and Jesse of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother was Uriah's wife.

So the whole number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen, and from David to the Babylonian Exile, fourteen, and from the Babylonian Exile to the Christ, fourteen.

So when Joseph awoke from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had directed him, and took his wife to his home.

So he called together all the high priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Christ was to be born.

" 'And you, Bethlehem in Judah's land, You are by no means least important among the leading places of Judah, For from you will come a leader Who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.' "

And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said to them, "Go and inquire particularly about the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, so that I may go and do homage to him too."

So they obeyed the king and went, and the star which they had seen rise led them on until it reached the place where the child was, and stopped above it.

When they saw the star, they were very glad,

and they went into the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they threw themselves down and did homage to him. They opened their treasure boxes and presented the child with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Then Herod saw that he had been tricked by the astrologers, and he was very angry, and he sent and made away with all the boys in Bethlehem and in all that neighborhood who were two years old or under, for that was the tune he had learned from the astrologers by his inquiries.

and said, "Wake up! Take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead."

It was he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, when he said, "Hark! Someone is shouting in the desert, 'Get the Lord's way ready! Make his paths straight!' "

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of snakes! Who warned you to escape from the wrath that is coming?

Do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our forefather,' for I tell you God can produce descendants for Abraham right out of these stones!

But Jesus answered, "Let it be so this time, for it is right for us to do everything that God requires." Then John consented.

And when Jesus was baptized, he went right up out of the water, and the heavens opened, and he saw the Spirit of God come down like a dove and light upon him,

And the tempter came up and said to him, "If you are God's son, tell these stones to turn into bread!"

and said to him, "If you are God's son, throw yourself down, for the Scripture says, " 'He will give his angels orders about you, And they will lift you up with their hands So that you may never strike your foot against a stone!' "

And he left Nazareth and went and settled in Capernaum, by the sea, in the district of Zebulon and Naphtali,

"Zebulon's land, and Naphtali's land, Along the road to the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the nations!

From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent! for the Kingdom of Heaven is coming!"

As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who was afterward called Peter, and his brother, Andrew, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

And he went on a little farther and saw two other men who were brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother, John, in the boat with Zebedee, their father, putting their nets in order, and he called them.

When he saw the crowds of people he went up on the mountain. There he seated himself, and when his disciples had come up to him,

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God!

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called God's sons!

"Blessed are you when people abuse you, and persecute you, and falsely say everything bad of you, on my account.

Your light must burn in that way among men so that they will see the good you do, and praise your Father in heaven.

Anyone, therefore, who weakens one of the slightest of these commands, and teaches others to do so, will be ranked lowest in the Kingdom of Heaven; but anyone who observes them and teaches others to do so will be ranked high in the Kingdom of Heaven.

So when you are presenting your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother has any grievance against you,

But I tell you not to swear at all, either by heaven, for it is God's throne,

and if anyone wants to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat too.

so that you may show yourselves true sons of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on bad and good alike, and makes the rain fall on the upright and the wrongdoers.

So you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is.

"But take care not to do your good deeds in public for people to see, for, if you do, you will get no reward from your Father in heaven.

So when you are going to give to charity, do not blow a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues and the streets, to make people praise them. I tell you, that is all the reward they will get!

so that your charity may be secret, and your Father who sees what is secret will reward you.

"When you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they like to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the squares, to let people see them. I tell you, that is the only reward they will get!

"When you fast, do not put on a gloomy look, like the hypocrites, for they neglect their personal appearance to let people see that they are fasting. I tell you, that is all the reward they will get.

so that no one may see that you are fasting, except your Father who is unseen, and your Father who sees what is secret, will reward you.

Look at the wild birds. They do not sow or reap, or store their food in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more account than they?

Why should you worry about clothing? See how the wild flowers grow. They do not toil or spin,

But if God so beautifully dresses the wild grass, which is alive today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, will he not much more surely clothe you, you who have so little faith?

So do not worry and say, 'What shall we have to eat?' or 'What shall we have to drink?' or 'What shall we have to wear?'

So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries of its own. Let each day be content with its own ills.

"Pass no more judgments upon other people, so that you may not have judgment passed upon you.

Why do you keep looking at the speck in your brother's eye, and pay no attention to the beam that is in your own?

How can you say to your brother, 'Just let me get that speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a beam in your own?

You hypocrite! First get the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see to get the speck out of your brother's eye.

So if you, bad as you are, know enough to give your children what is good, how much more surely will your Father in heaven give what is good to those who ask him for it!

Just so any sound tree bears good fruit, but a poor tree bears bad fruit.

So you can tell them by their fruit.

Many will say to me on that Day, 'Lord! Lord! Was it not in your name that we prophesied, and by your name that we drove out demons, and by your name that we did many mighty acts?'

Then I will say to them plainly, 'I never knew you! Go away from me, you who do wrong!'

So he stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I do choose! Be cured!" And his leprosy was immediately cured.

Then Jesus said to him, "See that you tell nobody, but go! Show yourself to the priest, and in proof of your cure, offer the gift that Moses prescribed."

But the captain answered, "I am not a suitable person, sir, to have you come under my roof, but simply say the word, and my servant will be cured.

Jesus went into Peter's house, and there he found Peter's mother-in-law sick in bed with fever.

And suddenly a terrific storm came up on the sea, so that the waves broke over the boat, but he remained asleep.

And he said to them, "Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!" Then he got up and reproved the wind and the sea, and there was a great calm.

And the men were amazed and said, "What kind of man is this? For the very winds and sea obey him!"

When he reached the other side, in the region of Gadara, two men possessed by demons came out of the tombs and confronted him; they were so extremely violent that nobody could go along that road.

And he said to them, "Begone!" And they came out and went into the pigs. And suddenly the whole drove rushed over the steep bank into the sea, and perished in the water.

And the whole town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him they begged him to go away from their district.

So he got into the boat and crossed the sea, and returned to his own city.

For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'?

And when the crowd saw it, they were filled with awe, and praised God for giving such power to men.

Afterward, as Jesus was passing along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tollhouse, and he said to him, "Follow me!" And he got up and followed him.

And people do not put new wine into old wine-skins, or if they do, the skins burst, and the wine runs out and the skins are spoiled. But people put new wine into fresh wine-skins, and so both are saved."

And Jesus turned and saw her, and he said, "Courage, my daughter! Your faith has cured you!" And from that time the woman was well.

When Jesus reached the official's house, and saw the flute-players and the disturbance the crowd was making,

So pray to the owner of the harvest to send reapers to gather it."

Then he called his twelve disciples to him, and gave them power over the foul spirits so that they could drive them out, and so that they could heal any disease or illness.

but proceed instead to the lost sheep of Israel's house.

And as you go about, preach and say, 'The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!'

"Here I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. So you must be wise like serpents, and guileless like doves.

But when they give you up, you must have no anxiety about how to speak or what to say, for you will be told at the very moment what you ought to say,

So do not be afraid of them. For there is nothing covered up that is not going to be uncovered, nor secret that is not going to be known.

What I tell you in the dark you must say in the light, and what you hear whispered in your ear, you must proclaim from the housetops.

Do not sparrows sell two for a cent? And yet not one of them can fall to the ground against your Father's will!

and a man's enemies will be in his own household.

Jesus answered, "Go and report to John what you hear and see.

Then what did you go out there to see? A man luxuriously dressed? Men who dress in that way you find in the palaces of kings.

Then why did you go out there? Was it to see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and far more than a prophet!

Now that the Son of Man has come, he does eat and drink, and people say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a drinker, the companion of tax-collectors and irreligious people!' And yet Wisdom is vindicated by her actions!"

Yes, I thank you, Father, for choosing to have it so.

But the Pharisees saw it and said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing something which it is against the Law to do on the Sabbath!"

and warned them not to say anything about him

At that time some people brought to him a man blind and dumb, who was possessed by a demon, and he cured him, so that the dumb man could speak and see.

If Satan is driving Satan out, he is disunited, and so how can his kingdom last?

And if I am driving the demons out by Beelzebub's aid, by whose aid do your sons drive them out? Therefore let them be your judges.

But if I am driving the demons out by the aid of God's Spirit, then the Kingdom of God has overtaken you.

How can anyone get into a strong man's house and carry off his property unless he first binds the strong man? After that he can plunder his house.

The queen of the south will rise with this age at the judgment and condemn it, for she came from the very ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and there is more than Solomon here!

And he told them many things in figures, and said to them, "A sower went out to sow,

This is why I speak to them in figures, because though they look they do not see, and though they listen they do not hear or understand.

They are a fulfilment of Isaiah's prophecy, " 'You will listen and listen, and never understand, And you will look and look, and never see!

For this nation's mind has grown dull, And they hear faintly with their ears, And they have shut their eyes, So as never to see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their minds, and turn back, And let me cure them!'

But blessed are your eyes, for they do see, and your ears, for they do hear.

For I tell you, many prophets and upright men have longed to see what you see, and could not see it, and to hear what you hear, and could not hear it.