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Because of our God's heart of mercy,

Whereby the dawn shall visit us from on high,

To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To direct our feet into the way of peace."

And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts till the day of his commission to Israel.

Now it came to pass in those days that a decree was issued from Caesar 2 Augustus for a census to be taken of the whole world. (This was the first 3 census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And all went to 4 have themselves registered, every one at his own city. Now Joseph also went up from the city of Nazaret in Galilee into Judaea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem-because he belonged to the house and 5 family of David-to have himself registered, accompanied by Mary his 6 betrothed, who was pregnant. And while they were there, it came to 7 pass that the days elapsed for her delivery. And she bore her firstborn son; and as there was no room for them in the khan, she wrapped him in 8 swaddling clothes and laid him in a cattle-stall. And there were

shepherds in the same district who were out in the fields, keeping guard 9 by night over their flock. And an angel of the Lord came upon them, and the brightness of the Lord shone round them; and they were terribly 10 afraid. And the angel said to them,

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"Fear not; for lo, I bring you glad tidings of great joy which shall be for all the people;

For this day there is born to you in David's city a Saviour who is Christ the Lord.

And here is a 1 sign for you:

You shall find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes 2 within a cattle-stall."

13 And suddenly there was along with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host extolling God and saying,

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"Honour to God in the highest !

And on earth peace-among men of his pleasure!"

And it came to pass when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Come now! let us go as far as Bethlehem and see this affair that has come to pass, which the Lord 16 has made known to us." So they went with haste and found out Mary 17 and Joseph, and also the infant lying in the cattle-stall. And when they saw it, they made known all about what had been told them with regard 18 to this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds 19 told them. But Mary pondered all these things, musing over them in 20 her heart. Then the shepherds went back, magnifying and extolling God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.

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And when eight days had elapsed for circumcising him, his name was called "Jesus"-the name given him by the angel before he had been conceived in the womb.

22 And when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses had elapsed, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the 23 Lord-even as it is written in the law of the Lord, every male that opens 24 the womb shall be called “holy to the Lord,"—and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two 25 young pigeons. And behold there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Symeon. And this man was upright and devout, waiting for the 26 consolation of Israel. And the holy Spirit was upon him, and he had 1 Omitting rò. 2 Omitting καὶ κείμενου.

been divinely instructed by the holy Spirit, that he was not to see death 27 before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents had brought in the child Jesus to 28 do for him after the usage of the law, then he took him up in his arms and blessed God, and said:

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"Now, Master, thou art releasing thy slave,

According to thy word, in peace;

For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

Which thou hast made ready before the face of all peoples,

A light for revelation to the Gentiles

And the glory of thy people Israel."

33 And his father and mother were in wonder at what was being said about 34 him. And Symeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother,

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"Lo, this child is destined to be the downfall and rise of many in Israel, And a sign that is objected to-

Yea and through thine own soul a spear shall pierce-

That thoughts from many a heart may be disclosed,”

36 And there was a prophetess Hannah, the daughter of Phanuel, belonging to the tribe of Asher. She was far advanced in years, as she had lived 37 with her husband for seven years from her maidenhood, and had been a widow now for eighty-four years. She was never away from the temple, 38 but worshipped, fasting and praying, night and day. And at that very hour she came up to them; and she offered praise to God and proceeded to speak about him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Israel. And when they had finished all that was prescribed by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city Nazaret. And the child grew and became strong, being filled with wisdom; and God's favour was upon him.

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And his parents used to journey every year to Jerusalem at the 42 festival of the passover. And when he was twelve years old they went 43 up as usual to the festival. And after the days had been completed, they

were on their way back, when the boy Jesus remained behind in 44 Jerusalem. But his parents did not know of it; supposing he was in the caravan, they went on their way for a day, and meanwhile searched for 45 him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances. And when they could 46 not find him, they went back to Jerusalem in search of him. And it

came to pass after three days they found him in the temple sitting among the teachers, listening to them and also putting questions to them; 47 and all who heard him were amazed at his intelligence and replies. 48 And when they saw him, they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Child, why hast thou treated us in this way? Lo, thy father and 49 I were seeking thee in anguish!" And he said to them, "Why was it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be within my Father's 50 house?" But they did not understand the word that he spake to 51 them. And he went down with them and came to Nazaret, and was subject to them. And his mother kept all the sayings carefully in her 52 heart. And Jesus went on advancing in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

31 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was procurator of Judaea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, Philip his brother tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and 2 Lysias tetrarch of Abilenê during the highpriesthood of Annas and Kaiaphas, God's word came to John the son of Zachariah in the wilder

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And he went into all the country surrounding the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins-as it is 4 written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

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The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

"Make ready the way of the Lord,

Make level his paths!

Every valley shall be filled up,

And every mountain and mound laid low,
And the crooked shall be made straight,

And the rough ways smooth;

And all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

7 He said therefore to the crowds who journeyed out to get baptized by him, "You offspring of vipers, who has directed you to flee from the wrath to come?

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Bear fruits, then, befitting your repentance :

And do not attempt to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as

our father';

For I tell you, God can raise up children for Abraham from these

stones!

Even already is the axe laid at the root of the trees:

So shall each tree be hewn and thrown into the fire, unless it bear sound fruit."

10 And the crowds plied him with questions, saying, "What are we to do, 11 then?" And in reply he said to them,

"He who has two tunics, let him share with him who has none, And let him who has food do likewise."

12 Tax-gatherers also came to get baptized; and they said to him, "Teacher, 13 what are we to do?" He said to them, "Exact no more than your 14 instructions." Men on military service also questioned him, saying, "And what are we to do?" And he told them, "Use no violence to anyone, nor defraud by false charges, but be satisfied with your pay." 15 Now as the people were in expectation and all were arguing in their 16 hearts about John, "Could this be the Christ?"-John answered, saying to them all,

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"With water I baptize you;

But one is coming mightier than I,

The thong of whose sandals I am not fit to untie,

He shall baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire

Whose winnowing fan is in his hand for cleansing out his threshing-floor,

To gather the corn into his granary,

But the straw he will burn up with fire unquenchable."

18 Thus, with many other appeals as well, he preached glad tidings to 19 the people. But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias the wife of his brother, and for all the wickedness that he, 20 Herod, had done, crowned it all by shutting up John in prison.

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Now it came to pass, when all the people had been baptized, and Jesus also had been baptized and was at prayer, the skies were opened 22 and the holy Spirit came down in bodily form, like a dove, upon him; and a voice came out of the sky,

"My Son thou art:

To-day have I begotten thee." 1

1 Reading υἱός μοῦ εἶ σύ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά στο

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And Jesus himself, at the outset, was about thirty years old, being 24 the son (as it was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of 25 Joseph, the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the 26 son of Esli, the son of Naggai, the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, 27 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 Shealtiel, the son of 28 Neri, the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Kosam, the son of 29 Elmadam, the son of Er, the son of Jesus, the son of Eliezer, the son of 30 Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Symeon, the son of 31 Judas, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Natham, the son 32 of David, the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of 33 Sala, the son of Nahshon, the son of Aminadab, the son of Admim, the son 34 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 35 Nachor, the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Pelag, the son of 36 Eber, the son of Sala, the son of Kainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of 37 Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Maleleel, the son of Kainan, 38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. 4 1 Now Jesus, full of the holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and in 2 the Spirit he was led for forty days within the wilderness, tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days; and when they were 3 concluded, he was hungry. The devil said to him, "If thou art God's 4 Son, order this stone to become bread." But Jesus answered him, 5 It is written: "Not on bread alone is man to live." Then he brought him up and showed him all the realms of the world in a single instant. 6 And the devil said to him, "To thee will I give all the jurisdiction and the grandeur of these; for to me has it been delivered, and I give it to 7 whomsoever I choose. If thou wilt do reverence before me, then shall it 8 all be thine." Jesus said to him in reply, "It is written: Thou shalt do 9 reverence to the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou worship." Then he brought him to Jerusalem; and setting him on the pinnacle of the temple, he said to him, "If thou art God's Son, throw thyself down 10 from here; for it is written:

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He shall charge his angels concerning thee, to guard thee safe:

On their hands they shall bear thee,

Lest ever thou strike thy foot against a stone.'

12 But Jesus said to him in reply, "It is said: Thou shalt not make trial of 13 the Lord thy God." And after exhausting every kind of temptation, the devil left him till a fit opportunity.

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And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee. And a report about him went out through the whole of the surrounding 15 district. And he taught in their synagogues, while all magnified him. And he came to Nazara where he had been brought up; and as his custom was, he entered the synagogue on the sabbath-day. And he 17 stood up to read, and was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. Then opening the book, he came upon the place where it was written: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

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Therefore he has anointed me to preach glad tidings to the poor,

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,

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To set the oppressed at liberty,

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

20 And he folded up the book, handed it back to the attendant, and sat 21 down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And

he began to say to them, "To-day this scripture has been fulfilled in 22 your ears." And all spoke well of him and marvelled at the winsome words that issued from his mouth; and they kept saying, "Is not this 23 Joseph's son?" And he said to them, "No doubt you will tell me this proverb: Physician, heal thyself. All that we have heard was done 24 at Kapharnahum, do here as well in thine own country.' I tell you truly," said he, "no prophet is acceptable in his own native place. 25 I tell you for a fact,

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In Israel there were many widows in the days of Elijah,

When the sky was closed for three years and six months,
When a great famine came over the land;

Yet Elijah was sent to none of them,

But only to Zarephath in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.

And in Israel there were many lepers in the time of Elijah the prophet;

Yet none of them were cleansed,

But only Naaman the Syrian."

28 And all in the synagogue were filled with rage when they heard this. 29 And they rose up and threw him outside the city, and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, in order to hurl him 30 down. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way. 31 And he went down to Kapharnahum, a city of Galilee. And he was 32 teaching them on the sabbath-day; and they were astonished at his 33 teaching, because his word was invested with authority. And in the 34 synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean daemon, and it

shrieked with a loud voice, "Ha! what have we to do with thee, Jesus of Nazaret? Hast thou come to destroy us? I know who thou art, the 35 holy One of God." And Jesus rebuked it. "Silence!" said he, "leave him!" And after throwing him down in the midst, the daemon left him 36 without having done him any injury. And wonder came upon all, and they talked together with one another, saying, "What does this mean? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and 37 they leave!" And a rumour about him spread to every place in the 38 surrounding country. Rising up, he went from the synagogue into the house of Simon. Now the mother of Simon's wife was laid up 39 with a severe fever, and they asked him about her. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her; and instantly she rose up and 40 ministered to them. Now when the sun was setting, all who had any people sick with manifold diseases brought them to him, and he laid 41 his hands on every one of them and healed them. And daemons also left many people, clamouring, "Thou art the Son of God!" And rebuking them he would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was 42 the Christ. Now when day broke, he went out and made his way to a desert place. And the crowds searched for him and came to him, and they would have detained him to prevent him leaving them. 43 But he said to them, "I must preach the glad tidings of God's reign to 44 the other cities as well, for that is what I was sent to do." Then he continued preaching throughout the synagogues of Judaea.1

1 Reading 'Ιουδαίας.

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