But her husband, Joseph, because he was an upright man and did not want to disgrace her, decided to break the engagement by secretly divorcing her.

So when Joseph awoke from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord directed him, and took her as his wife;

but he did not live with her as a husband until she had had a son; and he named Him Jesus.

and said, "Wake up, tenderly take the child and His mother, and make the trip to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead."

But whenever you, a follower of mine, do a deed of charity, never let your own left hand know what your right hand is doing,

so that your deed of charity may be secret, and your Father who sees what is secret will reward you.

Give us today our daily bread for the day.

Now if God so gorgeously dresses the wild grass which today is green but tomorrow is tossed into the furnace, will He not much more surely clothe you, O you with little faith?

Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, was it not in your name that we prophesied, and in your name that we drove out demons, and in your name that we did many wonder-works?'

And the rain fell, and the rivers rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, but it did not fall, for its pillars had been laid on a rocky foundation.

for He was teaching them as one who had authority to teach, and not as their scribes did.

And Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead."

said, "Go away, for the girl is not dead, but is sleeping." And they began to laugh in His face.

Keep on curing the sick, raising the dead, healing lepers, and driving out demons. You received and gave no pay; you must give and take none.

the blind are seeing and the crippled are walking, the lepers are being healed and the deaf are hearing, the dead are being raised and the poor are having the good news preached to them.

But as they were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the desert to gaze at? A reed that is tossed to and fro by the wind?

If not, what did you go out there to see? A man dressed in silks and satins? No, people who dress in that way are found in the palaces of kings.

If not, why did you go out there? To see a prophet?

"'We played the wedding march for you, but you did not dance. We sang the funeral dirge, but you did not beat your breasts.'

Then He began to censure the cities in which His many, many wonder-works had been done, because they did not repent.

And you, Capernaum, are you to be exalted to heaven? No, you belong to the regions of the dead! For if the wonder-works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have continued until today.

But He said to them, "Did you never read what David did, when he and his soldiers became hungry?

Or, did you never read in the law that the priests in the temple break the sabbath, and yet are not guilty?

and some fell upon rocky ground where they did not have much soil, and at once they sprang up, because there was no depth of soil,

For this people's soul has grown dull, and with their ears they can scarcely hear, and they have shut tight their eyes, so that they will never see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn to me, so that I may cure them!'

For I solemnly say to you, many prophets and upright men yearned to see what you are seeing, and did not see it, and to hear what you are hearing, and did not hear it.

And the farmer's slaves came up to him and said, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then where did the wild wheat plants come from?'

He went to His own home town, and kept teaching in their synagogue in such a way that they were dumbfounded, and said, "Where did He get this wisdom and this power to do such wonder-works?

And are not His sisters all living here with us? Where then did He get all these things?"

He did not do many wonder-works there, because of their lack of faith.

and said to his attendants, "This is John the Baptist. He has risen from the dead, and that is why the powers are at work through him."

Jesus at once put out His hand and caught hold of him, and said to him, "O you of little faith! Why did you waver so?"

He answered, "Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant must be rooted up.

But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came up and kept begging Him, "Send her away, for she keeps on screaming after us."

Then they began to discuss it among themselves, and said, "It is because we did not take any bread."

How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you about bread, when I said, keep on guarding yourselves against the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees?"

And as they were going down the mountain, Jesus warned them, saying, "Never mention to anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man is raised from the dead."

But I say to you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but treated him as they pleased. Just so the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands."

And if he finds it, I solemnly say to you, he rejoices over it more than he does over the ninety-nine that did not get lost.

Then they asked Him, "Why did Moses command us to give a written divorce charge, and in this way to divorce a wife?"

Again he went out about twelve o'clock and three o'clock, and did as before.

But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no injustice. Did you not contract with me at twenty cents?

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

But because the high priests and scribes saw the wonders that He did and the children shouting in the temple, "Welcome the Son of David," they were indignant

and asked Him, "Do you hear what they are saying?" Jesus answered them, "Yes. Did you never read this, 'Out of the mouths of little children, yea, of infants, you have perfect praise'?"

Where did John's baptism come from? From heaven, or from men?" They argued it out among themselves in this way, "If we say, '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 came to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in my vineyard today.'

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

Which of the two did what his father wanted?" They answered, "The second one." Jesus said to them, "I solemnly say to you, the tax-collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of heaven ahead of you.

For John came to you walking in the way of uprightness, and yet you did not believe him. The tax-collectors and prostitutes did believe him, but you, even though you saw that, would not change your minds afterward and believe him.

Then Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures: 'That stone which the builders threw away has become the cornerstone; this is the work of the Lord and seems wonderful to us!'

But when the king came in to take a look at the guests, he saw there a man who did not have on a wedding suit.

But did you never read, on the resurrection of the dead, what God said to you,

'I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob!' Now God is not the God of dead but of living men."

"A curse on you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, for you are like white-washed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead people's bones and everything that is unclean!

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

When did we ever see you a stranger and welcome you to our homes, or needing clothes, and put them on you?

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

And the King will answer them, 'I solemnly say to you, every time you did a good deed to one of these most insignificant brothers of mine, you did a good deed to me.'

when I was a stranger you did not welcome me to your homes, when I needed clothes you did not put them on me, when I was sick and in prison, you did not look after me.'

Then they will answer, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or needing clothes, or sick, or in prison, and did not wait on you?'

Then He will answer, 'I solemnly say to you, every time you failed to do a good deed to one of these most insignificant people, you failed to do a good deed to me.'

But Jesus, because He understood them, said to them, "Why do you embarrass the woman? She has done a good deed to me,

I solemnly say to you, all over the world wherever this good news is proclaimed, the good deed that she has done will be told, in memory of her."

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

But after I am raised from the dead, I will go back to Galilee to meet you."

and said, "I did wrong in turning an innocent man over to death." But they said, "What is that to us? You must see to that yourself."

But He did not answer him a single word, so that the governor was dumbfounded beyond expression.

Issue an order then to have the tomb closely guarded, so that His disciples cannot come and steal Him and tell the people that He rose from the dead, and the last deception be worse than the first."

The men on guard trembled in awe of him, and became like dead men.

Then run and tell His disciples, 'He has risen from the dead, and is going back to Galilee ahead of you; you will see Him there.' This is my message to you."

So they took the money and did as they were told. And this story has been told among the Jews down to the present time.

He answered them, "Have you never read what David did when he and his soldiers were in need and hungry?

Some fell upon rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up at once, because the soil was not deep;

He did not tell them anything except by stories, but to His own disciples He kept on privately explaining everything.

However, He did not let him, but said to him, "Go home to your folks, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and has taken pity on you."

Even while He was saying this, people came from the house of the leader of the synagogue and said, "Your daughter is dead; why trouble the Teacher any longer?"

And He went into the house and said to them, "Why do you continue all this confusion and crying? The little girl is not dead but is sleeping."

When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue. And the people were dumbfounded when they heard Him, and said, "Where did He get all these things? What sort of wisdom is it that has been given Him? And such mighty deeds are done by Him!

King Herod heard of Him, for His name was now on everybody's lips, and people were saying that John the Baptist had risen from the dead, and that this was why such mighty powers were working in Him.

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

The king, although exceedingly sorry, yet on account of his oath and his guests, did not like to refuse her,

for they did not understand the lesson of the loaves; their minds were dull.

For he did not really know what to say, he was so frightened.

And while they were going down the mountain, He cautioned them not to tell anyone what they had seen, until the Son of Man should rise from the dead.

And they held that caution fast in their minds, as they continued to discuss among themselves what rising from the dead meant.

Then it gave a shriek and violently convulsed the boy, and got out of him. And the boy looked like a corpse, so much so that the people said that he was dead.

Then they left there and were making a trip through Galilee, and He did not want anybody to know it;

But they did not understand what this statement meant, and they were afraid to ask Him.

Jesus said, "Do not try to stop him, for there is no one who will use my name to do a mighty deed, and then be able soon to abuse me.

For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life a ransom price to set many free."

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

and the second married her and died leaving no child; and so did the third.

For when people rise from the dead, men do not marry and women are not married, but continue to live together as the angels in heaven do.

But as to the rising of the dead, did 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 the God of dead but of living people! You are entirely wrong in your views."

But Jesus said, "Let her alone; why do you embarrass her? She has done a good deed to me.

I solemnly say to you, all over the world wherever this good news is proclaimed, the deed that she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

But after I am raised from the dead, I will go back to Galilee to meet you."

When He went back again, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were so heavy they could hardly hold them open; and they did not know what answer to make Him.