First Reading

Reading from the book of Genesis

Genesis 49:2, 8-10

In those days, Jacob called his sons and said to them:
“Come near and listen, sons of Jacob;
listen to your father, Israel.
Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
the sons of your father shall bow down before you.

Judah is a lion’s cub;
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He crouches down, he stretches out like a lion
and like a lioness—who dares rouse him up?

The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;
and the obedience of the peoples is his.”

Gospel

Reading from the holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew 

Matthew 1:1-17

The genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers; Judah the father, by Tamar, of Perez and Zerah, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father, by Rahab, of Boaz, Boaz the father, by Ruth, of Obed, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph, Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah, Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah, Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

After the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the deportation to Babylon, and fourteen from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ.