October 15

Matthew 1:1 — 4:25

Matthew

1 The book of the history of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham:

 2 Abraham became father to Isaac;
Isaac became father to Jacob;
Jacob became father to Judah and his brothers;

 3 Judah became father to Perez and to Zerah by Tamar;
Perez became father to Hezron;
Hezron became father to Ram;

 4 Ram became father to Amminadab;
Amminadab became father to Nahshon;
Nahshon became father to Salmon;

 5 Salmon became father to Boaz by Rahab;
Boaz became father to Obed by Ruth;
Obed became father to Jesse;

 6 Jesse became father to David the king.
 David became father to Solomon by the wife of Uriah;

 7 Solomon became father to Rehoboam;
Rehoboam became father to Abijah;
Abijah became father to Asa;

 8 Asa became father to Jehoshaphat;
Jehoshaphat became father to Jehoram;
Jehoram became father to Uzziah;

 9 Uzziah became father to Jotham;
Jotham became father to Ahaz;
Ahaz became father to Hezekiah;

10 Hezekiah became father to Manasseh;
Manasseh became father to Amon;
Amon became father to Josiah;

          11 Josiah became father to Jeconiah and to his brothers at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

12 After the deportation to Babylon Jeconiah became father to Shealtiel;
Shealtiel became father to Zerubbabel;

13 Zerubbabel became father to Abiud;
Abiud became father to Eliakim;
Eliakim became father to Azor;

14 Azor became father to Zadok;
Zadok became father to Achim;
Achim became father to Eliud;

15 Eliud became father to Eleazar;
Eleazar became father to Matthan;
Matthan became father to Jacob;

          16 Jacob became father to Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

17 All the generations, then, from Abraham until David were fourteen generations, and from David until the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon until the Christ fourteen generations.

18 But the birth of Jesus Christ was in this way. During the time his mother Mary was promised in marriage to Joseph, she was found to be pregnant by holy spirit before they were united. 19 However, Joseph her husband, because he was righteous and did not want to make her a public spectacle, intended to divorce her secretly. 20 But after he had thought these things over, look! Jehovah’s angel appeared to him in a dream, saying: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife home, for that which has been begotten in her is by holy spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you must call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this actually came about for that to be fulfilled which was spoken by Jehovah through his prophet, saying: 23 “Look! The virgin will become pregnant and will give birth to a son, and they will call his name Immanuel,” which means, when translated, “With Us Is God.”

24 Then Joseph woke up from his sleep and did as the angel of Jehovah had directed him, and he took his wife home. 25 But he had no intercourse with her until she gave birth to a son; and he called his name Jesus.

2 After Jesus had been born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, look! astrologers from eastern parts came to Jerusalem, 2 saying: “Where is the one born king of the Jews? For we saw his star [when we were] in the east, and we have come to do him obeisance.” 3 At hearing this King Herod was agitated, and all Jerusalem along with him; 4 and on gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They said to him: “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is how it has been written through the prophet, 6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem of the land of Judah, are by no means the most insignificant [city] among the governors of Judah; for out of you will come forth a governing one, who will shepherd my people, Israel.’”

7 Then Herod secretly summoned the astrologers and carefully ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearing; 8 and, when sending them to Bethlehem, he said: “Go make a careful search for the young child, and when YOU have found it report back to me, that I too may go and do it obeisance.” 9 When they had heard the king, they went their way; and, look! the star they had seen [when they were] in the east went ahead of them, until it came to a stop above where the young child was. 10 On seeing the star they rejoiced very much indeed. 11 And when they went into the house they saw the young child with Mary its mother, and, falling down, they did obeisance to it. They also opened their treasures and presented it with gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 However, because they were given divine warning in a dream not to return to Herod, they withdrew to their country by another way.

13 After they had withdrawn, look! Jehovah’s angel appeared in a dream to Joseph, saying: “Get up, take the young child and its mother and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I give you word; for Herod is about to search for the young child to destroy it.” 14 So he got up and took along the young child and its mother by night and withdrew into Egypt, 15 and he stayed there until the decease of Herod, for that to be fulfilled which was spoken by Jehovah through his prophet, saying: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

16 Then Herod, seeing he had been outwitted by the astrologers, fell into a great rage, and he sent out and had all the boys in Bethlehem and in all its districts done away with, from two years of age and under, according to the time that he had carefully ascertained from the astrologers. 17 Then that was fulfilled which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying: 18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and much wailing; it was Rachel weeping for her children, and she was unwilling to take comfort, because they are no more.”

19 When Herod had deceased, look! Jehovah’s angel appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said: “Get up, take the young child and its mother and be on your way into the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the soul of the young child are dead.” 21 So he got up and took the young child and its mother and entered into the land of Israel. 22 But hearing that Archelaus ruled as king of Judea instead of his father Herod, he became afraid to depart for there. Moreover, being given divine warning in a dream, he withdrew into the territory of Galilee, 23 and came and dwelt in a city named Nazareth, that there might be fulfilled what was spoken through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”


3 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 saying: “REPENT, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.” 3 This, in fact, is the one spoken of through Isaiah the prophet in these words: “Listen! Someone is crying out in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of Jehovah, YOU people! Make his roads straight.’” 4 But this very John had his clothing of camel’s hair and a leather girdle around his loins; his food too was insect locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the country around the Jordan made their way out to him, 6 and people were baptized by him in the Jordan River, openly confessing their sins.

7 When he caught sight of many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to the baptism, he said to them: “YOU offspring of vipers, who has intimated to YOU to flee from the coming wrath? 8 So then produce fruit that befits repentance; 9 and do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘As a father we have Abraham.’ For I say to YOU that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 Already the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree, then, that does not produce fine fruit is to be cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I, for my part, baptize YOU with water because of YOUR repentance; but the one coming after me is stronger than I am, whose sandals I am not fit to take off. That one will baptize YOU people with holy spirit and with fire. 12 His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will completely clean up his threshing floor, and will gather his wheat into the storehouse, but the chaff he will burn up with fire that cannot be put out.”

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, in order to be baptized by him. 14 But the latter tried to prevent him, saying: “I am the one needing to be baptized by you, and are you coming to me?” 15 In reply Jesus said to him: “Let it be, this time, for in that way it is suitable for us to carry out all that is righteous.” Then he quit preventing him. 16 After being baptized Jesus immediately came up from the water; and, look! the heavens were opened up, and he saw descending like a dove God’s spirit coming upon him. 17 Look! Also, there was a voice from the heavens that said: “This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have approved.”

4 Then Jesus was led by the spirit up into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. 2 After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, then he felt hungry. 3 Also, the Tempter came and said to him: “If you are a son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But in reply he said: “It is written, ‘Man must live, not on bread alone, but on every utterance coming forth through Jehovah’s mouth.’”

5 Then the Devil took him along into the holy city, and he stationed him upon the battlement of the temple 6 and said to him: “If you are a son of God, hurl yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will give his angels a charge concerning you, and they will carry you on their hands, that you may at no time strike your foot against a stone.’” 7 Jesus said to him: “Again it is written, ‘You must not put Jehovah your God to the test.’”

8 Again the Devil took him along to an unusually high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, 9 and he said to him: “All these things I will give you if you fall down and do an act of worship to me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him: “Go away, Satan! For it is written, ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.’” 11 Then the Devil left him, and, look! angels came and began to minister to him.

12 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 Further, after leaving Nazareth, he came and took up residence in Capernaum beside the sea in the districts of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that there might be fulfilled what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying: 15 “O land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, along the road of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the nations! 16 the people sitting in darkness saw a great light, and as for those sitting in a region of deathly shadow, light rose upon them.” 17 From that time on Jesus commenced preaching and saying: “Repent, YOU people, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.”

18 Walking alongside the sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, letting down a fishing net into the sea, for they were fishers. 19 And he said to them: “Come after me, and I will make YOU fishers of men.” 20 At once abandoning the nets, they followed him. 21 Going on also from there he saw two others [who were] brothers, James [the son] of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 At once leaving the boat and their father, they followed him.

23 Then he went around throughout the whole of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news of the kingdom and curing every sort of disease and every sort of infirmity among the people. 24 And the report about him went out into all Syria; and they brought him all those faring badly, distressed with various diseases and torments, demon-possessed and epileptic and paralyzed persons, and he cured them. 25 Consequently great crowds followed him from Galilee and Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from the other side of the Jordan.