The Philistines and the Ark

1 When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from ^qEbenezer to ^rAshdod. 2 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside ^sDagon. 3 And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, ^tDagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place. 4 But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord, ^uand the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. 5 This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon ^vdo not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.

6 ^wThe hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with ^xtumors, both Ashdod and its territory. 7 And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god.” 8 So they sent and gathered together all ^ythe lords of the Philistines and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” So they brought the ark of the God of Israel there. 9 But after they had brought it around, ^zthe hand of the Lord was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that ^xtumors broke out on them. 10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought around to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people.” 11 ^yThey sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. ^wThe hand of God was very heavy there. 12 The men who did not die were struck with ^xtumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

The Ark Returned to Israel

1 The ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2 And the Philistines called for the priests and ^athe diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place.” 3 They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him ^ba guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why ^chis hand does not turn away from you.” 4 And they said, “What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?” They answered, “Five golden ^dtumors and five golden mice, ^eaccording to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. 5 So you must make images of your ^dtumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, ^fand give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps ^ghe will lighten his hand from off you ^hand your gods and your land. 6 Why should you harden your hearts as ⁱthe Egyptians and ^jPharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, ^kdid they not send the people away, and they departed? 7 Now then, take and prepare ^la new cart and two milk cows ^mon which there has never come a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. 8 And take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side ⁿthe figures of gold, which you are returning to him as ^ba guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way 9 and watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to ^oBeth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not ^phis hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.”

10 The men did so, and took two milk cows and yoked them to the cart and shut up their calves at home. 11 And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumors. 12 And the cows went straight in the direction of ^qBeth-shemesh along ^rone highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of ^qBeth-shemesh. 13 Now the people of ^qBeth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it. 14 The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. ^sA great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. 15 And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box that was beside it, in which were the golden figures, and set them upon ^sthe great stone. And the men of ^qBeth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to the Lord. 16 And when ^tthe five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.

17 These are the golden tumors that the Philistines returned as a ^uguilt offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron, 18 and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, ^vboth fortified cities and unwalled villages. ^wThe great stone beside which they set down the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.

19 ^xAnd he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the Lord. He struck seventy men of them,¹ and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great blow. 20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, ^y“Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?” 21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of ^zKiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to you.”

1 And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord and brought it to the house of ^aAbinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the Lord. 2 From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.

In the Day of Trouble I Seek the Lord

To the choirmaster: according to ^yJeduthun. A Psalm of ^zAsaph.

Judging Others

1 ^r“Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 ^sFor with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and ^twith the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but ^udo not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

6 ^v“Do not give ^wdogs what is holy, and do not throw your ^xpearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

Ask, and It Will Be Given

7 ^y“Ask, ^zand it will be given to you; ^aseek, and you will find; ^bknock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for ^cbread, will give him ^ca stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, ^dwho are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will ^zyour Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

The Golden Rule

12 “So ^ewhatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is ^fthe Law and the Prophets.

13 ^g“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy¹ that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and ^hthe way is hard that leads to life, and ⁱthose who find it are few.

A Tree and Its Fruit

15 ^j“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ^kravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them ^lby their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, ^mevery healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 ⁿEvery tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them ^lby their fruits.

I Never Knew You

21 ^o“Not everyone who ^psays to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will ^qenter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who ^rdoes the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 ^sOn that day ^tmany will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not ^uprophesy in your name, and cast out demons ^vin your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 ^tAnd then will I declare to them, ‘I ^wnever knew you; ^xdepart from me, ^yyou workers of lawlessness.’

Build Your House on the Rock

24 ^z“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like ^aa wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like ^aa foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

The Authority of Jesus

28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, ^bthe crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 ^cfor he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

Jesus Cleanses a Leper

1 When he came down from the mountain, ^dgreat crowds followed him. 2 ^eAnd behold, a leper² came to him and ^fknelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3 And Jesus³ stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, ^g“See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, ^hshow yourself to the priest and ⁱoffer the gift that Moses commanded, ^jfor a proof to them.”

The Faith of a Centurion

5 ^kWhen he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but ^lonly say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant,⁴ ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, ^mhe marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with ⁿno one in Israel⁵ have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, ^omany will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 ^pwhile the sons of the kingdom ^qwill be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place ^rthere will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you ^sas you have believed.” ^tAnd the servant was healed at that very moment.

Jesus Heals Many

14 ^uAnd when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw ^vhis mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 15 He ^wtouched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. 16 That evening they brought to him many who were ^xoppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits ^ywith a word and healed all who were sick. 17 ^zThis was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: ^a“He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

The Cost of Following Jesus

18 Now ^bwhen Jesus saw a crowd around him, ^che gave orders to go over to the other side. 19 ^dAnd a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave ^ethe dead to bury their own dead.”

Jesus Calms a Storm

23 ^fAnd when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but ^ghe was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, ^h“Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you ⁱafraid, ^jO you of little faith?” Then he rose and ^krebuked the winds and the sea, and ^lthere was a great calm. 27 And the men ^mmarveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even ⁿwinds and sea obey him?”

Jesus Heals Two Men with Demons

28 ^oAnd when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes,⁶ two ^pdemon-possessed⁷ men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 And behold, they ^qcried out, “What have you to do with us, ^rO Son of God? Have you come here to torment us ^sbefore the time?” 30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” 32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the ^tdemon-possessed men. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, ^uthey begged him to leave their region.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

1 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to ^vhis own city. 2 ^wAnd behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus ^xsaw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ^y“Take heart, my son; ^zyour sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, ^a“This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, ^bknowing⁸ their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, ^cthey were afraid, and ^cthey glorified God, who had ^dgiven such authority to men.

Jesus Calls Matthew

9 ^eAs Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called ^fMatthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

10 And as Jesus⁹ reclined at table in the house, behold, many ^gtax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ^h“Why does your teacher eat with ^gtax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn ⁱwhat this means: ^j‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For ^kI came not to call the righteous, ^lbut sinners.”

A Question About Fasting

14 Then ^mthe disciples of John came to him, saying, ⁿ“Why do we and ^othe Pharisees fast,¹⁰ but your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, ^p“Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? ^qThe days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and ^rthen they will fast. 16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. 17 Neither is new wine put into old ^swineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”

A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed

18 ^tWhile he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and ^uknelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. 20 And behold, a woman ^vwho had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched ^wthe fringe of his garment, 21 for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” 22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, ^x“Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” ^yAnd instantly¹¹ the woman was made well. 23 And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw ^zthe flute players and the crowd making a commotion, 24 he said, “Go away, for ^athe girl is not dead but ^bsleeping.” And they laughed at him. 25 But ^cwhen the crowd had been put outside, he went in and ^dtook her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went through all that district.

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men

27 ^eAnd as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, ^fSon of David.” 28 When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 ^gThen he touched their eyes, saying, ^h“According to your faith let it be done to you.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, ⁱ“See that no one knows about it.” 31 ^jBut they went away and spread his fame through all that district.