Judah of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez of Hezron, Hezron of Ram,

Salmon of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed of Jesse,

Jesse of David the King. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother was Uriah's widow,

Solomon of Rehoboam, Rehoboam of Abijah, Abijah of Asa,

Asa of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat of Jehoram, Jehoram of Uzziah,

Uzziah of Jotham, Jotham of Ahaz, Ahaz of Hezekiah,

Jacob of Joseph, the husband of Mary, who was the mother of Jesus, who is called 'Christ'.

So the whole number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen; from David to the Exile to Babylon fourteen; and from the Exile to Babylon to the Christ fourteen.

The birth of Jesus Christ took place as follows:--His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but, before the marriage took place, she found herself to be with child by the power of the Holy Spirit.

She shall give birth to a son; and you shall give him the name Jesus, for it is he who shall save his people from their sins."

'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.'

When Joseph awoke from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had directed him.

He made Mary his wife, but did not live with her as her husband until after the birth of her son; and to this son he gave the name Jesus.

"Where is the new-born King of the Jews? for we saw his star in the east, and have come to do homage to him."

He called together all the Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law in the nation, and questioned them as to where the Christ was to be born.

"At Bethlehem in Judea," was their answer; "for it is said in the Prophet--

And, sending them to Bethlehem, he said: "Go and make careful inquiries about the child, and, as soon as you have found him, bring me word, that I, too, may go and do homage to him."

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."

But, hearing that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as King of Judea, he was afraid to go back there; and having been warned in a dream, he went into the part of the country called Galilee.

"Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."

This is he who was spoken of in the Prophet Isaiah, where he says--'The voice of one crying aloud in the Wilderness: "Make ready the way of the Lord, Make his paths straight."'

At that time Jerusalem, and all Judea, as well as the whole district of the Jordan, went out to him

And do not think that you can say among yourselves 'Abraham is our ancestor,' for I tell you that out of these very stones God is able to raise descendants for Abraham!

Already the axe is lying at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that fails to bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

I, indeed, baptize you with water to teach repentance; but He who is Coming after me is more powerful than I, and I am not fit even to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

His winnowing-fan is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor, and store his grain in the barn, but the chaff he will burn with inextinguishable fire."

But John tried to prevent him. "It is I," he said, "who need to be baptized by you; why then do you come to me?"

"Let it be so for the present," Jesus answered, "since it is fitting for us thus to satisfy every claim of religion." Upon this, John consented.

After the baptism of Jesus, and just as he came up from the water, the heavens opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending, like a dove, and alighting upon him,

And from the heavens there came a voice which said: "This is my son, the Beloved, in whom I delight."

But Jesus answered: "Scripture says--'It is not on bread alone that man is to live, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

Afterwards, leaving Nazareth, he went and settled at Capernaum, which is by the side of the Sea, within the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali;

In fulfillment of these words in the Prophet Isaiah--

At that time Jesus began to proclaim-- "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."

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 he began to teach them as follows:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Blessed are those who have been persecuted in the cause of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

It is you who are the Salt of the earth; but, if the salt should lose its strength, what will you use to restore its saltiness? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown away, and trampled underfoot.

It is you who are the Light of the world. A town that stands on a hill cannot be hidden.

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.

For I tell you, until the heavens and the earth disappear, not even the smallest letter, nor one stroke of a letter, shall disappear from the Law until all is done.

Indeed I tell you that, unless your religion is above that of the Teachers of the Law, and Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

If your right eye is a snare to you, take it out and throw it away. It would be best for you to lose one part of your body, and not to have the whole of it thrown into the Pit.

And, if your right hand is a snare to you, cut it off and throw it away. It would be best for you to lose one part of your body, and not to have the whole of it go down to the Pit.

I, however, say to you that any one who divorces his wife, except on the ground of her unchastity, leads to her committing adultery; while any one who marries her after her divorce is guilty of adultery.

Again, you have heard that to our ancestors it was said--'Thou shalt not break an oath, but thou shall keep thine oaths as a debt due to the Lord.'

I, however, say to you that you must not swear at all, either by Heaven, since that is God's throne,

Or by the earth, since that is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, since that is the city of the Great King.

Let your words be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything beyond this comes from what is wrong.

And, when any one wants to go to law with you, to take your coat, let him have your cloak as well;

That you may become Sons of your Father who is in Heaven; for he causes his sun to rise upon bad and good alike, and sends rain upon the righteous and upon the unrighteous.

You, then, must become perfect--as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Take care not to perform your religious duties in public in order to be seen by others; if you do, your Father who is in Heaven has no reward for you.

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!

But, when you do acts of charity, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

So that your charity may be secret; and your Father, who sees what is in secret, will recompense you.

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!

But, when one of you prays, let him go into his own room, shut the door, and pray to his Father who dwells in secret; and his Father, who sees what is secret, will recompense him.

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.

Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done--on earth, as in Heaven.

Give us to-day the bread that we shall need;

And forgive us our wrong-doings, as we have forgiven those who have wronged us;

And take us not into temptation, but deliver us from Evil.'

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!

That he may not be seen by men to be fasting, but by his Father who dwells in secret; and his Father, who sees what is secret, will recompense him.

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is unclouded, your whole body will be lit up;

But, if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be darkened. And, if the inner light is darkness, how intense must that darkness be!

That is why I say to you, Do not be anxious about your life here--what you can get to eat or drink; nor yet about your body-- what you can get to wear. Is not life more than food, and the body than its clothing?

If God so clothes even the grass of the field, which is living to-day and to-morrow will be thrown into the oven, will not he much more clothe you, O men of little faith?

For, just as you judge others, you will yourselves be judged, and the measure that you mete will be meted out to you.

How will you say to your brother 'Let me take out the straw from your eye,' when all the time there is a beam in your own?

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.

If you, then, wicked though you are, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in Heaven give what is good to those that ask him!

Do to others whatever you would wish them to do to you; for that is the teaching of both the Law and the Prophets.

Go in by the small gate. Broad and spacious is the road that leads to destruction, and those that go in by it are many;

For small is the gate, and narrow the road, that leads to Life, and those that find it are few.

Every tree that fails to bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Hence it is by the fruit of their lives that you will know such men.

Not every one who says to me 'Master! Master!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven.

Stretching out his hand, Jesus touched him, saying as he did so: "I am willing; become clean." Instantly he was made clean from his leprosy;

And then Jesus said to him: "Be careful not to say a word to any one, but go and show yourself to the Priest, and offer the gift directed by Moses, as evidence of your cure."

"Sir," he said, "my manservant is lying ill at my house with a stroke of paralysis, and is suffering terribly."

Jesus was surprised to hear this, and said to those who were following him: "Never I tell you, in any Israelite have I met with such faith as this!

In fulfillment of these words in the Prophet Isaiah--'He took our infirmities on himself, and bore the burden of our diseases.'

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

The men were amazed, and exclaimed: "What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!"

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

And the foul spirits began begging Jesus: "If you drive us out, send us into the drove of pigs."

Then some of the teachers of the Law said to themselves: "This man is blaspheming!"

Which, I ask, is the easier?--to say 'Your sins are forgiven'? or to say 'Get up, and walk about'?

As Jesus went along, he saw a man, called Matthew, sitting in the tax-office, and said to him: "Follow me." Matthew got up and followed him.

On hearing this, Jesus said: "It is not those who are in health that need a doctor, but those who are ill.

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.

No man ever puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for such a patch tears away from the garment, and a worse rent is made.

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

As Jesus was passing on from there, he was followed by two blind men, who kept calling out: "Take pity on us, Son of David!"

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

And, as soon as the demon had been driven out, the dumb man spoke. The people were astonished at this, and exclaimed: "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!"