Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah happened in this way. When his mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, before they lived together she was discovered to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit.

"See, a virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel,"

They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, because that is what was written by the prophet:

After listening to the king, they set out, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.

When they saw the star, they were ecstatic with joy.

After they went into the house and saw the child with his mother Mary, they fell down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasure sacks and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they left for their own country by a different road.

After they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt," he said. "Stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and kill him."

"A voice was heard in Ramah: wailing and great mourning. Rachel was crying for her children. She refused to be comforted, because they no longer existed."

being baptized by him in the Jordan River while they confessed their sins.

He told Jesus, "Since you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, because it is written, "God will put his angels in charge of you,' and, "With their hands they will hold you up, so that you will never hit your foot against a rock.'"

While Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers Simon (also called Peter) and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, because they were fishermen.

So at once they left their nets and followed him.

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

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

"How blessed are those who mourn, because it is they who will be comforted!

"How blessed are those who are humble, because it is they who will inherit the earth!

"How blessed are those who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because it is they who will be satisfied!

"How blessed are those who are merciful, because it is they who will receive mercy!

"How blessed are those who are pure in heart, because it is they who will see God!

"How blessed are those who make peace, because it is they who will be called God's children!

Rejoice and be extremely glad, because your reward in heaven is great! That's how they persecuted the prophets who came before you."

In the same way, let your light shine before people in such a way that they will see your good actions and glorify your Father in heaven."

If you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Even the tax collectors do the same, don't they?

And if you greet only your relatives, that's no great thing you're doing, is it? Even the unbelievers do the same, don't they?

So whenever you give to the poor, don't blow a trumpet before you like the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets so that they will be praised by people. I tell all of you with certainty, they have their full reward!

"And whenever you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who love to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they will be seen by people. I tell all of you with certainty, they have their full reward!

"When you are praying, don't say meaningless things like the unbelievers do, because they think they will be heard by being so wordy.

"Whenever you fast, don't be gloomy like the hypocrites, because they put on sad faces to show others they are fasting. I tell all of you with certainty, they have their full reward!

Look at the birds in the sky. They don't plant or harvest or gather food into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. You are more valuable than they are, aren't you?

And why do you worry about clothes? Consider the lilies in the field and how they grow. They don't work or spin yarn,

"Never give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs. Otherwise, they will trample them with their feet and then turn around and attack you."

You will know them by their fruit. Grapes aren't gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles, are they?

They went to him and woke him up. "Lord!" they cried, "Save us! We're going to die!"

The men were amazed. "What kind of man is this?" they asked. "Even the winds and the sea obey him!"

When Jesus arrived on the other side in the region of the Gerasenes, two demon-possessed men met him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so violent that no one could travel on that road.

Suddenly, they screamed, "What do you want with us, Son of God? Did you come here to torture us before the proper time?"

He told them, "Go," and they came out and went into the pigs. Suddenly, the whole herd rushed down a steep slope into the sea and drowned in the water.

Now when those who had been taking care of the pigs ran away, they came into the city and reported everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men.

Then the whole city went out to meet Jesus, and as soon as they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking, replied, "Why do you have such evil thoughts in your hearts?

When the crowds saw this, they became frightened and glorified God for giving such authority to humans.

Jesus asked them, "The wedding guests can't mourn as long as the groom is with them, can they? But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast."

Nor do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will spill out, and the skins will be ruined. Instead, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved."

he said, "Go away! The young lady hasn't died, but is sleeping." But they ridiculed him with laughter.

When he had gone into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus asked them, "Do you believe I can do this?" They told him, "Yes, Lord!"

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

When he saw the crowds, he was deeply moved with compassion for them, because they were troubled and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Then Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority over unclean spirits, so that they could drive them out and heal every disease and every illness.

When they hand you over, don't worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say, because in that hour what you are to say will be given to you.

So when they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, because I tell all of you with certainty that you will not have gone through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher and a slave to be like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they do the same to those of his household!"

"Two sparrows are sold for a penny, aren't they? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's permission.

As they were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John. "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

"To what can I compare the people living today? They're like little children who sit in the marketplaces and shout to each other,

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, "Look, a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Absolved from every act of sin, is wisdom by her kith and kin."

Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had taken place, because they didn't repent.

"How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How terrible it will be for you, Bethsaida! Because if the miracles that happened in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

When the Pharisees saw this, they told him, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!"

But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "This man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons."

He knew what they were thinking and told them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.

If I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own followers drive them out? That is why they will be your judges!

I tell you, on Judgment Day people will give an account for every thoughtless word they have uttered,

The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment and condemn the people living today, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah. But look something greater than Jonah is here!

Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and settle there. And so the final condition of that person becomes worse than the first. That's just what will happen to this evil generation!"

Other seeds fell on stony ground, where they did not have a lot of soil. They sprouted at once because the soil wasn't deep.

But when the sun came up, they were scorched. Since they did not have any roots, they dried up.

That's why I speak to them in parables, because "they look but don't see, and they listen but don't hear or understand.'

for this people's heart has become dull, and their ears are hard of hearing. They have shut their eyes so that they might not see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.'

"How blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear!

The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everything that causes others to sin and those who practice lawlessness

and they will throw them into a blazing furnace. In that place there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

When it was full, the fishermen hauled it ashore. Then they sat down, sorted the good fish into containers, and threw the bad ones away.

"Do you understand all these things?" They told him, "Yes."

He went to his hometown and began teaching the people in their synagogue in such a way that they were amazed and asked, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miracles?

This is the builder's son, isn't it? His mother is named Mary, isn't she? His brothers are James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas, aren't they?

And his sisters are all with us, aren't they? So where did this man get all these things?"

And they were offended by him.

Although Herod wanted to kill him, he was afraid of the crowd, since they regarded John as a prophet.

When John's disciples came, they carried off the body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

When evening had come, the disciples went to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and it's already late. Send the crowds away so that they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves."

But Jesus told them, "They don't need to go away. You give them something to eat."

They told him, "We don't have anything here except five loaves of bread and two fish."

When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified and cried out, "It's a ghost!" And they screamed in terror.

As they got into the boat, the wind stopped blowing.

They crossed over and came ashore at Gennesaret.

When the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word throughout that region and brought him everyone who was sick.

They kept begging him to let them touch just the tassel of his garment, and everyone who touched it was completely healed.

"Why do your disciples disregard the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands when they eat."

Their worship of me is empty, because they teach human rules as doctrines.'"

Then the disciples came and asked him, "Do you realize that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?"

Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If one blind person leads another blind person, both will fall into a ditch."

Large crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, those unable to talk, and many others. They placed them at his feet, and he healed them.

As a result, the crowd was amazed to see those who were unable to talk speaking, the crippled healed, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. So they praised the God of Israel.

Then Jesus called his disciples and said, "I have compassion for the crowd because they have already been with me for three days and have nothing to eat. I don't want to send them away without food, or they may faint on the road."

Jesus asked them, "How many loaves of bread do you have?" They said, "Seven, and a few small fish."

All of them ate until they were filled, then the disciples picked up what was left of the broken pieces seven baskets full.

When the Pharisees and Sadducees arrived, in order to test Jesus they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

When his disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to take any bread along.

As they began to discuss this among themselves, they kept saying, "We didn't bring along any bread."