Now the birth of Jesus Christ happened this way. While his mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are in no way least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'"

Now John wore clothing made from camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey.

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.

So Jesus replied to him, "Let it happen now, for it is right for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then John yielded to him.

Now when Jesus heard that John had been imprisoned, he went into Galilee.

"You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled on by people.

Let your word be 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no.' More than this is from the evil one.

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

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

"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!'

Now when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying down, sick with a fever.

Now when Jesus saw a large crowd around him, he gave orders to go to the other side of the lake.

Jesus said to him, "Foxes have dens, and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

When he came to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were extremely violent, so that no one was able to pass by that way.

But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" -- then he said to the paralytic -- "Stand up, take your stretcher, and go home."

No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, because the patch will pull away from the garment and the tear will be worse.

And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the skins burst and the wine is spilled out and the skins are destroyed. Instead they put new wine into new wineskins and both are preserved."

And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly warned them, "See that no one knows about this."

Now these are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (called Peter), and Andrew his brother; James son of Zebedee and John his brother;

no bag for the journey, or an extra tunic, or sandals or staff, for the worker deserves his provisions.

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds Christ had done, he sent his disciples to ask a question:

Blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me."

"I tell you the truth, among those born of women, no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is.

From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it.

And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be thrown down to Hades! For if the miracles done among you had been done in Sodom, it would have continued to this day.

All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son decides to reveal him.

Now when Jesus learned of this, he went away from there. Great crowds followed him, and he healed them all.

Now when Jesus realized what they were thinking, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and no town or house divided against itself will stand.

But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented when Jonah preached to them -- and now, something greater than Jonah is here!

The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon -- and now, something greater than Solomon is here!

He replied, "You have been given the opportunity to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but they have not.

But he has no root in himself and does not endure; when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away.

But he said, 'No, since in gathering the weeds you may uproot the wheat with them.

Then he said to them, "Therefore every expert in the law who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his treasure what is new and old."

Now when Jesus finished these parables, he moved on from there.

Now when Jesus heard this he went away from there privately in a boat to an isolated place. But when the crowd heard about it, they followed him on foot from the towns.

Then the disciples came to him and said, "Do you know that when the Pharisees heard this saying they were offended?"

Now when the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus, they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

and in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, because the sky is red and darkening.' You know how to judge correctly the appearance of the sky, but you cannot evaluate the signs of the times.

A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah." Then he left them and went away.

So they began to discuss this among themselves, saying, "It is because we brought no bread."

When Jesus learned of this, he said, "You who have such little faith! Why are you arguing among yourselves about having no bread?

Now when Jesus finished these sayings, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan River.

So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."

Now I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another commits adultery."

Now someone came up to him and said, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to gain eternal life?"

They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said to them, 'You go and work in the vineyard too.'

Jesus answered, "You don't know what you are asking! Are you able to drink the cup I am about to drink?" They said to him, "We are able."

Now when the other ten heard this, they were angry with the two brothers.

But Jesus called them and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions use their authority over them.

Now when they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,

Now early in the morning, as he returned to the city, he was hungry.

Now after Jesus entered the temple courts, the chief priests and elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?"

So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." Then he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?"

They sent to him their disciples along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are truthful, and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You do not court anyone's favor because you show no partiality.

Now when they heard this they were stunned, and they left him and went away.

The same day Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to him and asked him,

Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children he left his wife to his brother.

Jesus answered them, "You are deceived, because you don't know the scriptures or the power of God.

Now as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God,

Now when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they assembled together.

No one was able to answer him a word, and from that day on no one dared to question him any longer.

And call no one your 'father' on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.

For I tell you, you will not see me from now until you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!'"

Now as Jesus was going out of the temple courts and walking away, his disciples came to show him the temple buildings.

Jesus answered them, "Watch out that no one misleads you.

For then there will be great suffering unlike anything that has happened from the beginning of the world until now, or ever will happen.

And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

"Learn this parable from the fig tree: Whenever its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.

So also you, when you see all these things, know that he is near, right at the door.

"But as for that day and hour no one knows it -- not even the angels in heaven -- except the Father alone.

For just like the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be.

For in those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark.

And they knew nothing until the flood came and took them all away. It will be the same at the coming of the Son of Man.

"Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

No,' they replied. 'There won't be enough for you and for us. Go instead to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'

But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I do not know you!'

Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Then the one who had received the one talent came and said, 'Sir, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed,

But his master answered, 'Evil and lazy slave! So you knew that I harvest where I didn't sow and gather where I didn't scatter?

"You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."

Now while Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper,

Now on the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?"

I tell you, from now on I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."

(Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I kiss is the man. Arrest him!")

Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and that he would send me more than twelve legions of angels right now?

Now the ones who had arrested Jesus led him to Caiaphas, the high priest, in whose house the experts in the law and the elders had gathered.

So the high priest stood up and said to him, "Have you no answer? What is this that they are testifying against you?"

Jesus said to him, "You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven."

Then the high priest tore his clothes and declared, "He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? Now you have heard the blasphemy!

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A slave girl came to him and said, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean."

But he denied it in front of them all: "I don't know what you're talking about!"

He denied it again with an oath, "I do not know the man!"

At that he began to curse, and he swore with an oath, "I do not know the man!" At that moment a rooster crowed.

Now when Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus had been condemned, he regretted what he had done and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders,