For when you offer blind animals as a sacrifice, is that not wrong? And when you offer the lame and sick, is that not wrong as well? Indeed, try offering them to your governor! Will he be pleased with you or show you favor?" asks the Lord who rules over all.

"I wish that one of you would close the temple doors, so that you no longer would light useless fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you," says the Lord who rules over all, "and I will no longer accept an offering from you.

If you do not listen and take seriously the need to honor my name," says the Lord who rules over all, "I will send judgment on you and turn your blessings into curses -- indeed, I have already done so because you are not taking it to heart.

He taught what was true; sinful words were not found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and integrity, and he turned many people away from sin.

"Therefore, I have caused you to be ignored and belittled before all people to the extent to which you are not following after me and are showing partiality in your instruction."

Do we not all have one father? Did not one God create us? Why do we betray one another, in this way making light of the covenant of our ancestors?

No one who has even a small portion of the Spirit in him does this. What did our ancestor do when seeking a child from God? Be attentive, then, to your own spirit, for one should not be disloyal to the wife he took in his youth.

"I hate divorce," says the Lord God of Israel, "and the one who is guilty of violence," says the Lord who rules over all. "Pay attention to your conscience, and do not be unfaithful."

"I will come to you in judgment. I will be quick to testify against those who practice divination, those who commit adultery, those who break promises, and those who exploit workers, widows, and orphans, who refuse to help the immigrant and in this way show they do not fear me," says the Lord who rules over all.

"Since, I, the Lord, do not go back on my promises, you, sons of Jacob, have not perished.

From the days of your ancestors you have ignored my commandments and have not kept them! Return to me, and I will return to you," says the Lord who rules over all. "But you say, 'How should we return?'

"Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in my temple. Test me in this matter," says the Lord who rules over all, "to see if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until there is no room for it all.

Then I will stop the plague from ruining your crops, and the vine will not lose its fruit before harvest," says the Lord who rules over all.

Then once more you will see that I make a distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not.

"For indeed the day is coming, burning like a furnace, and all the arrogant evildoers will be chaff. The coming day will burn them up," says the Lord who rules over all. "It will not leave even a root or branch.

He will encourage fathers and their children to return to me, so that I will not come and strike the earth with judgment."

Because Joseph, her husband to be, was a righteous man, and because he did not want to disgrace her, he intended to divorce her privately.

When he had contemplated this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

but did not have marital relations with her until she gave birth to a son, whom he named Jesus.

After being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back by another route to their own country.

Then he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and went to Egypt.

"A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud wailing, Rachel weeping for her children, and she did not want to be comforted, because they were gone."

Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

"I baptize you with water, for repentance, but the one coming after me is more powerful than I am -- I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

But John tried to prevent him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?"

But he answered, "It is written, 'Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you' and 'with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

Jesus said to him, "Once again it is written: 'You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.'"

As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen).

People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish these things but to fulfill them.

I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter will pass from the law until everything takes place.

"You have heard that it was said to an older generation, 'Do not murder,' and 'whoever murders will be subjected to judgment.'

"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'

"Again, you have heard that it was said to an older generation, 'Do not break an oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.'

But I say to you, do not take oaths at all -- not by heaven, because it is the throne of God,

not by earth, because it is his footstool, and not by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King.

Do not take an oath by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black.

But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer. But whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well.

Give to the one who asks you, and do not reject the one who wants to borrow from you.

"Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven.

Thus whenever you do charitable giving, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth, they have their reward.

But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

"Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues and on street corners so that people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward.

When you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles, because they think that by their many words they will be heard.

Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.

"When you fast, do not look sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unattractive so that people will see them fasting. I tell you the truth, they have their reward.

so that it will not be obvious to others when you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

"Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.

But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing?

Look at the birds in the sky: They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you more valuable than they are?

Why do you worry about clothing? Think about how the flowers of the field grow; they do not work or spin.

Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these!

For the unconverted pursue these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.

"Do not judge so that you will not be judged.

Do not give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs; otherwise they will trample them under their feet and turn around and tear you to pieces.

You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered from thorns or figs from thistles, are they?

A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingdom of heaven -- only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because it had been founded on rock.

Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

because he taught them like one who had authority, not like their experts in the law.

Then Jesus said to him, "See that you do not speak to anyone, but go, show yourself to a priest, and bring the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

But the centurion replied, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Instead, just say the word and my servant will be healed.

When Jesus heard this he was amazed and said to those who followed him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found such faith in anyone in Israel!

When Jesus heard this he said, "Those who are healthy don't need a physician, but those who are sick do.

Go and learn what this saying means: 'I want mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

he said, "Go away, for the girl is not dead but asleep." And they began making fun of him.

As they were going away, a man who could not talk and was demon-possessed was brought to him.

Jesus sent out these twelve, instructing them as follows: "Do not go to Gentile regions and do not enter any Samaritan town.

Do not take gold, silver, or copper in your belts,

And if the house is worthy, let your peace come on it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.

And if anyone will not welcome you or listen to your message, shake the dust off your feet as you leave that house or that town.

Whenever they hand you over for trial, do not worry about how to speak or what to say, for what you should say will be given to you at that time.

For it is not you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Whenever they persecute you in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

"A disciple is not greater than his teacher, nor a slave greater than his master.

"Do not be afraid of them, for nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing is secret that will not be made known.

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Aren't two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.

So do not be afraid; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace but a sword.

"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance; we wailed in mourning, yet you did not weep.'

Then Jesus began to criticize openly the cities in which he had done many of his miracles, because they did not repent.

For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry."

Or have you not read in the law that the priests in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are not guilty?

If you had known what this means: 'I want mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent.

He said to them, "Would not any one of you, if he had one sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, take hold of it and lift it out?

But he sternly warned them not to make him known.

He will not quarrel or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

He will not break a bruised reed or extinguish a smoldering wick, until he brings justice to victory.

But when the Pharisees heard this they said, "He does not cast out demons except by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons!"

Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.