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.

And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said to them, "Go and inquire particularly about the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, so that I may go and do homage to him too."

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.

But hearing that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in the place of his father, Herod, he was afraid to return there; and being warned in a dream, he took refuge in the region of Galilee,

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of snakes! Who warned you to escape from the wrath that is coming?

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!

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.

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

But he answered, "The Scripture says, 'Not on bread alone is man to live, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God!' "

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!' "

But when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he retreated to Galilee.

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!"

From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent! for the Kingdom of Heaven is coming!"

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 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 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.'

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,

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

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

But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife on any ground, except unfaithfulness, makes her commit adultery, and anyone who marries her after she is divorced commits adultery.

"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.'

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.'

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

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.

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?

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!

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

"When you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they like to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the squares, to let people see them. I tell you, that is the only reward they will get!

And when you pray, do not repeat empty phrases as the heathen do, for they imagine that their prayers will be heard if they use words enough.

"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.

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.

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

"Pass no more judgments upon other people, so that you may not have judgment passed upon you.

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?

"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.

Any tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and burned.

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?'

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 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."

Then Jesus said to him, "See that you tell nobody, but go! Show yourself to the priest, and in proof of your cure, offer the gift that Moses prescribed."

And suddenly a terrific storm came up on the sea, so that the waves broke over the boat, but he remained asleep.

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.

But I would have you know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth." Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, pick up your bed and go home!"

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 Jesus turned and saw her, and he said, "Courage, my daughter! Your faith has cured you!" And from that time the woman was well.

And the news of this spread all over that part of the country.

When he had gone indoors, the blind men came up to him, and he said to them, "Do you believe that I can do this?" They said to him, "Yes, sir."

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

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

But the sight of the crowds of people filled him with pity for them, because they were bewildered and dejected, like sheep that have no shepherd.

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.

And where no one will welcome you, or listen to you, leave that house or town and shake off its very dust from your feet.

I tell you, the land of Sodom and Gomorrah will fare better on the Day of Judgment than that town.

for it is not you who will speak, it is the Spirit of your Father that will speak through you.

So do not be afraid of them. For there is nothing covered up that is not going to be uncovered, nor secret that is not going to be known.

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

And blessed is the man who finds nothing that repels him in me."

But as they were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John. "What was it that you went out into the desert to look at? A reed swaying in the wind?

Then what did you go out there to see? A man luxuriously dressed? Men who dress in that way you find in the palaces of kings.

Now that the Son of Man has come, he does eat and drink, and people say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a drinker, the companion of tax-collectors and irreligious people!' And yet Wisdom is vindicated by her actions!"

"Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida! For if the wonders that have been done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes long ago!

And you, Capernaum! Are you to be exalted to the skies? You will go down among the dead! For if the wonders that have been done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have stood until today.

But I tell you that the land of Sodom will fare better on the Day of Judgment than you will!"

At that same time Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding all this from the learned and intelligent and revealing it to children.

At that same time Jesus walked one Sabbath through the wheat fields, and his disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of wheat and eat them.

How is it that he went into the House of God and that they ate the Presentation Loaves which it was against the Law for him and his companions to eat, or for anyone except the priests?

But if you knew what the saying means, 'It is mercy, not sacrifice, that I care for,' you would not have condemned men who are not guilty.

But Jesus knew of this, and he left that place. And numbers of people followed him about, and he cured them all,

At that time some people brought to him a man blind and dumb, who was possessed by a demon, and he cured him, so that the dumb man could speak and see.

But he knew what they were thinking, and he said to them, "Any kingdom that is disunited is on the way to destruction, and any city or household that is disunited cannot last.

How can anyone get into a strong man's house and carry off his property unless he first binds the strong man? After that he can plunder his house.

A good man, out of the good he has accumulated, brings out things that are good, and a bad man, out of what he has accumulated that is bad, brings out things that are bad.

But I tell you, for every careless word that men utter they will have to answer on the Day of Judgment.

For it is by your words that you will be acquitted, or by your words that you will be condemned."

Then it says, 'I will go back to my house that I left,' and it goes and finds it unoccupied, cleaned, and all in order.

Then it goes and gets seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there, and in the end the man is worse off than he was before. That is the way it will be with this present wicked age."

That same day Jesus went out of his house and was sitting on the seashore.

And such great crowds gathered about him that he got into a boat and sat down in it, while all the people stood on the shore.

When anyone hears the teaching of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and robs him of the seed that has been sown in his mind. That is what was sown along the path.

And the owner's slaves came to him and said, 'Was not the seed good that you sowed in your field, sir? So where did these weeds come from?'

It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it is grown it is the largest of plants and grows into a tree, so that the wild birds come and roost in its branches."

to fulfil what was said by the prophet, "I will open my mouth in figures, I will utter things that have been hidden since the creation."

"Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net that was let down into the sea, and inclosed fish of all kinds.

That is what will happen at the close of the age. The angels will go out and remove the wicked from among the upright,

He said to them, "Then remember that every scribe who has become a disciple of the Kingdom of Heaven must be like a householder who can supply from his storeroom new things as well as old."

When Jesus had finished these figures, he left that place,

and went to his own part of the country. And he taught the people in their synagogue in such a way that they were astonished, and said, "Where did he get this wisdom, and the power to do these wonders?

At that time, Herod the governor heard the reports about Jesus,

and he said to his attendants, "This man must be John the Baptist. He has risen from the dead, and that is why wonderful powers are working through him."