The birth of Jesus Christ took place as follows:--His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but, before the marriage took place, she found herself to be with child by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Her husband, Joseph, was a religious man and, being unwilling to expose her to contempt, resolved to put an end to their betrothal privately.

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.

But afterwards, having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another road.

After they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, and said: "Awake, take the child and his mother, and seek refuge in Egypt; and stay there until I bid you return, for Herod is about to search for the child, to put him to death."

When Herod found that he had been trifled with by the Astrologers, he was very angry. He sent and put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and the whole of that neighborhood, who were two years old or under, guided by the date which he had ascertained from the Astrologers.

But, on the death of Herod, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said:

But, hearing that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as King of Judea, he was afraid to go back there; and having been warned in a dream, he went into the part of the country called Galilee.

I, indeed, baptize you with water to teach repentance; but He who is Coming after me is more powerful than I, and I am not fit even to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

His winnowing-fan is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor, and store his grain in the barn, but the chaff he will burn with inextinguishable fire."

But John tried to prevent him. "It is I," he said, "who need to be baptized by you; why then do you come to me?"

But Jesus answered: "Scripture says--'It is not on bread alone that man is to live, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

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,

And they at once left their boat and their father, and followed him.

It is you who are the Salt of the earth; but, if the salt should lose its strength, what will you use to restore its saltiness? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown away, and trampled underfoot.

Men do not light a lamp and put it under the corn-measure, but on the lamp-stand, where it gives light to every one in the house.

Do not think that I have come to do away with the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to do away with them, but to complete them.

Whoever, therefore, breaks one of these commandments, even the least of them, and teaches others to do so, will be the least- esteemed in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever keeps them, and teaches others to do so, will be esteemed great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

I, however, say to you that any one who cherishes anger against his brother shall be liable to answer for it to the Court; and whoever pours contempt upon his brother shall be liable to answer for it to the High Council, while whoever calls down curses upon him shall be liable to answer for it in the fiery Pit.

I tell you, you will not come out until you have paid the last penny.

If your right eye is a snare to you, take it out and throw it away. It would be best for you to lose one part of your body, and not to have the whole of it thrown into the Pit.

And, if your right hand is a snare to you, cut it off and throw it away. It would be best for you to lose one part of your body, and not to have the whole of it go down to the Pit.

Again, you have heard that to our ancestors it was said--'Thou shalt not break an oath, but thou shall keep thine oaths as a debt due to the Lord.'

I, however, say to you that you must not resist wrong; but, if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him also;

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.

But, when you do acts of charity, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

But, when one of you prays, let him go into his own room, shut the door, and pray to his Father who dwells in secret; and his Father, who sees what is secret, will recompense him.

And take us not into temptation, but deliver us from Evil.'

But, if you do not forgive others their offences, not even your Father will forgive your offences.

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!

But, when one of your fasts, let him anoint his head and wash his face,

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.

But store up treasures for yourselves in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal.

But, if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be darkened. And, if the inner light is darkness, how intense must that darkness be!

But which of you, by being anxious, can prolong his life a single moment?

But first seek his Kingdom and the righteousness that he requires, and then all these things shall be added for you.

Beware of false Teachers--men who come to you in the guise of sheep, but at heart they are ravenous wolves.

So, too, every sound tree bears good fruit, while a worthless tree bears bad fruit.

A sound tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a worthless tree bear good fruit.

Not every one who says to me 'Master! Master!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven.

The rain poured down, the rivers rose, the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, for its foundations were upon the rock.

And then Jesus said to him: "Be careful not to say a word to any one, but go and show yourself to the Priest, and offer the gift directed by Moses, as evidence of your cure."

"Sir," the Captain went on, "I am unworthy to receive you under my roof; but only speak, and my manservant will be cured.

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

But Jesus answered: "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their dead."

Then he got into the boat, followed by his disciples.

Suddenly so great a storm came on upon the Sea, that the waves broke right over the boat. But Jesus was asleep;

Afterwards Jesus got into a boat, and, crossing over, came to his own city.

And there some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man: "Courage, Child! Your sins are forgiven."

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."

On hearing this, Jesus said: "It is not those who are in health that need a doctor, but those who are ill.

Go and learn what this means--'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice'; for I did not come to call the religious, but the outcast."

Jesus answered: "Can the bridegroom's friends mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom will be parted from them, and they will fast then.

Nor do people put new wine into old wine-skins; for, if they do, the skins burst, and the wine runs out, and the skins are lost; but they put new wine into fresh skins, and so both are preserved."

While Jesus was saying this, a President of a Synagogue came up and bowed to the ground before him. "My daughter," he said, "Has just died; but come and place your hand on her, and she will be restored to life."

But meanwhile a woman, who had been suffering from hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind and touched the tassel of his cloak.

But, when the people had been sent out, Jesus went in, and took the little girl's hand, and she rose.

But the men went out, and spread the news about him through all that part of the country.

But the Pharisees said: "He drives out the demons by the help of the chief of the demons."

But, when he saw the crowds, his heart was moved with compassion for them, because they were distressed and harassed, 'like sheep without a shepherd';

And he said to his disciples: "The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few.

But make your way rather to the lost sheep of Israel.

Then, if the house is worthy, let your blessing rest upon it, but, if it is unworthy, let your blessing return upon yourselves.

For it will not be you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaks within you.

Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; and children will turn against their parents, and cause them to be put to death;

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.

And do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; rather be afraid of him who is able to destroy both soul and body in the Pit.

But, if any one disowns me before his fellow men, I, too, will disown him before my Father who is in Heaven.

Do not imagine that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring, not peace, but the sword.

And, if any one gives but a cup of cold water to one of these lowly ones because he is a disciple, I tell you that he shall assuredly not lose his reward."

But to what shall I compare the present generation? It is like little children sitting in the market-places and calling out to their playmates--

'We have played the flute for you, but you have not danced; We have wailed, but you have not mourned.'

But, when the Pharisees saw this, they said: "Look! your disciples are doing what it is not allowable to do on a Sabbath!"

How he went into the House of God, and how they ate the consecrated bread, through it was not allowable for him or his companions to eat it, but only for the priests?

But Jesus said to them: "Which of you, if he had only one sheep, and that sheep fell into a pit on the Sabbath, would not lay hold of it and pull it out?

On coming out, the Pharisees plotted against Jesus, to put him to death.

but he warned them not to make him known,

But the Pharisees heard of it and said: "He drives out demons only by the help of Baal-zebub the chief of the demons."

But, if it is by the help of the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God must already be upon you.

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.

Then it says 'I will go back to the home which I left'; but, on coming there, it finds it unoccupied, and swept, and put in order.

such great crowds gathered round him, that he got into a boat, and sat in it, while all the people stood upon the beach.

Some, again, fell into the brambles; but the brambles shot up and choked it.

"To you," answered Jesus, "the knowledge of the hidden truths of the Kingdom of Heaven has been imparted, but not to those.

For, to all who have, more will be given, and they shall have abundance; but, from all who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.

But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear;

But, as he has no root, he stands for only a short time; and, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Message, he falls away at once.

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."

But, while every one was asleep, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and then went away.

Let both grow side by side till harvest; and then I shall say to the reapers, Gather the tares together first, and tie them in bundles for burning; but bring all the wheat into my barn.'"

This seed is smaller than all other seeds, but, when it has grown up, it is larger than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that 'the wild birds come and roost in its branches.'"

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again, and then, in his delight, went and sold everything that he had, and bought that field.

Finding one of great value, he went and sold everything that he had, and bought it.

When it was full, they hauled it up on the beach, and sat down and sorted the good fish into baskets, but threw the worthless ones away.

For Herod had arrested John, put him in chains, and shut him up in prison, to please Herodias, the wife of Herod's brother Philip.

Yet, though Herod wanted to put him to death, he was afraid of the people, because they looked on John as a Prophet.

But, when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before his guests, and so pleased Herod,

When Jesus heard of it, he retired privately in a boat to a lonely spot. The people, however, heard of his going, and followed him in crowds from the towns on foot.