Now the birth of Christ Jesus occurred under these conditions: After His mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, but before they had lived together, she was found to be an expectant mother through the influence of the Holy Spirit.

And thou, Bethlehem, city of Judah, art by no means the least among the chiefs of Judah; for out of thee shall come a leader, that shall be a shepherd to my people Israel.

And having been warned [by God] in a dream not to go back to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

but on hearing that Archelaus reigned over Judaea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there and, by a divine injunction in a dream, withdrew to the region of Galilee.

I assure you, heaven and earth may as well cease to be, as that one jot or one tittle of the law should fail of its completion.

But if thy right eye be a snare to thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members perish, and not thy whole body be cast into hell.

And if thy right hand be a snare to thee, cut it off and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members perish, and not thy whole body be cast into hell.

But I say to you, do not make an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God;

But your way of speaking must be a simple 'Yes' or 'No.' Anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Let thy kingdom come. Let thy will be as in heaven also upon the earth.

“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.

and Jesus said to him, take care not to tell any man, but go thy way, shew thy self to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, that it may be a testimony against them.

And when evening was come, they brought him many possessed by devils: and he cast out the spirits by a word, and all who had illnesses he cured:

But as these were going out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed by a demon.

“Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves.

and you will be haled before governors and kings for my sake ??it will be a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.

It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

and they of his household shall be a man's enemies.

But, as these were going their way, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes, concerning John, - What went ye forth into the wilderness to gaze at? A reed, by a wind, shaken?

For when John came, he did not eat or drink [on festive occasions] and people said, 'He is dominated by an evil spirit.'

Then was brought to him one possessed by a demon, blind and dumb, and he healed him, so that the dumb man spake and saw.

Either be a healthy tree and produce wholesome fruit, or be a diseased tree and produce rotten fruit, for [the quality of] a tree will be recognized by [the quality of] its fruit.

So just as the weeds are gathered up and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age.

So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,

Now Herod wanted to have him put to death, [but hesitated], fearing the crowd, because they considered John to be a prophet.

and lo, a Canaanitish woman, coming out from those borders, cried to him saying, Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.

"Your faith is great," was his reply to the woman; "it shall be as you wish!" And her daughter was cured that very hour.

And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?

for whosoever will save himself, shall be a looser: and whosoever shall suffer loss for my sake, shall be a gainer.

"Lord, take pity on my son, for he has violent seizures and suffers intense pain. He often falls into a fire or into water. [Note: This man was also dominated by an evil spirit. See verse 18].

But that we may not be an offence to them, go to the sea and cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up, and when thou hast opened its mouth thou wilt find a stater; take that and give it to them for me and thee.

and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be changed and be as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.

But that person who causes one of these little ones [i.e., humble followers of the Lord] who believes in me to be led astray [from God], he would have been better off to have had a huge millstone tied around his neck and dumped into a deep ocean [Note: This "millstone" was a heavy circular stone rolled over grain to crush it and was moved by an animal walking in a circle].

What seems to you? if there may be a hundred sheep to one man, and one of them may go astray, does he not, leaving the ninety and nine, going to the mountains, seek that which has gone astray?

When he began figuring, one of his servants, who owed him a huge sum of money [Note: The amount is variously estimated to be as much as $50,000,000 in 1994], was brought to him.

Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go! Sell your property and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come back and be a follower of mine."

But thus shall it not be with you. But whosoever will be a great man among you, let him be your servant;

Even as the Son of man did not come to have servants, but to be a servant, and to give his life for the salvation of men.

But if we say, From men; we are in fear of the people, because all take John to be a prophet.

"This, I tell you, is why the kingdom will be taken away from you, and given to a people who will pay a fair rent for it.

When they sought to seize him, they feared the multitudes, because they considered him to be a prophet.

Give us your judgement therefore: is it allowable for us to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?"

for in the other life after this, there will be no such thing as marriage; but they will be as the angels of God in heaven.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees--hypocrites!--because you pay a tenth of mint and dill and cumin, and neglect the more important [matters] of the law--justice and mercy and faithfulness! It was necessary to do these [things] {while not neglecting those}.

for it will be a time of great suffering, such as never has been from the beginning of the world till now, and assuredly never will be again.

this may be illustrated by a comparison taken from a fig-tree: when the branches become tender, and push out their leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

For as it was in the time of Noah, so it will be at the Coming of the Son of Man.

nor did they realise any danger till the Deluge came and swept them all away; so will it be at the Coming of the Son of Man.

If then there be a servant, appointed by his master to take care of his family, who faithfully and prudently distributes their allowance according to the establishment: happy is the servant,

But, should he be a bad servant, and say to himself 'My master is a long time in coming,'

"Then the kingdom of heaven will be similar to ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went out to meet the [bride and] groom. [Note: The picture here is that of a newly married couple returning from a festive reception to the groom's home where they continued celebrating and were welcomed by a late evening wedding party]

And the wise responded, saying, No, lest there may not be a sufficiency for us and you: go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

For it will be as when a man going abroad called his own servants, and intrusted to them his property;

“The one who had received one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a harsh and demanding man, reaping [the harvest] where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter seed.

and they plotted together to get Jesus into their power by a trick, and to put him to death;

But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.

He had scarcely finished speaking when Judas came--one of the Twelve--accompanied by a great crowd of men armed with swords and bludgeons, sent by the High Priests and Elders of the People.

Then Jesus told him, “Put your sword back in its place because all who take up a sword will perish by a sword.

Be a prophet, O Christ, and say who gave you a blow!

And coming out of their resting-places, after he had come again from the dead, they went into the holy town and were seen by a number of people.

And immediately on going up from the water, he saw the heavens divided by a chasm, and the Spirit as a dove descending upon him:

And there was in their synagogue a man possessed by an unclean spirit, and he cried out

See that you say nothing to any man: but go and let the priest see you, and make yourself clean by an offering of the things ordered by Moses, for a witness to them.

[Then] Jesus withdrew [from there] with His disciples and went to the lake [i.e., Lake of Galilee], being followed by a large crowd from Galilee. Also, a large crowd from Judea,

Therefore He spake to his disciples, that there might be a small vessel attending Him, because of the multitude, least they should throng Him: for He had healed many,

This was because they said, "He is possessed by a foul spirit."

And He taught them many things by a parable. And He said to them in His teaching:

And he came out of his sleep, and gave strong orders to the wind, and said to the sea, Peace, be at rest. And the wind went down, and there was a great calm.

And immediately on his going out of the ship there met him out of the tombs a man possessed by an unclean spirit,

So, Jesus went along with the man, and was being thronged by a large crowd that followed Him.

For Herod was afraid of John, [because he] knew him [to be] a righteous and holy man and protected him. And [when he] listened to him, he was greatly perplexed, and [yet] he listened to him gladly.

But He answered them, "You [men] give them something to eat." And they replied, "Should we go and buy a supply of bread to give them to eat?" [Note: The amount mentioned here indicates that it was two hundred days of a farm laborer's pay, or about $14,000 in 1994].

And they having seen him walking on the sea, thought it to be an apparition, and cried out,

But immediately a woman whose young daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit, [when she] heard about him, came [and] fell down at his feet,

Now the woman happened to be a Greek, born in Phoenicia in Syria. She kept asking him to drive the demon out of her daughter.

A member of the crowd said to him, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that makes him mute.

And whosoever shall be a snare to one of the little ones who believe in me, it were better for him if a millstone were hung about his neck, and he cast into the sea.

where their worm [that feeds on the dead] does not die, and the fire is not put out.

For every one shall be as it were salted by fire, and every sacrifice shall be seasoned as with salt.

Salt is good: but if the salt have lost its saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace one with another.

Then Jesus looked at him and loved him, and said, "One thing is lacking in you: go, sell all you possess and give the proceeds to the poor, and you shall have riches in Heaven; and come and be a follower of mine."

but shall receive at present in this age, what will be a hundred times better to him, than houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, tho' with persecution: and in the age to come eternal life.

and whoever wants to be first among you must be a slave to all.

For truly the Son of man did not come to have servants, but to be a servant, and to give his life for the salvation of men.

and said to them, "Go into the village in front of you, and as soon as you get into it, you will find a colt tied which has never been ridden by a man. Untie it and bring it here.

So they went and found a young donkey outside in the street, tied by a door. They untied it,

But should we say, From men--they feared the people: for all verily held John to be a prophet.

Then they sent to him certain of the Pharisees and the Herodians, so that they might make use of his words to take him by a trick.

They *came and *said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?

For in those days shall be a tribulation - such, that there hath not happened, the like, from the beginning of creation which God created, until the present time, and shall in nowise happen.

Now two days later was the feast of the Passover and of Unleavened Bread. Both the chief priests and the Scribes were continually seeking how they might arrest him by a stratagem and kill him;

But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.

At length they came to a place call'd Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, stay here, whilst I shall be at prayer.

Immediately while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, *came up accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs, who were from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.

You have heard his impious speech. What think you? They all condemned him to be a subject of death.

but he denied it again. a little time after, they that stood by, still urg'd Peter, saying, you are certainly one of his disciples, for your speech shows you to be a Galilean.

to perform his customary duties as a priest before God, he drew the responsibility [that day] of entering the Temple of the Lord to burn the incense offering. [Note: This was done on a golden Altar in the Temple by a priest twice a day].

and he shall be a joy and transport to thee, yea, many shall rejoice on account of his birth; for he shall be great in the sight of the Lord,

and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for the ages, and of his kingdom there shall not be an end.