Night Watch Devotion

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.
¹ O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath.
² Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled.
³ My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD—how long?
⁴ Turn, O LORD, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
⁵ For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?
⁶ I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.
⁷ My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes.
⁸ Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.
⁹ The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer.
¹⁰ All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment. (ESV)

To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.
¹ Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.
² I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
³ He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!
⁴ My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts— the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.
⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!
⁶ They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
⁷ My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody!
⁸ Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn!
⁹ I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.
¹⁰ For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.
¹¹ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! (ESV)

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
¹ In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel.
² His abode has been established in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion.
³ There he broke the flashing arrows, the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah
⁴ Glorious are you, more majestic than the mountains full of prey.
⁵ The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil; they sank into sleep; all the men of war were unable to use their hands.
⁶ At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both rider and horse lay stunned.
⁷ But you, you are to be feared! Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused?
⁸ From the heavens you uttered judgment; the earth feared and was still,
⁹ when God arose to establish judgment, to save all the humble of the earth. Selah
¹⁰ Surely the wrath of man shall praise you; the remnant of wrath you will put on like a belt.
¹¹ Make your vows to the LORD your God and perform them; let all around him bring gifts to him who is to be feared,
¹² who cuts off the spirit of princes, who is to be feared by the kings of the earth.

To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.
¹ I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me.
² In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted.
³ When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah
⁴ You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
⁵ I consider the days of old, the years long ago.
⁶ I said, “Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.” Then my spirit made a diligent search:
⁷ “Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable?
⁸ Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time?
⁹ Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah
¹⁰ Then I said, “I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
¹¹ I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
¹² I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.
¹³ Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God?
¹⁴ You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples.
¹⁵ You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
¹⁶ When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid; indeed, the deep trembled.
¹⁷ The clouds poured out water; the skies gave forth thunder; your arrows flashed on every side.
¹⁸ The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lighted up the world; the earth trembled and shook.
¹⁹ Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen.
²⁰ You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

A Maskil of Asaph.
¹ Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
² I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,
³ things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.
⁴ We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.
⁵ He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children,
⁶ that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children,
⁷ so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;
⁸ and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.
⁹ The Ephraimites, armed with the bow, turned back on the day of battle.
¹⁰ They did not keep God’s covenant, but refused to walk according to his law.
¹¹ They forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them.
¹² In the sight of their fathers he performed wonders in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.
¹³ He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap.
¹⁴ In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a fiery light.
¹⁵ He split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
¹⁶ He made streams come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers.
¹⁷ Yet they sinned still more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
¹⁸ They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved.
¹⁹ They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
²⁰ He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?”
²¹ Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath; a fire was kindled against Jacob; his anger rose against Israel,
²² because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power.
²³ Yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven,
²⁴ and he rained down on them manna to eat and gave them the grain of heaven.
²⁵ Man ate of the bread of the angels; he sent them food in abundance.
²⁶ He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by his power he led out the south wind;
²⁷ he rained meat on them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas;
²⁸ he let them fall in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings.
²⁹ And they ate and were well filled, for he gave them what they craved.
³⁰ But before they had satisfied their craving, while the food was still in their mouths,
³¹ the anger of God rose against them, and he killed the strongest of them and laid low the young men of Israel.
³² In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe.
³³ So he made their days vanish like a breath, and their years in terror.
³⁴ When he killed them, they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly.
³⁵ They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer.
³⁶ But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues.
³⁷ Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.
³⁸ Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath.
³⁹ He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again.
⁴⁰ How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert!
⁴¹ They tested God again and again and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
⁴² They did not remember his power or the day when he redeemed them from the foe,
⁴³ when he performed his signs in Egypt and his marvels in the fields of Zoan.
⁴⁴ He turned their rivers to blood, so that they could not drink of their streams.
⁴⁵ He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them.
⁴⁶ He gave their crops to the destroying locust and the fruit of their labor to the locust.
⁴⁷ He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamores with frost.
⁴⁸ He gave over their cattle to the hail and their flocks to thunderbolts.
⁴⁹ He let loose on them his burning anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, a company of destroying angels.
⁵⁰ He made a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death, but gave their lives over to the plague.
⁵¹ He struck down every firstborn in Egypt, the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.
⁵² Then he led out his people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
⁵³ He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
⁵⁴ And he brought them to his holy land, to the mountain which his right hand had won.
⁵⁵ He drove out nations before them; he apportioned them for a possession and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
⁵⁶ Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God and did not keep his testimonies,
⁵⁷ but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers; they twisted like a deceitful bow.
⁵⁸ For they provoked him to anger with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their idols.
⁵⁹ When God heard, he was full of wrath, and he utterly rejected Israel.
⁶⁰ He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among mankind,
⁶¹ and delivered his power to captivity, his glory to the hand of the foe.
⁶² He gave his people over to the sword and vented his wrath on his heritage.
⁶³ Fire devoured their young men, and their young women had no marriage song.
⁶⁴ Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation.
⁶⁵ Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a strong man shouting because of wine.
⁶⁶ And he put his adversaries to rout; he put them to everlasting shame.
⁶⁷ He rejected the tent of Joseph; he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
⁶⁸ but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves.
⁶⁹ He built his sanctuary like the high heavens, like the earth, which he has founded forever.
⁷⁰ He chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds;
⁷¹ from following the nursing ewes he brought him to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance.
⁷² With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand. (ESV)

¹ “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
² Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
³ For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,
⁴ but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.
⁵ As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.
⁶ But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’
⁷ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.
⁸ And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
⁹ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’
¹⁰ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.
¹¹ Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’
¹² But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
¹³ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. (ESV)

²⁷ Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot.
²⁸ Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his kindred, in Ur of the Chaldeans.
²⁹ And Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and Iscah.
³⁰ Now Sarai was barren; she had no child.
³¹ Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there.
³² The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran.
¹ Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
² And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
³ I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
⁴ So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
⁵ And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,
⁶ Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.
⁷ Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
⁸ From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD.
⁹ And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.
¹⁰ Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.
¹¹ When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance,
¹² and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live.
¹³ Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.”
¹⁴ When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.
¹⁵ And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.
¹⁶ And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
¹⁷ But the LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.
¹⁸ So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?
¹⁹ Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.”
²⁰ And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had. (ESV)

²¹ And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand?
²² For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light.
²³ If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
²⁴ And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.
²⁵ For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
²⁶ And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground.
²⁷ He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.
²⁸ The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
²⁹ But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
³⁰ And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it?
³¹ It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth,
³² yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
³³ With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.
³⁴ He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
³⁵ On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.”
³⁶ And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him.
³⁷ And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.
³⁸ But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
³⁹ And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
⁴⁰ He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”
⁴¹ And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (ESV)

¹ From the blue and purple and scarlet yarns they made finely woven garments, for ministering in the Holy Place. They made the holy garments for Aaron, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
² He made the ephod of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.
³ And they hammered out gold leaf, and he cut it into threads to work into the blue and purple and the scarlet yarns, and into the fine twined linen, in skilled design.
⁴ They made for the ephod attaching shoulder pieces, joined to it at its two edges.
⁵ And the skillfully woven band on it was of one piece with it and made like it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
⁶ They made the onyx stones, enclosed in settings of gold filigree, and engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel.
⁷ And he set them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod to be stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
⁸ He made the breastpiece, in skilled work, in the style of the ephod, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.
⁹ It was square. They made the breastpiece doubled, a span its length and a span its breadth when doubled.
¹⁰ And they set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle was the first row;
¹¹ and the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond;
¹² and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
¹³ and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in settings of gold filigree.
¹⁴ There were twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They were like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes.
¹⁵ And they made on the breastpiece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold.
¹⁶ And they made two settings of gold filigree and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece.
¹⁷ And they put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece.
¹⁸ They attached the two ends of the two cords to the two settings of filigree. Thus they attached it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod.
¹⁹ Then they made two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod.
²⁰ And they made two rings of gold, and attached them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the skillfully woven band of the ephod.
²¹ And they bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it should lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece should not come loose from the ephod, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
²² He also made the robe of the ephod woven all of blue,
²³ and the opening of the robe in it was like the opening in a garment, with a binding around the opening, so that it might not tear.
²⁴ On the hem of the robe they made pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.
²⁵ They also made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates all around the hem of the robe, between the pomegranates—
²⁶ a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate around the hem of the robe for ministering, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
²⁷ They also made the coats, woven of fine linen, for Aaron and his sons,
²⁸ and the turban of fine linen, and the caps of fine linen, and the linen undergarments of fine twined linen,
²⁹ and the sash of fine twined linen and of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, embroidered with needlework, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
³⁰ They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote on it an inscription, like the engraving of a signet, “Holy to the LORD.”
³¹ And they tied to it a cord of blue to fasten it on the turban above, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
³² Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished, and the people of Israel did according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses; so they did.
³³ Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its utensils, its hooks, its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases;
³⁴ the covering of tanned rams’ skins and goatskins, and the veil of the screen;
³⁵ the ark of the testimony with its poles and the mercy seat;
³⁶ the table with all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence;
³⁷ the lampstand of pure gold and its lamps with the lamps set and all its utensils, and the oil for the light;
³⁸ the golden altar, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the entrance of the tent;
³⁹ the bronze altar, and its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils; the basin and its stand;
⁴⁰ the hangings of the court, its pillars, and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court, its cords, and its pegs; and all the utensils for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting;
⁴¹ the finely worked garments for ministering in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons for their service as priests.
⁴² According to all that the LORD had commanded Moses, so the people of Israel had done all the work.
⁴³ And Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it; as the LORD had commanded, so had they done it. Then Moses blessed them.

¹ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
² “On the first day of the first month you shall erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.
³ And you shall put in it the ark of the testimony, and you shall screen the ark with the veil.
⁴ And you shall bring in the table and arrange it, and you shall bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps.
⁵ And you shall put the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and set up the screen for the door of the tabernacle.
⁶ You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting,
⁷ and place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it.
⁸ And you shall set up the court all around, and hang up the screen for the gate of the court.
⁹ “Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and consecrate it and all its furniture, so that it may become holy.
¹⁰ You shall also anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, so that the altar may become most holy.
¹¹ You shall also anoint the basin and its stand, and consecrate it.
¹² Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall wash them with water
¹³ and put on Aaron the holy garments. And you shall anoint him and consecrate him, that he may serve me as priest.
¹⁴ You shall bring his sons also and put coats on them,
¹⁵ and anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may serve me as priests. And their anointing shall admit them to a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.”
¹⁶ This Moses did; according to all that the LORD commanded him, so he did.
¹⁷ In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected.
¹⁸ Moses erected the tabernacle. He laid its bases, and set up its frames, and put in its poles, and raised up its pillars.
¹⁹ And he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent over it, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
²⁰ He took the testimony and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark and set the mercy seat above on the ark.
²¹ And he brought the ark into the tabernacle and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
²² He put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil,
²³ and arranged the bread on it before the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
²⁴ He put the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle,
²⁵ and set up the lamps before the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
²⁶ He put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the veil,
²⁷ and burned fragrant incense on it, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
²⁸ He put in place the screen for the door of the tabernacle.
²⁹ And he set the altar of burnt offering at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
³⁰ He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing,
³¹ with which Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet.
³² When they went into the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, as the LORD commanded Moses.
³³ And he erected the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.
³⁴ Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
³⁵ And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
³⁶ Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out.
³⁷ But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up.
³⁸ For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys. (ESV)

² And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them,
³ and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.
⁴ And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.
⁵ And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
⁶ For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified.
⁷ And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”
⁸ And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.
⁹ And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
¹⁰ So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean.
¹¹ And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?”
¹² And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt?
¹³ But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”
¹⁴ And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them.
¹⁵ And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him.
¹⁶ And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”
¹⁷ And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute.
¹⁸ And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.”
¹⁹ And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.”
²⁰ And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.
²¹ And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.
²² And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
²³ And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”
²⁴ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
²⁵ And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
²⁶ And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.”
²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
²⁸ And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”
²⁹ And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”
³⁰ They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know,
³¹ for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”
³² But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. (ESV)

Of David.
¹ Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
² Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind.
³ For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness.
⁴ I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites.
⁵ I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.
⁶ I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O LORD,
⁷ proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your wondrous deeds.
⁸ O LORD, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.
⁹ Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
¹⁰ in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes.
¹¹ But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me.
¹² My foot stands on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless the LORD. (ESV)

¹ Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us,
² just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us,
³ it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,
⁴ that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
⁵ In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
⁶ And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.
⁷ But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
⁸ Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty,
⁹ according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
¹⁰ And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.
¹¹ And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
¹² And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.
¹³ But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
¹⁴ And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,
¹⁵ for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
¹⁶ And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God,
¹⁷ and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
¹⁸ And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”
¹⁹ And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
²⁰ And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”
²¹ And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple.
²² And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute.
²³ And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.
²⁴ After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying,
²⁵ “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”
²⁶ In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
²⁷ to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.
²⁸ And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”
²⁹ But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
³⁰ And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
³¹ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
³³ and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
³⁴ And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
³⁵ And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.
³⁶ And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.
³⁷ For nothing will be impossible with God.”
³⁸ And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
³⁹ In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah,
⁴⁰ and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
⁴¹ And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,
⁴² and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
⁴³ And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
⁴⁴ For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
⁴⁵ And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
⁴⁶ And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,
⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸ for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
⁴⁹ for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
⁵⁰ And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
⁵¹ He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
⁵² he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;
⁵³ he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
⁵⁵ as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
⁵⁶ And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.
⁵⁷ Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son.
⁵⁸ And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.
⁵⁹ And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father,
⁶⁰ but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.”
⁶¹ And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.”
⁶² And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called.
⁶³ And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered.
⁶⁴ And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.
⁶⁵ And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea,
⁶⁶ and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.
⁶⁷ And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
⁶⁸ “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people
⁶⁹ and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,
⁷⁰ as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
⁷¹ that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;
⁷² to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,
⁷³ the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
⁷⁴ that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear,
⁷⁵ in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
⁷⁶ And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
⁷⁷ to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins,
⁷⁸ because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
⁷⁹ to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
⁸⁰ And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

¹ In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
² This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
³ And all went to be registered, each to his own town.
⁴ And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.
⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
⁸ And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
⁹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.
¹⁰ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
¹⁵ When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
¹⁶ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.
¹⁷ And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.
¹⁸ And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
²⁰ And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
²¹ And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
²² And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
²³ (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”)
²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
²⁶ And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
²⁷ And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law,
²⁸ he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
²⁹ “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;
³⁰ for my eyes have seen your salvation
³¹ that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
³³ And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.
³⁴ And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed
³⁵ (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
³⁶ And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin,
³⁷ and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.
³⁸ And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
³⁹ And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
⁴⁰ And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.
⁴¹ Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
⁴² And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom.
⁴³ And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it,
⁴⁴ but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
⁴⁵ and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him.
⁴⁶ After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
⁴⁷ And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
⁴⁸ And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.”
⁴⁹ And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
⁵⁰ And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them.
⁵¹ And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.
⁵² And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

¹ In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
² during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
³ And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
⁴ As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
⁵ Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways,
⁶ and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”
⁷ He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
⁸ Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
⁹ Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
¹⁰ And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?”
¹¹ And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”
¹² Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”
¹³ And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.”
¹⁴ Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”
¹⁵ As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ,
¹⁶ John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
¹⁷ His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
¹⁸ So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people.
¹⁹ But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done,
²⁰ added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.
²¹ Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened,
²² and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
²³ Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,
²⁴ the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
²⁵ the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,
²⁶ the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,
²⁷ the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,
²⁸ the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,
²⁹ the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,
³⁰ the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,
³¹ the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
³² the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon,
³³ the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,
³⁴ the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
³⁵ the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,
³⁶ the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
³⁷ the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,
³⁸ the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

¹ And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness
² for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.
³ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
⁴ And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’”
⁵ And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time,
⁶ and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.
⁷ If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.”
⁸ And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”
⁹ And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here,
¹⁰ for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’
¹¹ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
¹² And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
¹³ And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
¹⁴ And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country.
¹⁵ And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
¹⁶ And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.
¹⁷ And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
²⁰ And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.
²¹ And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
²² And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”
²³ And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘“Physician, heal yourself.” What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’”
²⁴ And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.
²⁵ But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land,
²⁶ and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
²⁷ And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
²⁸ When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath.
²⁹ And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff.
³⁰ But passing through their midst, he went away.
³¹ And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath,
³² and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority.
³³ And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice,
³⁴ “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”
³⁵ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm.
³⁶ And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!”
³⁷ And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.
³⁸ And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf.
³⁹ And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them.
⁴⁰ Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them.
⁴¹ And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.
⁴² And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them,
⁴³ but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.”
⁴⁴ And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea. (ESV)