Matthew 4:12-25; Matthew 5; Matthew 6; Matthew 7; Matthew 8; Matthew 9; Matthew 10; Matthew 11; Matthew 12; Matthew 13; Matthew 14:1-12

Viewing Multiple Passages

Matthew 4:12-25

12 Now [when he] heard that John {had been arrested}, he withdrew into Galilee.

13 And leaving Nazareth, he went [and] lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,

14 in order that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah would be fulfilled, who said,

15 "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, {toward the sea}, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles--

16 the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, and the ones who sit in the land and shadow of death, a light has dawned on them."

17 From that time [on], Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, because the kingdom of heaven is near."

18 Now [as he] was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew, throwing a casting net into the sea (for they were fishermen).

19 And he said to them, "{Follow me} and I will make you fishers of people."

20 And immediately they left their nets [and] followed him.

21 And going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the [son] of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them.

22 And immediately they left the boat and their father [and] followed him.

23 And he went around through all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.

24 And a report about him went out {throughout} Syria, and they brought to him all those {who were sick} with various diseases and afflicted by torments, demon-possessed and epileptics and paralytics, and he healed them.

25 And large crowds followed him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from the other side of the Jordan.

Matthew 5

1 Now [when he] saw the crowds, he went up the mountain and [after he] sat down, his disciples approached him.

2 And opening his mouth he began to teach them, saying,

3 "Blessed [are] the poor in spirit, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed [are] the ones who mourn, because they will be comforted.

5 Blessed [are] the meek, because they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed [are] the ones who hunger and thirst [for] righteousness, because they will be satisfied.

7 Blessed [are] the merciful, because they will be shown mercy.

8 Blessed [are] the pure in heart, because they will see God.

9 Blessed [are] the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God.

10 Blessed [are] those who are persecuted because of righteousness, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute [you] and say all kinds of evil things against you, lying on account of me.

12 Rejoice and be glad, because your reward [is] great in heaven, for in the [same] way they persecuted the prophets before you.

13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes tasteless, by what will it be made salty? It is good for nothing any longer except to be thrown outside [and] trampled under foot by people.

14 You are the light of the world. A city located on top of a hill cannot be hidden,

15 nor do they light a lamp and place it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it shines on all those in the house.

16 In the [same] way let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

17 "Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets. I have not come to destroy [them] but to fulfill [them].

18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one tiny letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all takes place.

19 Therefore whoever abolishes one of the least of these commandments and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever keeps [them] and teaches [them], this person will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20 For I say to you that unless your righteousness greatly surpasses [that] of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter into the kingdom of heaven.

21 "You have heard that it was said to the {people of old}, 'Do not commit murder,' and 'whoever commits murder will be subject to judgment.'

22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry at his brother will be subject to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, 'Stupid fool!' will be subject to the council, and whoever says, 'Obstinate fool!' will be subject to fiery hell.

23 Therefore if you present your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,

24 leave your gift there before the altar and first go be reconciled to your brother, and then come [and] present your gift.

25 {Settle the case quickly with your accuser} while you are with him on the way, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.

26 Truly I say to you, you will never come out of there until you have paid back the last penny!

27 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'

28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

29 And if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw [it] from you! For it is better for you that one of your members be destroyed than your whole body be thrown into hell.

30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw [it] from you! For it is better for you that one of your limbs be destroyed than your whole body go into hell.

31 "And it was said, 'Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.'

32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for a matter of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

33 "Again you have heard that it was said to the {people of old}, 'Do not swear falsely, but fulfill your oaths to the Lord.'

34 But I say to you, do not swear at all, either by heaven, because it is the throne of God,

35 or by the earth, because it is the footstool of his feet, or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great king.

36 And do not swear by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black.

37 But let your statement be 'Yes, yes; no, no,' and anything beyond these is from the evil one.

38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'

39 But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer, but whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him also.

40 And the one who wants to go to court with you and take your tunic, {let him have} your outer garment also.

41 And whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.

42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor' and 'Hate your enemy.'

44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

45 in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven, because he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust.

46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not the tax collectors also do the same?

47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing that is remarkable? Do not the Gentiles also do the same?

48 Therefore you be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 6

1 "And take care not to practice your righteousness before people to be seen by them; {otherwise} you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

2 Therefore whenever you practice charitable giving, do not sound a trumpet in front of you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, in order that they may be praised by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full!

3 But you, [when you] practice charitable giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

4 in order that your charitable giving may be in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

5 And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to stand [and] pray in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, in order that they may be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full!

6 But whenever you pray, enter into your inner room and shut your door [and] pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

7 "But [when you] pray, do not babble repetitiously like the pagans, for they think that because of their many words they will be heard.

8 Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows {what you need} before you ask him.

9 Therefore you pray in this way: "Our Father who is in heaven, may your name be treated as holy.

10 May your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as [it is] in heaven.

11 Give us today our daily bread,

12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

14 For if you forgive people their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

15 But if you do not forgive people, neither will your Father forgive your sins.

16 "Whenever you fast, do not be sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unrecognizable in order that they may be seen fasting by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full!

17 But [when] you are fasting, {put olive oil on your head} and wash your face

18 so that you will not be seen by people as fasting, but to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and consuming [insect] destroy and where thieves break in and steal,

20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor consuming [insect] destroy and where thieves do not break in or steal.

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. Therefore if your eye is sincere, your whole body will be full of light.

23 But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be dark. Therefore if the light in you is darkness, how great [is] the darkness!

24 "No one is able to serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You are not able to serve God and money.

25 "For this [reason] I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, what you will eat, and not for your body, what you will wear. Is your life not more than food and your body [more than] clothing?

26 Consider the birds of the sky, that they do not sow or reap or gather [produce] into barns, and your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth more than they [are]?

27 And who among you, [by] being anxious, is able to add one hour to his life span?

28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe the lilies of the field, how they grow: they do not toil or spin,

29 but I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was dressed like one of these.

30 But if God dresses the grass of the field in this way, [although it] is [here] today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not [do so] much more [for] you, you of little faith?

31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?,'

32 for the pagans seek after all these [things]. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these [things].

33 But seek first his kingdom and righteousness, and all these [things] will be added to you.

34 Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow, because tomorrow will be anxious for itself. {Each day has enough trouble of its own.}

Matthew 7

1 "Do not judge, so that you will not be judged.

2 For by what judgment you judge, you will be judged, and by what measure you measure out, it will be measured out to you.

3 And why do you see the speck [that is] in your brother's eye, but do not notice the beam of wood in your [own] eye?

4 Or how will you say to your brother, 'Allow [me] to remove the speck from your eye,' and behold, the beam of wood [is] in your [own] eye?

5 Hypocrite! First remove the beam of wood from your [own] eye and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye!

6 "Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls in front of pigs, lest they trample them with their feet, and turn around [and] tear you to pieces.

7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened for you.

8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

9 Or what man is [there] among you, [if] his son will ask him [for] bread, will give him a stone?

10 Or also [if] he will ask for a fish, will give him a snake?

11 Therefore if you, [although you] are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him?

12 Therefore [in] all [things], whatever you want that people should do to you, thus also you do to them. For this is the law and the prophets.

13 "Enter through the narrow gate, because broad [is] the gate and spacious [is] the road that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it,

14 because narrow [is] the gate and constricted [is] the road that leads to life, and there are few who find it!

15 "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inside are ravenous wolves.

16 You will recognize them by their fruits: they do not gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles, [do they]?

17 In the [same] way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit.

18 A good tree is not able to produce bad fruit, nor a bad tree to produce good fruit.

19 Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

20 As a result, you will recognize them by their fruits.

21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many miracles in your name?'

23 And then {I will say to them plainly}, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!'

24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

25 And the rain came down and the rivers came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it did not collapse, because its foundation was laid on the rock.

26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

27 And the rain came down and the rivers came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it collapsed, and its fall was great."

28 And it happened when Jesus finished these words the crowds were amazed at his teaching,

29 because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.

Matthew 8

1 And [when] he came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him.

2 And behold, a leper approached [and] worshiped him, saying, "Lord, if you are willing, you are able to make me clean."

3 And extending his hand he touched him, saying, "I am willing, be clean." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

4 And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony to them."

5 Now [when] he entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him, appealing to him

6 and saying, "Lord, my slave is lying paralyzed in my house, terribly tormented!"

7 And he said to him, "I will come [and] heal him."

8 And the centurion answered [and] said, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should come in under my roof. But only say the word and my slave will be healed.

9 For I also am a man under authority who has soldiers under me, and I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes, and to another one, 'Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does [it]."

10 Now [when] Jesus heard [this], he was astonished, and said to those who were following [him], "Truly I say to you, I have found such great faith with no one in Israel.

11 But I say to you that many will come from east and west and {be seated at the banquet} with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

12 But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!"

13 And Jesus said to the centurion, "Go, as you have believed it will be done for you." And the slave was healed at that hour.

14 And [when] Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying down and suffering with a fever.

15 And he touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve him.

16 Now [when it] was evening, they brought to him many who were demon-possessed, and he expelled the spirits with a word. And he healed all {those who were sick},

17 in order that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah would be fulfilled, who said, "He himself took away our sicknesses, and carried away our diseases."

18 Now [when] Jesus saw many crowds around him, he gave orders to depart to the other side.

19 And a scribe approached [and] said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go!"

20 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky [have] nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

21 And another of the disciples said to him, "Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father."

22 But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead!"

23 And [as] he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.

24 And behold, a great storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being inundated by the waves, but he himself was asleep.

25 And they came [and] woke him, saying, "Lord, save [us]! We are perishing!"

26 And he said to them, "Why are you fearful, [you] of little faith?" Then he got up [and] rebuked the winds and the sea and there was a great calm.

27 And the men were astonished, saying, "What sort of [man] is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?"

28 And [when] he came to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from among the tombs met him, very violent, so that no one was able to pass by along that road.

29 And behold, they cried out, saying, "{What do you have to do with us}, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?"

30 Now a long way from them a large herd of pigs was feeding.

31 So the demons implored him, saying, "If you are going to expel us, send us into the herd of pigs."

32 And he said to them, "Go!" So they departed [and] went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed headlong down the steep slope into the sea and drowned in the water.

33 Now the herdsmen fled and went into the town [and] reported everything, including the things concerning the demon-possessed men.

34 And behold, the whole town came out to meet Jesus, and [when they] saw him, they implored [him] that he would depart from their region.

Matthew 9

1 And getting into a boat, he crossed over and came to his own town.

2 And behold, they brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher, and [when] Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Have courage, child, your sins are forgiven."

3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming!"

4 And knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?

5 For which is easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'?

6 But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins," then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, pick up your stretcher and go to your home."

7 And he got up [and] went to his home.

8 But [when] the crowds saw [this], they were afraid and glorified God who had given such authority to men.

9 And [as] Jesus was going away from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth and said to him, "Follow me!" And he stood up [and] followed him.

10 And it happened [as] he {was dining} in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners were coming [and] {dining} with Jesus and his disciples.

11 And [when they] saw [it], the Pharisees began to say to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

12 And [when he] heard [it], he said, "Those who are healthy do not have need of a physician, but those {who are sick}.

13 But go [and] learn what it means, "I want mercy and not sacrifice." For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

14 Then the disciples of John approached him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?"

15 And Jesus said to them, "{The bridegroom's attendants} are not able to mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them. But days are coming when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

16 But no one puts a patch of unshrunken cloth on an old garment, for its patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear becomes worse.

17 Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins. {Otherwise} the wineskins burst and the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are destroyed. But they put new wine into new wineskins and both are preserved."

18 [As] he was saying these [things] to them, behold, one of the rulers came [and] knelt down before him, saying, "My daughter has just now died, but come, place your hand on her and she will live!"

19 And Jesus and his disciples got up [and] followed him.

20 And behold, a woman who had been suffering with a hemorrhage twelve years approached from behind [and] touched the edge of his cloak,

21 for she said to herself, "If only I touch his cloak I will be healed."

22 But Jesus, turning around and seeing her, said, "Have courage, daughter! Your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that hour.

23 And [when] Jesus came into the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the disorderly crowd,

24 he said, "Go away, because the girl is not dead, but is sleeping." And they ridiculed him.

25 But when the crowd had been sent out, he entered [and] took her hand, and the girl got up.

26 And this report went out into that whole region.

27 And [as] Jesus was going away from there, two blind men followed him, crying out and saying, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"

28 And [when he] came into the house, the blind men approached him, and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to him, "Yes, Lord."

29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be done for you."

30 And their eyes were opened, and Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See [that] no one finds out."

31 But they went out [and] spread the report about him in that whole region.

32 Now [as] they were going away, behold, they brought to him a demon-possessed man [who was] unable to speak.

33 And [after] the demon had been expelled, the one who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were astonished, saying, "{This has never been seen before} in Israel!"

34 But the Pharisees were saying, "By the ruler of demons he expels the demons!"

35 And Jesus was going around all the towns and the villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and every sickness.

36 And [when he] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were weary and dejected, like sheep that did not have a shepherd.

37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest [is] plentiful, but the workers [are] few.

38 Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest that he send out workers into his harvest."

Matthew 10

1 And summoning his twelve disciples, he gave them authority over unclean spirits, so that they could expel [them] and could heal every disease and every sickness.

2 Now these are the names of the twelve apostles: first Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, James the [son] of Zebedee, and John his brother,

3 Philip, and Bartholomew, Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector, James the [son] of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus,

4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot--the one who also betrayed him.

5 Jesus sent out these twelve, instructing them saying, "Do not go on the road to the Gentiles, and do not enter into a city of the Samaritans,

6 but go instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

7 And [as you] are going, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near!'

8 Heal those who are sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, expel demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

9 Do not procure gold or silver or copper for your belts.

10 Do not [take] a traveler's bag for the road, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff, for the worker [is] deserving of his provisions.

11 And into whatever town or village you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay [there] until you depart.

12 And [when you] enter into the house, greet it.

13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.

14 And whoever does not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet [as you] are going out of that house or [that] town.

15 Truly I say to you, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town!

16 "Behold, I am sending you out like sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

17 But beware of people, because they will hand you over to councils, and they will flog you in their synagogues.

18 And you will be brought before both governors and kings because of me, for a witness to them and to the Gentiles.

19 But whenever they hand you over, do not be anxious how [to speak] or what you should say, for what you should say will be given to you at that hour.

20 For you are not the ones who are speaking, but the Spirit of your Father [who is] speaking through you.

21 "And brother will hand over brother to death, and a father [his] children, and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death,

22 and you will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end--this one will be saved.

23 And whenever they persecute you in this town, flee to another, for truly I say to you, you will never finish [going through] the towns of Israel until the Son of Man comes.

24 "A disciple is not superior to his teacher, nor a slave superior to his master.

25 [It is] enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household?

26 "Therefore do not be afraid of them, because nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing secret that will not become known.

27 What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light, and what you hear in your ear, proclaim on the housetops.

28 And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul, but instead be afraid of the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And one of them will not fall to the ground {without the knowledge and consent} of your Father.

30 And even the hairs of your head are all numbered!

31 Therefore do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

32 "Therefore everyone who acknowledges me before people, I also will acknowledge him before my Father [who is] in heaven.

33 But whoever denies me before people, I also will deny him before my Father [who is] in heaven.

34 "Do not think that I have come to bring peace on the earth! I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

35 For I have come to turn a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

36 And the enemies of a man [will be] the members of his household.

37 The one who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and the one who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

38 And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

39 The one who finds his life will lose it, and the one who loses his life because of me will find it.

40 "The one who receives you receives me, and the one who receives me receives the one who sent me.

41 The one who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward.

42 And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he will never lose his reward."

Matthew 11

1 And it happened that when Jesus had finished giving orders to his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and to preach in their towns.

2 Now [when] John heard in prison the deeds of Christ, he sent [word] by his disciples

3 [and] said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?"

4 And Jesus answered [and] said to them, "Go [and] tell John what you hear and see:

5 the blind receive sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised, and the poor have good news announced to [them].

6 And whoever is not offended by me is blessed."

7 Now [as] these were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

8 But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in the houses of kings.

9 But why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and even more than a prophet!

10 It is this man about whom it is written: 'Behold, I am sending my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.'

11 Truly I say to you, among [those] born of women there has not arisen [one] greater than John the Baptist. But the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

12 But from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven is treated violently, and the violent claim it.

13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John,

14 and if you are willing to accept [it], he is Elijah, the one who is going to come.

15 The one who has ears, let him hear!

16 "But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces who call out to one another,

17 saying, 'We played the flute for you and you did not dance; we sang a lament and you did not mourn.'

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon!'

19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a man [who is] a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."

20 Then he began to reproach the towns in which the majority of his miracles had been done, because they did not repent:

21 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

22 Nevertheless I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and for Sidon on the day of judgment than for you!

23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until today.

24 Nevertheless I tell you that it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you!"

25 At that time Jesus answered [and] said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these [things] from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to young children.

26 Yes, Father, for [to do] so {was your gracious will}.

27 All [things] have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and {anyone to whom} the Son wants to reveal [him].

28 Come to me, all [of you] who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke on you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

30 For my yoke [is] easy to carry and my burden is light."

Matthew 12

1 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. And his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck off heads of grain and eat [them].

2 But [when] the Pharisees saw [it], they said to him, "Behold, your disciples are doing what it is not permitted to do on the Sabbath!"

3 So he said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those with him,

4 how he entered into the house of God and ate the bread of the presentation, which it was not permitted for him or for those with him to eat, but only for the priests?

5 Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple violate the sanctity of the Sabbath and are guiltless?

6 But I tell you that [something] greater than the temple is here!

7 And if you had known what {it means}, 'I want mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.

8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath."

9 And going on from there he came into their synagogue.

10 And behold, [there was] a man who had a withered hand, and they asked him, saying, "Is it permitted to heal on the Sabbath?" in order that they could accuse him.

11 But he said to them, "What man will there be among you who will have one sheep and if this one fell into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift [it] out?

12 Then to what degree [is] a man worth more than a sheep? So then, it is permitted to do good on the Sabbath."

13 Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand," and he stretched [it] out, and it was restored [as] healthy as the other [one].

14 But the Pharisees went out {and plotted} against him in order that they could destroy him.

15 Now Jesus, [when he] learned of [it], withdrew from there, and many followed him, and he healed them all.

16 And he warned them that they should not {reveal his identity},

17 in order that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah would be fulfilled, who said,

18 "Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

19 He will not quarrel or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

20 A crushed reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not extinguish, until he brings justice to victory.

21 And in his name the Gentiles will hope.

22 Then a demon-possessed man [who was] blind and mute was brought to him. And he healed him so that the [man who was] mute could speak and see.

23 And all the crowds were amazed and began saying, "Perhaps this one is the Son of David!"

24 But the Pharisees, [when they] heard [it], said, "This man does not expel demons except by Beelzebul the ruler of demons!"

25 But knowing their thoughts, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.

26 And if Satan expels Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?

27 And if I expel demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons expel [them]? For this [reason] they will be your judges!

28 But if I expel demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you!

29 Or how can someone enter into the house of a strong [man] and steal his property, unless he first ties up the strong [man]? And then he can thoroughly plunder his house.

30 The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters.

31 For this [reason] I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven!

32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him either in this age or in the coming one!

33 "Either make the tree good and its fruit [is] good, or make the tree bad and its fruit [is] bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.

34 Offspring of vipers! How are you able to say good things [when you] are evil? For from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

35 The good person from his good treasury brings out good [things], and the evil person from his evil treasury brings out evil [things].

36 But I tell you that every worthless word that they speak, people will give an account for it on the day of judgment!

37 For by your words you will be vindicated, and by your words you will be condemned."

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from you!"

39 But he answered [and] said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation desires a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah!

40 For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.

41 The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and behold, [something] greater than Jonah [is] here!

42 The queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, [something] greater than Solomon [is] here!

43 "Now whenever an unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it travels through waterless places searching for rest, and does not find [it].

44 Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came out.' And [when it] arrives it finds [the house] unoccupied and swept and put in order.

45 Then it goes and brings along with itself seven other spirits more evil than itself, and [they] go in [and] live there. And the last [state] of that person becomes worse than the first. So it will be for this evil generation also!"

46 And [while] he was still speaking to the crowds, behold, his mother and brothers were standing there outside, desiring to speak to him.

47 And someone told him, "Behold, your mother and your brothers are standing there outside desiring to speak to you."

48 But he answered [and] said to the one who told him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?"

49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Behold my mother and my brothers!

50 For whoever does the will of my Father [who is] in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother."

Matthew 13

1 On that day Jesus went out of the house [and] was sitting by the sea.

2 And large crowds gathered close around him, so that he got into a boat to sit down, and all the crowd was standing on the shore.

3 And he spoke many [things] to them in parables, saying, "Behold, the sower went out to sow,

4 and while he was sowing, {some seed} fell on the side of the path, and the birds came [and] devoured it.

5 And other [seed] fell on the rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up at once because it did not have [any] depth of soil.

6 But [when] the sun rose it was scorched, and because it did not have [enough] root, it withered.

7 And other [seed] fell among the thorn plants, and the thorn plants came up and choked it.

8 But other [seed] fell on the good soil and produced grain, this one a hundred [times as much] and this one sixty and this one thirty.

9 The one who has ears, let him hear!"

10 And the disciples came up [and] said to him, "{Why} do you speak to them in parables?"

11 And he answered [and] said to them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to those [people] it has not been granted.

12 For whoever has, to him [more] will be given, and he will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

13 For this [reason] I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand,

14 and with reference to them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says, "{You will listen carefully} and will never understand, and {you will look closely} and will never perceive.

15 For the heart of this people has become dull, and with their ears they hear with difficulty, and they have shut their eyes, so that they would not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them."

16 But your eyes [are] blessed because they see, and your ears because they hear.

17 For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous [people] longed to see what you see, and did not see [it], and to hear what you hear, and did not hear [it]!

18 "You, therefore, listen to the parable of the sower:

19 [When] anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand [it], the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown on the side of the path.

20 And what was sown on the rocky ground--this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy.

21 But he does not have a root in himself, but {lasts only a little while}, and [when] affliction or persecution happens because of the word, immediately he falls away.

22 And what was sown into the thorn plants--this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of this world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word and it becomes unproductive.

23 But what was sown on the good soil--this is the one who hears the word and understands [it], who indeed bears fruit and produces, this one a hundred [times as much], and this one sixty, and this one thirty."

24 He put before them another parable, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

25 But while his people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed darnel in the midst of the wheat and went away.

26 So when the {wheat} sprouted and yielded grain, then the darnel appeared also.

27 So the slaves of the master of the house came [and] said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have darnel?'

28 And he said to them, 'An enemy has done this!' So the slaves said to him, 'Then do you want us to go [and] gather them?'

29 But he said, "No, lest [when you] gather the darnel you uproot the wheat together with it.

30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the season of the harvest I will tell the reapers, "First gather the darnel and tie it into bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my storehouse." '"

31 He put before them another parable, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took [and] sowed in his field.

32 {It} is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it is grown it is larger than the garden herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches."

33 He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took [and] put into three measures of wheat flour until the whole [batch] was leavened."

34 Jesus spoke all these [things] to the crowds in parables, and he was saying nothing to them without a parable,

35 in order that what was spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled, who said, "I will open my mouth in parables; I will proclaim what has been hidden since the creation."

36 Then he left the crowds [and] came into the house, and his disciples came to him saying, "Explain the parable of the darnel in the field to us."

37 So he answered [and] said, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man,

38 and the field is the world. And the good seed--these are the sons of the kingdom, but the darnel are the sons of the evil one.

39 And the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

40 Thus just as the darnel is gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age.

41 The Son of Man will send out his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all the causes of sin and those who do lawless deeds,

42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!

43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears, let him hear!

44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, that a man found [and] concealed, and in his joy he goes and sells everything that he has and buys that field.

45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.

46 And [when he] found one very valuable pearl, he went [and] sold everything that he possessed and purchased it.

47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was thrown into the sea and gathered [fish] of every kind,

48 which when it was filled they pulled to shore and sat down [and] collected the good [fish] into containers, but the bad they threw out.

49 Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the evil from among the righteous

50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!

51 "Have you understood all these [things]?" They said to him, "Yes."

52 And he said to them, "For this [reason] every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of the house who brings out of his storeroom new [things] and old [things]."

53 And it happened that when Jesus had finished these parables he went away from there.

54 And he came to his hometown [and] began to teach them in their synagogue, so that they were amazed and said, "From where did this man [get] this wisdom and these miracles?

55 Is not this one the son of the carpenter? Is not his mother called Mary and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?

56 And are not all his sisters with us? From where then did this man [get] all these [things]?"

57 And they were offended by him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his [own] hometown and in his [own] household."

58 And he did not perform many miracles in that place because of their unbelief.

Matthew 14:1-12

1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus

2 and he said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist! He has been raised from the dead, and for this [reason] miraculous powers are at work in him."

3 For Herod, [after] arresting John, bound him and put [him] in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip,

4 because John had been saying to him, "It is not permitted for you to have her."

5 And [although he] wanted to kill him, he feared the crowd, because they looked upon him as a prophet.

6 But [when] Herod's birthday celebration took place, the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst [of them] and pleased Herod.

7 Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.

8 And coached by her mother, she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter!"

9 And [although] the king was distressed, because of his oaths and his {dinner guests} he commanded [the request] to be granted.

10 And he sent [orders] [and] had John beheaded in the prison,

11 and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought [it] to her mother.

12 And his disciples came [and] took away the corpse and buried it, and went [and] told Jesus.