Transcription
Parallel Gospels in HarmonywithSTUDY GUIDEWorld English BibleThe Four Gospels of Jesus Christaccording toMatthew, Mark, Luke and JohnEditorDavid A. Reed
Parallel Gospels in Harmony: with Study Guide by David A. ReedJune 2009Books by David A. Reed include:Jehovah’s Witnesses Answered Verse by Verse (Baker Book House)Mormons Answered Verse by Verse (Baker Book House)http://www.ParallelGospelsInHarmony.comISBN: 978-0-557-07435-8Copyright notice: Parallel Gospels in Harmony: with Study Guide is dedicated to thepublic domain by the editor, David A. Reed.This work is copyright-free and in the public domain.It may be copied freely, translated, or reproduced at will.There is no need to request permission or to pay royalties.Scripture used in this book is taken from the World English Bible.The World English Bible is copyright-free and in the public domain.The name "World English Bible" is a trademark of Rainbow Missions, Inc.2
ContentsPreface4Parallel Gospels in HarmonyStudy Guide6261Week 1262Week 2264Week 3266Week 4268Week 5270Week 6272Week 7274Week 8276Scripture IndexMatthew278278Mark279Luke280John2813
PrefaceHAVE YOU EVER TRIED to compare theprophetic passages in Matthew, Mark andLuke? Or to find the Lord’s Prayer in morethan one Gospel? Or to work out the sequence of events surrounding Jesus’ birth orresurrection as related in the different Gospels? The purpose of Parallel Gospels inHarmony is to help you do that, and so toencourage the reading and study of God’sinspired Word.A disciple in the garden of Gethsemane cutsoff the ear of the high priest’s servant according to all four Gospels. But only Johntells us the servant’s name, and that it wasPeter who wielded the sword. And only Luketells us that Jesus healed the wound. Thisbook allows you to see all of this at a glance.Matthew, Mark and Luke all record Jesus’words concerning sin against the Holy Spirit,but only Mark explains that Jesus said this,“because.’” (See page 76.) Three Gospelswarn against “the yeast of the Pharisees,”but only one of them explains what it is.(See page 108.) So, there is much that canbe learned by reading the Gospels in parallel.Why four Gospels?Why do we have four inspired Gospels instead of just one? According to early Churchwriters, the Apostle Matthew wrote his account first in Hebrew, the language of theearliest disciples. Then Luke accompaniedthe Apostle Paul in his ministry to the Gentiles, and wrote his Gospel in Greek. LaterMark wrote what he remembered hearing atthe Apostle Peter’s feet. And finally the agedApostle John wrote his account to furtherbless the Church. None of this was accidental, of course: we have four inspired Gospelsbecause the divine Author of the Bible choseto record the life and teachings of JesusChrist in this manner.The four Gospels according to Matthew,Mark, Luke and John each present the lifeand teachings of our Lord and Savior JesusChrist from a different perspective. But it isone story. Mark’s account is fast-moving,Matthew’s emphasizes the fulfillment ofprophecies from the Hebrew Scriptures,4Luke’s speaks to a cosmopolitan Greek audience, and John’s stresses a close, personalrelationship with Jesus. But all four relatethe same Gospel or “Good News.”Differences in the Gospel accountsWhy do the Gospels sometimes differ in theway they order the same or similar passages? And why do Gospel harmonies orparallel Gospels occasionally differ in the sequence they assign to certain passages? Themain reason is that the Gospel writersthemselves combine chronological presentations of events with topical arrangements ofJesus’ teachings. They include occasionalflashbacks (Compare Matt. 14:2, 3, 6.) andisolated anecdotes (“on another sabbath”—Luke 6:6; “on one of those days”—Luke 8:22,20:1; “when he finished praying in a certainplace”—Luke 11:1).We can only assume that the Divine Authorwho inspired the Gospels chose, in his wisdom, to leave us with some uncertainty as tothe exact order of events. Rather than beunsettled by this, I believe we should acceptit in the spirit of Deuteronomy 29:29: “Thesecret things belong to Yahweh our God; butthe things that are revealed belong to us andto our children forever, that we may do allthe words of this law.” Our job is not topuzzle out the things God has kept hiddenfrom us, but rather to trust and obey.Gospel harmonies and parallel GospelsSome time around A.D. 170 a Christianwriter named Tatian compiled his Diatessaron, a work merging the words of the fourGospels into a single narrative. Less than acentury later Ammonius the Alexandrianproduced a copy of the Gospel of Matthewwith corresponding passages from the otherGospels arranged alongside—according toEusebius, who went on to build on that worka more complex system of cross-references.About this book, and its use of brackets [ ]The four Gospels are presented here in parallel columns, in roughly chronological order, with corresponding passages side byside. I have not aimed for innovation, buthave simply built on the work of countless
Bible readers and scholars down throughthe centuries who have written on the life ofChrist and who have produced their ownparallel Gospels or Gospel harmonies.There are five main differences that set thiswork apart from others that have precededit. (1) It uses the text of the World EnglishBible. (2) It is in the public domain, notcopyrighted. (3) To preserve the flow of theGospel message, it does not break up thematerial into pericopes or numbered selections. (4) It includes a Study Guide to facilitate personal study and group discussion.(5) It places in parallel, not only the eventsand sermons that Gospel harmonies usuallygroup together, but also, in a few places, thesermons and events that bear a very closeresemblance to each other although theyappear to be different events. I have placedthese inside brackets [like this].For example, Luke tells of a meal at thehome of a Pharisee, during which Jesussaid, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,hypocrites!” and Matthew records the samewords in a sermon Jesus gave to a large audience in Jerusalem. (Luke 11:44 and Matt.23:27) I have placed these accounts onpages 140 and 196 in what appears to betheir proper places chronologically, but havealso placed the similar words in parallel columns, with the out-of-sequence passage inside brackets.During the course of his earthly ministry,Jesus visited many towns and cities in Galilee, Judea, Samaria and the surroundingarea, so it is reasonable to assume he repeated the same thoughts and even thesame sermons to different audiences. What,then, about the Sermon on the Mount? Matthew presents it as a single unified discourse(Matt. 5:1-7:29), whereas Luke records manyof the same words as sayings of Jesus scattered throughout chapters 6, 11, 12, 14 and16. For example, Matthew and Luke bothpresent the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:9-13 andLuke 11:2-4), Matthew as part of the Sermonon the Mount, and Luke “when he finishedpraying in a certain place” and the disciplesasked Jesus to teach them how to pray.(Luke 11:1) Does Luke actually quote fromthe Sermon on the Mount here and in hisother examples of Jesus’ sayings? Or, doeshis Gospel refer to other occasions when Jesus spoke the same words to different audiences?We can’t really know for sure.Unless the context dictates otherwise, I haveplaced these passages in parallel to aid comparison. And when the context does point toclearly different occasions when Jesus usedthe same words, I have again kept them intheir context, but also repeated them inbrackets [like this] next to the parallel passage.Where selected notes from the World EnglishBible are included, they are at the bottom ofthe column of text they pertain to. My owncomments appear as headings at the top ofeach page and as explanatory notes at thebottom of certain pages, beneath the table ofparallel columns. However, notes and comments are kept to a minimum, to avoid distracting from the Gospel message itself.Rather than copyright this book, I have chosen to follow the example of the creators ofthe World English Bible by placing ParallelGospels in Harmony: with Study Guide in thepublic domain, so that anyone who wishesmay freely copy it, reproduce it, reprint it ortranslate it, without any obligation to payroyalties or even to ask permission.– David A. Reed, April 2009About the World English BibleThe side-by-side Gospel passages in thisbook are from the World English Bible.According to its creators’ website athttp://www.eBible.org, “The World EnglishBible (WEB) is a Public Domain (no copyright) Modern English translation of the HolyBible. That means that you may freely copyit in any form, including electronic and printformats. The World English Bible is based onthe American Standard Version of the HolyBible first published in 1901, the BibliaHebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, andthe Greek Majority Text New Testament.”This book uses the HTML version of theWEB at eBible.org dated August 28, 2007.About the EditorDavid A. Reed served for a decade as a contributing editor of Dr. Walter Martin’s Christian Research Journal. He has authoredmore than a dozen books on Bible topics, including the popular Jehovah’s WitnessesAnswered Verse by Verse and Mormons Answered Verse by Verse (Baker Book House).5
Parallel Gospels in HarmonyIntroductionsMATTHEW1:1a The book of thegenealogy of JesusChrist,MARKLUKE1:1 The beginning of theGood News of JesusChrist, the Son of God1:1 Since many have undertaken to set in order anarrative concerningthose matters whichhave been fulfilled amongus, 1:2 even as thosewho from the beginningwere eyewitnesses andservants of the word delivered them to us, 1:3 itseemed good to me also,having traced the courseof all things accuratelyfrom the first, to write toyou in order, most excellent Theophilus; 1:4 thatyou might know the certainty concerning thethings in which you wereinstructed.1:5 There was in thedays of Herod, the kingof Judea, a certain priestnamed Zacharias, of thepriestly division of Abijah. He had a wife of thedaughters of Aaron, andher name was Elizabeth.1:6 They were both righteous before God, walkingblamelessly in all thecommandments and ordinances of the Lord. 1:7But they had no child,because Elizabeth wasbarren, and they bothwere well advanced inyears. 1:8 Now it happened, while he executedthe priest's office beforeGod in the order of his6JOHN1:1 In the beginning wasthe Word, and the Wordwas with God, and theWord was God. 1:2 Thesame was in the beginning with God. 1:3 Allthings were madethrough him. Withouthim was not anythingmade that has beenmade. 1:4 In him waslife, and the life was thelight of men. 1:5 Thelight shines in the darkness, and the darknesshasn't overcome it
Gabriel announces John’s birth to ZachariasMATTHEWMARKLUKEJOHNdivision, 1:9 according tothe custom of the priest'soffice, his lot was to enterinto the temple of theLord and burn incense.1:10 The whole multitude of the people werepraying outside at thehour of incense.1:11 An angel of the Lordappeared to him, standing on the right side ofthe altar of incense. 1:12Zacharias was troubledwhen he saw him, andfear fell upon him. 1:13But the angel said tohim, "Don't be afraid,Zacharias, because yourrequest has been heard,and your wife, Elizabeth,will bear you a son, andyou shall call his nameJohn. 1:14 You will havejoy and gladness; andmany will rejoice at hisbirth. 1:15 For he will begreat in the sight of theLord, and he will drinkno wine nor strong drink.He will be filled with theHoly Spirit, even from hismother's womb. 1:16 Hewill turn many of thechildren of Israel to theLord, their God. 1:17 Hewill go before him in thespirit and power ofElijah, 'to turn the heartsof the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of thejust; to prepare a peopleprepared for the Lord."1:18 Zacharias said tothe angel, "How can I besure of this? For I am anold man, and my wife iswell advanced in years."1:19 The angel answeredhim, "I am Gabriel, whostands in the presence ofGod. I was sent to speakto you, and to bring youthis good news. 1:20 Behold, you will be silentand not able to speak,until the day that these7
Gabriel announces Jesus’ birth to MaryMATTHEWMARKLUKEthings will happen, because you didn't believemy words, which will befulfilled in their propertime."1:21 The people werewaiting for Zacharias,and they marveled thathe delayed in the temple.1:22 When he came out,he could not speak tothem, and they perceivedthat he had seen a visionin the temple. He continued making signs tothem, and remainedmute. 1:23 It happened,when the days of his service were fulfilled, he departed to his house. 1:24After these days Elizabeth, his wife, conceived,and she hid herself fivemonths, saying, 1:25"Thus has the Lord doneto me in the days inwhich he looked at me,to take away my reproach among men."1:26 Now in the sixthmonth, the angel Gabrielwas sent from God to acity of Galilee, namedNazareth, 1:27 to a virginpledged to be married toa man whose name wasJoseph, of the house ofDavid. The virgin's namewas Mary. 1:28 Havingcome in, the angel said toher, "Rejoice, you highlyfavored one! The Lord iswith you. Blessed areyou among women!"1:29 But when she sawhim, she was greatlytroubled at the saying,and considered whatkind of salutation thismight be. 1:30 The angelsaid to her, "Don't beafraid, Mary, for youhave found favor withGod. 1:31 Behold, youwill conceive in yourwomb, and bring forth ason, and will call his8JOHN
Mary visits ElizabethMATTHEWMARKLUKEJOHNname 'Jesus.' 1:32 Hewill be great, and will becalled the Son of theMost High. The Lord Godwill give him the throneof his father, David, 1:33and he will reign over thehouse of Jacob forever.There will be no end tohis Kingdom."1:34 Mary said to theangel, "How can this be,seeing I am a virgin?"1:35 The angel answeredher, "The Holy Spirit willcome on you, and thepower of the Most Highwill overshadow you.Therefore also the holyone who is born from youwill be called the Son ofGod. 1:36 Behold, Elizabeth, your relative, alsohas conceived a son inher old age; and this isthe sixth month with herwho was called barren.1:37 For everything spoken by God is possible."1:38 Mary said, "Behold,the handmaid of theLord; be it to me according to your word."The angel departed fromher. 1:39 Mary arose inthose days and went intothe hill country withhaste, into a city ofJudah, 1:40 and enteredinto the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 1:41 It happened,when Elizabeth heardMary's greeting, that thebaby leaped in herwomb, and Elizabeth wasfilled with the Holy Spirit.1:42 She called out witha loud voice, and said,"Blessed are you amongwomen, and blessed isthe fruit of your womb!1:43 Why am I so favored, that the mother ofmy Lord should come tome? 1:44 For behold,when the voice of your9
John is bornMATTHEWMARKLUKEgreeting came into myears, the baby leaped inmy womb for joy! 1:45Blessed is she who believed, for there will be afulfillment of the thingswhich have been spokento her from the Lord!"1:46 Mary said, "My soulmagnifies the Lord. 1:47My spirit has rejoiced inGod my Savior, 1:48 forhe has looked at thehumble state of hishandmaid. For behold,from now on, all generations will call me blessed.1:49 For he who ismighty has done greatthings for me. Holy is hisname. 1:50 His mercy isfor generations of generations on those who fearhim. 1:51 He has shownstrength with his arm.He has scattered theproud in the imaginationof their hearts. 1:52 Hehas put down princesfrom their thrones. Andhas exalted the lowly.1:53 He has filled thehungry with good things.He has sent the richaway empty. 1:54 He hasgiven help to Israel, hisservant, that he mightremember mercy, 1:55As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham andhis seed forever."1:56 Mary stayed withher about three months,and then returned to herhouse.1:57 Now the time thatElizabeth should givebirth was fulfilled, andshe brought forth a son.1:58 Her neighbors andher relatives heard thatthe Lord had magnifiedhis mercy towards her,and they rejoiced withher.1:59 It happened on theeighth day, that they10JOHN
Zacharias names the child “John”—and regains the ability to speakMATTHEWMARKLUKEJOHNcame to circumcise thechild; and they wouldhave called him Zacharias, after the name ofthe father. 1:60 Hismother answered, "Notso; but he will be calledJohn."1:61 They said to her,"There is no one amongyour relatives who iscalled by this name."1:62 They made signs tohis father, what he wouldhave him called.1:63 He asked for a writing tablet, and wrote,"His name is John."They all marveled.1:64 His mouth wasopened immediately, andhis tongue freed, and hespoke, blessing God.1:65 Fear came on allwho lived around them,and all these sayingswere talked aboutthroughout all the hillcountry of Judea. 1:66All who heard them laidthem up in their heart,saying, "What then willthis child be?" The handof the Lord was with him.1:67 His father, Zacharias, was filled with theHoly Spirit, and prophesied, saying,1:68 "Blessed be theLord, the God of Israel,for he has visited andworked redemption forhis people; 1:69 and hasraised up a horn of salvation for us in thehouse of his servantDavid 1:70 (as he spokeby the mouth of his holyprophets who have beenfrom of old), 1:71 salvation from our enemies,and from the hand of allwho hate us; 1:72 toshow mercy towards ourfathers, to remember hisholy covenant, 1:73 the11
An angel announces Jesus’ birth to Joseph in a dreamMATTHEWMARKLUKEoath which he spoke toAbraham, our father,1:74 to grant to us thatwe, being delivered out ofthe hand of our enemies,should serve him withoutfear, 1:75 In holinessand righteousness beforehim all the days of ourlife. 1:76 And you, child,will be called a prophet ofthe Most High, for youwill go before the face ofthe Lord to prepare hisways, 1:77 to give knowledge of salvation to hispeople by the remissionof their sins, 1:78 because of the tendermercy of our God,whereby the dawn fromon high will visit us, 1:79to shine on those who sitin darkness and theshadow of death; toguide our feet into theway of peace."1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was like this;for after his mother,Mary, was engaged toJoseph, before they cametogether, she was foundpregnant by the HolySpirit. 1:19 Joseph, herhusband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a publicexample, intended to puther away secretly. 1:20But when he thoughtabout these things, behold, an angel of theLord appeared to him ina dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, don'tbe afraid to take to yourself Mary, your wife, forthat which is conceivedin her is of the HolySpirit. 1:21 She shallbring forth a son. Youshall call his name Jesus, for it is he who shallsave his people fromtheir sins."1:22 Now all this hashappened, that it might12JOHN
Jesus is born in BethlehemMATTHEWMARKLUKEJOHNbe fulfilled which wasspoken by the Lordthrough the prophet,saying, 1:23 "Behold, thevirgin shall be with child,and shall bring forth ason. They shall call hisname Immanuel;" whichis, being interpreted,"God with us."*1:24 Joseph arose fromhis sleep, and did as theangel of the Lord commanded him, and tookhis wife to himself; 1:25aand didn't know hersexually untilshe had brought forthher firstborn son.* Isaiah 7:142:1 Now it happened inthose days, that a decreewent out from CaesarAugustus that all theworld should be enrolled.2:2 This was the first enrollment made whenQuirinius was governorof Syria. 2:3 All went toenroll themselves, everyone to his own city. 2:4Joseph also went upfrom Galilee, out of thecity of Nazareth, intoJudea, to the city ofDavid, which is calledBethlehem, because hewas of the house andfamily of David; 2:5 toenroll himself with Mary,who was pledged to bemarried to him as wife,being pregnant. 2:6 Ithappened, while theywere there, that the dayhad come that sheshould give birth. 2:7She brought forth herfirstborn son, and shewrapped him in bands ofcloth, and laid him in afeeding trough, becausethere was no room forthem in the inn.2:8 There were shepherds in the same country staying in the field,and keeping watch bynight over their flock. 2:9Behold, an angel of theLord stood by them, and13
Angels announce Jesus’ birth to shepherds, and the shepherds find the newborn lying in a feeding troughMATTHEWMARKLUKEthe glory of the Lordshone around them, andthey were terrified. 2:10The angel said to them,"Don't be afraid, for behold, I bring you goodnews of great joy whichwill be to all the people.2:11 For there is born toyou, this day, in the cityof David, a Savior, who isChrist the Lord. 2:12This is the sign to you:you will find a babywrapped in strips ofcloth, lying in a feedingtrough." 2:13 Suddenly,there was with the angela multitude of the heavenly army praising God,and saying, 2:14 "Gloryto God in the highest, onearth peace, good willtoward men."2:15 It happened, whenthe angels went awayfrom them into the sky,that the shepherds saidone to another, "Let's goto Bethlehem, now, andsee this thing that hashappened, which theLord has made known tous." 2:16 They came withhaste, and found bothMary and Joseph, andthe baby was lying in thefeeding trough. 2:17When they saw it, theypublicized widely thesaying which was spokento them about this child.2:18 All who heard itwondered at the thingswhich were spoken tothem by the shepherds.2:19 But Mary kept allthese sayings, ponderingthem in her heart. 2:20The shepherds returned,glorifying and praisingGod for all the thingsthat they had heard andseen, just as it was toldthem.2:21 When eight dayswere fulfilled for the cir-14JOHN
The infant is named “Jesus.” His ancestryMATTHEWMARKLUKE1:25b He named him Jesus.cumcision of the child,his name was called Jesus, which was given bythe angel before he wasconceived in the womb.1:1b the son of David,the son of Abraham. 1:2Abraham became the father of Isaac. Isaac became the father of Jacob.Jacob became the fatherof Judah and his brothers. 1:3 Judah becamethe father of Perez andZerah by Tamar. Perezbecame the father ofHezron. Hezron becamethe father of Ram. 1:4Ram became the fatherof Amminadab. Amminadab became the fatherof Nahshon. Nahshonbecame the father ofSalmon. 1:5 Salmon became the father of Boazby Rahab. Boaz becamethe father of Obed byRuth. Obed became thefather of Jesse. 1:6 Jessebecame the father ofKing David. David became the father of Solomon by her who hadbeen the wife of Uriah.1:7 Solomon became thefather of Rehoboam.Rehoboam became thefather of Abijah. Abijahbecame the father of Asa.1:8 Asa became the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat became thefather of Joram. Jorambecame the father ofUzziah. 1:9 Uzziah became the father ofJotham. Jotham becamethe father of Ahaz. Ahazbecame the father ofHezekiah. 1:10 Hezekiahbecame the father of Manasseh. Manasseh became the father of Amon.Amon became the fatherof Josiah. 1:11 Josiahbecame the father ofJechoniah and his3:23b [Jesus] being theson (as was supposed) ofJoseph, the son of Heli,3:24 the son of Matthat,the son of Levi, the son ofMelchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,3:25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos,the son of Nahum, theson of Esli, the son ofNaggai, 3:26 the son ofMaath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Joseph,the son of Judah, 3:27the son of Joanan, theson of Rhesa, the son ofZerubbabel, the son ofShealtiel, the son of Neri,3:28 the son of Melchi,the son of Addi, the sonof Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er,3:29 the son of Jose, theson of Eliezer, the son ofJorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 3:30the son of Simeon, theson of Judah, the son ofJoseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim,3:31 the son of Melea,the son of Menan, theson of Mattatha, the sonof Nathan, the son ofDavid, 3:32 the son ofJesse, the son of Obed,the son of Boaz, the sonof Salmon, the son ofNahshon, 3:33 the son ofAmminadab, the son ofAram, the son of Hezron,the son of Perez, the sonof Judah, 3:34 the son ofJacob, the son of Isaac,the son of Abraham, theson of Terah, the son ofNahor, 3:35 the son ofSerug, the son of Reu,the son of Peleg, the sonof Eber, the son of She-JOHNCommentaries suggest that Matthew shows Jesus’ legal claim to David’s throne through Joseph, while Luke lists his ancestry through Mary.15
Mary and Joseph take the infant Jesus to the temple in JerusalemMATTHEWbrothers, at the time ofthe exile to Babylon. 1:12After the exile to Babylon, Jechoniah becamethe father of Shealtiel.Shealtiel became the father of Zerubbabel. 1:13Zerubbabel became thefather of Abiud. Abiudbecame the father of Eliakim. Eliakim becamethe father of Azor. 1:14Azor became the father ofSadoc. Sadoc became thefather of Achim. Achimbecame the father ofEliud. 1:15 Eliud becamethe father of Eleazar.Eleazar became the father of Matthan. Matthanbecame the father ofJacob. 1:16 Jacob became the father of Joseph, the husband ofMary, from whom wasborn Jesus, who is calledChrist.MARKLUKElah, 3:36 the son ofCainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem,the son of Noah, the sonof Lamech, 3:37 the sonof Methuselah, the son ofEnoch, the son of Jared,the son of Mahalaleel,the son of Cainan, 3:38the son of Enos, the sonof Seth, the son of Adam,the son of God.1:17 So all the generations from Abraham toDavid are fourteen generations; from David tothe exile to Babylon fourteen generations; andfrom the carrying awayto Babylon to the Christ,fourteen generations.2:22 When the days oftheir purification according to the law of Moseswere fulfilled, theybrought him up to Jerusalem, to present him tothe Lord 2:23 (as it iswritten in the law of theLord, "Every male whoopens the womb shall becalled holy to the Lord"),*2:24 and to offer a sacrifice according to thatwhich is said in the lawof the Lord, "A pair ofturtledoves, or two youngpigeons."**2:25 Behold, there was aman in Jerusalem whosename was Simeon. This* Exodus 13:2,12** Leviticus 12:816JOHN
Simeon and Anna see the infant JesusMATTHEWMARKLUKEJOHNman was righteous anddevout, looking for theconsolation of Israel, andthe Holy Spirit was onhim. 2:26 It had been revealed to him by the HolySpirit that he should notsee death before he hadseen the Lord's Christ.2:27 He came in theSpirit into the temple.When the parentsbrought in the child, Jesus, that they might doconcerning him according to the custom of thelaw, 2:28 then he received him into his arms,and blessed God, andsaid, 2:29 "Now you arereleasing your servant,Master, according to yourword, in peace; 2:30 formy eyes have seen yoursalvation, 2:31 whichyou have prepared beforethe face of all peoples;2:32 a light for revelationto the nations, and theglory of your people Israel."2:33 Joseph and hismother were marveling atthe things which werespoken concerning him,2:34 and Simeon blessedthem, and said to Mary,his mother, "Behold, thischild is set for the fallingand the rising of many inIsrael, and for a signwhich is spoken against.2:35 Yes, a sword willpierce through your ownsoul, that the thoughts ofmany hearts may be revealed."2:36 There was oneAnna, a prophetess, thedaughter of Phanuel, ofthe tribe of Asher (shewas of a great age, having lived with a husbandseven years from her virginity, 2:37 and she hadbeen a widow for abouteighty-four years), whodidn't depart from thetemple, worshipping with17
Wise men from the east visit Jerusalem seeking the newborn KingMATTHEWMARKLUKEfastings and petitionsnight and day. 2:38Coming up at that veryhour, she gave thanks tothe Lord, and spoke ofhim to all those who werelooking for redemption inJerusalem.2:1 Now when Jesus wasborn in Bethlehem ofJudea in the days of KingHerod, behold, wise menfrom the east came to Jerusalem, saying, 2:2"Where is he who is bornKing of the Jews? For wesaw his star in the east,and have come to worship him." 2:3 WhenKing Herod heard it, hewas troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 2:4Gathering together allthe chief priests andscribes of the people, heasked them where theChrist would be born.2:5 They said to him, "InBethlehem of Judea, forthis is written throughthe prophet,2:6 'You Bethlehem, landof Judah, are in no wayleast among the princesof Judah: for out of youshall come forth a governor, who shall shepherdmy people, Israel.'"*2:7 Then Herod secretlycalled the wise men, andlearned from them exactly what time the starappeared. 2:8 He sentthem to Bethlehem, andsaid, "Go and search diligently for the youngchild. When you havefound him, bring meword, so that I also maycome and worship him."2:9 They, having heardthe king, went their way;* Micah 5:2182:39a When they had accomplished all thingsthat were according tothe law of the Lord, .JOHN
The wise men visit Bethelehem. Joseph and Mary take Jesus to Egypt. Herod kills the infants of Bethlehem.MATTHEWMARKLUKEJOHNand behold, the star,which they saw in theeast, went before them,until it came and stoodover where the youngchild was. 2:10 Whenthey saw the star, theyrejoiced with exceedinglygreat joy. 2:11 Theycame into the house andsaw the young child withMary, his mother, andthey fell down and worshiped him. Openingtheir treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold,frankincense, and myrrh.2:12 Being warned in adream that they shouldn't return to Herod, theywent back to their owncountry another way.2:13 Now when they haddeparted, behold, an angel of the Lord appearedto Joseph in a dream,saying, "Arise and takethe young child and hismother, and flee intoEgypt, and stay thereuntil I tell you, for Herodwill seek the young childto destroy him." 2:14 Hearose and took the youngchild and his mother bynight, and departed intoEgypt, 2:15 and wasthere until the death ofHerod; that it might befulfilled which was spoken by the Lord throughthe prophet, saying, "Outof Egypt I called myson."*2:16 Then Herod, whenhe saw that he wasmocked by the wise men,was exceedingly angry,and sent out, and killedall the male children whowere in Bethlehem andin all the surroundingcountryside, from twoyears old and under, according to the exact timewhich he had learnedfrom the wise men. 2:17* Hosea 11:119
Joseph and Mary move back to Nazar
parallel Gospels or Gospel harmonies. There are five main differences that set this work apart from others that have preceded it. (1) It uses the text of the World English Bible. (2) It is in the public domain, not copyrighted. (3) To preserve the flow of the Gospel message, it does not brea
