"Mark! The maiden will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call His name Immanuel" --a word which signifies 'God with us'.

"'And thou, Bethlehem in the land of Judah, by no means the least honorable art thou among princely places in Judah! For from thee shall come a prince--one who shall be the Shepherd of My People Israel.'"

There he remained till Herod's death, that what the Lord had said through the Prophet might be fulfilled, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."

"A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and bitter lamentation: It was Rachel bewailing her children, and she refused to be comforted because there were no more."

"A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and bitter lamentation: It was Rachel bewailing her children, and she refused to be comforted because there were no more."

and went and settled in a town called Nazareth, in order that these words spoken through the Prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

"Zebulun's land and Naphtali's land; the road by the Lake; the country beyond the Jordan; Galilee of the Nations!

"Blessed are the meek, for they as heirs shall obtain possession of the earth.

"You have heard that it was said to the ancients, 'Thou shalt not commit murder', and whoever commits murder will be answerable to the magistrate.

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

"It was also said, 'If any man puts away his wife, let him give her a written notice of divorce.'

in order that this prediction of the Prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled, "He took on Him our weaknesses, and bore the burden of our diseases."

But go and learn what this means, 'It is mercy that I desire, not sacrifice'; for I did not come to appeal to the righteous, but to sinners."

For I came to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;

"This is My servant whom I have chosen, My dearly loved One in whom My soul takes pleasure. I will put My spirit upon Him, and He will announce justice to the nations.

For just as Jonah was three days in the sea-monster's belly, so will the Son of Man be three days in the heart of the earth. There will stand up men of Nineveh at the Judgement together with the present generation, and will condemn it; because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and mark! there is One greater than Jonah here.

in fulfilment of the saying of the Prophet, "I will open my mouth in figurative language, I will utter things kept hidden since the creation of all things."

Hypocrites! well did Isaiah prophesy of you, "'This is a People who honour Me with their lips, while their heart is far away from Me; read more. but it is in vain they worship Me, while they lay down precepts which are mere human rules.'"

"Tell the Daughter of Zion, 'See, thy King is coming to thee, gentle, and yet mounted on an ass, even on a colt the foal of a beast of burden.'"

"Have you never read in the Scriptures," said Jesus, "'The Stone which the builders rejected has been made the Cornerstone: this Cornerstone came from the Lord, and is wonderful in our eyes'?

Then were fulfilled the words spoken by the Prophet Jeremiah, "And I took the thirty shekels, the price of the prized one on whom Israelites had set a price,

"The voice of one crying aloud: 'In the Desert prepare a road for the Lord: Make His highways straight.'"

"Have you never read," Jesus replied, "what David did when the necessity arose and he and his men were hungry:

But as to the dead, that they rise to life, have you never read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the Bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?'

"The chief Commandment," replied Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord;

Seeing that many have attempted to draw up a narrative of the facts which are received with full assurance among us on the authority of those who were from the beginning eye-witnesses and were devoted to the service of the divine Message, read more. it has seemed right to me also, after careful investigation of the facts from their commencement, to write for you, most noble Theophilus, a connected account, that you may fully know the truth of the things which you have been taught by word of mouth.

and 'On their hands they shall bear thee up, Lest at any moment thou shouldst strike thy foot against a stone.'"

Now when the crowds came thronging upon Him, He proceeded to say, "The present generation is a wicked generation: it requires some sign, but no sign shall be given to it except that of Jonah.

So they said to one another, "Do not let us tear it. Let us draw lots for it." This happened that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says, "They shared my garments among them, and drew lots for my clothing." That was just what the soldiers did.

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, God says, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall have dreams;

Yet the Most High does not dwell in buildings erected by men's hands. But, as the Prophet declares,

The passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: "Like a sheep He was led to slaughter, and just as a lamb before its shearer is dumb so He opened not His mouth.

For it is in closest union with Him that we live and move and have our being; as in fact some of the poets in repute among yourselves have said, 'For we are also His offspring.'

"'Go to this people and tell them, you will hear and hear, and by no means understand; and will look and look, and by no means see.

No, indeed; let us hold God to be true, though every man should prove to be false. As it stands written, "That Thou mayest be shown to be just in the sentence Thou pronouncest, and gain Thy cause when Thou contendest."

Thus it stands written, "There is not one righteous man. There is not one who is really wise, nor one who is a diligent seeker after God. read more. All have turned aside from the right path; they have every one of them become corrupt. There is no one who does what is right--no, not so much as one." "Their throats resemble an opened grave; with their tongues they have been talking deceitfully." "The venom of vipers lies hidden behind their lips." "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." "Their feet move swiftly to shed blood. Ruin and misery mark their path; and the way to peace they have not known." "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

This declaration of blessedness, then, does it come simply to the circumcised, or to the uncircumcised as well? For Abraham's faith--so we affirm--was placed to his credit as righteousness.

I now deal with the subjects mentioned in your letter. It is well for a man to abstain altogether from marriage.

Now as to things which have been sacrificed to idols. This is a subject which we already understand--because we all have knowledge of it. Knowledge, however, tends to make people conceited; it is love that builds us up.

For in the Law of Moses it is written, "Thou shalt not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain."

And you must not be worshippers of idols, as some of them were. For it is written, "The People sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to dance."

Now I commend you for remembering me in everything, and because you hold fast truths and practices precisely as I have taught them to you.

But while giving you these instructions, there is one thing I cannot praise--your meeting together, with bad rather than good results.

It is important, brethren, that you should have clear knowledge on the subject of spiritual gifts.

All who are depending upon their own obedience to the Law are under a curse, for it is written, "Cursed is every one who does not remain faithful to all the precepts of the Law, and practise them."

Tell me--you who want to continue to be subject to Law--will you not listen to the Law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave-girl and one by the free woman. read more. But we see that the child of the slave-girl was born in the common course of nature; but the child of the free woman in fulfilment of the promise. All this is allegorical; for the women represent two Covenants. One has its origin on Mount Sinai, and bears children destined for slavery. This is Hagar; for the name Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, which is in bondage together with her children. But the Jerusalem which is above is free, and *she* is *our* mother. For it is written, "Rejoice, thou barren woman that bearest not, break forth into a joyful cry, thou that dost not travail with child. For the desolate woman has many children--more indeed than she who has the husband." But you, brethren, like Isaac, are children born in fulfilment of a promise. Yet just as, at that time, the child born in the common course of nature persecuted the one whose birth was due to the power of the Spirit, so it is now. But what says the Scripture? "Send away the slave-girl and her son, for never shall the slave-girl's son share the inheritance with the son of the free woman." Therefore, brethren, since we are not the children of a slave-girl, but of the free woman--

I once more protest to every man who receives circumcision that he is under obligation to obey the whole Law of Moses.

For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any importance; but only a renewed nature. And all who shall regulate their lives by this principle--may peace and mercy be given to them--and to the true Israel of God.

when He displayed it in Christ by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His own right hand in the heavenly realms,

I thank my God at my every remembrance of you--

Yet I deem it important to send Epaphroditus to you now--he is my brother and comrade both in labour and in arms, and is your messenger who has ministered to my needs.

Yet I thank you for taking your share in my troubles. And you men and women of Philippi also know that at the first preaching of the Good News, when I had left Macedonia, no other Church except yourselves held communication with me about giving and receiving; read more. because even in Thessalonica you sent several times to minister to my needs. Not that I crave for gifts from you, but I do want to see abundant fruit bring you honour. I have enough of everything--and more than enough. My wants are fully satisfied now that I have received from the hands of Epaphroditus the generous gifts which you sent me--they are a fragrant odor, an acceptable sacrifice, truly pleasing to God.

One of their own number--a Prophet who is a countryman of theirs--has said, "Cretans are always liars, dangerous animals, idle gluttons."

because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have towards the Lord Jesus and which you manifest towards all God's people; praying as I do, that their participation in your faith may result in others fully recognizing all the right affection that is in us toward Christ. read more. For I have found great joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of God's people have been, and are, refreshed through you, my brother.

For this man, Melchizedek, King of Salem and priest of the Most High God--he who when Abraham was returning after defeating the kings met him and pronounced a blessing on him-- to whom also Abraham presented a tenth part of all--being first, as his name signifies, King of righteousness, and secondly King of Salem, that is, King of peace: read more. with no father or mother, and no record of ancestry: having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made a type of the Son of God--this man Melchizedek remains a priest for ever. Now think how great this priest-king must have been to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth part of the best of the spoil. And those of the descendants of Levi who receive the priesthood are authorized by the Law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brethren, though these have sprung from Abraham. But, in this instance, one who does not trace his origin from them takes tithes from Abraham, and pronounces a blessing on him to whom the promises belong. And beyond all dispute it is always the inferior who is blessed by the superior. Moreover here frail mortal men receive tithes: there one receives them about whom there is evidence that he is alive. And Levi too--if I may so speak--pays tithes through Abraham: for Levi was yet in the loins of his forefather when Melchizedek met Abraham.

but a rich man should rejoice in being brought low, for like flowers among the herbage rich men will pass away.

"All mankind resemble the herbage, and all their beauty is like its flowers. The herbage dries up, and its flowers drop off;

And I saw lying in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written on both sides and closely sealed with seven seals.

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, and holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind should blow over the earth or the sea or upon any tree.

It said to the sixth angel--the angel who had the trumpet, "Set at liberty the four angels who are prisoners near the great river Euphrates."

And another, a second angel, followed, exclaiming, "Great Babylon has fallen, has fallen--she who made all the nations drink the wine of the anger provoked by her fornication."

and bringing with it the glory of God. It shone with a radiance like that of a very precious stone--such as a jasper, bright and transparent.