and Jesse had a son named David [who became] king [of Israel].David had a son named Solomon [whose mother was Bathsheba, the wife] of Uriah;

'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for from you will go out a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'"

saying, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the life of the child are dead."

So he got up [and] took the child and his mother and {entered} the land of Israel.

and came into the land of Israel, But having heard, Archelaus reigneth over Judea, in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither, and being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.

“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee [in the district] of the Gentiles—

Now [when] Jesus heard [this], he was astonished, and said to those who were following [him], "Truly I say to you, I have found such great faith with no one in Israel.

And [after] the demon had been expelled, the one who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were astonished, saying, "{This has never been seen before} in Israel!"

Never did it so appear in Israel. And the Pharisees continued to say, He casts out the demons through the prince of the demons.

but go instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

And whenever they persecute you in this town, flee to another, for truly I say to you, you will never finish [going through] the towns of Israel until the Son of Man comes.

“And in His name the Gentiles (all the nations of the world) will hope [with confidence].”

But he answered [and] said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

So then the crowd was astonished [when they] saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing, and they praised the God of Israel.

And Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you that in the renewal [of the world], when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me--you also will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

"You know that the Passover Festival will be celebrated in two more days [Note: This was the annual Jewish festival commemorating Israel's deliverance from Egyptian bondage under Moses' leadership], and the Son of man will be turned over to be crucified."

Then what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled, who said, "And they took the thirty silver coins, the price of the one who had been priced, [on] whom a price had been set by the sons of Israel,

"He saved others; he is not able to save himself! He is the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him!

Jesus said in answer, The first is, Give ear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord;

Now the Passover Festival and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were held two days later. [Note: This was the annual Jewish Festival week commemorating Israel's deliverance from Egyptian bondage under Moses' leadership. The unleavened bread was specially baked bread containing no yeast, which was eaten for seven days as part of the celebration]. And the leading priests and experts in the law of Moses were looking for a way to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.

Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and have belief. And those who were put on crosses with him said evil things against him.

And through him great numbers of the children of Israel will be turned to the Lord their God.

His help he has given to Israel, his servant, so that he might keep in mind his mercy to Abraham and his seed for ever,

And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel;

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and made them free,

And the child became tall, and strong in spirit; and he was living in the waste land till the day when he came before the eyes of Israel.

And there was then in Jerusalem a man whose name was Simeon; and he was an upright man, fearing God and waiting for the comfort of Israel: and the Holy Spirit was on him.

A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

A light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.

And Simeon gave them his blessing and said to Mary, his mother, See, this child will be the cause of the downfall and the lifting up of great numbers of people in Israel, and he will be a sign against which hard words will be said;

Now Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem every year to attend the Passover Festival. [Note: This was the annual Jewish festival commemorating Israel's deliverance from Egyptian bondage under Moses' leadership].

Truly I say to you, There were a number of widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months and there was no food in the land;

And there were a number of lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and not one of them was made clean, but only Naaman the Syrian.

And when Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned and said unto the multitude that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching. [Note: This was the annual Jewish festival commemorating Israel's deliverance from Egyptian bondage under Moses' leadership].

that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom; and ye shall sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

But we hoped that it was he who should redeem Israel. Yea and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things came to pass.

I knew him not: but therefore am I come baptizing with water, that he might be manifest to Israel.

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and said of him, See, here is a true son of Israel in whom there is nothing false.

Nathanael answered, rabbi, thou art the son of God, thou art the king of Israel.

Nathaniel answered and said to him: Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

Jesus answered him, are you a doctor in Israel, and not know these things?

and went to meet him, crying, "Hosanna, blessed is the king of Israel that comes in the name of the Lord."

So when they had come together, they asked Him, “Lord, are You restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?”

“Men of Israel, listen to these words: This Jesus the Nazarene was a man pointed out to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through Him, just as you yourselves know.

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah!”

When Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Or why do you stare at us, as though we had made him walk by our own power or godliness?

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,

and elders of Israel, if we are this day examined about the benefit done to the impotent man,

let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead—by Him this man is standing here before you healthy.

[You] said, through the Holy Spirit and by means of [the inspired writings of] our forefather David, your servant, [Psa. 2:1-2], 'Why did the [unconverted] Gentiles rage [at the Messiah], and the people [of Israel] devise useless plans [for opposing Christ]?

“For, in fact, in this city both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, assembled together against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed,

In obedience to this, they entered the temple complex at daybreak and began to teach.

When the high priest and those who were with him arrived, they convened the Sanhedrin—the full Senate of the sons of Israel—and sent orders to the jail to have them brought.

God exalted this man to His right hand as ruler and Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

He said to them, “Men of Israel, be careful about what you’re going to do to these men.

And he made with him the agreement of which circumcision was the sign. And so Abraham had a son, Isaac, and gave him circumcision on the eighth day; and Isaac had a son, Jacob, and Jacob was the father of the twelve heads of the families of Israel.

Their bodies were carried back [from Egypt] to Shechem and buried in the tomb that Abraham had purchased in Shechem from the sons of Hamor for a sum of silver. [Note: "Shechem" was a town in Israel, the country which in New Testament times was known as Samaria].

“As he was approaching the age of 40, he decided to visit his brothers, the Israelites.

“This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your brothers.

Then God turned away and gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:

House of Israel, did you bring Me offerings and sacrifices
40 years in the wilderness?

But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)

Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.

The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it.

And when God removed him [from the throne of Israel] He raised up David to be their king. God said about him, 'I have found David, the son of Jesse, to be a man close to my heart [i.e., whom I loved very much] and he will do all that I want him to.'

Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:

When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

As John was completing his ministry he said [to the great crowds], 'Who do you people think I am? [No], I am not the Messiah. But look, Someone is coming [to Israel] after [I complete] my mission whose sandal straps I am not even worthy to unfasten.'

But when the seven days were near ended, the Jews that came from Asia seeing him in the temple, raised a tumult among the people, and laid hands on him, crying out, Men of Israel, help:

Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place.

For this cause, therefore, have I called for you, to see and to speak with you; for, on account of the hope of Israel, this chain, have I about me!

nor hight, nor depth, nor any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. SECTION THIRD. God's Dealings with Israel as a People,

It is not, however, as though the word of God had failed; for, not all they who are of Israel, the same are Israel.

Isaiah, moreover, exclaimeth over Israel - Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant, shall be saved;

It is as Isaiah foretold,

“If the Lord of Hosts had not left us seed [future generations from which a believing remnant of Israelites came],
We would have become like Sodom, and would have resembled Gomorrah [totally rejected and destroyed]!”

Whereas, Israel, though in pursuit of a law of righteousness, unto a law, have not attained.

And why? Simply because Israel has relied not on faith but on what they could do. They have stumbled over the stone that makes men stumble ??33 as it is written, Here I lay a stone in Sion that will make men stumble, even a rock to trip them up; but he who believes in Him will never be disappointed.

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

But I say: Hath, Israel, not come to know? First, Moses, saith - I, will provoke you to jealousy on account of a no-nation, on account of an undiscerning nation, will I make you very angry.

Whereas, regarding Israel, he saith - All day long, have I stretched forth my hands unto a people unyielding and contradicting.

So I say, Has God put his people on one side? Let there be no such thought. For I am of Israel, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

God hath not cast off his people, whom he fore approved. Or know ye not, in the account of Elijah what the scripture saith, when he intercedeth with God against Israel?

What then? That which Israel seeketh after, the same, it hath not obtained: - the election, however, have obtained it, and, the rest, have been hardened; -

I ask, then, have they stumbled in order to fall? Absolutely not! On the contrary, by their stumbling, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous.

Now if Israel’s transgression means riches for the world [at large] and their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment and reinstatement be!

If the first portion [of dough offered as the first fruits] is holy, so is the whole batch; and if the root (Abraham, the patriarchs) is holy, so are the branches (the Israelites).

For I wish not, ye should be ignorant, brethren, of this sacred secret, lest within yourselves ye be presumptuous, that, a hardening in part, hath befallen Israel, until, the full measure of the nations, shall come in;

And, so, all Israel shall be saved: even as it is written - There shall have come out of Zion the Deliverer, - He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;

Yes, I mean that Christ has become a servant to Israel to prove God's truthfulness, to make valid His promises to our forefathers,

See Israel after the flesh: do not those who take as food the offerings of the altar take a part in the altar?

But, if, the ministry of death, in letters engraven in stones, was brought into existence with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look steadfastly into the face of Moses, by reason of the glory of his face - which glory was to be done away,

Such being my hope then, I am quite frank and open ??13 not like Moses, who used to hang a veil over his face to keep the children of Israel from gazing at the last rays of a fading glory.

And are not just like Moses, who kept putting a veil upon his face, so that the sons of Israel should not look steadily unto the end of that which was to be done away.

Nevertheless, when Israel shall turn unto the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.

Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they descendants of Israel? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.

Now the mediator or go-between [in a transaction] is not [needed] for just one party; whereas God is only one [and was the only One giving the promise to Abraham, but the Law was a contract between two, God and Israel; its validity depended on both].

Now this woman, Hagar, is similar to Mount Sinai, in Arabia, and represents the present [earthly] Jerusalem [i.e., Israel], consisting of children in bondage [to the law of Moses].

Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule [who discipline themselves and conduct their lives by this principle], and upon the [true] Israel of God (Jewish believers).

Remember, then, that once upon a time you Gentiles in the flesh, who are called 'the Uncircumcision' by that so-called 'Circumcision' which is itself the product of human hands in the flesh ??12 remember you were in those days outside Christ, aliens to the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the Promise, devoid of hope and God within the world.

That ye were, in that season, separate from Christ, alienated from the citizenship of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and godless in the world;