"Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover.   When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom.  After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it.  Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day.  Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends.  When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him.  After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.  Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.  When his parents saw him, they were astonished.  His mother said to him, ""Son, why have you treated us like this?  Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.""

""Why were you searching for me?"" he asked.  ""Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?""  But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them.  But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.  And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men."

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.  He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.  He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.  The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.  He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

"In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert.  He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

""A voice of one calling in the desert,

'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.

Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low.

The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth.

And all mankind will see God's salvation.' """

"The days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.

'In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line; he will do what is just and right in the land.

In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety.  This is the name by which it will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.'"

"Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, ""Are you the king of the Jews?""

""Is that your own idea,"" Jesus asked, ""or did others talk to you about me?""

""Am I a Jew?"" Pilate replied.  ""It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me.  What is it you have done?""

Jesus said, ""My kingdom is not of this world.  If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews.  But now my kingdom is from another place.""

""You are a king, then!"" said Pilate.

Jesus answered, ""You are right in saying I am a king.  In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.  Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."""

"Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.   But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb.   And because the LORD had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her.   This went on year after year.  Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.   Elkanah her husband would say to her, ""Hannah, why are you weeping?  Why don't you eat?  Why are you downhearted?  Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?""

Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up.  Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the LORD's temple.   In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD.  And she made a vow, saying, ""O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.""

As she kept on praying to the LORD, Eli observed her mouth.  Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard.  Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, ""How long will you keep on getting drunk?  Get rid of your wine.""

""Not so, my lord,"" Hannah replied, ""I am a woman who is deeply troubled.  I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD.   Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.""

Eli answered, ""Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.""

She said, ""May your servant find favor in your eyes.""  Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.

Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the LORD and then went back to their home at Ramah.  Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her.  So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son.  She named him Samuel, saying, ""Because I asked the LORD for him."""

"""Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth.  The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.

But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.  I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.

Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.

They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat.  For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands.

They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them.

Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.

The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food.  They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,"" says the LORD."

"One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer at three in the afternoon.  Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.  When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.  Peter looked straight at him, as did John.  Then Peter said, ""Look at us!""  So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

Then Peter said, ""Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you.  In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.""  Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong.  He jumped to his feet and began to walk.  Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.  When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade.  When Peter saw this, he said to them:  ""Men of Israel, why does this surprise you?  Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?  The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus.  You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go.  You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you.  You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.  By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong.  It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see."

"Then they came to Jericho.  As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging.  When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, ""Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!""

Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, ""Son of David, have mercy on me!""

Jesus stopped and said, ""Call him.""  So they called to the blind man, ""Cheer up! On your feet!  He's calling you.""  Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

""What do you want me to do for you?"" Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, ""Rabbi, I want to see.""

""Go,"" said Jesus, ""your faith has healed you.""  Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road."

"Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm.  He said:

""Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?  Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.

Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?  Tell me, if you understand.

Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!

Who stretched a measuring line across it?

On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone - while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?

Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water?

Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?  Do they report to you, 'Here we are'?

Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind ?

Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?  Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together?

Do you hunt the prey for the lioness and satisfy the hunger of the lions when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in a thicket?

Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?"""

"As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. ""Good teacher,"" he asked, ""what must I do to inherit eternal life?""

""Why do you call me good?"" Jesus answered. ""No one is good except God alone.   You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'""

""Teacher,"" he declared, ""all these I have kept since I was a boy.""

Jesus looked at him and loved him. ""One thing you lack,"" he said. ""Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.""

At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ""How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!""

The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, ""Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.""

The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, ""Who then can be saved?""

Jesus looked at them and said, ""With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.""

Peter said to him, ""We have left everything to follow you!""

""I tell you the truth,"" Jesus replied, ""no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."""

"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. But there is a place where someone has testified:
""What is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the angels;
you crowned him with glory and honor
and put everything under his feet.""

In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. He says,
""I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises."""

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

My dear brothers, take note of this:  Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.  Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it he will be blessed in what he does.

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.  Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."