American Standard Version of 1901
Versliste
Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to his temple; {Or, even}and the {Or, angel}messenger of the covenant, whom ye desire, behold, he cometh, saith Jehovah of hosts.
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come.
Repent ye therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that so there may come seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord;
and that he may send the Christ who hath been appointed for you, even Jesus:
whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, whereof God spake by the mouth of His holy prophets that have been from of old.
Moses indeed said, {Deuteronomy 18:15.}A prophet shall the Lord God raise up unto you from among your brethren, {Or, as he raised up me}like unto me; to him shall ye hearken in all things whatsoever he shall speak unto you.
Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so do ye.
forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved; to fill up their sins always: but the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.
Saith the Lord, {Or, who doeth these things which were known & c.}who maketh these things known from of old.
And Jesus went out from the temple, and was going on his way; and his disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple.
But he answered and said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
And as he sat on the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy {Greek: presence.}coming, and of {Or, the consummation of the age}the end of the world?
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man lead you astray.
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and shall lead many astray.
And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled: for these things must needs come to pass; but the end is not yet.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and earthquakes in divers places.
But all these things are the beginning of travail.
Then shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake.
And then shall many stumble, and shall {See chapter 10:4.}deliver up one another, and shall hate one another.
And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray.
And because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of the many shall wax cold.
But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.
And this {Or, these good tidings}gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole {Greek: inhabited earth.}world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.
When therefore ye see the abomination of desolation, which was {Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11.}spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in {Or, a holy place}the holy place (let him that readeth understand),
then let them that are in Judæa flee unto the mountains:
let him that is on the housetop not go down to take out the things that are in his house:
and let him that is in the field not return back to take his cloak.
But woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days!
And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on a sabbath:
for then shall be great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be.
And except those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is the Christ, or, Here; believe {Or, him}it not.
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
Behold, I have told you beforehand.
If therefore they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the wilderness; go not forth: Behold, he is in the inner chambers; believe {Or, them}it not.
For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west; so shall be the {Greek: presence.}coming of the Son of man.
Wheresoever the carcase is, there will the {Or, vultures}eagles be gathered together.
But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
And he shall send forth his angels with {Or, a trumpet of great sound}a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Now from the fig tree learn her parable: when her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh;
even so ye also, when ye see all these things, know ye that {Or, it}he is nigh, even at the doors.
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished.
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, {Many authorities, some ancient, omit neither the Son.}neither the Son, but the Father only.
And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the {Greek: presence.}coming of the Son of man.
For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,
and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be the {Greek: presence.}coming of the Son of man.
Then shall two men be in the field; one is taken, and one is left:
two women shall be grinding at the mill; one is taken, and one is left.
Watch therefore: for ye know not on what day your Lord cometh.
{Or, But this ye know}But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be {Greek: digged through.}broken through.
Therefore be ye also ready; for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Who then is the faithful and wise {Greek: bondservant.}servant, whom his lord hath set over his household, to give them their food in due season?
Blessed is that {Greek: bondservant.}servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Verily I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he hath.
But if that evil {Greek: bondservant.}servant shall say in his heart, My lord tarrieth;
and shall begin to beat his fellow-servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken;
the lord of that {Greek: bondservant.}servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not,
and shall {Or, severely scourge him}cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
And he said unto his disciples, It is impossible but that occasions of stumbling should come; but woe unto him, through whom they come!
It were well for him if a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.
Take heed to yourselves: if thy brother sin, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
And if he sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye would say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou rooted up, and be thou planted in the sea; and it would obey you.
But who is there of you, having a {Greek: bondservant.}servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say unto him, when he is come in from the field, Come straightway and sit down to meat;
and will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
Doth he thank the {Greek: bondservant.}servant because he did the things that were commanded?
Even so ye also, when ye shall have done all the things that are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable {Greek: bondservants.}servants; we have done that which it was our duty to do.
And it came to pass, {Or, as he was}as they were on the way to Jerusalem, that he was passing {Or, through the mist of &c.}along the borders of Samaria and Galilee.
And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, who stood afar off:
and they lifted up their voices, saying, Jesus, Master, Have mercy on us.
And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go and show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, as they went, they were cleansed.
And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, with a loud voice glorifying God;
and he fell upon his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
And Jesus answering said, Were not the ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
{Or, There were none found…save this stranger.}Were there none found that returned to give glory to God, save this {Or, alien}stranger?
And he said unto him, Arise, and go thy way: thy faith hath {Or, saved thee}made thee whole.
And being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God cometh, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is {Or, in the mist of you}within you.
And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
And they shall say to you, Lo, there! Lo, here! go not away, nor follow after them:
for as the lightning, when it lighteneth out of the one part under the heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall the Son of man be {Some ancient authorities omit in his day.}in his day.
But first must he suffer many things and be rejected of this generation.
And as it came to pass in the days of Noah, even so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
Likewise even as it came to pass in the days of Lot; they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all:
after the same manner shall it be in the day that the Son of man is revealed.
In that day, he that shall be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away: and let him that is in the field likewise not return back.
Remember Lot's wife.
Whosoever shall seek to gain his life shall lose it: but whosoever shall lose his life shall {Greek: save it alive.}preserve it.
I say unto you, In that night there shall be two men on one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
There shall be two women grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. {Some ancient authorities add verse 36 There shall be two men in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Matthew 24:40.}
- - -
And they answering say unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Where the body is, thither will the {Or, vultures}eagles also be gathered together.
And it came to pass when Jesus had finished commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and preach in their cities.
Now when John heard in the prison the works of the Christ, he sent by his disciples
and said unto him, Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another?
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and tell John the things which ye hear and see:
the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have {Or, the gospel}good tidings preached to them.
And blessed is he, whosoever shall find no occasion of stumbling in me.
And as these went their way, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to behold? a reed shaken with the wind?
But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft raiment are in kings' houses.
{Many ancient authorities read But what went ye out to see? A prophet? }But wherefore went ye out? to see a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.
This is he, of whom it is written, {Malachi 3:1}Behold, I send my messenger before thy face,Who shall prepare thy way before thee.
Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is {Greek: lesser.}but little in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and men of violence take it by force.
For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
And if ye are willing to receive {Or, him}it, this is Elijah, that is to come.
He that hath ears {Some ancient authorities omit to hear.}to hear, let him hear.
But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the marketplaces, who call unto their fellows
and say, We piped unto you, and ye did not dance; we wailed, and ye did not {Greek: beat the beast.}mourn.
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a demon.
The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold, a gluttonous man and a winebibber, a friend of {See marginal note on chapter 5:46.}publicans and sinners! And wisdom {Or, was}is justified by her {Many ancient authorities read children: as in Luke 7:35.}works.
Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his {Greek: powers.}mighty works were done, because they repented not.
Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the {Greek: powers.}mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment, than for you.
And thou, Capernaum, shalt thou be exalted unto heaven? thou shalt {Many ancient authorities read be brought down.}go down unto Hades: for if the {Greek: powers.}mighty works had been done in Sodom which were done in thee, it would have remained until this day.
But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.
At that season Jesus answered and said, I {Or, praise}thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes:
yea, Father, {Or, that}for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight.
All things have been delivered unto me of my Father: and no one knoweth the Son, save the Father; neither doth any know the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal him.
Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
The beginning of the {Or, good tidings: and so elsewhere.}gospel of Jesus Christ, {Some ancient authorities omit the Son of God.}the Son of God.
Even as it is written {Some ancient authorities read in the prophets..}in Isaiah the prophet, {Malachi 3:1.}Behold, I send my messenger before thy face,Who shall prepare thy way;
{Isaiah 40:3.}The voice of one crying in the wilderness,Make ye ready the way of the Lord,Make his paths straight;
John came, who baptized in the wilderness and preached the baptism of repentance unto remission of sins.
And there went out unto him all the country of Judæa, and all they of Jerusalem; and they were baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
And John was clothed with camel's hair, and had a leathern girdle about his loins, and did eat locusts and wild honey.
And he preached, saying, There cometh after me he that is mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not {Greek: sufficient.}worthy to stoop down and unloose.
I baptized you {Or, with}in water; but he shall baptize you {Or, with}in the Holy Spirit.
And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John {Greek: into.}in the Jordan.
And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens rent asunder, and the Spirit as a dove descending upon him:
and a voice came out of the heavens, Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased.
And straightway the Spirit driveth him forth into the wilderness.
And he was in the wilderness forty days tempted of Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
Now after John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the {Or, good tidings: and so elsewhere.}gospel of God,
and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe in the {Or, good tidings: and so elsewhere.}gospel.
And passing along by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net in the sea; for they were fishers.
And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
And straightway they left the nets, and followed him.
And going on a little further, he saw {Or, Jacob}James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending the nets.
And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after him.
And they go into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and taught.
And they were astonished at his teaching: for he taught them as having authority, and not as the scribes.
And straightway there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus thou Nazarene? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.
And Jesus rebuked {Or, it}him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.
And the unclean spirit, {Or, convulsing}tearing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.
And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What is this? a new teaching! with authority he commandeth even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.
And the report of him went out straightway everywhere into all the region of Galilee round about.
And straightway, {Some ancient authorities read when he was come out of the synagogue, he came &c.}when they were come out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with {Or, Jacob}James and John.
Now Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever; and straightway they tell him of her:
and he came and took her by the hand, and raised her up; and the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.
And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were sick, and them that were {Or, demoniacs}possessed with demons.
And all the city was gathered together at the door.
And he healed many that were sick with divers diseases, and cast out many demons; and he suffered not the demons to speak, because they knew him {Many ancient authorities add to be Christ. See Luke 4:41.}.
And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose up and went out, and departed into a desert place, and there prayed.
And Simon and they that were with him followed after him;
and they found him, and say unto him, All are seeking thee.
And he saith unto them, Let us go elsewhere into the next towns, that I may preach there also; for to this end came I forth.
And he went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out demons.
And there cometh to him a leper, beseeching him, {Some ancient authorities omit and kneeling down to him.}and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
And being moved with compassion, he stretched forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou made clean.
And straightway the leprosy departed from him, and he was made clean.
And he {Or, sternly}strictly charged him, and straightway sent him out,
and saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing the things which Moses {Leviticus 13:49; 14:2 ff}commanded, for a testimony unto them.
But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to spread abroad the {Greek: word.}matter, insomuch that {Greek: he.}Jesus could no more openly enter into {Or, the city}a city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.
Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to draw up a narrative concerning those matters which have been {Or, fully established}fulfilled among us,
even as they delivered them unto us, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word,
it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus;
that thou mightest know the certainty concerning the {Greek: words.}things {Or, which thou wast taught by word of mouth}wherein thou wast instructed.
There was in the days of Herod, king of Judæa, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abijah: and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now {Greek: advanced in their days.}well stricken in years.
Now it came to pass, while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,
according to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to enter into the {Or, sanctuary}temple of the Lord and burn incense.
And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the hour of incense.
And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
And Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.
But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: because thy supplication is heard, and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor {Greek: sikera.}strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
And many of the children of Israel shall he turn unto the Lord their God.
And he shall {Some ancient authorities read come nigh before his face.}go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to walk in the wisdom of the just; to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.
And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife {Greek: advanced in her days.}well stricken in years.
And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak unto thee, and to bring thee these good tidings.
And behold, thou shalt be silent and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall come to pass, because thou believedst not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and they marvelled {Or, at his tarrying}while he tarried in the {Or, sanctuary}temple.
And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the {Or, sanctuary}temple: and he continued making signs unto them, and remained dumb.
And it came to pass, when the days of his ministration were fulfilled, he departed unto his house.
And after these days Elisabeth his wife conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying,
Thus hath the Lord done unto me in the days wherein he looked upon me, to take away my reproach among men.
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
And he came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art {Or, endued with grace}highly favored, the Lord is with thee {Many ancient authorities add blessed art thou among women. See verse 42.}.
But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this might be.
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found {Or, grace}favor with God.
And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
and he shall reign over the house of Jacob {Greek: unto the ages.}for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
And Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also {Or, that which is to be born shall be called holy, the Son of God}the holy thing which is begotten {Some ancient authorities insert of thee.} shall be called the Son of God.
And behold, Elisabeth thy kinswoman, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that {Or, is}was called barren.
For no word from God shall be void of power.
And Mary said, Behold, the {Greek: bondmaid.}handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
And Mary arose in these days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah;
and entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elisabeth.
And it came to pass, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit;
and she lifted up her voice with a loud cry, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come unto me?
For behold, when the voice of thy salutation came into mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
And blessed is she that {Or, believed that there shall be}believed; for there shall be a fulfilment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord.
And Mary said,My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath looked upon the low estate of his {Greek: bondmaid.}handmaid:For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things;And holy is his name.
And his mercy is unto generations and generationsOn them that fear him.
He hath showed strength with his arm;He hath scattered the proud {Or, by}in the imagination of their heart.
He hath put down princes from their thrones,And hath exalted them of low degree.
The hungry he hath filled with good things;And the rich he hath sent empty away.
He hath given help to Israel his servant,That he might remember mercy
(As he spake unto our fathers)Toward Abraham and his seed for ever.
And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned unto her house.
Now Elisabeth's time was fulfilled that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.
And her neighbors and her kinsfolk heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy towards her; and they rejoiced with her.
And it came to pass on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.
And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
And they made signs to his father, what he would have him called.
And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.
And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, blessing God.
And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judæa.
And all that heard them laid them up in their heart, saying, What then shall this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him.
And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying,
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;For he hath visited and wrought redemption for his people,
And hath raised up a horn of salvation for usIn the house of his servant David
(As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets that have been from of old),
Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
To show mercy towards our fathers,And to remember his holy covenant;
The oath which he sware unto Abraham our father,
To grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemiesShould serve him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
Yea and thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Most High:For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to make ready his ways;
To give knowledge of salvation unto his peopleIn the remission of their sins,
Because of the {Or, heart of mercy}tender mercy of our God, {Or, Wherein}Whereby the dayspring from on high {Many ancient authorities read hath visited us.}shall visit us,
To shine upon them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death;To guide our feet into the way of peace.
And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel.
After he had ended all his sayings in the ears of the people, he entered into Capernaum.
And a certain centurion's {Greek: bondservant.}servant, who was {Or, precious to him Or, honorable with him}dear unto him, was sick and at the point of death.
And when he heard concerning Jesus, he sent unto him elders of the Jews; asking him that he would come and save his {Greek: bondservant.}servant.
And they, when they came to Jesus, besought him earnestly, saying, He is worthy that thou shouldest do this for him;
for he loveth our nation, and himself built us our synagogue.
And Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself; for I am not {Greek: sufficient.}worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof:
wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say {Greek: with a word.}the word, and my {Or, boy}servant shall be healed.
For I also am a man set under authority, having under myself soldiers: and I say to this one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my {Or, boy}servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
And when Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned and said unto the multitude that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the {Or, boy}servant whole.
And it came to pass {Many ancient authorities read on the next day.}soon afterwards, that he went to a city called Nain; and his disciples went with him, and a great multitude.
Now when he drew near to the gate of the city, behold, there was carried out one that was dead, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.
And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.
And he came nigh and touched the bier: and the bearers stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.
And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother.
And fear took hold on all: and they glorified God, saying, A great prophet is arisen among us: and, God hath visited his people.
And this report went forth concerning him in the whole of Judæa, and all the region round about.
And the disciples of John told him of all these things.
And John calling unto him {Greek: certain two.}two of his disciples sent them to the Lord, saying, Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another?
And when the men were come unto him, they said, John the Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another?
In that hour he cured many of diseases and {Greek: scourges.}plagues and evil spirits; and on many that were blind he bestowed sight.
And he answered and said unto them, Go and tell John the things which ye have seen and heard; the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have {Or, the gospel}good tidings preached to them.
And blessed is he, whosoever shall find no occasion of stumbling in me.
And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to behold? a reed shaken with the wind?
But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings' courts.
But what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.
This is he of whom it is written, {Malachi 3:1.}Behold, I send my messenger before thy face,Who shall prepare thy way before thee.
I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there is none greater than John: yet he that is {Greek: lesser.}but little in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
And all the people when they heard, and the {See marginal note on chapter 3:12.}publicans, justified God, {Or, having been}being baptized with the baptism of John.
But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected for themselves the counsel of God, {Or, not having been}being not baptized of him.
Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation, and to what are they like?
They are like unto children that sit in the marketplace, and call one to another; who say, We piped unto you, and ye did not dance; we wailed, and ye did not weep.
For John the Baptist is come eating no bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a demon.
The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold, a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of {See marginal note on chapter 3:12.}publicans and sinners!
And wisdom {Or, was}is justified of all her children.
And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he entered into the Pharisee's house, and {Or, reclined at table}sat down to meat.
And behold, a woman who was in the city, a sinner; and when she knew that he was {Or, reclining at table}sitting at meat in the Pharisee's house, she brought {Or, a flask}an alabaster cruse of ointment,
and standing behind at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and {Greek: kissed much.}kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
Now when the Pharisee that had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were {Some ancient authorities read the prophet. See John 1:21, 25.}a prophet, would have perceived who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him, that she is a sinner.
And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Teacher, say on.
A certain lender had two debtors: the one owed five hundred {The word in the greek denotes a coin worth about eight pence half-penny, or nearly seventeen cents,}shillings, and the other fifty.
When they had not wherewith to pay, he forgave them both. Which of them therefore will love him most?
Simon answered and said, He, I suppose, to whom he forgave the most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
And turning to the woman, he said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thy house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath wetted my feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair.
Thou gavest me no kiss: but she, since the time I came in, hath not ceased to {Greek: kiss much.}kiss my feet.
My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but she hath anointed my feet with ointment.
Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.
And they that {Greek: reclined.}sat at meat with him began to say {Or, among}within themselves, Who is this that even forgiveth sins?
And he said unto the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
and the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.
And it came to pass after many days, that the word of Jehovah came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, Go, show thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.
And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab. And the famine was sore in Samaria.
And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared Jehovah greatly:
for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of Jehovah, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go through the land, unto all the fountains of water, and unto all the brooks: peradventure we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, {Or, and lose none of}that we lose not all the beasts.
So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Is it thou, my lord Elijah?
And he answered him, It is I: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
And he said, Wherein have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?
As Jehovah thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not here, he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not.
And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
And it will come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of Jehovah will carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he will slay me: but I thy servant fear Jehovah from my youth.
Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of Jehovah, how I hid a hundred men of Jehovah's prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here; and he will slay me.
And Elijah said, As Jehovah of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself unto him to-day.
So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Is it thou, thou troubler of Israel?
And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of Jehovah, and thou hast followed the Baalim.
Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the Asherah four hundred, that eat at Jezebel's table.
So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.
And Elijah came near unto all the people, and said, How long go ye limping between the two sides? if Jehovah be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, am left a prophet of Jehovah; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under; and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under.
And call ye on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Jehovah; and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.
And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under.
And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, {Or, answer}hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they {Or, limped}leaped about the altar which was made.
And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud; for he is a god: either he is musing, or he is gone aside, or he is on a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth and must be awaked.
And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with {Or, swords}knives and lances, till the blood gushed out upon them.
And it was so, when midday was past, that they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening oblation; but there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any {Hebrew: attention.}that regarded.
And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me; and all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of Jehovah that was thrown down.
And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of Jehovah came, saying, Israel shall be thy name.
And with the stones he built an altar in the name of Jehovah; and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain {Or, a two-seah measure}two measures of seed.
And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the wood. And he said, Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt-offering, and on the wood.
And he said, Do it the second time; and they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time; and they did it the third time.
And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening oblation, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, O Jehovah, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
Hear me, O Jehovah, hear me, that this people may know that thou, Jehovah, art God, {Or, for thou didst turn their heart backward}and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
Then the fire of Jehovah fell, and consumed the burnt-offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, Jehovah, he is God; Jehovah, he is God.
And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.
And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.
So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees.
And he said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a cloud out of the sea, as small as a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, {Or, Yoke}Make ready thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.
And it came to pass in a little while, that the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel:
and the hand of Jehovah was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
and so all Israel shall be saved: even as it is written, {Isaiah 59:20 f.}There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer;He shall turn away {Greek: ungodlinesses.}ungodliness from Jacob:
They say unto him, Cæsar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's; and unto God the things that are God's.
And if ye are willing to receive {Or, him}it, this is Elijah, that is to come.