Then came Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan and to John to be baptized by him. But he tried to prevent this, saying: I need to be baptized by you. And you come to me? But Jesus answered and said to ^m: Bear with me now; for so it is right for us to fulfill our whole duty. Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, at once he came out of the water, and behold, the skies opened, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove, descending upon him, and behold, a voice from the skies was heard saying: This is my son whom I love, in whom I am well pleased.
tl Then Jesus was led out into the desert by the Spirit, to be tested by the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and after that he was hungry. And coming up to him the tempter said: If you are the son of God, speak and make these stones become loaves of bread. But he answered, saying: It is written: not by bread alone shall man live, but in every word that issues through the mouth of God. Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the gable of the temple and said to him: If you are the son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written: He will charge his angels concerning you, and on their hands they wiU support you, so that never may you strike your foot against the stone. Jesus said to ^m: Again, it is written: You shall not tempt the Lord your God. Once more the devil led him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and said to him: All this I will give you if you will throw yourself down and worship me. But Jesus said to him: Go, Satan; for it is written: You shall worship the Lord your God, and shall serve him only. Then the devil let him be; and behold, angels came and served him.
When he heard that John had been betrayed, he withdrew into Galilee, and leaving Nazareth he came and settled in Capernaum by the sea, in the districts of Zebulun and Naphthali; so as to fulfill the word spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: Land of Zebulun and land of Naph- thali, way to the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light, they were sitting in the land of the shadow of death, and the light dawned on them.
From that time Jesus began to preach and to say: Repent; for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.
And as he walked by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting their net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them: Come now and follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And at once they left their nets and followed him. And as he went on from there he saw two more brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. And he called them. And at once leaving the boat and their father they followed him.
And he went all over Galilee teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and treating every sickness and every infirmity among the people. And the fame of him went into aU Syria; and they brought him all who were in bad condition with complicated diseases and seized with pains, those afflicted with demons, and epilepsy, and paralytics, and he healed them. And many multitudes followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judaea and beyond the Jordan.
4l And seeing the multitudes he went up onto the mountain, and when he was seated, his disciples came to him, and he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, because theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are they who sorrow, because they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the gentle, because they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they shall be fed.
Blessed are they who have pity, because they shall be pitied.
Blessed are the pure in heart, because they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, because they shall be called the sons of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for their righteousness, because theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are you when they shall revile you and persecute you and speak every evil thing of you, lying, because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because your reward in heaven is great; for thus did they persecute the prophets before you.
You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its power, with what shall it be salted? It is good for nothing but to be thrown away and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city cannot be hidden when it is set on top of a hill. Nor do men light a lamp and set it under a basket, but they set it on a stand, and it gives its light to all in the house. So let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.
Do not think that I have come to destroy the law and the prophets. I have not come to destroy but to complete. Indeed, I say to you, until the sky and the earth are gone, not one iota or one end of a letter must go from the law, until all is done. He who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches men accordingly shall be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven; he who performs and teaches these commandments shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. For I tell you, if your righteousness is not more abundant than that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you may not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
You have heard that it was said to the ancients: You shall not murder. He who murders shall be liable to judgment. I say to you that any man who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; and he who says to his brother, fool, shall be liable before the council; and he who says to his brother, sinner, shall be liable to Gehenna. If then you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has some grievance against you, leave your gift before the altar, and go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then go and offer your gift. Be quick to be conciliatory with your adversary at law when you are in the street with him, for fear your adversary may turn you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you cannot come out of there until you pay the last penny.
You have heard that it has been said: You shall not commit adultery. I tell you that any man who looks at a woman so as to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye makes you go amiss, take it out and cast it from you; it is better that one part of you should be lost instead of your whole body being cast into Gehenna. And if your right hand makes you go amiss, cut it off and cast it from you; it is better that one part of you should be lost instead of your whole body going to Gehenna. It has been said: If a man puts away his wife, let him give her a contract of divorce. I tell you that any man who puts away his wife, except for the reason of harlotry, is making her the victim of adultery; and any man who marries a wife who has been divorced is committing adultery. Again, you have heard that it has been said to the ancients: You shall not swear falsely, but you shall make good your oaths to the Lord. I tell you not to swear at alclass="underline" not by heaven, because it is the throne of God; not by the earth, because it is the footstool for his feet; not by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great king; not by your own head, because you cannot make one hair of it white or black. Let your speech be yes yes, no no; more than that comes from the evil one.
You have heard that it has been said: An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. I tell you not to resist the wicked man; but if one strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other one to him also; and if a man wishes to go to law with you and take your tunic, give him your cloak also, and if one makes you his porter for a mile, go with him for two. Give to him who asks, and do not turn away one who wishes to borrow from you. You have heard that it has been said: You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your father who is in heaven, because he makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and rains on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what do you do that is more than others do? Do not even the pagans do the same? Be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect.