After he had thought about it, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. "Joseph, son of David," he said, "don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he is the one who will save his people from their sins."

Now all this happened to fulfill what was declared by the Lord through the prophet when he said,

which means, "God with us." When Joseph got up from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary as his wife.

He did not have marital relations with her until she had given birth to a son; and he named him Jesus.

When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, as was all of Jerusalem.

He called together all the high priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah was to be born.

and sent them to Bethlehem. He told them, "As you go, search carefully for the child. When you find him, tell me so that I, too, may go and worship him."

After they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt," he said. "Stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and kill him."

He stayed there until Herod's death in order to fulfill what was declared by the Lord through the prophet when he said, "Out of Egypt I called my Son."

Herod flew into a rage when he learned that he had been tricked by the wise men, so he ordered the execution of all the male children in Bethlehem and all its neighboring regions, who were two years old and younger, according to the time that he had determined from the wise men.

Then what was declared by the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled when he said,

"Get up," he said. "Take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead."

But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, after having been warned in a dream. So he left for the region of Galilee

and settled in a town called Nazareth in order to fulfill what was said by the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."

He was the one the prophet Isaiah was referring to when he said, "He is a voice calling out in the wilderness: "Prepare the way for the Lord! Make his paths straight!'"

But when John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he told them, "You children of serpents! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

I am baptizing you with water as evidence of repentance, but the one who is coming after me is stronger than I am, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals. It is he who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

His winnowing fork is in his hand. He will clean up his threshing floor and gather his grain into the barn, but he will burn the chaff with inextinguishable fire."

At this, he permitted him to be baptized. When Jesus had been baptized, he immediately came up out of the water. Suddenly, the heavens opened up for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him.

After fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, he finally became hungry.

Then the tempter came. "Since you are the Son of God," he said, "tell these stones to become loaves of bread."

But he answered, "It is written, "One must not live on bread alone, but on every word coming out of the mouth of God.'"

He told Jesus, "Since you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, because it is written, "God will put his angels in charge of you,' and, "With their hands they will hold you up, so that you will never hit your foot against a rock.'"

Once more the Devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, along with their splendor.

He told Jesus, "I will give you all these things if you will bow down and worship me!"

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he went back to Galilee.

He left Nazareth and settled in Capernaum by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,

in order to fulfill what was declared by the prophet Isaiah when he said,

While Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers Simon (also called Peter) and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, because they were fishermen.

"Follow me," he told them, "and I will make you fishers of people!"

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

Then he went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every illness among the people.

His fame spread throughout Syria, and people brought to him everyone who was sick those afflicted with various diseases and pains, the demon-possessed, the epileptics, and the paralyzed and he healed them.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the hill. After taking his seat, his disciples came to him,

and he began to teach them:

"How blessed are those who are destitute in spirit, because the kingdom from heaven belongs to them!

"How blessed are those who mourn, because it is they who will be comforted!

"How blessed are those who are humble, because it is they who will inherit the earth!

"How blessed are those who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because it is they who will be satisfied!

"How blessed are those who are merciful, because it is they who will receive mercy!

"How blessed are those who are pure in heart, because it is they who will see God!

"How blessed are those who make peace, because it is they who will be called God's children!

"How blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, because the kingdom from heaven belongs to them!

"How blessed are you whenever people insult you, persecute you, and say all sorts of evil things against you falsely because of me!

Rejoice and be extremely glad, because your reward in heaven is great! That's how they persecuted the prophets who came before you."

"You are the salt of the world. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty again? It's good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled on by people.

so that you will become children of your Father in heaven, because he makes his sun rise on both evil and good people, and he lets rain fall on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Therefore, this is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.

But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. Therefore, if the light within you has turned into darkness, how great is that darkness!"

"No one can serve two masters, because either he will hate one and love the other, or be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches!"

And why do you worry about clothes? Consider the lilies in the field and how they grow. They don't work or spin yarn,

Now if that is the way God clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and thrown into an oven tomorrow, won't he clothe you much better you who have little faith?

Or how can you say to your brother, "Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when the beam is in your own eye?

"There isn't a person among you who would give his son a stone if he asked for bread, is there?

Or if he asks for a fish, he wouldn't give him a snake, would he?

So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who keep on asking him!

How narrow is the gate and how constricted is the road that leads to life, and there aren't many people who find it!"

because he was teaching them like a person who had authority, and not like their scribes.

because I, too, am a man under authority and I have soldiers under me. I say to one of them "Go' and he goes, to another "Come' and he comes, and to my servant "Do this' and he does it."

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and told those who were following him, "I tell all of you with certainty, not even in Israel have I found this kind of faith!

When Jesus went into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed, sick with a fever.

He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and began serving him.

When evening came, people brought to him many who were possessed by demons. He drove out the spirits by speaking a command and healed everyone who was sick.

This was to fulfill what was declared by the prophet Isaiah when he said, "It was he who took our illnesses away and removed our diseases."

When Jesus saw the large crowds around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.

He asked them, "Why are you afraid, you who have little faith?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

He told them, "Go," and they came out and went into the pigs. Suddenly, the whole herd rushed down a steep slope into the sea and drowned in the water.

All at once some people brought him a paralyzed man lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he told the paralyzed man, "Be courageous, son! Your sins are forgiven."

But so you will know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"" he told the paralyzed man, "Get up, pick up your stretcher, and go home!"

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's desk and told him, "Follow me." So he got up and followed him.

While he was having dinner at Matthew's home, many tax collectors and sinners arrived and began eating with Jesus and his disciples.

When Jesus heard that, he said, "Healthy people don't need a physician, but sick people do.

While Jesus was telling them these things, an official came up and fell down before him. "My daughter has just died," he said. "But come and lay your hand on her, and she will live."

When Jesus turned and saw her, he said, "Be courageous, daughter! Your faith has made you well." And from that very hour the woman was well.

he said, "Go away! The young lady hasn't died, but is sleeping." But they ridiculed him with laughter.

When the crowd had been driven outside, he went in, took her by the hand, and the young lady got up.

When he had gone into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus asked them, "Do you believe I can do this?" They told him, "Yes, Lord!"

Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith, let it be done for you!"

As the men were going out, a man who couldn't talk because he was demon-possessed was brought to him.

But the Pharisees kept saying, "He drives out demons by the ruler of demons."

When he saw the crowds, he was deeply moved with compassion for them, because they were troubled and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Then he told his disciples, "The harvest is vast, but the workers are few.

These were the Twelve whom Jesus sent out after he had given them these instructions: "Don't turn on to the road that leads to the unbelievers, and don't enter Samaritan towns.

When they hand you over, don't worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say, because in that hour what you are to say will be given to you.

It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher and a slave to be like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they do the same to those of his household!"

I tell all of you with certainty, whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple will never lose his reward."

When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he left there to teach and preach in their home towns.

Now when John heard in prison about the activities of the Messiah, he sent a message by his disciples

How blessed is anyone who is not offended by me!"

I tell all of you with certainty, among those born of women no one has appeared who is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least important person in the kingdom from heaven is greater than he.

If you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.

Because John didn't come eating or drinking, yet people say, "He has a demon!'

"How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How terrible it will be for you, Bethsaida! Because if the miracles that happened in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

But he told them, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?

How is it that he went into the house of God and ate the Bread of the Presence, which was not lawful for him and his companions to eat but was reserved for the priests?

But he asked them, "Is there a man among you who, if he had one sheep and it fell into a ditch on the Sabbath, wouldn't take hold of it and pull it out?

How much more is a human being worth than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on Sabbath days."

Then he told the man, "Hold out your hand." He held it out and it became normal, as healthy as his other hand.

When Jesus became aware of this, he left that place. Many crowds followed him, and he healed all of them,