1 This book is the record of Jesus the Messiah,* the son of David, the son of Abraham, beginning with the family line:

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 (their mother was 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 Nahshon; and Nahshon the father of Salmon; 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz (his mother was Rahab); and Boaz the father of Obed (his mother was Ruth); and Obed the father of Jesse; 6 and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon (his mother had been Uriah's wife); 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam; and Rehoboam the father of Abijah; and Abijah the father of Asa; 8 and Asa the father of Jehoshaphat; and Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram; and Jehoram the father of Uzziah; 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham; and Jotham the father of Ahaz; and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah; 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh; and Manasseh the father of Amon; and Amon the father of Josiah; 11 and Josiah the father of Jehoiachin and his brothers, at the time of the exile to Babylon. 12 After the exile to Babylon, Jehoiachin was the father of Shealtiel; and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel; 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud; and Abiud the father of Eliakim; and Eliakim the father of Azor; 14 and Azor the father of Zadok; and Zadok the father of Akim; and Akim the father of Eliud; 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar; and Eleazar the father of Matthan; and Matthan the father of Jacob;

16 and Jacob was the father of Joseph, who was the husband of Mary, to whom Jesus was born, the one who is called the Messiah.

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David add up to fourteen; from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen; and from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah, fourteen.

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah happened. His mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, but before they slept together she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and didn't want to shame her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement discreetly.

20 While he was thinking about all of this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him, “Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to marry Mary because she is pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son and you shall call him Jesus, for he will save people from their sins.” 22 (Now this all happened to fulfill what the Lord said through the prophet: 23 “A virgin will become pregnant, and will give birth to a son. They will call him Immanuel,” which means “God with us.”)‡ 24 Joseph woke up and did what the angel of the Lord told him to do. 25 Joseph married Mary, but did not sleep with her until after she had given birth to a son, whom he named Jesus.