Matthew 1
Expanded Bible
The Family History of Jesus(A)
1 This is the ·family history [record of the ancestors; genealogy; L book of the offspring/family; C perhaps 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 [L …the son of David, the son of Abraham; C “son” can mean descendant].
2 Abraham ·was the father of [fathered; T begot; C and 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 [C Bathsheba; 2 Sam. 11—12].)
7 Solomon was the father of Rehoboam.
Rehoboam was the father of Abijah.
Abijah was the father of Asa.[a]
8 Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat.
Jehoshaphat was the father of Joram [C a variant spelling of Jehoram; 1 Kin. 22:50].
Joram was the ·ancestor [or father; C 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; C see v. 2] of Jeconiah [C another 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 [L 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; C 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 [L 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; T betrothed; C a 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 [T 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, [L look; T behold] 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 [L 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 [C 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 “[L Look; T Behold] The virgin will ·be pregnant [L conceive in her womb; Is. 7:14]. She will ·have [give birth to] a son, and they will name him Immanuel,” which [C 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 [L he] named him Jesus.
Footnotes
- Matthew 1:7 Asa Some Greek copies read “Asaph,” another name for Asa (see 1 Chronicles 3:10).
Matthew 1
English Standard Version
The Genealogy of Jesus Christ
1 (A)The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, (B)the son of David, (C)the son of Abraham.
2 (D)Abraham was the father of Isaac, and (E)Isaac the father of Jacob, and (F)Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and (G)Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,[a] 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 by (H)Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and (I)Jesse the father of David the king.
And (J)David was the father of Solomon by (K)the wife of Uriah, 7 and (L)Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,[b] 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, (M)and Joram 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 Amos,[c] and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and (N)Josiah the father of (O)Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
12 And after the deportation to Babylon: (P)Jechoniah was the father of (Q)Shealtiel,[d] and (R)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 Achim, and Achim 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 the father of (S)Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to (T)the Christ fourteen generations.
The Birth of Jesus Christ
18 Now the birth of (U)Jesus Christ[e] took place in this way. (V)When his mother Mary had been betrothed[f] to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child (W)from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling (X)to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, (Y)an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and (Z)you shall call his name Jesus, (AA)for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 (AB)All this took place (AC)to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 (AD)“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name (AE)Immanuel”
(which means, God (AF)with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And (AG)he called his name Jesus.
Footnotes
- Matthew 1:3 Greek Aram; also verse 4
- Matthew 1:7 Asaph is probably an alternate spelling of Asa; some manuscripts Asa; also verse 8
- Matthew 1:10 Amos is probably an alternate spelling of Amon; some manuscripts Amon; twice in this verse
- Matthew 1:12 Greek Salathiel; twice in this verse
- Matthew 1:18 Some manuscripts of the Christ
- Matthew 1:18 That is, legally pledged to be married
Matthew 1
The Voice
This is the story of Jesus the Son of David, the Anointed One, as told by Matthew, a disciple of the Lord. Now this account has been recorded for all those children of Abraham who have become followers of the true heir of the line of David so that they may know in whom they have believed. Because of the common Jewish heritage, Jesus of Nazareth can be understood—His miraculous healings, countless teachings filled with parables, righteous life, and lineage traced back to Abraham—as the One the prophets have spoken of since the early days.
This same Jesus is the One whom the Jews have been waiting for all these years. From the time when John was ritually cleansing people through baptism in the Jordan, as a sign of rethinking their lives of sin, to the wonderfully inspired teaching on the mountain in Galilee, throughout His parables, in His horrible death, and after His marvelous resurrection just days later, Jesus Himself is the King of the kingdom of heaven whom He taught about. There is no one like Jesus. The prophets of old looked for Him, David sang of Him, and Jewish leaders feared Him. He is the great King, the Teacher of wisdom, and the Prophet that Moses said was coming into the world.
The story begins with the lineage that establishes Jesus as the true Son of David.
1 This is the family history, the genealogy, of Jesus the Anointed, the coming King. You will see in this history that Jesus is descended from King David, and that He is also descended from Abraham.
It begins with Abraham, whom God called into a special, chosen, covenanted relationship, and who was the founding father of the nation of Israel.
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac; Isaac was the father of Jacob; Jacob was the father of Judah and of Judah’s 11 brothers; 3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (and Perez and Zerah’s mother was Tamar);
Tamar was Judah’s widowed daughter-in-law; she dressed up like a prostitute and seduced her father-in-law, all so she could keep this very family line alive.
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 (and Boaz’s mother was Rahab);
Rahab was a Canaanite prostitute who heroically hid Israelite spies from hostile authorities who wanted to kill them.
Boaz was the father of Obed (his mother was Ruth, a Moabite woman who converted to the Hebrew faith); Obed was the father of Jesse; 6 and Jesse was the father of David, who was the king of the nation of Israel. David was the father of Solomon (his mother was Bathsheba, and she was married to a man named Uriah);
Solomon’s mother was Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, a soldier in David’s army. She was bathing in her courtyard one evening when David spied her and became interested in her. Later Bathsheba got pregnant during an adulterous liaison with David, so David had Uriah killed in battle and then married his widow. David and Bathsheba’s first baby died, but later Bathsheba got pregnant again and gave birth to Solomon.
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; Joram was the father 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 father of Jeconiah and his brothers, and Josiah’s family lived at the time when God’s chosen people of Israel were deported from the promised land to Babylon.
12 After the deportation to Babylon, Jeconiah had a son, Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel; 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 Achim; 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, who married a woman named Mary. It was Mary who gave birth to Jesus, and it is Jesus who is the Savior, the Anointed One.
17 Abraham and David were linked with 14 generations, 14 generations link David to the Babylonian exile, and 14 more take us from the exile to the birth of the Anointed.
This long genealogy is given for a good reason: to show how this Jesus fulfills the prophecies that tell us the Anointed One will be a descendant of Abraham and of David.
Some of the women in Jesus’ line are given to show how God is gracious to everyone, even to prostitutes and adulterers. Because some of the women listed weren’t Israelites, but were strangers and foreigners, they foreshadow all the foreigners God will adopt into His church through Jesus. Some of the children in God’s family are conceived under strange circumstances (like Tamar’s twins being conceived as she played the harlot, and like King Solomon being born to adulterous parents). Now that it has been established this is an unusual family, what happens next shouldn’t be a surprise—the conception of a baby under very strange circumstances.
18 So here, finally, is the story of the birth of Jesus the Anointed[a] (it is quite a remarkable story):
Mary was engaged to marry Joseph, son of David. They hadn’t married. And yet, some time well before their wedding date, Mary learned that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, because he was kind and upstanding and honorable, wanted to spare Mary shame. He did not wish to cause her more embarrassment than necessary.
This is remarkable, because Mary has never had sex. She and Joseph have not even spent very much time alone, but they are pledged to each other and their wedding feast has been planned.
She has never even kissed a man. She is a virgin, yet she is pregnant. Miraculous! On the other hand, Joseph suspects that Mary has cheated on him and had sex with another man. He knows he will have to break their engagement, but he decides to do this quietly. Mary understands that it is God, in the Person of the Holy Spirit, who has made her pregnant.
20 Now when Joseph had decided to act on his instincts, a messenger of the Lord came to him in a dream.
Messenger of the Lord: Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to wed Mary and bring her into your home and family as your wife. She did not sneak off and sleep with someone else—rather, she conceived the baby she now carries through the miraculous wonderworking of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will have a son, and you will name Him Jesus, which means “the Lord saves,” because this Jesus is the person who will save all of His people from sin.
24 Joseph woke up from his dream and did exactly what the messenger had told him to do: he married Mary and brought her into his home as his wife 25 (though he did not consummate their marriage until after her son was born). And when the baby was born, Joseph named Him Jesus, Savior.[b]
22 Years and years ago, Isaiah, a prophet of Israel, foretold the story of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus:
23 A virgin will conceive and bear a Son,
and His name will be Immanuel
(which is a Hebrew name that means “God with us”).[c]
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.