and sent them to Bethlehem. He told them, "As you go, search carefully for the child. When you find him, tell me so that I, too, may go and worship him."

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."

So Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and left at night for Egypt.

"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."

But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, after having been warned in a dream. So he left for the region of Galilee

He was the one the prophet Isaiah was referring to when he said, "He is a voice calling out in the wilderness: "Prepare the way for the Lord! Make his paths straight!'"

Don't think you can say to yourselves, "We have father Abraham!' because I tell you that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones!

The ax already lies against the roots of the trees. So every tree that isn't producing good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

I am baptizing you with water as evidence of repentance, but the one who is coming after me is stronger than I am, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals. It is he who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

His winnowing fork is in his hand. He will clean up his threshing floor and gather his grain into the barn, but he will burn the chaff with inextinguishable fire."

But Jesus answered him, "Let it be this way for now, because this is the proper way for us to fulfill all righteousness."

At this, he permitted him to be baptized. When Jesus had been baptized, he immediately came up out of the water. Suddenly, the heavens opened up for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him.

After fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, he finally became hungry.

The people living in darkness have seen a great light, and for those living in the land and shadow of death, a light has risen."

"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 persecuted for righteousness' sake, because the kingdom from heaven belongs to them!

"You are the salt of the world. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty again? It's good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled on by people.

But I say to you, anyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be subject to punishment. And whoever says to his brother "Raka!' will be subject to the Council. And whoever says, "You fool!' will be subject to hell fire.

But I say to you, anyone who stares at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

So if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your body parts than to have your whole body thrown into hell.

And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you. It is better for you to lose one of your body parts than to have your whole body go into hell."

But I say to you, any man who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."

Instead, let your message be "Yes' for "Yes' and "No' for "No.' Anything more than that comes from the evil one."

"You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'

Give to the person who asks you for something, and do not turn away from the person who wants to borrow something from you."

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

"Stop storing up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.

But keep on storing up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal,

because it is the unbelievers who are eager for all those things. Surely your heavenly Father knows that you need all of them!

But first be concerned about God's kingdom and his righteousness, and all of these things will be provided for you as well.

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

"There isn't a person among you who would give his son a stone if he asked for bread, is there?

Or if he asks for a fish, he wouldn't give him a snake, would he?

Therefore, whatever you want people to do for you, do the same for them, because this summarizes the Law and the Prophets."

Every tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire.

"Go," Jesus told the centurion, "and it will be done for you, just as you have believed." And his servant was healed that very hour.

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

Just then a woman who had been suffering from chronic bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel of his garment,

Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith, let it be done for you!"

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

or a traveling bag for the trip, or an extra shirt, or sandals, or a walking stick, because a worker deserves his food.

I tell all of you with certainty, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town!"

Watch out for people who will hand you over to the local councils and whip you in their synagogues.

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

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.

and asked him, "Are you the Coming One, or should we wait for someone else?"

"A wedding song we played for you, the dance you all did scorn. A woeful dirge we chanted, too, but then you would not mourn.'

"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.

Indeed I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on Judgment Day than for you!

Indeed I tell you, it will be more bearable for the land of Sodom on Judgment Day than for you!"

Place my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest for your souls,

How is it that he went into the house of God and ate the Bread of the Presence, which was not lawful for him and his companions to eat but was reserved for the priests?

for the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

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

because just as Jonah was in the stomach of the sea creature for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.

The queen of the south will stand up and condemn the people living today, because she came from so far away to hear the wisdom of Solomon. But look! Something greater than Solomon is here!"

"Whenever an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it wanders through waterless places looking for a place to rest, but finds none.

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.'

As for what was sown on the stony ground, this is the person who hears the word and accepts it joyfully at once,

but since he doesn't have any root in himself, he lasts for only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes along because of the word, he immediately falls away.

As for what was sown among the thorn bushes, this is the person who hears the word, but the worries of life and the deceitful pleasures of wealth choke the word so that it can't produce a crop.

But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the person who hears the word, understands it, and produces a crop that yields 100, 60, or 30 times what was sown."

Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, "Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles for burning, but bring the wheat into my barn."'"

Just as weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at end of the age.

"Again, the kingdom from heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.

Then he told them, "That is why every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom from heaven is like the master of a household who brings both new and old things out of his treasure chest."

John had been telling him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."

so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked for.

When he got out of the boat, he saw a large crowd. He had compassion for them and healed their sick.

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."

"These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

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."

Now those who had eaten were four thousand men, besides women and children.

Don't you understand yet? Don't you remember the five loaves for the 5,000 and how many baskets you collected,

or the seven loaves for the 4,000 and how many baskets you collected?

Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it,

because what profit will a person have if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what can a person give in exchange for his life?

Then Peter told Jesus, "Lord, it's good that we're here! If you want, I'll set up three shelters one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

and said, "Sir, have mercy on my son, because he is an epileptic and suffers terribly. Often he falls into fire and often into water.

He told them, "Because of your lack of faith. I tell all of you with certainty, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, "Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.

So Jesus told him, "In that case, the subjects are exempt. However, so that we don't offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook. Take the first fish that comes up, open its mouth, and you will find a coin. Take it and give it to them for me and you."

"If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a large millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned at the bottom of the sea.

How terrible it will be for the world due to its temptations to sin! Temptations to sin are bound to happen, but how terrible it will be for that person who causes someone to sin!

"So if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life injured or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.

And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell fire.

For the Son of Man came to save the lost."

"What do you think? If a man has 100 sheep and one of them strays, he leaves the 99 in the hills and goes to look for the one that has strayed, doesn't he?

Furthermore, I tell all of you with certainty that if two of you agree on earth about anything you request, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven,

Then his master sent for him and told him, "You evil servant! I canceled that entire debt for you because you begged me.

Some Pharisees came to him in order to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?"

I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery."

because some men are celibate from birth, while some are celibate because they have been made that way by others. Still others are celibate because they have made themselves that way for the sake of the kingdom from heaven. Let anyone accept this who can."

Then Jesus told his disciples, "I tell all of you with certainty, it will be hard for a rich person to get into the kingdom from heaven.

Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into the kingdom of God."

Jesus looked at them intently and said, "For humans this is impossible, but for God all things are possible."

"The kingdom from heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

"But he told one of them, "Friend, I'm not treating you unfairly. You did agree with me for a denarius, didn't you?

Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons. She bowed down in front of him to ask him for a favor.