He had been dwelling upon this, when an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. "Joseph, son of David," the angel said, "do not be afraid to take Mary for your wife, for her child has been conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.

She shall give birth to a son; and you shall give him the name Jesus, for it is he who shall save his people from their sins."

'Behold! the virgin shall be with child and shall give birth to a son, And they will give him the name Immanuel'--a word which means 'God is with us.'

He made Mary his wife, but did not live with her as her husband until after the birth of her son; and to this son he gave the name Jesus.

And, sending them to Bethlehem, he said: "Go and make careful inquiries about the child, and, as soon as you have found him, bring me word, that I, too, may go and do homage to him."

The Astrologers heard what the King had to say, and then continued their journey. And the star which they had seen in the east led them on, until it reached, and stood over, the place where the child was.

And there he stayed until Herod's death; in fulfillment of these words of the Lord in the Prophet, where he says--'Out of Egypt I called my Son.'

And from the heavens there came a voice which said: "This is my son, the Beloved, in whom I delight."

And the Tempter came to him, and said: "If you are God's Son, tell these stones to become loaves of bread."

"If you are God's Son, throw yourself down, for Scripture says- -'He will give his angels commands about thee, And on their hands they will upbear thee, Lest ever thou shouldst strike thy foot against a stone.'"

The people who were dwelling in darkness Have seen a great Light, And, for those who were dwelling in the shadow-land of Death, A Light has risen!'

Going further on, he saw two other men who were also brothers, James, Zebediah's son, and his brother John, in their boat with their father, mending their nets. Jesus called them,

That you may become Sons of your Father who is in Heaven; for he causes his sun to rise upon bad and good alike, and sends rain upon the righteous and upon the unrighteous.

Take care not to perform your religious duties in public in order to be seen by others; if you do, your Father who is in Heaven has no reward for you.

And, when you pray, you are not to behave as hypocrites do. They like to pray standing in the Synagogues and at the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. There, I tell you, is their reward!

And, when you fast, do not put on gloomy looks, as hypocrites do who disfigure their faces that they may be seen by men to be fasting. That, I tell you, is their reward!

That he may not be seen by men to be fasting, but by his Father who dwells in secret; and his Father, who sees what is secret, will recompense him.

Who among you, when his son asks him for a loaf, will give him a stone,

And then I shall say to them plainly 'I never knew you. Go from my presence, you who live in sin.'

"Foxes have holes," answered Jesus, "and wild birds their roosting-places, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."

Suddenly they shrieked out: "What do you want with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before our time?"

But, that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"--then he said to the paralyzed man-- "Get up, take up your bed, and return to your home."

As Jesus was passing on from there, he was followed by two blind men, who kept calling out: "Take pity on us, Son of David!"

And, as soon as the demon had been driven out, the dumb man spoke. The people were astonished at this, and exclaimed: "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!"

The names of the twelve Apostles are these: First Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James the son of Zebediah, and his brother John;

Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax-gather; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;

But, when they persecute you in one town, escape to the next; for, I tell you, you will not have come to the end of the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

And now that the Son of Man has come, eating and drinking, they are saying 'Here is a glutton and a wine-drinker, a friend of tax-gatherers and outcasts!' And yet Wisdom is vindicated by her actions."

Everything has been committed to me by my Father; nor does any one fully know the Son, except the Father, or fully know the Father, except the Son and those to whom the Son may choose to reveal him.

For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath."

At this all the people were astounded. "Is it possible that this is the son of David?" they exclaimed.

Therefore, I tell you, men will be forgiven every sin and slander; but slander against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

Whoever speaks against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in the present age, or in the age to come.

At this point, some Teachers of the Law and Pharisees interposed. "Teacher," they said, " we want to see some sign from you."

"It is a wicked and unfaithful generation," answered Jesus, "that is asking for a sign, and no sign shall be given it except the sign of the Prophet Jonah.

For, just as 'Jonah was inside the sea-monster three days and three nights,' so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

As soon as the sun had risen, it was scorched, and, having no root, withered away.

When any one hears the Message of the Kingdom without understanding it, the Evil One comes and snatches away what has been sown in his mind. This is the man meant by the seed which was sown along the path.

By the seed which was sown on rocky places is meant the man who hears the Message, and at once accepts it joyfully;

By the seed which was sown among the brambles is meant the man who hears the Message, but the cares of life and the glamour of wealth completely choke the Message, so that it gives no return.

But by the seed which was sown on the good ground is meant the man who hears the Message and understands it, and really yields a return, sometimes one hundred, sometimes sixty, sometimes thirty fold."

And he answered: "The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man.

The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom all that hinders and those who live in sin,

Then shall the righteous shine, like the sun, in the Kingdom of their Father. Let him who has ears hear.

Is not he the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brothers James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas?

But the men in the boat threw themselves on their faces before him, and said: "You are indeed God's Son."

There, a Canaanite woman of that district came out and began calling to Jesus: "Take pity on me, Master, Son of David; my daughter is grievously possessed by a demon."

Here the Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and, to test Jesus, requested him to show them some sign from the heavens.

A wicked and unfaithful generation is asking for a sign, but no sign shall be given it except the sign of Jonah." So he left them and went away.

On coming into the neighborhood of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples this question-- "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"

And to this Simon Peter answered: "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."

"Blessed are you, Simon, Son of Jonah," Jesus replied. "For no human being has revealed this to you, but my Father who is in Heaven.

For the Son of Man is to come in his Father's Glory, with his angels, and then he 'will give to every man what his actions deserve.'

I tell you, some of those who are standing here will not know death till they have seen the Son of Man coming into his Kingdom."

There his appearance was transformed before their eyes; his face shown like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and there was a voice from the cloud that said-- "This is my Son, the Beloved, in whom I delight; him you must hear."

As they were going down the mountain side, Jesus gave them this warning-- "Do not speak of this vision to any one, until the Son of Man has risen from the dead."

And I tell you that Elijah has already come, and people have not recognized him, but have treated him just as they pleased. In the same way, too, the Son of Man is destined to undergo suffering at men's hands."

"Master, take pity on my son, for he is epileptic and suffers terribly; indeed, he often falls into the fire and into the water;

While Jesus and his disciples were together in Galilee, he said to them: "The Son of Man is destined to be betrayed into the hands of his fellow-men,

"I tell you," answered Jesus, "that at the New Creation, 'when the Son of Man takes his seat on his throne of glory,' you who followed me shall be seated upon twelve thrones, as judges of the twelve tribes of Israel.

"Listen! We are going up to Jerusalem; and there the Son of Man will be betrayed to the Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law, and they will condemn him to death,

Just as the Son of Man came, not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Two blind men who were sitting by the road-side, hearing that Jesus was passing, called out: "Take pity on us, Master, Son of David!"

The crowd told them to be quiet; but the men only called out the louder: "Take pity on us, Master, Son of David!"

'Say to the daughter of Zion--"Behold, thy King is coming to thee, Gentle, and riding on an ass, And on the foal of a beast of burden."'

The crowds that led the way, as well as those that followed behind, kept shouting: "God save the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! God save him from on high!"

But, when the Chief Priests and the Teachers of the Law saw the wonderful things that Jesus did, and the boys who were calling out in the Temple Courts "God save the Son of David!", they were indignant,

What do you think of this? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the elder and said 'Go and work in the vineyard to-day my son.'

Then the father went to the second son, and said the same. 'I will not,' he answered; but afterwards he was sorry and went.

As a last resource he sent his son to them. 'They will respect my son,' he said.

But the tenants, on seeing his son, said to each other 'Here is the heir! Come, let us kill him, and get his inheritance.'

"The Kingdom of Heaven," he said, "may be compared to a king who gave a banquet in honor of his son's wedding.

"What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" "David's," they said.

Since, then, David calls him 'lord,' how is he David's son?"

It is the same with you. Outwardly, and to others, you have the look of religious men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and sin.

in order that upon your heads may fall every drop of innocent 'blood split on earth,' from the blood of innocent Abel down to that of Zechariah, Barachiah's son, whom you murdered between the Temple and the altar.

So, while Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came up to him privately and said: "Tell us when this will be, and what will be the sign of your Coming, and of the close of the age."

As soon, then, as you see 'the Foul Desecration,' mentioned by the Prophet Daniel, standing in the Holy Place," (the reader must consider what this means)

For, just as lightning will start from the east and flash across to the west, so will it be with the Coming of the Son of Man.

Immediately after the distress of those days, 'the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give her light, the stars will fall from the heavens,' and 'the forces of the heavens will be convulsed.'

Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in the heavens; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn, when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the heavens,' with power and great glory;

Learn the lesson taught by the fig tree. As soon as its branches are full of sap, and it is bursting into leaf, you know that summer is near.

And so may you, as soon as you see all these things, know that he is at your doors.

But about that Day and Hour, no one knows--not even the angels of Heaven, nor yet the Son--but only the Father himself.

For, just as in the days of Noah, so will it be at the Coming of the Son of Man.

Taking not notice till the flood came and swept them one and all away; and so will it be at the Coming of the Son of Man.

Therefore, do you also prepare, since it is just when you are least expecting him that the Son of Man will come.

The man who had received the six hundred pounds came up, too, and said 'Sir, I knew that you were a hard man; you reap where you have not sown, and gather up where you have not winnowed;

'You lazy, worthless servant!' was his master's reply. 'You knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather up where I have not winnowed?

When the Son of Man has come in his glory and all the angels with him, then he 'will take his seat on his throne of glory';

"You know that in two days time the Festival of the Passover will be here; and that the Son of Man is to be given up to be crucified."

True, the Son of Man must go, as Scripture says of him, yet alas for that man by whom the Son of Man is being betrayed! For that man 'it would be better never to have been born!'"

Then he came to the disciples, and said: "Sleep on now, and rest yourselves. Hark! my time is close at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of wicked men.

But Jesus remained silent. On this the High Priest said to him: "I adjure you, by the Living God, to tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God."

"It is true," Jesus answered; "Moreover I tell you all that hereafter you shall 'see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the Almighty, and coming on the clouds of the heavens.'"

But soon afterwards those who were standing by came up and said to Peter: "You also are certainly one of them; why, your very way of speaking proves it!"

"You who 'destroy the Temple and build one in three days,' save yourself! If you are God's Son, come down from the cross!"

He has trusted in God; if God wants him, let him deliver him now; for he said 'I am God's Son.'"