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Here are the names of the people in the family line from which Jesus Christ came. He came from David's family. He came from Abraham's family.

2-16 esus' family line: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Perez (his mother was Tamar), Zezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz (his mother was Rahab), Obed (his mother was Ruth), Jesse, David the king, Solomon (whose mother was Uriah's wife), Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joram, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, Jeconiah and his brothers (at the time the people of Israel were carried away to Babylon), Shealtiel, Zerubbabel, Abiud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Achim, Eliud, Eleazor, Matthan, Jacob and Joseph who was the husband of Mary. Mary was the mother of Jesus, who is called the Christ.

17 There were fourteen families from Abraham to David. There were fourteen families from David to the time the people were taken to Babylon. And there were fourteen families after that until Christ was born.

18 This is the way Jesus Christ was born. Mary, his mother, was promised to Joseph to be his wife. But before they were married, she found out that she was going to have a baby. It was by the Holy Spirit.

19 Joseph, the man she was to marry, was a good man. He did not want her to be made ashamed. So he planned to leave her without telling people about it.

20 While he was thinking about this, he had a dream. An angel of the Lord came to him. He said, `Joseph, David's son, do not fear to take Mary to be your wife. Her baby is by the Holy Spirit.

21 She will have a baby son. Name him Jesus, because he will save his people from the wrong things they have done.'

22 All of this had been told long before by the Lord through his prophet. It came true.

23 The prophet said, `A young woman who has not slept with a man is going to have a baby son. His name will be Emmanuel. That means "God is with us." '

24 Joseph woke up and did what the angel of the Lord told him to do. He took Mary to be his wife.

25 But he did not make love with her until her first son had been born. He named him Jesus.

Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem, in the country of Judea. Herod was the king. After Jesus was born, wise men came from the east to Jerusalem.

They asked, `Where is the child who has been born to be King of the Jews? We saw his star rising and we have come to worship him.'

When King Herod heard this, he was very troubled. All the people in Jerusalem were troubled also.

He called all the chief priests and the scribes of the Jews for a meeting. He asked them, `Where is the Christ to be born?'

They told him, `In Bethlehem in Judea. That is what the prophet, the man of God long ago, wrote:

"Bethlehem in the country of Judah, you are not the least among the leaders in Judah. A leader will come from you who will rule over my people Israel." '

Then Herod called the wise men to talk with them secretly. He found out from them what time they saw the star.

He sent them to Bethlehem. He said, `Go and ask everywhere until you find the child. When you have found him, come and tell me, so that I myself may go and worship him.'

After they heard what the king said, they went away. And the star, which they had seen rising, went in front of them. It stopped above the place where the child was.

10 When they saw the star, they were very glad.

11 They went into the house, and there they saw the child and Mary his mother. They kneeled down and worshipped him. Then they opened their bags and gave him gifts. These gifts were gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

12 In a dream they were told not to go back to Herod. So they went home by a different road.

13 After the wise men had gone, Joseph had a dream. An angel of the Lord came to him and said, `Get up. Take the child and his mother, and go quickly to the country of Egypt. Stay there till I tell you, because Herod will try to find the child and kill him.'

14 Joseph woke up. He took the child and his mother in the night and went to Egypt.

15 He stayed there until Herod died. What the Lord told through his prophet long ago, came true. He said `I called my son out of Egypt.'

16 Herod saw that the wise men had fooled him. He was very angry. He sent men to kill all the baby boys in the town of Bethlehem and around it. They killed all the boys who were two years old or less. Herod remembered what the wise men had told him about the time they first saw the star.

17 So what the prophet Jeremiah said, came true.

18 He said, `A voice could be heard in the town of Ramah. Rachel was crying for her children. She would not let anyone comfort her because her children were dead.'

19 Herod died. Then Joseph had a dream. An angel of the Lord came to him in Egypt.

20 The angel said, `Get up. Take the child and his mother and go to the country of Israel. The men who wanted to kill the child are dead.'

21 Joseph woke up. He took the child and his mother and went to the country of Israel.

22 But he heard that Archelaus was king of Judea in his father Herod's place. So he was afraid to go there. In a dream he was told what to do. He went to the country of Galilee.

23 He went and made his home in the town of Nazareth. The prophets of God long ago had said, `He shall be called a man from Nazareth.' What they said came true.

After some years had passed, John the Baptizer came and told God's word in the desert of Judea.

He said, `Stop doing wrong things and turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven is almost here.'

This is the man that Isaiah the prophet of God spoke about long ago. He said, `A man is calling in the wilderness, "Make the way ready for the Lord. Make the road straight for him." '

John wore clothes made of camel's hair and a leather belt. He ate locusts and wild honey.

People went to him from Jerusalem, from all of Judea, and from all the country near the Jordan River.

He baptised them in the Jordan River when they said how sorry they were for the wrong things they had done.

Many of the Pharisee group and the Sadducee group came to him to be baptised. But when he saw them, he said to them, `You family of snakes! Who told you to run away from God's anger that is coming?

Stop your wrong ways to show that you have turned back to God.

Do not think you can say to your-selves, "Abraham is our father." I tell you, God can make children for Abraham from these stones.

10 The axe is ready to cut down the trees. Every tree that does not have good fruit is cut down and thrown into a fire.

11 `I baptise you with water when you stop your wrong ways. But another person is coming after me. He is greater than I am. I am not good enough to take off his shoes. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

12 He has a cleaning fan in his hand and will fan his grain very clean. He will put the grain into his storehouse. But he will burn the chaff in the fire that never dies.'

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River. He came to John to be baptised by him.

14 John tried to stop him. He said, `I need to be baptised by you. Why do you come to me to be baptised?'

15 But Jesus answered, `Please do it now. In this way we shall do all that is right.' Then John let him be baptised.

16 After Jesus was baptised, he came up out of the water right away. The sky opened. He saw the Spirit of God coming down on him like a dove.

17 A voice from the sky said, `This is my dear Son. I am very pleased with him.'

Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert. The devil tried to make Jesus do wrong.

Jesus did not eat anything for forty days and forty nights. Then he was very hungry.

The one who tries to make people do wrong came and said to him, `If you are God's Son, tell these stones to be changed into bread.'

But Jesus answered him, `The holy writings say, "Man cannot live on bread only. He needs to live by every word that God says." '

Then the devil took Jesus to the holy city. He put him on a high part of the temple.

The devil said to him, `If you are God's Son, jump down. The holy writings say, "God will tell his angels to take care of you. They will hold you up in their hands so that you will not knock your foot on a stone." '

Jesus answered him, `The holy writings say, "You must not test the Lord your God." '

The devil took Jesus to a very high hill. He showed him all the countries of the world and how great they were.

He said to Jesus, `I will give you all these if you kneel down and worship me.'

10 But Jesus answered him, `Get away, Satan. The holy writings say, "You must worship the Lord your God. and he is the only one you are to worship." '

11 Then the devil left Jesus. Angels came and took care of him.

12 Jesus heard that John was put in prison, so he went to Galilee.

13 He left the town of Nazareth and went to live in the town of Capernaum. It is by the sea (of Galilee) in the district of Zebulun and Naphtali.

14 So what the prophet Isaiah said came true.

15 He talked about, `The country of Zebulun and the country of Naphtali, the road by the sea, the land on the other side of the Jordan River, Galilee where the people are not Jews.'

16 And he said, `The people who lived in darkness have seen a great Light. Light has come to those who lived in a land covered by the dark shadow of death.'

17 From then on, Jesus began to tell God's word to the people. He said, `Stop your wrong ways and turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven is here!'

18 Jesus was walking by the sea of Galilee. There he saw two brothers, Simon who later was named Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were throwing a fishing net into the water. Their work was to catch fish.

19 Jesus said to them, `Come with me. The work I will give you will be to catch people.'

20 Right away they left their nets and went with him.

21 Jesus went on from there and saw two other brothers, James and John. Their father's name was Zebedee. They were in the boat with their father mending their nets.

22 Jesus called them. Right away they left the boat and their father and went with him.

23 Jesus went all around through Galilee. He taught people in their meeting houses and told them the good news about the kingdom of heaven. He healed all the sick and weak people.

24 The people in all the country of Syria heard about him. They brought all who were sick in any way, or had bad spirits in them, and those who could not walk or use their hands. Jesus healed them.

25 Many people went with him. They came from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, Judea, and from the other side of the Jordan river.

When Jesus saw the many people, he went up on a hill. He sat down and his disciples came to him.

He began to teach the people.

He said, `God makes happy those who know that they need him. The kingdom of heaven is for them.

`God makes happy those who are sad. They will have comfort.

`God makes happy those who quietly trust him and do not try to get their own way. The world will belong to them.

`God makes happy those who are hungry and thirsty for what is right and good. They will be filled.

`God makes happy those who are kind. He will be kind to them.

`God makes happy those who have clean hearts. They will see God.

`God makes happy those who make peace between people. They will be called God's sons.

10 `God makes happy those who have trouble for doing what is right. The kingdom of heaven is for them.

11 `God makes you happy when people say wrong things about you, when they trouble you, and when they say all kinds of lies about you. God makes you happy when it is for my sake.

12 Be happy and glad because God will be good to you in heaven. In the same way people troubled the prophets before your time.'

13 `You are like salt in the world. If salt has lost its taste, how can it be made salty again? Salt that has no taste is good for nothing. The only thing to do is to throw it out on the road.

14 `You are like light in the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden.

15 So also with a lamp. People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket. But they put it on the place for a lamp. Then all the people in the house can see its light.

16 So, let your light shine to all people. Then they will see the good things you do. And they will praise your Father in heaven.'

17 `Do not think that I have come to take away the law and the writings of the prophets. No, I have not come to take them away. But I have come to do what they say must be done.

18 I tell you the truth. Until the sky and the earth are taken away, not one small part of the law will be taken away, until everything has been done.

19 So anyone who does not obey one of the smallest laws, and teaches other people not to obey it, will have the smallest part in the kingdom of heaven. But any one who obeys and teaches the law, will have a big part in the kingdom of heaven.

20 I tell you, you must do much better than the scribes and Pharisees. If you do not, then you will never go into the kingdom of heaven.'

21 `You have heard this said to men long ago, "Do not kill. Anyone who kills will be judged in court."

22 `But I tell you this. Anyone who is angry with his brother without having a good reason, will be judged in court. Anyone who says wrong things to his brother will be judged for it in the big court. Anyone who says "You fool!" will be judged to go into hell fire.

23 `Perhaps you are bringing your gift to God at his altar. There you remember that your brother has something against you.

24 If so, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First, go to your brother and make things right with him. Then come and give your gift to God.

25 `If someone wants to take you to court, make an agreement with him quickly on the way. If you do not, he will take you to the judge. The judge will give you to the guard, and the guard will put you in prison.

26 I tell you the truth, you will not get out of prison until you have paid every piece of money.'

27 `You have heard that the law says, "Do not commit adultery [have another man or woman who is not your husband or wife]."

28 But I tell you that if a man looks at a woman and he wants her, then he has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

29 `If your right eye makes you do wrong, take it out and throw it away. It is better to lose a part of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

30 If your right hand makes you do wrong, cut it off and throw it away. It is better to lose a part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell fire.

31 `The law said, "Any man who does not want to keep his wife must give her a paper to tell others she is no longer his wife."

32 But I tell you, no man may send away his wife unless she has committed adultery. If he does send her away, he is making her commit adultery. And if a man marries a woman who has been sent away from her husband, he commits adultery.'

33 `Also you have heard this said to men long ago, "You must not make a promise in God's name and break it." And, "You must do for the Lord what you said you would do."

34 `But I tell you, do not make a promise in God's name. Do not use the name of heaven, because that is where God rules.

35 Do not use the name of earth, because that is where God rests his feet. Do not use the name of Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King.

36 Do not make a promise by your head, because you cannot make one hair of your head white or black.

37 You must mean "Yes" when you say "Yes". You must mean "No" when you say "No". To say anything more than that is wrong.'

38 `You have heard that the law says, "Take an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth."

39 But I tell you, do not fight with anyone who does wrong to you. But if someone hits you on one side of your face, turn the other side to him also.

40 `If anyone takes you to court to get your shirt, let him have your coat also.

41 If anyone wants you to help carry a load, go with him twice as far.

42 When someone asks you for something, give it to him. When someone wants to borrow something from you, let him have it.'

43 `You have heard that the law says, "Love your neighbour and hate your enemy."

44 But I tell you, love your enemies. Ask God to do good to those who trouble you.

45 In that way you will be sons of your Father in heaven. He makes his sun shine on both wrong and good people. He lets the rain fall on people who do right and on people who do wrong.

46 If you love only those who love you, what reward will you get? Even the tax collectors do that.

47 Do you speak to your brothers only? If so, you are not doing any better than other people. Even people who do not believe in God do that.

48 You must be good in every way, as your Father in heaven is good in every way.'

Do not do good things so that people will see you do them. If you do, you will get no reward from your Father in heaven.

`So when you give money to poor people, do not send men in front of you to blow trumpets or horns. Some people do this in the meeting houses and on the streets so that people will praise them. They are not true to themselves. I tell you the truth. They have their pay already.

But when you give money to poor people, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.

In this way, what you give to the poor will be secret. Your Father sees secret things and he will reward you.

`When you talk to God, do not be like people who are not true to themselves. They like to stand and talk to God in the meeting houses and at the street corners, so that people will see them. I tell you the truth. They have their reward already.

But when you talk to God, go into your room and shut the door. Then talk to your Father in secret. Your Father sees secret things and he will reward you.

`And when you talk to God, do not say words that mean nothing, over and over again. People who do not believe in God do that. They think their god will hear them because they say many words.

Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

So talk to your God like this: "Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.

10 "May your kingdom come. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

11 "Give us our food for today.

12 "Forgive us for the wrong things we have done, the way we forgive those who have done wrong things to us.

13 "Do not test us but help us, so that no one will make us do wrong. Deliver us from the evil one. The kingdom and power and praise belong to you for ever. Amen!"

14 `If you forgive others for the wrong things they have done, then your Father in heaven will forgive you.

15 But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you for the wrong things you have done.'

16 `When you are fasting [not eating food for a time], do not look sad. That is what people do who are not true to themselves. They look sad to show people they are fasting. I tell you the truth. They have their reward already.

17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face as you do at other times.

18 Then people will not see that you are fasting. But your Father sees secret things, and he will reward you.'

19 `Do not keep many things for yourself on earth. Insects and rust will spoil them. People will get in and steal them.

20 But keep things for yourself in heaven. Insects and rust will not spoil them there. People will not get in and steal them.

21 The place where you keep things is where your heart will be also.'

22 `The body gets its light through the eyes. If you have good eyes, all your body will have light.

23 But if your eyes are bad, all your body will be in darkness. If the light in you is dark, it will be very dark for you.'

24 `No man can work for two masters. He will hate one and love the other. Or he will obey one and despise the other. You cannot work for both God and money.

25 `So, I tell you this. Do not be troubled about what you will eat or drink to keep alive. Do not be troubled about what you will wear on your body. Life itself is worth more than food, and the body is worth more than clothes.

26 `Look at the birds that fly in the air. They do not plant or cut or keep any food. Yet your Father in heaven feeds them. Are you not worth more than birds?

27 Can any one of you live any longer by troubling yourself about these things?

28 And why are you troubled about clothes? See how the flowers grow in the fields. They do not work or make cloth.

29 I tell you, King Solomon was a great man. But he was not dressed as fine as one of these flowers.

30 God dresses the grass in the fields so it looks nice. It is in the field one day and the next day it is put on the fire. If God dresses the grass like that, he cares much more that you have clothes to wear. You do not believe in God very much!

31 `So then, do not keep asking, "What shall we eat?" "What shall we drink?" and "What shall we wear?"

32 It is the people who do not believe in God who work for all these things. Your Father in heaven knows that you need them all.

33 `Work first for God's kingdom and what he calls good. Then you will have all these things also.

34 `So do not be troubling yourself about tomorrow. Tomorrow will have its own trouble. Today's trouble is enough for today.'

Do not judge others, then you will not be judged.

The way you judge others, that is the way you will be judged. How much you give to others is how much will be given to you.

`Why do you look at the spot of dust in your brother's eye? But you do not see a big stick in your own eye!

Why do you say to your brother, "Let me take the dust out of your eye"? And all the time you have that stick in your own eye!

You are not true to yourselves! First take the stick out of your own eye. Then you will be able to see to take the dust out of your brother's eye.

`Do not give what is holy to dogs. Do not throw your fine stones to pigs. They will walk all over them, and then turn and hurt you.'

`Ask, and you will get what you ask for. Look, and you will find what you look for. Knock, and the door will be opened for you.

Everyone who asks will get. The one who looks will find. And the one who knocks will have the door opened for him.

`If your son asks for bread, will any of you give him a stone?

10 Or if he asks for a fish, will you give him a snake?

11 You are wrong, and yet you know how to give good things to your children. Much more, your Father in heaven will give good things to those who ask him.

12 `Do to other people what you want them to do to you. That is what the law and the writings of the prophets say.'

13 `Go in by the small gate. The gate is big and the road is wide that goes to death. Many people go that way.

14 The gate is small and the road is not wide that goes to life. Not many people find it.'

15 `Take care. There are prophets who are not true. They come to you dressed like sheep, but inside they are like wolves, bad animals that kill sheep.

16 You will know them by the things they do. People do not pick fruit like grapes from thistles. They do not pick fruit like figs from thorn trees.

17 In the same way, every good tree has good fruit. But a bad tree has bad fruit.

18 A good tree cannot have bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot have good fruit.

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

20 So you will know them by the things they do, good or bad fruit.'

21 `Some people say to me, "Lord, Lord". But not all who say that will go into the kingdom of heaven. Only those who do what my Father in heaven wants, will go in.

22 Many people will say to me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not speak in your name? Did we not drive bad spirits out of people in your name? Did we not do big works in your name?"

23 Then I will say to them, "I never knew you. Go away from me! What you do is very wrong!" '

24 `Everyone who hears what I say and obeys me will be like a man who has good sense. He built his house on a rock.

25 It rained hard. The water in the rivers came up high. The winds were strong and beat on the house. But it did not fall down. It was built on a rock.

26 But everyone who hears what I say and does not obey me, will be like a man who has no sense. He built his house on the sand.

27 It rained hard. The water in the rivers came up high. The winds were strong and beat on the house. It fell down with a loud noise!'

28 Jesus finished saying all these things. The people were surprised at his teaching.

29 He taught them as if he had the right to teach them. He did not teach like their scribes.

When Jesus came down from the hill, many people followed him.

A man who had leprosy [a bad skin disease] came and kneeled in front of Jesus and worshipped him. He said to Jesus, `Sir, I know you can heal me if you want to.'

Jesus put out his hand and touched him. He said, `I want to. Be healed.' Right away his leprosy was healed.

Jesus said to him, `Do not tell anyone about this. But go and let the priest look at you. Moses gave a law about the sacrifice you must give when you are healed. Give it, to prove to people you are healed.'

When Jesus came to the town of Capernaum, a Roman army officer came to ask him for help.

He said, `Sir, one of my servants is in bed at my house. He cannot move and has much pain.'

Jesus said, `I will come and heal him.'

The officer said, `Sir, I am not good enough to have you come into my house. Just say the word and my servant will be healed.

I myself am a man who takes orders, and I have soldiers who take orders from me. I say to one, "Go," and he goes. I say to another one, "Come," and he comes. I say to my servant, "Do this," and he does it.'

10 Jesus was surprised when he heard this. He said to the people who followed him, `I tell you the truth. I have not found any Jew who believes as this man does.

11 I tell you, many people will come from the east and from the west. They will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

12 But those who were born in the kingdom will be put into the darkness outside. There they will cry and make noises with their teeth.'

13 Jesus said to the officer, `Go home. What you have believed, will be done.' At that very same time the officer's servant was healed.

14 Jesus went into Peter's house. There he saw the mother of Peter's wife in bed, sick with fever.

15 Jesus took hold of her hand and the fever left her. She got up and began to do things for Jesus.

16 That evening, many people who had bad spirits were brought to Jesus. He spoke to the bad spirits and drove them out. And he healed all the people who were sick.

17 What the prophet Isaiah said came true. He said, `He took away the things that made us weak. He took away the things that made us sick.'

18 Jesus saw many people around him. So he said, `Let us cross over to the other side of the sea.'

19 A scribe came and said to him, `Teacher, I will go anywhere you go.'

20 Jesus said, `Foxes have holes to live in. Birds have nests. But the Son of Man has no place to lie down to rest.'

21 Another man who was a follower of Jesus, said to Jesus, `Lord, let me go first and bury my father.'

22 But Jesus said to him, `Come with me. Let those who are dead bury their own dead people.'

23 Jesus got in the boat and his disciples got in with him.

24 A bad storm came on the sea. The waves were high. Water came into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.

25 The disciples came to Jesus and woke him. `Lord, save us!' they shouted. `We will die!'

26 Jesus said to them, `Why do you fear? You do not believe in God very much!' Then Jesus got up. He said to the winds and the sea, `Stop!' Then all was quiet.

27 The disciples were surprised. They said `What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him.'

28 Jesus came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarene people. There were graves in that place. Two men came from among the graves to meet him. They had bad spirits in them. They were so bad and strong that people feared to pass that way.

29 They shouted, `Jesus, Son of God, what do you want to do to us? Have you come here to punish us before it is our time?'

30 Many pigs were eating in a place far from them.

31 The bad spirits begged Jesus, `If you drive us out of these men, let us go into the pigs.'

32 Jesus said, `Go!' The spirits came out of the men and went into the pigs. All the pigs ran fast down the steep hill into the sea. They died in the water.

33 The men who cared for the pigs ran to the town. They told everything and what had happened to the men who had the bad spirits.

34 All the people in the town came out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to go away out of their country

Jesus got in the boat and crossed the sea. He came to his own town.

Some men brought a sick man to him. The man could not move his arms or legs. He was lying on a bed. Jesus saw that they believed he would be healed. So he said to the sick man, `My son, be glad! The wrong things you have done are forgiven.'

Some of the scribes were thinking, `This man is not giving respect to God.'

Jesus knew what they were thinking. He said, `Why do you think these wrong things in your heart?

Which is easier, to say, "The wrong things you have done are forgiven," or to say, "Get up and walk"?

I want you to know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive wrong things people have done.' So he said to the sick man, `Get up. Make up your bed and go home.'

The man got up and went home.

Many people saw this and were much surprised. They praised God who had given such power to men.

Jesus went on from there. He saw a man named Matthew. He was sitting at the place where people came to pay taxes. Jesus said to him, `Come with me.' Matthew stood up and went with him.

10 Jesus was eating in a house. Many tax collectors and bad people came in. They sat down to eat with Jesus and his disciples.

11 The Pharisees saw this. They said to his disciples, `Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and bad people?'

12 Jesus heard it. He said to them, `People who are well do not need a doctor. But sick people need him.

13 Go and learn what this means: "I want you to be kind. I do not want a sacrifice." I did not come to call good people. I came to call bad people to stop doing wrong things.'

14 Then John's disciples came to Jesus. They said, `We and the Pharisees fast. Why do your disciples not do the same?'

15 Jesus answered, `The people at a wedding cannot be sad while the man who is married is with them. But the time will come when he will be taken away from them. Then they will not eat.

16 No one sews a piece of new cloth on an old coat. If he does, the new cloth will tear the old coat. Then the hole is bigger than it was before.

17 `People do not put new wine into old wine skins. If they do, the old skins break. The wine is lost and the skins are spoiled. New wine is put into new skins. And so they are both saved.'

18 While Jesus was telling them these things, a ruler came to him. He bowed down in front of Jesus to worship him and said, `My daughter has just died. But if you will come and put your hand on her, she will live.'

19 Jesus got up and went with the ruler. His disciples went too.

20 A woman had a sickness for twelve years. She was bleeding all the time. She came behind Jesus and touched his clothes.

21 She said to herself, `If only I touch his clothes, I will be well.'

22 Jesus turned around. He saw her and said, `Daughter, be glad. You were healed because you believed.' And right away the woman was healed.

23 When Jesus came to the ruler's house, he saw the music players and people making a noise.

24 He said to them, `Go away. The girl is not dead, but sleeping.' They laughed at him.

25 The people were told to go outside. When they were out, he went in and took the girl's hand. The girl got up.

26 People in all that part of the country heard about it.

27 When Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him. They called out, `Son of David, help us!'

28 When Jesus came into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus asked them, `Do you believe that I can do this?' They said, `Yes, sir.'

29 Then Jesus touched their eyes. He said, `As you believed, so will it happen to you.'

30 Then they were able to see. Jesus said to them, `Take care, do not tell anyone about this.'

31 But they went away and told everybody in that part of the country about him.

32 As they were leaving, people brought a man to Jesus. This man could not talk He had a bad spirit in him.

33 Jesus drove the bad spirit out of the man. Then he could talk. The people were very much surprised. They said, `Nothing like this has ever been seen in the country of Israel.'

34 But the Pharisees said, `He drives bad spirits out of people by the power of the chief of bad spirits.'

35 Jesus went around to all the cities and towns. He taught people in their meeting houses and told them the good news of the kingdom of heaven. He healed all the sick and weak people.

36 He saw the many people and was sorry for them. They were troubled and they could not help themselves. They were like sheep with no one to care for them.

37 Then Jesus said to his disciples, `The harvest is much. But there are not many people to gather it.

38 Talk to the Lord of this harvest, and ask him to send out people to his harvest.'