"'And thou, Bethlehem in the land of Judah, by no means the least honorable art thou among princely places in Judah! For from thee shall come a prince--one who shall be the Shepherd of My People Israel.'"

He then directed them to go to Bethlehem, adding, "Go and make careful inquiry about the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and do him homage."

There he remained till Herod's death, that what the Lord had said through the Prophet might be fulfilled, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."

I indeed am baptizing you in water on a profession of repentance; but He who is coming after me is mightier than I: His sandals I am not worthy to carry for a moment; He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire.

John protested. "It is I," he said, "who have need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"

while a voice came from Heaven, saying, "This is My Son, the dearly loved, in whom is My delight."

and said to Him, "All this I will give you, if you will kneel down and do me homage."

And He said to them, "Come and follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

"Blessed are you when they have insulted and persecuted you, and have said every cruel thing about you falsely for my sake.

Just so let your light shine before all men, in order that they may see your holy lives and may give glory to your Father who is in Heaven.

that so you may become true sons of your Father in Heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the wicked as well as the good, and sends rain upon those who do right and those who do wrong.

When you give in charity, never blow a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and streets in order that their praises may be sung by men. I solemnly tell you that they already have their reward.

that your charities may be in secret; and then your Father--He who sees in secret--will recompense you.

"And when praying, you must not be like the hypocrites. They are fond of standing and praying in the synagogues or at the corners of the wider streets, in order that men may see them. I solemnly tell you that they already have their reward.

"In this manner therefore pray: 'Our Father who art in Heaven, may Thy name be kept holy;

"When any of you fast, never assume gloomy looks as the hypocrites do; for they disfigure their faces in order that it may be evident to men that they are fasting. I solemnly tell you that they already have their reward.

that it may not be apparent to men that you are fasting, but to your Father who is in secret; and your Father--He who sees in secret--will recompense you.

"Judge not, that you may not be judged;

Or how say to your brother, 'Allow me to take the splinter out of your eye,' while the beam is in your own eye?

Everything, therefore, be it what it may, that you would have men do to you, do you also the same to them; for in this the Law and the Prophets are summed up.

"Not every one who says to me, 'Master, Master,' will enter the Kingdom of the Heavens, but only those who are obedient to my Father who is in Heaven.

Many will say to me on that day, "'Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Thy name, and in Thy name expelled demons, and in Thy name performed many mighty works?'

"And then I will tell them plainly, "'I never knew you: begone from me, you doers of wickedness.'

"Every one who hears these my teachings and acts upon them will be found to resemble a wise man who builds his house upon rock;

And every one who hears these my teachings and does not act upon them will be found to resemble a fool who builds his house upon sand.

And a leper came to Him, and throwing himself at His feet, said, "Sir, if only you are willing you are able to cleanse me."

"Sir," he said, "my servant at home is lying ill with paralysis, and is suffering great pain."

"Sir," replied the Captain, "I am not a fit person to receive you under my roof: merely say the word, and my servant will be cured.

For I myself am also under authority, and have soldiers under me. To one I say 'Go,' and he goes, to another 'Come,' and he comes, and to my slave 'Do this or that,' and he does it."

Another of the disciples said to Him, "Sir, allow me first to go and bury my father."

"Follow me," said Jesus, "and leave the dead to bury their own dead."

Here they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith Jesus said to the paralytic, "Take courage, my child; your sins are pardoned."

Passing on thence Jesus saw a man called Matthew sitting at the Toll Office, and said to him, "Follow me." And he arose, and followed Him.

While He was thus speaking, a Ruler came up and profoundly bowing said, "My daughter is just dead; but come and put your hand upon her and she will return to life."

and you will even be put on trial before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness to them and to the Gentiles.

And you will be objects of universal hatred because you are called by my name; but he who holds out to the End--he will be saved.

"Every man who acknowledges me before men I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in Heaven.

But whoever disowns me before men I also will disown before my Father who is in Heaven.

Any one who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and any one who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;

and any one who does not take up his cross and follow where I lead is not worthy of me.

To save your life is to lose it, and to lose your life for my sake is to save it.

"Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives Him who sent me.

and blessed is every one who does not stumble and fall because of my claims."

This is he of whom it is written, "'See I am sending My messenger before Thy face, and he will make Thy road ready before Thee.'

"All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one fully knows the Son except the Father, nor does any one fully know the Father except the Son and all to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

"Come to me, all you toiling and burdened ones, and *I* will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For it is good to bear my yoke, and my burden is light."

"This is My servant whom I have chosen, My dearly loved One in whom My soul takes pleasure. I will put My spirit upon Him, and He will announce justice to the nations.

"The man who is not with me is against me, and he who is not gathering with me is scattering abroad.

This is why I tell you that men may find forgiveness for every other sin and impious word, but that for impious speaking against the Holy Spirit they shall find no forgiveness.

And whoever shall speak against the Son of Man may obtain forgiveness; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, neither in this nor in the coming age shall he obtain forgiveness."

Then he says, 'I will return to my house that I left;' and he comes and finds it unoccupied, swept clean, and in good order.

"Who is my mother?" He said to the man; "and who are my brothers?"

And pointing to His disciples He added, "See here are my mother and my brothers.

To obey my Father who is in Heaven--that is to be my brother and my sister and my mother."

Another parable He put before them. "The Kingdom of the Heavens," He said, "may be compared to a man who has sown good seed in his field,

Leave both to grow together until the harvest, and at harvest-time I will direct the reapers, Collect the darnel first, and make it up into bundles to burn it, but bring all the wheat into my barn.'"

in fulfilment of the saying of the Prophet, "I will open my mouth in figurative language, I will utter things kept hidden since the creation of all things."

So she, instigated by her mother, said, "Give me here on a dish the head of John the Baptist."

"Bring them here to me," He said,

"Master," answered Peter, "if it is you, bid me come to you upon the water."

But when he felt the wind he grew frightened, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Master, save me."

but you--this is what you say: 'If a man says to his father or mother, That is consecrated, whatever it is, which otherwise you should have received from me--

"'This is a People who honour Me with their lips, while their heart is far away from Me;

but it is in vain they worship Me, while they lay down precepts which are mere human rules.'"

"Every plant," He replied, "which my Heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up.

Here a Canaanitish woman of the district came out and persistently cried out, "Sir, Son of David, pity me; my daughter is cruelly harassed by a demon."

Then she came and threw herself at His feet and entreated Him. "O Sir, help me," she said.

But Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, "My heart yearns over this mass of people, for it is now the third day that they have been with me and they have nothing to eat. I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they should faint on the road."

"Blessed are you, Simon Bar-jonah," said Jesus; "for mere human nature has not revealed this to you, but my Father in Heaven.

And I declare to you that you are Peter, and that upon this Rock I will build my Church, and the might of Hades shall not triumph over it.

But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Adversary; you are a hindrance to me, because your thoughts are not God's thoughts, but men's."

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If any one desires to follow me, let him renounce self and take up his cross, and so be my follower.

For whoever desires to save his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake shall find it.

He was still speaking when a luminous cloud spread over them; and a voice was heard from within the cloud, which said, "This is My Son dearly beloved, in whom is My delight. Listen to Him."

"Sir," he said, "have pity on my son, for he is an epileptic and is very ill. Often he falls into the fire and often into the water.

"O unbelieving and perverse generation!" replied Jesus; "how long shall I be with you? how long shall I endure you? Bring him to me."

"However, lest we cause them to sin, go and throw a hook into the Lake, and take the first fish that comes up. When you open its mouth, you will find a shekel in it: bring that coin and give it to them for yourself and me."

And whoever for my sake receives one young child such as this, receives me.

But whoever shall occasion the fall of one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for him to have a millstone hung round his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

"Beware of ever despising one of these little ones, for I tell you that in Heaven their angels have continual access to my Father who is in Heaven.

But if he will not listen to you, go again, and ask one or two to go with you, that every word spoken may be attested by two or three witnesses.

I also solemnly tell you that if two of you here on earth agree together concerning anything whatever that they shall ask, the boon will come to them from my Father who is in Heaven.

For where there are two or three assembled in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

At this point Peter came to Him with the question, "Master, how often shall my brother act wrongly towards me and I forgive him? seven times?"

"For this reason the Kingdom of the Heavens may be compared to a king who determined to have a settlement of accounts with his servants.

The servant therefore falling down, prostrated himself at his feet and entreated him. "'Only give me time,' he said, 'and I will pay you the whole.'

But no sooner had that servant gone out, than he met with one of his fellow servants who owed him 100 shillings; and seizing him by the throat and nearly strangling him he exclaimed, "'Pay me all you owe.'

"His fellow servant therefore fell at his feet and entreated him, "'Only give me time,' he said, 'and I will pay you.'

At once his master called him and said, "'Wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt, because you entreated me:

"In the same way my Heavenly Father will deal with you, if you do not all of you forgive one another from your hearts."

Jesus however said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them; for it is to those who are childlike that the Kingdom of the Heavens belongs."

"Why do you ask me," He replied, "about what is good? There is only One who is truly good. But if you desire to enter into Life, keep the Commandments."

"If you desire to be perfect," replied Jesus, "go and sell all that you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have wealth in Heaven; and come, follow me."

"I solemnly tell you," replied Jesus, "that in the New Creation, when the Son of Man has taken His seat on His glorious throne, all of you who have followed me shall also sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

And whoever has forsaken houses, or brothers or sisters, or father or mother, or children or lands, for my sake, shall receive many times as much and shall have as his inheritance the Life of the Ages.

"'My friend,' he answered to one of them, 'I am doing you no injustice. Did you not agree with me for a shilling?

Have I not a right to do what I choose with my own property? Or are you envious because I am generous?'

"What is it you desire?" He asked. "Command," she replied, "that these my two sons may sit one at your right hand and one at your left in your Kingdom."