truth, neither carest thou for any man for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cæsar, or not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Cæsar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar's; and unto God the things that are God's. When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way. The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother: likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. And last of all the woman died also. Therefore in the February 10, Morning; WHILE the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy foot resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her. Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine. But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. August 12, Evening. stool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions. CHAPTER XXIII. Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' + seat: all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, and love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, BUT and greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye cailed masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. August 13, Evening. And February 11, Morning; UT woe unto you, scribes | for whether is greater, the gift, and Pharisees, hypocrites! or the altar that sanctifieth for ye shut up the kingdom of the gift? Whoso therefore heaven against men: for ye shall swear by the altar, neither go in yourselves, nei- sweareth by it, and by all ther suffer ye them that are things thereon. And whoso entering to go in. Woe unto shall swear by the temple, you, scribes and Pharisees, sweareth by it, and by him hypocrites! for ye devour that dwelleth therein. widows' houses, and for a pre- he that shall swear by heatence make long prayer: ven, sweareth by the throne therefore ye shall receive the of God, and by him that sitgreater damnation. Woe un- teth thereon. Woe unto you, to you, scribes and Pharisees, scribes and Pharisees, hypohypocrites! for ye compass crites! for ye pay tithe of mint sea and land to make one pro- and anise and cummin, and selyte, and when he is made, have omitted the weightier ye make him twofold more the matters of the law, judgment, child of hell than yourselves. mercy, and faith: these ought Woe unto you, ye blind guides, ye to have done, and not to which say, Whosoever shall leave the other undone. Ye swear by the temple, it is no- blind guides, which strain at thing; but whosoever shall a gnat, and swallow a camel. swear by the gold of the tem- Woe unto you, scribes and ple, he is a debtor! Ye fools Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye and blind for whether is make clean the outside of the greater, the gold, or the tem- cup and of the platter, but ple that sanctifieth the gold? within they are full of extorAnd, Whosoever shall swear tion and excess. Thou blind by the altar, it is nothing; Pharisee, cleanse first that but whosoever sweareth by which is within the cup and the gift that is upon it, he is platter, that the outside of guilty. Ye fools and blind: them may be clean also. Woe wise men, and scribes and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: that upon you may come all the righte unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous blood shed upon the earth, ous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the propliets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. CHAPTER XXIV. February 12, Morning; ND Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the build-hear of wars and rumours of ings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man'deceive you. For many AND August 14, Evening. wars: see that ye be not trou- + another, and shall hate one bath day: for then shall be iniquity shall abound, the love IM February 13, Morning; MMEDIATELY after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now August 15, Evening. learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, mar-cometh. Who then is a faithrying and giving in marriage, ful and wise servant, whom until the day that Noe entered his lord hath made ruler over into the ark, and knew not his household, to give them until the flood came, and took meat in due season? Blessed them all away; so shall also is that servant, whom his lord the coming of the Son of man when he cometh shall find so be. Then shall two be in the doing. Verily I say unto you, field; the one shall be taken, That he shall make him ruler and the other left. Two women over all his goods. But and shall be grinding at the mill; if that evil servant shall say in the one shall be taken, and his heart, My lord delayeth the other left. Watch there- his coming; and shall begin fore for ye know not what to smite his fellowservants, and hour your Lord doth come. to eat and drink with the But know this, that if the drunken; the lord of that goodman of the house had servant shall come in a day known in what watch the thief when he looketh not for him, would come, he would have and in an hour that he is not watched, and would not have aware of, and shall cut him suffered his house to be broken asunder, and appoint him his up. Therefore be ye also portion with the hypocrites: ready for in such an hour as there shall be weeping and ye think not the Son of man gnashing of teeth. CHAPTER XXV. February 14, Morning; THEN shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for 23 August 16, Evening. yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went [12] |