1. THE BOOK of the ancestry (genealogy) of Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the son (descendant) of David, the son (descendant) of Abraham. [Ps. 132:11; Isa. 11:1.]

2. Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

3. Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Aram,

4. Aram the father of Aminadab, Aminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon,

5. Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,

6. Jesse the father of King David, King David the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah, [Ruth 4:18-22; I Chron. 2:13-15.]

7. Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa,

8. Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram [Jehoram], Joram the father of Uzziah,

9. Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

10. Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah,

11. And Josiah became the father of Jeconiah [also called Coniah and Jehoiachin] and his brothers about the time of the removal (deportation) to Babylon. [II Kings 24:14; I Chron. 3:15, 16.]

12. After the exile to Babylon, Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel [Salathiel], Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

13. Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor,

14. Azor the father of Sadoc, Sadoc the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud,

15. Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob,

16. Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, Who is called the Christ. (the Messiah, the Anointed)

17. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen, from David to the Babylonian exile (deportation) fourteen generations, from the Babylonian exile to the Christ fourteen generations.

18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place under these circumstances: When His mother Mary had been promised in marriage to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be pregnant [through the power] of the Holy Spirit.

19. And her [promised] husband Joseph, being a just and upright man and not willing to expose her publicly and to shame and disgrace her, decided to repudiate and dismiss (divorce) her quietly and secretly.

20. But as he was thinking this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary [as] your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of (from, out of) the Holy Spirit.

21. She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus [the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, which means Savior], for He will save His people from their sins [that is, prevent them from failing and missing the true end and scope of life, which is God].

22. All this took place that it might be fulfilled which the Lord had spoken through the prophet,

23. Behold, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel--which, when translated, means, God with us. [Isa. 7:14.]

24. Then Joseph, being aroused from his sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him: he took [her to his side as] his wife.

25. But he had no union with her as her husband until she had borne her firstborn Son; and he called His name Jesus.