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.

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

But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. After being warned in a dream, he went to the regions of Galilee.

But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

"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.

His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clean out his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the storehouse, but the chaff he will burn up with inextinguishable 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.'"

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

Going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. Then he called them.

They immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.

"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.

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.

So anyone who breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever obeys them and teaches others to do so will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

But I say to you that anyone who is angry with a brother will be subjected to judgment. And whoever insults a brother will be brought before the council, and whoever says 'Fool' will be sent to fiery hell.

I tell you the truth, you will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny!

But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits 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,

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.

But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you,

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

But whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

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, put oil on your head and wash your face,

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.

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

But if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Why do you see the speck in your brother's eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own?

But the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

"Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves.

In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.

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

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.

The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed; it was utterly destroyed!"

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.

but the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

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."

But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

As he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.

And a great storm developed on the sea so that the waves began to swamp the boat. But he was asleep.

But he said to them, "Why are you cowardly, you people of little faith?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was dead calm.

After getting into a boat he crossed to the other side and came to his own town.

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."

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."

Then John's disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don't fast?"

Jesus said to them, "The wedding guests cannot mourn while the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days are coming when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast.

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."

As he was saying these things, a ruler came, bowed low before him, and said, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live."

But a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak.

But when Jesus turned and saw her he said, "Have courage, daughter! Your faith has made you well." And the woman was healed from that hour.

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

But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and gently took her by the hand, and the girl got up.

But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that entire region.

But the Pharisees said, "By the ruler of demons he casts out demons."

Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

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

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

"Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise against parents and have them put to death.

And you will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

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.

But whoever denies me before people, I will deny him also before my Father in heaven.

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

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look at him, a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."

But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you!

But I tell you, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you!"

But when the Pharisees saw this they said to him, "Look, your disciples are doing what is against the law to do on the Sabbath."

how he entered the house of God and they ate the sacred bread, which was against the law for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests?

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 the Pharisees went out and plotted against him, as to how they could assassinate him.

But he sternly warned them not to make him known.

"Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I take great delight. I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.

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

But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has already overtaken you.

For this reason I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is known by its fruit.

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.

"When an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it passes through waterless places looking for rest but does not find it.

Then it says, 'I will return to the home I left.' When it returns, it finds the house empty, swept clean, and put in order.

And such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat to sit while the whole crowd stood on the shore.

But when the sun came up, they were scorched, and because they did not have sufficient root, they withered.

But other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.

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

For whoever has will be given more, and will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.

"But your eyes are blessed because they see, and your ears because they hear.

For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

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

The seed sown among thorns is the person who hears the word, but worldly cares and the seductiveness of wealth choke the word, so it produces nothing.

But as for the seed sown on good soil, this is the person who hears the word and understands. He bears fruit, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown."

But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.

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

Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I will tell the reapers, "First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned, but then gather the wheat into my barn."'"

It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest garden plant and becomes a tree, so that the wild birds come and nest in its branches."