and Jesse of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother was Uriah's wife.

Now these were the circumstances of the birth of Jesus Christ. Mary, his mother, was engaged to Joseph, but before they were married it was found that she was about to become a mother through the influence of the holy Spirit.

But while he was thinking of doing this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and said, "Joseph, descendant of David, do not fear to take Mary, your wife, to your home, for it is through the influence of the holy Spirit that she is to become a mother.

She will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for it is he who is to save his people from their sins."

and asked, "Where is the newly born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star rise and we have come to do homage to him."

So he called together all the high priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Christ was to be born.

" 'And you, Bethlehem in Judah's land, You are by no means least important among the leading places of Judah, For from you will come a leader Who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.' "

So they obeyed the king and went, and the star which they had seen rise led them on until it reached the place where the child was, and stopped above it.

When they saw the star, they were very glad,

When they were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, and said, "Wake up! Take the child and his mother and make your escape to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you to leave. For Herod is going to look for the child in order to make away with him."

Then Herod saw that he had been tricked by the astrologers, and he was very angry, and he sent and made away with all the boys in Bethlehem and in all that neighborhood who were two years old or under, for that was the tune he had learned from the astrologers by his inquiries.

"A cry was heard in Ramah! Weeping and great lamenting! Rachel weeping for her children, And inconsolable because they were gone."

and said, "Wake up! Take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead."

John wore clothing made of hair cloth, and he had a leather belt around his waist, and he lived on dried locusts and wild honey.

and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, in acknowledgment of their sins.

Then produce fruit that will be consistent with your professed repentance!

Do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our forefather,' for I tell you God can produce descendants for Abraham right out of these stones!

I am baptizing you in water in token of your repentance, but he who is coming after me is stronger than I am, and I am not fit to carry his shoes. He will baptize you in the holy Spirit and in fire.

And the tempter came up and said to him, "If you are God's son, tell these stones to turn into bread!"

and said to him, "If you are God's son, throw yourself down, for the Scripture says, " 'He will give his angels orders about you, And they will lift you up with their hands So that you may never strike your foot against a stone!' "

Jesus said to him, "The Scripture also says, 'You shall not try the Lord your God.' "

and said to him, "I will give all this to you, if you will fall on your knees and do homage to me."

Then Jesus said to him, "Begone, Satan! For the Scripture says, 'You must do homage to the Lord your God, and worship him alone!' "

The people that were living in darkness Have seen a great light, And on those who were living in the land of the shadow of death A light has dawned!"

As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who was afterward called Peter, and his brother, Andrew, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

And he went on a little farther and saw two other men who were brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother, John, in the boat with Zebedee, their father, putting their nets in order, and he called them.

Then he went all over Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing any disease or sickness among the people.

Word went all through Syria about him, and people brought to him all who were suffering with any kind of disease, or who were in great pain??emoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics??nd he cured them.

"Blessed are those who feel their spiritual need, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them!

"Blessed are the mourners, for they will be consoled!

"Blessed are the humble-minded, for they will possess the land!

"Blessed are those who are hungry and thirsty for uprightness, for they will be satisfied!

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy!

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God!

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called God's sons!

"Blessed are those who have endured persecution for their uprightness, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them!

"Blessed are you when people abuse you, and persecute you, and falsely say everything bad of you, on my account.

"You are the salt of the earth! But if salt loses its strength, how can it be made salt again? It is good for nothing but to be thrown away and trodden underfoot.

You are the light of the world! A city that is built upon a hill cannot be hidden.

Your light must burn in that way among men so that they will see the good you do, and praise your Father in heaven.

"Do not suppose that I have come to do away with the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to do away with them but to enforce them.

For I tell you, as long as heaven and earth endure, not one dotting of an i or crossing of a t will be dropped from the Law until it is all observed.

For I tell you that unless your uprightness is far superior to that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never even enter the Kingdom of Heaven!

"You have heard that the men of old were told 'You shall not murder,' and 'Whoever murders will have to answer to the court.'

So when you are presenting your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother has any grievance against you,

leave your gift right there before the altar and go and make up with your brother; then come back and present your gift.

Be quick and come to terms with your opponent while you are on the way to court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison.

"You have heard that men were told 'You shall not commit adultery.'

But if your right eye makes you fall, tear it out and throw it away, for you might better lose one part of your body than have it all thrown into the pit!

If your right hand makes you fall, cut it off and throw it away, for you might better lose one part of your body than have it all go down to the pit!

"They were told, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.'

"Again, you have heard that the men of old were told, 'You shall not swear falsely, but you must fulfil your oaths to the Lord.'

or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king.

You must not swear by your own head, for you cannot make one single hair white or black.

But your way of speaking must be 'Yes' or 'No.' Anything that goes beyond that comes from the evil one.

"You have heard that they were told, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'

But I tell you not to resist injury, but if anyone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other to him too;

and if anyone wants to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat too.

"You have heard that they were told, 'You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for your persecutors,

so that you may show yourselves true sons of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on bad and good alike, and makes the rain fall on the upright and the wrongdoers.

And if you are polite to your brothers and no one else, what is there remarkable in that? Do not the very heathen do that?

So you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is.

"But take care not to do your good deeds in public for people to see, for, if you do, you will get no reward from your Father in heaven.

So when you are going to give to charity, do not blow a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues and the streets, to make people praise them. I tell you, that is all the reward they will get!

But when you give to charity, your own left hand must not know what your right hand is doing,

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

But when you pray, go into your own room, and shut the door, and pray to your Father who is unseen, and your Father who sees what is secret will reward you.

You must not be like them. For God, who is your Father, knows what you need before you ask him.

This, therefore, is the way you are to pray: 'Our Father in heaven, Your name be revered!

Your kingdom come! Your will be done on earth as it is done in heaven!

And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors.

For if you forgive others when they offend you, your heavenly Father will forgive you too.

But if you do not forgive others when they offend you, your heavenly Father will not forgive you for your offenses.

"When you fast, do not put on a gloomy look, like the hypocrites, for they neglect their personal appearance to let people see that they are fasting. I tell you, that is all the reward they will get.

But when you fast, perfume your hair and wash your face,

so that no one may see that you are fasting, except your Father who is unseen, and your Father who sees what is secret, will reward you.

"Do not store up your riches on earth, where moths and rust destroy them, and where thieves break in and steal them,

but store up your riches in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and where thieves cannot break in and steal them.

For wherever your treasure is, your heart will be also.

The eye is the lamp of the body. If then your eye is sound, your whole body will be light,

but if your eye is unsound, your whole body will be dark. If, therefore, your very light is darkness, how deep the darkness will be!

No slave can belong to two masters, for he will either hate one and love the other, or stand by one and make light of the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about life, wondering what you will have to eat or drink, or about your body, wondering what you will have to wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body than clothes?

Look at the wild birds. They do not sow or reap, or store their food in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more account than they?

Why should you worry about clothing? See how the wild flowers grow. They do not toil or spin,

So do not worry and say, 'What shall we have to eat?' or 'What shall we have to drink?' or 'What shall we have to wear?'

For these are all things the heathen are in pursuit of, and your heavenly Father knows well that you need all this.

But you must make his kingdom, and uprightness before him, your greatest care, and you will have all these other things besides.

Why do you keep looking at the speck in your brother's eye, and pay no attention to the beam that is in your own?

How can you say to your brother, 'Just let me get that speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a beam in your own?

You hypocrite! First get the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see to get the speck out of your brother's eye.

"Do not give what is sacred to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them under their feet and turn and tear you in pieces.

Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a snake?

So if you, bad as you are, know enough to give your children what is good, how much more surely will your Father in heaven give what is good to those who ask him for it!

"Go in at the narrow gate. For the road that leads to destruction is broad and spacious, and there are many who go in by it.

But the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few that find it.

"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you disguised as sheep but are ravenous wolves underneath.

You can tell them by their fruit. Do people pick grapes off thorns, or figs off thistles?

Many will say to me on that Day, 'Lord! Lord! Was it not in your name that we prophesied, and by your name that we drove out demons, and by your name that we did many mighty acts?'