Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

but did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son. And he named Him Jesus.

And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the leaders of Judah:
because out of you will come a leader
who will shepherd My people Israel.”

A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children;
and she refused to be consoled,
because they were no more.

Even now the ax is ready to strike the root of the trees! Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Jesus answered him, “Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him to be baptized.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men.

No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.

But let your word ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one.

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of people, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

“No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money.

If you then, 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 ask Him!

Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!’

Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”

When He had come to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met Him as they came out of the tombs. They were so violent that no one could pass that way.

Now a long way off from them, a large herd of pigs was feeding.

But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He told the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”

No one patches an old garment with unshrunk cloth, because the patch pulls away from the garment and makes the tear worse.

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. But they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus warned them sternly, “Be sure that no one finds out!”

“I assure you: Among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared, but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been suffering violence, and the violent have been seizing it by force.

All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son desires to reveal Him.

He will not argue or shout,
and no one will hear His voice in the streets.

Knowing their thoughts, He told them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.

But He answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

But when the sun came up they were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered.

He answered them, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know, but it has not been given to them.

Yet he has no root in himself, but is short-lived. When pressure or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

Now the one sown among the thorns—this is one who hears the word, but the worries of this age and the seduction of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

“‘No,’ he said. ‘When you gather up the weeds, you might also uproot the wheat with them.

“Therefore,” He said to them, “every student of Scripture instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who brings out of his storeroom what is new and what is old.”

Now those who ate were about 5,000 men, besides women and children.

Then the disciples came up and told Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard this statement?”

Now Jesus summoned His disciples and said, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they’ve already stayed with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry; otherwise they might collapse on the way.”

Now those who ate were 4,000 men, besides women and children.

And in the morning, ‘Today will be stormy because the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to read the appearance of the sky, but you can’t read the signs of the times.

An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then He left them and went away.

And He gave the disciples orders to tell no one that He was the Messiah.

Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, “Oh no, Lord! This will never happen to You!”

When they looked up they saw no one except Him—Jesus alone.

If he pays no attention to them, tell the church. But if he doesn’t pay attention even to the church, let him be like an unbeliever and a tax collector to you.

Since he had no way to pay it back, his master commanded that he, his wife, his children, and everything he had be sold to pay the debt.

So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.”

“‘Because no one hired us,’ they said to him.

“‘You also go to my vineyard,’ he told them.

“He replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I’m doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me on a denarius?

But Jesus answered, “You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?”

“We are able,” they said to Him.

But Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles dominate them, and the men of high position exercise power over them.

Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He went up to it and found nothing on it except leaves. And He said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” At once the fig tree withered.

So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they knew He was speaking about them.

“But they paid no attention and went away, one to his own farm, another to his business.

They sent their disciples to Him, with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that You are truthful and teach truthfully the way of God. You defer to no one, for You don’t show partiality.

The same day some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came up to Him and questioned Him:

“Teacher, Moses said, if a man dies, having no children, his brother is to marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.

Now there were seven brothers among us. The first got married and died. Having no offspring, he left his wife to his brother.

Jesus answered them, “You are deceived, because you don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God.

Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what was spoken to you by God:

No one was able to answer Him at all, and from that day no one dared to question Him anymore.

Then Jesus replied to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you.

For at that time there will be great tribulation, the kind that hasn’t taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again!

Unless those days were limited, no one would survive. But those days will be limited because of the elect.

“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near.

“Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son —except the Father only.

As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be.

For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark.

They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. So this is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be:

Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.

But know this: If the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into.

that slave’s master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know.

“The sensible ones answered, ‘No, there won’t be enough for us and for you. Go instead to those who sell, and buy oil for yourselves.’

“But he replied, ‘I assure you: I do not know you!’

“Therefore be alert, because you don’t know either the day or the hour.

“Then the man who had received one talent also approached and said, ‘Master, I know you. You’re a difficult man, reaping where you haven’t sown and gathering where you haven’t scattered seed.

“But his master replied to him, ‘You evil, lazy slave! If you knew that I reap where I haven’t sown and gather where I haven’t scattered,

“You know that the Passover takes place after two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

But I tell you, from this moment I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it in a new way in My Father’s kingdom with you.”

Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? Look, now you’ve heard the blasphemy!

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant approached him and she said, “You were with Jesus the Galilean too.”

But he denied it in front of everyone: “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

And again he denied it with an oath, “I don’t know the man!”

Then he started to curse and to swear with an oath, “I do not know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed,

Now Jesus stood before the governor. “Are You the King of the Jews?” the governor asked Him.

Jesus answered, “You have said it.”

For he knew they had handed Him over because of envy.

“He saved others, but He cannot save Himself! He is the King of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him.

He has put His trust in God; let God rescue Him now—if He wants Him! For He said, ‘I am God’s Son.’”

and placed it in his new tomb, which he had cut into the rock. He left after rolling a great stone against the entrance of the tomb.

“You have a guard of soldiers,” Pilate told them. “Go and make it as secure as you know how.”

But the angel told the women, “Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.

“What do You have to do with us, Jesus—Nazarene? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

Then they were all amazed, so they began to argue with one another, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.”

and He healed many who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons. But He would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

Yet he went out and began to proclaim it widely and to spread the news, with the result that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly. But He was out in deserted places, and they would come to Him from everywhere.

So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and He was speaking the message to them.

But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” He told the paralytic,

Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. People came and asked Him, “Why do John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”

No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new patch pulls away from the old cloth, and a worse tear is made.

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost as well as the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”

Now He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a paralyzed hand.