But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

And she will give birth to a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East and have come to worship him."

So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the young child, and when you have found him, bring back word to me, so that I too may come and worship him."

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Josnt in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him."

When he rose, he took the young child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt,

"A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."

saying, "Rise, take the young child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young child's life are dead."

and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

His winnowing fork 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 unquenchable fire."

But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented.

and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, 'He will give his angels charge of you,' and 'In their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"

Then Jesus said to him, "Away, Satan! for it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'"

From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

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

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake.

Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its taste, how shall it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.

For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will by any means pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

For I tell you, that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

But I say to you that anyone who is angry with his brother shall be subject to judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca,' shall be answerable to the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of the fire of hell.

If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

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

But I say to you, do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne;

or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.

And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.

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

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

that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

And when you pray, do not use empty repetitions as the Gentiles do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

"And when you fast, do not look gloomy, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that they may be seen by men to be fasting. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,

but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

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

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

For the Gentiles seek after all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

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

For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?

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

So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

"Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it.

For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and few are those who find it.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help,

For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

Then to the centurion Jesus said, "Go; be it done for you as you have believed." And his servant was healed at that very hour.

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

But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.

And behold, a woman who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment.

For she said to herself, "If I only touch his garment, I shall be made well."

he said, "Depart; for the girl is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him.

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the worker is worthy of his food.

Truly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and flog you in their synagogues.

You will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.

But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour;

for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

When they persecute you in one city, flee to another. For truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!

"So do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father's will.

Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

For I have come to set a man 'against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;

He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

and said to him, "Are you the One who is to come, or shall we look for another?"

For this is he of whom it is written: 'Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.'

For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.

'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.'

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'

"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

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 shall be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

But I tell you that it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you."

Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.