Matthew
Chapter 1
Overview
Matthew begins with Jesus’ family line, connecting him to Abraham, the great ancestor of the Jewish people, and to King David. The family line passes through the forced exile in Babylon and presents Jesus as the Messiah, the long-awaited king. The story then turns to a personal crisis. Mary becomes pregnant through God’s Holy Spirit before she and Joseph begin married life. Their marriage pledge is legally binding, so Joseph plans to divorce her quietly. But a message from God changes his course, and Joseph chooses to trust and obey.
1The family record of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and Abraham.
2Abraham fathered Isaac; Isaac fathered Jacob; and Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers.
3Judah fathered Perez and Zerah with Tamar; Perez fathered Hezron; and Hezron fathered Ram.
4Ram fathered Amminadab; Amminadab fathered Nahshon; and Nahshon fathered Salmon.
5Salmon fathered Boaz with Rahab; Boaz fathered Obed with Ruth; and Obed fathered Jesse.
6Jesse fathered King David. David fathered Solomon with the woman who had been Uriah’s wife.
7Solomon fathered Rehoboam; Rehoboam fathered Abijah; and Abijah fathered Asaph.
8Asaph fathered Jehoshaphat; Jehoshaphat fathered Joram; and Joram fathered Uzziah.
9Uzziah fathered Jotham; Jotham fathered Ahaz; and Ahaz fathered Hezekiah.
10Hezekiah fathered Manasseh; Manasseh fathered Amos; and Amos fathered Josiah.
11Josiah fathered Jeconiah and his brothers at the time the people were forcibly taken to Babylon.
12After the forced exile to Babylon, Jeconiah fathered Shealtiel; and Shealtiel fathered Zerubbabel.
13Zerubbabel fathered Abiud; Abiud fathered Eliakim; and Eliakim fathered Azor.
14Azor fathered Zadok; Zadok fathered Achim; and Achim fathered Eliud.
15Eliud fathered Eleazar; Eleazar fathered Matthan; and Matthan fathered Jacob.
16Jacob fathered Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.
17So there were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the forced exile in Babylon, and fourteen from that exile to the Messiah.
18This is how Jesus the Messiah came to be born. His mother Mary had been pledged in marriage to Joseph. Before they began living together as husband and wife, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.
19Joseph, her husband, was a man who wanted to do what was right. He did not want to disgrace Mary publicly, so he decided to divorce her quietly.
20While Joseph was considering this, an angel from God appeared to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to bring Mary home as your wife. The child growing inside her is from the Holy Spirit.
21The angel continued, “She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their wrongdoing.”
22All this happened so that what God had said through the prophet would come true:
23“Look! The virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and people will call him Immanuel”—a name that means “God is with us.”
24When Joseph woke up, he did what God’s angel had commanded. He brought Mary home as his wife,
25but he did not have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son. Joseph named him Jesus.