and Josiah of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the period of the Babylonian Exile.

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."

All this happened in fulfilment of what the Lord said through the prophet,

Now after the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem in Judea, in the days of King Herod, astrologers from the east arrived at Jerusalem,

They said, "At Bethlehem in Judea, for this is what the prophet wrote:

Then Herod secretly sent for the astrologers, and found out from them the exact time when the star appeared.

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.

to fulfil what the Lord said by the prophet, "I called my son from Egypt."

It was he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, when he said, "Hark! Someone is shouting in the desert, 'Get the Lord's way ready! Make his paths straight!' "

Then Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole Jordan valley went out to him,

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!

But the axe is already lying at the roots of the trees. Any tree that fails to produce good fruit is going to be cut down and thrown into the fire.

His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clean up his threshing-floor, and store his wheat in his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with inextinguishable fire."

But Jesus answered, "Let it be so this time, for it is right for us to do everything that God requires." Then John consented.

And when Jesus was baptized, he went right up out of the water, and the heavens opened, and he saw the Spirit of God come down like a dove and light upon him,

And he fasted forty days and nights, and after it he was famished.

in fulfilment of what was said by the prophet Isaiah,

Be glad and exult over it, for you will be richly rewarded in heaven, for that is the way they persecuted the prophets who went before you!

"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.

People do not light a lamp and put it under a peck-measure; they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house.

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.

But I tell you that anyone who gets angry with his brother will have to answer to the court, and anyone who speaks contemptuously to his brother will have to answer to the great council, and anyone who says to his brother 'You cursed fool!' will have to answer for it in the fiery pit!

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

I tell you, you will never get out again until you have paid the last penny!

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman with desire has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

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!

But I tell you not to swear at all, either by heaven, for it is God's throne,

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.

For if you love only those who love you, what reward can you expect? Do not the very tax-collectors do that?

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?

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.

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

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.

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?

But which of you with all his worry can add a single hour to his life?

and yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his splendor was never dressed like one of them.

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?'

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.

Ask, and what you ask will be given you. Search, and you will find what you search for. Knock, and the door will open to you.

For it is always the one who asks who receives, and the one who searches who finds, and the one who knocks to whom the door opens.

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.

It is not everyone who says to me 'Lord! Lord!' who will get into the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father in heaven.

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?'

"Everyone, therefore, who listens to this teaching of mine and acts upon it, will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock.

And the rain fell, and the rivers rose, and the winds blew, and beat about that house, and it did not go down, for its foundations were on rock.

And anyone who listens to this teaching of mine and does not act upon it, will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

And the rain fell, and the rivers rose, and the winds blew and beat about that house, and it went down, and its downfall was complete."

When Jesus had finished this discourse, the crowds were astounded at his teaching,

So he stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I do choose! Be cured!" And his leprosy was immediately cured.

saying, "My servant, sir, is lying sick with paralysis at my house, in great distress."

For I am myself under the orders of others and I have soldiers under me, and I tell one to go, and he goes, and another to come, and he comes, and my slave to do something, and he does it."

And I tell you, many will come from the east and from the west and take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the Kingdom of Heaven,

Then Jesus said to the captain, "Go! You shall find it just as you believe!" And the servant was immediately cured.

In the evening they brought to him many who were possessed by demons, and he drove the spirits out with a word, and cured all who were sick,

And the men were amazed and said, "What kind of man is this? For the very winds and sea obey him!"

When he reached the other side, in the region of Gadara, two men possessed by demons came out of the tombs and confronted him; they were so extremely violent that nobody could go along that road.

And they suddenly screamed out, "What do you want of us, you Son of God? Have you come here before the appointed time to torture us?"

Now at some distance from them there was a great drove of pigs feeding.

And the demons entreated him, saying, "If you are going to drive us out, send us into the drove of pigs."

And he said to them, "Begone!" And they came out and went into the pigs. And suddenly the whole drove rushed over the steep bank into the sea, and perished in the water.

And the men who tended them ran away and went off to the town and told it all, and the news about the men possessed by demons.

And the whole town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him they begged him to go away from their district.

Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he said, "Why do you have such wicked thoughts in your hearts?

And when the crowd saw it, they were filled with awe, and praised God for giving such power to men.

Afterward, as Jesus was passing along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tollhouse, and he said to him, "Follow me!" And he got up and followed him.

While Jesus was at home at table, a number of tax-collectors and irreligious people came in and joined Jesus and his disciples at table.

And the Pharisees observed it, and they said to his disciples, "Why does your master eat with tax-collectors and irreligious people?"

But he heard it, and said, "It is not well people but the sick who have to have the doctor!

You must go and learn what the saying means, 'It is mercy, not sacrifice, that I care for.' I did not come to invite the pious but the irreligious."

Then the disciples of John came up to him and said, "Why is it that we and the Pharisees are keeping the fast, while your disciples are not keeping it?"

And people do not put new wine into old wine-skins, or if they do, the skins burst, and the wine runs out and the skins are spoiled. But people put new wine into fresh wine-skins, and so both are saved."

he said, "You must go away, for the girl is not dead; she is asleep." And they laughed at him.

But when he had driven the people out, he went in and grasped her hand, and the girl got up.

As Jesus was passing along from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Take pity on us, you Son of David!"

Then he touched their eyes and said, "You shall have what your faith expects."

And their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly not to let anyone hear of it.

But they went out and spread the news about him all over that part of the country.

But just as they were going out, some people brought to him a dumb man who was possessed by a demon,

and as soon as the demon was driven out, the dumb man was able to speak. And the crowds were amazed, and said, "Nothing like this was ever seen in Israel!"

But the Pharisees said, "It is by the aid of the prince of the demons that he drives them out."

So pray to the owner of the harvest to send reapers to gather it."

Then he called his twelve disciples to him, and gave them power over the foul spirits so that they could drive them out, and so that they could heal any disease or illness.

Jesus sent these twelve out, after giving them these directions: "Do not go among the heathen, or to any Samaritan town,

And as you go about, preach and say, 'The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!'

Cure the sick, raise the dead, heal lepers, drive out demons. Give without payment, just as you received without payment.

And as you go into his house, wish it well.

If the house deserves it, the peace you wish it will come over it, but if it does not deserve it, your blessing will come back upon yourselves.