Christ Church

33  “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’  34  But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,  35  or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.  36  And do not take an...

27  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’  28  But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  29  If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.&nb...

17  “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18  For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19  Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least...

10  “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11  “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  12  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 13  “You are the salt of th...

6  “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7  “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8  “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9  “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2  And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4  “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5  “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6  “Blessed are those who hung...

Jesus Calls the First Disciples 18  While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19  And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20  Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21  And going on from there he saw two other brother...

12  Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13  And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14  so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15  “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16 ...

4  Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2  And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3  And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4  But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes fr...

13  Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14  John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15  But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16  And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and...

3  In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3  For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ ” 4  Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his...

13  Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14  And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15  and remained there until the death of Herod. T...

2  Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2  saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3  When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4  and assembling all the chief priests and s...

18  Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19  And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20  But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him...

1  The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2  Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3  and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4  and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Na...

9  Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. 10  The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth. 11  The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. 12  My son, beware of any...

11  Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. 2  Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth. 3  If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. 4  He who observes the wind will...

13  I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me. 14  There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it. 15  But there was found in it a poor, wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. 16  But I say that wisdom is bet...

16  When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on earth, how neither day nor night do one’s eyes see sleep, 17  then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out. 9  But all this I la...

8  Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed. 2  I say: Keep the king’s command, because of God’s oath to him. 3  Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases. 4  For the word of the king is supreme, and who may...

15  In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. 16  Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17  Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? 18  It is good that you should...

10  Whatever has come to be has already been named, and it is known what man is, and that he is not able to dispute with one stronger than he. 11  The more words, the more vanity, and what is the advantage to man? 12  For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow? For who can tell man what will be after him under the s...

8  If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. 9  But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields. 10  He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealt...

5  Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. 2  Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. 3  For a dream comes with much business, and a foo...

4  Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. 2  And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. 3  But better than both is he who has not yet been and has...