The circumstances of the birth of Jesus Christ were these. After his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they were united in marriage, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

Then were these words, spoken by the Prophet Jeremiah, fulfilled,

and went and settled in a town called Nazareth, in order that these words spoken through the Prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

and do not imagine that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our forefather,' for I tell you that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones.

So the Tempter came and said, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to turn into loaves."

in order that these words, spoken through the Prophet Isaiah, might be fulfilled,

Whoever therefore breaks one of these least commandments and teaches others to break them, will be called the least in the Kingdom of the Heavens; but whoever practises them and teaches them, he will be acknowledged as great in the Kingdom of the Heavens.

and yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his magnificence could array himself like one of these.

For all these are questions that Gentiles are always asking; but your Heavenly Father knows that you need these things--all of them.

But make His Kingdom and righteousness your chief aim, and then these things shall all be given you in addition.

"Every one who hears these my teachings and acts upon them will be found to resemble a wise man who builds his house upon rock;

And every one who hears these my teachings and does not act upon them will be found to resemble a fool who builds his house upon sand.

Now the names of the twelve Apostles were these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James the son of Zabdi, and his brother John;

These twelve Jesus sent on a mission, after giving them their instructions: "Go not," He said, "among the Gentiles, and enter no Samaritan town;

And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink because he is a disciple, I solemnly tell you that he will not lose his reward."

About that time Jesus exclaimed, "I heartily praise Thee, Father, Lord of Heaven and of earth, that Thou hast hidden these things from sages and men of discernment, and hast unveiled them to babes.

the field is the world; the good seed--these are the sons of the Kingdom; the darnel, the sons of the Evil one.

and these they will throw into the fiery furnace. There will be the weeping aloud and the gnashing of teeth.

And He came into His own country and proceeded to teach in their synagogue, so that they were filled with astonishment and exclaimed, "Where did he obtain such wisdom, and these wondrous powers?

and he said to his courtiers, "This is John the Baptist: he has come back to life--and that is why these miraculous Powers are working in him."

Upon receiving these tidings, Jesus went away by boat to an uninhabited and secluded district; but the people heard of it and followed Him in crowds from the towns by land.

But the things that come out of the mouth proceed from the heart, and it is these that defile the man.

These are the things which defile the man; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile."

But whoever shall occasion the fall of one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for him to have a millstone hung round his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

"Beware of ever despising one of these little ones, for I tell you that in Heaven their angels have continual access to my Father who is in Heaven.

Just so it is not the will of your Father in Heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.

When Jesus had finished these discourses, He removed from Galilee and came into that part of Judaea which lay beyond the Jordan.

"All of these," said the young man, "I have carefully kept. What do I still lack?"

These words utterly amazed the disciples, and they asked, "Who then can be saved?"

To these also he said, "'You also, go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.'

"'These who came last have done only one hour's work, and you have put them on a level with us who have worked the whole day and have borne the scorching heat.'

"What is it you desire?" He asked. "Command," she replied, "that these my two sons may sit one at your right hand and one at your left in your Kingdom."

"Do you hear," they asked Him, "what these children are saying?" "Yes," He replied; "have you never read, 'Out of the mouths of infants and of babes at the breast Thou hast brought forth the praise which is due'?"

He entered the Temple; and while He was teaching, the High Priests and the Elders of the people came to Him and asked Him, "By what authority are you doing these things? and who gave you this authority?"

"And I also have a question to ask *you*," replied Jesus, "and if you answer me, I in turn will tell you by what authority I do these things.

So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." "Nor do I tell you," He replied, "by what authority I do these things."

Again he sent another party of servants more numerous than the first; and these they treated in the same manner.

The whole of the Law and the Prophets is summed up in these two Commandments."

"Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you pay the tithe on mint, dill, and cumin, while you have neglected the weightier requirements of the Law--just judgement, mercy, and faithful dealing. These things you ought to have done, and yet you ought not to have left the others undone.

I tell you in solemn truth that all these things will come upon the present generation.

"You see all these?" He replied; "in solemn truth I tell you that there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be pulled down."

but all these miseries are but like the early pains of childbirth.

So you also, when you see all these signs, may be sure that He is near--at your very door.

I tell you in solemn truth that the present generation will certainly not pass away without all these things having first taken place.

"But the King will answer them, "'In solemn truth I tell you that in so far as you rendered such services to one of the humblest of these my brethren, you rendered them to myself.'

"But he will reply, "'In solemn truth I tell you that in so far as you withheld such services from one of the humblest of these, you withheld them from me.'

"And these shall go away into the Punishment of the Ages, but the righteous into the Life of the Ages."

When Jesus had ended all these discourses, He said to His disciples,

Then the High Priest stood up and asked Him, "Have you no answer to make? What is it these men are saying in evidence against you?"

These twelve were Simon (to whom He gave the surname of Peter)

James the son of Zabdi and John the brother of James (these two He surnamed Boanerges, that is 'Sons of Thunder')

Others there are who receive the seed among the thorns: these are they who have heard the Message,

On the Sabbath He proceeded to teach in the synagogue; and many, as they heard Him, were astonished. "Where did he acquire all this?" they asked. "What is this wisdom that has been given to him? And what are these marvellous miracles which his hands perform?

because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and passes away ejected from him?" By these words Jesus pronounced all kinds of food clean.

all these wicked things come out from within and make a man unclean."

They had also a few small fish. He blessed them, and He told His disciples to distribute these also.

"And whoever shall occasion the fall of one of these little ones who believe, he would be better off if, with a millstone round his neck, he were lying at the bottom of the sea.

"Rabbi," he replied, "all these Commandments I have carefully obeyed from my youth."

At these words his brow darkened, and he went away sad; for he was possessed of great wealth.

When they were getting near Jerusalem and had arrived at Bethphage and Bethany, on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples on in front, with these instructions.

and asked, "By what authority are you doing these things? and who gave you authority to do them?"

"And I will put a question to you," replied Jesus; "answer me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." "Nor do I tell you," said Jesus, "by what authority I do these things."

"The second is this: 'Thou shalt love thy fellow man as thou lovest thyself.' "Other Commandment greater than these there is none."

and who swallow up the property of widows and then mask their wickedness by making long prayers: these men will receive far heavier punishment."

"You see all these great buildings?" Jesus replied; "not one stone will be left here upon another--not thrown down."

"Tell us, When will these things be? and what will be the sign when all these predictions are on the point of being fulfilled?"

For nation will rise in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These miseries are but like the early pains of childbirth.

"As soon, however, as you see the Abomination of Desolation standing where he ought not" --let the reader observe these words--"then let those in Judaea escape to the hills;

So also do you, when you see these things happening, be sure that He is near, at your very door.

I tell you in solemn truth that the present generation will certainly not pass away without all these things having first taken place.

At last the High Priest stood up, and advancing into the midst of them all, asked Jesus, "Have you no answer to make? What is the meaning of all this that these witnesses allege against you?"

These, again, went and told the news to the rest; but not even them did they believe.

And signs shall attend those who believe, even such as these. By making use of my name they shall expel demons. They shall speak new languages.

And all who lived round about them were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judaea reports of all these things were spread abroad.

But Mary treasured up all these things, often dwelling on them in her mind.

But they did not understand the significance of these words.

Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was always obedient to them; but His mother carefully treasured up all these incidents in her memory.

Live lives which shall prove your change of heart; and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our forefather,' for I tell you that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones.

With many exhortations besides these he declared the Good News to the people.

Then all in the synagogue, while listening to these words, were filled with fury.

This led the Pharisees and Scribes of their party to expostulate with His disciples and ask, "Why are you eating and drinking with these tax-gatherers and notorious sinners?"

These were Simon, to whom also He had given the name of Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew;

With these He came down till He reached a level place, where there was a great crowd of His disciples, and a multitude of people from every part of Judaea, from Jerusalem, and from the sea-side district of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and to be cured of their diseases;

After He had finished teaching all these things in the hearing of the people, He went into Capernaum.

John's disciples brought him an account of all these things;

"My mother and my brothers," He replied, "are these who hear God's Message and obey it."

"As for you, store these my sayings in your memory; for, before long, the Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of men."

On that same occasion Jesus was filled by the Holy Spirit with rapturous joy. "I give Thee fervent thanks," He exclaimed, "O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that Thou hast hidden these things from sages and men of understanding, and hast revealed them to babes. Yes, Father, for such has been Thy gracious will.

"But alas for you Pharisees! for you pay tithes on your mint and rue and every kind of garden vegetable, and are indifferent to justice and the love of God. These are the things you ought to have attended to, while not neglecting the others.

"But God said to him, "'Foolish man, this night your life is demanded from you; and these preparations--for whom shall they be?'

Observe the lilies, how they grow. They neither labour nor spin. And yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was as beautifully dressed as one of these.

For though the nations of the world pursue these things, as for you, your Father knows that you need them.

But make His Kingdom the object of your pursuit, and these things shall be given you in addition.

"So the servant came and brought these answers to his master, and they stirred his anger. "'Go out quickly,' he said, 'into the streets of the city--the wide ones and the narrow. You will see poor men, and crippled, blind, lame: fetch them all in here.'

"'All these years,' replied the son, 'I have been slaving for you, and I have never at any time disobeyed any of your orders, and yet you have never given me so much as a kid, for me to enjoy myself with my friends;

It would be well for him if, with a millstone round his neck, he were lying at the bottom of the sea, rather than that he should cause even one of these little ones to fall.

But on hearing these words he was deeply sorrowful, for he was exceedingly rich.

together with the Elders, and they asked Him, "Tell us, By what authority are you doing these things? And who is it that gave you this authority?"

"Nor will I tell you," said Jesus, "by what authority I do these things."