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New Testament The [expanded] Bible

Thomas Nelson

Chapter One

THE FAMILY HISTORY OF JESUS (1:1–17; Luke 3:23–38)

1 This is the ·family history [record of the ancestors; genealogy; Lbook of the offspring/family; Cperhaps a title for the entire book] of Jesus ·Christ [the Messiah]. ·He came from the family of David, and David came from the family of Abraham [... the son of David, the son of Abraham; "son" can mean descendant].

2 Abraham ·was the father of [fathered; Tbegot; Cand so throughout the genealogy; the word can refer to more distant ancestry] Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah. (Their mother was Tamar [Gen. 38].) Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father of Ram. 4 Ram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon. 5 Salmon was the father of Boaz. (Boaz's mother was Rahab [Josh. 2].) Boaz was the father of Obed. (Obed's mother was Ruth [Ruth 4:13–22].) Obed was the father of Jesse. 6 Jesse was the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon. (Solomon's mother had been Uriah's wife [Bathsheba; 2 Sam. 11–12].) 7 Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam was the father of Abijah. Abijah was the father of Asa. 8 Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was the father of Joram [Ca variant spelling of Jehoram; 1 Kin. 22:50]. Joram was the ·ancestor [or father; see v. 2] of Uzziah. 9 Uzziah was the father of Jotham. Jotham was the father of Ahaz. Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh. Manasseh was the father of Amon. Amon was the father of Josiah. 11 Josiah was the ·grandfather [or father; Csee v. 2] of Jeconiah [Canother name for Jehoiachin; see 2 Kin. 24:6; 1 Chr. 3:16] and his brothers. (This was at the time ·that the people were taken [of the exile/deportation; 2 Kin. 24:8–17] to Babylon.) 12 After ·they were taken [the exile/deportation] to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the ·grandfather [or father; see v. 2] of Zerubbabel [Ezra 2]. 13 Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud. Abiud was the father of Eliakim. Eliakim was the father of Azor. 14 Azor was the father of Zadok. Zadok was the father of ·Akim [Achim]. ·Akim [Achim] was the father of Eliud. 15 Eliud was the father of Eleazar. Eleazar was the father of Matthan. Matthan was the father of Jacob. 16 Jacob was the father of Joseph. Joseph was the husband of Mary, and Mary ·was the mother of [gave birth to] Jesus, who is called the ·Christ [Messiah].

17 So there were fourteen generations [in all] from Abraham to David. And there were fourteen generations from David until the ·people were taken [exile; deportation] to Babylon. And there were fourteen generations from the time ·when the people were taken [of the exile/deportation] to Babylon until ·Christ [the Messiah] was born.

THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST

18 This is how the birth of Jesus ·Christ [the Messiah] came about. His mother Mary was ·engaged [pledged; betrothed; Ca formal agreement between families that required a "divorce" to annul] to marry Joseph, but before they ·married [came to live together], she ·learned she was [or was found/discovered to be] ·pregnant [with child] ·by the power of [through] the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Mary's husband, Joseph, was a ·good [righteous] man, he did not want to disgrace her in public, so he planned to ·divorce her [end the engagement] ·secretly [privately; quietly].

20 While Joseph ·thought about [considered; decided; resolved to do] these things, [Llook; Tbehold] an angel of the Lord ·came [appeared] to him in a dream. The angel said, "Joseph, ·descendant [son] of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because ·the baby [what is conceived] in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins [the name Jesus means "the Lord saves"]."

22 All this happened to ·bring about [fulfill] what the Lord had ·said [spoken] through the prophet: 23 "[Look; Behold] The virgin will ·be pregnant [Lconceive in her womb; Is. 7:14]. She will ·have [give birth to] a son, and they will name him Immanuel," which [in Hebrew] means "God is with us."

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the Lord's angel had ·told [commanded] him to do. Joseph took Mary as his wife, 25 but he did not have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son. And ·Joseph [he] named him Jesus.

WISE MEN COME TO VISIT JESUS

2 ·When [After] Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea during the time when Herod was king, some ·wise men [astrologers; magi; Ca class of wise men and priests who practiced astrology] from the east came to Jerusalem. 2 They asked, "Where is the ·baby who was born to be the king [or newborn king] of the Jews? We saw his star ·in the east [or when it rose] and have come to ·worship him [pay him homage]."

3 When King Herod heard this, he was ·troubled [very disturbed; frightened], as were all the people in Jerusalem. 4 Herod ·called a meeting of [assembled] all the ·leading [chief] priests and ·teachers of the law [scribes] and ·asked [inquired of] them where the ·Christ [Messiah] would be born. 5 They answered, "In the town of Bethlehem in Judea. ·The prophet wrote about this in the Scriptures [For so it has been written by the prophet]:

6' ·But [or And] you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are ·not just an insignificant village in [by no means least among the rulers/ruling cities of] Judah [Mic. 5:2]. [For; Because] A ruler will come from you who will ·be like a shepherd for [shepherd] my people Israel.'"

7 Then Herod ·had a secret meeting with [privately summoned] the ·wise men [astologers; magi; v. 1] and ·learned [inquired] from them the exact time ·they first saw the star [the star appeared]. 8 He sent the ·wise men [astologers; magi] to Bethlehem, saying, "·Look [Go and search] carefully for the child. When you find him, ·come tell [report to] me so I can [go and] ·worship [pay homage to] him too."

9 After the ·wise men [astrologers; magi] ·heard [listened to; had their interview with] the king, they ·left [went on their way; set out]. [And look] The star that they had seen ·in the east [or when it rose] went ·before [ahead of] them until it ·stopped [stood] above the place where the child was. 10 When the ·wise men [astologers; magi] saw the star, they ·were filled with joy [were overjoyed; rejoiced with exceedingly great joy]. 11 They ·came to [entered] the house where the child was and saw him with his mother, Mary, and they ·bowed down [knelt; fell] and ·worshiped [paid homage to] him. They opened their ·gifts [treasure chests; treasures] and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12·But God warned the wise men [Being warned; the passive verb implies God as subject] in a dream not to go back to Herod, so they returned to their own country by a different way.

JESUS' PARENTS TAKE HIM TO EGYPT

13After they left, an angel of the Lord ·came [appeared] to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up! Take the child and his mother and ·escape [flee] to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is ·starting [intending; going] to ·look [search] for the child so he can kill him."

14 So Joseph got up and left for Egypt during the night with the child and his mother. 15And Joseph stayed in Egypt until Herod died. This happened to ·bring about [fulfill] what the Lord had said through the prophet: "I called my son out of Egypt [Hos. 11:1; Jesus fulfills the role of Israel by leading a spiritual Exodus]."

HEROD KILLS THE BABY BOYS

16 When Herod saw that the ·wise men [astologers; magi] had ·tricked [outwitted; outsmarted] him, he was furious. So he ·gave an order [or sent soldiers] to kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem and in the surrounding area who were two years old or younger. This was ·in keeping with [based on] the time he learned from the ·wise men [astologers; magi]. 17·So [Then] what ·God had said [was spoken; Cthe passive verb implies God as subject] through the prophet Jeremiah ·came true [was fulfilled]:

18"A ·voice [cry; sound] was heard in Ramah [the sending point from which the Jews went into exile to Babylon; Jer. 40:1] ·of painful crying [weeping] and ·deep sadness [great mourning/lamentation]: Rachel ·crying [weeping] for her children. She refused to be comforted, because ·her children are dead [they are no more; Jer. 31:15]."

JOSEPH AND MARY RETURN

19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord ·spoke [appeared] to Joseph in a dream while he was in Egypt. 20 The angel said, "Get up! Take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, because the people who were ·trying to kill [seeking the life of] the child are now dead."

21 So Joseph [got up,] took the child and his mother and ·went [returned] to Israel. 22 But he heard that Archelaus [reigned from 4 BC to AD 6] was now ·king [reigning] in Judea ·since his father Herod had died [in place of his father Herod]. So Joseph was afraid to go there. After being warned in a dream, he ·went [withdrew] to the ·area [region; district] of Galilee, 23 to a town called Nazareth, and lived there. And so what ·God had said [was spoken; the passive verb implies God as subject] through the prophets ·came true [was fulfilled]: "He will be called a Nazarene [a person from the town of Nazareth; perhaps a reference to Is. 11:1, where the Hebrew word translated "branch" sounds like "Nazarene"]."

THE WORK OF JOHN THE BAPTIST (3:1–10; Mark 1:2–6; Luke 3:1–9; John 1:19–23)

3 ·About that time [In the course of time; In those days] John the Baptist began preaching in the ·desert area [wilderness] of Judea. 2 John said, "·Change your hearts and lives [Repent] because the kingdom of heaven ·is near [has drawn near; is at hand]." 3·John the Baptist [For this] is the one Isaiah the prophet was talking about when he said:

"This is a voice of one who ·calls out [shouts; cries out] in the ·desert [wilderness]: 'Prepare the way for the Lord. Make ·the road straight [a clear path] for him [Is. 40:3].'"

4 John's clothes were made from camel's hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist [reminiscent of the prophet Elijah; 2 Kin. 1:8]. For food, he ate locusts and wild honey [signifies living off the land]. 5 Many people came from Jerusalem and Judea and all the ·area [region] around the Jordan River to hear John. 6They confessed their sins, and he baptized them in the Jordan River.

7 Many of the Pharisees and Sadducees came to the place where John was baptizing people. When John saw them, he said, "You ·are snakes [brood/offspring of vipers]! Who warned you to ·run [slither; flee] away from God's coming ·punishment [wrath; retribution] ? 8·Do the things [Produce the fruit] ·that show you really have changed your hearts and lives [that prove your repentance; of repentance]. 9 And don't ·think you can [presume to] say to yourselves, 'Abraham is our father [a claim to be God's special people].' [For] I tell you that God could ·make [create; raise up] children for Abraham from these rocks. 10 The ax ·is now ready to cut down [already lies at the root of] the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire [a metaphor for judgment].

JOHN PREACHES ABOUT THE CHRIST (3:11–12; Mark 1:7–8; Luke 3:15–18; John 1:24–28) 5 Matthew 3:11

11 "I baptize you with water ·to show that your hearts and lives have changed [for repentence]. But there is one coming after me who is ·greater [mightier; more powerful] than I am, whose sandals I am not ·good enough [fit; qualified] to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 ·He will come ready [The winnowing fork is in his hand] to clean the grain, ·separating the good grain from the chaff [to clear his threshing floor]. He will put ·the good part of the grain [Lthe grain/wheat] into his barn, but he will burn the chaff with ·a fire that cannot be put out [never-ending/ unquenchable fire; Ca metaphor for judgment, when Jesus will separate the righteous from the wicked]."

JESUS IS BAPTIZED BY JOHN (3:13–17; Mark 1:9–11; Luke 3:21–22; John 1:29–34)

13 ·At that time [Then] Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River ·and wanted John to baptize him [to be baptized by John]. 14 But John tried to ·stop [deter; dissuade; prevent] him, saying, "·Why do [Do] you come to me to be baptized? I need to be baptized by you!"

15 Jesus answered, "Let it ·be this way for [happen] now. ·We should do all things that are God's will [or In this way we will do what God requires; For thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness]." So John ·agreed to baptize Jesus [gave in; consented; allowed it].

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he came up out of the water. Then ·heaven [the sky/heavens] opened, and he saw God's Spirit ·coming down [descending and lighting/settling] on him like a dove [either in the form of a dove, or in birdlike descent]. 17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my ·Son, whom I love [dearly beloved Son; Ps. 2:7; Gen. 22:2], and I am ·very [well] pleased with him [Is. 42:1]."

THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS (4:1–11; Mark 1:12–13; Luke 4:1–13) 6 Matthew 3:12

4 Then the Spirit led Jesus [up; out] into the ·desert [wilderness] to be tempted [or tested] by the devil. 2Jesus fasted for forty days and nights [analogous to Israel's forty years in the desert]. After this, he was ·very hungry [famished]. 3 The ·devil came to Jesus to tempt him [Ltempter/tester came to Jesus], saying, "If you are the Son of God, ·tell [command] these rocks to ·become bread [turn into loaves]."

4 Jesus answered, "It is written in the Scriptures, 'A person lives not on bread alone, but by ·everything God says [every word that comes out of God's mouth; Deut. 8:3].'"

5 Then the devil ·led [took] Jesus to the holy city [Jerusalem] and put him on ·a high place [the highest point; the pinnacle] of the Temple. 6 The devil said, "If you are the Son of God, ·jump [throw yourself] down, because it is written in the Scriptures:

'He ·has put his angels in charge of you [or will order his angels to protect you; Lwill command his angel concerning you]. They will ·catch you in [lift you up with] their hands so that you will not hit your foot on a rock [Ps. 91:11–12].'"

7 Jesus answered him, "It also says in the Scriptures, 'Do not test the Lord your God [Deut. 6:16].'"

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from New Testament The [expanded] Bible by Tremper Longman III Mark L. Strauss Daniel Taylor Copyright © 2009 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.. Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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