ However, this couldn’t be the correct meaning, because, notice that (at Luke 17:20) Jesus said these words in reply to a question that was raised by the Pharisees, and he certainly didn’t believe that the Kingdom was in their hearts.

So, what did Jesus mean? He was saying that he, the king of that Kingdom, was there in their midst, and that the hope of becoming kings in that Kingdom was being offered to them. And while it’s true that real Christians ever since that time have in fact been members of that Kingdom in their hearts, the word Kingdom (an area of rule) implies that there will be an actual time of rule and a realm for Jesus and his faithful servants. And, since it appears as though some of these kings will rule from heaven, the place where they rule from is called ‘the Kingdom of Heaven.’

However, Kingdom of Heaven appears to refer to the rule from heaven and not to the place where those who are ruled will live. We draw this conclusion from Jesus’ words as found at Matthew 8:11, which reads: ‘Many from the sunrise and sunset will come and recline [at the table] with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven.’

That such faithful individuals as Abraham weren’t really in heaven at the time Jesus spoke these words (but they were alive in God’s memory), is confirmed by what Jesus said at John 3:13, ‘Nobody has gone to heaven other than he who came from heaven, the Son of Man.’

So, Matthew 8:10-12 must be referring to Abraham and his descendants living under the rule of a heavenly Kingdom government. These faithful ones don’t appear to qualify to be rulers in heaven themselves, because they weren’t ‘born again’ to receive the value of a spiritual life, nor were they part of the ‘Sacred Agreement for a Kingdom’ (Luke 22:29) that Jesus made with his Apostles just prior to his arrest and execution.

Notice how Jesus showed that the Kingdom of God hadn’t already arrived at the time he was speaking, for we are told at Luke 19:11, ‘While they were listening to these things, he told them another illustration, because he was getting close to Jerusalem, and they all thought that the Kingdom of God was about to happen instantly.’ Then Jesus told about a man who made a long trip to a distant land to receive kingship. So, a long period of time was obviously involved between when Jesus would leave on his journey (to receive kingship in heaven), and the time when he would return to reward his faithful slaves.

There is a definite time for this Kingdom to start its rule, which is made clear by the words of Revelation 12:10. For there we read, ‘Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, This is the moment when the salvation, the power, the Kingdom of our God, and the authorization of His Anointed began. Because the one who has been accusing our brothers has been thrown down… the one who has been complaining about them day and night in front of our God!’

So, when the Opposer and his messengers are/were expelled from heaven, God’s Kingdom begins there. However, it must await the end of the ‘short period of time’ before God’s opposers are destroyed at ‘Armageddon’ and any of its effects will be seen on earth.

Then, what IS the Kingdom? The term appears to refer to a coming rulership of the earth by God, Jesus, and a spiritual Israel that originates in the heavens but extends to those in charge on the earth, for John wrote at Revelation 1:6, ‘[Jesus] made us to be a Kingdom of Priests to his God and Father.’ And he wrote that a heavenly group sang this song to him about Jesus (at Revelation 5:9, 10):

‘You bought people for God with your blood,
From every tribe, language, ethnicity, and country.
Then you made them rulers and Priests to our God,
And they’ll rule as kings on the earth.’

Then at Revelation 2:26 it’s recorded that Jesus promised: ‘I’ll give he who conquers and obeys whatever I tell him to do down to the end, power over the nations.’

And again at Revelation 3:21, Jesus promised: ‘Then I’ll allow the one who conquers to sit down with me on my throne, just as my Father has allowed me to sit on His throne, because I have conquered.’

For more information, see the linked document, The ‘Seed’ – God’s Kingdom.

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Paradise

At Luke 23:43, one of the criminals who was hung next to Jesus when he was impaled, expressed belief in Jesus and asked Jesus to remember him when he got into his Kingdom. Jesus words, ‘Amen, soi ego semeron met emou ese en to paradeiso’ (Amen, to you I say today with me you will be in the paradise), have been translated ‘I tell you that, today you will be with me in paradise.’

The inference of such a translation is that this person would be in ‘paradise’ with Jesus that same day. However, Jesus wasn’t even resurrected until two days later. In addition, the word paradeiso really means a garden or park (a place on earth); because, paradeiso is the same word that was used to describe the ‘Garden of Eden’ (Paradise of Delights in the land of Edem) in the Greek Septuagint.

Recognize that this criminal had never been baptized and had done nothing else to that point to be found worthy of being appointed a king in heaven. So, Jesus’ words should obviously have been translated as; ‘I’m telling you this today; you will be with me in Paradise.’ In other words, Jesus was telling him that day; that he would be resurrected in the paradise garden (here on earth) when Jesus begins his rule as king over the earth.

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Satan, Devil, Lucifer, Beelzebub

It is appropriate that the heavenly name of the great Opposer and Slanderer of God is never given in the Bible. However, several terms (and one mistakenly) have been used to describe him. Here is a list of those descriptions:

· Satan: This is a Hebrew word meaning, opposer, resistor, a smart person who does things to serve his own interests, and/or a person who can’t be fooled. It was applied to the Evil One because of his opposition to God. To prevent people from thinking of it as a name, it is translated as ‘the Opposer’ herein.

• Devil: This is the only Greek word (Diabolos) used in the Bible to describe the evil one. The first part of the word, dia, means through. Bolos means throw (it’s where we get the English words ball and bowl). So, Devil means one who throws through, which implied Slanderer in Greek, so that’s the way it’s translated herein.
• Lucifer: The name Lucifer is commonly tied to the Biblical Opposer, however the name doesn’t appear in most versions of the Bible. It does appear once in the King James Bible, at Isaiah 14:12, in which the King of Babylon is referenced as Lucifer, Son of the Morning, which is translated from the Hebrew words Helel ben Shahar – Day Star, Son of the Dawn. This term was used there, because Lucifer is the Latin term for the planet Venus, which is also known as the morning star.
  So, there is no direct link in the Bible between the entity known in Hebrew as Satan and the person who was referred to as Lucifer. This was a myth that was created by Augustine after he translated the text in Isaiah from the original Hebrew into Latin.
• BeelZebub: There are eight references in the Bible to this Hebrew word, and it does refer to the Slanderer. However, once again, this is not a proper name. It appears to be a title. Beel (like Baal) means Lord, and Zebub appears to refer to flies (the insects). So, BeelZebub likely means Lord of Flies.

Is the Opposer (Slanderer or BeelZebub) a real person? All one has to do is look at the titles he was given above to realize that he is. To deny his existence negates the rest of the Bible. For example, when dealing with Adam’s sin, why did God adhere so closely to a law when other options were available to Him? Why didn’t he just destroy rebellious Adam and create another man?

The fact is, He created men and His messengers with the ability to choose whether to serve Him or not, so none are automatons. And as a man failed in the Paradise of Pleasure, we can assume (and as the Scriptures support) that there were failures (and rebels) in the heavens also. This is the reason why it became necessary to have a law that clearly outlined what rebellion against God constituted, and what the consequences for violating that law would be. It was obviously for the sake of the millions of millions of heavenly spirit (breath) creatures that the issue of rebellion here on the earth had to be resolved by legal means, and in a way that demonstrated the love and loyalty of God’s first-born son, which resulted in the painful need for a ‘ransom’ (Jesus’ death).

And the idea that the Slanderer isn’t real raises other questions. For example, while Jesus was being tempted in the desert, was he simply struggling with the bad inside himself rather than against a real, evil personality? If so, we would have to conclude that there was bad in Jesus.

Also, was the battle in heaven (as spoken of at Revelation the Twelfth Chapter) just figurative and not a real war against the Opposer and his messengers? If so, then there are still ‘evil thoughts’ in heaven prior to that battle. And, in what sense would ‘the Opposer’ and his ‘messengers’ lose the battle and be confined to the earth? Also, why would internal evil be ‘angry’ in knowing that he just has ‘a short period of time left?’

And lastly, when the Opposer entered God’s presence and spoke to Him (Job the First Chapter), could we assume that this inherent evil was found in God? That isn’t likely.

However, there is some question as to the use of the Greek word Diabolos found at 1 Chronicles 21:1 (in the Greek Septuagint). First, since Diabolos is a Greek word and First Chronicles was written in Hebrew, we would assume that Diabolos (Slanderer) was substituted for the Hebrew word Satan (Opposer). But the text seems to imply that a slanderer (or resistor), not the Slanderer, had come to David. And we would have to assume it to be a satan or resistor that came to him. So, we don’t really know if the text implies that the Evil One came to him, if it was just an evil spirit that came over him, or if someone bad had urged David to defy God and take a census of Israel.

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Minister or Servant?

For centuries, the proper translation of this word has bothered people who wish to create levels of authority within the Christian Congregation. So, to add weight to this office, the Greek word diakonos has been translated into many words in attempts to blur what it really means in English, servant. Words such as ‘deacon’ (from diakonos), minister, and even the redundancy ‘ministerial servant’ have been employed. However, what they were called in the First-Century Congregation was just servants. These qualified men handled the work and odd jobs that were necessary in running the day-to-day affairs of the congregation.

A later position of responsibility that was spoken of by Paul was the appointment of ‘elders’ or ‘overseers’ in the emerging Christian congregations. Elders (as was true of all servants) were always males, and their job was to shepherd and teach the congregations. However, elders were also just servants – that is, servants with a small ‘s.’

The Scriptures show that such men were to meet high standards of conduct and reputation. And although Paul didn’t mention it specifically, they were expected to be able to make wise decisions and to show signs of having God’s Breath. Notice that these were the qualifications for all servants in the Christian Congregation, for Acts 6:3 says; ‘So, brothers, find seven qualified men among you who are filled with wisdom and the Breath [of God].’

For more information, see the linked document, Arrangement of the First Christian Churches.

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Judgment Day

Throughout the Bible, we read of a Judgment Day. Does this refer to some random time in the future when individuals will meet their own judgment, or to a specific ‘day’ (or period) when all will be judged?

At Matthew 10:15, for example, Jesus spoke of the ‘hemera chriseos’ (Day of Judgment or Crisis) and each of the succeeding references seems to be talking about this same ‘day’ or time. When will that period start? Well, it must be sometime after the ‘great time of difficulty’ (see Matthew 24:21), and following ‘the war of the great day of the Almighty God’ (see Revelation 16:14), because Jesus spoke of people being resurrected when he talked about the Judgment Day.

However, although Psalm 1:1 tells us that the irreverent, impious, or ungodly (gr. asebe) won’t be raised in the Judgment, Paul said (at Acts 24:15) that both the righteous and the unrighteous will be resurrected. So, how can we resolve this discrepancy?

Remember that the word unrighteous doesn’t necessarily refer to those who are deliberately bad, but to those who simply weren’t righteous. On the other hand, the irreverent are those who know of God and simply choose to disobey Him, and apparently, for this reason they are found unworthy of a resurrection. For more information, see the linked document What is Righteousness?

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Stumble or Trap?

The Greek word scandalon means the trip lever of a trap. And while it is often translated as stumble, the meaning has more to do with stumbling into a trap.

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Did Jesus Have Fleshly Brothers and Sisters?

Yes, Luke 8:18-21 makes this very clear. In this case, Jesus was apparently indoors speaking, as his mother (Mary) and his brothers (James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas) stood outside waiting to talk to him. When he was told that his mother and brothers were outside, he said, ‘My mother and my brothers are these who hear the word of God and obey it.’

Obviously, Mary and Jesus’ fleshly brothers weren’t his followers yet, or he would never have excluded their relationship in that way.

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Prayer

James wrote (at James 5:16), ‘So, admit your sins to each other and pray that each one of you will be healed, because prayer has a lot of power when it’s working through a righteous man.’

From these words, we learn never to underestimate the powers of righteousness and prayer. If you continue reading that account (verses 17, 18), you will find the wonderful example that James used to prove his point… where he spoke of what the Prophet EliJah was able to accomplish through the power of prayer.

Why doesn’t prayer always work? As James pointed out, the more righteous the person really is, the more likely it is that his/her prayers will be answered. Also, as Jesus taught us in ‘the Lord’s Prayer,’ God’s Will is involved. In other words, what a person is asking for can’t be out of harmony with God’s purposes and direction.

For example: In the past, certain prominent religious leaders have declared ‘Holy Years’ when all Christians were asked to pray for world peace. Yet, Jesus told us (at Matthew 24:7) that the signs of when he would be ‘near’ are: ‘Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many places.’

So, it appears as though it is God’s will that the world is not to be granted peace. For, world war must happen before the promised end. And as the result, prayers for world peace have just gone unheeded by God. And rather, it would seem to be a far better and more positive action on the part of such religious leaders if they would just tell their members not to go to war. For, prayers work much better whenever you work in harmony with (not against) what you’re asking for.

In Matthew the Sixth Chapter, Jesus set out some important guidelines regarding prayer. Noteworthy are his words found at Matthew 6:6, ‘When you pray, go into your private room and after shutting the door, pray to your Father in secret. Then your Father who watches secretly will repay you.’

This instruction specifically covers prayers that are said in public places (whether said silently or aloud) which draw attention to ones self, because praying in public draws attention to the piety of the one who is praying. For example, we often note people praying openly (and sometimes audibly) in restaurants, thanking God for their food. If that happens, Jesus says that such conspicuousness is the person’s total reward before God. In other words, his/her prayer won’t be answered.

Another important warning against improper prayers are Jesus’ words that are found at Matthew 6:7, ‘When praying, don’t babble the same expressions repeatedly (gr. de me battalogesete – not you multiply words) as people of the nations do, because they think that by [repeating] them they will be heard.’

Memorized words that are often repeated have been the staple of pagan religions throughout the millennia. However, Jesus is indicating that expressions that come from the heart are what God approves of.

In view of what he had just said, obviously what is called the Lord’s or the Our Father Prayer (at Matthew 6:9, 10) wasn’t suggested by Jesus as something to be memorized and then spoken to God. Rather, he was simply listing important subjects for prayer. These included:

· Clearing God’s Name of any accusations made by the Slanderer

· The coming of the Kingdom

· The fulfillment of God’s purposes regarding heaven and earth

· Asking for our daily needs

· Asking for the forgiving our sins (with the reminder that we also need to forgive others)

· Asking for protection against the Wicked One.

You will notice that this Prayer of Jesus, as translated here, doesn’t end with the words, ‘For thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the glory forever. Amen.’ Why not? Because, examination of ancient Bible texts reveals that these words, which are found in a few other Bibles, were added hundreds of years after Matthew wrote this book. And if you think about it, those words don’t make any sense anyhow. Why? Well, why would Jesus say ‘For thine is the Kingdom,’ when he had just said to pray for ‘your (or thy) Kingdom to come?’ And notice from the context that Jesus wasn’t really praying, he was teaching his disciples what to pray for. So, saying amen would have been inappropriate. In fact, if you search the Christian Era Scriptures, you won’t find the Hebrew word Amen said at the end of any prayer (but it was likely said).

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Resurrection of the Righteous

The English word resurrection comes from the Greek word, anastasia (that’s right, the female name Anastasia means resurrection). It means ‘to stand again.’

At Luke 14:14, Jesus spoke of ‘the resurrection of the righteous.’ What was he referring to here? Well, Paul spoke of the same thing at Acts 24:15, where he said, ‘I have this hope in God … that there is going to be a resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous.’

And at John 5:28, 29, Jesus said, ‘Don’t be surprised at this, because the hour is coming when everyone in the tombs will hear his voice and come out; those who did good things to a resurrection of life and those who practiced what was really bad, to a resurrection of judgment.’

So from the above, it appears as though there is hope for a resurrection of all humans except those who the Bible refers to as having been condemned to ‘the garbage dump’ or the lake of fire.

For more information, refer to the document, The Resurrection.

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Salt

At Luke 14:25-33 Jesus was talking about the responsibilities that a person assumes when he or she chooses to become one of his disciples, and for the need to determine ahead of time whether they can manage the ‘costs.’ Then Jesus concludes with the warning (at Luke 14:34, 35), ‘Salt is good; but if salt loses its flavor, what will you use it for seasoning in? It isn’t any good either for soil or for manure, so people throw it out.’

The point of this parable is that anyone who chooses to be Jesus’ disciple, and then changes his or her mind, is as worthless as salt that has no taste.

When does salt lose its taste? Well, what most of us think of when we speak of salt is common table salt (sodium chloride). However, as any chemistry student knows, there are several different types of salts, most of which have no salty flavor. And often, when salt is found in or on the ground in desert areas, the salt that is collected is actually a combination of sodium chloride and other salts (such as borax).

Where mixed salts are used (such as was common in Bible lands), high humidity can leach the sodium chloride from the mixture, leaving a tasteless salt that people back then had no use for, so it was thrown out.’ And ‘being thrown out’ is the fate of Christians who become Jesus’ followers, but who later decide that they don’t wish to pay the costs of living a Christian life.

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The Rich Man and Lazarus

This parable of Jesus has been quoted for centuries in attempts to prove the existence of a Hell Fire. Is that the point that Jesus was making here?

Notice the context: At Luke 16:14-16 we read, ‘Now, the Pharisees (who loved silver) were listening to these things and were looking at him with contempt. So he said to them, ‘You are the ones who claim to be righteous in front of men, but God knows your hearts. Things that are considered important by men are disgusting in God’s eyes.’

With the above circumstances in mind, notice the two following points that Jesus makes:

First, (at Luke 16:16-18) he condemned the Pharisees by saying that ‘anyone who divorces his wife and marries another is guilty of adultery’ – so much for righteousness, because divorce was common among them.

Then, (at Luke 16:19-31) Jesus tells the story of a ‘rich man’ (like the Pharisees) and a ‘beggar’ (like the common people) who both ‘died,’ and of the outcome for each of them.

How were the Pharisees rich? Well, not only were many of them materially rich, but that educated class of people was considered ‘spiritually rich’ by the common people. However, with the death of Jesus, this condition would be changed. They would no longer be the spiritual leaders of God’s people.

Jesus also spoke of a ‘poor man’ class that he named Lazarus (a common Jewish name at the time). This man also ‘died.’

Notice that Lazarus hadn’t really done anything righteous, his only ‘virtue’ was that he was extremely poor. However, he was ‘carried off into the favor of Abraham.’

This lowly, begging condition is similar to what the common people of Israel (such as Jesus’ disciples) were in spiritually, prior to that time. But Jesus changed all that by elevating common people to God’s favored position, when he offered them the opportunity to become kings in God’s Kingdom.

So, the second point that Jesus made (and which the Pharisees doubtlessly, at least partially understood) is that, because they had failed to learn from the Law and the Prophets, their high position was being taken away and given to common people.

So, this story isn’t a tale that describes the torture of Hell Fire, it was a verbal picture that served as a warning to the Pharisees.

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The Lesson of the Poor Widow

The real import of this observation by Jesus (about the widow who he sais contributed more to the Temple treasury than all the others) is often distorted in its application. We usually hear this account told as the story of ‘the Widow’s Mite,’ and it’s used to show that people can have God’s blessings even when they are unable to do much in serving Him (due to advanced age and/or poor circumstances). And while that is true, there is a large difference between what the widow did here and what people usually do in their public service to God.

Notice that this story isn’t about serving God in a public way. Rather, it has to do with a very private act; contributing financially and secretly to support His place of worship. In this case, only Jesus (and God) knew what she did and what her circumstances were. However, when it comes to serving God, many people usually know what we are doing.

The true lesson of this story is to do what you know is right and then trust in God to provide for the things you need. It’s the story of a private act of trust in God. Notice that this widow contributed ‘her whole means of living.’ So she did what she believed was right, and was trusting in God with her whole heart to provide even her next meal.

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The Day of ‘the Lord’ and of Jehovah

Throughout the Bible, we find references to ‘the Day of Jehovah,’ and ‘the Day of the Lord.’ Are both of these references to the same time, and if so, how do we know?

There is no conflict between the two Days; in fact, they appear to be the same. Notice what we are told in the Revelation, when it is speaking of the beginning of that Day (at Revelation 12:10), ‘This is the moment when the salvation, the power, the Kingdom of our God, and the authorization of his Anointed One began.’

As you can see, the purposes of that Day are tied together. For, the establishment of God’s Kingdom (with the battle in heaven and the ouster of the Opposer and his messengers) and the authorization for Jesus (the Lord) to rule appear to begin at the same time.

So, does the Lord’s Day begin when the things spoken of in the Revelation start to happen? It appears to be so, because it starts out with John’s words (at Revelation 1:10), ‘Through the Breath [of God] I found myself in the Lord’s Day.’

What are some of the features of that Day? Well, they appear to start with the ouster of the Opposer and his messengers from heaven (See Revelation 12), which is followed by the destruction of ‘Babylon the Great’ (See Revelation 17, 18). Then in rapid succession there comes the ‘marriage of the Lamb’ (acceptance of the rest of the Anointed ones to heaven?), the Battle of Armageddon, the abyssing of the Opposer and his messengers, and the resurrection (see Revelation 19, 20). And finally, the Opposer is released for a short time, which precipitates the battle against Gog of Magog, and which is thereafter followed by the descent of ‘New Jerusalem’ to the earth, and the making of the ‘new earth and sky’ (see Revelation 21).

Also, in the prophecy found at Joel 2:1-12, ‘the Day of the Lord’ appears to start with the destruction of Jerusalem by worldly armies (the destruction of Babylon the Great?), and this is followed by the destruction of the worldly armies, in Joel Chapter Three (Armageddon?). And in between these two events, we read of the marvelous outpouring of God’s Breath upon His faithful servants (Joel 2:28-32).

Peter wrote in length about this period, and at 2 Peter 3:7 he wrote: ‘It was also promised that; What’s [now] in store for the earth and sky is fire, which [will come] during the Judgment Day, when godless men will be destroyed.’ And although many misinterpret these words as describing just the destruction of the wicked at Armageddon, the context shows that he was looking at a much longer period of time, the total ‘Lord’s Day’ or ‘Judgment Day’… the ‘thousand-year’ period spoken of at Revelation Chapter Twenty. For what he said about the burning of the earth and sky and of the ‘new earth and sky’ corresponds exactly with the end of the thousand years and the promises found at Revelation 21:1.

So, from the periods described in the Revelation, near the end of Jesus’ thousand-year reign there will be a judgment of the wicked (those who join with Gog of Magog) and they will be destroyed. Then there will be a ‘new earth and sky.’ What does that really mean? Perhaps we’ll all have to live to see it to be sure.

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Bless or Praise?

This is a tough one and we won’t say that our position on the translation of this word can’t be changed. The Greek word that we are struggling with is eulogetos. The first part of the word eu, is Greek for good. The last part of the word, logetos, means words (or expressions). So, a literal translation of eulogetos is good words. And our question is: Is this all that a blessing amounts to?

Yes, we know that this word has been translated as bless, blest, and blessing in other Bibles. So why rock the boat? Because these translators have simply found too many errors in many commonly accepted renderings. And here, for example, if eulogetos is properly translated as blessing each time (which carries the English nuance, ‘causing good things to happen’), then, how can humans ‘bless God?’ We do know that we can praise God, however.

Eulogetos is the word that we derive the English word eulogy from… that is, the kind words that are said of the deceased at a funeral. Such words are never said as a blessing (it’s a bit late for that); they are said in praise of the deceased individual. However, there are definitely places where eulogetos can’t be translated as praise or praising.

Perhaps the real meaning is (or is at least is similar to) praise. And when praises come from God, this means blessings to humans.

This isn’t the same word that we have rendered as blest in other portions of this translation (for an example, see Matthew 5:5). The word in question there is makarios, which is rendered as happy in certain other Bibles. However, we believe that blest is the proper way to translate that Greek word.

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Ark or Chest?

What is an ark? Why, everyone knows of Noah’s ark, and of the Ark of the Covenant… don’t they? Yes, most people do. But, just what is an ark? That is an ancient English word, the meaning of which has been long lost in history. It is translated from the Greek word kiboton (kee/boat/on). So, most people simply don’t grasp what it’s talking about today, and any concept that they might have of what it looked like may come from pictures in children’s storybooks that show a big boat with all sorts of animals looking out the windows.

An ark is simply a box or chest. If you carefully examine the description of the measurements that God gave Noah, you will see that He told Noah to build a three-story wooden box that was about ‘five-hundred feet long, eighty feet wide, and fifty feet tall.’ It was rectangular; it had a roof, at least one window, and a door. It wasn’t to be a ‘boat’ that could navigate, because, all it had to do was float. Nor did the animals look out the window(s); they were kept in stalls.

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Luke

Notice that the book of Luke starts out by addressing the same man as does the book of Acts, someone with the Greek name of TheoPhilus, who was likely some sort of governor. This gives us a good reason to believe that the person who wrote Acts also wrote Luke (and about the same time), ‘the beloved Physician,’ Luke. Who was Luke?

The Bible doesn’t tell us much about him, other than he was a regular traveling companion of Paul. Notice that throughout the book of Acts he says that ‘we’ did this or that. So, Luke was likely someone who was also assigned to preach to Gentiles. And although he may have witnessed some of the events of the Life of Jesus, there is no record of it. However, that wasn’t true of the book of Acts, because the account shows that he lived most of it, especially the journeys of Paul.

Luke was quite a chronicler, since both of his books were compilations of things he was told (he probably relied on many sources). And, because he ended Acts with the imprisonment of Paul in Rome, we have to assume that he did all his writing about the year 62-C.E., which is almost thirty years after Jesus’ death.

If you look at writing styles, you can see that Luke likely wrote some of the epistles that are attributed to Paul. Not that Paul didn’t dictate them, but that Luke may on occasion have served as Paul’s secretary. Luke’s writing style is flowery and educated, and his greetings can go on for paragraphs.

Something that only a translator would notice is that much of Luke’s Gospel account is borrowed from Matthew. There is nothing wrong with that, because it was admittedly a compiled account, and Matthew’s writing was just one of his sources.

The reason why Luke prepared both writings (Luke and Acts) was apparently to set things straight in the hodge-podge of things people were saying by then, and in the stories that they were telling. That’s why he started out his Gospel account with the words (Luke 1:1-3), ‘Since many others have already taken on the job of putting together a statement of the facts of the things we believe as they were given to us by those who were eyewitnesses from long ago, and by caretakers of the message, it seemed good for me to trace everything accurately from the start, then write them to you in the order they happened, mighty Theophilus, so you can feel confident about the things you’ve been taught by word of mouth.’

There are several important places where Luke’s Gospel disagrees with Matthew’s Gospel. However, that is simply to be expected when several people tell the same story from different points of view. An example of this is: Luke said that Jesus didn’t cleanse God’s Temple until the day after his triumphant ride into Jerusalem. While Matthew’s account indicates that it happened on the same day. Is this a significant discrepancy? No, the words that were said and the things that happened are what was important, not their order in telling.

Also, many of the things that Jesus said and did didn’t follow the same order as in Matthew. This could be, because Jesus said and did similar things on other occasions, or simply because someone remembered them as happening on other occasions.

Is Luke’s Gospel more accurate than Matthew’s Gospel? Well, he did have a second look at what Matthew wrote, which always provides an edge when it comes to accuracy. However, his Gospel was likely written almost twenty-five years later, so Matthew’s Gospel was written much closer to when the events actually happened. But the extensive use of the poetry in Jesus’ words does seem to indicate a better recollection of the things that he said.

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Hypocrite

Hypocrite is a Greek word that is just spelled a little differently than it is in English (hypocritai). However, we give the English word a nuance that isn’t implied in Greek. The first part of the Greek word, hypo, means under, and the second part, critai, means judge (it’s what we get critical and criticize from). So, in the Bible a hypocrite is a ‘lesser judge,’ or one who is very judgmental of the actions or conduct and others. This differs from the meaning in English, which is, someone who doesn’t follow his own advice.

The Scribes and Pharisees were referred to as Hypocrites in the Bible, because they condemned the actions of others. And like anyone who tends to be critical of others, they likely failed in the same ways that they condemned others, which would make them also fit the English definition. However, the Bible meaning is ‘judgmental.’

Being too judgmental is a very serious flaw, which is common to those who think they are very righteous. It is reported that the Pharisees especially thought of themselves as more righteous than others, and it was their opinion that they would be the only ones to be found righteous and worthy of a resurrection by God. Notice what Jesus said would happen to those who are judgmental (Matthew 7:1): ‘Don’t judge [others], so you won’t be judged. For, the [rules] that you use to judge others, are the rules that will be used to judge you, and the standards you are setting for them, are the standards that they’ll set for you.’

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Demons

2 Peter 2:4 speaks of ‘messengers’ who were put into ‘Tartarus’ for bad acts they committed during the time of Noah. Genesis 6:3 speaks of these as ‘sons of God’ (gr. uioi tou Theou) and it tells of their coming to earth to marry ‘the daughters of men’ (gr. thygateras ton anthropon). However, these ‘sons of God’ don’t appear to be quite the same as the ‘messengers’ who are to be thrown out of heaven during ‘the Lord’s Day,’ mentioned at Revelation 12:7-9. Since the ‘sons of God’ who came to earth and assumed human bodies in Noah’s day couldn’t be destroyed by the downpour (flood) and they had forsaken heaven, they were apparently put into a prison-like state here on the earth, where they are no longer able to roam. This group is specifically referred to as the demons in the Bible.

It is interesting that, except among modern materialistic and scientific societies, demons are recognized as real throughout the world and by almost all of its religions, both modern and primitive. Such universal acknowledgement by diverse people with no cultural ties is one of the strongest arguments for their existence.

Demon is a Greek word that seems to be derived from diameno, which means fixed in one place. From other Bible accounts about demons, it appears that this ‘fixing in one place’ means that they must be associated with either living or non-living things, which is referred to as ‘possession.’

At Acts 17:18 the Epicureans and Stoic Philosophers of Greece asked about Paul’s teaching a ‘foreign demon.’ And although most translations render his words as ‘foreign god,’ they truly said ‘demon’ (gr. daimonion). This is also true of Paul’s reply found at Acts 17: 22, ‘Men of Athens, I see that you’re a lot more afraid of the demons than others are.’

The reason why this term was used is obvious. The many pagan idols and Gods of Athens, although made of metal and stone, had the backing of demons. And the people recognized the power that was given to lifeless objects through ‘possession’ by their gods.

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Mary from Magdala

Much has been said and written about this woman, with no basis, because the only record of her is in the Bible, and it tells us very little. What we do know is that her name wasn’t Magdalene, as most Bibles say, because surnames were seldom used in Bible times. Rather, her name was just Mary, and she was referred to as the Magdalean to differentiate her from other Marys who were also Jesus’ disciples (there are six Marys mentioned in the Bible). This term may have referred to her coming from the town of Magdala or Magadan, which was on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee about halfway between Capernaum and Tiberias.

Jesus expelled seven demons from Mary, and this is likely why she was so devoted to serving him. We find the first mention of her in the second year of Jesus’ preaching, as he and his Apostles were traveling from city to city proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom. There the Bible tells us that she and several other faithful women traveled among the crowd of Jesus’ disciples and they served the needs of Jesus and his Apostles from their possessions. And finally, she was also among the large crowd of people who traveled with Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem and who witnessed his death on the pole, and then him in his resurrected form.

Could she have possibly been Jesus’ wife, as some have claimed? No, for the busy nomadic life of Jesus would have made him a poor provider and husband. Also, the fact that she was serving Jesus and his Apostles from her possessions indicates that she wasn’t his wife. And thereafter, she isn’t mentioned by Paul, John, James, Peter, or Luke, which would be strange if she had held such an important position in Jesus’ life.

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Why Capitals in Bible Names?

You have likely noticed that we are putting some of the letters in Bible names in capital letters. For example, we’ve started spelling such names as Jonathan as JoNathan, Isaiah as IsaiJah, and Eliezer as EliEzer. Why? Well, partly to help with the correct pronunciations of the names, and partly to show some translating consistency.

We all know that the common English pronunciation of Jonathan (for example) is Jon-uh-thun. But did you know that the first part of the name (Io in Greek, Ieho in Hebrew) refers to the name Jehovah, and the second part of the Name (Nathan) means Gift? So the name was originally pronounced Ye-hoh-nuh-thahn.

In the case of names that end with an iah, as in Isaiah, the last part of the name often includes the name of God. Isaiah, for example, means Salvation [of] Jehovah, and it was originally pronounced Ee-sai-Yah. So, why have we substituted a capital ‘J’ for the letters ‘ie’ in both of the above cases? Well, we recognize that there is an inconsistency here, because there was no letter ‘J’ in Hebrew or Greek alphabets. However, we have the choice of changing all names that start with ‘J’ (such as Jesus, John, Jonah, Joshua, Jeremiah, etc.) to start with the letters ‘Ie’, or for consistency, we can change all the ‘Ies’ into ‘Js’, which is what we have done.

Does this mean then that we are setting out a new rule for name spelling? Absolutely not, for centuries ago a Bible translator first established this rule when he spelled the name Eliou (Greek spelling, pronounced ay-lee-ou) and wrote it as EliJah, because this name is regarded as meaning ‘My God is Jehovah.’

Also notice that where a name ends with an iah, as in Jeremiah (Jehovah exalts), we have often spelled it iJah, because the i would typically be pronounced as a long e followed by a Y in Hebrew, and writing it without the i (as in JeremJah) misses this nuance. So we have rendered it JeremiJah, which is similar to the way it is often pronounced by modern-day Hebrew-speaking Jews, YeremiYah.

Another important word in names that we usually capitalize is ‘El’ (from the Hebrew Elohe, or God). So EliEzer (which people commonly pronounce Ee-lee-ay-zer and means God [has] Helped) should actually be pronounced Ehlee-EhZer. The same is true for the letters Ai, especially in the names of cities, because Ai in Hebrew refers to the word city. So AiLam probably meant the City of Lam.

Similar words, such as Bel (as in BelShazzar), Baal, and Beel, refer to ‘the Lord’ or ‘the God.’ Also, the letters ‘Ben’ and ‘Bar’ mean ‘the son of.’ ‘Beth’ means ‘the house of,’ ‘Beer’ refers to a ‘well,’ ‘Is’ or ‘Ish’ means ‘Man,’ etc.

Does this mean that we have put all the capitals in the right places? No, for we make no claim to Hebrew scholarship (all our translating here has been from Greek). So, what we are trying to do is provide a better understanding to how these names were pronounced by First-Century Christians.

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Jehovah

Although there are no existing ancient Christian Era Scripture (New Testament) manuscripts that contain the full name Jehovah, there are four reasons why we (and other Bible scholars and translators) believe that it existed in the original text. They are:

1. The Name is found in many of the Hebrew Scripture texts that are quoted by Jesus and his disciples

2. Jesus mentioned God’s having a Name in ‘The Lord’s Prayer,’ and at John 5:43, 10:25, 12:13, 17:26, and in numerous other places

3. The Name still appears in a combined form in Revelation where the word hallelujah is used (Hallel means praise, u implies second person, and Jah is a shortened form of Jehovah.)

4. The fact that Christians who lived in Jerusalem were still worshiping at the Temple of Jehovah late in Paul’s ministry proves that they still viewed Jehovah as their God (see Acts 21:20-26).

So, this Bible is one of two that we are aware of that uses God’s Name in the Christian Era Scriptures, which makes it quite unique. However, you will see that we have avoided using it in places where the Greek words ho Kyrios could have been speaking of Jesus, using the Name Jehovah mostly in quotations from Hebrew texts which were clearly speaking of The God.

That the Name Jehovah (which means, He who Causes to Be, or, The Creator) was originally in the Bible, is documented in all ancient Hebrew texts. And it is most likely that the Septuagint translation which Jesus and his Apostles used (most quotations they gave seem to have come from an ancient Septuagint) carried that Name, but probably in the four Hebrew characters that represent the English consonants YHWH.

Notice this comment by Robert Hanhart, who contributed the Introduction to ‘The Septuagint as Christian Scripture.’ He stated therein that, ‘All Greek biblical texts of Jewish origin found to date, whether from pre-Christian or Christian times, transmit the name יהוה Jehovah not in the form κύριος [Lord] encountered in all the LXX [Septuagint] manuscripts of Christian origin, but in some form of the Tetragrammaton.’ (See: ‘The Septuagint as Christian Scripture,’ 2002, book, p.7, by Martin Hengel. Introduction by Robert Hanhart, published by Baker Academic. ISBN 0-8010-2790-X).

You will see how in the book of Isaiah, for example, God is often referred to in Greek as Kyrios ho Kyrios, or, Lord the Lord (see Isaiah 48:16 LXX). And these are obvious examples of texts where God’s Name was omitted, for such sentences should clearly read Jehovah the Lord, or Lord Jehovah.

Since the words God and Lord both seem to have been substituted in the text wherever God’s Name originally appeared, it is difficult to know where to reinsert the Name in place of the titles. We could refer to the Hebrew texts and insert it wherever the Name appears there, but that would be out of harmony with the purpose of presenting this translation of the Septuagint on its own merit. So, wherever the term the Lord appears in obvious reference to God, we have decided to insert the Name Jehovah.

The rule that other translators have adopted for inserting God’s Name is to simply use it wherever the Tetragrammaton (יהוה) appears in the oldest existing Hebrew texts (which aren’t that old). However, it can be proven that these texts and such insertions are unreliable. For example, there is the instance when Abraham was talking to three ‘men,’ one of whom he referred to as the Lord (יהוה). In this case, Abraham was obviously speaking to a messenger from God (likely His representative, Michael), because, as God told Moses, ‘No man can see God and live.’ So in such instances we have left the term ‘Lord’ unchanged, because that is likely the actual word Abraham used.

Also, in the writings of many of the Prophets, you will notice that they were often spoken to by God’s messengers, who the Prophets referred to as the Lord. And these messengers (angels) thereafter went on to give them messages from Jehovah. For example, notice the wording of Jeremiah 2:1: ‘Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, Go and yell in the ears of Jerusalem! Tell them that thus says Jehovah …’ So in this Bible you’ll see an interspersing of the term the Lord, when it appears to be referring to the angel messenger, and as Jehovah, when it appears to be referring to God.

Notice again the wording of Amos 4:13, where the one who gave the message to that Prophet (the Lord) definitely put Jehovah in the third person (though he is apparently saying that he did much of the work of creating) for there he said: ‘{Look!} I brought the thunder and I made the wind; and I report to men of His caring. For He produces the dawn and the fog, and is mounted on the heights of the earth… His Name is Jehovah God the Almighty!’

Then look at the words of Zephaniah 1:9, where the Prophet wrote: ‘And I asked, What are these, O Lord? And [God’s] messenger replied (he who was speaking to me), I will show you what all these things mean.’

So, it appears as though the Greek word kyrios should be translated as Lord or the Lord when it is referring to the angel who was speaking, and as Jehovah in many cases when it is speaking of God… regardless of how modern Hebrew texts may read, for from the context you can clearly see that these verses are quoting someone other than God.

However, the Lord (kyrios) would also have been used by Hebrew writers when speaking of God in poetry, where the previous or following verse uses the Name Jehovah; for the rule for a following verses is to use a simile.

Another important place where it appears as though the term the Lord should be used instead of the name Jehovah, is where people do something in His Name, as in James 5:10, which speaks of ‘Prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.’ For, since Jehovah is God’s Name (in English), they would not be speaking in the Name of Jehovah (which is His Name), but in the Name of the Lord (Jehovah). Yes, this could be an arguable point, but where there is some question and the understanding isn't changed, we believe it is better to take a cautious approach.

Probably the most striking and confusing reference to the Lord is found at Hebrews 1:10-12, which says: ‘Long ago, O Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth, and you made the heavens with your hands. But they’ll pass away while you still remain. For like clothes they will grow old. Then, as [you would do to] a robe, you will wrap them up and repair them. Yes, you’re the one and your years will never expire.’

As you can see, the reference to the Lord here appears to be speaking of God (Jehovah). And if you go back to the scripture Paul was quoting (Psalm 102:25-27), you’ll see (from the context of the surrounding verses) that it appears to be speaking of Jehovah there also, and this is the conclusion of many, because the Tetragrammaton (יהוה) appears there in both the ancient Hebrew and Greek texts. Yet, the entire First Chapter of Hebrews is discussing Jesus and his special position before God. And Paul is clearly quoting Psalm 102:25-27 to make the point that Jesus made the heavens and the earth, that he will remain through the ages, and that he will eventually rebuild (repair) them after they grow old.

So, either Paul misapplied this scripture, which seems unlikely, or both Hebrew and Greek versions of Psalm 102 have been badly corrupted through the years, which our research proves is possible. As the result (because the answers are unclear), we have deviated from our rule of capitalizing the first letter of the words You and Your in many places in Psalm 102 and Hebrews 1, and from inserting the Name Jehovah where its use may be in doubt. However, this opens another can of worms, for it brings into question the accuracy of major portions of the Hebrew text and the use of the Tetragrammaton rule altogether.

It has also been suggested that since Jesus ‘shines with the same glory, is the exact image of His (God’s) being, and is responsible for everything that’s said through His power,’ as we were told at Hebrews 1:3, anything that is said about God also applies to Jesus… perhaps.

Of course, the easy answer to why Paul used Psalm 102 in reference to Jesus, is because Jesus is actually Jehovah, as many theologians claim. But this is proven untrue by the other words in the same First Chapter of Hebrews. For notice the following verses:

• Hebrews 1:3 ‘He sat down at the right hand of the Great One in the highest places.’
• Hebrews 1:4 ‘He has become so much greater than the [other] messengers [of God] and so different, that he has inherited a [special] name among them.’
• Hebrews 1:5 ‘For example, to which of His [other] messengers did He ever say, You’re my son. Today I’ve become your Father. Or, I will become his Father and he will become My son.’
• Hebrews 1:9 ‘You loved righteousness and hated wickedness. That’s why God (your God) anointed you with the oil of great joy among those who are your partners.’
• Hebrews 1:13 ‘And to which one of His messengers did He ever say, Sit here on My right until I set your enemies as a stool for your feet?’

(For more information on this subject, please see the linked document Who Was Jesus?)

The word that is translated lord (gr. kyrios) is found throughout the Bible in Greek texts and is usually used as a term of respect for men, such as a king, governor, or homeowner… and it is also frequently translated as master. So, whenever you see the term master used in the Bible, recognize that it is translated from the same Greek word as lord. And as translators, it’s easy to see how inappropriate it is to always refer to God as ‘the Lord.’ This was something that was started by later Jewish copyists, and the custom was adopted in English Bibles in the Fifteenth Century. Yet, even then the translators showed where God’s name once appeared in the Hebrew text by capitalizing all the letters, as in LORD (see Exodus 6:1). And in the King James Bible, the name Jehovah still does appear in four texts (see Exodus 6:3).

Some have objected to putting the name Jehovah in the Greek text, for they say that that use of the Name would have been offensive – and might have resulted in stoning – if Jesus and his disciples had actually spoken it. Yet, the Name had to be used when preaching to the Gentiles, or they simply wouldn’t have known which Lord the disciples were talking about (remember, they were polytheistic). And to call God the Lord when most gods (and many men) were also called lord, would have been very confusing to everyone that Jesus’ disciples preached to, both Jews and Gentiles. So we question whether the use of God’s Name was considered as offensive prior to Jerusalem’s destruction by the Roman armies (70-C.E.).

The reason why the Name was removed from later copies of the Ancient Scriptures of Israel was because Jewish Scribes had become so awed with God’s Name that they refused to write it or say it, so, they started substituting the term ‘the Lord’ (the Master) wherever His Name was found. And since all existing versions of the Septuagint come from the Second Century or later, it isn’t surprising that God’s Name has been omitted from such modern texts. The fact that the name Jehovah was once there is well substantiated from ancient Bible manuscripts, both Hebrew and Greek. In fact, a verse in the Jewish Talmud claims that Jesus received his miraculous powers because he had sewn the Holy Name (Jehovah) into his skin, which indicates both their (his enemy’s) recognition of Jesus’ miraculous powers and the common view of God’s Name.

Forgetting God’s Name is a practice that has had a long history with the Jews, for apparently they were trying to do this during the time of the Prophet Jeremiah (sometime in the early Seventh Century B.C.E.), for we read at Jeremiah 23:27: ‘They’ve devised ways to forget My Name, then they use their dreams to describe to their neighbors, how their fathers were the ones who’ve forgotten My Name, and turned to the service of Baal.’

What about the Christian Era Scriptures? Recognize that most early Christian Congregations (and especially those in Judea) were predominantly made up of Jews, and their traditions seemed to have had a strong negative effect on Christian conduct and doctrine throughout the world. For example; almost all of Paul’s letters (Romans through Hebrews) contain strong references to Judaizers in the congregations, and this influence likely led to substituting Lord for God’s Name in Christian writings after the deaths of the Apostles.

Perhaps Christians would more deeply appreciate the need to use the name Jehovah, rather than the title ‘Lord,’ when referring to God, if they understood that the term ‘the Lord’ in the language of the Canaanites was ‘Baal’ or ‘Beel.’ And the same term in modern-day Arabic is ‘Allah.’

Then, what of those who prefer a more exact Hebrew pronunciation of the Name, which can be Yahweh (yah-h’-Wĕh), Yahwah (yah-h’-Wah), or Yehwah (yĕh-h’-Wah)? That is commendable if their reasons are consistent. For, if their concern is to properly pronounce Bible names (not a hatred for God’s name as it is pronounced in English), they will also be found promoting the proper Hebrew pronunciation of His son’s name, Ieshuah (Ye-Shuah), or Iehoshuah (Yĕ-h’-shuah)… or at least the proper pronunciation of his name in Greek, Iesous (Yay-sous).

But then they would also have to start changing hundreds of other Bible name containing a J (such as John, Jeremiah, Jonah, Jerusalem, etc.), and they would find that almost every other Bible name is currently mispronounced in the English language.

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God’s Anointed

Notice that in this Bible translation, 2 Corinthians 1:21, 22 (for example) says, ‘The One who guarantees that we all belong to the Anointed One, and He who anointed us, is God.’

So, why didn’t these translators just go ahead and render the word (Anointed) as Christ – as countless other translators have done? For two reasons:

1. Because Christ has almost totally lost its meaning to most Bible readers today, and most have come to believe that ‘Christ’ was part of Jesus’ name. It wasn’t.

2. Because Christ is word that was made up by early Bible translators and is only used in that form when they think that the Bible was speaking of Jesus. In other places it is correctly translated as anointed.

If you look at the above verse in Greek, you’ll see that it reads, ‘Ho de bebaion hemas syn hymin eis Christon kai chrisas hemas Theos,’ or, ‘The of stabilizing us with you into Anointed and anointing us God.’

You will notice here that Christon (Christ or Anointed) and chrisas (anointed) are both derived from the same root word, which by the way, is Greek for olive oil. Why olive oil? Because, that substance was traditionally poured over the heads of those who God chose to be kings over Israel. For example, David and Solomon were both anointed (oil was poured over their heads) in proof of the fact that they had been chosen by God to be kings over Israel.

So, the word means anointed. But if you prefer the word Christ, then David and Solomon were Christs, for you can’t have it both ways.

Such a physical anointing with oil appeared to picture receiving God’s Holy Breath, which happened to Jesus at his baptism, to 120 of Jesus’ disciples at Pentecost of 33-C.E., and to other First-century Christians. So Jesus didn’t really become the Christon (Christ, Anointed, or Chosen One) until he was anointed with Holy Breath at his baptism (when the ‘dove’ came down on him).

If you understand this nuance, you get the true meaning of the word Christ (Anointed) as it applies to Jesus; it means that he was the one who God chose to be king over His people. Also, Paul was telling the Christians in Corinth that they too would be anointed… become ‘christs.’ For when they were ‘anointed’ and sealed in their hearts by God’s Holy Breath, they were selected to be ‘kings over the earth’ (Revelation 5:10).

Also, notice what can be learned from a proper understanding of the Greek words by looking at Matthew 24:24. For what he actually said was, ‘Because false Anointed ones and false prophets (gr. pseudo christon kai pseudo prophetai) will arise and they will perform great signs and omens to mislead (if possible) even the elected.’

So, Jesus wasn't necessarily saying that people would come claiming to be him, but people would come falsely claiming to be the anointed and prophets.

At Exodus 29:29 we find that Aaron and his sons were to be ‘anointed’ as Priests to Jehovah, and that this action would make them ‘holy,’ or clean. It also signified that had been ‘chosen’ to this office by God. And in Leviticus, when we read of the ‘anointed’ Priest, the reference seems to be to the one who had been chosen for the special office of what later became known as the High Priest, which gives credence to our translating Christos as Anointed One, rather than Christ, in the Christian Era Scripture (NT) portion of this Bible. However, at least in the case of Aaron and his sons, fragrant herbs were added to the oil to give it a pleasing odor. This is implied at Exodus 25:7 where the Israelites were asked to donate ‘fragrances for anointing oil.’ And we find the exact formula for the anointing oil at Exodus 30:34, where we read that it was to be made of ‘sixteen pounds of choice myrrh flowers, eight pounds of sweet-smelling cinnamon, eight pounds of sweet-smelling calamus, sixteen pounds of cassia (for the Holy Place), and a gallon of olive oil.’

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Getting Saved

Although the term ‘getting saved’ is used throughout the Bible, we gain a real sense of the meaning of this term from Acts 16:29, where we read of a jailer who was unfamiliar with Christianity and its terms, when he asked Paul and Silas, ‘Lords, what do I have to do to get saved?’ That’s when Paul and Silas told him, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved.’

Was simple ‘belief in Jesus’ all that was required for salvation? In this case, there was a lot more that he needed to understand, because, as a virtual pagan (Roman or Greek), there was a world of things for him to learn about monotheism, Christian conduct, the resurrection, and of God’s Kingdom. So, much more than just belief in Jesus was required for salvation. This is why the account continues with the words, ‘Then they told him and all those in his house about the Word of God.’

Unfortunately, many people profess to believe in Jesus today, but they don’t understand Christian living – Jesus’ instructions on morality and love, for example. So, notice what Jesus himself said at Matthew 7:22, 23, ‘In that day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and perform many great works in your name? Then I’ll admit to them: I never knew you! Get away from me you lawbreakers.’

So, more than simple belief is required. To keep from being a ‘lawbreaker’ and in order to be ‘known’ by Jesus, a person must believe in him and everything he taught, including his instructions on how to live a life as one of his followers.

And who will actually be saved? Jesus answered this question himself when he said what was recorded at Matthew 24:13, ‘But he who endures to the end will be saved.’

So, from the above, we must conclude that while belief in Jesus is required for salvation, knowledge of how to live a Christian life is also required. And to continue in this saved condition, one must maintain a clean relationship with God until ‘the end.’ That is, until the end of their lives or until the coming of Jesus.

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Why Didn’t Jesus Allow the Demonized Man Follow Him?

In the account found at Luke 8:26-39, Jesus encountered a man who was possessed by many demons, which Jesus drove from him and sent into a nearby herd of pigs. And as Jesus was leaving, the man asked Jesus if he could come with him, or if he could become one of Jesus’ disciples. However, Jesus told him no, and to just return to his town and tell people what had happened. These actions of Jesus may seem strange, because he had never declined an offer for someone to become a disciple, nor did h