And Mary rose up in those days and journeyed in haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zachariah and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened that when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the child leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she spoke out with a great cry and said: Blessed are you among women, and blessed the fruit of your womb. And how did it befall me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the child leapt for joy in my womb. And blessed is she who believed that there will be fulfillment of what was told her from the Lord. Then Mary said: My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior, because he cast down his eyes to the low estate of his slave girl. Behold, after now all the generations will bless me; because the mighty one has done great things for me, and his name is holy; and his mercy is for generations and generations, for those who fear him. He has taken power into his arm, and scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has pulled down the dynasts from their thrones, and raised up the humble; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has reached out his hand to Israel his servant, through the memory of mercy; as he said to our fathers, to Abraham and his seed forever.
And Mary remained with her for about three months, and then returned to her own house.
For Elizabeth her time was completed, and she bore a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had made great his mercy in her case, and they rejoiced with her. And it came about that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the baby; and they were calling him by the name of his father, Zachariah. Then his mother spoke forth and said: No, but he shall be called John. And they said to her: There is no one in your kindred who is called by that name. And they made signs to his father, to learn what he wished him to be called. And he asked for a tablet and wrote, saying: John is his name. And all were amazed. But his mouth was set free at once, and his tongue, and he spoke praising God. And fear came upon all those who lived about them, and in all the hill country of Judaea all these sayings were repeated, and those who heard them laid them in their hearts, saying: What will this child be? The hand of the Lord is with him. And Zachariah his father was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he prophesied, saying: Praised be the Lord God of Israel, because he visited his people and wrought their deliverance, and raised up our hom of salvation in the house of David, his servant; as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old; safety from our enemies and the hand of all those who hate us, to work mercy with our fathers and to remember his holy convenant; the oath he swore to Abraham our father, to grant that we be rescued without fear from the hand of our enemies, to serve him in piety and righteousness before his presence all our days. And you, child, will be called prophet of the highest, and go before the presence of the Lord to make ready his ways, to grant to his people knowledge of their salvation through the remission of their sins; through the compassionate mercy of our Lord whereby the sunrise shall shine upon us from on high, to illuminate those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he was in the desert until the day of his appearance before Israel.
41 It happened in those days that a decree went forth from Augustus Caesar that all the world should be enrolled in a census. This was the first census, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judaea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David; to be enrolled with Mary his promised wife, who was pregnant. And it happened that while they were there her time was completed, and she bore a son, her first-born, and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds in that region, camping out at night and keeping guard over their flock. And an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone about them, and they were afraid with a great fear. The angel said to them: Do not be afraid; behold, I tell you good news, great joy which shall be for all the people; because this day there has been born for you in the city of David a savior who is Christ the Lord. And here is a sign for you; you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And suddenly with the angel there was a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth among men of good will. And it happened that after the angels had gone off from them into the sky, the shepherds began saying to each other: Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing which has happened, which the Lord made known to us; and they went, hastening, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger; and when they had seen, they spread the news about what had been told them concerning this baby. And all who heard wondered at what had been told them by the shepherds; and Mary kept in mind all these sayings as she pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God over all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
And when eight days were past, for his circumcision,
his name was called Jesus, as it was named by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
And when the days for their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, they took him up to Jerusalem to set him before the Lord, as it has been written in the Law of the Lord: Every male child who opens the womb shall be called sacred to the Lord; and to give sacrifice as it is stated in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons. And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and virtuous and looked forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him; and it had been prophesied to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not look upon his death until he had looked on the Lord's Anointed. And in the spirit he went into the temple; and as his parents brought in the child Jesus so that they could do for him what was customary according to the law, Simeon himself took him in his arms and blessed God and said: Now, Lord, you release your slave, in peace, according to your word; because my eyes have looked on your salvation, what you made ready in the presence of all the peoples; a light for the revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people, Israel. And his father and his mother were in wonder at what was being said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother: Behold, he is appointed for the fall and the rise of many in Israel; and as a sign which is disputed; and through your soul also will pass the sword; so that the reasonings of many hearts may be revealed. And there was Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. And she was well advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from the time of her maidenhood, and now she was eighty-four years a widow. And she did not leave the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. And at this same time she came near and gave thanks to God and spoke of the child to those who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.
And when they had done everything according to the Law of the Lord, they went back to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.
And the child grew in stature and strength as he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.
Now his parents used to journey every year to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, when they went up according to their custom for the festival and had completed their days there, on their return the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, and his parents did not know it. And supposing that he was in their company they went a day's journey and then looked for him among their relatives and friends, and when they did not find him they turned back to Jerusalem in search of him. And it happened that after three days they found him in the temple sitting in the midst of the masters, listening to them and asking them qu
estions. And all who heard him were amazed at his intelligence and his answers. And they were astonished at seeing him, and his mother said to him: Child, why did you do this to us? See, your father and I have been looking for you, in distress. He said to them: But why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my father's house? And they did not understand what he had said to them. And he returned with them and came to Nazareth, and was in their charge. And his mother kept all his sayings in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in the favor of God and men.
tl In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judaea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother was te- trarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, when Annas, with Caiaphas, was high priest, the word of God came to John the son of Zachariah in the desert. And he went into all the region about Jordan preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: The voice of one crying in the desert, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight the roads before him. Every watercourse will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be brought low; and the crooked will turn straight and the rough roads will tum smooth; and all flesh will look on the salvation of God. And he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him: You viper's brood, who warned you to flee from the anger to come? Then produce fruits that are worthy of your repentance; and do not begin to say among yourselves: We have Abraham for our father. For I say to you that out of these stones God can raise up children to Abraham. And by now the ax is set against the root of the trees; so that every tree that does not bear fruit is cut out and thrown into the fire. And the people questioned him saying: What then shall we do? He answered and said to them: Let him who has two tunics share with him who has none, and let him who has food do likewise. And tax collectors also came to him to be baptized and said to him: Master, what shall we do? He said to them: Collect nothing except what is assigned to you. And soldiers in service also questioned him, saying: And we too, what shall we do? And he said to them: No extortion, no false accusation, and live on your wages. And as the people had great hopes and all were wondering in their hearts about John, whether he might even be the Messiah, John spoke forth saying to all: I baptize you with water; but one is coming who is stronger than I, and I am not fit to untie the fastening of his shoes. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and gather his grain into his storehouse, and he will burn the chaff in quenchless fire.
There was much else also that he advised the people to do as he announced the good news. But Herod the te- trarch, who had been reproved by him in the matter of Herodias his brother's wife, and for all his other misdeeds, added this one to the rest: he had John confined in prison.
And it happened that in the baptizing of all the people Jesus also was baptized; and as he prayed the sky opened and the Holy Spirit in bodily form like a dove descended upon him, and there came a voice from the sky saying: You are my son, whom I love, in whom I am well pleased.
And Jesus when he began was about thirty years old, and was the son, as it was believed, of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Mathat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, the son of Matathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, the son of Maath, the son of Matathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Salathiel, the son of Neri, the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, the son of Jesus, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Mathat, the son of Levi, the son of Symeon, the son of Judah, the son of
Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliacim, the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Matatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, the son of Jesse, the son of Jobed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nah- shon, the son of Aminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nachor, the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Sala, the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jaied, the son of Mahahaleel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
fl And Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, turned away from Jordan and was guided by the spirit in the desert for forty days, being tested by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days, and when they were finished he was hun^y. And the devil said to him: If you are the son of God, tell this stone to become bread. Jesus said to him in answer: It is written: Not by bread alone shall man live. Then he led him on high and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a flash of time; and the devil said to him: I will give you this power entire and the glory of these things, because this has been turned over to me, and I give it to whom I will. If then you will worship me, it shall all be yours. Jesus answered and said to him: It is written: You shall worship the Lord your God, and shall serve him only. Then he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the gable of the temple, and said to him: If you are the son of God, throw yourself down from here,- for it is written: He will charge his angels concerning you, to guard you; and that: Upon their hands they will support you, so that never may you strike your foot against the stone. And Jesus answered and said to him: It is said: You shall not tempt the Lord your God. So when he had done with every temptation, the devil left him until a better time.
And Jesus, in the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee; and rumor about him went through the entire region; and he himself taught in their synagogues, honored by all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been raised, and entered the synagogue as was his custom on the day of the sabbath, and stood up to read. And he was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah, and opening the book he found the place where it was written: The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because of which he has anointed me, to bring good news to the poor; he sent me forth to announce release to captives, and eyesight to the blind; to set those who are broken at liberty; to proclaim the accepted year of the Lord. And folding the book he gave it back to the servant and sat down; and the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed upon him. And he began to say to them: Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. And all spoke well of him and marveled at the grace in the words that came from his mouth, and said: Is not this the son of Joseph? And he said to them: Surely you will tell me the parable: Physician, cure yourself; do here also in your own country all we have heard of that was done in Capernaum. And he said: Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. But this is true that I tell you: There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was closed for three years and six months, so that there was famine in all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent, but only to a widowed woman of Sarepta in Sidon. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, but none of them was made clean except Naaman the Syrian. And all those in the synagogue were filled with anger when they heard this, and they rose up and cast him out of the city, and they took him to the brink of the cliff on which was built their city, to fling him over. But he passed through their midst and went on his way.
And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching, because he spoke with authority. And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon and he cried out in a great voice: Ha. What is there between us and you, Jesus of Nazareth? Did you come to destroy us? I know you, who you are, God's holy one. Jesus reproved him, saying: Be silent and go out from him. And the demon flung him down in their midst and came out of him,
without doing him any harm. And wonder came upon all and they talked among themselves, saying: What is this speech, that in authority and power he gives orders to unclean spirits, and they come out? And the rumor of him went forth to every place in the region.
But he rose up and left the synagogue and went into the house of Simon. The mother-in-law of Simon was suffering from a great fever, and they besought him for her sake. He stood over her and reproved the fever, and it left her; and at once she stood up and served them. And when the sun set, all those who had people sick with various sicknesses brought them to him, and he laid his hands on each one of them, and healed them. And also demons came out of many, crying out and saying: You are the son of God. But he forbade them and told them not to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. When day came he went out to a deserted place, and the multitudes went looking for him, and came up with him, and held him back so that he could not go from them. But he said to them: I must bring the good news of the Kingdom of God to the other cities also, since for this I was sent forth. And he went preaching through the synagogues of Judaea.
(l It happened that, while the crowd was pressing upon him and listening to the word of God, he himself was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats standing beside the lake, but the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. He went aboard one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to take him out a little way from the land, and he sat in the boat and taught the multitudes. And when he was through speaking, he said to Simon: Go on out into the deep water and let down your nets and fish. Simon answered and said: Master, all through the night we wore ourselves out and got nothing; but on your word I will let down our nets. And when they did so, they netted a great haul of fish, and their nets were breaking. And they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came, and both boats were filled so they began to sink. Seeing this, Simon Peter flung himself at the knees of Jesus and said: Go from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord. For amazement had seized him and all who were with him over the haul of fish they had taken, and also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon: Do not be afraid. From now on your catch will be men. And they
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