And, sending them to Bethlehem, he said: "Go and make careful inquiries about the child, and, as soon as you have found him, bring me word, that I, too, may go and do homage to him."

After they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, and said: "Awake, take the child and his mother, and seek refuge in Egypt; and stay there until I bid you return, for Herod is about to search for the child, to put him to death."

About that time John the Baptist first appeared, proclaiming in the Wilderness of Judea:

"If you are God's Son, throw yourself down, for Scripture says- -'He will give his angels commands about thee, And on their hands they will upbear thee, Lest ever thou shouldst strike thy foot against a stone.'"

Blessed are you when people taunt you, and persecute you, and say everything evil about you--untruly, and on my account.

That is why I say to you, Do not be anxious about your life here--what you can get to eat or drink; nor yet about your body-- what you can get to wear. Is not life more than food, and the body than its clothing?

And why be anxious about clothing? Study the wild lilies, and how they grow. They neither toil nor spin;

Therefore do not be anxious about to-morrow, for to-morrow will bring its own anxieties. Every day has trouble enough of its own.

Which, I ask, is the easier?--to say 'Your sins are forgiven'? or to say 'Get up, and walk about'?

But the men went out, and spread the news about him through all that part of the country.

About the same time Jesus walked through the corn-fields one Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and began to pick some ears of wheat and eat them.

Then he added: "So every Teacher of the Law, who has received instruction about the Kingdom of Heaven, is like a householder who produces from his stores things both new and old."

The men who ate were about five thousand in number, without counting women and children.

Hypocrites! It was well said by Isaiah when he prophesied about you--

And the crowds were astonished, when they saw the dumb talking, the cripples made sound, the lame walking about, and the blind with their sight restored; and they praised the God of Israel.

But the disciples began talking among themselves about their having brought no bread.

On noticing this, Jesus said: "Why are you talking among yourselves about your being short of bread, O men of little faith?

How is it that you do not see that I was not speaking about bread? Be on your guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

"Why ask me about goodness?" answered Jesus. "There is but One who is good. If you want to enter the Life, keep the commandments."

"What commandments?" asked the man. "These," answered Jesus:-- "'Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not say what is false about others.

On going out again, about nine o'clock, he saw some others standing in the market-place, doing nothing.

So the men went. Going out again about mid-day and about three o'clock, he did as before.

When he went out about five, he found some other men standing there, and said to them 'Why have you been standing here all day long, doing nothing?'

Now when those who had been hired about five o'clock went up, they received two shillings each.

On hearing of this, the ten others were very indignant about the two brothers.

It is about John's baptism. What was its origin? divine or human?" But they began arguing among themselves: "If we say 'divine,' he will say to us 'Why then did not you believe him?'

After listening to these parables, the Chief Priests and the Pharisees saw that it was about them that he was speaking;

"What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" "David's," they said.

But about that Day and Hour, no one knows--not even the angels of Heaven, nor yet the Son--but only the Father himself.

At daybreak all the Chief Priests and the Councillors of the Nation consulted together against Jesus, to bring about his death.

And about three Jesus called out loudly: "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabacthani"--that is to say, 'O my God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?'