Reading for November  Luke 3:1 — Romans 12:21

November 1

Luke 3:1 — 5:39
(words in gray are deemed interpolations)

3 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was district ruler of Galilee, but Philip his brother was district ruler of the country of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was district ruler of Abilene, 2 in the days of chief priest Annas and of Caiaphas, God’s declaration came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

3 So he came into all the country around the Jordan, preaching baptism [in symbol] of repentance for forgiveness of sins, 4 just as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “Listen! Someone is crying out in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of Jehovah, YOU people, make his roads straight. 5 Every gully must be filled up, and every mountain and hill leveled down, and the curves must become straight ways and the rough places smooth ways; 6 and all flesh will see the saving means of God.’”

7 Therefore he began to say to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him: “YOU offspring of vipers, who has intimated to YOU to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore produce fruits that befit repentance. And do not start saying within yourselves, ‘As a father we have Abraham.’ For I say to YOU that God has power to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 9 Indeed, the ax is already in position at the root of the trees; every tree, therefore, not producing fine fruit is to be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10 And the crowds would ask him: “What, then, shall we do?” 11 In reply he would say to them: “Let the man that has two undergarments share with the man that has none, and let him that has things to eat do the same.” 12 But even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they said to him: “Teacher, what shall we do?” 13 He said to them: “Do not demand anything more than the tax rate.” 14 Also, those in military service would ask him: “What shall we also do?” And he said to them: “Do not harass anybody or accuse anybody falsely, but be satisfied with YOUR provisions.”

15 Now as the people were in expectation and all were reasoning in their hearts about John: “May he perhaps be the Christ?” 16 John gave the answer, saying to all: “I, for my part, baptize YOU with water; but the one stronger than I am is coming, the lace of whose sandals I am not fit to untie. He will baptize YOU people with holy spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing shovel is in his hand to clean up his threshing floor completely and to gather the wheat into his storehouse, but the chaff he will burn up with fire that cannot be put out.”

18 Therefore he also gave many other exhortations and continued declaring good news to the people. 19 But Herod the district ruler, for being reproved by him concerning Herodias the wife of his brother and concerning all the wicked deeds that Herod did, 20 added also this to all those [deeds]: he locked John up in prison.

21 Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized and, as he was praying, the heaven was opened up 22 and the holy spirit in bodily shape like a dove came down upon him, and a voice came out of heaven: “You are my Son, the beloved; I have approved you.”

23 Furthermore, Jesus himself, when he commenced [his work], was about thirty years old, being the son, as the opinion was,

of Joseph,[son] of Heli,

24 [son] of Matthat,

[son] of Levi,

[son] of Melchi,

[son] of Jannai,

[son] of Joseph,

25 [son] of Mattathias,

[son] of Amos,

[son] of Nahum,

[son] of Esli,

[son] of Naggai,

26 [son] of Maath,

[son] of Mattathias,

[son] of Semein,

[son] of Josech,

[son] of Joda,

27 [son] of Joanan,

[son] of Rhesa,

[son] of Zerubbabel,

[son] of Shealtiel,

[son] of Neri,

28 [son] of Melchi,

[son] of Addi,

[son] of Cosam,

[son] of Elmadam,

[son] of Er,

29 [son] of Jesus,

[son] of Eliezer,

[son] of Jorim,

[son] of Matthat,

[son] of Levi,

30 [son] of Symeon,

[son] of Judas,

[son] of Joseph,

[son] of Jonam,

[son] of Eliakim,

31 [son] of Melea,

[son] of Menna,

[son] of Mattatha,

[son] of Nathan,

[son] of David,

32 [son] of Jesse,

[son] of Obed,

[son] of Boaz,

[son] of Salmon,

[son] of Nahshon,

33 [son] of Amminadab,

[son] of Arni,

[son] of Hezron,

[son] of Perez,

[son] of Judah,

34 [son] of Jacob,

[son] of Isaac,

[son] of Abraham,

[son] of Terah,

[son] of Nahor,

35 [son] of Serug,

[son] of Reu,

[son] of Peleg,

[son] of Eber,

[son] of Shelah,

36 [son] of Cainan,

[son] of Arpachshad,

[son] of Shem,

[son] of Noah,

[son] of Lamech,

37 [son] of Methuselah,

[son] of Enoch,

[son] of Jared,

[son] of Mahalaleel,

[son] of Cainan,

38 [son] of Enosh,

[son] of Seth,

[son] of Adam,

[son] of God.

4 Now Jesus, full of holy spirit, turned away from the Jordan, and he was led about by the spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, while being tempted by the Devil. Furthermore, he ate nothing in those days, and so, when they were concluded, he felt hungry. 3 At this the Devil said to him: “If you are a son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4 But Jesus replied to him: “It is written, ‘Man must not live by bread alone.’”

5 So he brought him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth in an instant of time; 6 and the Devil said to him: “I will give you all this authority and the glory of them, because it has been delivered to me, and to whomever I wish I give it. 7 You, therefore, if you do an act of worship before me, it will all be yours.” 8 In reply Jesus said to him: “It is written, ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.’”

9 Now he led him into Jerusalem and stationed him upon the battlement of the temple and said to him: “If you are a son of God, hurl yourself down from here; 10 for it is written, ‘He will give his angels a charge concerning you, to preserve you,’ 11 and, ‘They will carry you on their hands, that you may at no time strike your foot against a stone.’” 12 In answer Jesus said to him: “It is said, ‘You must not put Jehovah your God to the test.’” 13 So the Devil, having concluded all the temptation, retired from him until another convenient time.

14 Now Jesus returned in the power of the spirit into Galilee. And good talk concerning him spread out through all the surrounding country. 15 Also, he began to teach in their synagogues, being held in honor by all.

16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been reared; and, according to his custom on the sabbath day, he entered into the synagogue, and he stood up to read. 17 So the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed him, and he opened the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18 “Jehovah’s spirit is upon me, because he anointed me to declare good news to the poor, he sent me forth to preach a release to the captives and a recovery of sight to the blind, to send the crushed ones away with a release, 19 to preach Jehovah’s acceptable year.” 20 With that he rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were intently fixed upon him. 21 Then he started to say to them: “Today this scripture that YOU just heard is fulfilled.”

22 And they all began to give favorable witness about him and to marvel at the winsome words proceeding out of his mouth, and they were saying: “This is a son of Joseph, is it not?” 23 At this he said to them: “No doubt YOU will apply this illustration to me, ‘Physician, cure yourself; the things we heard as having happened in Capernaum do also here in your home territory.’” 24 But he said: “Truly I tell YOU that no prophet is accepted in his home territory. 25 For instance, I tell YOU in truth, There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, so that a great famine fell upon all the land, 26 yet Elijah was sent to none of those [women], but only to Zarephath in the land of Sidon to a widow. 27 Also, there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed, but Naaman the man of Syria.” 28 Now all those hearing these things in the synagogue became filled with anger; 29 and they rose up and hurried him outside the city, and they led him to the brow of the mountain upon which their city had been built, in order to throw him down headlong. 30 But he went through the midst of them and continued on his way.

31 And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the sabbath; 32 and they were astounded at his way of teaching, because his speech was with authority. 33 Now in the synagogue there was a man with a spirit, an unclean demon, and he shouted with a loud voice: 34 “Ah! What have we to do with you, Jesus you Nazarene? Did you come to destroy us? I know exactly who you are, the Holy One of God.” 35 But Jesus rebuked it, saying: “Be silent, and come out of him.” So, after throwing the man down in their midst, the demon came out of him without hurting him. 36 At this, astonishment fell upon all, and they began to converse with one another, saying: “What sort of speech is this, because with authority and power he orders the unclean spirits, and out they come?” 37 So the news concerning him kept going out into every corner of the surrounding country.

38 After getting up out of the synagogue he entered into Simon’s home. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was distressed with a high fever, and they made request of him for her. 39 So he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. Instantly she rose and began ministering to them.

40 But when the sun was setting, all those who had people sick with various diseases brought them to him. By laying his hands upon each one of them he would cure them. 41 Demons also would come out of many, crying out and saying: “You are the Son of God.” But, rebuking them, he would not permit them to speak, because they knew him to be the Christ.

42 However, when it became day, he went out and proceeded to a lonely place. But the crowds began hunting about for him and came out as far as he was, and they tried to detain him from going away from them. 43 But he said to them: “Also to other cities I must declare the good news of the kingdom of God, because for this I was sent forth.” 44 Accordingly he went on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

5 On an occasion when the crowd was pressing close upon him and listening to the word of God, he was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret. 2 And he saw two boats docked at the lakeside, but the fishermen had got out of them and were washing off their nets. 3 Going aboard one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to pull away a bit from land. Then he sat down, and from the boat he began teaching the crowds. 4 When he ceased speaking, he said to Simon: “Pull out to where it is deep, and YOU men let down YOUR nets for a catch.” 5 But Simon in reply said: “Instructor, for a whole night we toiled and took nothing, but at your bidding I will lower the nets.” 6 Well, when they did this, they enclosed a great multitude of fish. In fact, their nets began ripping apart. 7 So they motioned to their partners in the other boat to come and assist them; and they did come, and they filled both boats, so that these began to sink. 8 Seeing this, Simon Peter fell down at the knees of Jesus, saying: “Depart from me, because I am a sinful man, Lord.” 9 For at the catch of fish which they took up astonishment overwhelmed him and all those with him, 10 and likewise both James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were sharers with Simon. But Jesus said to Simon: “Stop being afraid. From now on you will be catching men alive.” 11 So they brought the boats back to land, and abandoned everything and followed him.

12 On a further occasion while he was in one of the cities, look! a man full of leprosy! When he caught sight of Jesus he fell upon his face and begged him, saying: “Lord, if you just want to, you can make me clean.” 13 And so, stretching out his hand, he touched him, saying: “I want to. Be made clean.” And immediately the leprosy vanished from him. 14 And he gave the man orders to tell nobody: “But go off and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering in connection with your cleansing, just as Moses directed, for a witness to them.” 15 But the word about him was spreading the more, and great crowds would come together to listen and to be cured of their sicknesses. 16 However, he continued in retirement in the deserts and praying.

17 In the course of one of the days he was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law who had come out of every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem were sitting there; and Jehovah’s power was there for him to do healing. 18 And, look! men carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking a way to bring him in and place him before him. 19 So, not finding a way to bring him in on account of the crowd, they climbed up to the roof, and through the tiling they let him down with the little bed among those in front of Jesus. 20 And when he saw their faith he said: “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 Thereupon the scribes and the Pharisees started to reason, saying: “Who is this that is speaking blasphemies? Who can forgive sins except God alone?” 22 But Jesus, discerning their reasonings, said in answer to them: “What are YOU reasoning out in YOUR hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But in order for YOU to know that the Son of man has authority on the earth to forgive sins—” he said to the paralyzed man: “I say to you, Get up and pick up your little bed and be on your way home.” 25 And instantly he rose up before them, picked up what he used to lie on and went off to his home, glorifying God. 26 Then an ecstasy seized one and all, and they began to glorify God, and they became filled with fear, saying: “We have seen strange things today!”

27 Now after these things he went out and beheld a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office, and he said to him: “Be my follower.” 28 And leaving everything behind he rose up and went following him. 29 Also, Levi spread a big reception feast for him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and others who were with them reclining at the meal. 30 At this the Pharisees and their scribes began murmuring to his disciples, saying: “Why is it YOU eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 In reply Jesus said to them: “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but those who are ailing do. 32 I have come to call, not righteous persons, but sinners to repentance.”

33 They said to him: “The disciples of John fast frequently and offer supplications, and so do those of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” 34 Jesus said to them: “YOU cannot make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can YOU? 35 Yet days will come when the bridegroom will indeed be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.”

36 Further, he went on to give an illustration to them: “No one cuts a patch from a new outer garment and sews it onto an old outer garment; but if he does, then both the new patch tears away and the patch from the new garment does not match the old. 37 Moreover, no one puts new wine into old wineskins; but if he does, then the new wine will burst the wineskins, and it will be spilled out and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 But new wine must be put into new wineskins. 39 No one that has drunk old wine wants new; for he says, ‘The old is nice.’”