The birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. After his mother, Mary, had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

Now when Joseph awoke from his sleep he did as the angel of the Lord had directed him, and took his wife home,

So when he had gathered together all the chief priests and rabbis of the people, he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born.

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.

When they had entered the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother, and opening their treasure-chests they gave him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

As soon as Herod saw that he had been mocked by the Magi, he was furious. He sent and put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and all the neighborhood who were two years old or under, in accordance with the date which he had ascertained from the Magi.

And after he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he became hungry,

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee.

When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and when he had seated himself, his disciples came to him,

"You are the light of the world. A city built on a hilltop cannot be hid;

"I tell you truly that you would certainly not get out from there until you had paid back the last cent.

"Nor must you swear by your head, since you cannot make one hair white or black.

"You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy."

"But when one of you fasts, let him anoint his head and wash his face,

"No slave can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will pay heed to the one and despise the other. You cannot be the slaves both of God and of gold.

Now when Jesus had finished his discourse, the crowds were astounded at his teaching,

When Jesus saw the great crowds about him, he had given directions to cross to the other side,

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

The swineherds fled. They went away into the city and told all about it, and what had befallen the demoniacs.

At once all the citizens came out to meet Jesus; and when they had seen him, they begged him to move away from their country.

But all the crowd were awestruck, and glorified God, who had given such power to men.

But a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him, and touched the tassel of his cloak.

Now when Jesus had come into the house of the ruler, and had seen the flute-players and the wailing crowd, he said,

When, however, the crowd had been driven out, he went in and took her hand, and the little girl woke up.

And when he had gone indoors, they came to him. "Do you believe that I can do this?" asked Jesus. "Yes, Lord," they answered.

and when he had driven out the demon, the dumb spoke. The crowds were amazed, saying, "Never was such a thing seen in Israel!"

And when he saw the crowds he had compassion on them because they were distressed and fainting, like sheep without a shepherd.

And when he had called his twelve disciples to him, he gave them power over evil spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and infirmity.

"The very hairs on your head are all numbered.

Then he began to upbraid the cities in which most of his mighty works had been done, because they had not repented.

"Woe unto you, Chorazin! Woe unto you, Bethsaida! Because if the mighty works which have been done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented, long ago, in sackcloth and ashes.

"And you too, Capernaum! Will you be exalted even to heaven? You shall go down to the Place of Death! For if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which have been done in you, it would have remained until this day.

The man stretched it out, and it had become sound like the other. But when the Pharisees came out, they consulted together how they might destroy him.

On that same day, after Jesus had left the house, he took his seat on the seashore;

Some fell on rocky ground where there was not much earth. Now because it had no depth of soil, it sprang up at once;

but when the sun rose it was scorched, and withered away because it had no root.

He told them another parable. He said, "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until the whole was leavened."

After he had sent the people away and gone into the house, his disciples came to him and said, "Explain to us the parable about the weeds in the field."

After Jesus had finished these parables, he withdrew from that place,

For Herod had apprehended John, shackled him, and thrust him into prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife,

So, prompted by her mother, the girl said, "Give me at once, upon a dish, the head of John the Baptist."

the head was brought on a dish, and given to the young girl, who took it to her mother.

Those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

After he had sent the crowds away, he went up into the mountain alone, to pray. When night came he was there alone.

So when he had summoned the crowd, and seated them upon the ground,

When he had sent the crowds away, he got into the boat and came into the region of Magadan.

When his disciples reached the other side of the lake, they had forgotten to bring bread.

Presently Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees."

Then they realized that he had not told them to beware of the leaven, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Then the disciples divined that he had been speaking to them about John, the Baptist.

When he had called a little child to him, Jesus set him among them, and answered.

"but if he will not heed the church, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax-gatherer.

"And since he was unable to pay, his master ordered him to be sold, and his wife and children and all that he had, toward the payment of the debt.

"When therefore his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were very angry; and they went and explained to their master all that had happened.

"'Ought not you also to have had pity on your fellow slave, just as I had pity on you?'

"Then in hot anger his master handed him over to the torturers, until he should pay him all his debt.

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.

But when the young man heard this teaching, he went away sorrowful, for he was one who had much property.

"And when he had agreed with the workmen for two shillings a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

"When those came who had begun at five o'clock, they received two shillings apiece;

"'Those last men,' they said, 'have toiled only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the burning heat of the day.'

And when they approached Jerusalem, and had reached Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them.

When he had entered the Temple courts, and was teaching, the high priests and elders of the people came to him and asked him, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?"

"But give me your judgment. There was once a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said to him, "'Son, go work today in my vineyard!'

"Then the king came in to inspect his guests, and he discovered there a man who had not put on a wedding-garment. He said to him,

"Now there were of our number seven brothers; and the first married and died. As he had no children, he left his wife to his brother;

"In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be? They all had her."

As soon as the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together,

"'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been their comrades in the murder of the prophets.'

When he had seated himself on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?"

And then many will stumble and fall, and will betray one another, and hate one another.

And if these days had not been shortened, no flesh would have been saved; but for the elect's sake these days will be cut short.

But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have been on his guard, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

"At once the man who had received the five talents went out and traded with them, and made five talents more.

"But he who had received the one talent went off, and dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master's money.

"The man who had received the five talents came, bringing five more, and said: "'Master, five talents you entrusted to me; see, I have gained five more.'

"The second, who had received the two talents, came up and said: "'Master, it was two talents that you entrusted to me; see, I have gained two more.'

"Then the man who had received the one talent came up and said: "'Master, I knew you were a hard man, reaping where you had not sown, and gathering where you had not scattered;

Now it happened that after Jesus had finished all these discourses, he said to his disciples,

a woman came up to him who had an alabaster vase of very costly perfume, and poured it over his head, as he reclined at table.

"The Son of man is indeed to go as it is written concerning him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of man shall be betrayed. It were good for that man if he had never been born."

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and, when he had blessed it, he broke it and gave to his disciples, saying, "Take, eat, this is my body."

And when he had taken the cup and given thanks, he gave it to them, saying.

Barely had he spoken these words when Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared, accompanied by a great crowd of men with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.

Now his betrayer had given them a sign, saying. "Whoever I kiss is the man; arrest him."

Then all his disciples forsook him and fled; but those who had apprehended Jesus led him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had assembled.

Then Peter recalled the word that Jesus had spoken, "Before the cock crow, you shall three times deny me"??nd he went out and broke out into bitter weeping.

After they had bound him, they led him away, and handed him over to Pilate, the Roman Governor.

Then was fulfilled the word spoken by the prophet Jeremiah. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him who had been priced, whom certain of the Children of Israel had priced;

and gave them for the Potter's Field, as the Lord had appointed me.

At that time they had a notorious prisoner named Barabbas.

So when they had assembled, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release to you, Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?"

He knew well that it was because of enmity that they had brought Jesus before him.

And while he was seated upon the judgment-seat, his wife had sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered many things today, in a dream, because of him."

And they twisted a thorny crown for him, and put it on his head, and placed a reed in his right hand. Then they knelt before him, in mockery, crying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"

And they spit upon him, and took the reed and struck him on the head, again and again.

At last, when they had finished their mocking, they took the robe off, and put his own garments on him, and led him away to crucify him.

They also placed above his head his accusation written, This is Jesus The King of the Jews

the earth quaked; the rocks split; the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.

And there were present several women who were looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from a Galilee, ministering to him.