Imagini ale paginilor
PDF
ePub

quenchable fire." And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.

Now it came to pass when all the people were baptized, that Jesus also came from Nazareth of Galilee, to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbade him, saying, “I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me?" And Jesus answering said unto him, "Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness." Then he suffered him; and he was baptized of John in Jordan. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water and straightway coming up out of the water, and praying, lo! he saw the heavens opened unto him, and the Spirit of God, in a bodily shape, descending like a dove, and lighting upon him. And there came a voice from heaven, saying, "Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age.)

And Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from Jordan: and immediately was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil. And he was there in the wilderness forty days; and in those days he did eat nothing; and he was with the wild beasts. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, "If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread."

C

But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.""

Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, "If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: for it is written, 'He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone."" And Jesus answering said unto him, "It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.""

[ocr errors]

Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, in a moment of time. And the devil saith unto him, "All this power will I give thee,—all these things, and the glory of them,-for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will, I give it: if thou therefore wilt fall down and worship me, all Ishall be thine." And Jesus answered and said. unto him, "Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve." And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season; and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

6

999

And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask

him, "Who art thou?" And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, "I am not the Christ." And they asked him, "What then? Art thou Elias?" And he saith, "I am not." "Art thou that prophet?" And he answered, "No." Then said they unto him, "Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?" He said, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as said the prophet Esaias." And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, "Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?" John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water: but there standeth One among you, whom ye know not; He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose." These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, " Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ' After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for He was before me.' And I knew Him not; but that He should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water." And John bare record, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a

dove, and it abode upon Him. And I knew Him not: but He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, 'Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.' And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God."

Again the next day after, John stood, and two of his disciples; and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, "Behold the Lamb of God!" And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, "What seek ye?" They said unto him, "Rabbi," (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) "where dwellest thou?" He saith unto them, "Come and see.” They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.

One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, "We have found the Messias," (which is, being interpreted, the Christ.) And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, "Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas," (which is, by interpretation, A stone.)

The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me." Now Philip was of Bethsaida,

the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, "We have found Him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." And Nathanael said unto him, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Philip saith unto him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" Nathanael saith unto him, "Whence knowest thou me?" Jesus answered and said unto him, "Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee." Nathanael answered and saith unto him, "Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God; Thou art the King of Israel." Jesus answered and said unto him, "Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these." And he saith unto him, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."

[ocr errors]

And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: and both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, "They have no wine." Jesus saith unto her, "Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come." His mother saith unto the servants,

« ÎnapoiContinuă »