and Jesse the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon (by the wife of Uriah),

So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to Christ, fourteen generations.

When he had contemplated this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

saying, "Where is the one who is born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him."

After assembling all the chief priests and experts in the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.

And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are in no way least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'"

After listening to the king they left, and once again the star they saw when it rose led them until it stopped above the place where the child was.

"A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud wailing, Rachel weeping for her children, and she did not want to be comforted, because they were gone."

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

Now John wore clothing made from camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey.

Then people from Jerusalem, as well as all Judea and all the region around the Jordan, were going out to him,

Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance,

and don't think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones!

The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread."

and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you' and 'with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

Jesus said to him, "Once again it is written: 'You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.'"

Then Jesus said to him, "Go away, Satan! For it is written: 'You are to worship the Lord your God and serve only him.'"

As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen).

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

"Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely on account of me.

Rejoice and be glad because your reward is great in heaven, for they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.

"You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled on by people.

You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden.

In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish these things but to fulfill them.

I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter will pass from the law until everything takes place.

For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

So then, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,

leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your gift.

Reach agreement quickly with your accuser while on the way to court, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the warden, and you will be thrown into prison.

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away! It is better to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into hell.

If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is better to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into hell.

"Again, you have heard that it was said to an older generation, 'Do not break an oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.'

Do not take an oath by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black.

Let your word be 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no.' More than this is from the evil one.

And if someone wants to sue you and to take your tunic, give him your coat also.

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor' and 'hate your enemy.'

But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you,

so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

And if you only greet your brothers, what more do you do? Even the Gentiles do the same, don't they?

So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

"Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven.

But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

But whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

So pray this way: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored,

may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread,

and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors.

"For if you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.

When you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,

so that it will not be obvious to others when you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

"Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.

But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

"The eye is the lamp of the body. If then your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.

But if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

"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 money.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing?

Look at the birds in the sky: They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you more valuable than they are?

Why do you worry about clothing? Think about how the flowers of the field grow; they do not work or spin.

So then, don't worry saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?'

For the unconverted pursue these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

Why do you see the speck in your brother's eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own?

Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye,' while there is a beam in your own?

You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

Do not give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs; otherwise they will trample them under their feet and turn around and tear you to pieces.

Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

"Enter through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.

But the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

"Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves.

You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered from thorns or figs from thistles, are they?

On that day, many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do many powerful deeds?'

When Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed by his teaching,

And a leper approached, and bowed low before him, saying, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."

but the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

When it was evening, many demon-possessed people were brought to him. He drove out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick.

In this way what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet was fulfilled: "He took our weaknesses and carried our diseases."

So they came and woke him up saying, "Lord, save us! We are about to die!"

But he said to them, "Why are you cowardly, you people of little faith?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was dead calm.

And the men were amazed and said, "What sort of person is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him!"

When he came to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were extremely violent, so that no one was able to pass by that way.

Just then some people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Have courage, son! Your sins are forgiven."

When Jesus saw their reaction he said, "Why do you respond with evil in your hearts?

Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven' or to say, 'Stand up and walk'?

But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" -- then he said to the paralytic -- "Stand up, take your stretcher, and go home."

When the crowd saw this, they were afraid and honored God who had given such authority to men.

When the Pharisees saw this they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

When Jesus heard this he said, "Those who are healthy don't need a physician, but those who are sick do.

Then John's disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don't fast?"