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

So when Joseph awoke from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had directed him, and took his wife to his home.

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

and they went into the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they threw themselves down and did homage to him. They opened their treasure boxes and presented the child with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

and said, "Wake up! Take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead."

Give us today bread for the day,

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?

Many will say to me on that Day, 'Lord! Lord! Was it not in your name that we prophesied, and by your name that we drove out demons, and by your name that we did many mighty acts?'

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.

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

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."

he said, "You must go away, for the girl is not dead; she is asleep." And they laughed at him.

Cure the sick, raise the dead, heal lepers, drive out demons. Give without payment, just as you received without payment.

The blind are regaining their sight and the lame can walk, the lepers are being cured and the deaf can hear, the dead are being raised and good news is being preached to the poor.

Then what did you go out there to see? A man luxuriously dressed? Men who dress in that way you find in the palaces of kings.

Then why did you go out there? Was it to see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and far more than a prophet!

Then he began to reproach the towns in which his numerous wonders had been done, because they did not repent.

And you, Capernaum! Are you to be exalted to the skies? You will go down among the dead! For if the wonders that have been done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have stood until today.

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

Or did you never read in the Law how the priests in the Temple are not guilty when they break the Sabbath?

And the owner's slaves came to him and said, 'Was not the seed good that you sowed in your field, sir? So where did these weeds come from?'

and went to his own part of the country. And he taught the people in their synagogue in such a way that they were astonished, and said, "Where did he get this wisdom, and the power to do these wonders?

And do not all his sisters live here among us? Then where did he get all this?"

And he did not do many wonders there, because of their want of faith.

and he said to his attendants, "This man must be John the Baptist. He has risen from the dead, and that is why wonderful powers are working through him."

Jesus immediately stretched out his hand and caught hold of him, and said to him, "Why did you waver? You have so little faith!"

But he answered, "Any plant that my heavenly Father did not plant must be uprooted!

And as they were going down the mountain, Jesus cautioned them, saying, "Do not tell anyone of the vision you have seen until the Son of Man is raised from the dead."

And if he happens to find it, I tell you he rejoices more over it than he does over the ninety-nine that did not stray.

Ought you not to have taken pity on your fellow-slave, as I did on you?'

But he answered, "Did you never read that the Creator at the beginning made them male and female,

They said to him, "Then why did Moses command us to draw up a written divorce-notice and give it to her?"

A man came up to him and said, "Master, what good deed must I do to obtain eternal life?"

He went out again about twelve and about three, and did the same.

But he answered one of them, 'My friend, I am doing you no injustice. Did you not agree with me on a dollar?

So the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them;

But when the high priests and the scribes saw the wonders that he did and saw the boys shouting in the Temple, "God bless the Son of David!" they were indignant,

and said to him, "Do you hear what they are saying?" Jesus said to them, "Yes. Did you never read, 'You have drawn praise from the mouths of children and infants'?"

When the disciples saw it, they were amazed and said, "How did the fig tree come to wither up immediately?"

Where did John's baptism come from? Was it from heaven, or from men?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'It was from heaven,' he will say to us, 'Then why did you not believe him?'

But what do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'My son, go and work in the vineyard today.'

And he answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go.

Which of the two did what his father wanted?" They said, "The second one." Jesus said to them, "I tell you, the tax-collectors and prostitutes are going into the Kingdom of God ahead of you.

Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures, " 'That stone which the builders rejected Has become the cornerstone; This came from the Lord, And seems marvelous to us'?

But when the king came in to view the guests, he saw among them a man who did not have on wedding clothes.

And he said to him, 'My friend, how did you happen to come here without wedding clothes?' But he had nothing to say.

so did the second, and the third, and the rest of the seven.

But as to the resurrection of the dead, did you never read what was said to you by God,

'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of dead men but of living!"

Alas for you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, for you are like white-washed tombs! They look well on the outside, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead, and all that is unclean.

Wherever there is a dead body, the vultures will flock.

Then the upright will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food, or thirsty, and give you something to drink?

When did we see you a stranger, and invite you home, or without clothing, and supply you with it?

When did we see you sick or in prison, and go to see you?'

The king will answer, 'I tell you, in so far as you did it to one of the humblest of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.'

when I was a stranger, you did not invite me home, when I had no clothes, you did not supply me, when I was sick and in prison, you did not look after me.'

Then they in their turn will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or in need of clothes, or sick, or in prison, and did not wait upon you?'

So the disciples did as Jesus directed them, and prepared the Passover supper.

and said, "I did wrong when I handed an innocent man over to death!" They said, "What is that to us? You see to it yourself."

Give orders, therefore, to have the tomb closely guarded till the third day, so that his disciples cannot come and steal him, and then tell the people that he is risen from the dead, and that delusion be worse than the other was."

The men on guard trembled with fear of him, and became like dead men.

Now go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has risen from the dead, and is going back to Galilee before you. You will see him there.' Now I have given you my message."

So they took the money and did as they were told. And this story has been current among the Jews ever since.

Jesus heard it, and said to them, "It is not well people but the sick who have to have the doctor. I did not come to invite the pious but the irreligious."

He said to them, "Did you never read what David did, when he was in need and hungry, he and his men?

Even as he spoke people came from the house of the leader of the synagogue and said, "Your daughter is dead. Why should you trouble the Master any further?"

And he went into the house and said to them, "What is the meaning of all this confusion and crying? The child is not dead, she is asleep."

When the Sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue. And the people were astonished when they heard him, and said, "Where did he get all this? How does he come to have such wisdom? How are such marvelous things done through him?

King Herod heard of him, for his name was now well known, and people were saying that John the baptizer had risen from the dead, and that that was why he was endowed with these extraordinary powers.

But when Herod heard of him he said, "John, whom I beheaded, has risen from the dead."

The king was exceedingly sorry, but on account of his oath and his guests he did not like to break his word to her,

"When I broke the seven loaves in pieces for the four thousand, how many baskets of pieces did you pick up?" They said to him, "Seven."

For he did not know what to say, they were so frightened.

As they were going down the mountain, he cautioned them to let no one know what they had seen, until the Son of Man should rise from the dead.

And they did not forget what he said, but discussed with one another what he meant by the rising from the dead.

And it gave a cry and convulsed him terribly, and went out of him. And the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said that he was dead.

And they left that place and made their way through Galilee, and he did not wish anyone to know it;

But they did not understand what he meant, and they were afraid to ask him about it.

And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'It was from heaven,' he will say, 'Then why did you not believe him?'

Did you never read this passage of Scripture: " 'That stone which the builders rejected Has become the cornerstone;

And the second married her, and died without leaving any child, and so did the third.

For when people rise from the dead, there is no marrying or being married, but they live as angels do in heaven.

But as to the dead being raised, have you never read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?

He is not God of dead men but of living! You are entirely wrong."

When he came back he found them asleep again, for they could hardly keep their eyes open; and they did not know what answer to make to him.

for while many gave false testimony against him their evidence did not agree.

And even then their evidence did not agree.

Did you hear his blasphemy? What is your decision?" And they all condemned him as deserving to be put to death.

And they struck him on the head with a stick and spat at him, and they knelt down and did homage to him.

Pilate wondered whether he was dead already, and he sent for the captain and asked whether he was dead yet,

Still later he appeared to the Eleven themselves when they were at table, and reproached them for their obstinacy and want of faith, because they had not believed those who had seen him after he had been raised from the dead.

for today, in the town of David, a Savior for you has been born who is your Messiah and Lord.

When his parents saw him they were amazed, and his mother said to him. "My child, why did you treat us like this? Here your father and I have been looking for you, and have been very anxious."

He said to them, "How did you come to look for me? Did you not know that I must be at my Father's house?"

But they did not understand what he told them.

And he began by saying to them, "This passage of Scripture has been fulfilled here in your hearing today!"

He said to them, "No doubt you will quote this proverb to me: 'Doctor, cure yourself! Do the things here in your own country that we hear you did at Capernaum.'

So they did so, and inclosed such a shoal of fish that their nets began to break.

They were all seized with astonishment, and praised God, and filled with awe they said, "We have seen something wonderful today!"

Jesus answered, "Have you not read even what David did, when he and his companions were hungry?