After the birth of Jesus, which took place at Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod, lo! certain Magi arrived in Jerusalem, saying.

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.

Then he consented. And after Jesus was baptized, as soon as he rose out of the water, lo! the heavens opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon him,

"Do not suppose that I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I am come not to destroy, but to fulfil.

"In solemn truth I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a comma, will pass from the Law until all has taken place.

"and if any one wants to go to law with you and takes away your coat, let him take your cloak also.

"Therefore everything that you would have men do to you, do you also the same to them; for this is the Law and the Prophets.

"Foxes have their holes," answered Jesus, "and wild birds their roosting-places, but the Son of man has not where to lay his head."

"For I came to set "a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;

"For the prophets and the Law prophesied until John;

and the Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Lo, a glutton and a wine-drinker, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners!' Nevertheless, Wisdom is justified by her deeds."

"Have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the Temple break the Sabbath and are guiltless?

"Is there a man of you," he replied, "who has but a single sheep, who will not lay hold of it and lift it out, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath Day?

"The men of Nineveh will stand up in the Judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented under the preaching of Jonah, and lo! a greater than Jonah is here!

"The Queen of the South will rise in the judgment with this generation, and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon; and lo! a greater than Solomon is here!

It came about after Jesus had finished these teachings, that he removed from Galilee, and went to that part of Judea which lay across the Jordan.

Then young children were brought to him, that he might lay his hands on them and pray. His disciples interfered, but Jesus said to them.

"Master, which is the great commandment in the law?"

"On those two commandments hang the whole law and the prophets."

"For they bind heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves will not lift a finger to move them.

"Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and anise and cummin, and neglect the weightier matters of the Law??ustice and mercy and good faith; these latter you ought to have done, and not to have left the former undone.

And lo, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two, from the top to the bottom;

At the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came down to see the sepulcher, when lo!

teaching them to observe every command which I have given you. and lo! I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."

Now Simon's mother-in-law lay sick of fever, and without delay they told him about her.

"Look," said the Pharisees to him, "Why are they doing on the Sabbath Day what is against the law?"

"My little daughter," he said, "is dying. I beseech you, come and lay your hands on her, that she may recover and live."

And whenever he entered into villages or cities or the fields they would lay the sick in the market-places and beseech him to let them touch even the tassel of his cloak, and all who touched him were made well.

And they brought to him a deaf man who stammered, and begged him to lay his hands upon him.

And they kept seeking to lay hold on him, but were afraid of the crowd, for they knew well that he had spoken this parable about them; so they left him and went away.

they shall pick up serpents, and if they drink any poison it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover."

who was a descendant of Aaron. They were both righteous in the sight of the Lord, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the law, blameless.

"he has put down princes from their thrones, and has exalted those of low degree.

And when the days for purification according to the law of Moses had passed, they took him up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord,

as it is written in the law of Moses, Every firstborn male shall be called holy to the Lord.

And they also offered a sacrifice as commanded in the Law of the Lord A pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.

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,

As soon as all that the law required had been done, they returned to Galilee to their own town, Nazareth.

Every ravine shall be filled up, Every hill and mountain shall be laid low, The crooked shall be made straight, And the rough roads smooth;

The soldiers also repeatedly questioned him, saying, "And we, what shall we do?" "Do not intimidate any one," he replied, "nor lay false charges, and be content with your pay."

Now when he rose and left the synagogue, he entered into the house of Simon, where Simon's mother-in-law lay sick of a great fever. And they kept entreating him for her.

One day he was teaching, and near to him were seated Pharisees and teachers of the Law, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was with him to heal.

And behold there came men carrying a paralytic on a bed; and they tried to bring him and lay him before Jesus, but they could not because of the crowd.

for he had only one daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay dying. But as he went the crowds continued to press in on him.

"The foxes have their holes," Jesus answered, "and the wild birds have their nest, but the Son of man has not where to lay his head."

And he said to him. "What is written in the Law? What do you read there?"

"The queen of the South shall rise up in Judgment with the men of this generation, and shall condemn them; because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and lo, one greater than Solomon is here!

"The men of the Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with his generation and shall condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and lo! one greater than Jonah is here!

"father against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against her mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

"And lo, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last."

"Go, tell that fox," he answered, "'Lo, today and tomorrow I am continuing to cast out demons and perform cures, and on the third day I finish my course.'

And lo! there was in front of him a man who had dropsy.

"The Law and the Prophet lasted until John; since then the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and any one presses in.

"Yet it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away then for one title of the law to fail.

"And they shall say to you, 'Lo there! Lo there!' But do not go away or follow them.

"He said to him, "'By your own words I will Judge you, you wicked slave. You knew, did you, that I was a hard man taking up what I did not lay down, reaping what I did not sow.

So they could not lay hold of his sayings before the people; and marveling at his answer, they held their peace.

"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.

Then he said to them, "These are my words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, how all things must be fulfilled which are written in the Law of Moses, and the prophets, and the Psalms concerning me."

For the Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Then Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found him about whom Moses wrote in the Law, as did the prophets??esus of Nazareth, Joseph's son."

It has five colonnades. In these there used to lie a great crowd of sick people??lind, lame, paralyzed.

"Did not Moses give you the Law? Yet none of you is keeping the Law. Why are you seeking to kill me?"

"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?

"As for this mob who do not understand the Law, they are accursed!"

"Our law does not condemn the accused, does it, before hearing his defense, and finding out what he is doing?"

"Now Moses, in the Law, has commanded us to stone such creatures. But you, what do you say?"

"And in your Law it is written that the testimony of two men is true.

"You are of your father, the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. He was a man-slayer from the very beginning; and he has no standing place in the truth, because truth is not in him. Whenever he utters a lie, he speaks from his nature, for he is a liar and the father of lying.

just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep.

"No man is taking it away from me. I am laying it down on my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father."

"Is it written in your law," replied Jesus, "I said, You are gods?

Then the people answered. "We have heard out of the Law that the Christ abides forever. What do you mean by 'The Son of man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of man?"

"Why cannot I follow you now, Master?" said Peter. "I will lay down my life for you." Jesus answered him.

"Your life you will lay down for me? In solemn truth I tell you, the cock shall not crow before you have three times disowned me."

"Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

"And so is fulfilled the word written in their Law, 'They hate me without cause.'

and led him to Annas first. (For Annas was the Father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year??14 the Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it was for their advantage that one man should die for the people.)

"Take him yourselves," answered Pilate, "and judge him according to your law."

The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and by that law he ought to die, because he made himself out to be God's Son,"

Then Peter also came following him, and he went inside the tomb; and he gazed at the linen wrapping as they lay,

Nor was there any one of them in want, for all who owned houses or lands would sell them and bring the price of the things that were sold, and lay it at the apostles' feet;

"Why was it," said Peter, "that you both agreed to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Lo, the feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they shall carry you out."

but Gamaliel, a Pharisee, a teacher of the law, and held in honor by all the people, rose from his seat, and ordered the apostles to be put outside for a little while.

They also set up false witnesses who testified. "This fellow is continually talking against the Holy Place and against the law.

"Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become??53 "you who received the law, given through angels, and obeyed it not."

Then he knelt down and cried aloud, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge."

"Give me, too, this power, so that on whomever I lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit."

Now there was in Damascus a disciple named Ananias, and the Lord spoke to him in a vision, saying, "Ananias!" And he answered, "Lo, I am here, Lord."

He is now praying, and has seen a man named Ananias enter and lay his hands on him to restore his sight."

"And lo! at that very moment, three men who had been sent for me from Caesarea stood before the house in which I was.

And, after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the wardens of the synagogue sent word to them. "Brothers," they said, "if you have any word of encouragement to the people, say it."

"and that by him every one that believes is justified from all things from which you could never be justified by the law of Moses.

So Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly. "It was necessary," they said, "first to proclaim the word of God to you. But since you push it away from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

But certain men who had belonged to the sect of the Pharisees, but were now believers, stood up and said, "It is necessary to circumcise Gentile, and to order them to keep the Law of Moses."

"For it has seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;

but as these are merely questions about words and names and your own law, you yourselves must see to it. I am not willing to be a judge of these matters."

And they, when they heard it, glorified God, and said to him. "You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews, of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law.

"We have four men here under a vow; associate yourself with them, purify yourself with them, and pay their expenses so that they may have their heads shaved; then every one will know that there is no truth in the rumors that they have heard about you; but that you yourself walk orderly obeying the law.

"Men of Israel, help! This is the man who goes everywhere preaching to everybody against the people, and the Law, and this place. And he has actually brought Gentiles even into the temple, and has desecrated the holy place."