Now these were the circumstances of the birth of Jesus Christ. Mary, his mother, was engaged to Joseph, but before they were married it was found that she was about to become a mother through the influence of the holy Spirit.

But her husband, Joseph, was an upright man and did not wish to disgrace her, and he decided to break off the engagement privately.

But while he was thinking of doing this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and said, "Joseph, descendant of David, do not fear to take Mary, your wife, to your home, for it is through the influence of the holy Spirit that she is to become a mother.

But he did not live with her as a husband until she had had a son, and he named the child Jesus.

But when Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt

But hearing that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in the place of his father, Herod, he was afraid to return there; and being warned in a dream, he took refuge in the region of Galilee,

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of snakes! Who warned you to escape from the wrath that is coming?

But the axe is already lying at the roots of the trees. Any tree that fails to produce good fruit is going to be cut down and thrown into the fire.

I am baptizing you in water in token of your repentance, but he who is coming after me is stronger than I am, and I am not fit to carry his shoes. He will baptize you in the holy Spirit and in fire.

His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clean up his threshing-floor, and store his wheat in his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with inextinguishable fire."

But John dissuaded him, and said, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"

But Jesus answered, "Let it be so this time, for it is right for us to do everything that God requires." Then John consented.

But he answered, "The Scripture says, 'Not on bread alone is man to live, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God!' "

But when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he retreated to Galilee.

And he went on a little farther and saw two other men who were brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother, John, in the boat with Zebedee, their father, putting their nets in order, and he called them.

And they immediately left the boat and their father, and went with him.

"Blessed are you when people abuse you, and persecute you, and falsely say everything bad of you, on my account.

"You are the salt of the earth! But if salt loses its strength, how can it be made salt again? It is good for nothing but to be thrown away and trodden underfoot.

People do not light a lamp and put it under a peck-measure; they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house.

"Do not suppose that I have come to do away with the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to do away with them but to enforce them.

Anyone, therefore, who weakens one of the slightest of these commands, and teaches others to do so, will be ranked lowest in the Kingdom of Heaven; but anyone who observes them and teaches others to do so will be ranked high in the Kingdom of Heaven.

But I tell you that anyone who gets angry with his brother will have to answer to the court, and anyone who speaks contemptuously to his brother will have to answer to the great council, and anyone who says to his brother 'You cursed fool!' will have to answer for it in the fiery pit!

I tell you, you will never get out again until you have paid the last penny!

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman with desire has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

But if your right eye makes you fall, tear it out and throw it away, for you might better lose one part of your body than have it all thrown into the pit!

If your right hand makes you fall, cut it off and throw it away, for you might better lose one part of your body than have it all go down to the pit!

But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife on any ground, except unfaithfulness, makes her commit adultery, and anyone who marries her after she is divorced commits adultery.

"Again, you have heard that the men of old were told, 'You shall not swear falsely, but you must fulfil your oaths to the Lord.'

But I tell you not to swear at all, either by heaven, for it is God's throne,

But your way of speaking must be 'Yes' or 'No.' Anything that goes beyond that comes from the evil one.

But I tell you not to resist injury, but if anyone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other to him too;

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for your persecutors,

so that you may show yourselves true sons of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on bad and good alike, and makes the rain fall on the upright and the wrongdoers.

"But take care not to do your good deeds in public for people to see, for, if you do, you will get no reward from your Father in heaven.

But when you give to charity, your own left hand must not know what your right hand is doing,

But when you pray, go into your own room, and shut the door, and pray to your Father who is unseen, and your Father who sees what is secret will reward you.

And do not subject us to temptation, But save us from the evil one.'

But if you do not forgive others when they offend you, your heavenly Father will not forgive you for your offenses.

"When you fast, do not put on a gloomy look, like the hypocrites, for they neglect their personal appearance to let people see that they are fasting. I tell you, that is all the reward they will get.

But when you fast, perfume your hair and wash your face,

but store up your riches in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and where thieves cannot break in and steal them.

but if your eye is unsound, your whole body will be dark. If, therefore, your very light is darkness, how deep the darkness will be!

But which of you with all his worry can add a single hour to his life?

But if God so beautifully dresses the wild grass, which is alive today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, will he not much more surely clothe you, you who have so little faith?

But you must make his kingdom, and uprightness before him, your greatest care, and you will have all these other things besides.

So if you, bad as you are, know enough to give your children what is good, how much more surely will your Father in heaven give what is good to those who ask him for it!

But the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few that find it.

"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you disguised as sheep but are ravenous wolves underneath.

Just so any sound tree bears good fruit, but a poor tree bears bad fruit.

No sound tree can bear bad fruit, and no poor tree can bear good fruit.

It is not everyone who says to me 'Lord! Lord!' who will get into the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father in heaven.

And the rain fell, and the rivers rose, and the winds blew, and beat about that house, and it did not go down, for its foundations were on rock.

And the rain fell, and the rivers rose, and the winds blew and beat about that house, and it went down, and its downfall was complete."

Then Jesus said to him, "See that you tell nobody, but go! Show yourself to the priest, and in proof of your cure, offer the gift that Moses prescribed."

But the captain answered, "I am not a suitable person, sir, to have you come under my roof, but simply say the word, and my servant will be cured.

Jesus went into Peter's house, and there he found Peter's mother-in-law sick in bed with fever.

And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and wild birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no where to lay his head!"

But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead!"

And he got into the boat, and his disciples went with him.

And suddenly a terrific storm came up on the sea, so that the waves broke over the boat, but he remained asleep.

So he got into the boat and crossed the sea, and returned to his own city.

Some people came bringing to him on a bed a man who was paralyzed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, "Courage, my son! Your sins are forgiven."

But I would have you know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth." Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, pick up your bed and go home!"

But he heard it, and said, "It is not well people but the sick who have to have the doctor!

You must go and learn what the saying means, 'It is mercy, not sacrifice, that I care for.' I did not come to invite the pious but the irreligious."

Jesus said to them, "Can wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But a time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and they will fast then.

But no one sews a patch of unshrunken cloth on an old coat, for the patch will tear away from the coat, and make the hole worse than ever.

And people do not put new wine into old wine-skins, or if they do, the skins burst, and the wine runs out and the skins are spoiled. But people put new wine into fresh wine-skins, and so both are saved."

Just as he said this to them, an official came up and bowing low before him said to him, "My daughter has just died. But come! Lay your hand on her and she will come to life!"

But when he had driven the people out, he went in and grasped her hand, and the girl got up.

But they went out and spread the news about him all over that part of the country.

But just as they were going out, some people brought to him a dumb man who was possessed by a demon,

But the Pharisees said, "It is by the aid of the prince of the demons that he drives them out."

But the sight of the crowds of people filled him with pity for them, because they were bewildered and dejected, like sheep that have no shepherd.

Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is abundant enough, but the reapers are few.

but proceed instead to the lost sheep of Israel's house.

Do not accept gold or silver or copper money to put in your pockets,

If the house deserves it, the peace you wish it will come over it, but if it does not deserve it, your blessing will come back upon yourselves.

But be on your guard against men, for they will give you up to their courts, and have you flogged in their synagogues,

But when they give you up, you must have no anxiety about how to speak or what to say, for you will be told at the very moment what you ought to say,

One brother will give up another to death, and a father his child, and children will turn against their parents, and have them put to death.

You will be hated by everybody on my account, but the man who holds out to the very end will be saved.

But when they persecute you in one town, make your escape to another, for I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man arrives.

Have no fear of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. You had better be afraid of one who can destroy both soul and body in the pit.

But the very hairs on your heads are all counted.

but anyone who disowns me before men, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace but a sword.

But as they were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John. "What was it that you went out into the desert to look at? A reed swaying in the wind?

But from the time of John the Baptist until now men have been taking the Kingdom of Heaven by storm and impetuously crowding into it.

But to what can I compare this present age? It is like children sitting about in the bazaars and calling out to their playmates,

" 'We have played the flute for you, and you would not dance! We have wailed and you would not beat your breasts!'

But I tell you, Tyre and Sidon will fare better on the Day of Judgment than you will!

But I tell you that the land of Sodom will fare better on the Day of Judgment than you will!"

Everything has been handed over to me by my Father, and no one understands the Son but the Father, nor does anyone understand the Father but the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

Let my yoke be put upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble-minded, and your hearts will find rest,

But the Pharisees saw it and said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing something which it is against the Law to do on the Sabbath!"

But he said to them, "Did you never read what David did, when he and his companions were hungry?

But I tell you, there is something greater than the Temple here!

But if you knew what the saying means, 'It is mercy, not sacrifice, that I care for,' you would not have condemned men who are not guilty.

But he said to them, "Who among you if he has even a single sheep and it falls into a hole on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?