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

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."

'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.'"

When Herod found that he had been trifled with by the Astrologers, he was very angry. He sent and put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and the whole of that neighborhood, who were two years old or under, guided by the date which he had ascertained from the Astrologers.

"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."

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."'

When, however, John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to receive his baptism, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who has prompted you to seek refuge from the coming judgment?

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.

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?"

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

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!'

Going further on, he saw two other men who were also brothers, James, Zebediah's son, and his brother John, in their boat with their father, mending their nets. Jesus called them,

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

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.

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.

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.

I, however, say to you that any one who looks at a woman with an impure intention has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

It was also said--'Let any one who divorces his wife serve her with a notice of separation.'

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.

Give to him who asks of you; and, from him who wants to borrow from you, do not turn away.

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.

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

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.

You, therefore, should pray thus--'Our Father, who art in Heaven, May thy name be held holy,

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

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.

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

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!

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

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.

And then I shall say to them plainly 'I never knew you. Go from my presence, you who live in sin.'

Everyone, therefore, that listens to this teaching of mine and acts upon it may be compared to a prudent man, who built his house upon the rock.

And every one that listens to this teaching of mine and does not act upon it may be compared to a foolish man, who built his house on the sand.

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

And he saw a leper who came up, and bowed to the ground before him, and said: "Master, if only you are willing, you are able to make me clean."

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 the evening the people brought to Jesus many who were possessed by demons; and he drove out the spirits with a word, And cured all who were ill,

"Master," said another, who was a disciple, "let me first go and bury my father."

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.

At this the men who tended them ran away and went to the town, carrying the news of all that had occurred, and of what had happened to the possessed men.

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

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

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;

Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot--the Apostle who betrayed him.

Whatever town or village you visit, find out who is worthy in that place, and remain there till you leave.

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

And do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; rather be afraid of him who is able to destroy both soul and body in the Pit.

Every one, therefore, who shall acknowledge me before his fellow men, I, too, will acknowledge before my Father who is in Heaven;

But, if any one disowns me before his fellow men, I, too, will disown him before my Father who is in Heaven.

He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

And the man who does not take his cross and follow in my steps is not worthy of me.

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

He who welcomes you is welcoming me; and he who welcomes me is welcoming him who sent me as his Messenger.

He who welcomes a Prophet, because he is a Prophet, shall receive a Prophet's reward; and he who welcomes a good man, because he is a good man, shall receive a good man's reward.

And blessed is the man who finds no hindrance in me."

"What did you go out into the Wilderness to look at? A reed waving in the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man richly dressed? Why, those who wear rich things are to be found in the courts of kings!

This is the man of whom Scripture says--'Behold, I am myself sending my Messenger before thy face, And he shall prepare thy way before thee.'

I tell you, no one born of a woman has yet appeared who is greater than John the Baptist; and yet the lowliest in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.

And--if you are ready to accept it--John is himself the Elijah who was destined to come.

Let him who has ears hear.

Everything has been committed to me by my Father; nor does any one fully know the Son, except the Father, or fully know the Father, except the Son and those to whom the Son may choose to reveal him.

Come to me, all you who toil and are burdened, and I will give you rest!

And had you learned the meaning of the words--'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned those who are not guilty.

'Behold! the Servant of my Choice, My Beloved, in whom my heart delights! I will breathe my spirit upon him, And he shall announce a time of judgment to the Gentiles.

Then some people brought to Jesus a possessed man, who was blind and dumb; and he cured him, so that the man who had been dumb both talked and saw.

He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not help me to gather is scattering.

"Who is my mother? and who are my brothers?"

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

Let him who has ears hear."

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.

By the seed which was sown on rocky places is meant the man who hears the Message, and at once accepts it joyfully;

By the seed which was sown among the brambles is meant the man who hears the Message, but the cares of life and the glamour of wealth completely choke the Message, so that it gives no return.

But by the seed which was sown on the good ground is meant the man who hears the Message and understands it, and really yields a return, sometimes one hundred, sometimes sixty, sometimes thirty fold."

Another parable which Jesus told them was this-- "The Kingdom of Heaven is compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

And the enemy who sowed them is the Devil. The harvest-time is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels.

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

Then shall the righteous shine, like the sun, in the Kingdom of their Father. Let him who has ears hear.

Then he added: "So every Teacher of the Law, who has received instruction about the Kingdom of Heaven, is like a householder who produces from his stores things both new and old."

The men who ate were about five thousand in number, without counting women and children.

But the people of that place, recognizing Jesus, sent out to the whole country round, and brought to him all who were ill,

Begging him merely to let them touch the tassel of his cloak; and all who touched were made perfectly well.

For God said--'Honor thy father and mother,' and 'Let him who reviles his father or mother suffer death,'

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;

The men who ate were four thousand in number without counting women and children.

On coming into the neighborhood of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples this question-- "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"

"But you," he said, "who do you say that I am?"

"Blessed are you, Simon, Son of Jonah," Jesus replied. "For no human being has revealed this to you, but my Father who is in Heaven.

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."

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and there was a voice from the cloud that said-- "This is my Son, the Beloved, in whom I delight; him you must hear."

"Yes," answered Peter. But, on going into the house, before he could speak, Jesus said: "What do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly kings take taxes or tribute? From their sons, or from others?"