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.

She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

When Joseph got up from sleeping, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her

but did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son. And he named Him Jesus.

saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

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

He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find Him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship Him.”

So he got up, took the child and His mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt.

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.

So he got up, took the child and His mother, and entered the land of Israel.

But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee.

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.

For he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said:

A voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
Prepare the way for the Lord;
make His paths straight!

When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to the place of his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but the One who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to remove His sandals. He Himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

His winnowing shovel is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn. But the chaff He will burn up with fire that never goes out.”

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.

After Jesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on Him.

After He had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, He was hungry.

But He answered, “It is written:

Man must not live on bread alone
but on 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 give His angels orders concerning you,
and they will support you with their hands
so that you will not strike
your foot against a stone.”

Again, the Devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.

And he said to Him, “I will give You all these things if You will fall down and worship me.”

When He heard that John had been arrested, He withdrew into Galilee.

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

As He was walking along the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen.

“Follow Me,” He told them, “and I will make you fish for people!”

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

Then the news about Him spread throughout Syria. So they brought to Him all those who were afflicted, those suffering from various diseases and intense pains, the demon-possessed, the epileptics, and the paralytics. And He healed them.

When He saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.

Then He began to teach them, saying:

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.

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.

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.

And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don’t labor or spin thread.

If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t He do much more for you—you of little faith?

Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a log in your eye?

Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

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

How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.

because He was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.

When He came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him.

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

When He entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,

“I will come and heal him,” He told him.

For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”

When Jesus went into Peter’s house, He saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.

So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and began to serve Him.

When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick,

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

He Himself took our weaknesses
and carried our diseases.

When Jesus saw large crowds around Him, He gave the order to go to the other side of the sea.

As He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.

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

But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, you of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea. And there was a great calm.

When He had come to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met Him as they came out of the tombs. They were so violent that no one could pass that way.

“Go!” He told them. So when they had come out, they entered the pigs. And suddenly the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water.

So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own town.

At this, some of the scribes said among themselves, “He’s blaspheming!”

But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He told the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”

And he got up and went home.

As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me!” So he got up and followed Him.

While He was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came as guests to eat with Jesus and His disciples.

But when He heard this, He said, “Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do.

As He was telling them these things, suddenly one of the leaders came and knelt down before Him, saying, “My daughter is near death, but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.”

But Jesus turned and saw her. “Have courage, daughter,” He said. “Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that moment.

When Jesus came to the leader’s house, He saw the flute players and a crowd lamenting loudly.

“Leave,” He said, “because the girl isn’t dead, but sleeping.” And they started laughing at Him.

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

When He entered the house, the blind men approached Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?”

“Yes, Lord,” they answered Him.

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

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

When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were weary and worn out, like sheep without a shepherd.

Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few.

Summoning His 12 disciples, He gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out and to heal every disease and sickness.

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,

It is enough for a disciple to become like his teacher and a slave like his master. If they called the head of the house ‘Beelzebul,’ how much more the members of his household!

Anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. And anyone who welcomes a righteous person because he’s righteous will receive a righteous person’s reward.

And whoever gives just a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple—I assure you: He will never lose his reward!”

When Jesus had finished giving orders to His 12 disciples, He moved on from there to teach and preach in their towns.

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

And if anyone is not offended because of Me, he is blessed.”

This is the one it is written about:

Look, I am sending My messenger ahead of You;
he will prepare Your way before You.

“I assure you: Among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared, but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

if you’re willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who is to come.

For John did not come eating or drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’

Then He proceeded to denounce the towns where most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent:

He said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry—

how he entered the house of God, and they ate the sacred bread, which is not lawful for him or for those with him to eat, but only for the priests?

Moving on from there, He entered their synagogue.

There He saw a man who had a paralyzed hand. And in order to accuse Him they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

But He said to them, “What man among you, if he had a sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, wouldn’t take hold of it and lift it out?

Then He told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored, as good as the other.

But the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.

When Jesus became aware of this, He withdrew from there. Huge crowds followed Him, and He healed them all.

He warned them not to make Him known,

Here is My Servant whom I have chosen,
My beloved in whom My soul delights;
I will put My Spirit on Him,
and He will proclaim justice to the nations.