There are therefore, in all, fourteen generations from Abraham to David; fourteen from David to the Removal to Babylon; and fourteen from the Removal to Babylon to the Christ.

But while he was contemplating this step, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to bring home your wife Mary, for she is with child through the Holy Spirit.

She will give birth to a Son, and you are to call His name JESUS for He it is who will save His People from their sins."

All this took place in fulfilment of what the Lord had spoken through the Prophet,

"Mark! The maiden will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call His name Immanuel" --a word which signifies 'God with us'.

Reports of this soon reached the king, and greatly agitated not only him but all the people of Jerusalem.

So he assembled all the High Priests and Scribes of the people, and anxiously asked them where the Christ was to be born.

After hearing what the king said, they went to Bethlehem, while, strange to say, the star they had seen in the east led them on until it came and stood over the place where the babe was.

Then Herod, finding that the Magi had trifled with him, was furious, and sent and massacred all the boys under two years of age, in Bethlehem and all its neighbourhood, according to the date he had so carefully ascertained from the Magi.

Then large numbers of people went out to him--people from Jerusalem and from all Judaea, and from the whole of the Jordan valley--

And already the axe is lying at the root of the trees, so that every tree which does not produce good fruit will quickly be hewn down and thrown into the fire.

I indeed am baptizing you in water on a profession of repentance; but He who is coming after me is mightier than I: His sandals I am not worthy to carry for a moment; He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire.

His winnowing-shovel is in His hand, and He will make a thorough clearance of His threshing-floor, gathering His wheat into the storehouse, but burning up the chaff in unquenchable fire."

while a voice came from Heaven, saying, "This is My Son, the dearly loved, in whom is My delight."

and said, "If you are God's Son, throw yourself down; for it is written, "'To His angels He will give orders concerning thee, and on their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any moment thou shouldst strike thy foot against a stone.'"

Then the Devil took Him to the top of an exceedingly lofty mountain, from which he caused Him to see all the Kingdoms of the world and their splendour,

and said to Him, "All this I will give you, if you will kneel down and do me homage."

And He said to them, "Come and follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

Then Jesus travelled through all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom, and curing every kind of disease and infirmity among the people.

Thus His fame spread through all Syria; and they brought all the sick to Him, the people who were suffering from various diseases and pains--demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He cured them.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for it is they who will be recognized as sons of God.

Nor is a lamp lighted to be put under a bushel, but on the lampstand; and then it gives light to all in the house.

Just so let your light shine before all men, in order that they may see your holy lives and may give glory to your Father who is in Heaven.

Solemnly I tell you that until Heaven and earth pass away, not one iota or smallest detail will pass away from the Law until all has taken place.

Whoever therefore breaks one of these least commandments and teaches others to break them, will be called the least in the Kingdom of the Heavens; but whoever practises them and teaches them, he will be acknowledged as great in the Kingdom of the Heavens.

For I assure you that unless your righteousness greatly surpasses that of the Scribes and the Pharisees, you will certainly not find entrance into the Kingdom of the Heavens.

"You have heard that it was said to the ancients, 'Thou shalt not commit murder', and whoever commits murder will be answerable to the magistrate.

Come to terms without delay with your opponent while you are yet with him on the way to the court; for fear he should obtain judgement from the magistrate against you, and the magistrate should give you in custody to the officer and you be thrown into prison.

I solemnly tell you that you will certainly not be released till you have paid the very last farthing.

If therefore your eye, even the right eye, is a snare to you, tear it out and away with it; it is better for you that one member should be destroyed rather than that your whole body should be thrown into Gehenna.

And if your right hand is a snare to you, cut it off and away with it; it is better for you that one member should be destroyed rather than that your whole body should go into Gehenna.

But I tell you not to swear at all; neither by Heaven, for it is God's throne;

But I tell you not to resist a wicked man, but if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well.

But I command you all, love your enemies, and pray for your persecutors;

that so you may become true sons of your Father in Heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the wicked as well as the good, and sends rain upon those who do right and those who do wrong.

that your charities may be in secret; and then your Father--He who sees in secret--will recompense you.

But you, whenever you pray, go into your own room and shut the door: then pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father--He who sees in secret--will recompense you.

let Thy kingdom come; let Thy will be done, as in Heaven so on earth;

"For if you forgive others their offences, your Heavenly Father will forgive you also;

but if you do not forgive others their offences, neither will your Father forgive yours.

that it may not be apparent to men that you are fasting, but to your Father who is in secret; and your Father--He who sees in secret--will recompense you.

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

"The eye is the lamp of the body. If then your eyesight is good, your whole body will be well lighted;

but if your eyesight is bad, your whole body will be dark. If however the very light within you is darkness, how dense must the darkness be!

"No man can be the bondservant of two masters; for either he will dislike one and like the other, or he will attach himself to one and think slightingly of the other. You cannot be the bondservants both of God and of gold.

and yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his magnificence could array himself like one of these.

And if God so clothes the wild herbage which to-day flourishes and to-morrow is thrown into the oven, is it not much more certain that He will clothe you, you men of little faith?

For all these are questions that Gentiles are always asking; but your Heavenly Father knows that you need these things--all of them.

But make His Kingdom and righteousness your chief aim, and then these things shall all be given you in addition.

Do not be over-anxious, therefore, about to-morrow, for to-morrow will bring its own cares. Enough for each day are its own troubles.

for your own judgement will be dealt--and your own measure meted--to yourselves.

Or how say to your brother, 'Allow me to take the splinter out of your eye,' while the beam is in your own eye?

Hypocrite, first take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly how to remove the splinter from your brother's eye.

"Give not that which is holy to the dogs, nor throw your pearls to the swine; otherwise they will trample them under their feet and then turn and attack you.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

What man is there among you, who if his son shall ask him for bread will offer him a stone?

Or if the son shall ask him for a fish will offer him a snake?

If you then, imperfect as you are, 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!

By their fruits you will easily recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thorns or figs from brambles?

So by their fruits at any rate, you will easily recognize them.

"Not every one who says to me, 'Master, Master,' will enter the Kingdom of the Heavens, but only those who are obedient to my Father who is in Heaven.

Many will say to me on that day, "'Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Thy name, and in Thy name expelled demons, and in Thy name performed many mighty works?'

"And then I will tell them plainly, "'I never knew you: begone from me, you doers of wickedness.'

"Every one who hears these my teachings and acts upon them will be found to resemble a wise man who builds his house upon rock;

And every one who hears these my teachings and does not act upon them will be found to resemble a fool who builds his house upon sand.

"Sir," he said, "my servant at home is lying ill with paralysis, and is suffering great pain."

"I will come and cure him," said Jesus.

"Sir," replied the Captain, "I am not a fit person to receive you under my roof: merely say the word, and my servant will be cured.

And I tell you that many will come from the east and from the west and will recline at table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of the Heavens,

while the natural heirs of the Kingdom will be driven out into the darkness outside: there will be the weeping aloud and the gnashing of teeth."

After this Jesus went to the house of Peter, whose mother-in-law he found ill in bed with fever.

In the evening many demoniacs were brought to Him, and with a word He expelled the demons; and He cured all the sick,

when a Scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."

Another of the disciples said to Him, "Sir, allow me first to go and bury my father."

The swineherds fled, and went and told the whole story in the town, including what had happened to the demoniacs.

So at once the whole population came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they besought Him to leave their country.

And while He was reclining at table, a large number of tax-gathers and notorious sinners were of the party with Jesus and His disciples.

"Can the bridegroom's party mourn," He replied, "as long as the bridegroom is with them? But other days will come (when the Bridegroom has been taken from them)

While He was thus speaking, a Ruler came up and profoundly bowing said, "My daughter is just dead; but come and put your hand upon her and she will return to life."

And the report of this spread throughout all that district.

But they went out and published His fame in all that district.

And Jesus continued His circuits through all the towns and the villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom, and curing every kind of disease and infirmity.

I solemnly tell you that it will be more endurable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of Judgement than for that town.

But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to appear before Sanhedrins, and will flog you in their synagogues;

and you will even be put on trial before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness to them and to the Gentiles.

for it is not you who will speak: it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Brother will betray brother to death, and father, child; and children will rise against their own parents and will put them to death.

And you will be objects of universal hatred because you are called by my name; but he who holds out to the End--he will be saved.

Whenever they persecute you in one town, escape to the next; for I solemnly tell you that you will not have gone the round of all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Enough for the learner to be on a level with his teacher, and for the servant to be on a level with his master. If they have called the master of the house Baal-zebul, how much more will they slander his servants?

Fear them not, however; there is nothing veiled which will not be uncovered, nor secret which will not become known.

Do not two sparrows sell for a halfpenny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's leave.

But as for you, the very hairs on your heads are all numbered.

"Every man who acknowledges me before men I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in Heaven.

But whoever disowns me before men I also will disown before my Father who is in Heaven.

and a man's own family will be his foes.

Every one who receives a prophet, because he is a prophet, will receive a prophet's reward, and every one who receives a righteous man, because he is a righteous man, will receive a righteous man's reward.

And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink because he is a disciple, I solemnly tell you that he will not lose his reward."

This is he of whom it is written, "'See I am sending My messenger before Thy face, and he will make Thy road ready before Thee.'

"I solemnly tell you that among all of woman born no greater has ever been raised up than John the Baptist; yet one who is of lower rank in the Kingdom of the Heavens is greater than he.