Then Josnt her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to put her to public shame, was resolved to divorce her quietly.

But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

but did not know her until she had borne a son. And he called his name Jesus.

And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

When he rose, he took the young child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt,

and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

But John tried to prevent him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"

But he answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"

Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"

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

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will by any means pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.'

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.'

"Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.'

But I say to you, do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne;

And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.

But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. But if someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

And if you greet only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

"Thus, when you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

And when you pray, do not use empty repetitions as the Gentiles do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'

But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

"And when you fast, do not look gloomy, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that they may be seen by men to be fasting. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

so that you do not appear to be fasting to men, but to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,

but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'

For the Gentiles seek after all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

"Judge not, that you be not judged.

And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?

Do not give what is holy to the dogs; do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

"Not every one who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?'

And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand;

for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

But the centurion answered him, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. But only say the word, and my servant will be healed.

When Jesus heard him, he marveled, and said to those who followed him, "Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.

But when Jesus heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"

he said, "Depart; for the girl is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him.

These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them: "Do not go among the Gentiles, or enter any town of the Samaritans.

And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.

And if any one will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.

But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour;

for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

When they persecute you in one city, flee to another. For truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.

"So do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father's will.

Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;

and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward."

And blessed is he who is not offended because of me."

Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.'

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

But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, "Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath."

He said to them, "Have you not read what David did, when he was hungry, and those who were with him:

how he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?

Or have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are innocent?

And if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.

He said to them, "What man of you, if he has one sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?

and ordered them not to make him known.

He will not quarrel or cry out; nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, till he sends forth justice to victory;

Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.

He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.

Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

Some fell on rocky places, where they did not have much soil, and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of soil.

And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

For whoever has, to him will more be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says: 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand; and seeing you will see and not perceive.

For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

when anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.

And the servants of the householder came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?'

All these things Jesus spoke to the crowd in parables; and without a parable he did not speak to them.

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind;

Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?