<p class="otpoetry">&#8216;<i><b>Andb> <b>you, Bethlehem,b> in the land of Judah,i>p> <p class="otpoetry"><b><i>are in no way least among the rulers of Judah,i>b>p> <p class="otpoetry"><i><b>for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israelb>.i>&#8217;&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

But as for the seed sown on good soil, this is the person who hears the word and understands. He bears fruit, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

But Peter was following him from a distance, all the way to the high priest&#8217;s courtyard. After<n id="1" /> going in, he sat with the guards<n id="2" /> to see the outcome.

After<n id="1" /> Jesus was baptized, just as he was coming up out of the water, the<n id="2" /> heavens<n id="3" /> opened<n id="4" /> and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove<n id="5" /> and coming on him.

<t /><p class="bodytext">As<n id="1" /> he was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen).<n id="2" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">As he was saying these things, a ruler came, bowed low before him, and said, &#8220;My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">While they were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: &#8220;What did you go out into the wilderness<n id="1" /> to see? A reed shaken by the wind?<n id="2" />

How<n id="1" /> else can someone enter a strong man&#8217;s<n id="2" /> house and steal his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can thoroughly plunder the house.<n id="3" />

Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven.<n id="1" /> But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven,<n id="2" /> either in this age or in the age to come.p>

It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest garden plant and becomes a tree,<n id="1" /> so that the wild birds<n id="2" /> come and nest in its branches.&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

But he turned and said to Peter, &#8220;Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you are not setting your mind on God&#8217;s interests, but on man&#8217;s.&#8221;<n id="1" />

He<n id="1" /> said, &#8220;Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, &#8216;The Teacher says, &#8220;My time is near. I will observe the Passover with my disciples at your house.&#8221;&#8217;&#8221;

Going a little farther, he threw himself down with his face to the ground and prayed,<n id="1" /> &#8220;My Father, if possible,<n id="2" /> let this cup<n id="3" /> pass from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will.&#8221;

<t /><p class="bodytext">While he was still speaking, Judas,<n id="1" /> one of the twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests and elders of the people.

They<n id="1" /> tie up heavy loads, hard to carry, and put them on men&#8217;s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing even to lift a finger to move them.

But when he heard that Archelaus<n id="1" /> was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod,<n id="2" /> he was afraid to go there. After being warned in a dream, he went to the regions of Galilee.

<t /><p class="bodytext">As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth.<n id="1" /> &#8220;Follow me,&#8221; he said to him. And he got up and followed him.

His master answered,<n id="1" /> &#8216;Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.&#8217;

His master answered, &#8216;Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.&#8217;

Then the one who had received the one talent came and said, &#8216;Sir, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed,