After he had thought about it, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. "Joseph, son of David," he said, "don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

After Jesus had been born in Bethlehem of Judea during the reign of King Herod, wise men arrived in Jerusalem from the east

Having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they left for their own country by a different road.

Herod flew into a rage when he learned that he had been tricked by the wise men, so he ordered the execution of all the male children in Bethlehem and all its neighboring regions, who were two years old and younger, according to the time that he had determined from the wise men.

But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, after having been warned in a dream. So he left for the region of Galilee

At this, he permitted him to be baptized. When Jesus had been baptized, he immediately came up out of the water. Suddenly, the heavens opened up for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him.

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he went back to Galilee.

because I tell all of you with certainty that until heaven and earth disappear, not one letter or one stroke of a letter will disappear from the Law until everything has been accomplished.

"Sir, my servant is lying at home paralyzed and in terrible pain."

Now when those who had been taking care of the pigs ran away, they came into the city and reported everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men.

Just then a woman who had been suffering from chronic bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel of his garment,

because she had been saying to herself, "If I just touch his robe, I will get well."

When the crowd had been driven outside, he went in, took her by the hand, and the young lady got up.

As soon as the demon had been driven out, the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed and said, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!"

Indeed, even the hairs on your head have all been counted!

"From the days of John the Baptist until the present, the kingdom from heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people have been attacking it,

All things have been entrusted to me by my Father. No one fully knows the Son except the Father, and no one fully knows the Father except the Son and the person to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

He answered them, "You have been given knowledge about the secrets of the kingdom from heaven, but it hasn't been given to them,

This was to fulfill what was declared by the prophet when he said, "I will open my mouth to speak in parables. I will declare what has been hidden since the creation of the world."

Then he told them, "That is why every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom from heaven is like the master of a household who brings both new and old things out of his treasure chest."

told his servants, "This is John the Baptist! He has been raised from the dead, and that's why these miracles are being done by him."

John had been telling him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."

But you say, "Whoever tells his father or his mother, "Whatever support you might have received from me has been given to God,"

Then Jesus called his disciples and said, "I have compassion for the crowd because they have already been with me for three days and have nothing to eat. I don't want to send them away without food, or they may faint on the road."

I will give you the keys to the kingdom from heaven. Whatever you prohibit on earth will have been prohibited in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will have been permitted in heaven."

On their way down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, "Don't tell anyone about this vision until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

Then the disciples understood that he had been speaking to them about John the Baptist.

"I tell all of you with certainty, whatever you prohibit on earth will have been prohibited in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will have been permitted in heaven.

"Not everyone can accept this saying," he replied, "except those to whom celibacy has been granted,

because some men are celibate from birth, while some are celibate because they have been made that way by others. Still others are celibate because they have made themselves that way for the sake of the kingdom from heaven. Let anyone accept this who can."

"These last fellows worked only one hour, but you paid them the same as us, and we've been working all day, enduring the scorching heat!'

He told them, "You will indeed drink from my cup. But it's not up to me to grant you a seat at my right hand or at my left. These positions have already been prepared for others by my Father."

Now this happened to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet when he said,

Jesus answered them, "I tell all of you with certainty, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you be able to do what has been done to the fig tree, but you will also say to this mountain, "Be removed and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen.

He sent his servants to call those who had been invited to the wedding, but they refused to come.

So he sent other servants after saying, "Tell those who have been invited, "Look! I've prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened calves have been slaughtered. Everything is ready. Come to the wedding!"'

Then you say, "If we had been living in the days of our ancestors, we would have had no part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones to death those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!

If those days hadn't been limited, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be limited.

"But if that wicked servant says to himself, "My master has been delayed,'

"His master told him, "Well done, good and trustworthy servant! Since you've been trustworthy with a small amount, I'll put you in charge of a large amount. Come and share your master's joy!'

"His master told him, "Well done, good and trustworthy servant! Since you've been trustworthy with a small amount, I'll put you in charge of a large amount. Come and share your master's joy!'

"Then the king will say to those on his right, "Come, you who have been blessed by my Father! Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,

"Then he will say to those on his left, "Get away from me, you who are accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the Devil and his angels!

Surely this perfume could've been sold for a high price and the money given to the destitute."

The Son of Man is going away, just as it has been written about him. How terrible it will be for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had never been born."

However, after I have been raised, I will go to Galilee ahead of you."

That is why that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.

Then what had been declared through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled when he said, "They took the 30 pieces of silver, the value of the man on whom a price had been set by the Israelis,

Therefore, order the tomb to be secured until the third day, or his disciples may go and steal him and then tell the people, "He has been raised from the dead.' Then the last deception would be worse than the first one."

He is not here. He has been raised, just as he said. Come and see the place where he was lying.

So the soldiers took the money, did as they were instructed, and this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

Then Jesus approached them and told them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Now after John had been arrested, Jesus went to Galilee and proclaimed the gospel about the kingdom of God.

"because they had been saying, "He has an unclean spirit."

He told them, "The secret about the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside, everything comes in parables

He had often been restrained with shackles and chains, but had snapped the chains apart and broken the shackles in pieces. No one could tame him.

Jesus had been saying to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!"

Now when those who had been taking care of the pigs ran away, they reported what had happened in the city and countryside. So the people went to see what had happened.

When they came to Jesus and saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there dressed and in his right mind, they were frightened.

As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed kept begging him to let him go with him.

But Jesus wouldn't let him. Instead, he told him, "Go home to your family, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been to you."

Now there was a woman who had been suffering from chronic bleeding for twelve years.

Although she had endured a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all of her money, she had not been helped at all, but rather grew worse.

because she had been saying, "If I can just touch his robe, I will get well."

When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were utterly amazed. "Where did this man get all these things?" they asked. "What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What great miracles are being done by his hands!

Jesus had been telling them, "A prophet is without honor only in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own home."

King Herod heard about this, because Jesus' name had become well-known. He was saying, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead! That's why he is able to do these miracles."

But when Herod heard about it, he said, "John, whom I beheaded, has been raised,"

John had been telling Herod, "It's not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

"I have compassion for the crowd, because they've already been with me for three days and have nothing to eat.

Jesus had been warning them, "Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod!"

Then Jesus asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" He said, "Since he was a child.

Now Jesus and his disciples had been on the road going up to Jerusalem, with Jesus walking ahead of them. They were astonished, and the others who followed were afraid.

Jesus told them, "You will drink from the cup that I'm going to drink and be baptized with the baptism with which I'm going to be baptized. But it's not up to me to grant you a seat at my right or my left. Those positions have already been prepared for others."

This perfume could have been sold for more than 300 denarii and the money given to the destitute." So they got extremely angry with her.

For the Son of Man is going away, just as it has been written about him, but how terrible it will be for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had never been born."

However, after I've been raised, I'll go to Galilee ahead of you."

Now there was a man in prison named Barabbas. He had been with the insurgents who had committed murder during the rebellion.

Joseph bought some linen cloth, took the body down, wrapped it in the cloth, laid it in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.

Now Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph observed where the body had been laid.

Then they looked up and saw that the stone had been rolled away. (It was a very large stone.)

But he told them, "Stop being astonished! You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised. He is not here. Look at the place where they laid him.

She went and told those who had been with Jesus and who now were grieving and crying.

When they heard that he was alive and that he had been seen by her, they refused to believe Mary.

just as they were passed down to us by those who had been eyewitnesses and servants of the word from the beginning,

so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

But the angel told him, "Stop being afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to name him John.

The angel answered him, "I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. I have been sent to speak to you and to announce this good news to you.

He went there to be registered with Mary, who had been promised to him in marriage and was pregnant.

When they saw this, they repeated what they had been told about this child.

Then the shepherds returned to their flock, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.

It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the Lord's Messiah.

When Jesus' parents saw him, they were shocked. His mother asked him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been worried sick looking for you!"

Now Herod the tetrarch had been rebuked by John because he had married his brother's wife Herodias and because of all of the other evil things Herod had done.

When all the people had been baptized, Jesus, too, was baptized. While he was praying, heaven opened,

He told Jesus, "I will give you all this authority, along with their glory, because it has been given to me, and I give it to anyone I please.

Jesus answered him, "It has been said, "You must not tempt the Lord your God.'"

Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been raised. As was his custom, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. When he stood up to read,

he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled, as you've heard it read aloud."