The angel replied, ¹  “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow ²  you. Therefore the child ³  to be born ⁴  will be holy; ⁵  he will be called the Son of God.

When ¹  Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped ²  in her ³  womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴ 

All ¹  who heard these things ²  kept them in their hearts, ³  saying, “What then will this child be?” ⁴  For the Lord’s hand ⁵  was indeed with him.

So ¹  Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth ²  in Galilee to Judea, to the city ³  of David called Bethlehem, ⁴  because he was of the house ⁵  and family line ⁶  of David.

Then ¹  the devil ²  brought him to Jerusalem, ³  had him stand ⁴  on the highest point of the temple, ⁵  and said to him, “If ⁶  you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here,

Now ¹  Jesus ²  came to Nazareth, ³  where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue ⁴  on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. ⁵  He ⁶  stood up to read, ⁷ 

But ¹  he knew ²  their thoughts, ³  and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Get up and stand here.” ⁴  So ⁵  he rose and stood there.

“Blessed are you when people ¹  hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you and reject you as evil ²  on account of the Son of Man!

But the person who hears and does not put my words into practice ¹  is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When ²  the river burst against that house, ³  it collapsed immediately, and was utterly destroyed!” ⁴ 

As for the seed that ¹  fell among thorns, these are the ones who hear, but ²  as they go on their way they are choked ³  by the worries and riches and pleasures of life, ⁴  and their fruit does not mature. ⁵ 

One ¹  day Jesus ²  got into a boat ³  with his disciples and said to them, “Let’s go across to the other side of the lake.” So ⁴  they set out,

So ¹  the people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus. They ²  found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.

Then ¹  all the people of the Gerasenes ²  and the surrounding region ³  asked Jesus ⁴  to leave them alone, ⁵  for they were seized with great fear. ⁶  So ⁷  he got into the boat and left. ⁸ 

As ¹  the boy ²  was approaching, the demon threw him to the ground ³  and shook him with convulsions. ⁴  But Jesus rebuked ⁵  the unclean ⁶  spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.

But they did not understand this statement; its meaning ¹  had been concealed ²  from them, so that they could not grasp it. Yet ³  they were afraid to ask him about this statement.

He ¹  went up to him ²  and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil ³  and wine on them. Then ⁴  he put him on ⁵  his own animal, ⁶  brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

I tell you, even though the man inside ¹  will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of the first man’s ²  sheer persistence ³  he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

“When an unclean spirit ¹  goes out of a person, ²  it passes through waterless places ³  looking for rest but ⁴  not finding any. Then ⁵  it says, ‘I will return to the home I left.’ ⁶ 

As ¹  the crowds were increasing, Jesus ²  began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it looks for a sign, ³  but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. ⁴ 

The people ¹  of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented when Jonah preached to them ²  – and now, ³  something greater than Jonah is here!