And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil;
It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil,
and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.
And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up.
When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him,
and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain;
Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him;
and shouting with a loud voice, he said, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!”
Now there was a large herd of swine feeding nearby on the mountain.
When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He stayed by the seashore.
And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.
A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years,
They came to the house of the synagogue official; and He saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing.
And entering in, He said to them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep.”
Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.”
And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.
and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff--no bread, no bag, no money in their belt--
And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town.
Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.”
But others were saying, “He is Elijah.” And others were saying, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.”
Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death and could not do so;
for Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed; but he used to enjoy listening to him.
A strategic day came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his lords and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee;
Immediately she came in a hurry to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”
and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard about this, they came and took away his body and laid it in a tomb.
And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.)
They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves.
When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.
But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out;
but you say, ‘If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, given to God),’
Jesus got up and went away from there to the region of Tyre. And when He had entered a house, He wanted no one to know of it; yet He could not escape notice.
But after hearing of Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately came and fell at His feet.
Now the woman was a Gentile, of the Syrophoenician race. And she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.
and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!”
In those days, when there was again a large crowd and they had nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples and said to them,
If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way; and some of them have come from a great distance.”
They also had a few small fish; and after He had blessed them, He ordered these to be served as well.
The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him.
Sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, “Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”
And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart?
And they came to Bethsaida. And they brought a blind man to Jesus and implored Him to touch him.
For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?
For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them;
Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!”
When they came back to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them.
And one of the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute;
They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth.
When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again.”
New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995
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