Then Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and he took Mary [to his home] as his wife,

Now when they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod intends to search for the Child in order to destroy Him.”

“Get up! Take the Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.”

This is the one who was mentioned by the prophet Isaiah when he said,

“The voice of one shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the road for the Lord,
Make His highways straight (level, direct)!’”

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the [divine] wrath and judgment to come?

and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased and delighted!”

And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

And he said [mockingly] to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written,

‘He will command His angels concerning You [to serve, care for, protect and watch over You]’;

and

‘They will lift you up on their hands,
So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written and forever remains written, ‘You shall not test the Lord your God.’”

and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written and forever remains written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”

“The people who were sitting (living) in [spiritual] darkness have seen a great Light,
And for those who were sitting (living) in the land and shadow of [spiritual and moral] death,
Upon them a Light has dawned.”

And He said to them, “Follow Me [as My disciples, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk], and I will make you fishers of men.”

Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and the other side of the Jordan.

“You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;

“You have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not murder,’ and ‘Whoever murders shall be guilty before the court.’

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’;

“It has also been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife is to give her a certificate of divorce’;

“Again, you have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not make false vows, but you shall fulfill your vows to the Lord [as a religious duty].’

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth [punishment that fits the offense].’

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor (fellow man) and hate your enemy.’

And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one [about this]; but go, show yourself to the priest [for inspection] and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony (evidence) to them [of your healing].”

Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

When Jesus heard this, He was amazed and said to those who were following Him, “I tell you truthfully, I have not found such great faith [as this] with anyone in Israel.

I say to you that many [Gentiles] will come from east and west, and will sit down [to feast at the table, and enjoy God’s promises] with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven [because they accepted Me as Savior],

Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it will be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was restored to health at that very hour.

Now when Jesus saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to cast off for the other side of the Sea of Galilee.

Then [on His way to board the boat] a scribe [who was a respected and authoritative interpreter of the Law] came and said to Him, “Master, I will accompany You [as Your student] wherever You go.”

Another of the disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father (collect my inheritance).”

But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me [believing in Me as Master and Teacher], and allow the [spiritually] dead to bury their own dead.”

He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was [at once] a great and wonderful calm [a perfect peacefulness].

When He arrived at the other side in the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming out of the tombs met Him. They were so extremely fierce and violent that no one could pass by that way.

And He said to them, “Go!” So they came out [of the men] and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and died in the water.

And Jesus, getting into a boat, crossed over the Sea of Galilee and came to [Capernaum] His own city.

They brought to Him a man who was paralyzed, lying on a stretcher. Seeing their [active] faith [springing from confidence in Him], Jesus said to the paralytic, “Do not be afraid, son; your sins are forgiven [the penalty is paid, the guilt removed, and you are declared to be in right standing with God].”

And some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man blasphemes [by claiming the rights and prerogatives of God]!”

But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?

But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority and the power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your stretcher and go home.”

As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew (Levi) sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me [as My disciple, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk].” And Matthew got up and followed Him.

Then as Jesus was reclining at the table in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners [including non-observant Jews] came and ate with Him and His disciples.

When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, “Why does your Master eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Take courage, daughter; your [personal trust and confident] faith [in Me] has made you well.” And at once the woman was [completely] healed.

He said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead, but is sleeping.” And they laughed and jeered at Him.

When He went into the house, the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe [with a deep, abiding trust] that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”

But the Pharisees were saying, “He casts out the demons by [the power of] the ruler of demons.”

Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is [indeed] plentiful, but the workers are few.

Whatever city or village you enter, ask who in it is worthy [who welcomes you and your message], and stay at his house until you leave [that city].

the blind receive [their] sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed [by healing] and the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

He said to them, “Have you not read [in the Scriptures] what David did when he was hungry, he and those who accompanied him—

A man was there whose hand was withered. And they asked Jesus, “Is it lawful and permissible to heal on the Sabbath?”—they asked this so that they might accuse Him and bring charges into court.

But He said to them, “What man is there among you who, if he has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?

Then He said to the man, “Reach out your hand!” The man reached out and it was restored, as normal and healthy as the other.

“And in His name the Gentiles (all the nations of the world) will hope [with confidence].”

All the people wondered in amazement, and said, “Could this be the Son of David (the Messiah)?”

But the Pharisees heard it and said, “This man casts out demons only by [the help of] Beelzebul (Satan) the prince of the demons.”

Knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom that is divided against itself is being laid waste; and no city or house divided against itself will [continue to] stand.

He who is not with Me [once and for all on My side] is against Me; and he who does not [unequivocally] gather with Me scatters.

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign (attesting miracle) from You [proving that You are what You claim to be].”

Someone said to Him, “Look! Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside asking to speak to You.”

And stretching out His hand toward His disciples [and all His other followers], He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!

Then the disciples came to Him and asked, “Why do You speak to the crowds in parables?”

Jesus gave them another parable [to consider], saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.

The servants of the owner came to him and said, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then how does it have weeds in it?’

He replied to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants asked him, ‘Then do you want us to go and pull them out?’

But he said, ‘No; because as you pull out the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.

He gave them another parable [to consider], saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field;

All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables, and He said nothing to them without [using] a parable.

He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man,

and the field is the world; and [as for] the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the weeds are the sons of the evil one;

and when it was full, they dragged it up on the beach; and they sat down and sorted out the good fish into baskets, but the worthless ones they threw away.

“Have you understood all these things [in the lessons of the parables]?” They said to Jesus, “Yes.”

He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things that are new and fresh and things that are old and familiar.”

And after coming to [Nazareth] His hometown, He began teaching them in their synagogue, and they were astonished, and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers [what is the source of His authority]?

And they took offense at Him [refusing to believe in Him]. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.”

and said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has been raised from the dead, and that is why the miraculous powers are at work in him.”

For Herod had John arrested and bound him and put him in prison [at the fortress of Machaerus, east of the Jordan, to keep him away] because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip,

for John had said to him, “It is not lawful (morally right) for you to have her [living with you as your wife].”

She, being coached by her mother [Herodias], said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”

When evening came, the disciples came to Him and said, “This is an isolated place and the hour is already late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”

But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!”

They replied, “We have nothing here except five loaves and two fish.”

He said, “Bring them here to Me.”

Immediately He directed the disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side [of the Sea of Galilee], while He sent the crowds away.

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

He said, “Come!” So Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

When they had crossed over [the sea], they went ashore at Gennesaret.

Then some Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem came to Jesus and said,

he is not to honor his father or his mother [by helping them with their need].’ So by this you have invalidated the word of God [depriving it of force and authority and making it of no effect] for the sake of your tradition [handed down by the elders].

You hypocrites (play-actors, pretenders), rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said,

After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said, “Listen and understand this:

Then the disciples came and said to Jesus, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard you say this?”

Peter asked Him, “Explain this parable [about what defiles a person] to us.”

And He said, “Are you still so dull [and unable to put things together]?

She said, “Yes, Lord; but even the pet dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their [young] masters’ table.”

Then Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, “I feel compassion for the crowd, because they have been with Me now three days and have nothing [left] to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, because they might faint [from exhaustion] on the way [home].”

The disciples said to Him, “Where are we to get enough bread in this isolated place to feed so large a crowd?”

When the disciples reached the other side of the sea, they realized that they had forgotten to bring bread.

Jesus said to them, “Watch out and be on your guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”