He had been dwelling upon this, when an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. "Joseph, son of David," the angel said, "do not be afraid to take Mary for your wife, for her child has been conceived 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."

"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."

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

'And thou, Bethlehem in Judah's land, Art in no way least among the chief cities of Judah; For out of thee will come a Chieftain- - One who will shepherd my people Israel.'"

Then Herod secretly sent for the Astrologers, and ascertained from them the date of the appearance of the star;

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.'

"Awake, take the child and his mother, and go into the Land of Israel, for those who sought to take the child's life are dead."

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

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."

"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.

And, after he had fasted for forty days and forty nights, he became hungry.

"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.'"

Then Jesus said to him: "Begone, Satan! for Scripture says-- 'Thou shalt do homage to the Lord thy God, and worship him only.'"

The people who were dwelling in darkness Have seen a great Light, And, for those who were dwelling in the shadow-land of Death, A Light has risen!'

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.

"Come and follow me," Jesus said, "and I will set you to fish for men."

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

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.

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

Be glad and rejoice, because your reward in Heaven will be great; for so men persecuted the Prophets who lived before you.

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.

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.

You have heard that to our ancestors it was said--'Thou shalt not commit murder,' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to answer for it to the Court.'

I, however, say to you that any one who cherishes anger against his brother shall be liable to answer for it to the Court; and whoever pours contempt upon his brother shall be liable to answer for it to the High Council, while whoever calls down curses upon him shall be liable to answer for it in the fiery Pit.

Be ready to make friends with your opponent, even when you meet him on your way to the court; for fear that he should hand you over to the judge, and the judge to his officer, and you should be thrown into prison.

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.

You have heard that it was said--'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'

I, however, say to you--Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you,

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.

For, if you love only those who love you, what reward will you have? Even the tax-gatherers do this!

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.

Do not imitate them; for God, your Father, knows what you need before you ask him.

For, if you forgive others their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you also;

Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

But store up treasures for yourselves in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal.

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

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate one and love the other, or else he will attach himself to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

All these are the things for which the nations are seeking, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

But first seek his Kingdom and the righteousness that he requires, and then all these things shall be added for you.

Therefore do not be anxious about to-morrow, for to-morrow will bring its own anxieties. Every day has trouble enough of its own.

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

For he that asks receives, he that searches finds, and to him that knocks the door shall be opened.

Who among you, when his son asks him for a loaf, will give him a stone,

Or when he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

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

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.

The rain poured down, the rivers rose, the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, for its foundations were upon the rock.

For he taught them like one who had authority, and not like their Teachers of the Law.

For I myself am a man under the orders of others, with soldiers under me; and, if I say to one of them 'Go,' he goes, and to another 'Come,' he comes, and to my slave 'Do this,' he does it."

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

Go and learn what this means--'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice'; for I did not come to call the religious, but the outcast."

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.

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."

But meanwhile a woman, who had been suffering from hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind and touched the tassel of his cloak.

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';

Cure the sick, raise the dead, make the lepers clean, drive out demons. You have received free of cost, give free of cost.

Not even with a bag for the journey, or a change of clothes, or sandals, or even a staff; for the worker is worth his food.

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

And you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, that you may witness for me before them and the nations.

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;

For it will not be you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaks within you.

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.

It is enough for a scholar to be treated like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Baal-zebub, how much more the members of his household!

Are not two sparrows sold for a half-penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's knowledge.

While as for you, the very hairs of your head are numbered.

For I have come to set--'a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

He who has found his life will lose it, while he who, for my sake, has lost his life shall find it.

And asked--" Are you 'The Coming One,' or are we to look for someone else?"

What, then, did you go for? To see a Prophet? Yes, I tell you, and far more than a Prophet.

For the teaching of all the Prophets and of the Law continued till the time of John;

'We have played the flute for you, but you have not danced; We have wailed, but you have not mourned.'

For, when John came, neither eating nor drinking, men said 'He has a demon in him';

"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.

And you, Capernaum! Will you 'exalt yourself to Heaven'? 'You shall go down to the Place of Death.' For, if the miracles which have been done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have been standing to this day.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly-minded, and 'you shall find rest for your souls';

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

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?

For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath."

You brood of vipers! how can you, evil as you are, say anything good? For what fills the heart will rise to the lips.

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

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

"It is a wicked and unfaithful generation," answered Jesus, "that is asking for a sign, and no sign shall be given it except the sign of the Prophet Jonah.

For, just as 'Jonah was inside the sea-monster three days and three nights,' so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

For any one who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

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.

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;