But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit.

but did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son. And he named Him Jesus.

But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee.

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but the One who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to remove His sandals. He Himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

His winnowing shovel 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 fire that never goes out.”

But John tried to stop Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and yet You come to me?”

But He answered, “It is written:

Man must not live on bread alone
but on every word that comes
from the mouth of God.”

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

Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men.

No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.

“Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Fool!’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But whoever says, ‘You moron!’ will be subject to hellfire.

I assure you: You will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny!

But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

But I tell you, everyone who divorces his wife, except in a case of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

“Again, you have heard that it was said to our ancestors, You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord.

But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne;

But let your word ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one.

But I tell you, don’t resist an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

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

But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

And do not bring us into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
[For Yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.]

But if you don’t forgive people, your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing.

But when you fast, put oil on your head, and wash your face,

so that you don’t show your fasting to people but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal.

But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness—how deep is that darkness!

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the log in your own eye?

“Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves.

In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit.

A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven.

But everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

Then Jesus told him, “See that you don’t tell anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed, as a testimony to them.”

“Lord,” the centurion replied, “I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But only say the word, and my servant will be cured.

But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

When Jesus went into Peter’s house, He saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.

Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”

But Jesus told him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

As He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.

Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves. But He was sleeping.

But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, you of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea. And there was a great calm.

So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own town.

But perceiving their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?

But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He told the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”

But when He heard this, He said, “Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do.

Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Then John’s disciples came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?”

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. But they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

As He was telling them these things, suddenly one of the leaders came and knelt down before Him, saying, “My daughter is near death, but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.”

But Jesus turned and saw her. “Have courage, daughter,” He said. “Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that moment.

“Leave,” He said, “because the girl isn’t dead, but sleeping.” And they started laughing at Him.

But when the crowd had been put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up.

But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout that whole area.

But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons!”

Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few.

and if the household is worthy, let your peace be on it. But if it is unworthy, let your peace return to you.

But when they hand you over, don’t worry about how or what you should speak. For you will be given what to say at that hour,

because you are not speaking, but the Spirit of your Father is speaking through you.

“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will even rise up against their parents and have them put to death.

You will be hated by everyone because of My name. But the one who endures to the end will be delivered.

Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

But even the hairs of your head have all been counted.

But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven.

Don’t assume that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and far more than a prophet.

“I assure you: Among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared, but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

We played the flute for you,
but you didn’t dance;
we sang a lament,
but you didn’t mourn!

But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”

how he entered the house of God, and they ate the sacred bread, which is not lawful for him or for those with him to eat, but only for the priests?

But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here!

But He said to them, “What man among you, if he had a sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, wouldn’t take hold of it and lift it out?

But the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.

Here is My Servant whom I have chosen,
My beloved in whom My soul delights;
I will put My Spirit on Him,
and He will proclaim justice to the nations.

He will not break a bruised reed,
and He will not put out a smoldering wick,
until He has led justice to victory.

The nations will put their hope in His name.

Because of this, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come.

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.

But He answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

“When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it roams through waterless places looking for rest but doesn’t find any.

Then it says, ‘I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ And returning, it finds the house vacant, swept, and put in order.

But He replied to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?”

Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat down, while the whole crowd stood on the shore.

But when the sun came up they were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered.

He answered them, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know, but it has not been given to them.

For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

“But your eyes are blessed because they do see, and your ears because they do hear!

Yet he has no root in himself, but is short-lived. When pressure or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

Now the one sown among the thorns—this is one who hears the word, but the worries of this age and the seduction of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

But the one sown on the good ground—this is one who hears and understands the word, who does bear fruit and yields: some 100, some 60, some 30 times what was sown.”

But while people were sleeping, his enemy came, sowed weeds among the wheat, and left.

Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I’ll tell the reapers: Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to burn them, but store the wheat in my barn.’”

It’s the smallest of all the seeds, but when grown, it’s taller than the vegetables and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”