The birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. After his mother, Mary, had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

Behold! the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a son; and they shall call his name Immanuel, a word which means "God with us."

Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and make careful inquiry about the child, and as soon as you have found him bring me word, that I, too, may go and worship him."

The Magi listened to the king, and went on their way, and lo! the star which they had seen in the east led them until it came and stood over the place where the young child was.

When they had entered the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother, and opening their treasure-chests they gave him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

When they were gone an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying; "Rise! Take the young child and his mother and flee into Egypt, and there remain until I bring you word; for Herod intends to make a search for the child, in order to put him to death."

So Joseph arose, took the child and his mother, by night, and departed to Egypt.

saying, "Rise! Take the child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the life of the child are dead."

So he rose and took the child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.

"It is written again," answered Jesus, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."

"You have heard that it was said, "Thou shalt not commit adultery.

"And brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against their parents and put them to death.

For the heart of his people is made fat, Their ears are dull of hearing; Their eyes, too, have they closed, Lest some day their eyes should perceive, And their ears should hear, And their heart should understand and turn, And I should heal them.

When he had called a little child to him, Jesus set him among them, and answered.

"Whoever therefore will humble himself like this little child, is greatest in the kingdom of heaven;

"and whoever receives one such child for my sake, receives me.

"Just so it is not the will of my Father in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

"But he would not; on the contrary he went and threw him into prison until he should pay the debt.

"Then in hot anger his master handed him over to the torturers, until he should pay him all his debt.

"Which commandments?" asked the man. Jesus replied. "Thou shalt not kill; Thou shalt not commit adultery; Thou shalt not steal; Thou shalt not bear false witness;

"Honor thy father and thy mother; and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."

Jesus answered, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

"The second, which is like it, is this, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Alas for thee women who are with child, and for the nursing mothers in those days!

"If at that time any one should say to you, 'See, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' believe him not.

But if, because he is a bad slave, he should say to himself, 'My Master is a long time in coming,'

Then you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my property with interest.

"If this should reach the Governor's ears," they said, "we will satisfy him and screen you from punishment."

so that, "for all their looking they may not see, and for all their hearing, they may not understand, lest perchance they should turn and be pardoned.

"It is with the kingdom of God," he continued, "as if a man should have sown seed in the earth;

"The child is not dead, but asleep." And they began to laugh him to scorn. Then he put them all outside, took the father and mother of the child and those he brought with him, and entered the room where the child was lying.

Then he took the child's hand and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," that is to say, "Little girl, I am speaking to you; arise!"

So she went home, and found the child lying in her bed and the demon departed.

Jesus and his disciples, after leaving that place, passed through Galilee; but he was unwilling that any one should know it,

Then Jesus took a little child, set it among them, and folding it in his arms, he said,

"Whoever in my name receives one such little child, receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me, but Him who sent me."

I tell you true that unless a man receives the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not even enter it."

"Teacher, Moses taught us that if a man's brother die, and leave a wife behind him, but no child, that his brother is to marry the widow and to raise up a family for his brother.

and thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.'"

"And brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise up against their parents, and have them put to death.

keep watch then, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming??n the evening, at midnight, at cockcrow, or in the morning??36 lest he should come unexpectedly and find you sleeping;

but, "Not on a feast-day," they said, "for fear there should be a riot among the people."

Then they crucified him, and divided his garments among them, casting lots upon them to see what each should take.

Now they had no child, for Elizabeth was barren, and both were far advanced in years.

and called out with a loud cry. "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is your unborn child!

"But why is this honor done me, that the mother of my Lord should come me?

and came on the eighth day to circumcise the child. They were about to call him "Zachariah," after his father,

Then they asked his father by signs what he wished to call the child.

All the story laid it up in their hearts, saying "What, then, will this child be?" For the Lord's hands was with him.

"That he we should be delivered out of the Hand of our enemies, And should serve him without fear,

"And thou, child, shalt be called the Prophet of the Most High, For thou shalt go before the Lord to prepare the way

And the child grew, and became strong in the Spirit, and remained in the desert till the day of his showing to Israel.

When they had seen, they made known about the words which had been spoken to them concerning the child.

Now it has been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

And he came into the Temple, led by the Spirit. and when his parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law,

"Behold this child is set for the falling and rising up of many in Israel, and for a sign which is spoken against.

She came up at that very hour, and gave thanks to God, and spoke of the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

And the child grew and became strong, becoming full of wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

When they saw him they were astonished, and his mother said to him "Child, why have you treated us so? Behold your father and I have been looking for you in anguish."

"It is written," answered Jesus, "Thou shalt worship the Lord, thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."

"It has been said," replied Jesus, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord, thy God."

And when it was daybreak he left the town, and went away to a solitary place; and the crowd kept seeking him. Coming at length upon him, they attempted to detain him so that he should not leave them.

And they, when they reached Jesus, asked him earnestly to do this. "He deserves that you should do this," they said,

So Jesus started to go with them, but while he was not far from the house, the captain sent friends to him with a message. "Lord do not trouble yourself, for I am not fit that you should come under my roof,

And Jesus who knew the dispute that was in their hearts, took a young child, and placed him by his side;

then he said to them. "Whoever shall receive this little child in my name receives me; and whoever shall receive me receives him that sent me. For it is the lowliest among you all who is great."

"But if that slave should say to himself, 'My master delays his coming,' and should begin to beat the men and the maids, and to eat and drink and to get drunk,

So he said to the gardener. "'See, for years I have come looking for fruit on this tree, and found none. Cut it down. Why should it actually cumber the ground?'

"'But it was fitting that we should make merry and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and is alive; he was lost and is found.'"

"'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,' said Father Abraham, 'neither will they be persuaded if one should rise from the dead.'"

Jesus said to his disciples. "It is not possible but that occasions of stumbling should occur, but woe to him through whom they come!

"It were well for him if a millstone were tied about his neck, and he were hurled into the sea, rather than he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.

"Even so, you also, after you have done all the things that are commanded you, should say, 'We are but slaves, we have only done what it was our duty to do.'"

"On that day, if a man is on the housetop and his goods inside, let him not go down to take them away; nor should a man in the field turn back.

"I tell you in solemn truth that whoever will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child, he will never get into it."

"I tell you," he answered, "that if these should hold their peace, the very stones would cry out."

"Teacher, Moses wrote a law for us that if a man's brother should die, but leave no children, his brother should take up his wife and raise up his children for his brother.

"Woe to women with child and to those who are nursing infants in those days! For sore anguish will come upon the land, and wrath upon all his people.

But they kept shouting the more insistently, demanding that he should be crucified, and their shouts won the day.

So Pilate gave sentence what they wished should be done.

But their eyes continued to be held that they should not recognize him even for an instant,

"But we were hoping that it was he who should redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this is the third day since these things happened.

and he said: "Thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead, the third day;

"and that repentance unto remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever trusts in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

"And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should not lose one of all those whom he has given me, but should raise them up at the last day.

"Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was who should betray him.

"Consider, therefore, Moses has given you circumcision??ot that Moses originated it, but the fathers??nd you are accustomed to circumcise a child even on the Sabbath.

"If a child receives circumcision on the Sabbath, in order that the Law of Moses may not be broken, how can you be angry with me because I made a man sound and well on the Sabbath?

Now he said this concerning the Spirit whom those who believed in him should receive. For the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

"You are not acquainted with him; I know him. Were I to say, 'I do not know him,' I should be like you, a liar. But I do know him, and I obey his teaching.

"Your father Abraham rejoiced that he should see my day; and he saw it and was glad."

This his parents said because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if any one should confess that he was the Christ, he should be expelled from the synagogue.

Jesus answered her, "Did I not tell you that if you would believe you should see the glory of God?"

"You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, rather than the whole nation be destroyed."

Now the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if any one knew where he was. he should give information, so that they might arrest him.

"The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified.

He hath blinded their eyes and make their hearts hard, Lest they should see with their eyes, perceive with their minds, And should turn, and I should heal them.

Now just before the feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that his hour was come when he should leave this world to go to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, showed forth his love to the end.

(For he knew who should betray him, for that reason he said that they were not every one of them clean.)