thy face
tae redd thy gate,
the voice o ane cryin out i the muirs:
“Prepare the gate o our Lord,
mak strecht his pads”.’
An een sae it wis at John the Baptízer kythed i the muirs, preachin at men suid repent an be baptízed tae win forgíeness o their sins; an the haill o the laundart fowk o Judaea an aa the indwallers in Jerusalem gaed out til him an confessed their sins an hed baptism at his haund i the Jordan.
John wis cleadit in a raploch coat o caumel’s hair an hed a lethern girth about his weyst, an locusts an foggie-bees’ hinnie wis his fairin. The owrecome o his preachin wis ey: “Ane at is michtier nor me is comin efter me, at I amna wurdie tae lout doun afore an lowse the points o his shuin. I hae baptízed ye wi watter, but this ane will baptíze ye wi the Halie Spírit.”
About that time, Jesus cam frae Nazareth in Galilee an wis baptízed bi John i the Jordan. Juist as he wis comin up outen the watter, he saw the lift rive abreid an the Spírit comin doun on him like a dou, an a voice cam out o the lift: “Thou is my beluvit Son, wi thee I am weill-pleised.”
Strecht on the back o that the Spírit drave him awà tae the muirs, an there he bade the feck o sax ouks, tempit aa the time bi Sautan; an tho he hed nane but the wild beass tae neipour him, the angels fettelt him.
EFTER JOHN HED been incarcerate, Jesus fuir tae Galilee an there preached the Gospel o God. “The time hes comed,” he said, “an the Kíngdom o God is naurhaund: repent ye, an belíeve i the Gospel.”
Ae day he wis gaein alangside the Loch o Galilee, whan he saw Símon an his brither Andro castin their net i the watter—they war fishers tae tredd—an he said til them, “Come awà efter me, an I s’ mak ye men-fishers”; an strecht they quat their nets an fallowt him.
Traivlin on a bittock faurer, he saw Jeames, the son o Zebedee, an his brither John. They war intil their boat, tae, thrang abeetin their nets; an strecht he cried them, an they left their faither i the boat wi the hiremen an gaed awà efter him.
FIRST THEY FUIR til Capernaüm, an there, whaniver the Sabbath cam, Jesus gaed intil the sýnagogue an yokit til expundin the Scripturs, an aa the congregâtion wis dumfounert at his mainner o teachin, for he taucht as ane at hed authoritie, an no like the Doctors o the Law. Nou,1 there wis a man wi an onclean spírit i the sýnagogue that Sabbath, an it wisna lang or he skirlt out, “What want ye wi hiz, Jesus o Nazareth? Ar ye comed tae destroy us? I ken wha ye ar, at div I: the Halie Ane o God!”
But Jesus challenged him shairplie: “Be quait,” qo he, “an come ye out o him!” At that the spírit ruggit an runched the man sairlie an, lattin a loud skelloch, gaed out o him.
Aabodie wis fair stoundit, an they tuik the maitter throu haunds. “What’s this, nou, avà?” they speired at ither. “Sic teachin, an the authoritie he speaks wi! Wha iver hard the like o’d? An see hou he gíes the onclean spírits their orders, an they een dae his will!” An belyve the souch o his wark in Capernaüm gaed aagate throu the haill o that kintra.
STRECHT AWA EFTER the skailin they gaed wi Jeames an John til Símon an Andro’s houss. Símon’s guidmither wis lyin in her bed wi the fivver, an they tauld Jesus about her at aince. He gaed up tae the bedside an, grippin her bi the haund, helpit her tae win up on her feet; an immedentlie the fivver quat her, an she begoud seein efter their mait an aa.
I th’ eenin, efter the sun wis doun, they brocht til him aa at wis oniegate ailin or pestit wi ill spírits, till ’maist aa the toun wis gethert forenent the door. He hailed a hantle o fowk at wis fashed wi ae complènt or anither, an cuist out ill spírits monie feck; an the ne’er a wurd wad he lat the spírits speak, because they kent wha he wis.
NEIST MORNIN HE rase afore skreich o day an wis out an awà til a lanesome bit an there prayed. Peter an his companions gaed in sairch o him, an whan they faund him, they tauld him at aabodie wis seekin him. But he said tae them, “Lat us awà frae this, awà tae the laundart touns i the round. I maun preach i them, tae: that is een what I cam out for tae dae.”
Sae he gaed throu the haill o Galilee, preachin i their sýnagogues an castin out ill spírits.
AE DAY A lipper cam up til him an fleitched him on his boued knees, sayin, “An ye hae the will, ye hae the can tae mak me clean.”
Jesus wis wae for the man an raxed out his haund an laid it on him, sayin, “I hae the will, be ye clean”; an i that same maument the liprosie quat him, an he wis clean. Syne he sent him awà, but mair adae, wi a stour warnishment: “Mind an no mouth a wurd o this tae nae lívin,” qo he. “Gae shaw yoursel tae the príest, an mak the offerins for your clensin at Moses ordeined, for pruif til the warld o your betterness.”
But the lipper he wisna weill tae the gate afore he begoud trokin an toutin the storie hereawà-thereawà, sae at Jesus dochtna be seen gaein intil onie o the touns, but bade aback in faur-out-about bits. But still an on fowk ey thranged til him frae aa the airts.
2 EFTER SOME DAYS he cam back til Capernaüm. Wurd gaed round at he wis back hame, an siccan a thrang gethert at there wis nae mair room for them, no een about the door. He hed begoud preachin tae them, whan fowr men cam wi a blastit man cairriein on a matrèss, seekin him. Whan they faund at they coudna win forrit til him wi their fríend for the hirsel o fowk, they tirred the pairt o the ruif abuin whaur he wis staundin, an loot doun the matrèss wi the blastit man lyin on it throu the hole they hed made. Seein their faith, Jesus said tae the man, “My son, your sins is forgíen.”
Nou, the’ war some Doctors o the Law sittin by an thinkin intil themsels, “What wey can the chíel say sic a thing, na? It’s aivendoun blasphemie! Wha can forgíe sins, binna God alane?”
Jesus read aff their thochts like a buik, an said til them, “What wey hae ye sic thochts in your hairts? Whilk o the twa things is aisiest—tae say til the blastit man, ‘Your sins is forgíen’, or tae say til him, ‘Staund up, tak up your matrèss, an traivel’? But, tae gar ye ken at the Son o Man hes the richt on the yird tae forgíe sins”—an here he turned tae the blastit man an said til him, “Staund up, I bid ye, an tak up your matrèss an gang your waas hame.”
At that the man strechtit til his feet an immedentlie tuik up his matrèss an gaed awà afore the luikin een o them aa. They war aa fair stoundit an glorifíed God an said, “Ne’er saw we the like o that!”
SYNE HE GAED out the road alang the lochside again, an the haill thrang cam out til him, an he taucht them. As he gaed alang, he saw Leví, the son o Alphaeus, sittin at his dask i the Towbuith, an said til him, “Fallow me”; an Leví rase an fallowt him.
Ae day efterhin he wis dennerin wi Leví, an monie tax-uplifters an ither siclike outlans wis at the buird wi him an his disciples. The’ war a fell wheen o sic at ey fallowt him about. Whan the Doctors o the Law at belanged the Pharisees’ pairtie saw him takkin his mait wi sic clamjamphrie, they said til his disciples, “What wey dis your Maister tak his mait wi tax-uplifters an outlans?”
Jesus hard it an said tae them, “It’s no the stout an hardie hes need o a doctor, but the síck an ailin; I camna for tae caa weill-daein fowk, but sinners.”
AE DAY AT John’s disciples an the Pharisees wis keepin a fast, fowk cam an speired at Jesus, “What for is John’s disciples an the disciples o the Pharisees fastin, an yours isna?”
Jesus
