WISE MEN VISIT THE KING

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem,a 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?b For we saw his star at its risingc and have come to worship him.”A

3 When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 So he assembled all the chief priests and scribesd of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born.

5 “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet:

6 And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah:

Because out of you will come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.”B,e

7 Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship him.”C,f

9 After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen at its rising. It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him.D Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.g 12 And being warnedh in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.

THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT

13 After they were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up! Take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to kill him.”i 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt. 15 He stayed there until Herod’s death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called my Son.E,j

THE MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS

16 Then Herod, when he realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men.k 17 Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

18 A voice was heard in Ramah,

weeping,F and great mourning,

Rachel weeping for her children;

and she refused to be consoled,

because they are no more.G,l

THE RETURN TO NAZARETH

19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,m 20 saying, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, because those who intended to kill the child are dead.” 21 So he got up, took the child and his mother, and entered the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee.n 23 Then he went and settled in a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.o

THE HERALD OF THE MESSIAH

3 In those days John the Baptist came,p preaching in the wilderness of Judeaq 2 and saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!”r 3 For he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said:

A voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

Prepare the way for the Lord;

make his paths straight!H,s

4 Now John had a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then people from Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the vicinity of the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.t

7 When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadduceesu coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?a 8 Therefore produce fruitb consistent withA repentance. 9 And don’t presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’c For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.d

11 “I baptize you withB water for repentance,e but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to removeC his sandals. He himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.f 12 His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn. But the chaff he will burn with fire that never goes out.”g

THE BAPTISM OF JESUS

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him.h 14 But John tried to stop him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?”

15 Jesus answered him, “Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John allowed him to be baptized.

16 When Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water. The heavensi suddenly opened for him,D and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him.j 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.”k

THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS

4 Thenl Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.m 2 After he had fasted forty days and forty nights,n he was hungry. 3 Then the tempter approached him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”o

4 He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”E,p

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple,q 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written:

He will give his angelsr orders concerning you,

and they will support you with their hands

so that you will not strike

your foot against a stone.”F,s

7 Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.”G,t

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me.”H

10 Then Jesus told him, “Go away,I Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”J,u

11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and began to serve him.v

MINISTRY IN GALILEE

12 When he heard that John had been arrested,w he withdrew into Galilee.x 13 He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaumy by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

15 Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

along the road by the sea, beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles.

16 The people who live in darkness

have seen a great light,

and for those living in the land of the shadow of death,

a light has dawned.K,L,z

17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, because the kingdom of heavenaa has come near.”

THE FIRST DISCIPLES

18 Asab he was walking along the Sea of Galilee,ac he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter), and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 19 “Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fish forM people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, preparing their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

TEACHING, PREACHING, AND HEALING

23 Now Jesus began to go all over Galilee,a teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing everyA disease and sicknessB among the people.b 24 Then the news about him spread throughout Syria.c So they brought to him all those who were afflicted, those suffering from various diseases and intense pains, the demon-possessed, the epileptics, and the paralytics.d And he healed them. 25 Large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.e

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

5 When he saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain,f and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 ThenC he began to teach them, saying:g

THE BEATITUDES

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,h

for the kingdom of heaveni is theirs.

4 Blessed are those who mourn,j

for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the humble,k

for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,l

for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.m

8 Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.n

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called sons of God.o

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for the kingdom of heavenp is theirs.

11 “You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. 12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecutedq the prophets who were before you.r

BELIEVERS ARE SALT AND LIGHT

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty?D It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.s

14 “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden.t 15 No one lights a lampu and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.v 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.w

CHRIST FULFILLS THE LAW

17 “Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.x 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letterE or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.y 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.

MURDER BEGINS IN THE HEART

21 “You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder,F,z and whoever murders will be subject to judgment.aa 22 But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother or sisterG will be subject to judgment. Whoever insultsH his brother or sister, will be subject to the court.I Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to hellfire.J,ab 23 So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you’re on the way with him to the court, or your adversary will hand you over to the judge, and the judge toK the officer, and you will be thrown into prison.ac 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny.L

ADULTERY BEGINS IN THE HEART

27 “You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery.A,a 28 But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.b 29 If your right eye causes you to sin,c gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.d 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

DIVORCE PRACTICES CENSURED

31 “It was also said, Whoever divorcese his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.B,f 32 But I tell you, everyone who divorces his wife, except in a case of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.g

TELL THE TRUTH

33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to our ancestors, You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord.C,h 34 But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, because it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King.i 36 Do not swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. 37 But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one.j

GO THE SECOND MILE

38 “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.D,k 39 But I tell you, don’t resistE an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.l 40 As for the one who wants to sue you and take away your shirt, let him have your coat as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.m

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES

43 “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighborF,n and hate your enemy. 44 But I tell you, love your enemiesG and pray for those whoH persecute you,o 45 so that you may beI children of your Father in heaven. For he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.p 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what are you doing out of the ordinary?J,q Don’t even the GentilesK do the same? 48 Be perfect,r therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.