1 And when men began to be multiplied upon the earth, and daughters were born to them,
2 the sons of God, seeing that the daughters of men were beautiful, took to themselves wives from all whom they chose.
3 And God said: “My spirit shall not remain in man forever, because he is flesh. And so his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”
4 Now giants were upon the earth in those days. For after the sons of God went in to the daughters of men, and they conceived, these became the powerful ones of ancient times, men of renown.
5 Then God, seeing that the wickedness of men was great upon the earth and that every thought of their heart was intent upon evil at all times,
6 repented that he had made man on the earth. And being touched inwardly with a sorrow of heart,
7 he said, “I will eliminate man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth, from man to other living things, from animals even to the flying things of the air. For it grieves me that I have made them.”
8 Yet truly, Noah found grace before the Lord.
9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man, and yet he was predominate among his generations, for he walked with God.
10 And he conceived three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 Yet the earth was corrupted before the eyes of God, and it was filled with iniquity.
12 And when God had seen that the earth had been corrupted, (indeed, all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth)
13 he said to Noah: “The end of all flesh has arrived in my sight. The earth has been filled with iniquity by their presence, and I will destroy them, along with the earth.
14 Make yourself an ark from smoothed wood. You shall make little dwelling places in the ark, and you shall smear pitch on the interior and exterior.
15 And thus shall you make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.
16 You shall make a window in the ark, and you shall complete it within a cubit of the top. Then you shall set the door of the ark at its side. You shall make in it: a lower part, upper rooms, and a third level.
17 Behold, I shall bring the waters of a great flood upon the earth, so as to put to death all flesh in which there is the breath of life under heaven. All things that are on the earth shall be consumed.
18 And I shall establish my covenant with you, and you shall enter the ark, you and your sons, your wife and the wives of your sons with you.
19 And from every living thing of all that is flesh, you shall lead pairs into the ark, so that they may survive with you: from the male sex and the female,
20 from birds, according to their kind, and from beasts, in their kind, and from among all animals on earth, according to their kind; pairs from each shall enter with you, so that they may be able to live.
21 Therefore, you shall take with you from all the foods that are able to be eaten, and you shall carry these with you. And these shall be used as food, some for you, and the rest for them.”
22 And so Noah did all things just as God had instructed him.
1 And the Lord said to him: “Enter the ark, you and all your house. For I have seen you to be just in my sight, within this generation.
2 From all the clean animals, take seven and seven, the male and the female. Yet truly, from animals that are unclean, take two and two, the male and the female.
3 But also from the birds of the air, take seven and seven, the male and the female, so that offspring may be saved upon the face of the whole earth.
4 For from that point, and after seven days, I will rain upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. And I will wipe away every substance that I have made, from the surface of the earth.”
5 Therefore, Noah did all things just as the Lord had commanded him.
6 And he was six hundred years old when the waters of the great flood inundated the earth.
7 And Noah entered into the ark, and his sons, his wife, and the wives of his sons with him, because of the waters of the great flood.
8 And from the animals both clean and unclean, and from the birds, and from everything that moves upon the earth,
9 two by two they were brought into the ark to Noah, male and female, just as the Lord had instructed Noah.
10 And when seven days had passed, the waters of the great flood inundated the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of the life of Noah, in the second month, in the seventeenth day of the month, all the fountains of the great abyss were released, and the floodgates of heaven were opened.
12 And rain came upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.
13 On the very same day, Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and his wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark.
14 They and every animal according to its kind, and all the cattle in their kind, and everything that moves upon the earth in their kind, and every flying thing according to its kind, all the birds and all that can fly,
15 entered the ark to Noah, two by two out of all that is flesh, in which there was the breath of life.
16 And those that entered went in male and female, from all that is flesh, just as God had instructed him. And then the Lord closed him in from the outside.
17 And the great flood occurred for forty days upon the earth. And the waters were increased, and they lifted the ark high above the land.
18 For they overflowed greatly, and they filled everything on the surface of the earth. And then the ark was carried across the waters.
19 And the waters prevailed beyond measure across the earth. And all the lofty mountains under the whole heaven were covered.
20 The water was fifteen cubits higher than the mountains which it covered.
21 And all flesh was consumed which moved upon the earth: flying things, animals, wild beasts, and all moving things that crawl upon the ground. And all men,
22 and everything in which there is the breath of life on earth, died.
23 And he wiped away all substance that was upon the earth, from man to animal, the crawling things just as much as the flying things of the air. And they were wiped away from the earth. But only Noah remained, and those who were with him in the ark.
24 And the waters possessed the earth for one hundred and fifty days.
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1 For behold, the sovereign Lord of hosts will take away, from Jerusalem and from Judah, the powerful and the strong: all the strength from bread, and all the strength from water;
2 the strong man, and the man of war, the judge and the prophet, and the seer and the elder;
3 the leader over fifty and the honorable in appearance; and the counselor, and the wise among builders, and the skillful in mystical speech.
4 And I will provide children as their leaders, and the effeminate will rule over them.
5 And the people will rush, man against man, and each one against his neighbor. The child shall rebel against the elder, and the ignoble against the noble.
6 For a man will apprehend his brother, from the household of his own father, saying: “The vestment is yours. Be our leader, but let this ruin be under your hand.”
7 In that day, he will respond by saying: “I am not a healer, and there is no bread or vestment in my house. Do not choose to appoint me as a leader of the people.”
8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah has fallen, because their words and their plans are against the Lord, in order to provoke the eyes of his majesty.
9 The acknowledgement of their countenance is their response. For they have proclaimed their own sin, like Sodom; and they have not concealed it. Woe to their souls! For evils are being repaid to them.
10 Tell the just man that it is well, for he shall eat from the fruit from his own plans.
11 Woe to the impious man immersed in evil! For retribution will be given to him from his own hands.
12 As for my people, their oppressors have despoiled them, and women have ruled over them. My people, who call you blessed, the same are deceiving you and disrupting the path of your steps.
13 The Lord stands for judgment, and he stands to judge the people.
14 The Lord will enter into judgment with the elders of his people, and with their leaders. For you have been devouring the vineyard, and the plunder from the poor is in your house.
15 Why do you wear down my people, and grind up the faces of the poor, says the Lord, the God of hosts?
16 And the Lord said: Because the daughters of Zion have been lifted up, and have walked with extended necks and winking eyes, because they have continued on, walking noisily and advancing with a pretentious stride,
17 the Lord will make the heads of the daughters of Zion bald, and the Lord will strip them of the locks of their hair.
18 In that day, the Lord will take away their decorative shoes,
19 and the little moons and chains, and the necklaces and bracelets, and the hats,
20 and the ornaments for their hair, and the anklets, and the touches of myrrh and little bottles of perfumes, and the earrings,
21 and the rings, and the jewels hanging on their foreheads,
22 and the continual changes in appearance, and the short skirts, and the fine linens and embroidered cloths,
23 and the mirrors, and scarves, and ribbons, and their sparse clothing.
24 And in place of a sweet fragrance, there will be stench. And in place of a belt, there will be a rope. And in place of stylish hair, there will be baldness. And in place of a blouse, there will be haircloth.
25 Likewise, your most handsome men will fall by the sword, and your strong men will fall in battle.
26 And her gates will grieve and mourn. And she will sit on the ground, desolate.
1 A Psalm of David. When he fled from the face of his son, Absalom.
2 Lord, why have those who trouble me been multiplied? Many rise up against me.
3 Many say to my soul, “There is no salvation for him in his God.”
4 But you, Lord, are my supporter, my glory, and the one who raises up my head.
5 I have cried out to the Lord with my voice, and he has heard me from his holy mountain.
6 I have slept, and I have been stupefied. But I awakened because the Lord has taken me up.
7 I will not fear the thousands of people surrounding me. Rise up, Lord. Save me, my God.
8 For you have struck all those who oppose me without cause. You have broken the teeth of sinners.
9 Salvation is of the Lord, and your blessing is upon your people.
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert, in order to be tempted by the devil.
2 And when he had fasted for forty days and forty nights, afterwards he was hungry.
3 And approaching, the tempter said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 And in response he said, “It has been written: ‘Not by bread alone shall man live, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ “
5 Then the devil took him up, into the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple,
6 and said to him: “If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down. For it has been written: ‘For he has given charge of you to his angels, and they shall take you into their hands, lest perhaps you may hurt your foot against a stone.’ “
7 Jesus said to him, “Again, it has been written: ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ “
8 Again, the devil took him up, onto a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory,
9 and said to him, “All these things I will give to you, if you will fall down and adore me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him: “Go away, Satan. For it has been written: ‘You shall adore the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ “
11 Then the devil left him. And behold, Angels approached and ministered to him.
12 And when Jesus had heard that John had been handed over, he withdrew into Galilee.
13 And leaving behind the city of Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, near the sea, at the borders of Zebulun and of Naphtali,
14 in order to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
15 Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way of the sea across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:
16 A people who were sitting in darkness have seen a great light. And unto those sitting in the region of the shadow of death, a light has risen.”
17 From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say: “Repent. For the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.”
18 And Jesus, walking near the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen).
19 And he said to them: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
20 And at once, leaving behind their nets, they followed him.
21 And continuing on from there, he saw another two brothers, James of Zebedee, and his brother John, in a ship with their father Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them.
22 And immediately, leaving their nets and their father behind, they followed him.
23 And Jesus traveled throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every infirmity among the people.
24 And reports of him went out to all of Syria, and they brought to him all those who had maladies, those who were in the grasp of various sicknesses and torments, and those who were in the hold of demons, and the mentally ill, and paralytics. And he cured them.
25 And a great crowd followed him from Galilee, and from the Ten Cities, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from across the Jordan.
