'Behold! the virgin shall be with child and shall give birth to a son, And they will give him the name Immanuel'--a word which means 'God is with us.'

The Astrologers heard what the King had to say, and then continued their journey. And the star which they had seen in the east led them on, until it reached, and stood over, the place where the child was.

At the sight of the star they were filled with joy.

Entering the house, they saw the child with his mother, Mary, and fell at his feet and did homage to him. Then they unpacked their treasures, and offered to the child presents of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

But afterwards, having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another road.

After they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, and said: "Awake, take the child and his mother, and seek refuge in Egypt; and stay there until I bid you return, for Herod is about to search for the child, to put him to death."

'A voice was heard in Ramah, Weeping and much lamentation; Rachel, weeping for her children, Refused all comfort because they were not.'

"If you are God's Son, throw yourself down, for Scripture says- -'He will give his angels commands about thee, And on their hands they will upbear thee, Lest ever thou shouldst strike thy foot against a stone.'"

As Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers--Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew--casting a net into the Sea; for they were fishermen.

And they at once left their boat and their father, and followed him.

And his fame spread all through Syria. They brought to him all who were ill with any form of disease, or who were suffering pain--any who were either possessed by demons, or were lunatic, or paralyzed; and he cured them.

Blessed are the mourners, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall find mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called Sons of God.

Let your light so shine before the eyes of your fellow men, that, seeing your good actions, they may praise your Father who is in Heaven.

Therefore, when you do acts of charity, do not have a trumpet blown in front of you, as hypocrites do in the Synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. There, I tell you, is their reward!

And, when you pray, you are not to behave as hypocrites do. They like to pray standing in the Synagogues and at the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. There, I tell you, is their reward!

When praying, do not repeat the same words over and over again, as is done by the Gentiles, who think that by using many words they will obtain a hearing.

And, when you fast, do not put on gloomy looks, as hypocrites do who disfigure their faces that they may be seen by men to be fasting. That, I tell you, is their reward!

Look at the wild birds--they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns; and yet your heavenly Father feeds them! And are not you more precious than they?

And why be anxious about clothing? Study the wild lilies, and how they grow. They neither toil nor spin;

Do not give what is sacred to dogs; nor yet throw your pearls before pigs, lest they should trample them under their feet, and then turn and attack you.

Beware of false Teachers--men who come to you in the guise of sheep, but at heart they are ravenous wolves.

And the disciples came and roused him. "Master," they cried, "save us; we are lost!"

And on getting to the other side--the country of the Gadarenes--Jesus met two men who were possessed by demons, coming out of the tombs. They were so violent that no one was able to pass that way.

Suddenly they shrieked out: "What do you want with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before our time?"

At the news the whole town went out to meet Jesus, and, when they saw him, they entreated him to go away from their neighborhood.

When the crowd saw this, they were awe-struck, and praised God for giving such power to men.

When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples: "Why does your Teacher eat in the company of tax-gatherers and outcasts?"

Jesus answered: "Can the bridegroom's friends mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom will be parted from them, and they will fast then.

Nor do people put new wine into old wine-skins; for, if they do, the skins burst, and the wine runs out, and the skins are lost; but they put new wine into fresh skins, and so both are preserved."

He said: "Go away, the little girl is not dead; she is asleep." They began to laugh at him;

When he had gone indoors, the blind men came up to him; and Jesus asked them: "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes, Master!" they answered.

Just as they were going out, some people brought up to Jesus a dumb man who was possessed by a demon;

But, when he saw the crowds, his heart was moved with compassion for them, because they were distressed and harassed, 'like sheep without a shepherd';

Calling his twelve Disciples to him, Jesus gave them authority over foul spirits, so that they could drive them out, as well as the power of curing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

Be on your guard against your fellow men, for they will betray you to courts of law, and scourge you in their Synagogues;

Whenever they betray you, do not be anxious as to how you shall speak or what you shall say, for what you shall say will be given you at the moment;

But, when they persecute you in one town, escape to the next; for, I tell you, you will not have come to the end of the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

And now that the Son of Man has come, eating and drinking, they are saying 'Here is a glutton and a wine-drinker, a friend of tax-gatherers and outcasts!' And yet Wisdom is vindicated by her actions."

Then Jesus began to reproach the towns in which most of his miracles had been done, because they had not repented:

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

But, when the Pharisees saw this, they said: "Look! your disciples are doing what it is not allowable to do on a Sabbath!"

How he went into the House of God, and how they ate the consecrated bread, through it was not allowable for him or his companions to eat it, but only for the priests?

And there he saw a man with a withered hand. Some people asked Jesus whether it was allowable to work a cure on the Sabbath- -so that they might have a charge to bring against him.

At this all the people were astounded. "Is it possible that this is the son of David?" they exclaimed.

And, if it is by Baal-zebub's help that I drive out demons, by whose help is it that your own sons drive them out? Therefore they shall themselves be your judges.

I tell you that for every careless thing that men say, they must answer on the 'Day of Judgment.'

At this point, some Teachers of the Law and Pharisees interposed. "Teacher," they said, " we want to see some sign from you."

At the Judgment, the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation, and will condemn it, because they repented at Jonah's proclamation; and here is more than a Jonah!

Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in, and make their home there; and the last state of that man proves to be worse than the first. So, too, will it be with this wicked generation."

For, to all who have, more will be given, and they shall have abundance; but, from all who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.

That is why I speak to them in parables, because, though they have eyes, they do not see, and though they have ears, they do not hear or understand.

For the mind of this nation has grown dense, And their ears are dull of hearing, Their eyes also have they closed; Lest some day they should perceive with their eyes, And with their ears they should hear, And in their mind they should understand, and should turn--And I should heal them.'

But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear;

'An enemy has done this,' was his answer. 'Do you wish us, then,' they asked,' to go and gather them together?'

The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom all that hinders and those who live in sin,

When it was full, they hauled it up on the beach, and sat down and sorted the good fish into baskets, but threw the worthless ones away.

Have you understood all this?" Jesus asked. "Yes," they answered.

Going to his own part of the country, he taught the people in their Synagogue in such a manner that they were deeply impressed. "Where did he get this wisdom?" they said, "and the miracles?

And his sisters, too--are not they all living among us? Where, then did he get all this?"

Yet, though Herod wanted to put him to death, he was afraid of the people, because they looked on John as a Prophet.

In the evening the disciples came up to him, and said: " This is a lonely spot, and the day is now far advanced; send the crowds away, that they may go to the villages, and buy themselves food."

But Jesus said: "They need not go away, it is for you to give them something to eat."

"We have nothing here," they said, "except five loaves and two fishes."

Jesus ordered the people to take their seats on the grass; and, taking the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to Heaven, and said the blessing, and, after he had broken the loaves, gave them to his disciples; and they gave them to the crowds.

Every one had sufficient to eat, and they picked up enough of the broken pieces that were left to fill twelve baskets.

But, when they saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. "It is a ghost," they exclaimed, and cried out for fear.

When they had got into the boat, the wind dropped.

When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret.

"How is it that your disciples break the traditions of our ancestors? For they do not wash their hands when they eat food."

But vainly do they worship me, For they teach but the precepts of men.'"

Let them be; they are but blind guides; and, if one blind man guides another, both of them will fall into a ditch."

But Jesus did not answer her a word; and his disciples came up and begged him to send her away. "She keeps calling out after us," they said.

Great crowds of people came to him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, or dumb, and many others. They put them down at his feet, and he cured them;

And the crowds were astonished, when they saw the dumb talking, the cripples made sound, the lame walking about, and the blind with their sight restored; and they praised the God of Israel.

Afterwards Jesus called his disciples to him, and said: "My heart is moved at the sight of all these people, for they have already been with me three days and they have nothing to eat; and I am unwilling to send them away hungry, for fear that they should break down on the way."

"How many loaves have you?" said Jesus. "Seven," they answered, "and a few small fish."

Every one had sufficient to eat, and they picked up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left.

Then they understood that he had told them to be on their guard, not against the leaven of bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

"Some say John the Baptist," they answered, "Others, however, say that he is Elijah, while others again say Jeremiah, or one of the Prophets."

I tell you, some of those who are standing here will not know death till they have seen the Son of Man coming into his Kingdom."

When they raised their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus himself alone.

As they were going down the mountain side, Jesus gave them this warning-- "Do not speak of this vision to any one, until the Son of Man has risen from the dead."

And I tell you that Elijah has already come, and people have not recognized him, but have treated him just as they pleased. In the same way, too, the Son of Man is destined to undergo suffering at men's hands."

When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, and, kneeling down before him, said:

I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him."

And they will put him to death, but on the third day he will rise." And the disciples were greatly distressed.

After they had reached Capernaum, the collectors of the Temple-rate came up to Peter, and said: "Does not your Master pay the Temple-rate?"

Again, I tell you that, if but two of you on earth agree as to what they shall pray for, whatever it be, it will be granted them by my Father who is in Heaven.

When his fellow-servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and went to their master and laid the whole matter before him.

So that they are no longer two, but one. What God himself, then, has yoked together man must not separate."

"Why, then," they said, "did Moses direct that a man should 'serve his wife with a notice of separation and divorce her'?"

'Because no one has hired us,' they answered. 'You also may go into my vineyard,' he said.

Now when those who had been hired about five o'clock went up, they received two shillings each.

So, when the first went up, they thought that they would receive more, but they also received two shillings each;

On which they began to grumble at their employer.