Jesse was the father of David the king.

David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by [the power of] the Holy Spirit.

All this happened in order to fulfill what the Lord had spoken through the prophet [Isaiah]:

Then Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and he took Mary [to his home] as his wife,

but he kept her a virgin until she had given birth to a Son [her firstborn child]; and he named Him Jesus (The Lord is salvation).

Then Herod secretly sent for the magi and learned from them the [exact] time the star [had first] appeared.

After hearing the king, they went their way; and behold, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them [continually leading the way] until it came and stood over the place where the young Child was.

Now when they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod intends to search for the Child in order to destroy Him.”

He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet [Hosea]: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

Then Herod, when he realized that he had been tricked by the magi, was extremely angry, and he sent [soldiers] and put to death all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that area who were two years old and under, according to the date which he had learned from the magi.

Now when Jesus heard that John [the Baptist] had been arrested and put in prison, He left for Galilee.

Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you are not able to make a single hair white or black.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor (fellow man) and hate your enemy.’

You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect.

But when you fast, put oil on your head [as you normally would to groom your hair] and wash your face

“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 [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord].

And the rain fell, and the floods and torrents came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

When Jesus had finished [speaking] these words [on the mountain], the crowds were astonished and overwhelmed at His teaching;

for He was teaching them as one who had authority [to teach entirely of His own volition], and not as their scribes [who relied on others to confirm their authority].

Jesus replied to him, “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

The herdsmen ran away, and went to the city and reported everything, including what had happened to the men under the power of demons.

When the crowds saw this, they were awestruck, and glorified God and praised Him, who had given such authority and power to men.

Then a woman who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the [tassel] fringe of His outer robe;

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

But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered [for the Father is sovereign and has complete knowledge].

When Jesus had finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He went on from there to teach and to preach in their [Galilean] cities.

Then He began to denounce [the people in] the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent [and change their hearts and lives].

“Woe (judgment is coming) to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon [cities of the Gentiles], they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes [their hearts would have been changed and they would have expressed sorrow for their sin and rebellion against God].

And you, Capernaum, are you to be exalted to heaven [for your apathy and unresponsiveness]? You will descend to Hades (the realm of the dead); for if the miracles done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

And if you had only known what this statement means, ‘I desire compassion [for those in distress], and not [animal] sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.

Other seed fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil; and at once they sprang up because they had no depth of soil.

But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a [very precious] treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field [securing the treasure for himself].

and upon finding a single pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

When Jesus had finished these parables, He left there.

For Herod had John arrested and bound him and put him in prison [at the fortress of Machaerus, east of the Jordan, to keep him away] because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip,

for John had said to him, “It is not lawful (morally right) for you to have her [living with you as your wife].”

She, being coached by her mother [Herodias], said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”

He sent and had John beheaded in the prison.

His head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother [Herodias].

When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt [profound] compassion for them and healed their sick.

After He had dismissed the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When it was evening, He was there alone.

When they had crossed over [the sea], they went ashore at Gennesaret.

and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and when He had given thanks, He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples [gave them] to the people.

When the disciples reached the other side of the sea, they realized that they had forgotten to bring bread.

But he was unwilling and he went and had him thrown in prison until he paid back the debt.

When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and they went and reported to their master [with clarity and in detail] everything that had taken place.

Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave [who owed you little by comparison], as I had mercy on you?’

Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, He left Galilee and went into the part of Judea that is beyond the Jordan;

But when the young man heard this, he left grieving and distressed, for he owned much property and had many possessions [which he treasured more than his relationship with God].

Those who had been hired at the eleventh hour (5:00 p.m.) came and received a denarius each [a day’s wage].

saying, ‘These men who came last worked [only] one hour, and yet you have made them equal [in wages] to us who have carried [most of] the burden and [worked in] the scorching heat of the day.’

When they approached Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples [ahead],

Then the disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them,

“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’

Finally he sent his own son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son and have regard for him.’

And he sent his servants to call those who had [previously] been invited to the wedding feast, but they refused to come.

“But when the king came in to see the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed [appropriately] in wedding clothes,

So in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her.”

Now when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced (muzzled) the Sadducees, they gathered together.

and you say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have joined them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’

“So when you see the abomination of desolation [the appalling sacrilege that astonishes and makes desolate], spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the Holy Place (let the reader understand),

And if those days [of tribulation] had not been cut short, no human life would be saved; but for the sake of the elect (God’s chosen ones) those days will be shortened.

But understand this: If the head of the house had known what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

The one who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he [made a profit and] gained five more.

Likewise the one who had two [made a profit and] gained two more.

But the one who had received the one went and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

And the one who had received the five talents came and brought him five more, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted to me five talents. See, I have [made a profit and] gained five more talents.’

“Also the one who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have [made a profit and] gained two more talents.’

“The one who had received one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a harsh and demanding man, reaping [the harvest] where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter seed.

So I was afraid [to lose the talent], and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is your own.’

When Jesus had finished this discourse, He said to His disciples,

a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very expensive perfume and she poured it on Jesus’ head as He reclined at the table.

[Accordingly] the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

The Son of Man is to go [to the cross], just as it is written [in Scripture] of Him; but woe (judgment is coming) to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had never been born.”

Now as they were eating Jesus took bread, and after blessing it, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you;

After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.”

Those who had seized Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) had gathered [illegally] together.

And when he had gone out to the gateway, another servant-girl saw him and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene.”

And Peter remembered the [prophetic] words of Jesus, when He had said, “Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly [in repentance].

Then the words spoken by Jeremiah the prophet were fulfilled: “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him on whom a price had been set by the sons of Israel;

And at that time they were holding a notorious prisoner [guilty of insurrection and murder], called Barabbas.

So when they had assembled [for this purpose], Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to set free for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”

For Pilate knew that it was because of jealousy that the chief priests and elders had handed Jesus over to him.

While he was seated on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous and innocent Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.”

So he set Barabbas free for them; but after having Jesus severely whipped (scourged), he handed Him over to be crucified.

And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and put a reed in His right hand [as a scepter]. Kneeling before Him, they ridiculed Him, saying, “Hail (rejoice), King of the Jews!”

They spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him repeatedly on the head.

And when they had crucified Him, they divided His clothes among them by casting lots.

And above His head they put the accusation against Him which read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints (God’s people) who had fallen asleep [in death] were raised [to life];

There were also many women there looking on from a distance, who had accompanied Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him.

and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock; and he rolled a large stone over the entrance of the tomb and went away.

While they were on their way, some of the [Roman] guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened.

And when the chief priests had gathered with the elders and had consulted together [to develop a plan of deception], they gave a sufficient sum of money [as a bribe] to the soldiers,

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated.

John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a [wide] leather band around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and immediately they told Him about her.