The New Testament Read online

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  And they sang the hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them: You will all be made to fail me; for it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; but after my resurrection I will lead the way for you into Galilee. But Peter said to him: Even if all fail you, yet I will not. Jesus said to him:

  Truly I tell you that in this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will disown me three times. But he said very forcefully: Even if I must die with you, I will never disown you. And so said they all.

  They came to a place whose name is Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples: Sit down here while I pray. And he took with him Peter and James and John; and then he began to be shaken and distressed, and he said to them: My soul is in anguish to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch. And going forward a little he threw himself on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass him by. And he said: Abba, father, for you all things are possible. Remove this cup from me. But not what I wish, but what you wish. He went back and found them sleeping, and said to Peter: Simon, are you sleeping? Were you not strong enough to keep watch for a single hour? Be wakeful, and pray, that you may not be brought to the test. The spirit is eager, but the flesh is weak. And going back again he prayed, in the same words. And coming back again he found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy, and they did not know how to answer him. And he came a third time and said to them: So you are still asleep and resting. It is enough. The hour has come; behold, the son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise up, let us go; see, my betrayer is near.

  Immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd, with swords and clubs, from the high priests and the scribes and the elders. He who betrayed him had told them the sign to watch for, saying to them: The one I kiss will be the man. Seize him, and take him away, carefully. And right upon his arrival he came up to him and said: Master; and kissed him. And they laid hands on him and bound him. But one of his supporters drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest and took off his ear. Then Jesus spoke forth and said to them: You come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as if I were a highwayman? Day by day I was near you in the temple, teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the scriptures be fulfilled.

  And all left him and fled away.

  And there was a certain young man who had been fol­lowing him, wearing a linen garment over his bare skin. And they seized him, and he fled naked, leaving the linen garment behind.

  They took Jesus away to the high priest, and all the high priests and the elders and the scribes assembled. And Peter had followed him from a distance, into the court­yard of the high priest, and he was sitting there with the servingmen and warming himself at the fire. And the high priests and the entire council were looking for some evi­dence against Jesus so that they could have him killed, and they could find none; for many brought false witness against him, and their testimony did not agree. And some stood up and testified falsely against him, saying: We have heard him say: I will tear down this temple which was made with hands, and in three days I will build an­other, not made with hands. But not even so did their testimony agree. Then the high priest stood up among them and questioned Jesus, saying: Have you no answer? What is this testimony that they bring against you? But he was silent and did not answer. Again the high priest questioned him and said: Are you the Christ, the son of the Blessed One? Jesus said: I am he, and you will see the son of man sitting on the right of the power and coming with the clouds of the sky. The high priest tore his cloth­ing and said: Why do we still need witnesses? Did you hear the blasphemy? What is your view? They all judged that he deserved death. Then some began to spit upon him, and to cover his face and then beat him with their fists and say to him: Prophesy. And the servingmen took him over and beat him.

  And while Peter was below in the courtyard there came one of the serving girls of the high priest, and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said: You also were with the Nazarene, with Jesus. But he denied it, saying: I neither know nor understand what you mean. And he went out into the forecourt. But the girl saw him and began saying once more to those who were standing by: This is one of them. Once more he denied it. And after a little while those who were standing by said to Peter: Truly you are one of them, since you are a Galilaean. Then he began to swear and to say on oath: I do not know the man of whom you speak. And thereupon the cock crowed for the second time. And Peter remembered what Jesus had told him: Before the cock crows twice you will disown me three times. And he threw himself down and wept.

  •1 Early the next day the high priests with the elders and the scribes and the entire council held a meeting: and they bound Jesus and took him away and gave him over to Pilate. And Pilate asked him: Are you the King of the Jews? He answered him and said: It is you who say it. And the high priests brought many charges against him. And Pilate again asked him: Have you no answer? See how much they charge you with. But Jesus gave no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

  For the festival, he used to release to them one prisoner, whichever one they asked for. The man called Barabbas was imprisoned among the insurgents who had done murder during the uprising. And the crowd came up and began to demand that he do by them according to his custom. Pilate answered them, saying: Do you wish me to release your King of the Jews? For he perceived that they had handed him over for spite. But the high priests stirred up the crowd, so that he might rather give them Barabbas. Pilate once again spoke to them and said: What then shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews? And they cried out once more: Crucify him. Pilate said to them: Why? What harm has he done? But they screamed all the more, saying: Crucify him. So Pilate wishing to satisfy the crowd released Barabbas to them, and had Jesus scourged and gave him over to be crucified.

  The soldiers led him inside the court, that is, the resi­dence, and they called up their whole battalion. They clothed him in purple and wove a wreath of thorns and put it on him. And they began to acclaim him with: Hail, King of the Jews. And they beat him about the head with a reed, and spat upon him, and going down on their knees they did obeisance to him. And after they had mocked him, they took off the purple and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out, to crucify him. And a certain Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they im­pressed him for carrying the cross. And they took him to the place Golgotha, which translated is the Place of the Skull. And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, which he would not take. And they crucified him, and divided up his clothes, casting lots for them, for who would take which. It was the third hour and they crucified him. And the charge against him was inscribed:

  The King of the Jews.Andwithhim they crucified two rob­bers, one on his right and one on his left. And those who passed by blasphemed against him, wagging their heads and saying: Ha, you would tear down the temple and re­build it in three days, save yourself by coming down from the cross. So likewise the high priests, mocking him to­gether, along with the scribes, said: He saved others, he cannot save himself. Let the anointed, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe. And those who were crucified with him also spoke abusively to him.

  And when it was the sixth hour, there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. In the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a great voice: Eloi eloi lama sabachthanei? Which translated is: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Then some of those who were standing there said: See, he calls to Elijah. And someone ran up with a sponge soaked in vinegar and put on the end of a reed and offered it to him to drink, saying: Come, let us see if Elijah will come to bring him down. But Jesus ut­tered a great cry and breathed his last. And the veil of the temple was split in two from top to bottom. And when he saw that he thus breathed his last, the centurion who was posted across from him said: In tr
uth this man was the Son of God. And there were women watching from a dis­tance, among them Mary the Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the lesser and Joses, and Salome, who when he was in Galilee had followed him and served him, and many others who had come up with him to Jerusalem.

  By nightfall, when it was the Day of Preparation, which is the day before the sabbath, there arrived Joseph of Arimathaea, a reputable member of the council who him­self was also looking for the Kingdom of God; and he took courage and went into the presence of Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. But Pilate thought it very strange if he were already dead, and summoning the centurion he asked if he had died yet; and when he learned from the centurion that he had, he presented the corpse to Joseph. And Joseph bought linen, and took him down and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a tomb which had been cut in the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. And Mary the Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were watching where he was laid.

  41 And when the sabbath was over, Mary the Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb, where the sun had risen. And they were saying to each other: Who will roll away the stone for us, out of the door of the tomb? Then looking again they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. And going into the tomb they saw a young man sitting in the right-hand part, wearing a white robe. And they were startled into amazement. But he said to them: Do not be thus amazed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go and tell his disciples, and Peter: He goes before you into Galilee. There you will see him, as he told you. And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and panic had hold of them. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

  [Then after he had arisen early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary the Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went and told the news to those who had been with him, who were mourning and weeping; and they, when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, did not believe her. After that he appeared to two of them as they were walk­ing. It was in another form and they were on their way into the country. And they too went back and told the news to the others; but neither did they believe them. Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were at dinner, and he had blame for their lack of faith and the insensitivity of their hearts, because they had not be­lieved those who had seen him risen from the dead. And he said to them: Go out into the whole world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be con­demned. And here are the signs that will go with the believers: In my name they will cast out demons, speak with tongues, hold snakes, and if they drink something lethal it cannot harm them, and they will lay their hands on the sick and these will be well.

  After talking with them the Lord was taken up into heaven and sat down on the right of God. And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming their message through the signs that accompanied them.]

  [They reported briefly to Peter and his companions all that they had been told. And after that Jesus himself sent forth through them, from east to west, the holy and im­perishable proclamation of everlasting salvation.]

  MATTHEW

  Matthew is believed to date from A.D. 75 at the latest, but incorporating written accounts from an earlier date.

  «I THE B 0 0 K 0 F THE 0 RIGIN 0 F JESUS Christ the son of David the son of Abraham.

  Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac of Jacob, Jacob of Judah and his brothers, and Judah of Perez and Zarah by Tamar, and Perez of Hezron, and Hezron of Ram, and Ram of Aminadab, and Aminadab of Nahshon, and Nahshon of Salmon, and Salmon of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz of Obed by Ruth, and Obed of Jesse, and Jesse of David the King. David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, Solomon of Rehoboam, Rehoboam of Abijah, and Abijah of Asa, and Asa of Jehosaphat, and Jehosaphat of Joram, and Joram of Uzziah, and Uzziah of Jotham, and Jotham of Ahaz, and Ahaz of Hezekiah, Hezekiah of Manasseh, Manasseh of Amos, and Amos of Josiah, and Josiah of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the Babylonian migration. After the Babylonian migration Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, Salathiel of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel of Abiud, and Abiud of Eliakim, Eliakim of Azor, and Azor of Zadok, and Zadok of Achim, Achim of Eliud, Eliud of Eleazar, Eleazar of Matthan, and Matthan of Jacob, and Jacob of Joseph the husband of Mary, from whom was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

  Thus all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen, and from David until the Babylonian migration fourteen generations, and from the Babylonian migration until Christ fourteen generations.

  The birth of Jesus Christ came in this way: Mary his mother was engaged to Joseph, but before they came to­gether she was found to be with child, by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not desiring to make her notorious, wished to put her away secretly. But as he was considering this, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying: Joseph son of David, do not fear to accept Mary your wife, for what is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus; for he shall save his people from their sins. All this was done in order that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled which was spoken through his prophet, saying: Behold, the maiden shall conceive in her womb, and she shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel; which translated means, God is with us. And Joseph wakening from his sleep did as the angel of the Lord had told him, and he accepted his wife, and did not know her as a wife until she had borne a son. And he called his name, Jesus.

  •I When Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judaea in the days of Herod the King, behold, Magians from the east came to Jerusalem, saying: Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east and have come to worship him. And hearing this King Herod was dis­turbed, and all Jerusalem with him, and calling together aU the high priests and the scribes of the people he asked them where the Christ was born. And they said to ^rn: In Bethlehem of Judaea; for thus it is written by the prophet: You also, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means the least among the leaders of Judah; for out of you wiU come a leader who will be a shepherd of my people, Israel.

  Then Herod called in the Magians secretly and found from them the exact time when the star had appeared, and sent them to Bethlehem, saying: Go and learn exactly about the child, and when you find him, bring back the news to me, so that I too may go and worship him. And they after hearing the King went on their way, and be­hold, the star, which they had seen in the east, led them until it came and stood above the place where the child was. And when they saw the star they were filled with a very great joy. Then going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they threw themselves down and worshipped him, and opening their strongboxes they proffered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. Then having been warned in a dream not to turn back to Herod, they went away by another road to their own country.

  When they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord ap­peared to Joseph in a dream, saying: Awake, take the child and his mother, and escape into Egypt, and remain there until I tell you. For Herod means to seek out the child to destroy him. Then he woke and took the child and his mother by night and went away into Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod; so that there might be fulfilled the word spoken by the Lord through his prophet, saying: Out of Egypt I have called my son.

  Then Herod, seeing that he had been outwitted by the

  Magians, was very angry, and sending out his men, he killed all the boy children in Bethlehem and all its outly­ing regions, those two years old or less, according to the time he had reckoned from the Magians. Then was ful­filled the word spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, sa
ying: A voice was heard in Rama, weeping and much lamenta­tion, Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be comforted because they are gone.

  Now when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying: Awake, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel; for those who sought the life of the child are dead. And he wakening took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But hearing that Archelaus was King in Judaea in ' the place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there, and being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee, and reaching there settled in a city called Nazareth; so as to fulfill the word spoken by the prophets: He shall be called a Nazarene.

  •1 In those days came John the Baptist preaching in the desert of Judaea, saying: Repent; for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. He was the one who was mentioned by Isaiah the prophet, saying: The voice of one crying in the desert: prepare the way of the Lord, straighten the roads before him. This John wore clothing made of camel's hair, and a belt of hide around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. At that time Jerusalem came to him, and all Judaea and all the country about Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. And seeing many of the Pharisees and Sad- ducees coming to baptism, he said to them: You viper's brood, who warned you to flee from the anger to come? Then produce fruit which is worthy of your repentance; and do not think to say among yourselves: We have Abraham for our father. For I say to you that out of these stones God can raise up children to Abraham. And by now the ax is set against the root of the trees; so that every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut out and thrown into the fire. I baptize you in water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is stronger than I, and I am not fit to carry his shoes; he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire; his winnowing fan is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his grain into his storehouse and bum the chaff in quenchless fire.