American Standard Version of 1901
Versliste
And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah; and Jehovah delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.
And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not; but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.
Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:
for, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come upon his head; for the child shall be a Nazirite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.
Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of the angel of God, very terrible; and I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name:
but he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing; for the child shall be a Nazirite unto God from the womb to the day of his death.
Then Manoah entreated Jehovah, and said, Oh, Lord, I pray thee, let the man of God whom thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.
And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her.
And the woman made haste, and ran, and told her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day.
And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am.
And Manoah said, {Or, Now when thy words come to pass what &c.}Now let thy words come to pass: what shall be the ordering of the child, and how shall we do unto him?
And the angel of Jehovah said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware.
She may not eat of anything that cometh of the {Or, grape-vine}vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing; all that I commanded her let her observe.
And Manoah said unto the angel of Jehovah, I pray thee, let us detain thee, that we may make ready a kid for thee.
And the angel of Jehovah said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread; and if thou wilt make ready a burnt-offering, thou must offer it unto Jehovah. For Manoah knew not that he was the angel of Jehovah.
And Manoah said unto the angel of Jehovah, What is thy name, that, when thy words come to pass, we may do thee honor?
And the angel of Jehovah said unto him, Wherefore askest thou after my name, seeing it is {Or, secret}wonderful?
So Manoah took the kid with the meal-offering, and offered it upon the rock unto Jehovah: and the angel did wondrously, and Manoah and his wife looked on.
For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of Jehovah ascended in the flame of the altar: and Manoah and his wife looked on; and they fell on their faces to the ground.
But the angel of Jehovah did no more appear to Manoah or to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of Jehovah.
And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.
But his wife said unto him, If Jehovah were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt-offering and a meal-offering at our hand, neither would he have showed us all these things, nor would at this time have told such things as these.
And the woman bare a son, and called his name {Hebrew: Shimshon.}Samson: and the child grew, and Jehovah blessed him.
And the Spirit of Jehovah began to move him in {That is, The camp of Dan.}Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
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.
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came unto the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared.
And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.
And they entered in, and found not the body {Some ancient authorities omit of the Lord Jesus.}of the Lord Jesus.
And it came to pass, while they were perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel:
and as they were affrighted and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye {Greek: him that liveth.}the living among the dead?
{Some ancient authorities omit He is not here, but is risen.}He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
saying that the Son of man must be delivered up into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
And they remembered his words,
and returned {Some ancient authorities omit from the tomb.}from the tomb, and told all these things to the eleven, and to all the rest.
Now they were Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James: and the other women with them told these things unto the apostles.
And these words appeared in their sight as idle talk; and they disbelieved them.
{Some ancient authorities omit verse 12.}But Peter arose, and ran unto the tomb; and stooping and looking in, he seeth the linen cloths by themselves; and he {Or, departed, wondering with himself}departed to his home, wondering at that which was come to pass.
And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was threescore furlongs from Jerusalem.
And they communed with each other of all these things which had happened.
And it came to pass, while they communed and questioned together, that Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.
And he said unto them, {Greek: What words are these that ye exchange one with another.}What communications are these that ye have one with another, as ye walk? And they stood still, looking sad.
And one of them, named Cleopas, answering said unto him, {Or, Dost thou sojourn alone in Jerusalem, and knowest thou not the things}Dost thou alone sojourn in Jerusalem and not know the things which are come to pass there in these days?
And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:
and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.
But we hoped that it was he who should redeem Israel. Yea and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things came to pass.
Moreover certain women of our company amazed us, having been early at the tomb;
and when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.
And certain of them that were with us went to the tomb, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.
And he said unto them, O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe {Or, after}in all that the prophets have spoken!
Behooved it not the Christ to suffer these things, and to enter into his glory?
And beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they were going: and he made as though he would go further.
And they constrained him, saying, Abide with us; for it is toward evening, and the day is now far spent. And he went in to abide with them.
And it came to pass, when he had sat down with them to meat, he took the {Or, loaf}bread and blessed; and breaking it he gave to them.
And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
And they said one to another, Was not our heart burning within us, while he spake to us in the way, while he opened to us the scriptures?
And they rose up that very hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,
saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.
And they rehearsed the things that happened in the way, and how he was known of them in the breaking of the bread.
And as they spake these things, he himself stood in the midst of them, {Some ancient authorities omit and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.}and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they beheld a spirit.
And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and wherefore do questionings arise in your heart?
See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye behold me having.
{Some ancient authorities omit verse 40.}And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.
And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here anything to eat?
And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish {Many ancient authorities add and a honeycomb.}.
And he took it, and ate before them.
And he said unto them, These are my words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must needs be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses, and the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me.
Then opened he their mind, that they might understand the scriptures;
and he said unto them, Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the dead the third day;
and that repentance {Some ancient authorities read unto.}and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all the {Or, nations. Beginning from Jerusalem, ye are witnesses}nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
Ye are witnesses of these things.
And behold, I send forth the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city, until ye be clothed with power from on high.
And he led them out until they were over against Bethany: and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.
And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he parted from them, {Some ancient authorities omit and was carried up into heaven.}and was carried up into heaven.
And they {Some ancient authorities omit worshipped him, and. See marginal note on chapter 4:7.}worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:
and were continually in the temple, blessing God.
And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Then the devil leaveth him; and behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
{Many ancient authorities omit verse 43, 44.}And there appeared unto him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.
Or thinkest thou that I cannot beseech my Father, and he shall even now send me more than twelve legions of angels?
And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone, and sat upon it.
His appearance was as lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
and for fear of him the watchers did quake, and became as dead men.
And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye; for I know that ye seek Jesus, who hath been crucified.
He is not here; for he is risen, even as he said. Come, see the place {Many ancient authorities read where he lay.}where the Lord lay.
And go quickly, and tell his disciples, He is risen from the dead; and lo, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
And entering into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, arrayed in a white robe; and they were amazed.
And he saith unto them, Be not amazed: ye seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who hath been crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold, the place where they laid him!
But go, tell his disciples and Peter, He goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
And they went out, and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them: and they said nothing to any one; for they were afraid.
And it came to pass, while they were perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel:
And while they were looking stedfastly into heaven as he went, behold two men stood by them in white apparel;
who also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven? this Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye beheld him going into heaven.
And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and pure.
And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
And the two angels came to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face to the earth;
and he said, Behold now, my lords, turn aside, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your way. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.
And he urged them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both young and old, all the people from every quarter;
and they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men that came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
And Lot went out unto them to the door, and shut the door after him.
And he said, I pray you, my brethren, do not so wickedly.
Behold now, I have two daughters that have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing, {Or, for therefore}forasmuch as they are come under the shadow of my roof.
And they said, Stand back. And they said, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and drew near to break the door.
But the men put forth their hand, and brought Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.
And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son-in-law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whomsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of the place:
for we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxed great before Jehovah; and Jehovah hath sent us to destroy it.
And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons-in-law, who {Or, were to marry}married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for Jehovah will destroy the city. But he seemed unto his sons-in-law as one that mocked.
And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters that are here, lest thou be consumed in the {Or, punishment}iniquity of the city.
But he lingered; and the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters, Jehovah being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.
And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth, abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the Plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, {Or, O Lord}my lord:
behold now, thy servant hath found favor in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy lovingkindness, which thou hast showed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest {Or, the evil}evil overtake me, and I die:
behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one. Oh let me escape thither (is it not a little one?), and my soul shall live.
And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow the city of which thou hast spoken.
Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called {That is, Little. See verse verse 20; chapter 14:8}Zoar.
The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot came unto Zoar.
Then Jehovah rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Jehovah out of heaven;
and he overthrew those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he had stood before Jehovah:
and he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the Plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace.
And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the Plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt.
And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.
And the first-born said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:
come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
And they made their father drink wine that night: and the first-born went in, and lay with her father; and he knew not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
And it came to pass on the morrow, that the first-born said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also. And go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
And they made their father drink wine that night also; and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he knew not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.
And the first-born bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.
And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Ben-ammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.
And he lay down and slept under a juniper-tree; and, behold, an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.
Then was the king exceeding glad, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he had trusted in his God.
But an angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them out, and said,
And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shined in the cell: and he smote Peter on the side, and awoke him, saying, Rise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.
And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And he did so. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.
And he went out, and followed; and he knew not that it was true which was done {Greek: through.}by the angel, but thought he saw a vision.
And when they were past the first and the second guard, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth into the city; which opened to them of its own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and straightway the angel departed from him.
I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from heaven.
The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, and the {Or, matter}demand by the word of the holy ones; to the intent that the living may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the lowest of men.
And whereas the king saw a watcher and a holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew down the tree, and destroy it; nevertheless leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field, and let it be wet with the dew of heaven: and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him;
Jehovah, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house, and from the land of my nativity, and who spake unto me, and who sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he will send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife for my son from thence.
See that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven. {Many authorities, some ancient insert verse 11 For the Son of man came to save that which was lost. See Luke 19:10.}
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation?
For he will give his angels charge over thee,To keep thee in all thy ways.
And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of Jehovah unto Beth-el: and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense.
And he cried against the altar by the word of Jehovah, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith Jehovah: Behold, a son shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he sacrifice the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall they burn upon thee.
And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which Jehovah hath spoken: Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.
And it came to pass, when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Beth-el, that Jeroboam put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back again to him.
The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of Jehovah.
And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Entreat now the favor of Jehovah thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God entreated Jehovah, and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.
And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.
And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thy house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place;
for so was it charged me by the word of Jehovah, saying, Thou shalt eat no bread, nor drink water, neither return by the way that thou camest.
So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Beth-el.
Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el; and {Hebrew: his son.}one of his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Beth-el: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them also they told unto their father.
And their father said unto them, What way went he? Now his sons had {Or, as otherwise read, showed him.}seen what way the man of God went, that came from Judah.
And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass; and he rode thereon.
And he went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an {Or, terebinth}oak; and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am.
Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.
And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee; neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place:
for it was said to me by the word of Jehovah, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.
And he said unto him, I also am a prophet as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of Jehovah, saying, Bring him back with thee into thy house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.
So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.
And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of Jehovah came unto the prophet that brought him back;
and he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, Forasmuch as thou hast {Or, rebelled against the word}been disobedient unto the mouth of Jehovah, and hast not kept the commandment which Jehovah thy God commanded thee,
but camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he said to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy body shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.
And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back.
And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his body was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it; the lion also stood by the body.
And, behold, men passed by, and saw the body cast in the way, and the lion standing by the body; and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.
And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who {Or, rebelled against the word}was disobedient unto the mouth of Jehovah: therefore Jehovah hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake unto him.
And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled it.
And he went and found his body cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the body: the lion had not eaten the body, nor torn the ass.
And the prophet took up the body of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back; and he came to the city of the old prophet, to mourn, and to bury him.
And he laid his body in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!
And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones.
For the saying which he cried by the word of Jehovah against the altar in Beth-el, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.
After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again from among all the people priests of the high places: {Or, whomsoever he would}whosoever would, he consecrated him, that there might be priests of the high places.
And {Or, by this thing he became}this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.
The angel of Jehovah encampeth round about them that fear him,And delivereth them.
Even so, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
When the morning stars sang together,And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
For, I think, God hath set forth us the apostles last of all, as men doomed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, {Or, and to angels, and to men}both to angels and men.
to the intent that now unto the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God,
And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and that he was carried away by the angels into Abraham's bosom: and the rich man also died, and was buried.
And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
And Jacob said when he saw them, This is God's host: and he called the name of that place {That is, Two hosts, or, Companies.}Mahanaim.
but ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, {Or, and to innumerable hosts, the general assembly of angels, and the church &c.}and to {Greek: myriads of angels.}innumerable hosts of angels,
Or thinkest thou that I cannot beseech my Father, and he shall even now send me more than twelve legions of angels?
Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.
Now it came to pass in those days, there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all {Greek: the inhabited earth.}the world should be enrolled.
This was the first enrolment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
And all went to enrol themselves, every one to his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David;
to enrol himself with Mary, who was betrothed to him, being great with child.
And it came to pass, while they were there, the days were fulfilled that she should be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn son; and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were shepherds in the same country abiding in the field, and keeping {Or, night-watchers}watch by night over their flock.
And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people:
for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is {Or, Anointed Lord}Christ the Lord.
And this is the sign unto you: Ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest,And on earth {Many ancient authorities read peace, good pleasure among men.}peace among {Greek: men of good pleasure.}men in whom he is well pleased.
And it came to pass, when the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this {Or, saying}thing that is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
And they came with haste, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger.
And when they saw it, they made known concerning the saying which was spoken to them about this child.
And all that heard it wondered at the things which were spoken unto them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these {Or, things}sayings, pondering them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, even as it was spoken unto them.
And when eight days were fulfilled for circumcising him, his name was called JESUS, which was so called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
And when the days of their purification {Leviticus 12:2-6.}according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought him up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord
(as it is written in the law of the Lord, {Exodus 13:2, 12}Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord),
and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, {Leviticus 12:8; 5:11.}A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
And it had been revealed unto him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
And he came in the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, that they might do concerning him after the custom of the law,
then he received him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
Now lettest thou thy {Greek: bondservant.}servant depart, {Greek: Master.}Lord,According to thy word, in peace;
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples;
A light for {Or, the unveiling of the Gentiles}revelation to the Gentiles,And the glory of thy people Israel.
And his father and his mother were marvelling at the things which were spoken concerning him;
and Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel; and for a sign which is spoken against;
yea and a sword shall pierce through thine own soul; that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.
And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (she was {Greek: advanced in many days.}of a great age, having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity,
and she had been a widow even unto fourscore and four years), who departed not from the temple, worshipping with fastings and supplications night and day.
And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks unto God, and spake of him to all them that were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
And when they had accomplished all things that were according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.
And the child grew, and waxed strong, {Greek: becoming full of wisdom.}filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
And his parents went every year to Jerusalem at the feast of the passover.
And when he was twelve years old, they went up after the custom of the feast;
and when they had fulfilled the days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem: and his parents knew it not;
but supposing him to be in the company, they went a day's journey; and they sought for him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance:
and when they found him not, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking for him.
And it came to pass, after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the {Or, doctors See chapter 5:17; Acts 5:34.}teachers, both hearing them, and asking them questions:
and all that heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
And when they saw him, they were astonished; and his mother said unto him, {Greek: Child.}Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I sought thee sorrowing.
And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? knew ye not that I must be {Or, about my Father's business Greek: in the things of my Father.}in my Father's house?
And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.
And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth; and he was subject unto them: and his mother kept all these {Or, things}sayings in her heart.
And Jesus advanced in wisdom and {Or, age}stature, and in {Or, grace}favor with God and men.
The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands upon thousands:The Lord is among them, {Or, Sinai is in the sanctuary}as in Sinai, in the sanctuary.
A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousands of thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then shall he render unto every man according to his {Greek: doing.}deeds.
And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and pure.
And it came to pass that night, that the angel of Jehovah went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.
And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone, and sat upon it.
His appearance was as lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
and for fear of him the watchers did quake, and became as dead men.
And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye; for I know that ye seek Jesus, who hath been crucified.
And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.
And they entered in, and found not the body {Some ancient authorities omit of the Lord Jesus.}of the Lord Jesus.
And it came to pass, while they were perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel:
and as they were affrighted and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye {Greek: him that liveth.}the living among the dead?
{Some ancient authorities omit He is not here, but is risen.}He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
saying that the Son of man must be delivered up into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
And very early on the first day of the week, they come to the tomb when the sun was risen.
And they were saying among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the tomb?
and looking up, they see that the stone is rolled back: for it was exceeding great.
And entering into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, arrayed in a white robe; and they were amazed.
And immediately an angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.
And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain {Greek: upon.}in his hand.
And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,
and cast him into the abyss, and shut it, and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years should be finished: after this he must be loosed for a little time.
And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
His appearance was as lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
And I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, arrayed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire;
and the enemy that sowed them is the devil: and the harvest is {Or, the consummation of the age}the end of the world; and the reapers are angels.
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity,
So shall it be in {Or, the consummation of the age}the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the righteous,
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 there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels going forth to war with the dragon; and the dragon warred and his angels;
Even so, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
In the mean time, when {Greek: the myriads of.}the many thousands of the multitude were gathered together, insomuch that they trod one upon another, he began to {Or, say unto his disciples, First of all beware ye}say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
But there is nothing covered up, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
Wherefore whatsoever ye have said in the darkness shall be heard in the light; and what ye have spoken in the ear in the inner chambers shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
But I will warn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, who after he hath killed hath {Or, authority}power to cast into {Greek: Gehenna.}hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
Are not five sparrows sold for two pence? and not one of them is forgotten in the sight of God.
But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not: ye are of more value than many sparrows.
And I say unto you, Every one who shall confess {Greek: in me.}me before men, {Greek: in him.}him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:
but he that denieth me in the presence of men shall be denied in the presence of the angels of God.
And every one who shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Spirit it shall not be forgiven.
And when they bring you before the synagogues, and the rulers, and the authorities, be not anxious how or what ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:
for the Holy Spirit shall teach you in that very hour what ye ought to say.
And one out of the multitude said unto him, Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me.
But he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
And he said unto them, Take heed, and keep yourselves from all covetousness: {Or, for even in a man's abundance his life is not from the things which he possesseth}for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
and he reasoned within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have not where to bestow my fruits?
And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my grain and my goods.
And I will say to my {Or, life}soul, {Or, life}Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry.
But God said unto him, Thou foolish one, this night {Greek: they require thy soul.}is thy {Or, life}soul required of thee; and the things which thou hast prepared, whose shall they be?
So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your {Or, soul}life, what ye shall eat; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.
For the {Or, soul}life is more than the food, and the body than the raiment.
Consider the ravens, that they sow not, neither reap; which have no store-chamber nor barn; and God feedeth them: of how much more value are ye than the birds!
And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit unto {Or, his stature}the measure of his life?
If then ye are not able to do even that which is least, why are ye anxious concerning the rest?
Consider the lilies, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin; yet I say unto you, Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
But if God doth so clothe the grass in the field, which to-day is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more shall he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
And seek not ye what ye shall eat, and what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: but your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
Yet seek ye {Many ancient authorities read the kingdom of God.}his kingdom, and these things shall be added unto you.
Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Sell that which ye have, and give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief draweth near, neither moth destroyeth.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps burning;
and be ye yourselves like unto men looking for their lord, when he shall return from the marriage feast; that, when he cometh and knocketh, they may straightway open unto him.
Blessed are those {Greek: bondservants.}servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them sit down to meat, and shall come and serve them.
And if he shall come in the second watch, and if in the third, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
{Or, But this ye know}But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not have left his house to be {Greek: digged through.}broken through.
Be ye also ready: for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh.
And Peter said, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even unto all?
And the Lord said, Who then is {Or, the faithful steward, the wise man whom &c.}the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall set over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?
Blessed is that {Greek: bondservant.}servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Of a truth I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he hath.
But if that {Greek: bondservant.}servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be 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 unfaithful.
And that {Greek: bondservant.}servant, who knew his lord's will, and made not ready, nor did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes;
but he that knew not, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. And to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required: and to whom they commit much, of him will they ask the more.
I came to cast fire upon the earth; and {Or, how would I that it were already kindled!}what do I desire, if it is already kindled?
But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!
Think ye that I am come to give peace in the earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
for there shall be from henceforth five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
They shall be divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against her mother; mother in law against her daughter in law, and daughter in law against her mother in law.
And he said to the multitudes also, When ye see a cloud rising in the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it cometh to pass.
And when ye see a south wind blowing, ye say, There will be a {Or, hot wind}scorching heat; and it cometh to pass.
Ye hypocrites, ye know how to {Greek: prove.}interpret the face of the earth and the heaven; but how is it that ye know not how to {Greek: prove.}interpret this time?
And why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?
For as thou art going with thine adversary before the magistrate, on the way give diligence to be quit of him; lest haply he drag thee unto the judge, and the judge shall deliver thee to the {Greek: exactor.}officer, and the {Greek: exactor.}officer shall cast thee into prison.
I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou have paid the very last mite.
And I saw the heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon {Some ancient authorities omit called.}called Faithful and True; and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and pure.
And Micaiah said, Therefore hear thou the word of Jehovah: I saw Jehovah sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as angels {Many ancient authorities add of God.} in heaven.
And I saw, and I heard a voice of many angels round about the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
And all the angels were standing round about the throne, and about the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
to the intent that now unto the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God,