Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar,
Perez fathered Hezron,
Hezron fathered Aram,

Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab,
Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth,
Obed fathered Jesse,

and Jesse fathered King David.

Then David fathered Solomon by Uriah’s wife,

The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit.

But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit.

Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born.

“In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet:

And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the leaders of Judah:
because out of you will come a leader
who will shepherd My people Israel.”

And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.

He stayed there until Herod’s death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called My Son.

Then Herod, when he saw that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the male children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men.

A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children;
and she refused to be consoled,
because they were no more.

Then he went and settled in a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that He will be called a Nazarene.

and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.

Even now the ax is ready to strike the root of the trees! Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him.

But John tried to stop Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and yet You come to me?”

Jesus answered him, “Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him to be baptized.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil.

He left Nazareth behind and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.

Those who mourn are blessed,
for they will be comforted.

Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed,
for they will be filled.

The merciful are blessed,
for they will be shown mercy.

The peacemakers are blessed,
for they will be called sons of God.

Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men.

“You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden.

Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

“You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment.

But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Fool!’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But whoever says, ‘You moron!’ will be subject to hellfire.

leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you’re on the way with him, or your adversary will hand you over to the judge, the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison.

If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne;

or by the earth, because it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King.

Neither should you swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black.

But let your word ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one.

so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of people, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

So whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward!

so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

“Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward!

When you pray, don’t babble like the idolaters, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words.

Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him.

“Therefore, you should pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,
Your name be honored as holy.

Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.

“Whenever you fast, don’t be sad-faced like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive so their fasting is obvious to people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward!

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.

But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness—how deep is that darkness!

“No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money.

Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying?

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

“Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged.

For with the judgment you use, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

“Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles?

So you’ll recognize them by their fruit.

“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock.

But everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

Reaching out His hand He touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean.” Immediately his disease was healed.

“Lord,” the centurion replied, “I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But only say the word, and my servant will be cured.

But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Then Jesus told the centurion, “Go. As you have believed, let it be done for you.” And his servant was cured that very moment.

so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

He Himself took our weaknesses
and carried our diseases.

Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves. But He was sleeping.

Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests be sad while the groom is with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

for she said to herself, “If I can just touch His robe, I’ll be made well!”

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

Then He touched their eyes, saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith!”

And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus warned them sternly, “Be sure that no one finds out!”

But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons!”

and if the household is worthy, let your peace be on it. But if it is unworthy, let your peace return to you.

I assure you: It will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

“Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves.

You will even be brought before governors and kings because of Me, to bear witness to them and to the nations.

But when they hand you over, don’t worry about how or what you should speak. For you will be given what to say at that hour,

You will be hated by everyone because of My name. But the one who endures to the end will be delivered.

“Therefore, don’t be afraid of them, since there is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered and nothing hidden that won’t be made known.

So don’t be afraid therefore; you are worth more than many sparrows.

and a man’s enemies will be
the members of his household.

When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent a message by his disciples

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been suffering violence, and the violent have been seizing it by force.

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

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

And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until today.

But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

All things have been entrusted 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 desires to reveal Him.

so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “The man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”

And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, who is it your sons drive them out by? For this reason they will be your judges.

If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.

Because of this, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

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

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.

For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

But He answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.