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."

inquiring, "Where is the newly born king of the Jews? For we have seen his Star in the east, and have come here to do him homage."

"At Bethlehem in Judaea," they replied; "for so it stands written in the words of the Prophet,

"'And thou, Bethlehem in the land of Judah, by no means the least honorable art thou among princely places in Judah! For from thee shall come a prince--one who shall be the Shepherd of My People Israel.'"

Thereupon Herod sent privately for the Magi and ascertained from them the exact time of the star's appearing.

When they were gone, and angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise: take the babe and His mother and escape to Egypt, and remain there till I bring you word. For Herod is about to make search for the child in order to destroy Him."

"Rise from sleep, and take the child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child's life are dead."

"Repent," he said, "for the Kingdom of the Heavens is now close at hand."

He it is who was spoken of through the Prophet Isaiah when he said, "The voice of one crying aloud, 'In the desert prepare ye a road for the Lord: make His highway straight.'"

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he exclaimed, "O vipers' brood, who has warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

and do not imagine that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our forefather,' for I tell you that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones.

And already the axe is lying at the root of the trees, so that every tree which does not produce good fruit will quickly be hewn down and thrown into the fire.

I indeed am baptizing you in water on a profession of repentance; but He who is coming after me is mightier than I: His sandals I am not worthy to carry for a moment; He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire.

His winnowing-shovel is in His hand, and He will make a thorough clearance of His threshing-floor, gathering His wheat into the storehouse, but burning up the chaff in unquenchable fire."

"Let it be so on this occasion," Jesus replied; "for so we ought to fulfil every religious duty." Then he consented;

There He fasted for forty days and nights; and after that He suffered from hunger.

and said, "If you are God's Son, throw yourself down; for it is written, "'To His angels He will give orders concerning thee, and on their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any moment thou shouldst strike thy foot against a stone.'"

"Begone, Satan!" Jesus replied; "for it is written, 'To the Lord thy God thou shalt do homage, and to Him alone shalt thou render worship.'"

From that time Jesus began to preach. "Repent," He said, "for the Kingdom of the Heavens is now close at hand."

And walking along the shore of the Lake of Galilee He saw two brothers--Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew--throwing a drag-net into the Lake; for they were fishers.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for to them belongs the Kingdom of the Heavens.

"Blessed are the mourners, for they shall be comforted.

"Blessed are the meek, for they as heirs shall obtain possession of the earth.

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

"Blessed are the compassionate, for they shall receive compassion.

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

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for it is they who will be recognized as sons of God.

"Blessed are those who have borne persecution in the cause of Righteousness, for to them belongs the Kingdom of the Heavens.

"Blessed are you when they have insulted and persecuted you, and have said every cruel thing about you falsely for my sake.

Be joyful and triumphant, because your reward is great in the Heavens; for so were the Prophets before you persecuted.

"*You* are the salt of the earth; but if salt has become tasteless, in what way can it regain its saltness? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown away and trodden on by the passers by.

"Do not for a moment suppose that I have come to abrogate the Law or the Prophets: I have not come to abrogate them but to give them their completion.

For I assure you that unless your righteousness greatly surpasses that of the Scribes and the Pharisees, you will certainly not find entrance into the Kingdom of the Heavens.

But I say to you that every one who becomes angry with his brother shall be answerable to the magistrate; that whoever says to his brother 'Raca,' shall be answerable to the Sanhedrin; and that whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be liable to the Gehenna of Fire.

Come to terms without delay with your opponent while you are yet with him on the way to the court; for fear he should obtain judgement from the magistrate against you, and the magistrate should give you in custody to the officer and you be thrown into prison.

If therefore your eye, even the right eye, is a snare to you, tear it out and away with it; it is better for you that one member should be destroyed rather than that your whole body should be thrown into Gehenna.

And if your right hand is a snare to you, cut it off and away with it; it is better for you that one member should be destroyed rather than that your whole body should go into Gehenna.

But I tell you not to swear at all; neither by Heaven, for it is God's throne;

nor by the earth, for it is the footstool under His feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the City of the Great King.

And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.

"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.'

But I command you all, love your enemies, and pray for your persecutors;

that so you may become true sons of your Father in Heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the wicked as well as the good, and sends rain upon those who do right and those who do wrong.

For if you love only those who love you, what reward have you earned? Do not even the tax-gatherers do that?

"But beware of doing your good actions in the sight of men, in order to attract their gaze; if you do, there is no reward for you with your Father who is in Heaven.

"And when praying, do not use needless repetitions as the Gentiles do, for they expect to be listened to because of their multitude of words.

Do not, however, imitate them; for your Father knows what things you need before ever you ask Him.

give us to-day our bread for the day;

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

"When any of you fast, never assume gloomy looks as the hypocrites do; for they disfigure their faces in order that it may be evident to men that they are fasting. I solemnly tell you that they already have their reward.

"Do not lay up stores of wealth for yourselves on earth, where the moth and wear-and-tear destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

But amass wealth for yourselves in Heaven, where neither the moth nor wear-and-tear destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

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

"No man can be the bondservant of two masters; for either he will dislike one and like the other, or he will attach himself to one and think slightingly of the other. You cannot be the bondservants both of God and of gold.

For this reason I charge you not to be over-anxious about your lives, inquiring what you are to eat or what you are to drink, nor yet about your bodies, inquiring what clothes you are to put on. Is not the life more precious than its food, and the body than its clothing?

For all these are questions that Gentiles are always asking; but your Heavenly Father knows that you need these things--all of them.

Do not be over-anxious, therefore, about to-morrow, for to-morrow will bring its own cares. Enough for each day are its own troubles.

for your own judgement will be dealt--and your own measure meted--to yourselves.

For it is always he who asks that receives, he who seeks that finds, and he who knocks that has the door opened to him.

What man is there among you, who if his son shall ask him for bread will offer him a stone?

Or if the son shall ask him for a fish will offer him a snake?

Everything, therefore, be it what it may, that you would have men do to you, do you also the same to them; for in this the Law and the Prophets are summed up.

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad the road which leads to ruin, and many there are who enter by it;

Every tree which does not yield good fruit is cut down and thrown aside for burning.

and the heavy rain falls, the swollen torrents come, and the winds blow and beat against the house; yet it does not fall, for its foundation is on rock.

for He had been teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their Scribes taught.

and Jesus said to him, "Be careful to tell no one, but go and show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift which Moses appointed as evidence for them."

For I myself am also under authority, and have soldiers under me. To one I say 'Go,' and he goes, to another 'Come,' and he comes, and to my slave 'Do this or that,' and he does it."

And Jesus said to the Captain, "Go, and just as you have believed, so be it for you." And the servant recovered precisely at that time.

and the men, filled with amazement, exclaimed, "What kind of man is this? for the very winds and waves obey him!"

But go and learn what this means, 'It is mercy that I desire, not sacrifice'; for I did not come to appeal to the righteous, but to sinners."

But a woman who for twelve years had been afflicted with haemorrhage came behind Him and touched the tassel of His cloak;

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

And when He saw the crowds He was touched with pity for them, because they were distressed and were fainting on the ground like sheep which have no shepherd.

no bag for your journey, nor change of linen, nor shoes, nor stick; for the labourer deserves his food.

"Whatever town or village you enter, inquire for some good man; and make his house your home till you leave the place.

I solemnly tell you that it will be more endurable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of Judgement than for that town.

But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to appear before Sanhedrins, and will flog you in their synagogues;

and you will even be put on trial before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness to them and to the Gentiles.

But when they have delivered you up, have no anxiety as to how you shall speak or what you shall say; for at that very time it shall be given you what to say;

for it is not you who will speak: it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Whenever they persecute you in one town, escape to the next; for I solemnly tell you that you will not have gone the round of all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Enough for the learner to be on a level with his teacher, and for the servant to be on a level with his master. If they have called the master of the house Baal-zebul, how much more will they slander his servants?

Fear them not, however; there is nothing veiled which will not be uncovered, nor secret which will not become known.

"And do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul; but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.

Do not two sparrows sell for a halfpenny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's leave.

But as for you, the very hairs on your heads are all numbered.

Away then with fear; you are more precious than a multitude of sparrows.

For I came to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;

To save your life is to lose it, and to lose your life for my sake is to save it.

But why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and far more than a prophet.

For all the Prophets and the Law taught until John.

"For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'

"Alas for thee, Chorazin!" He cried. "Alas for thee, Bethsaida! For had the mighty works been done in Tyre and Sidon which have been done in both of you, they would long ere now have repented, covered with sackcloth and ashes.

Only I tell you that it will be more endurable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of Judgement than for you.

And thou, Capernaum, shalt thou be exalted even to Heaven? Even to Hades shalt thou descend. For had the mighty works been done in Sodom which have been done in thee, it would have remained until now.

Only I tell you all, that it will be more endurable for the land of Sodom on the day of Judgement than for thee."

Yes, Father, for such has been Thy gracious will.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.