One Year Bible.

Thirsting for God

¹A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.

O God, You are my God.

Earnestly I seek You;

my soul thirsts for You.

My body yearns for You

in a dry and weary land without water.

²So I have seen You in the sanctuary

and beheld Your power and glory.

³Because Your loving devotion is better than life,

my lips will glorify You.

⁴So I will bless You as long as I live;

in Your name I will lift my hands.

⁵My soul is satisfied as with the richest of foods;

with joyful lips my mouth will praise You.

⁶When I remember You on my bed,

I think of You through the watches of the night.

⁷For You are my help;

I will sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings.

⁸My soul clings to You;

Your right hand upholds me.

⁹But those who seek my life to destroy it

will go into the depths of the earth.

¹⁰They will fall to the power of the sword;

they will become a portion for foxes.

¹¹But the king will rejoice in God;

all who swear by Him will exult,

for the mouths of liars will be shut.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

¹Jesus got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own town. ²Just then some men brought to Him a paralytic lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.”

³On seeing this, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming!”

⁴But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why do you harbor evil in your hearts? ⁵Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ⁶But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...” Then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.” ⁷And the man got up and went home.

⁸When the crowds saw this, they were filled with awe and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Jesus Calls Matthew

⁹As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him.

¹⁰Later, as Jesus was dining at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Him and His disciples. ¹¹When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹²On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ¹³But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Questions about Fasting

¹⁴Then John’s disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast so often, but Your disciples do not fast?”

¹⁵Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

The Patches and the Wineskins

¹⁶No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. For the patch will pull away from the garment, and a worse tear will result.

¹⁷Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will spill, and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

The Healing Touch of Jesus

¹⁸While Jesus was saying these things, a synagogue leader came and knelt before Him. “My daughter has just died,” he said. “But come and place Your hand on her, and she will live.”

¹⁹So Jesus got up and went with him, along with His disciples. ²⁰Suddenly a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak. ²¹She said to herself, “If only I touch His cloak, I will be healed.”

²²Jesus turned and saw her. “Take courage, daughter,” He said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that very hour.

²³When Jesus entered the house of the synagogue leader, He saw the flute players and the noisy crowd. ²⁴“Go away,” He told them. “The girl is not dead, but asleep.” And they laughed at Him.

²⁵After the crowd had been put outside, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. ²⁶And the news about this spread throughout that region.

Jesus Heals the Blind and Mute

²⁷As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”

²⁸After Jesus had entered the house, the blind men came to Him. “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” He asked.

“Yes, Lord,” they answered.

²⁹Then He touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you.” ³⁰And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one finds out about this!” ³¹But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout the land.

³²As they were leaving, a demon-possessed man who was mute was brought to Jesus. ³³And when the demon had been driven out, the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”

³⁴But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that He drives out demons.”

The Lord of the Harvest

³⁵Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness. ³⁶When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

³⁷Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. ³⁸Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.”

The Demons and the Pigs

¹On the other side of the sea, they arrived in the region of the Gerasenes. ²As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, He was met by a man with an unclean spirit, who was coming from the tombs. ³This man had been living in the tombs and could no longer be restrained, even with chains. ⁴Though he was often bound with chains and shackles, he had broken the chains and shattered the shackles. Now there was no one with the strength to subdue him. ⁵Night and day in the tombs and in the mountains he kept crying out and cutting himself with stones.

⁶When the man saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees before Him. ⁷And he shouted in a loud voice, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You before God not to torture me!” ⁸For Jesus had already declared, “Come out of this man, you unclean spirit!”

⁹“What is your name?” Jesus asked.

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” ¹⁰And he begged Jesus repeatedly not to send them out of that region.

¹¹There on the nearby hillside a large herd of pigs was feeding. ¹²So the demons begged Jesus, “Send us to the pigs, so that we may enter them.”

¹³He gave them permission, and the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs, and the herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the water.

¹⁴Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. ¹⁵When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons sitting there, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

¹⁶Those who had seen it described what had happened to the demon-possessed man and also to the pigs. ¹⁷And the people began to beg Jesus to leave their region.

¹⁸As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed by the demons begged to go with Him. ¹⁹But Jesus would not allow him. “Go home to your own people,” He said, “and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy He has shown you.”

²⁰So the man went away and began to proclaim throughout the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.

The Healing Touch of Jesus

²¹When Jesus had again crossed by boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him beside the sea. ²²A synagogue leader named Jairus arrived, and seeing Jesus, he fell at His feet ²³and pleaded with Him urgently, “My little daughter is near death. Please come and place Your hands on her, so that she will be healed and live.”

²⁴So Jesus went with him, and a large crowd followed and pressed around Him. ²⁵And a woman was there who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. ²⁶She had borne much agony under the care of many physicians and had spent all she had, but to no avail. Instead, her condition had only grown worse.

²⁷When the woman heard about Jesus, she came up through the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. ²⁸For she kept saying, “If only I touch His garments, I will be healed.” ²⁹Immediately her bleeding stopped, and she sensed in her body that she was healed of her affliction.

³⁰At once Jesus was aware that power had gone out from Him. Turning to the crowd, He asked, “Who touched My garments?”

³¹His disciples answered, “You can see the crowd pressing in on You, and yet You ask, ‘Who touched Me?’”

³²But He kept looking around to see who had done this. ³³Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him trembling in fear, and she told Him the whole truth.

³⁴“Daughter,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be free of your affliction.”

³⁵While He was still speaking, messengers from the house of Jairus arrived and said, “Your daughter is dead; why bother the Teacher anymore?”

³⁶But Jesus overheard their conversation and said to Jairus, “Do not be afraid; just believe.” ³⁷And He did not allow anyone to accompany Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.

³⁸When they arrived at the house of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw the commotion and the people weeping and wailing loudly. ³⁹He went inside and asked, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead, but asleep.” ⁴⁰And they laughed at Him.

After He had put them all outside, He took the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and went in to see the child. ⁴¹Taking her by the hand, Jesus said, “Talitha koum!” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” ⁴²Immediately the girl got up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). And at once they were utterly astounded. ⁴³Then Jesus gave strict orders that no one should know about this, and He told them to give her something to eat.

The Rejection at Nazareth

¹Jesus went on from there and came to His hometown, accompanied by His disciples. ²When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard Him were astonished. “Where did this man get these ideas?” they asked. “What is this wisdom He has been given? And how can He perform such miracles? ³Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t His sisters here with us as well?” And they took offense at Him.

⁴Then Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own household is a prophet without honor.” ⁵So He could not perform any miracles there, except to lay His hands on a few of the sick and heal them. ⁶And He was amazed at their unbelief.

And He went around from village to village, teaching the people.

The Ministry of the Twelve

⁷Then Jesus called the Twelve to Him and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits. ⁸He instructed them to take nothing but a staff for the journey — no bread, no bag, no money in their belts — ⁹and to wear sandals, but not a second tunic.

¹⁰And He told them, “When you enter a house, stay there until you leave that area. ¹¹If anyone will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that place, as a testimony against them.”

¹²So they set out and preached that the people should repent. ¹³They also drove out many demons and healed many of the sick, anointing them with oil.

The Beheading of John

¹⁴Now King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known, and people were saying, “John the Baptist has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” ¹⁵Others were saying, “He is Elijah,” and still others, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.”

¹⁶But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has risen from the dead!” ¹⁷For Herod himself had ordered that John be arrested and bound and imprisoned, on account of his brother Philip’s wife Herodias, whom Herod had married. ¹⁸For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife!”

¹⁹So Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she had been unable, ²⁰because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man. When he heard John’s words, he was greatly perplexed; yet he listened to him gladly.

²¹On Herod’s birthday, her opportunity arose. Herod held a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. ²²When the daughter of Herodias came and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests, and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” ²³And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom!”

²⁴Then she went out and asked her mother, “What should I request?”

And her mother answered, “The head of John the Baptist.”

²⁵At once the girl hurried back to the king with her request: “I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist on a platter immediately.”

²⁶The king was consumed with sorrow, but because of his oaths and his guests, he did not want to refuse her. ²⁷So without delay, the king commanded that John’s head be brought in. He sent an executioner, who went and beheaded him in the prison. ²⁸The man brought John’s head on a platter and presented it to the girl, who gave it to her mother.

²⁹When John’s disciples heard about this, they came and took his body and placed it in a tomb.

The Feeding of the Five Thousand

³⁰Meanwhile, the apostles gathered around Jesus and brought Him news of all they had done and taught. ³¹And He said to them, “Come with Me privately to a solitary place, and let us rest for a while.” For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.

³²So they went away in a boat by themselves to a solitary place. ³³But many people saw them leaving and recognized them. They ran together on foot from all the towns and arrived before them. ³⁴When Jesus stepped ashore and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And He began to teach them many things.

³⁵By now the hour was already late. So the disciples came to Jesus and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is already late. ³⁶Dismiss the crowd so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

³⁷But Jesus told them, “You give them something to eat.”

They asked Him, “Should we go out and spend two hundred denarii to give all of them bread to eat?”

³⁸“Go and see how many loaves you have,” He told them.

And after checking, they said, “Five — and two fish.”

³⁹Then Jesus directed them to have the people sit in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.

⁴¹Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, Jesus spoke a blessing and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to His disciples to set before the people. And He divided the two fish among them all.

⁴²They all ate and were satisfied, ⁴³and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. ⁴⁴And there were five thousand men who had eaten the loaves.

Jesus Walks on Water

⁴⁵Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶After bidding them farewell, He went up on the mountain to pray.

⁴⁷When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and Jesus was alone on land. ⁴⁸He could see that the disciples were straining to row, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea. He intended to pass by them, ⁴⁹but when they saw Him walking on the sea, they cried out, thinking He was a ghost — ⁵⁰for they all saw Him and were terrified.

But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” ⁵¹Then He climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. And the disciples were utterly astounded, ⁵²for they had not understood about the loaves, but their hearts had been hardened.

Jesus Heals at Gennesaret

⁵³When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and moored the boat. ⁵⁴As soon as they got out of the boat, the people recognized Jesus ⁵⁵and ran through that whole region, carrying the sick on mats to wherever they heard He was. ⁵⁶And wherever He went — villages and towns and countrysides — they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged Him just to let them touch the fringe of His cloak. And all who touched Him were healed.