Sunday, March 26

1Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

2Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, 'They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.'

3Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb.

4So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first.

5And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in.

6Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there,

7and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself.

8Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed.

9For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.

10Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.

13For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,

14saying, 'Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.'

15And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

16For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute.

17Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath,

18that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

19This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,

20where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

9(for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),

10finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.

11And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.

12For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.

13But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.

14Therefore He says: Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.'

15See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,

16redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

17Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

18And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,

19speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,

11For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,

12saying: 'I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.'

13And again: 'I will put My trust in Him.' And again: 'Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.'

14Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,

15and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

16For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.

17Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

18For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

17Then one of the crowd answered and said, 'Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.

18And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.'

19He answered him and said, 'O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.'

20Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.

21So He asked his father, 'How long has this been happening to him?'

22And he said, 'From childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.'

23Jesus said to him, 'If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.'

24Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, 'Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!'

25When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, 'Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!'

26Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, 'He is dead.'

27But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

28And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, 'Why could we not cast it out?'

29So He said to them, 'This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.'

30Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it.

31For He taught His disciples and said to them, 'The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.'

25Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

1And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.

2Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

3'Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

5Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.

6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

7Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.

8Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

9Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.

10Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11'Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.

12Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

24Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying,

25'Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.'

26Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

27to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.

28And having come in, the angel said to her, 'Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!'

29But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.

30Then the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

31And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.

32He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.

33And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.'

34Then Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I do not know a man?'

35And the angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

36Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.

37For with God nothing will be impossible.'

38Then Mary said, 'Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.' And the angel departed from her.