11 Open your doors, Lebanon,(A)
    so that fire(B) may devour your cedars!
Wail, you juniper, for the cedar has fallen;
    the stately trees are ruined!
Wail, oaks(C) of Bashan;
    the dense forest(D) has been cut down!(E)
Listen to the wail of the shepherds;
    their rich pastures are destroyed!
Listen to the roar of the lions;(F)
    the lush thicket of the Jordan is ruined!(G)

Two Shepherds

This is what the Lord my God says: “Shepherd the flock marked for slaughter.(H) Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, ‘Praise the Lord, I am rich!’ Their own shepherds do not spare them.(I) For I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,” declares the Lord. “I will give everyone into the hands of their neighbors(J) and their king. They will devastate the land, and I will not rescue anyone from their hands.”(K)

So I shepherded the flock marked for slaughter,(L) particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then I took two staffs and called one Favor and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock. In one month I got rid of the three shepherds.

The flock detested(M) me, and I grew weary of them and said, “I will not be your shepherd. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish.(N) Let those who are left eat(O) one another’s flesh.”

10 Then I took my staff called Favor(P) and broke it, revoking(Q) the covenant I had made with all the nations. 11 It was revoked on that day, and so the oppressed of the flock who were watching me knew it was the word of the Lord.

12 I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.(R)

13 And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver(S) and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.(T)

14 Then I broke my second staff called Union, breaking the family bond between Judah and Israel.

15 Then the Lord said to me, “Take again the equipment of a foolish shepherd. 16 For I am going to raise up a shepherd over the land who will not care for the lost, or seek the young, or heal the injured, or feed the healthy, but will eat the meat of the choice sheep, tearing off their hooves.

17 “Woe to the worthless shepherd,(U)
    who deserts the flock!
May the sword strike his arm(V) and his right eye!
    May his arm be completely withered,
    his right eye totally blinded!”(W)

Jerusalem’s Enemies to Be Destroyed

12 A prophecy:(X) The word of the Lord concerning Israel.

The Lord, who stretches out the heavens,(Y) who lays the foundation of the earth,(Z) and who forms the human spirit within a person,(AA) declares: “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup(AB) that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling.(AC) Judah(AD) will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations(AE) of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock(AF) for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure(AG) themselves. On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,” declares the Lord. “I will keep a watchful eye over Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations.(AH) Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong,(AI) because the Lord Almighty is their God.’

“On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot(AJ) in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume(AK) all the surrounding peoples right and left, but Jerusalem will remain intact(AL) in her place.

“The Lord will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem’s inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah.(AM) On that day the Lord will shield(AN) those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest(AO) among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God,(AP) like the angel of the Lord going before(AQ) them. On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations(AR) that attack Jerusalem.(AS)

Mourning for the One They Pierced

10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit[a](AT) of grace and supplication.(AU) They will look on[b] me, the one they have pierced,(AV) and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child,(AW) and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.(AX) 11 On that day the weeping(AY) in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.(AZ) 12 The land will mourn,(BA) each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives, 13 the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, 14 and all the rest of the clans and their wives.(BB)

Cleansing From Sin

13 “On that day a fountain(BC) will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse(BD) them from sin and impurity.

“On that day, I will banish the names of the idols(BE) from the land, and they will be remembered no more,”(BF) declares the Lord Almighty. “I will remove both the prophets(BG) and the spirit of impurity from the land. And if anyone still prophesies, their father and mother, to whom they were born, will say to them, ‘You must die, because you have told lies(BH) in the Lord’s name.’ Then their own parents will stab the one who prophesies.(BI)

“On that day every prophet will be ashamed(BJ) of their prophetic vision. They will not put on a prophet’s garment(BK) of hair(BL) in order to deceive.(BM) Each will say, ‘I am not a prophet. I am a farmer; the land has been my livelihood since my youth.[c](BN) If someone asks, ‘What are these wounds on your body[d]?’ they will answer, ‘The wounds I was given at the house of my friends.’

The Shepherd Struck, the Sheep Scattered

“Awake, sword,(BO) against my shepherd,(BP)
    against the man who is close to me!”
    declares the Lord Almighty.
“Strike the shepherd,
    and the sheep will be scattered,(BQ)
    and I will turn my hand against the little ones.
In the whole land,” declares the Lord,
    “two-thirds will be struck down and perish;
    yet one-third will be left in it.(BR)
This third I will put into the fire;(BS)
    I will refine them like silver(BT)
    and test them like gold.(BU)
They will call(BV) on my name(BW)
    and I will answer(BX) them;
I will say, ‘They are my people,’(BY)
    and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.(BZ)’”

The Lord Comes and Reigns

14 A day of the Lord(CA) is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions(CB) will be plundered and divided up within your very walls.

I will gather all the nations(CC) to Jerusalem to fight against it;(CD) the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped.(CE) Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.(CF) Then the Lord will go out and fight(CG) against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle.(CH) On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,(CI) east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split(CJ) in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake[e](CK) in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come,(CL) and all the holy ones with him.(CM)

On that day there will be neither sunlight(CN) nor cold, frosty darkness. It will be a unique(CO) day—a day known only to the Lord—with no distinction between day and night.(CP) When evening comes, there will be light.(CQ)

On that day living water(CR) will flow(CS) out from Jerusalem, half of it east(CT) to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter.(CU)

The Lord will be king(CV) over the whole earth.(CW) On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.(CX)

10 The whole land, from Geba(CY) to Rimmon,(CZ) south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah. But Jerusalem will be raised up(DA) high from the Benjamin Gate(DB) to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate,(DC) and from the Tower of Hananel(DD) to the royal winepresses, and will remain in its place.(DE) 11 It will be inhabited;(DF) never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure.(DG)

12 This is the plague with which the Lord will strike(DH) all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.(DI) 13 On that day people will be stricken by the Lord with great panic.(DJ) They will seize each other by the hand and attack one another.(DK) 14 Judah(DL) too will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected(DM)—great quantities of gold and silver and clothing. 15 A similar plague(DN) will strike the horses and mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps.

16 Then the survivors(DO) from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship(DP) the King,(DQ) the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.(DR) 17 If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship(DS) the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain.(DT) 18 If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The Lord[f] will bring on them the plague(DU) he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.(DV) 19 This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.(DW)

20 On that day holy to the Lord(DX) will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots(DY) in the Lord’s house will be like the sacred bowls(DZ) in front of the altar. 21 Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy(EA) to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day(EB) there will no longer be a Canaanite[g](EC) in the house(ED) of the Lord Almighty.(EE)

A prophecy:(EF) The word(EG) of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.[h]

Israel Doubts God’s Love

“I have loved(EH) you,” says the Lord.

“But you ask,(EI) ‘How have you loved us?’

“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob,(EJ) but Esau I have hated,(EK) and I have turned his hill country into a wasteland(EL) and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.(EM)

Edom(EN) may say, “Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild(EO) the ruins.”

But this is what the Lord Almighty says: “They may build, but I will demolish.(EP) They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the Lord.(EQ) You will see it with your own eyes and say, ‘Great(ER) is the Lord—even beyond the borders of Israel!’(ES)

Breaking Covenant Through Blemished Sacrifices

“A son honors his father,(ET) and a slave his master.(EU) If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect(EV) due me?” says the Lord Almighty.(EW)

“It is you priests who show contempt for my name.

“But you ask,(EX) ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’

“By offering defiled food(EY) on my altar.

“But you ask,(EZ) ‘How have we defiled you?’

“By saying that the Lord’s table(FA) is contemptible. When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals,(FB) is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased(FC) with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty.(FD)

“Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such offerings(FE) from your hands, will he accept(FF) you?”—says the Lord Almighty.

10 “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors,(FG) so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased(FH) with you,” says the Lord Almighty, “and I will accept(FI) no offering(FJ) from your hands. 11 My name will be great(FK) among the nations,(FL) from where the sun rises to where it sets.(FM) In every place incense(FN) and pure offerings(FO) will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty.

12 “But you profane it by saying, ‘The Lord’s table(FP) is defiled,’ and, ‘Its food(FQ) is contemptible.’ 13 And you say, ‘What a burden!’(FR) and you sniff at it contemptuously,(FS)” says the Lord Almighty.

“When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices,(FT) should I accept them from your hands?”(FU) says the Lord. 14 “Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal(FV) to the Lord. For I am a great king,(FW)” says the Lord Almighty,(FX) “and my name is to be feared(FY) among the nations.(FZ)

Additional Warning to the Priests

“And now, you priests, this warning is for you.(GA) If you do not listen,(GB) and if you do not resolve to honor(GC) my name,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will send a curse(GD) on you, and I will curse your blessings.(GE) Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me.

“Because of you I will rebuke your descendants[i]; I will smear on your faces the dung(GF) from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it.(GG) And you will know that I have sent you this warning so that my covenant with Levi(GH) may continue,” says the Lord Almighty. “My covenant was with him, a covenant(GI) of life and peace,(GJ) and I gave them to him; this called for reverence(GK) and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. True instruction(GL) was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked(GM) with me in peace(GN) and uprightness,(GO) and turned many from sin.(GP)

“For the lips of a priest(GQ) ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger(GR) of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth.(GS) But you have turned from the way(GT) and by your teaching have caused many to stumble;(GU) you have violated the covenant(GV) with Levi,”(GW) says the Lord Almighty. “So I have caused you to be despised(GX) and humiliated(GY) before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality(GZ) in matters of the law.”(HA)

Breaking Covenant Through Divorce

10 Do we not all have one Father[j]?(HB) Did not one God create us?(HC) Why do we profane the covenant(HD) of our ancestors by being unfaithful(HE) to one another?

11 Judah has been unfaithful. A detestable(HF) thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves(HG) by marrying(HH) women who worship a foreign god.(HI) 12 As for the man who does this, whoever he may be, may the Lord remove(HJ) him from the tents of Jacob[k](HK)—even though he brings an offering(HL) to the Lord Almighty.

13 Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears.(HM) You weep and wail(HN) because he no longer looks with favor(HO) on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands.(HP) 14 You ask,(HQ) “Why?” It is because the Lord is the witness(HR) between you and the wife of your youth.(HS) You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.(HT)

15 Has not the one God made you?(HU) You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring.[l](HV) So be on your guard,(HW) and do not be unfaithful(HX) to the wife of your youth.

16 “The man who hates and divorces his wife,(HY)” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “does violence to the one he should protect,”[m](HZ) says the Lord Almighty.

So be on your guard,(IA) and do not be unfaithful.

Breaking Covenant Through Injustice

17 You have wearied(IB) the Lord with your words.

“How have we wearied him?” you ask.(IC)

By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased(ID) with them” or “Where is the God of justice?(IE)

“I will send my messenger,(IF) who will prepare the way before me.(IG) Then suddenly the Lord(IH) you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant,(II) whom you desire,(IJ) will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

But who can endure(IK) the day of his coming?(IL) Who can stand(IM) when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire(IN) or a launderer’s soap.(IO) He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver;(IP) he will purify(IQ) the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.(IR) Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,(IS) and the offerings(IT) of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.(IU)

“So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers,(IV) adulterers(IW) and perjurers,(IX) against those who defraud laborers of their wages,(IY) who oppress the widows(IZ) and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners(JA) among you of justice, but do not fear(JB) me,” says the Lord Almighty.

Breaking Covenant by Withholding Tithes

“I the Lord do not change.(JC) So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.(JD) Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away(JE) from my decrees and have not kept them. Return(JF) to me, and I will return to you,”(JG) says the Lord Almighty.

“But you ask,(JH) ‘How are we to return?’

“Will a mere mortal rob(JI) God? Yet you rob me.

“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’

“In tithes(JJ) and offerings. You are under a curse(JK)—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe(JL) into the storehouse,(JM) that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates(JN) of heaven and pour out(JO) so much blessing(JP) that there will not be room enough to store it.(JQ) 11 I will prevent pests from devouring(JR) your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,(JS)” says the Lord Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed,(JT) for yours will be a delightful land,”(JU) says the Lord Almighty.(JV)

Israel Speaks Arrogantly Against God

13 “You have spoken arrogantly(JW) against me,” says the Lord.

“Yet you ask,(JX) ‘What have we said against you?’

14 “You have said, ‘It is futile(JY) to serve(JZ) God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements(KA) and going about like mourners(KB) before the Lord Almighty? 15 But now we call the arrogant(KC) blessed. Certainly evildoers(KD) prosper,(KE) and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it.’”

The Faithful Remnant

16 Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard.(KF) A scroll(KG) of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared(KH) the Lord and honored his name.

17 “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my(KI) treasured possession.(KJ) I will spare(KK) them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son(KL) who serves him. 18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous(KM) and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.(KN)

Judgment and Covenant Renewal

[n]“Surely the day is coming;(KO) it will burn like a furnace.(KP) All the arrogant(KQ) and every evildoer will be stubble,(KR) and the day that is coming will set them on fire,(KS)” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch(KT) will be left to them. But for you who revere my name,(KU) the sun of righteousness(KV) will rise with healing(KW) in its rays. And you will go out and frolic(KX) like well-fed calves. Then you will trample(KY) on the wicked; they will be ashes(KZ) under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty.

“Remember the law(LA) of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb(LB) for all Israel.(LC)

“See, I will send the prophet Elijah(LD) to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.(LE) He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children,(LF) and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike(LG) the land with total destruction.”(LH)

The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah(LI)(LJ)(LK)

This is the genealogy[o] of Jesus the Messiah[p] the son of David,(LL) the son of Abraham:(LM)

Abraham was the father of Isaac,(LN)

Isaac the father of Jacob,(LO)

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,(LP)

Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,(LQ)

Perez the father of Hezron,

Hezron the father of Ram,

Ram the father of Amminadab,

Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

Nahshon the father of Salmon,

Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,(LR)

Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

Obed the father of Jesse,

and Jesse the father of King David.(LS)

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,(LT)

Solomon the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

Abijah the father of Asa,

Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,

Jehoram the father of Uzziah,

Uzziah the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,(LU)

Manasseh the father of Amon,

Amon the father of Josiah,

11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah[q] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.(LV)

12 After the exile to Babylon:

Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,(LW)

Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,(LX)

13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,

Abihud the father of Eliakim,

Eliakim the father of Azor,

14 Azor the father of Zadok,

Zadok the father of Akim,

Akim the father of Elihud,

15 Elihud the father of Eleazar,

Eleazar the father of Matthan,

Matthan the father of Jacob,

16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary,(LY) and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.(LZ)

17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[r]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.(MA) 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[s] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce(MB) her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel(MC) of the Lord appeared to him in a dream(MD) and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[t](ME) because he will save his people from their sins.”(MF)

22 All this took place to fulfill(MG) what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[u](MH) (which means “God with us”).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel(MI) of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.(MJ)

The Magi Visit the Messiah

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea,(MK) during the time of King Herod,(ML) Magi[v] from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?(MM) We saw his star(MN) when it rose and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem(MO) in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’[w](MP)

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.(MQ) Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts(MR) of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned(MS) in a dream(MT) not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

The Escape to Egypt

13 When they had gone, an angel(MU) of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.(MV) “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”(MW)

14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled(MX) what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”[x](MY)

16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:(MZ)

18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,
    weeping and great mourning,
Rachel(NA) weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.”[y](NB)

The Return to Nazareth

19 After Herod died, an angel(NC) of the Lord appeared in a dream(ND) to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”(NE)

21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream,(NF) he withdrew to the district of Galilee,(NG) 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth.(NH) So was fulfilled(NI) what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.(NJ)

John the Baptist Prepares the Way(NK)

In those days John the Baptist(NL) came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven(NM) has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’”[z](NN)

John’s(NO) clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist.(NP) His food was locusts(NQ) and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized(NR) by him in the Jordan River.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers!(NS) Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?(NT) Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.(NU) And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’(NV) I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.(NW)

11 “I baptize you with[aa] water for repentance.(NX) But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with[ab] the Holy Spirit(NY) and fire.(NZ) 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”(OA)

The Baptism of Jesus(OB)

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.(OC) 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened,(OD) and he saw the Spirit of God(OE) descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven(OF) said, “This is my Son,(OG) whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”(OH)

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness(OI)

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[ac](OJ) by the devil.(OK) After fasting forty days and forty nights,(OL) he was hungry. The tempter(OM) came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God,(ON) tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[ad](OO)

Then the devil took him to the holy city(OP) and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,”(OQ) he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[ae](OR)

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[af](OS)

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan!(OT) For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[ag](OU)

11 Then the devil left him,(OV) and angels came and attended him.(OW)

Jesus Begins to Preach

12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison,(OX) he withdrew to Galilee.(OY) 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum,(OZ) which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill(PA) what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
    the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
    Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people living in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
    a light has dawned.”[ah](PB)

17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven(PC) has come near.”

Jesus Calls His First Disciples(PD)

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee,(PE) he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter(PF) and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,”(PG) Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.(PH)

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

Jesus Heals the Sick

23 Jesus went throughout Galilee,(PK) teaching in their synagogues,(PL) proclaiming the good news(PM) of the kingdom,(PN) and healing every disease and sickness among the people.(PO) 24 News about him spread all over Syria,(PP) and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed,(PQ) those having seizures,(PR) and the paralyzed;(PS) and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis,[ai] Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.(PT)

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 12:10 Or the Spirit
  2. Zechariah 12:10 Or to
  3. Zechariah 13:5 Or farmer; a man sold me in my youth
  4. Zechariah 13:6 Or wounds between your hands
  5. Zechariah 14:5 Or My mountain valley will be blocked and will extend to Azel. It will be blocked as it was blocked because of the earthquake
  6. Zechariah 14:18 Or part, then the Lord
  7. Zechariah 14:21 Or merchant
  8. Malachi 1:1 Malachi means my messenger.
  9. Malachi 2:3 Or will blight your grain
  10. Malachi 2:10 Or father
  11. Malachi 2:12 Or 12 May the Lord remove from the tents of Jacob anyone who gives testimony in behalf of the man who does this
  12. Malachi 2:15 The meaning of the Hebrew for the first part of this verse is uncertain.
  13. Malachi 2:16 Or “I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “because the man who divorces his wife covers his garment with violence,”
  14. Malachi 4:1 In Hebrew texts 4:1-6 is numbered 3:19-24.
  15. Matthew 1:1 Or is an account of the origin
  16. Matthew 1:1 Or Jesus Christ. Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) both mean Anointed One; also in verse 18.
  17. Matthew 1:11 That is, Jehoiachin; also in verse 12
  18. Matthew 1:18 Or The origin of Jesus the Messiah was like this
  19. Matthew 1:19 Or was a righteous man and
  20. Matthew 1:21 Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the Lord saves.
  21. Matthew 1:23 Isaiah 7:14
  22. Matthew 2:1 Traditionally wise men
  23. Matthew 2:6 Micah 5:2,4
  24. Matthew 2:15 Hosea 11:1
  25. Matthew 2:18 Jer. 31:15
  26. Matthew 3:3 Isaiah 40:3
  27. Matthew 3:11 Or in
  28. Matthew 3:11 Or in
  29. Matthew 4:1 The Greek for tempted can also mean tested.
  30. Matthew 4:4 Deut. 8:3
  31. Matthew 4:6 Psalm 91:11,12
  32. Matthew 4:7 Deut. 6:16
  33. Matthew 4:10 Deut. 6:13
  34. Matthew 4:16 Isaiah 9:1,2
  35. Matthew 4:25 That is, the Ten Cities

11 Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars.

Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down.

There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled.

Thus saith the Lord my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter;

Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed be the Lord; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not.

For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord: but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbour's hand, and into the hand of his king: and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.

And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.

Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me.

Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another.

10 And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.

11 And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the Lord.

12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.

13 And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord.

14 Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

15 And the Lord said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd.

16 For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.

17 Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.

12 The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.

Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.

And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

In that day, saith the Lord, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.

And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts their God.

In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.

The Lord also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah.

In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.

12 And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;

13 The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart;

14 All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.

13 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.

And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.

And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive:

But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.

And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.

Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.

And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.

14 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.

For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:

But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.

And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.

And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.

10 All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses.

11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.

12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.

13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.

14 And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance.

15 And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.

16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.

18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

20 In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness Unto The Lord; and the pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar.

21 Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts.

The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.

I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob,

And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.

Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever.

And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The Lord will be magnified from the border of Israel.

A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?

Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the Lord is contemptible.

And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the Lord of hosts.

And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he regard your persons? saith the Lord of hosts.

10 Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.

11 For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts.

12 But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the Lord is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible.

13 Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the Lord.

14 But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.

And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.

If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.

Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it.

And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.

My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name.

The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.

For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.

But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.

Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law.

10 Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?

11 Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the Lord which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god.

12 The Lord will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto the Lord of hosts.

13 And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand.

14 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.

15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

16 For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the Lord of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.

17 Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:

And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.

And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.

For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.

12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.

13 Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?

14 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?

15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.

16 Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.

17 And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.

Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:

And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;

And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;

And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon;

And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;

And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;

And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;

And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias;

And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias;

10 And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias;

11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:

12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel;

13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor;

14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud;

15 And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob;

16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.

20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:

25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus.

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,

And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.

14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:

15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.

17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying,

18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.

21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.

22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:

23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,

And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.

Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,

And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;

13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:

14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,

15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;

16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.

22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.

23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

25 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.