But just as this thought occurred to him, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and said, "Joseph, descendant of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for it is through the influence of the Holy Spirit that she has become an expectant mother.

And she will have a son, and you must name Him Jesus, for it is He who is to save His people from their sins."

They told him, "At Bethlehem in Judea, for this is what the prophet wrote:

'And you, Bethlehem in Judah's land, You are not at all the least among the leading places of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler, who will shepherd my people Israel.'"

Then Herod secretly sent for the stargazers, and found out from them exactly the time the star appeared.

So he sent them to Bethlehem with this order, "Go and carefully search for the child, and when you find Him, bring back word to me, and I too may come and do Him homage."

After they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Wake up! Tenderly take the child and His mother, and escape to Egypt; stay there until I further direct you, for Herod is going to search for the child to destroy Him."

"A sob was heard in Ramah, weeping and great wailing, Rachel weeping for her children, and she refused to be comforted, because they were gone."

and said, "Wake up, tenderly take the child and His mother, and make the trip to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead."

But because he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in the place of his father, Herod, he was afraid to go there; and because he was divinely warned in a dream, he set out for the region of Galilee.

and saying, "Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is near."

This is he who was mentioned by the prophet Isaiah, when he said: "Here is a voice of one who shouts in the desert, 'Get the road ready for the Lord; Make the paths straight for him.'"

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

and do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our forefather? For I tell you, God can raise up descendants for Abraham even out of these stones.

Now the axe is already lying at the roots of the trees. Every tree then that fails to bear good fruit is to be cut down and thrown into the fire.

I am baptizing you in water to picture your repentance. But He that is coming after me is stronger than I am, and I am not fit to carry His shoes. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire;

His winnowing-fork is in His hand, and He will clean out His threshing-floor and store His wheat in His barn, but He will burn up the chaff with fire that never can be put out."

But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for this is the fitting way for both of us to do our full duty to God." Then he yielded to Him.

and said to Him, "If you are God's Son, throw yourself down, for the Scripture says: "'He will give His angels directions about you, And they will bear you up on their hands, so you will never strike your foot against a stone.'"

Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For the Scripture says, 'You must worship the Lord your God, and serve Him alone.'"

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, He set out for Galilee.

From that time Jesus continued to preach and say, "Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is near."

As He was walking by the shore of the sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was summed Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

He said to them, "Come! Follow me, and I will make you fishermen for catching men."

"Blessed are those who feel poor in spiritual things, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

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

"Blessed are the lowly in mind, for they will possess the land.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for being and doing right, for they will be completely satisfied.

"Blessed are those who show mercy, for they will have mercy shown them.

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

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called God's sons.

"Blessed are those who suffer persecution for being and doing right, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

"Blessed are you when people abuse you, and persecute you, and keep on falsely telling all sorts of evil against you for my sake.

Keep on rejoicing and leaping for ecstasy, for your reward will be rich in heaven; for this is the way they persecuted the prophets who lived before you.

"You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its strength, what can make it salt again? It is good for nothing but to be thrown away and trodden under foot.

I have not come to set them aside but to fill them up to the brim. For I solemnly say to you, heaven and earth would sooner pass away than the dotting of an 'i' or the crossing of a 't' from the law, until it all becomes in force.

For I tell you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven at all.

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman so as to have an evil desire for her at once has already committed adultery with her in his heart,

So if your right eye causes you to do wrong, pluck it out of your way; for it is better to have one part of your body suffer loss than to have your whole body go down to the pit.

And if your right hand causes you to do wrong, cut it off and put it out of your way, for it is better to have one part of your body suffer loss than to have your whole body go down to the pit.

But I tell you that whoever divorces his wife for any other ground than unfaithfulness, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a wife who is thus divorced commits adultery.

But I tell you not to swear at all, either by heaven, for it is God's throne,

or by the earth, for it is His footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.

Never swear by your own head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black.

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

and if anyone wants to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat, too.

But I tell you, practice loving your enemies and praying for your persecutors,

to prove that you are sons of your Father in heaven, for He makes His sun rise on bad as well as good people, and makes the rain come down on doers of right and of wrong alike.

For if you practice loving only those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even the tax-collectors practice that?

"Also, whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners, to attract the attention of people. I solemnly say to you, they already have their reward.

And whenever you pray, you must not keep on repeating set phrases, as the heathen do, for they suppose that they will be heard in accordance with the length of their prayers,

So then you must not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

Give us today our daily bread for the day.

"For if you forgive others their shortcomings your heavenly Father will forgive you, too.

"Also whenever you fast, you must not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they put on a gloomy countenance, to let people see them fasting. I solemnly say to you, they already have their reward.

For wherever your treasure is, there too your heart will be.

No one can be a slave to two masters, for either he will hate one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and money.

Take a good look at the wild birds, for they do not sow or reap, or store up food in barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps on feeding them. Are you not worth more than they?

For the heathen are greedily pursuing all such things; and surely your heavenly Father well knows that you need them all.

But as your first duty keep on looking for His standard of doing right, and for His will, and then all these things will be yours besides.

So never worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries of its own. Each day has evil enough of its own."

For exactly as you criticize others, you will be criticized, and in accordance with the measure that you give to others, it will be measured back to you.

"You must never give the things that are sacred to dogs, and you must never throw your pearls before hogs, for fear they might trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces.

For everyone who keeps on asking, receives, and everyone who keeps on seeking, finds, and to the one who keeps on knocking, the door will open.

What human father among you, when his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?

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

Then you must practice dealing with others as you would like for them to deal with you, for this is the summing up of the law and the prophets.

"Go in by the narrow gate, for broad and roomy is the road that leads to destruction, and many are going in by it.

"Look out for false prophets, who come to you under the guise of sheep, but inside they are devouring wolves.

And the rain fell, and the rivers rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, but it did not fall, for its pillars had been laid on a rocky foundation.

for He was teaching them as one who had authority to teach, and not as their scribes did.

But the captain answered, "I am not fit for you to come under my roof, but simply speak the word, and my servant-boy will be cured.

For I, too, am under authority of others, and have soldiers under me, and I order this one to go, and he goes, another to come, and he comes, my slave-boy to do this, and he does it."

Then Jesus said to the captain, "Go; it must be done for you as you have believed." And his servant-boy was cured that very hour.

And the men were dumbfounded, and said, "What sort of man is this, for even the winds and the sea obey Him!"

Now there was not far from there a large drove of hogs feeding.

For which is easier, to say 'Your sins are forgiven,' or, to say 'Get up and go to walking'?

And the crowds saw it, and were stricken with awe, and gave praise to God for giving such power to men.

And when He heard it, He said, "It is not well, but sick people that have to send for a doctor.

Nobody sews a patch of brand-new goods on an old coat, for such a patch would tear away from the coat, and the hole would be bigger than ever.

And a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years came up and touched the tassel on His coat.

For she kept saying to herself, "If I can only touch His coat, I will get well."

said, "Go away, for the girl is not dead, but is sleeping." And they began to laugh in His face.

Then He touched their eyes, and said, "In accordance with your faith it must be done for you."

When He saw the crowds, His heart was moved with pity for them, because they were tired and scattered like sheep without a shepherd.

Do not accept gold or silver or even copper money for your purse,

and do not take a bag for your journey, nor two shirts, nor any shoes, nor a staff, for the workman deserves his support.

Into whatever town or village you go, inquire for some deserving person, and stay at his house until you leave the place.

and if the house should prove deserving, may your good wish for peace upon it come true, but if not, may your good wish bring peace to yourselves.

I tell you, the punishment on the day of judgment will be lighter for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

Be on your guard against men, for they will turn you over to the courts and will flog you in their synagogues,

and you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness to them and the heathen.

But when they turn you over to the courts, you must not worry at all about how or what you ought to speak, for it will be given you at that hour what you ought to speak.

For it is not you who are speaking, but the Spirit of your Father that is speaking through you.

But whenever they persecute you in one town, flee to a different one. For I solemnly say to you, you will not cover all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man returns.

So you must never be afraid of them, for there is nothing covered that will not be uncovered, nor a secret that will not be known.

Do not sparrows sell for a cent apiece? And yet not one of them can fall to the ground without your Father's notice.

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,

Anybody who gains his lower life will lose the higher life, and anybody who loses his lower life for my sake will gain the higher life.

"Are you the One who was to come, or should we keep on looking for a different one?"