saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find Him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship Him.”

After they were gone, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up! Take the child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to destroy Him.”

A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children;
and she refused to be consoled,
because they were no more.

For he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said:

A voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
Prepare the way for the Lord;
make His paths straight!

And don’t presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones!

Even now the ax is ready to strike the root of the trees! Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but the One who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to remove His sandals. He Himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

His winnowing shovel is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn. But the chaff He will burn up with fire that never goes out.”

Jesus answered him, “Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him to be baptized.

After Jesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on Him.

and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

He will give His angels orders concerning you,
and they will support you with their hands
so that you will not strike
your foot against a stone.”

Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written:

Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only Him.”

The people who live in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those living in the shadowland of death,
light has dawned.

“Follow Me,” He told them, “and I will make you fish for people!”

Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed,
for they will be filled.

Those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed,
for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men.

No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.

For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished.

For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell!

“You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

As for the one who wants to sue you and take away your shirt, let him have your coat as well.

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?

When you pray, don’t babble like the idolaters, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words.

And do not bring us into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
[For Yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.]

“For if you forgive people their wrongdoing, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well.

“Whenever you fast, don’t be sad-faced like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive so their fasting is obvious to people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward!

“Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.

But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t He do much more for you—you of little faith?

For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

For with the judgment you use, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

What man among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?

Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them—this is the Law and the Prophets.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it.

Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”

Then Jesus told the centurion, “Go. As you have believed, let it be done for you.” And his servant was cured that very moment.

For which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?

Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Just then, a woman who had suffered from bleeding for 12 years approached from behind and touched the tassel on His robe,

for she said to herself, “If I can just touch His robe, I’ll be made well!”

Then He touched their eyes, saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith!”

When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were weary and worn out, like sheep without a shepherd.

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, drive out demons. You have received free of charge; give free of charge.

Don’t take along gold, silver, or copper for your money-belts.

Don’t take a traveling bag for the road, or an extra shirt, sandals, or a walking stick, for the worker is worthy of his food.

I assure you: It will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

But when they hand you over, don’t worry about how or what you should speak. For you will be given what to say at that hour,

When they persecute you in one town, escape to another. For I assure you: You will not have covered the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

It is enough for a disciple to become like his teacher and a slave like his master. If they called the head of the house ‘Beelzebul,’ how much more the members of his household!

Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s consent.

For I came to turn

a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;

But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and far more than a prophet.

For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John;

We played the flute for you,
but you didn’t dance;
we sang a lament,
but you didn’t mourn!

For John did not come eating or drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes long ago!

But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until today.

But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.

For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

how he entered the house of God, and they ate the sacred bread, which is not lawful for him or for those with him to eat, but only for the priests?

For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

A man is worth far more than a sheep, so it is lawful to do what is good on the Sabbath.”

Knowing their thoughts, He told them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.

And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, who is it your sons drive them out by? For this reason they will be your judges.

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.

Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.

I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak.

For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

For as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.

“When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it roams through waterless places looking for rest but doesn’t find any.

For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven, that person is My brother and sister and mother.”

He answered them, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know, but it has not been given to them.

For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

For this reason I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see, and hearing they do not listen or understand.

For this people’s heart has grown callous;
their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;
otherwise they might see with their eyes
and hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn back—
and I would cure them.

For I assure you: Many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see yet didn’t see them; to hear the things you hear yet didn’t hear them.

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

For Herod had arrested John, chained him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,

since John had been telling him, “It’s not lawful for you to have her!”

As He stepped ashore, He saw a huge crowd, felt compassion for them, and healed their sick.

When evening came, the disciples approached Him and said, “This place is a wilderness, and it is already late. Send the crowds away so they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”

When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and cried out in fear.

“Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat!”

For God said:

Honor your father and your mother; and,
The one who speaks evil of father or mother
must be put to death.