Matthew Chapter One Poem by Day Williams

1 A record of the genealogy
Of Jesus Christ the son of David, son
Of Abraham: 2 Now Abraham was Isaac's

Father, and Isaac Jacob's father, Jacob
Was Judah and his brothers' father,3 Judah,
Perez and Zerah's father, and their mother

Was Tamar; now Perez was Hezron's father,
And Hezron was Ram's father; 4 and
then Ram
Was father of Amminadab, and then

Amminadab was Nahshon's father; Nahshon
Was Salmon's father; 5 Salmon was
the father
Of Boaz (Rahab was his mother): Boaz

Was Obed's father (Ruth was Obed's mother):
Obed was Jesse's father; 6 Jesse was
King David's father; David was the father

Of Solomon, whose mother had once been
Uriah's wife; 7 Solomon was father
To Rehoboam, and Rehoboam

Was father to Abijah, and Abijah
Was Asa's father,8 and Jehoshaphat's
Father was Asa, and Jehoshaphat

The father of Jehoram, and Jehoram
Uzziah's father,9 and Uzziah Jotham's
Father; and Jotham Ahaz' father; Ahaz

Was Hezekiah's father; 10 Hezekiah
The father of Manasseh, and Manasseh
Was Amon's father; Amon was Josiah's

Father; 11 Josiah was the father of
Jeconiah and all his brothers when
They were removed to Babylon as captives.

12 After the exile into Babylon:
Then Jeconiah was the father of
Shealtiel, and Shealtiel was the father

Of Zerubbabel,13 Zerubbabel was
The father of Abiud, and Abiud
The father of Eliakim, and then

Eliakim was Azor's father; 14 Azor
Was Zadok's father; Zadok was the father
Of Achim, Achim was Eliud's father,

15 Eliud Eleazar's father, and
Eleazar was Matthan's father; Matthan
Was Jacob's father; 16 Jacob was the father

Of Joseph, Mary's husband, of whom was
Born Jesus, who is the Messiah,17 so
From Abraham to David there were in

All fourteen generations, and from David
Up to the exile into Babylon
Were fourteen generations, and then from

The exile to the Christ were fourteen.18 This
Is how the birth of Jesus Christ occurred:
His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,

And yet before they came together, she
Was found with child due to the Holy Spirit.
19 Because her husband Joseph was a man

Of righteousness and did not want to shame
Her publicly, he made his mind up to
Divorce her quietly,20 but after he

Had chosen this, an angel of the Lord
Came in a dream to him and told him, "Joseph,
The son of David, do not be afraid

To take home Mary as your wife, for what's
Conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
21 She'll bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus,

Because he'll save his people from their sins."
22 This will fulfill God's message through
the prophets:
23 "The virgin shall conceive a child and she

Will bear a son they'll call Emmanuel"-
Which means, "God is with us." 24 When
Joseph woke
Up, he did as the angel of the Lord

Had ordered, taking Mary home to be
His wife,25 but had no sex with her ‘til she
Had borne a Son, and Joseph called him Jesus.