The circumstances of the birth of Jesus Christ were these. After his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they were united in marriage, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

But while he was contemplating this step, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to bring home your wife Mary, for she is with child through the Holy Spirit.

She will give birth to a Son, and you are to call His name JESUS for He it is who will save His People from their sins."

but did not live with her until she had given birth to a son. The child's name he called JESUS.

"A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and bitter lamentation: It was Rachel bewailing her children, and she refused to be comforted because there were no more."

He touched her hand and the fever left her: and then she rose and waited upon Him.

While He was thus speaking, a Ruler came up and profoundly bowing said, "My daughter is just dead; but come and put your hand upon her and she will return to life."

for she said to herself, "If I but touch His cloak, I shall be cured."

When however the place was cleared of the crowd, Jesus went in, and on His taking the little girl by the hand, she rose up.

The Queen of the south will awake at the Judgement together with the present generation, and will condemn it; because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and mark! there is One greater than Solomon here.

that with an oath he promised to give her whatever she asked.

So she, instigated by her mother, said, "Give me here on a dish the head of John the Baptist."

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

But He answered her not a word. Then the disciples interposed, and begged Him, saying, "Send her away because she keeps crying behind us."

Then she came and threw herself at His feet and entreated Him. "O Sir, help me," she said.

"Be it so, Sir," she said, "for even the dogs eat the scraps which fall from their masters' tables."

"What is it you desire?" He asked. "Command," she replied, "that these my two sons may sit one at your right hand and one at your left in your Kingdom."

saying to them, "Go to the village you see facing you, and as you enter it you will find a she-ass tied up and a foal with her. Untie her and bring them to me.

they brought the she-ass and the foal, and threw their outer garments on them. So He sat on them;

At the Resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? for they all married her."

that all the innocent blood shed upon earth may come on you, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Berechiah whom you murdered between the Sanctuary and the altar.

"But immediately after those times of distress the sun will be darkened, the moon will not shed her light, the stars will fall from the firmament, and the forces which control the heavens will be disordered and disturbed.

a woman came to Him with a jar of very costly, sweet-scented ointment, which she poured over His head as He reclined at table.

But Jesus heard it, and said to them, "Why are you vexing her? For she has done a most gracious act towards me.

While he was sitting on the tribunal a message came to him from his wife. "Have nothing to do with that innocent man," she said, "for during the night I have suffered terribly in a dream through him."

So He went to her, and taking her hand He raised her to her feet: the fever left her, and she began to wait upon them.

and besought Him with many entreaties. "My little daughter," he said, "is at the point of death: I pray you come and lay your hands upon her, that she may recover and live."

and had undergone many different treatments under a number of doctors and had spent all she had without receiving benefit but on the contrary growing worse,

heard of Jesus. And she came in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak;

for she said, "If I but touch His clothes, I shall be cured."

In a moment the flow of her blood ceased, and she felt in herself that her complaint was cured.

Instantly the little girl rises to her feet and begins to walk (for she was twelve years old)

She at once went out and said to her mother: "What shall I ask for?" "The head of John the Baptizer," she replied.

The girl immediately came in, in haste, to the King and made her request. "My desire is," she said, "that you will give me, here and now, on a dish, the head of John the Baptist."

She was a Gentile woman, a Syro-phoenician by nation: and again and again she begged Him to expel the demon from her daughter.

"True, Sir," she replied, "and yet the dogs under the table eat the children's scraps."

So she went home, and found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

and if a woman puts away her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery."

At the Resurrection whose wife will she be? For they all seven married her."

So He called His disciples to Him and said, "In solemn truth I tell you that this widow, poor as she is, has thrown in more than all the other contributors to the Treasury;

for they have all contributed out of what they could well spare, but she out of her need has thrown in all she possessed--all she had to live on."

"At that time, however, after that distress, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not shed her light;

Now when He was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the Leper, while He was at table, there came a woman with a jar of pure, sweet-scented ointment very costly: she broke the jar and poured the ointment over His head.

But Jesus said, "Leave her alone: why are you troubling her? She has done a most gracious act towards me.

What she could she did: she has perfumed my body in preparation for my burial.

And I solemnly tell you that wherever in the whole world the Good News shall be proclaimed, this which she has done shall also be told in remembrance of her."

and seeing Peter warming himself she looked at him and said, "You also were with Jesus, the Nazarene."

She went and brought the tidings to those who had been with Him, as they were mourning and weeping.

But they, when they were told that He was alive and that she had seen Him, could not believe it.

"Thus has the Lord dealt with me," she said, "now that He has graciously taken away my reproach among men."

She was greatly agitated at his words, and wondered what such a greeting meant.

And see, your relative Elizabeth--she also has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

Here she came to the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth;

and uttered a loud cry of joy. "Blest among women are you," she said, "and the offspring of your body is blest!

And blessed is she who has believed, for the word spoken to her from the Lord shall be fulfilled."

Now when Elizabeth's full time was come, she gave birth to a son;

and she gave birth to her first-born son, and wrapped Him round, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

There was also Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, belonging to the tribe of Asher. She was of a very great age, having had after her maidenhood seven years of married life,

and then being a widow of eighty-four years. She was never absent from the Temple, but worshipped, by day and by night, with fasting and prayer.

And coming up just at that moment, she gave thanks to God, and spoke about the child to all who were expecting the deliverance of Jerusalem.

son of Cainan, son of Arpachshad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech,

Then standing over her He rebuked the fever, and it left her; and she at once rose and waited on them.

And just as He reached the gate of the town, they happened to be bringing out for burial a dead man who was his mother's only son; and she was a widow; and a great number of the townspeople were with her.

And there was a woman in the town who was a notorious sinner. Having learnt that Jesus was at table in the Pharisee's house she brought a flask of perfume,

and, standing behind close to His feet, weeping, began to wet His feet with her tears; and with her hair she wiped the tears away again, while she lovingly kissed His feet and poured the perfume over them.

Noticing this, the Pharisee, His host, said to himself, "This man, if he were really a Prophet, would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching him--and would know that she is an immoral woman."

Then turning towards the woman He said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house: you gave me no water for my feet; but she has made my feet wet with her tears, and then wiped the tears away with her hair.

No kiss did you give me; but she from the moment I came in has not left off tenderly kissing my feet.

No oil did you pour even on my head; but she has poured perfume upon my feet.

This is the reason why I tell you that her sins, her many sins, are forgiven--because she has loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little."

for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. And as He went, the dense throng crowded on Him.

And a woman who for twelve years had been afflicted with haemorrhage--and had spent on doctors all she had, but none of them had been able to cure her--

Then the woman, perceiving that she had not escaped notice, came trembling, and throwing herself down at His feet she stated before all the people the reason why she had touched Him and how she was instantly cured.

Jesus heard the words and said to him, "Have no fear. Only believe, and she shall be restored to life."

The people were all weeping aloud and beating their breasts for her; but He said, "Leave off wailing; for she is not dead, but asleep."

And they jeered at Him, knowing that she was dead.

And her spirit returned, and instantly she stood up; and He directed them to give her some food.

She had a sister called Mary, who seated herself at the Lord's feet and listened to His teaching.

Martha meanwhile was busy and distracted in waiting at table, and she came and said, "Master, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do all the waiting? Tell her to assist me."

and yet only one thing is really necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion and she shall not be deprived of it."

The Queen of the South will awake at the Judgement together with the men of the present generation, and will condemn them; because she came from the extremity of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; but mark! One greater than Solomon is here.

so that the blood of all the Prophets, that is being shed from the creation of the world onwards, may be required from the present generation.

where a woman was present who for eighteen years had been a confirmed invalid: she was bent double, and was unable to lift herself to her full height.

And He put His hands on her, and she immediately stood upright and began to give glory to God.

And this woman, daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan had bound for no less than eighteen years, was she not to be loosed from this chain because it is the Sabbath day?"

"Or what woman who has ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully till she finds it?

And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbours, and says, "'Congratulate me, for I have found the coin which I had lost.'

yet because she annoys me I will give her justice, to prevent her from constantly coming to pester me.'"

The woman, then--at the Resurrection--whose wife shall she be? for they all seven married her."

For from what they could well spare they have all of them contributed to the offerings, but she in her need has thrown in all she had to live on."

when a maidservant saw him sitting by the fire, and, looking fixedly at him, she said, "This man also was with him."

"Sir," she said, "you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; so where can you get the living water from?

"I have no husband," she replied. "You rightly say that you have no husband," said Jesus;

"Come," she said, "and see a man who has told me everything I have ever done. Can this be the Christ, do you think?"

Of the Samaritan population of that town a good many believed in Him because of the woman's statement when she declared, "He has told me all that I have ever done."

"No one, Sir," she replied. "And *I* do not condemn you either," said Jesus; "go, and from this time do not sin any more."

Martha, however, as soon as she heard the tidings, "Jesus is coming," went to meet Him; but Mary remained sitting in the house.

So Martha came and spoke to Jesus. "Master, if you had been here," she said, "my brother would not have died.

"Yes, Master," she replied; "I thoroughly believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."

After saying this, she went and called her sister Mary privately, telling her, "The Rabbi is here and is asking for you."