The New Testament of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Part 17

XII.

IN the mean time, the mult.i.tude having gathered together in tens of thousands, so that they trod one upon another, he began first to say to his disciples: Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. (2)For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed, nor hidden, that shall not be known. (3)Wherefore, whatever ye said in the darkness, shall be heard in the light; and what ye spoke in the ear in closets, shall be proclaimed on the house-tops.

(4)And I say to you, my friends, be not afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. (5)But I will warn you whom ye shall fear; fear him, who after he has killed has power to cast into h.e.l.l; yea, I say to you, fear him. (6)Are not five sparrows sold for two pence? And not one of them is forgotten before G.o.d.

(7)But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; ye are of more value than many sparrows.

(8)And I say to you: Every one that shall acknowledge me before men, him will the Son of man also acknowledge before the angels of G.o.d; (9)but he that denied me before men shall be denied before the angels of G.o.d. (10)And every one that shall speak a word against the Son of man, it will be forgiven him; but to him that blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven.

(11)And when they bring you to the synagogues, and magistrates, and authorities, take not thought how or what ye shall answer, or what ye shall say. (12)For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what ye ought to say.

(13)And a certain one of the mult.i.tude said to him: Teacher, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. (14)And he said to him: Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? (15)And he said to them: Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; because a man's life consists not in the abundance of his possessions.

(16)And he spoke a parable to them, saying: The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully. (17)And he thought within himself, saying: What shall I do, because I have not where to store my fruits?

(18)And he said: This will I do; I will pull down my barns, and will build greater; and there I will store all my fruits and my goods.

(19)And I will say to my soul: Soul, thou hast many goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry. (20)But G.o.d said to him: Fool! this night thy soul shall be required of thee; and whose shall those things be, which thou didst provide? (21)So is he that lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward G.o.d.

(22)And he said to his disciples: Therefore I say to you, take not thought for the life, what ye shall eat, nor for the body, what ye shall put on. (23)The life is more than food, and the body than raiment. (24)Consider the ravens, that they sow not nor reap; which have neither storehouse nor barn; and G.o.d feeds them. How much better are ye than the birds! (25)And which of you by taking thought can add a cubit to his stature[12:25]? (26)If therefore ye can not do even that which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?

(27)Consider the lilies, how they grow; they toil not, nor spin; and I say to you, that even Solomon, in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (28)And if G.o.d so clothes the gra.s.s, which to-day is in the field, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, how much more you, ye of little faith? (29)And ye, seek not what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, and be not of a doubtful mind. (30)For all these things do the nations of the world seek after; and your Father knows that ye have need of these. (31)But seek his kingdom, and these things shall be added to you.

(32)Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (33)Sell what ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves purses that wax not old, a treasure unfailing in the heavens, where a thief approaches not, nor moth corrupts. (34)For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

(35)Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps burning; (36)and ye like men waiting for their lord, when he shall return from the wedding; that, when he comes and knocks, they may open to him immediately. (37)Happy those servants, whom their lord when he comes shall find watching! Verily I say to you, that he will gird himself, and make them recline at table, and will come forth and serve them.

(38)And if he shall come in the second watch, or in the third watch, and find it so, happy are those servants. (39)And this know, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief is coming, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. (40)Be ye also ready; for at an hour when ye think not, the Son of man comes.

(41)And Peter said to him: Lord, speakest thou this parable to us, or also to all? (42)And the Lord said: Who then is the faithful, the wise steward, whom his lord will set over his household, to give the portion of food in due season? (43)Happy that servant, whom his lord when he comes shall find so doing! (44)Of a truth I say to you, that he will make him ruler over all his goods.

(45)But if that servant say in his heart: My lord delays his coming; and shall begin to beat the men-servants and maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; (46)the lord of that servant will come in a day when he looks not for it, and in an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the faithless.

(47)And that servant, who knew his lord's will, and prepared not, nor did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes; (48)but he that knew not, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For to whomsoever much was given, of him much will be required; and to whom they committed much, of him they will require the more.

(49)I came to send fire upon the earth; and what will I, if it is already kindled[12:49]? (50)But I have an immersion to undergo; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished! (51)Suppose ye that I came to give peace in the earth? I tell you, nay; but only division.

(52)For from this time forth, five in one house will be divided, three against two, and two against three. (53)They will be divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against the daughter, and daughter against the mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against the mother-in-law.

(54)And he said also to the mult.i.tudes: When ye see the cloud rising from the west, straightway ye say: A shower is coming and so it comes to pa.s.s. (55)And when ye see a south wind blowing, ye say: There will be heat; and it comes to pa.s.s. (56)Hypocrites! Ye know how to judge of the face of the earth and the sky; but how is it that ye know not how to judge of this time? (57)And why even of yourselves do ye not judge what is right? (58)For when thou art going with thine adversary to the magistrate, on the way give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he drag thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the exactor, and the exactor cast thee into prison. (59)I say to thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.

XIII.

THERE were present at that season some who brought him word concerning the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate mingled with their sacrifices.

(2)And answering he said to them: Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they have suffered such things? (3)I tell you, nay; but, except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner perish. (4)Or those eighteen, on whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, suppose ye that they were sinners above all the men who dwell in Jerusalem? (5)I tell you, nay; but, except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner perish.

(6)He spoke also this parable: A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit thereon, and found none.

(7)And he said to the vine-dresser: Behold, three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and find none. Cut it down; why does it also enc.u.mber[13:7] the ground? (8)And he answering says to him: Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and cast in manure. (9)And if it bear fruit--; and if not, hereafter thou shalt cut it down[13:9].

(10)And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.

(11)And, behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and wholly unable to raise herself up. (12)And Jesus seeing her, called her to him, and said to her: Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. (13)And he laid his hands on her; and immediately she was made straight, and glorified G.o.d. (14)And the ruler of the synagogue answering (being indignant because Jesus healed on the sabbath), said to the mult.i.tude: There are six days in which it is proper to work; in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath. (15)And the Lord answered him, and said: Hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath loose his ox or a.s.s from the manger, and lead him away to water him? (16)And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan bound, lo, eighteen years, to be loosed from this bond on the sabbath? (17)And as he said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed; and all the mult.i.tude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.

(18)He said therefore: To what is the kingdom of G.o.d like? And to what shall I liken it? (19)It is like to a grain of mustard, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and became a great tree, and the birds of the air lodged in its branches.

(20)And again he said: To what shall I liken the kingdom of G.o.d?

(21)It is like to leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

(22)And he went through cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.

(23)And a certain one said to him: Lord, are there few that are saved?

(24)And he said to them: Strive to enter in through the strait gate; for many, I say to you, will seek to enter in, and will not be able.

(25)When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, open to us, and he answering shall say to you, I know you not whence ye are; (26)then will ye begin to say, We ate and drank in thy presence, and thou didst teach in our streets. (27)And he will say, I tell you, I know not whence ye are; depart from me, all workers of unrighteousness. (28)There will be the weeping, and the gnas.h.i.+ng of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of G.o.d, and yourselves thrust out. (29)And they will come from east and west, and from north and south, and will recline at table in the kingdom of G.o.d. (30)And, behold, there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.

(31)On that day there came certain Pharisees, saying to him: Depart, and go hence; for Herod desires to kill thee. (32)And he said to them: Go, tell that fox, Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures to-day and to-morrow, and the third day I am perfected. (33)But yet, I must go to-day, and to-morrow, and the day following; because it may not be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.

(34)Jerusalem! Jerusalem! that kills the prophets, and stones those sent to her; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen her brood under her wings, and ye would not! (35)Behold, your house is left to you desolate. And I say to you: Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord.

XIV.

AND it came to pa.s.s, as he went into the house of one of the chief of the Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath, that they watched him.

(2)And, behold, there was a certain man before him who had the dropsy.

(3)And Jesus answering spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying: Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath, or not? And they were silent. (4)And taking hold of him, he healed him, and let him go. (5)And to them he said: Who is there of you, whose ox or a.s.s[14:5] shall fall into a pit, and he will not straightway draw him up on the sabbath day?

(6)And they could not answer him again to these things.

(7)And he spoke a parable to those who were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the first places; saying to them: (8)When thou art bidden by any one to a wedding, recline not in the first place at table, lest one more honorable than thou may have been bidden by him; (9)and he that bade thee and him shall come and say to thee, Give place to this man; and then thou shalt begin with shame to take the lowest place. (10)But when thou art bidden, go and recline in the lowest place; that when he that bade thee comes, he may say to thee, Friend, go up higher. Then shalt thou have honor in the presence of those who recline at table with thee. (11)For every one that exalts himself shall be humbled; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.

(12)And he said also to him who bade him: When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brothers, nor thy kinsmen, nor rich neighbors; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee. (13)But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. (14)And happy shalt thou be, because they can not recompense thee; for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the righteous.

(15)And a certain one of those who reclined at table with him, hearing these things, said to him: Happy is he, who shall eat bread in the kingdom of G.o.d! (16)And he said to him: A certain man made a great supper, and bade many. (17)And he sent his servant, at the hour of the supper, to say to those who were bidden: Come, for all things are now ready. (18)And they all, with one mind, began[14:18] to excuse themselves. The first said to him: I bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go out and see it; I pray thee let me be excused. (19)And another said: I bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to make trial of them; I pray thee let me be excused. (20)And another said: I married a wife; and therefore I can not come.

(21)And the servant came, and reported these things to his lord. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant: Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and maimed, and lame, and blind. (22)And the servant said: Lord, it is done as thou didst command, and yet there is room. (23)And the Lord said to the servant: Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them[14:23] to come in, that my house may be filled; (24)for I say to you, that none of those men who were bidden shall taste of my supper.

(25)And great mult.i.tudes were going with him; and turning, he said to them: (26)If any one comes to me, and hates not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, and even his own life besides, he can not be my disciple. (27)And whoever does not bear his cross, and come after me, can not be my disciple. (28)For who of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down, and count the cost, whether he has sufficient to finish it? (29)Lest haply, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all that behold begin to mock him, (30)saying: This man began to build, and was not able to finish. (31)Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not first sit down and consult, whether he is able, with ten thousand, to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? (32)Else, while he is yet a great way off, he sends an emba.s.sy, and desires conditions of peace.

(33)So then, whoever of you forsakes not all that he has can not be my disciple. (34)Salt therefore is good; but if even the salt has become tasteless, wherewith shall it be seasoned? (35)It is fit neither for the land, nor for the dunghill; they cast it out. He that has ears to hear, let him hear.

XV.

AND there were drawing near to him all the publicans and the sinners to hear him. (2)And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying: This man receives sinners, and eats with them.

(3)And he spoke this parable to them, saying: (4)What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, does not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he finds it? (5)And having found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. (6)And coming home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them: Rejoice with me; because I found my sheep which was lost. (7)I say to you, that so there will be joy in heaven over one sinner that repents, more than over ninety and nine just persons, who have no need of repentance.

(8)Or what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, does not light a lamp, and sweep the house, and seek carefully till she finds it? (9)And having found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying: Rejoice with me; because I found the piece which I lost. (10)So, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of G.o.d over one sinner that repents.

(11)And he said: A certain man had two sons. (12)And the younger of them said to his father: Father, give me the portion of the property that falls to me. And he divided to them his living. (13)And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, and went abroad into a far country, and there wasted his substance in riotous living.

(14)And when he had spent all, there arose a grievous famine in that country; and he began to be in want. (15)And he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. (16)And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks which the swine ate; and no one gave to him. (17)And coming to himself, he said: How many hired servants of my father have bread enough and to spare, and I perish here with hunger! (18)I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him: Father, I sinned against heaven, and before thee. (19)I am no longer worthy to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hired servants.