Diatessaron

THE TEXT OF THE DIATESSARON

SECTION I.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God is the 3 Word. This was in the beginning with God. Everything was by his hand, and 4 without him not even one existing thing was made. In him was life, and the life 5 is the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness apprehended it not.

6 There was in the days of Herod the king a priest whose name was Zacharias, of the family of Abijah; and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name 7 was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all his com- 8 mands, and in the uprightness of God without reproach. And they had no son, for 9 Elizabeth was barren, and they had both advanced in age. And while he discharged Arabic. the duties of priest in the order of his service before God, according to the custom of the priesthood it was his turn to burn incense; so he entered the temple of the Lord. And the whole gathering of the people were praying without at the time of the incense. And there appeared unto Zacharias the angel of the Lord, standing at the right of the altar of incense; and Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Be not agitated, Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard, and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shall call his name John; and thou shalt have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth. And he shall be great before the Lord, and shall not drink wine nor strong drink, and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit while he is in his mother's womb. And he shall turn back many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit, and in the power of Elijah the prophet, to turn back the heart of the fathers to the sons, and those that obey not to the knowledge of the righteous; and to prepare for the Lord a perfect people. And Zacharias said unto the angel, How shall I know this, since I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years? And the angel answered and said unto him, I am Gabriel, that standeth before God; and I was sent to speak unto thee, and give thee tidings of this. Henceforth thou shall be speechless, and shalt not be able to speak until the day in which this shall come to pass, because thou didst not trust this my word, which shall be accomplished in its time. And the people were stand- Arabic, ing awaiting Zacharias, and they were perplexed at his delaying in the temple. And when Zacharias went out, he was not able to speak unto them: so they knew that he had seen in the temple a vision; and he made signs unto them, and continued dumb. And when the days of his service were completed, he departed to his dwelling.

25 And after those days Elizabeth his wife conceived; and she hid herself five months, and said, This hath the Lord done unto me in the days when he looked upon me, to remove my reproach from among men.

27 And in the sixth month Gabriel the angel was sent from God to Galilee to a city called Nazareth, to a virgin given in marriage to a man named Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel entered unto her and said unto her, Peace be unto thee, thou who art filled with grace. Our Lord is with thee, thou blessed amongst women. And she, when she beheld, was agitated at his word, and pondered what this salutation could be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God. Thou shall now con- ceive, and bear a son, and call his name Jesus. This shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father: and he shall rule over the house of Jacob for ever; and to his kingdom there shall be no end. Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be to me when no man hath known me? The angel answered and said unto her, The Arabic. Holy Spirit will come, and the power of the Most High shall rest upon thee, and therefore shall he that is born of thee be pure, and shall be called the Son of God. And lo, Elizabeth thy kinswoman, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her, her that is called barren. For nothing is difficult for God. Mary said, Lo, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be unto me according unto thy word. And the angel departed from her.

40 And then Mary arose in those days and went in haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah; and entered into the house of Zacharias, and asked for the health of Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit; and cried with a loud voice and said unto Mary, Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit that is in thy womb. Whence have I this privilege, that the mother of my Lord should come unto me? When the sound of thy salutation reached my ears, with great joy rejoiced the babe in my womb. And blessed is she who believed that what was spoken to her from the Lord would be fulfilled.And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour, Who hath looked upon the low estate of his handmaiden:

Lo, henceforth, all generations shall pronounce blessing on me.

For he hath done great things for me, who is mighty,

And holy is his name.

And his mercy embraceth them who fear him,

Throughout the ages and the times.

He wrought the victory with his arm,

And scattered them that prided themselves in their opinions.

He overthrew them that acted haughtily from their thrones,

And raised the lowly.

He satisfied with good things the hungry,

And left the rich without anything.

He helped Israel his servant,

And remembered his mercy

(According as he spake with our fathers)

Unto Abraham and unto his seed for ever.

And Mary abode with Elizabeth about three months, and returned unto her house.

And Elizabeth's time of delivery was come; and she brought forth a son. And her neighbours and kinsfolk heard that God had multiplied his mercy towards her; and they rejoiced with her. And when it was the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child, and called him Zacharias, calling him by the name of his father. And his mother answered and said unto them, Not so; but he shall be called John. And they said unto her, There is no man of thy kindred that is called by this name. 63, And they made signs to his father, saying, How dost thou wish to name him? And he asked for a tablet, and wrote and said, His name is John. And every one wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened, and his tongue, and he spake and praised God. And fear fell on all their neighbours: and this was spoken of in all the mountains of Judah. And all who heard pondered in their hearts and said, What shall this child be? And the hand of the Lord was with him.

68 And Zacharias his father was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied and said, Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, Who hath cared for his people, and wrought for it salvation; And hath raised for us the horn of salvation Arabic, In the house of David his servant (As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets from eternity), That he might save us from our enemies, And from the hand of all them that hate us.

73 And he hath performed his mercy towards our fathers, And remembered his holy covenants, And the oath which he sware unto Abraham our father, That he would give us deliverance from the hand of our enemies, And without fear we shall serve before him All our days with equity and righteousness.

77 And as for thee, O child, prophet of the Most High shalt thou be called.

Thou shalt go forth before the face of the Lord to prepare his way, To give the knowledge of salvation unto his people, For the forgiveness of their sins, Through the mercy of the compassion of our God, With which he careth for us, to appear from on high To give light to them that sit in darkness and under the shadow of death, And to set straight our feet in the way of peace.

81 And the child grew and became strong in the spirit, and abode in the desert until the time of his appearing unto the children of Israel.

SECTION II.

2 1 Arabic, Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah was on this wise: In the time when his mother was given in marriage to Joseph, before they came together, 2 she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband was a just man and did not wish to expose her, and he purposed to put her away secretly. 3 But when he thought of this, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, and said unto him, Joseph, son of David, fear not to take Mary thy wife, for that 4 which is begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit. She shall bear a son, and thou shalt 5 call his name Jesus, and he shall save s his people from their sins.And all this was that the saying from the Lord by the prophet might be fulfilled:

6 Behold, the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, And they shall call his name Immanuel, 7 which is, being interpreted, With us is our God. And when Joseph arose from his 8 sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took his wife; and knew her not until she brought forth her firstborn son.

9 And in those days there went forth a decree from Augustus Caesar that all the people of his dominion should be enrolled. This first enrolment was while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And every man went to be enrolled in his city. And Joseph went up also from Nazareth, a city of Galilee, to Judaea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem (for he was of the house of David and of his tribe), with Arabic. Mary his betrothed, she being with child, to be enrolled there. And while she was there the days for her being delivered were accomplished. And she brought forth her firstborn son; and she wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them where they were staying.

16 And there were in that region shepherds abiding, keeping their flock in the watch of the night. And behold, the angel of God came unto them, and the glory of the Lord shone upon them; and they were greatly terrified. And the angel said unto them, Be not terrified; for I bring you tidings of great joy which shall be to the whole world; there is born to you this day a Saviour, which is the Lord the Mes- siah, in the city of David. And this is a sign for you: ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in a manger. And there appeared with the angels suddenly many heavenly forces praising God and saying, Praise be to God in the highest, And on the earth peace, and good hope to men.

23 And when the angels departed from them to heaven, the shepherds spake to one another and said, We will go to Bethlehem and see this word which hath been, as the Lord made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe laid in a manger. And when they saw, they reported the word which was spoken to them about the child. And all that heard wondered at the description which the shepherds described to them. But Mary kept these sayings and discriminated them in her heart. And those shepherds returned, magnifying and praising God for all that they had seen and heard, according as it was described unto them.

29 Arabic. And when eight days were fulfilled that the child should be circumcised, his name was called Jesus, being that by which he was called by the angel before his conception in the womb.

30 And when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him before the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male opening the womb shall be called the holy thing of the Lord), and to give a sacrificial victim as it is said in the law of 33 the Lord, A pair of doves or two young pigeons. And there was in Jerusalem a man whose name was Simeon; and this man was upright and pious, and expecting the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been said unto him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death till he had seen with his eyes the Messiah of the Lord. And this man came by the Spirit to the temple; and at the time when his parents brought in the child Jesus, that they might present for him a sacrifice, as it is written in the law, he bare him in his arms and praised God and said, Now loosest thou the bonds of thy servant, O Lord, in peace, According to thy saying; For mine eye hath witnessed thy mercy, Which thou hast made ready because of the whole world; A light for the unveiling of the nations, And a glory to thy people Israel.

41 And Joseph and his mother were marvelling at the things which were being said concerning him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, Behold, he is set for the overthrow and rising of many in Israel; and for a sign of contention; and a spear shall pierce through thine own soul; that the thoughts of the hearts of many may be revealed. And Anna the prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, was also advanced in years (and she dwelt with her husband seven years from her virginity, and she remained a widow about eighty-four years); and she left not the temple, and served night and day with 46 fasting and prayer. And she also rose in that hour and thanked the Lord, and she spake of him with every one who was expecting the deliverance of Jerusalem. And when they had accomplished everything according to what is in the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to Nazareth their city.

SECTION III.

3 2 And after that, the Magi came from the east to Jerusalem, and said, Where is the King of the Jews which was born? We have seen his star in the east, and have 3 come to worship him. And Herod the king heard, and he was troubled, and all 4 Jerusalem with him. And he gathered all the chief priests and the scribes of the 5 people, and asked them in what place the Messiah should be born. They said, In Bethlehem of Judaea: thus it is written in the prophet, 6 Thou also, Bethlehem of Judah, Art not contemptible among the kings of Judah: From thee shall go forth a king, And he shall be a shepherd to my people Israel.

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly, and inquired of them the time at which 8 the star appeared to them. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said unto them, Go and search about the child diligently; and when ye have found him, come and 9 make known to me, that I also may go and worship him. And they, when they Arabic, heard the king, departed; and lo, the star which they had seen in the east went before them, until it came and stood above the place where the child 10, was. And when they beheld the star, they rejoiced with very great joy. And they entered the house and beheld the child with Mary his mother, and fell down worshipping him, and opened their saddle-bags and offered to him offerings, gold and myrrh and frankincense. And they saw in a dream a that they should not return to Herod, and they travelled by another way in going to their country.

13 And when they had departed, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph, and said unto him, Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I speak to thee; for Herod is determined to seek the child to slay him. And Joseph arose and took the child and his mother in the night, and fled into Egypt, and remained in it until the time of the death of Herod: that that might be fulfilled which was said by the Lord in the prophet, which said, From Egypt did I call my son. And Herod then, when he saw that he was mocked of the Magi, was very angry, and sent and killed all the male children which were in Bethlehem and all its borders, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had inquired from the Magi.Then was fulfilled the saying in Jeremiah the prophet, which said, A voice was heard in Ramah, Weeping and much lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, And not willing to be consoled for their loss.

19 But when Herod the king died, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said unto him, Rise and take the child and his mother, and Arabic. go into the land of Israel; for they have died who sought the child's life. And Joseph rose and took the child and his mother, and came to the land of lsrael. But when he heard that Archelaus had become king over Judaea instead of Herod his father, he feared to go thither; and he saw in a dream that he should go into the land of Galilee, and that he should abide in a city called Nazareth: that the saying in the prophet might be fulfilled, that he should be called a Nazarene.

24 And the child grew, and became strong in spirit, becoming filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon him.

25 And his kinsfolk used to go every year to Jerusalem at the feast of the pass- over. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to their custom, to the feast. And when the days were accomplished, they returned; and the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem, and Joseph and his mother knew not: and they supposed that he was with the children of their company. And when they had gone one day's journey, they sought him beside their people and those who knew them, and they found him not; so they returned to Jerusalem and sought him again. And after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teach- ers, hearing them and asking them questions; and all who heard him wondered at his wisdom and his words. And when they saw him they wondered, and his mother said unto him, My son, why hast thou dealt with us thus? behold, I and thy father have been seeking for thee with much anxiety. And he said unto them, Why were ye seeking me? know ye not that I must be in the house of my Father? And they understood not the word which he spake unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth; and he was obedient to them: and his mother used to keep all these sayings in her heart.

36 Arabic. And Jesus grew in his stature and wisdom, and in grace with God and men.

37 And in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor in Judaea, and one of the four rulers, Herod, in Galilee; and Philip his brother, one of the four rulers, in Ituraea and in the district of Trachonitis; and Lysanias, one of the four rulers, in Abilene; in the chief-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the command of God went forth to John the son of Zacharias in the desert. And he came into all the region which is about Jordan, proclaiming the baptism of repentance unto the forgiveness of sins. And he was preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying, Repent ye; the kingdom of heaven is come near. This is he that was spoken of in Isaiah the prophet, The voice which crieth in the desert, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, And make straight in the plain, paths for our God.

44 All the valleys shall become filled, And all the mountains and hills shall become low; And the rough shall become plain, And the difficult place, easy; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

46 This man came to bear witness, that he might bear witness to the light, that every man might believe through his mediation. He was not the light, bat that he might bear witness to the light, which was the light of truth, that giveth light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made 50 by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. And those who received him, to them gave he the power that they might be sons of God,--those which believe in his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of a man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and took up his abode among us; and we saw his glory as the glory of the only Son from the Father, which is full of grace and equity. John bare wit- Arabic, ness of him, and cried, and said, This is he that I said cometh after me and was before me, because he was before me. And of his fulness received we all grace for grace. For the law was given through the mediation of Moses, but truth and grace were through Jesus Christ.

SECTION IV.

4 1 No man hath seen God at any time; the only Son, God, which is in the bosom of his Father, he hath told of him.

2 And this is the witness of John when the Jews sent to him from Jerusalem priests 3 and Levites to ask him, Who art thou? And he acknowledged, and denied not; 4 and he confessed that he was not the Messiah. And they asked him again, What then? Art thou Elijah? And he said, I am not he. Art thou a prophet? He 5 said, No. They said unto him, Then who art thou? that we may answer them that 6 sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? And he said, I am the voice that crieth in 7 the desert, Repair ye the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet. And they 8 that were sent were from the Pharisees. And they asked him and said unto him, Why baptizest thou now, when thou art not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor a prophet? 9 John answered and said unto them, I baptize with water: among you is standing one whom ye know not: this is he who I said cometh after me and was before me, the latchets of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose. And that was in Bethany beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

12 Now John's raiment was camel's hair, and he was girded with skins, and his food Arabic, was of locusts and honey of the wilderness. Then went out unto him the people of Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region which is about the Jordan; and they were baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to be baptized, he said unto them, Ye children of vipers, who hath led you to flee from the wrath to come? 16, Do now the fruits which are worthy of repentance; and think and say not within yourselves, We have a father, even Abraham; for I say unto you, that God is able to raise up of these stones children unto Abraham. Behold, the axe hath been laid at the roots of the trees, and so every tree that beareth not good fruit shall be taken and cast into the fire. And the multitudes were asking him and saying, What shall we do? He answered and said unto them, He that hath two tunics shall give to him that hath not; and he that hath food shall do likewise. And the publicans also came to be baptized, and they said unto him, Teacher, what shall we do? He said unto them, Seek not more than what ye are commanded to seek. And the servants of the guard asked him and said, And we also, what shall we do? He said unto them, Do not violence to any man, nor wrong him; and let your allowances satisfy you.

24 And when the people were conjecturing about John, and all of them thinking in their hearts whether he were haply the Messiah, John answered and said unto them, I baptize you with water; there cometh one after me who is stronger than I, the latchets of whose shoes I am not worthy to loosen; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire: who taketh the fan in his hand to cleanse his threshing-floors, Arabic, and the wheat he gathereth into his garners, while the straw he shall burn in fire which can not be put out.

27 And other things he taught and preached among the people.

28 Then came Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized of him. And Jesus was about thirty years old, and it was supposed that he was the son of Joseph. And John saw Jesus coming unto him, and said, This is the Lamb of God, that taketh on itself the burden of the sins of the world! This is he concerning whom I said, There cometh after me a man who was before me, because he was before me. And I knew him not; but that he should be made manifest to Israel, for this cause came I to baptize with water. And John was hindering him and saying, I have need of being baptized by thee, and comest thou to me? Jesus answered him and said, Suffer this now: thus it is our duty to fulfil all righteous- 35 ness. Then he suffered him. And when all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized. And immediately he went up out of the water, and heaven opened Arabic, to him, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the similitude of the body of a dove; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And John bare witness and said, I beheld the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove; and it abode upon him. But I knew him not; but he that sent me to baptize with water, he said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt behold the Spirit descending and lighting upon him, the same is he that baptizeth with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and borne witness that this is the Son of God.

42, And Jesus returned from the Jordan, filled with the Holy Spirit. And immediately the Spirit took him out into the wilderness, to be tried of the devil; and he was with the beasts. And he fasted forty days and forty nights. And he ate noth- ing in those days, and at the end of them he hungered. And the tempter came and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, speak, and these stones shah become bread. He answered and said, It is written, Not by bread alone shall man live, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil brought him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: And they shall take thee on their arms, So that thy foot shall not stumble against a stone.

49 Jesus said unto him, And it is written also, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And the devil took him up to a high mountain, and shewed him all the king- Arabic, doms of the earth, and their glory, in the least time; and the devil said unto him, To thee will I give all this dominion, and its glory, which is delivered to me that I may give it to whomsoever I will. If then thou wilt worship before me, all of it shall be thine.

SECTION V.

51 Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou 2 shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him alone shalt thou serve. And when the 3 devil had completed all his temptations, he departed from him for a season. And behold, the angels drew near and ministered unto him.

4,5 And next day John was standing, and two of his disciples; and he saw Jesus as 6 he was walking, and said, Behold, the Lamb of God! And his two disciples heard 7 him saying this, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus turned and saw them coming after him, and said unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Our master, 8 where art thou staying? And he said unto them, Come and see. And they came and saw his place, and abode with him that day: and it was about the tenth hour. 9 One of the two which heard from John, and followed Jesus, was Andrew the brother of Simon. And he saw first Simon his brother, and said unto him, We have found the Messiah. And he brought him unto Jesus. And Jesus looked upon him and said, Thou art Simon, son of Jonah: thou shalt be called Cephas.

12 And on the next day Jesus desired to go forth to Galilee, and he found Philip, Arabic, and said unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Simon. And Philip found Nathanael, and said unto him, He of whom Moses did write in the law and in the prophets, we have found that he is Jesus the son of Joseph of Nazareth. Nathanael said unto him, Is it possible that there can be any good thing from Nazareth? Philip said unto him, Come and see. And Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of him, This is indeed a son of Israel in whom is no guile. And Nathanael said unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus said unto him, Before Philip called thee, while thou wast under the 18 fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and said unto him, My Master, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. Jesus said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, hast thou believed? thou shalt see what is greater than this. And he said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Henceforth ye shall see the heavens opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

21 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee.

22 And on the third day there was a feast in Cana, a city of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: and Jesus also and his disciples were invited to the feast. And they lacked wine: and his mother said unto Jesus, They have no wine. And Jesus said unto her, What have I to do with thee, woman? hath not mine hour come? And his mother said unto the servants, What he saith unto you, do. And there were there six vessels of stone, placed for the Jews' purification, such as Arabic, would contain two or three jars. And Jesus said unto them, Fill the vessels with water. And they filled them to the top. He said unto them, Draw out now, and present to the ruler of the feast. And they did so. And when the ruler of the company tasted that water which had become wine, and knew not whence it was (but the servants knew, because they filled up the water), the ruler of the company called the bridegroom, and said unto him, Every man presenteth first the good wine, and on intoxication he bringeth what is poor; but thou hast kept the good wine until now. And this is the first sign which Jesus did in Cans of Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed on him. And his fame spread in all the coun- try which was around them. And he taught in their synagogues, and was glorified by every man. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and entered, according to his custom, into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up to read. And he was given the book of Isaiah the prophet.And Jesus opened the book and found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, And for this anointed he me, to preach good tidings to the poor; And he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, And to proclaim forgiveness to the evil-doers, and sight to the blind, And to bring the broken into forgiveness,

38 And to proclaim an acceptable year of the Lord.

39 And he rolled up the book and gave it to the servant, and went and sat down: and the eyes of all that were in the synagogue were observing him. And he began to say unto them, To-day hath this scripture been fulfilled which ye have heard with your ears. And they all bare him witness, and wondered at the words of grace which were proceeding from his mouth.

42 Arabic, And from that time began Jesus to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom of God, and to say, Repent ye, and believe in the gospel. The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of heaven hath come near.

44 And while he was walking on the shore of the sea of Galilee, he saw two brethren, Simon who was called Cephas, and Andrew his brother, casting their nets into the sea; for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they immediately left their nets there and followed him. And when he went on from thence, he saw other two brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and Jesus called them. And they immediately forsook the ship and their father Zebedee, and followed him.

And when the multitude gathered unto him to hear the word of God, while he was standing on the shore of the sea of Gennesaret, he saw two boats standing beside the sea, while the two fishers which were gone out of them were washing their nets. And one of them belonged to Simon Cephas. And Jesus went up and sat down in it, and commanded that they should move away a little from the land into 52 the water. And he sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. And when he had left off his speaking, he said unto Simon, Put out into the deep, and cast your net for a draught. And Simon answered and said unto him, My Master, we toiled all night and caught nothing; now at thy word I will cast the net. And when they did this, there were enclosed a great many fishes; and their net was on the point of breaking. And they beckoned to their comrades that were in the other boat, to come and help them. And when they came, they filled both boats, so that they were on the point of sinking.

SECTION VI.

61 Arabic, But when Simon Cephas saw this he fell before the feet of Jesus, and said unto him, My Lord, I beseech of thee to depart from me, for I am 2 a sinful man. And amazement took possession of him, and of all who were with him, 3 because of the draught of the fishes which they had taken. And thus also were James and John the sons of Zebedee overtaken, who were Simon's partners. And Jesus said 4 unto Simon, Fear not; henceforth thou shalt be a fisher of men unto life. And they brought the boats to the land; and they left everything, and followed him.

5 And after that came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and he went 6 about there with them, and baptized. And John also was baptizing in AEnon, which is beside Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were bap- 8 tized. And John was not yet come into prison. And there was an inquiry between 9 one of John's disciples and one of the Jews about purifying. And they came unto John, and said unto him, Our master, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou hast borne witness, behold, he also baptizeth, and many come to him. John answered and said unto them, A man can receive nothing of himself, except it be given him from heaven. Ye are they that bear witness unto me that I said, I am not the Messiah, but I am one sent before him. And he that hath a bride is a bridegroom: and the friend of the bridegroom is he that standeth and listeneth to him, and rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Lo now, behold, my 13, Arabic, joy becometh complete. And he must increase and I decrease. For he that is come from above is higher than everything; and he that is of the earth, of the earth he is, and of the earth he speaketh; and he that came down from heaven is higher than all. And he beareth witness of what he hath seen and heard: and no man receiveth his witness. And he that hath received his witness hath asserted that he is truly God. And he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: God gave not the Spirit by measure. The Father loveth the Son, and hath put everything in his hands. Whosoever believeth in the Son hath eternal life; but whosoever obeyeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God cometh upon him.

20 And Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he had received many disciples, and that he was baptizing more than John (not that Jesus was himself bap- tizing, but his disciples); and so he left Judaea.

23 And Herod the governor, because he used to be rebuked by John because of Herodias the wife of Philip his brother, and for all the sins which he was commit- ting, added to all that also this, that he shut up John in prison.

25 And when Jesus heard that John was delivered up, he went away to Galilee. And he entered again into Cans, where he had made the water wine. And there was at Capernaum a king's servant, whose son was sick. And this man heard that Jesus was come from Judaea to Galilee; and he went to him, and besought of him that he would come down and heal his son; for he had come near unto death. 28, Jesus said unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye do not believe. The Arabic, king's servant said unto him, My Lord, come down, that the child die not. Jesus said unto him, Go; for thy son is alive. And that man believed the word which Jesus spake, and went. And when he went down, his servants met him and told him, and said unto him, Thy son is alive. And he asked them at what time he recovered. They said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. And his father knew that that was at that hour in which Jesus said unto him, Thy son is alive. And he believed, he and the whole people of his house. And this is the second sign which Jesus did when he returned from Judaea to Galilee. And he was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

36 And he left Nazareth, and came and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea shore, in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali: that it might be fulfilled which was said in Isaiah the prophet, who said, The land of Zebulun, the land of Naphtali, The way of the sea, the passage of the Jordan, Galilee of the nations:

39 The people sitting in darkness Saw a great light, And those sitting in the region and in the shadow of death, There appeared to them a light.

40 And he taught them on the sabbaths. And they wondered because of his doctrine: for his word was as if it were authoritative. And there was in the synagogue a man with an unclean devil, and he cried out with a loud voice, and said, Let me alone; what have I to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come for our destruction? I know thee who thou art, thou Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, and said, Stop up thy mouth, and come out of him. And the demon threw him in the midst and came out of him, having done him no harm. And great amaze- Arabic, ment took hold upon every man. And they talked one with another, and said, What is this word that orders the unclean spirits with power and authority, and they come out? And the news of him spread abroad in all the region which was around them.

46 And when Jesus went out of the synagogue, he saw a man sitting among the publicans, named Matthew: and he said unto him, Come after me. And he rose, and followed him.

47, And Jesus came to the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John. And Simon's wife's mother was oppressed with a great fever, and they besought him for her. And he stood over her and rebuked her fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and ministered to them. And at even they brought to him many that had demons: and he cast out their devils with the word. And all that had sick, their diseases being divers and malignant, brought them unto him. And he laid his hand on them one by one and healed them: that that might be fulfilled which was said in the prophet Isaiah, who said, He taketh our pains and beareth our diseases. And all the city was gathered together unto the door of Jesus. And he cast out devils also from many, as they were crying out and saying, Thou art the Messiah, the Son of God; and he rebuked them. And he suffered not the demons to speak, because they knew him that he was the Lord the Messiah.

SECTION VII.

7 Arabic, And in the morning of that day he went out very early, and went to a desert place, and was there praying. And Simon and those that were with him sought him. And when they found him, they said unto him, All the people seek for thee. He said unto them, Let us go into the adjacent villages and towns, that I may preach there also; for to this end did I come. And the multitudes were seeking him, and came till they reached him; and they took hold of him, that he should not go away from them. But Jesus said unto them, I must preach of the kingdom of God in other cities also: for because of this gospel was I sent. And Jesus was going about all the cities and the villages, and teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all the diseases and all the sicknesses, 8 and casting out the devils.

And his fame became known that he was teaching in 9 every place and being glorified by every man. And when he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting among the tax-gatherers; and he said unto him, Follow me: and he rose and followed him. And the news of him was heard of in all the land of Syria: and they brought unto him all those whom grievous ills had befallen through divers diseases, and those that were enduring torment, and those that were possessed, and lunatics, and paralytics; and he healed them.

11, And after some days Jesus entered into Capernaum again. And when they heard that he was in the house, many gathered, so that it could not hold them, even about Arabic, the door; and he made known to them the word of God. And there were there some of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, sitting, come from all the villages of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. And some men brought a bed with a man on it who was paralytic. And they sought to bring him in and lay him before him. And when they found no way to bring him in because of the multitude of people, they went up to the roof, and let him down with his bed from the roofing, into the midst before Jesus. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the paralytic, My son, thy sins are for- given thee. And the scribes and Pharisees began to think within their hearts, Why doth this man blaspheme? Who is it that is able to forgive sins, but God alone? 18 And Jesus knew by the spirit that they were thinking this within themselves, and he said unto them, Why do ye think this within your heart? Which is better, that it should be said to the paralytic, Thy sins are forgiven thee, or that it should be said to him, Arise, and take thy bed, and walk? That ye may know that the Son of man is empowered on earth to forgive sins (and he said to the paralytic), I say unto thee, Arise, take thy bed, and go to thine house. And he rose forthwith, and took his bed, and went out in the presence of all. And he went to his house praising God. And when those multitudes saw, they feared; and amazement took possession of them, and they praised God, who had given such power to men. And they said, We have seen marvellous things to-day, of which we have never before seen the like.

25 Arabic, And after that, Jesus went out, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting among the publicans: and he said unto him, Follow me. And he left everything, and rose, and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his house. And there was a great multitude of the publicans and others sitting with him. And the scribes and Pharisees murmured, and said unto his disciples, Why do ye eat and drink with the publicans and sinners? Jesus answered and said unto them, The physician seeketh not those who are well, but those that are afflicted with grievous 30, sickness. I came not to call the righteous, but the sinners, to repentance. And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast always, and pray, and the Pharisees also, but thy disciples eat and drink? He said unto them, Ye cannot make the sons of the marriage feast fast, while the bridegroom is with them. Days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them; then will they fast in those days. And he spake unto them a parable: No man inserteth a new patch and seweth it in a worn garment, lest the newness of the new take from the worn, and there occur a great rent. And no man putteth fresh wine into old skins, lest the wine burst the skins, and the skins be destroyed, and the wine spilled; but they put the fresh wine in the new skins, and both are preserved. And no man drinketh old wine and straightway desireth fresh; for he saith, The old is better.

37 And while Jesus was walking on the sabbath day among the sown fields, his disciples hungered. And they were rubbing the ears with their hands, and eating. But some of the Pharisees, when they saw them, said unto him, See, why do thy disciples on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? But Jesus said unto them, Have ye not read in olden time what David did, when he had need and hungered, he and those that were with him? how he entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the table of the Lord, which it was not lawful that any should eat, save the priests, and gave to them that were with him also? And he said unto them, The sabbath was created because of man, and man was not created because of the sabbath. Or have ye not read in the law, that the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and yet they are blameless? I say unto you now, that here is what is greater than the temple. If ye had known this. I love mercy, not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned those on whom is no blame. The Lord of the sabbath is the Son of man. And his relatives heard, and went out to take him, and said, He hath gone out of his mind.

47 And on the next sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and was teach- ing. And there was there a man whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and the Pharisees were watching him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day, that they might find the means of accusing him. But he knew their thoughts, and said unto the man whose hand was withered, Rise and come near into the midst of the synagogue. And when he came and stood, Jesus said unto them, I ask you, which is lawful to be done on the sabbath day, good or evil? shall lives be saved or Arabic, destroyed? But they were silent. Regarding them with anger, being grieved because of the hardness of their hearts. And he said unto the man, Stretch out thy hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand became straight. Then he said unto them, What man of you shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a well on the sabbath day, will not take it and lift it out? And how much is man better than a sheep! Wherefore it is lawful on the sabbath to do good.

SECTION VIII.

8 1 And the Pharisees went out, and consulted together concerning him, that they 2 might destroy him. And Jesus perceived, and removed thence: and great multitudes 3 followed him; and he healed all of them: and he forbade them that they should 4 not make him known: that the saying in Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which said, 5 Behold, my servant with whom I am pleased; My beloved in whom my soul hath delighted:

My spirit have I put upon him, And he shall proclaim to the nations judgement.

6 He shall not dispute, nor cry out; And no man shall hear his voice in the marketplace.

7 And a bruised reed shall he not break, And a smoking lamp shall he not extinguish, until he shall bring forth judgement unto victory.

8 And the nations shall rejoice in his name.

9 And in those days Jesus went out to the mountain that he might pray, and he spent the night there in prayer to God. And when the morning was come, he called the disciples. And he went towards the sea: and there followed him much people from Galilee that he might pray, and from Judaea, and from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan, and from Tyre, and from Sidon, and from De- 12 capolis; and great multitudes came unto him, which had heard what he did. And he spake to his disciples to bring him the boat because of the multitudes, that they might not throng him. And he healed many, so that they were almost falling on Arabic, him on account of their seeking to get near him. And those that had plagues and unclean spirits, as soon as they beheld him, would fall, and cry out, and say, Thou art the Son of God. And he rebuked them much, that they should not make him known. And those that were under the constraint of un- clean spirits were healed. And all of the crowd were seeking to come near him; because power went out from him, and he healed them all.

18, And when Jesus saw the multitudes, he went up to the mountain. And he called his disciples, and chose from them twelve; and they are those whom he named apostles: Simon, whom he named Cephas, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip and Bartholomew, and Matthew and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon which was called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas the Iscariot, being he that had betrayed him. And Jesus went down with them and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and the great multitude of people. And these twelve he chose to be with him, and that he might send them to preach, and to have power to heal the sick and to cast out devils.

26 Then he lifted up his eyes unto them, and opened his mouth, and taught them, and said, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

28 Blessed are the sorrowful: for they shall be comforted.

29 Blessed are the humble: for they shall inherit the earth.

30 Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be satisfied.

31 Blessed are the merciful: for on them shall be mercy.

32 Arabic, Blessed are the pure in their hearts: for they shall see God.

33 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the sons of God.

34 Blessed are they that were persecuted for righteousness' sake: for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

35 Blessed are ye when men shall hate you, and separate you from them, and persecute you, and reproach you, and shall speak against you with all evil talk, for my sake, falsely. Then rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets before you.

37 But woe unto you rich! for ye hive received your consolation.

38 Woe unto you that are satisfied! ye shall hunger.

Woe unto you that laugh now! ye shall weep and be sad.

39 Woe unto you when men praise you! for so did their fathers use to do to the false prophets.

40 Unto you do I say, ye which hear, Ye are the salt of the earth: if then the salt become tasteless, wherewith shall it be salted? For any purpose it is of no use, but is thrown outside, and men tread upon it. Ye are the light of the world. It is impossible that a city built on a mountain should be hid. Neither do they light a lamp and place it under a bushel, but on the lamp-stand, and it giveth light to all who are in the house. So shall your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. There is nothing secret that shall not be revealed, or hidden that shall not be known. Whoever hath ears that hear, let him hear.

46 Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets; I came not to destroy, but to complete. Verily I say unto you, Until heaven and earth shall pass, there Arabic, shall not pass one point or one letter of the law, until all of it shall be accomplished. Every one who shall violate now one of these small commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called lacking in the kingdom of heaven: every one that shall do and teach shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. I say unto you now, unless your righteousness abound more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.

50 Ye have heard that it was said to the ancients, Do not kill; and every one that killeth is worthy of the judgement. But I say unto you that every one who is angry with his brother without a cause is worthy of the judgement; and every one that saith to his brother, Thou foul one, is condemned by the synagogue; and whoso- 52 ever saith to him, Thou fool, is worthy of the fire of Gehenna. If thou art now offering thy gift at the altar, and rememberest there that thy brother hath conceived against thee any grudge, leave thy gift at the altar, and go first and satisfy thy brother, and then return and offer thy gift. Join thine adversary quickly, and while thou art still with him in the way, give a ransom and free thyself from him; test thine adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the tax- collector, and thou fall into prison. And verily I say unto thee, Thou shall not go out thence until thou payest the last farthing.

57, Ye have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery: but I now say unto you, that every one that looketh at a woman lusting after her hath forthwith already Arabic, committed adultery with her in his heart. If thy right eye injure thee, put p. 34 it out and cast it from thee; for it is preferable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body go into the fire of hell. And if thy right hand injure thee, cut it off and cast it from thee; and it is better for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body fall into Gehenna. It was said that he that putteth away his wife should give her a writing of divorcement: but I say unto you, that every one that putteth away his wife, except for the cause of adultery, hath made it lawful for her to commit adultery: and whosoever taketh one that is put away committeth adultery.

SECTION IX.

9 1 Ye have heard also that it was said unto the ancients, Lie not, but perform unto 2 God in thy oaths: but I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it 3 is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is a footstool under his feet; nor yet by 4 Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy 5 head, for thou canst not make in it one lock of hair black or white. But your word shall be either Yea or Nay, and what is in excess of this is of the evil one.

6, 7 Ye have heard that it was said, Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth: but I say unto you, Stand not in opposition to the evil; but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right 8 cheek, turn to him also the other. And he that would sue thee, and take thy tunic, 9 leave to him also thy wrapper. And whosoever compelleth thee one mite, go with Arabic, him twain. And he that asketh thee, give unto him: and he that would borrow of thee, prevent him not. And prosecute not him that taketh thy substance. And as ye desire that men should do to you, so do ye also to them.

12, Ye have heard that it was said, Love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy: but I say unto you, Love your enemies, and pray for those that curse you, and deal well with those that hate you, and pray for those who take you with violence and persecute you; that ye may be sons of your heavenly Father, who maketh his sun to rise on the good and the evil, and sendeth down his rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If ye love them that love you, what reward shall ye have? for the pub- licans and sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do a kindness to those who treat you well, where is your superiority? for sinners also do likewise. And if ye lend to him of whom ye hope for a reward, where is your superiority? for the sinners also lend to sinners, seeking recompense from them. But love your enemies, and do good to them, and lend, and cut not off the hope of any man; that your reward may be great, and ye may be the children of the Highest: for he is lenient towards the wicked and the ungrateful. Be ye merciful, even as your Father also is merciful. And if ye inquire for the good of your brethren only, what more have ye done than others? is not this the conduct of the publicans also? Be ye now perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

22 Consider your alms; do them not before men to let them see you: and if it be not so, ye have no reward before your Father which is in the heavens. When then thou givest an alms now, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as do the people of hypocrisy, Arabic, in the synagogues and the marketplaces, that men may praise them. And verily say I unto you, They have received their reward. But thou, when thou doest alms, let thy left hand not know what thy right hand doeth; that thine alms may be concealed: and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

26 And whenever thou prayest, be not as the hypocrites, who love to stand in the synagogues and in the corners of the marketplaces for prayers, that men may be- hold them. And verily say I unto you, They have received their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and fasten thy door, and pray to thy Father in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. And whenever ye pray, be not babblers, as the heathen; for they think that by the abundance of their words they shall be heard. Then be not ye now like unto them: for your Father knoweth your request before ye ask him. One of his disciples said unto him, Our Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples. Jesus said unto them, Thus now pray ye now: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy 33, name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Give us the food of to-day. And forgive, us our trespasses, as we forgave those that trespassed against us. And bring us not into temptations, but deliver us from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. If ye forgive Arabic, men their wrong-doing, your Father which is in heaven will forgive you. p. 37 But if ye forgive not men, neither will your Father pardon your wrong-doing.

39 When ye fast, do not frown, as the hypocrites; for they make their faces austere, that they may be seen of men that they are fasting. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward. But when thou fastest, wash thy face and anoint thy head; that thou make not an appearance to men of fasting, but to thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee.

42 Be not agitated, little flock; for your Father hath delighted to give you the king- dom. Sell your possessions, and give in alms; take to yourselves purses that wax not old. Lay not up treasure on earth, where moth and worm corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where moth and worm do not corrupt, nor thieves break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. The lamp of the body is the eye: if then thine eye now be sound, thy whole body also shall be light. But if thine eye be evil, all thy body shall be dark. And if the light which is in thee is darkness, how great is thy darkness! Be watchful that the light which is in thee be not darkness. Because that, if thy whole body is light, and have no part dark, it shall all be light, as the lamp giveth light to thee with its flame.

SECTION X.

10 1 Arabic, NO man can serve two masters; and that because it is necessary that he hate one of them and love the other, and honour one of them and despise the 2 other. Ye cannot serve God and possessions. And because of this I say unto you, Be not anxious for yourselves, what ye shall eat and what ye shall drink; neither for your bodies, what ye shall put on. Is not the life better than the food, and the body 3 than the raiment? Consider the birds of the heaven, which sow not, nor reap, nor store in barns; and yet your Father which is in heaven feedeth them. Are not ye 4 better than they? Who of you when he trieth is able to add to his stature one 5 cubit? If then ye are not able for a small thing, why are ye anxious about the 7 rest? Consider the wild lily, how it grows, although it toils not, nor spins; and I say unto you that Solomon in the greatness of his glory was not clothed like one of 8 them. And if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow 9 is cast into the oven, how much more shall be unto you, O ye of little faith! Be not anxious, so as to say, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, With what shall we be clothed? Neither let your minds be perplexed in this: all these things the nations of the world seek; and your Father which is in heaven knoweth your need of all these things. Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteous- Arabic. ness; and all these shall come to you as something additional for you. Be not anxious for the morrow; for the morrow shall be anxious for what belongs to it. Sufficient unto the day is its evil.

13 Judge not, that ye be not judged: condemn not, that ye be not condemned: forgive, and it shall be forgiven you: release, and ye shall be released: give, that ye may be given unto; with good measure, abundant, full, they shall thrust into your bosoms. With what measure ye measure it shall be measured to you. See to it what ye hear: with what measure ye measure it shall be measured to you; and ye shall be given more. I say unto those that hear, He that hath shall be given unto; and he that hath not, that which he regards as his shall be taken from him. And he spake unto them a parable, Can a blind man haply guide a blind man? shall they not both fall into a hollow? A disciple is not better than his master; 19 every perfect man shall be as his master. Why lookest thou at the mote which is in the eye of thy brother, but considerest not the column that is in thine own eye? Or how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, I will take out the mote from thine eye; and the column which is in thine eye thou seest not? Thou hypocrite, take out first the column from thine eye; and then shalt thou see to take out the mote from the eye of thy brother.

21 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before the swine, lest they trample them with their feet, and return and wound you. And he said unto them, Who of you, that hath a friend, goeth to him at mid- night, and saith unto him, My friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend hath come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to offer to him: and that friend shall Arabic, answer him from within, and say unto him, Trouble me not; for the door is shut, and my children are with me in bed, and I cannot rise and give thee? And verily I say unto you, If he will not give him because of friendship, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him what he seeketh. And I also say unto you, Ask, and ye shall be given unto; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and he that knocketh, it shall be opened to him. What father of you, shall his son ask for bread--will he, think you, give him a stone? and if he ask of him a fish, will he, think you, instead of the fish give him a serpent? and if he ask him for an egg, will he, think you, extend to him a scorpion? If ye then, although being evil, know the gifts which are good, and give them to your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: this is the law and the prophets.

32 Enter ye by the narrow gate; for the wide gate and the broad way lead to de- struction, and many they be which go therein. How narrow is the gate and straitened the way leading to life! and few be they that find it.

34 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, while within they are ravening wolves. But by their fruits ye shall know them. For every tree is known by its fruit. For figs are not gathered of thorns, neither are grapes plucked of briers. Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but the evil tree bringeth Arabic, forth evil fruit. The good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can the evil tree bring forth good fruit. The good man from the good treasures that are in his heart bringeth forth good things; and the evil man from the evil treasures that are in his heart bringeth forth evil things: and from the overflowings of the heart the lips speak. Every tree that beareth not good fruit is cut down and cast 40, into the fire. Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not all that say unto me, My Lord, my Lord, shall enter the kingdom of the heavens; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many shall say unto me in that day, My Lord, my Lord, did we not prophesy in thy name, and in thy name cast out devils, and in thy name do many powers? Then shall I say unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye servants of iniquity. Every man that cometh unto me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to what he is like: he is like the wise man which built a house, and digged and went deep, and laid the foundations on a rock: and the rain came down, and the rivers overflowed, and the winds blew, and shook that house, and it fell not: for its foundation was laid on rocks. And every one that heareth these my words, and doeth them not, is like 48 the foolish man which built his house on sand, without foundation: and the rain descended, and the rivers overflowed, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house, and it fell: and the fall of it was great.

SECTION XI.

11 1 Arabic, And when Jesus finished these sayings, the multitudes were astonished 2 at his teaching; and that because he was teaching them as one having authority, not as their scribes and the Pharisees.

3 And when he descended from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.

4 And when Jesus entered Capernaum, the servant of one of the chiefs was in an 5 evil case, and he was precious to him, and he was at the point of death. And he 6 heard of Jesus, and came to him with the elders of the Jews; and he besought him, and said, My Lord, my boy is laid in the house paralysed, and he is suffering griev- 7 ous torment. And the elders urgently requested of him, and said, He is worthy that 8 this should be done unto him: for he loveth our people, and he also built the syna- gogue for us. Jesus said unto him, I will come and heal him. That chief answered and said, My Lord, I am not worthy that my roof should shade thee; but it sufficeth that thou speak a word, and my lad shall be healed. And I also am a man in obedience to authority, having under my hand soldiers: and I say to this one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant that he do this, and he doeth it. And when Jesus heard that, he marvelled at him, and turned and said unto the multitude that were coming with him, Verily I say unto you, I have not found in Israel the like of this faith. I say unto you, that many shall come from Arabic, the east and the west, and shall recline with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob p. in the kingdom of heaven: but the children of the kingdom shall be cast forth into the outer darkness: and there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said to that chief, Go thy way; as thou hast believed, so shall it be unto thee. And his lad was healed in that hour. And that chief returned to the house and found that sick servant healed.

17 And the day after, he was going to a city called Nain, and his disciples with him, and a great multitude. And when he was come near the gate of the city, he saw a crowd accompanying one that was dead, the only son of his mother; and his mother was a widow: and there was with her a great multitude of the people of the city. And when Jesus saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he went and advanced to the bier, and the bearers of it stood still; and he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And that dead man sat up and began to speak; and he gave him to his mother. And fear came on all the people: and they praised God, and said, There hath risen among us a great prophet: and, God 23 hath had regard to his people. And this news concerning him spread in all Judaea, and in all the region which was about them.

24 And when Jesus saw great multitudes surrounding him, he commanded them to depart to the other side. And while they were going in the way, there came one of the scribes and said unto him, My Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. Jesus said unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven have nests; but the Son of man hath not a place in which to lay his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. And he said unto him, My Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Leave the dead to bury their dead; but thou, follow me and preach the kingdom of God. And another said unto him, I will fol- Arabic, low thee, my Lord; but first suffer me to go and salute my household and come. Jesus said unto him, There is no one who putteth his hand to the plough and looketh behind him, and yet is fit for the kingdom of God.

31 And he said to them on that day in the evening, Let us go over to the other side of the lake; and he left the multitudes. And Jesus went up and sat in the ship, he and his disciples, and there were with them other ships. And there occurred on the sea a great tempest of whirlwind and wind, and the ship was on the point of sinking from the greatness of the waves. But Jesus was sleeping on a cushion in the stern of the ship; and his disciples came and awoke him, and said unto him, Our Lord, save us; lo, we perish. And he rose, and rebuked the winds and the turbulence of the water, and said to the sea, Be still, for thou art rebuked; and the wind was still, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye thus afraid? and why have ye no faith? And they feared greatly. And they marvelled, and said one to another, Who, think you, is this, who commandeth also the wind and the waves and the sea, and they obey him?

38 And they departed and came to the country of the Gadarenes, which is on the other side, opposite the land of Galilee. And when he went out of the ship to the land, there met him from among the tombs a man who had a devil for a long time, and wore no clothes, neither dwelt in a house, but among the tombs. And no man was Arabic, able to bind him with chains, because an y time that he was bound with chains and fetters he cut the chains and loosened the fetters; and he was snatched away of the devil into the desert, and no man was able to quiet him; and at all times, in the night and in the day, he would be among the tombs and in the mountains; and no man was able to pass by that way; and he would cry out and wound himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus at a distance, he hastened and worshipped him, and cried with a loud voice and said, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, torment me not. And Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man: and he had suffered a long time since the time when he came into captivity to it.

And Jesus asked him, What is thy name? He said unto him, Legion; for there had entered into him many devils. And they besought him that he would not command them to depart into the depths. And there was there a herd of many swine, feeding in the mountain, and those devils besought him to give them leave to enter the swine; and he gave them leave. And the devils went out of the man and entered into the swine. And that herd hastened to the summit and fell down into the midst of the sea, about two thousand, and they were choked in the water. And when the keepers saw what happened, they fled, and told those in the cities and villages. And the people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man whose Arabic, devils had gone out, clothed, modest, seated at the feet of Jesus; and they feared. And they reported what they saw, and how the man was healed who had a devil, and concerning those swine also.

SECTION XII.

12 1 And all the multitude of the Gadarenes entreated him to depart from them, because that great fear took hold upon them.

2, 3 But Jesus went up into the ship, and crossed, and came to his city. And that man from whom the devils went out entreated that he might stay with him; but 4 Jesus sent him away, and said unto him, Return to thy house, and make known what 5 God hath done for thee. And he went, and began to publish in Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and they all marvelled.

6 And when Jesus had crossed in the ship to that side, a great multitude received 7 him; and they were all looking for him. And a man named Jairus, the chief of the 8 synagogue, fell before the feet of Jesus, and besought him much, and said unto him, I have an only daughter, and she is come nigh unto death; but come and lay thy 9 hand upon her, and she shall live. And Jesus rose, and his disciples, and they fol- lowed him. And there joined him a great multitude, and they pressed him.

11, And a woman, which had a flow of blood for twelve years, had suffered much of many physicians, and spent all that she had, and was not benefited at all, but her trouble increased further. And when she heard of Jesus, she came in the thronging of Arabic, the crowd behind him, and touched a his garments; and she thought within herself, If I could reach to touch his garments, I should live. And immediately the fountain of her blood was dried; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her plague. And Jesus straightway knew within himself that power had gone out of him; and he turned to the crowd, and said, Who approached unto my garments? And on their denying, all of them, Simon Cephas and those with him said unto him, Our Master, the multitudes throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who ap- proached unto me? And he said, Some one approached unto me; and I knew that power went forth from me. And that woman, when she saw that she was not hid from him, came fearing and agitated (for she knew what had happened to her), and fell down and worshipped him, and told, in the presence of all the people, for what reason she touched him, and how she was healed immediately. And Jesus said unto her, Be of good courage, daughter; thy faith hath made thee alive; depart in peace, and be whole from thy plague.

22 And while he was yet speaking, there came a man from the house of the chief of the synagogue, and said unto him, Thy daughter hath died; so trouble not the teacher. But Jesus heard, and said unto the father of the maid, Fear not: but be- lieve only, and she shall live. And he suffered no man to go with him, except Simon Cephas, and James, and John the brother of James. And they reached the house of the chief of the synagogue; and he saw them agitated, weeping and wail- ing. And he entered, and said unto them, Why are ye agitated and weeping? the Arabic, maid hath not died, but she is sleeping. And they laughed at him, for they knew that she had died. And he put every man forth without, and took the father of the maid, and her mother, and Simon, and James, and John, and entered into the place where the maid was laid. And he took hold of the hand of the maid, and said unto her, Maid, arise. And her spirit returned, and straightway she arose and walked: and she was about twelve years of age. And he commanded that there should be given to her something to eat. And her father wondered greatly: and he warned them that they should tell no man what had happened. And this report spread in all that land.

33 And when Jesus crossed over from there, there joined him two blind men, crying out, and saying, Have mercy on us, thou son of David. And when he came to the house, those two blind men came to him: and Jesus said unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, our Lord.

Then he touched their eyes, and said, As ye have believed, it shall be unto you. And immediately their eyes were opened. And Jesus forbade them, and said, See that no man know. But they went out and published the news in all that land.

38 And when Jesus went out, they brought to him a dumb man having a devil. And on the going out of the devil that dumb man spake. And the multitudes marvelled, and said, It was never so seen in Israel And Jesus was going about in all the cities and in the villages, and teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease Arabic, and sickness; and many followed him. And when Jesus saw the multitudes, p. he had compassion on them, for they were wearied and scattered, as sheep that have no shepherd. And he called his twelve disciples, and gave them power and much authority over all devils and diseases; and sent them two and two, that they might proclaim the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. And he charged them, and said, Walk not in the way of the heathen, nor enter into the cities of the Sa- 45, maritans. Go especially unto the sheep that are lost of the sons of Israel. And when ye go, proclaim and say, The kingdom of heaven is come near. And heal the sick, and cleanse the lepers, and cast out the devils: freely ye have received, freely 48, give. Get you not gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses; and take nothing for the way, except a staff only; nor bag, nor bread; neither shall ye have two tunics, nor shoes, nor staff, but be shod with sandals; for the labourer is worthy of his food. And whatever city or village ye enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and there be until 52, ye go out. And when ye enter into the house, ask for the peace of the house: and if the house is worthy, your peace shall come upon it; but if it is not worthy, your peace shall return unto you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your sayings, when ye go out from that house, or from that village, shake off the dust Arabic, that is under your feet against them for a testimony. And verily I say p. 50 unto you, To the land of Sodom and Gomorrah there shall be rest in the day of judgement, rather than to that city.

SECTION XIII.

13 1 I am sending you as lambs among wolves: be ye now wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. Beware of men: they shall deliver you to the councils of the magistrates, and scourge you in their synagogues; and shall bring you before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and against the nations. And when they deliver you up, be not s anxious, nor consider beforehand, what ye shall say; but ye shall be given in that hour what ye ought to speak. Ye do not speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaketh in you. The brother shall deliver up his brother to death, and the father his son; and the sons shall rise against their parents, and put them to death. And ye shall be hated of every man because of my name; but he that endureth unto the end of the matter shall be saved. When they expel you from this city, flee to another. Verily I say unto you, Ye shall not finish all the cities of the people of Israel, until the Son of man come.

9, A disciple is not superior to his lord, nor a servant to his master. For it is enough then for the disciple that he be as his lord, and the servant as his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more the people of his house! Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall Arabic, not be revealed; nor hid, that shall not be disclosed and published. What I say unto you in the darkness, speak ye in the light; and what ye have told secretly in the ears in closets, let it be proclaimed on the housetops. I say unto you now, my beloved, Be not agitated at those who kill the body, but have no power to kill the soul. I will inform you whom ye shall fear: him which is able to destroy soul and body in hell. Yea, I say unto you, Be afraid of him especially. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing in a bond? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But what concerns you: even the hair of your heads 17, also is numbered. Fear not therefore; ye are better than many sparrows. Every man who confesseth me now before men, I also will confess him before my Father which is in heaven; but whosoever denieth me before men, I also will deny him before my Father which is in heaven.

20 Think ye that I am come to cast peace into the earth? I came not to cast peace, but to cast dissension. Henceforth there shall be five in one house, three of them disagreeing with two, and the two with the three. The father shall become hostile to his son, and the son to his father; and the mother to her daughter, and the daughter to her mother; and the mother in law to her daughter in law, and the daughter in law to her mother in law: and a man's enemies shall be the people of his house. Whosoever loveth father or mother better than me is not worthy of me; and whoso- Arabic, ever loveth son or daughter more than his love of me is not worthy of me. And every one that doth not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whosoever findeth his life shall lose it; and whosoever loseth his life for my sake shah find it.

27 And whosoever receiveth you receiveth me; and whosoever receiveth me re- ceiveth him that sent me. And whosoever receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall take a prophet's reward; and whosoever shall receive a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall take a righteous man's reward. And every one that shall give to drink to one of these least ones a drink of water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.

30 And when Jesus finished charging his twelve disciples, he removed thence to teach and preach in their cities. And while they were going in the way they entered into a certain village; and a woman named Martha entertained him in her house. And she had a sister named Mary, and she came and sat at the feet of our Lord, and heard his sayings. But Martha was disquieted by much serving; and she came and said unto him, My Lord, givest thou no heed that my sister left me alone to serve? speak to her that she help me. Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art solicitous and impatient on account of many things: but what is sought is one thing. But Mary hath chosen for herself a good portion, and that which shall not be taken from her.

36 And the apostles went forth, and preached to the people that they might repent. And they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick with oil, and healed them. 38, And the disciples of John told him s of all these things. And when John heard in Arabic, the prison of the doings of the Messiah, he called two of his disciples, and sent them to Jesus, and said, Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another? And they came to Jesus, and said unto him, John the Baptist hath sent us unto thee, and said. Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another? And in that hour he cured many of diseases, and of plagues of an evil spirit; and he gave sight to many blind. Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and tell John everything ye have seen and heard: the blind see, and the lame walk, and the lepers are cleansed, and the blind hear, and the dead rise, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who doubteth not in me.

And when John's disciples departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? a reed shaken with the winds? And if not, then what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that are in magnificent garments and in voluptuousness are in the abode of kings. And if not, then what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, I am sending my messenger before thy face To prepare the way before thee.

SECTION XIV.

14 1 Verily I say unto you, There hath not arisen among those whom women have borne a greater than John the Baptist; but he that is little now in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

2 Arabic, And all the people which heard, and the publicans, justified: God, for 3 they had been baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and the scribes wronged the purpose of God in themselves, in that they were not baptized of 4 him. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven is 5 snatched away by violence. The law and the prophets were until John; and after that, the kingdom of God is preached, and all press to enter it: and they that exert them- 7 selves snatch it away. All the prophets and the law until John prophesied. And if ye 8 will, then receive it, that he is Elijah, which is to come. Whosoever hath ears that hear 9 let him hear. Easier is the perishing of heaven and earth, than the passing away of one point of the law. To whom then shall I liken the people of this generation, and to whom are they like? They are like the children sitting in the market, which call to their companions, and say, We sang to you, and ye danced not; we wailed to you, and ye wept not. John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye said, He hath demons: and the Son of man came eating and drinking; and ye said, Behold, a gluttonous man, and a drinker of wine, and an associate of pub- 14, 15 licans and sinners! And wisdom was justified of all her children. And when he said that, they came to the house. And there gathered unto him again multitudes, so that they found not bread to eat. And while he was casting out a devil which was dumb, when he cast out that devil, that dumb man spake. And the multitudes Arabic. marvelled. And the Pharisees, when they heard, said, This man doth not cast out the devils, except by Beelzebul the chief of the demons, which is in him. 18, And others requested of him a sign from heaven, to tempt him. And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them in parables, Every kingdom that withstandeth itself shall become desolate; and every house or city that disagreeth with itself shall not stand: and if a devil cast out a devil, he withstandeth himself; neither shall he be able to stand, but his end shall be. Then how now shall his kingdom stand? for ye said that I cast out devils by Beelzebul. And if I by Beelzebul cast out the devils, then your children, by what do they cast them out? And for this cause they shall be judges against you. But if I by the Spirit of God cast out devils, then the king- dom of God is come near unto you. Or how can a man enter into the house of a valiant man, and seize his garments, if he do not beforehand secure himself from that valiant man? and then will he cut off his house. But when the valiant man is armed, guarding his house, his possessions are in peace. But if one come who is more valiant than he, he overcometh him, and taketh his whole armour, on which he relieth, and divideth his spoil. Whosoever is not with me is against me; and whosoever gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. For this reason I say unto you, Arabic. that all sins and blasphemies with which men blaspheme shall be forgiven them: but whosoever shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, there is no forgiveness for him for ever, but he is deserving of eternal punishment: because they said that he had an unclean spirit. And he said also, Every one that speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come. Either ye must make a good tree and its fruit good; or ye must make an evil tree and its fruit evil: for the tree is known by its fruit. Ye children of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? from the overflowings of the heart the mouth speaketh. The good man from the good treasures which are in his heart bringeth forth good things; and the wicked man from the evil treasures which are in his heart bringeth forth evils. I say unto you, that every idle word which men shall speak, they shall give an answer for in the day of judgement: for by thy sayings thou shalt be justified, and by thy sayings thou shalt be judged.

37 And he said to the multitudes, When ye see the clouds appear from the west, straightway ye say that there cometh rain; and so it cometh to pass. And when the south wind bloweth, ye say that there will be heat; and it cometh to pass. And when the evening is come, ye say, It will be fair weather, for the heaven has become red. And in the morning ye say, To-day there will be severe weather, for the redness Arabic. Of the heaven is paling. Ye hypocrites, ye know to examine the face of the P. heaven and the earth; but the signs of this time ye know not to discern. Then they brought to him one possessed of a demon, dumb and blind; and he healed him, so that the dumb and blind began to speak and see. And all the multitudes wondered, and said, Is this, think you, the son of David?

43 And the apostles returned unto Jesus, and told him everything that they had done and wrought. And he said unto them, Come, let us go into the desert alone, and rest yea little. And many were going and returning, and they had not leisure, not even to eat bread.

45 And after that, there came to him one of the Pharisees, and besought him that he would eat bread with him. And he entered into the house of that Pharisee, and reclined. And there was in that city a woman that was a sinner; and when she knew that he was sitting in the house of that Pharisee, she took a box of sweet oint- 47 ment, and stood behind him, towards his feet, weeping, and began to wet his feet with her tears, and to wipe them with the hair of her head, and to kiss his feet, and anoint them with the sweet ointment. And when that s Pharisee saw it, who invited him, he thought within himself, and said, This man, if he were a prophet, would know who she is and what is her history: for the woman which touched him was a sinner.

SECTION XV.

15 1 Jesus answered and said unto him, Simon, I have something to say unto thee. And 2 he said unto him, Say on, my Master. Jesus said unto him, There were two debtors Arabic, to one creditor; and one of them owed five hundred pence, and the other 3 owed fifty pence. And because they had not wherewith to pay, he forgave 4 them both. Which of them ought to love him more? Simon answered and said, I suppose, he to whom he forgave most. Jesus said unto him, Thou hast judged rightly. 5 And he turned to that woman, and said to Simon, Dost thou see this woman? I entered into thy dwelling, and thou gavest me not water to wash my feet: but this 6 woman hath bathed my feet with her tears, and dried them with her hair. And thou kissedst me not: but this woman, since she entered, hath not ceased to kiss my 7 feet. And thou anointedst not my head with oil: but this woman hath anointed 8 my feet with sweet ointment. And for this, I say unto thee, Her many sins are forgiven her, because she loved much; for he to whom little is forgiven loveth little. And he said unto that woman, Thy sins are forgiven thee. And those that were in- vited began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And Jesus said to that woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. And many believed in him when they saw the signs which he was doing. But Jesus did not trust himself to them, for he knew every man, and he needed not any man to testify to him concerning every man; for he knew what was in man.

15 And after that, Jesus set apart from his disciples other seventy, and sent them two and two before his face to every region and city whither he was purposing to go. And he said unto them, The harvest is abundant, and the labourers are few: entreat now the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth labourers into his harvest. Go Arabic, ye: and lo, I am sending you as lambs among wolves. Take not with you purses, nor a wallet, nor shoes; neither salute any man in the way. And whatsoever house ye enter, first salute that house: and if there be there a son of peace, let your peace rest upon him; but if there be not, your peace shall return to you. And be ye in that house eating and drinking what they have: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. And remove not from house to house. And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat what is presented to you: and heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come near unto you. But whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go out into the market, and say, Even the dust that clave to our feet from your city, we shake off against you; but know this, that the kingdom of God is come near unto you. I say unto you, that for Sodom there shall be quiet in the day of judgement, but there shall not be for that city. Then began Jesus to rebuke the cities in which there had been many mighty works, and they repented not. And he said, Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! if there had been in Tyre and Sidon the signs which were in thee, it may be that they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes. Howbeit I say unto you, that for Tyre and Sidon there shall be rest in the day of judgement, more than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt sink down unto Hades; for if there had been in Sodom the wonders which were in thee, it would have remained until this day. And now I say unto thee, that for the land of Sodom there shall be quiet in the day of judgement, more than for thee.

32 Arabic. And he said again unto his apostles, Whosoever heareth you heareth me; and whosoever heareth me heareth him that sent me: and whosoever wrongeth you wrongeth me; and whosoever wrongeth me wrongeth him that sent me.

33 And those seventy returned with great joy, and said unto him, Our Lord, even the devils also are subject unto us in thy name. He said unto them, I beheld Satan fallen like lightning from heaven. Behold, I am giving you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and the whole race of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you. Only ye must not rejoice that the devils are subject unto you; but be glad that your names are written in heaven.

37 And in that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, and said, I acknowledge thee, my Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto children: yea, my Father; so was thy will. And he turned to his disciples, and said unto them, Everything hath been delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, save the Father; and who the Father is, save the Son, and to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal him. Come unto me, all of you, ye that are wearied and bearers of bur- dens, and I will give you rest. Bear my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am gentle and lowly in my heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is pleasant, and my burden is light.

42 And while great multitudes were going with him, he turned, and said unto them, Whosoever cometh unto me, and hateth not his father, and his mother, and his brethren, and his sisters, and his wife, and his children, and himself also, cannot Arabic, be a disciple to me. And whosoever doth not take his cross, and follow p. me, cannot be a disciple to me. Which of you desireth to build a tower, and doth not sit down first and reckon his expenses and whether he hath enough to complete it? lest when he hath laid the foundations, and is not able to finish, all that behold him laugh at him, and say, This man began to build, and was not able to 48 finish. Or what king goeth to the battle to fight with another king, and doth not consider first whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh to him with twenty thousand? And if he is not able, he sendeth unto him while he is afar off, and seeketh peace. So shall every man of you consider, that desireth to be a disciple to me; for if he renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be a disciple to me.

SECTION XVI.

16 1 Then answered certain of the scribes and Pharisees, that they might tempt him, 2 and said, Teacher, we desire to see a sign from thee. He answered and said, This evil and adulterous generation seeketh a sign; and it shall not be given a sign, 3 except the sign of Jonah the prophet. And as Jonah was a sign to the inhabitants 4 of Nineveh, so shall the Son of man also be to this generation. And as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights, so shall the Son of man 5 be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. The queen of the south shall rise in the judgement with the people of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the ends of the earth that she might hear the wisdom of Solomon; 6 Arabic, and behold, here is a better than Solomon. The men of Nineveh shall stand in the judgement with this generation, and condemn it: for they repented at 7 the preaching of Jonah; and behold, here is a greater than Jonah. The unclean spirit, when he goeth out of the man, departeth, and goeth about through places wherein are no waters, that he may find rest for himself; and when he findeth it not, he 8 saith, I will return to my house whence I came out. And if he come and find it 9 adorned and set in order, then he goeth, and associateth with himself seven other spirits worse than himself; and they enter and dwell in it: and the end of that man shall be worse than his beginning. Thus shall it be unto this evil generation.

11 And while he was saying that, a woman from the multitude lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the breasts that nursed thee. But he said unto her, Blessed is he that heareth the word of God, and keepeth it.

13 And while he was speaking unto the multitude, there came unto him his mother and his brethren, and sought to speak with him; and they were not able, because of the multitude; and they stood without and sent, calling him unto them. A man said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren are standing without, and seek to speak with thee. But he answered unto him that spake unto him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he beckoned with his hand, stretching it out towards his disciples, and said, Behold, my mother! and behold, my brethren! And every man that shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven is my brother, and my sister, and my mother.

19 And after that, Jesus was going about in the cities and in the villages, and pro- Arabic, claiming and preaching the kingdom of God, and his; twelve with him, and the women which had been healed of diseases and of evil spirits, Mary that was called Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven devils, and Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, who were ministering to them of their substance.

22 And after that, Jesus went out of the house, and sat on the sea shore. And there gathered unto him great multitudes. And when the press of the people was great upon him, he went up and sat in the boat; and all the multitude was standing on the shore of the sea. And he spake to them much in parables, and said, The sower went forth to sow: and when he sowed, some fell on the beaten highway; and it was trodden upon, and the birds ate it.

And other fell on the rocks: and some, where there was not much earth; and straightway it sprang up, because it had no depth in the earth: and when the sun rose, it withered; and because it had no root, it dried up. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it; and it yielded no fruit. And other fell into excellent and good ground; and it came up, and grew, and brought forth fruit, some thirty, and some sixty, and some a hundred. And when he said that, he cried, He that hath ears that hear, let him hear. And when they were alone, his disciples came, and asked him, and said unto him, What is this parable? and why spakest thou unto them in parables? He Arabic, answered and said unto them, Unto you is given the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God; but it is not given unto them that are without. He that hath shall be given unto, and there shall be added; and he that hath not, that which he hath shah be taken from him also. For this cause therefore I speak unto them in parables; because they see, and see not; and hear, and hear not, nor understand. And in them is being fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, who said, Hearing they shall hear, and shall not understand; And seeing they shall see, and shall not perceive:

36 The heart of this people is waxed gross, And their hearing with their ears is become heavy, And they have closed their eyes; Lest they should see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their hearts, And should return, And I should heal them.

37, But ye, blessed are your eyes, which see; and your ears, which hear. Blessed are the eyes which see what ye see. Verily I say unto you, Many of the prophets and the righteous longed to see what ye see, and saw not; and to hear what ye hear, and heard not. When ye 