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    The Genealogy of Jesus

There are two genealogy lines of Jesus found in the New Testament.
Matthew 1:1-16 speaks of the line of Joseph, Jesus' father.  
Matthew shows Jesus' lineage goes straight back from Joseph to 
King David.
  
The other genealogy line found in the New Testament is found in 
Luke 3:23-38.  Luke writes of the lineage of Jesus through Mary,
Jesus' mother.  

There are two traditions we need to mention.  First, the "seed"
is passed through the father.
  
Thus the lineage of the father is followed to establish what tribe 
a Semite/Hebrew comes from. The second "tradition" is that the Jews 
establish someone as being Jewish by having a mother who is Jewish.
In this study, both of these traditions add to the understanding of
the seeming differences in Matthew and Luke. Luke concentrates his
Gospel unlike the other Gospels on bringing the message of 
salvation to Gentiles and includes the lineage of Mary as a way to
show Gentiles that Jesus' line goes all the way back to King David
through David's older son Nathan and thus skips the curse...
we will talk about this later.  Matthew concentrates his lineage on 
proving that Jesus is a direct descendant of King David as the Jews 
expect the Messiah to descend from. 

These two genealogy lines of Jesus have confused some people and
have even been the basis of a false and uneducated argument that
the Gospels are unreliable because the two genealogy lines conflict
with each other.  There is nothing further from the truth.  The
writers of theses Gospels have given us both lineages in order
to prove that Jesus was a direct descendant of King David and that 
the two family lines that split earlier in the time of this world
come together once again with the birth of our Messiah, Jesus.

In this paper we will first present the New Testament Scripture 
verses, the Old Testament verses that connect the New Testament
verses, (and is the source of confusion for some because they fail
to recognize that Matthew picks up where the Old Testament lineage
stops), and we will break down each person within the lineage in
order to clearly show EXACTLY how these two genealogy lines
prove who Jesus is and how God's Word unfolds and enlightens us.

NOTE: 
There are several "events" that took place which directly influence the genealogy lines. These events seem to leave out some names and add some to the list. We will give the reasons for these events as they come up... The Scripture:
Matthew 1:1-16 (NIV)
The Genealogy of Jesus 
1A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham: 
     2Abraham was the father of Isaac, 
          Isaac the father of Jacob, 
          Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 
        3Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, 
          Perez the father of Hezron, 
          Hezron the father of Ram, 
        4Ram the father of Amminadab, 
          Amminadab the father of Nahshon, 
          Nahshon the father of Salmon, 
        5Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, 
          Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, 
          Obed the father of Jesse, 
        6and Jesse the father of King David. 
       David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife, 
     7Solomon the father of Rehoboam, 
          Rehoboam the father of Abijah, 
          Abijah the father of Asa, 
        8Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, 
          Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, 
          Jehoram the father of Uzziah, 
        9Uzziah the father of Jotham, 
          Jotham the father of Ahaz, 
          Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 
        10Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, 
          Manasseh the father of Amon, 
          Amon the father of Josiah, 
        11and Josiah the father of Jeconiah[a] and his brothers at the time of the exile 
          to Babylon. 
     12After the exile to Babylon: 
          Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, 
          Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 
        13Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, 
          Abiud the father of Eliakim, 
          Eliakim the father of Azor, 
        14Azor the father of Zadok, 
          Zadok the father of Akim, 
          Akim the father of Eliud, 
        15Eliud the father of Eleazar, 
          Eleazar the father of Matthan, 
          Matthan the father of Jacob, 
        16and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, 
          who is called Christ.
  
Luke 3:23-38 (NIV)
 23Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. 
   He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, 
       the son of Heli, 24the son of Matthat, 
       the son of Levi, the son of Melki, 
       the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 
     25the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, 
       the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, 
       the son of Naggai, 26the son of Maath, 
       the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, 
       the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 
     27the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, 
       the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, 
       the son of Neri, 28the son of Melki, 
       the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, 
       the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 
     29the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, 
       the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, 
       the son of Levi, 30the son of Simeon, 
       the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, 
       the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 
     31the son of Melea, the son of Menna, 
       the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, 
       the son of David, 32the son of Jesse, 
       the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, 
       the son of Salmon,[a] the son of Nahshon, 
     33the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram,[b] 
       the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, 
       the son of Judah, 34the son of Jacob, 
       the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, 
       the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 
     35the son of Serug, the son of Reu, 
       the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, 
       the son of Shelah, 36the son of Cainan, 
       the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, 
       the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 
     37the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, 
       the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, 
       the son of Kenan, 38the son of Enosh, 
       the son of Seth, the son of Adam, 
       the son of God.
 
Genesis 5:1-32 (NIV)
 From Adam to Noah                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
1 This is the written account of Adam's line. 
When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female 
and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them "man"
   
3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; 
and he named him Seth. 4 After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons 
and daughters. 5 Altogether, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father [b] of Enosh. 7 And after he became 
the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8 Altogether, 
Seth lived 912 years, and then he died. 
9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. 10 And after he became 
the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 
11 Altogether, Enosh lived 905 years, and then he died. 
12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. 13 And after he 
became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters. 
14 Altogether, Kenan lived 910 years, and then he died. 
15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. 16 And after he 
became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters. 
17 Altogether, Mahalalel lived 895 years, and then he died. 
18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. 19 And after he became 
the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 
20 Altogether, Jared lived 962 years, and then he died. 
21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 And after he 
became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and 
daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no
more, because God took him away. 
25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 26 And after he 
became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. 
27 Altogether, Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died. 
28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 29 He named him Noah [c] and said, 
"He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the 
LORD has cursed." 30 After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and 
daughters. 31 Altogether, Lamech lived 777 years, and then he died. 
32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.

 

Genesis 11:10-26 (NIV)
From Shem to Abram                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
10 This is the account of Shem. 
Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the 
father of Arphaxad. 11 And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years 
and had other sons and daughters. 12 When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father 
of Shelah. 13 And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had 
other sons and daughters. 14 When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber. 
15 And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and 
daughters.

16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg. 17 And after he became 
the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
18 When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu. 19 And after he became 
the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters. 
20 When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug. 21 And after he became 
the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters. 
22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor. 23 And after he became 
the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters. 
24 When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah. 25 And after he became 
the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters. 
26 After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.

The Paper...

Let us first begin by mapping out Genesis 5:1-32:

1.  The Son of God, the Creator, the Creator of Adam.

NOTE#1: Why is the Creator first?  The Creator is the first
manifestation of the Father...this first manifestation is the
Son of God who created heaven, earth and mankind.  This Creator
also came to live in a tent of flesh with the name JESUS in order
to solve the problem of perpetual sin of mankind and to grant
salvation to those who follow Him...the Creator. The Son of God,
the Creator has the ability to come here whenever and however He
chose...and He did as an act of love for His created sons and 
daughters of Adam.


2.  Adam

3.  Seth

NOTE#2:  Who is missing here?  It is Cain and Abel. Both are not
part of the lineage because Abel was murdered by Cain and had no
descendants and Cain and his descendants were cursed. 
(See Genesis 4:11-26)
Since Cain was a murderer and cursed by God, Cain and his 
descendants are removed from the lineage of Adam.  

4. Enosh 5. Kenan 6. Mahalalel 7. Jared 8. Enoch 9. Methuselah 10. Lamech 11. Noah 12. Shem (who is also called Melchizedek AFTER the Flood) NOTE #3: The genealogy line continues with Shem. Out of Noah's three sons, Shem is the only one to carry on The Creator's "elected" seed lineage. This is the way the Creator wills it... the first born inherit the birth right and Shem is commonly thought to be the oldest of Noah's sons... however most translations state that Japheth is the oldest. The first born USUALLY inherit the birth rights and that is the way it is UNLESS the Creator changes it. Most Bible translations state in Genesis 10:21, Japheth being the oldest son of Noah even though the sons of Noah are listed in the order of "Shem, Ham, and Japheth". The order that the sons are listed does not mean that the first name stated means that they are the oldest. Regardless, we know that Shem is the one who carries the line from here. Now we move on to Genesis 11:10-32: 13. Arphaxad 14. (Cainan) NOTE#4: There is a name missing here in Genesis that Luke includes in his genealogy line. It is Cainan. Cainan is not included because of Jewish tradition. Luke included it because he is not writing to Jews, but writes his Gospel for Gentiles. The reason for the Jewish tradition of not including the name of Cainan goes back to Genesis 9:20-27. Noah drank too much wine and got drunk, and in the process became unclothed and naked. Ham saw his father naked and instead of looking away and covering him, he does nothing and tells his brothers about it. This led Noah to curse the son of Ham whose name was Cainan. Noah did not curse Ham, but cursed the descendants of Ham. Cainan is not included in the genealogy of Genesis and is still so today but the curse included the terms that Cainan shall dwell in the house of Shem as a servant. If your nephew was cursed to be a servant in your house, what would happen? Would your nephew be treated as a member of your family? Is it possible that your nephew could marry into the family? In modern times and especially in the West, it is no longer common for cousins to marry. Back in the old days it happened quite often. We believe that Luke picks up on this and includes Cainan in between Shem's son Arphaxad, and Arphaxad's son, Shelah. 15. Shelah 16. Eber 17. Peleg 18. Reu 19. Serug 20. Nahor 21. Terah 22. Abram NOTE#5: Again, Abram who is later called Abraham is the one chosen to carry the "elect" lineage of the Creator. Most agree that Abram was the oldest of Terah's sons. We know as a fact that Abraham is the one to carry the lineage from this point regardless of the argument that some say Haran was the oldest son. Now we move on to Matthew 1:1-16: 23. Isaac 24. Jacob 25. Judah 26. Perez 27. Hezron 28. Ram 29. Amminadab 30. Nahshon 31. Salmon 32. Boaz 33. Obed 34. Jesse 35. KING DAVID Note#6: This is the point where the split between Mary the Mother of Jesus, and Joseph the father of Jesus occurs. Almost all of the names in the genealogy lines found in Matthew and Luke match up until this point. In Matthew, the lineage leading to Joseph starts with Solomon, and in Luke the lineage leading to Mary starts with Nathan, who is also the older brother of Solomon as stated in 2 Samuel 5:13-16: 13 After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him. 14 These are the names of the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab,
Nathan, Solomon, 15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.. Solomon the younger brother takes the throne and this is significant in understanding the reason for this "split". Note that the first born inherits the rights EXCEPT when God changes it. This is one of these exceptions...the younger brother takes the throne. (See 1 Chronicles 3:4-9 and 2 Samuel 5:14 for proof that Nathan is the older brother). First, when God says something...it happens. God never lies. Second, God can change His own rules whenever He wants. He does what He says, always, but can "go around" His own commands when it is necessary and does so without ever breaking His own Word. This point of lineage, with King David, is one of the times that God says something and does it but reconciles the lineage by doing something else with the descendants of King David. This begins with a curse from God found in Jeremiah.
In the genealogy in Matthew 1, notice one name, Jeconiah, 
in verse 11. If Joseph had been Jesus' father according to the 
flesh, He could never have occupied the throne, for God's word 
barred the way. There had been a curse on this royal line since 
the days of Jeconiah. In Jeremiah 22:30 we read, "Thus says the 
Lord: write this man down as childless, a man who shall not prosper 
in his days: for none of his descendants shall prosper, sitting 
on the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah." 

Joseph was in the line of this curse. Hence, if Jesus had been 
Joseph's son, He could not have sat on David's throne without 
inheriting this curse. Joseph is directly related to Solomon 
whose line was cursed.  This curse is in effect FOR ANY ONE WHO 
SITS ON THE THRONE OF DAVID.  
Nathan never sat on the throne of David but they are the blood line 
of King David.

Again, in Luke 3 we read the genealogy of Mary's line, back to David,
through Nathan, not Jeconiah (Luke 3:31).
Jesus was not conceived by Joseph but by the Holy Spirit in person 
(Lk.1:35, Mat.1:18-25).
   
Joseph was the "legal father" of Jesus, the "adopted father", but 
not the "natural father".  With the joining of the two lines of
Mary and Joseph, the curse is side-stepped and the lineage of King
David is direct through the legal adoption of Jesus through Joseph.
This adoption allows Jesus to be the legal son without the curse 
coming through Joseph to Jesus as would happen if Jesus was
the natural son of Joseph.
We will compare the two lines of Mary and Joseph later in the paper.

36. Solomon

37. Rehoboam

38. Abijah

39. Asa

40. Jehoshaphat

41. Jehoram

42. Uzziah

43. Jotham

44. Ahaz

45. Hezekiah

46. Manasseh

47. Amon

48. Josiah

NOTE#7: Matthew 1:17 states that there are 14 generations from 
Abraham to David, which is clear on this list, and 14 generations
from David to the exile to Babylon which happens right here with the
birth of Jeconiah and his brothers. When counting from David, the
exile of Babylon is included and counted. As the verse says,
"there are 14 generations from David TO THE EXILE TO BABYLON".
So, David is #1 and the exile is #14.  From the Exile to Jesus,
the Exile is not counted because is was counted earlier, and Jesus
is counted.  So, from Abraham to David   = 14
                 from David to the Exile = 14
                 from the Exile to Jesus = 14


49. Jeconiah

50. Shealtiel

51. Zerubbabel

52. Abiud

53. Eliakim

54. Azor

55. Zadok

56. Akim

57. Eliud

58. Eleazar

59. Matthan

60. Jacob

61. Joseph

62. Jesus the Christ

So, in Matthew's genealogy of Joseph there are 62 generations.
Now we will list out the genealogy of Mary found in Luke 3:23-38.
Luke goes backwards from Jesus to Adam and we will list them as
found in the verses and will later place the names as Matthew 
does to compare the two lines...

Luke's Lineage

77. Jesus

76. Joseph 

NOTE #8: Luke seems to contradict Matthew right here with a 
different name for Joseph's father. This is the lineage of Mary
and the name Heli, found below, is the father-in-law of Joseph.
There are several points we will talk about why we state this.


Consider this #1:
One interesting piece of information we came across is that the 
Jerusalem Talmud indicates that Mary was the daughter of Heli 
(Haggigah,Book 77, 4).
 
Consider this #2:
Since the "seed" is passed through the father, Luke did not 
interject "Jesus the Son of Mary". Luke could only name men who
were the fathers of sons in the lineage and did not include any
women/mother's names.

Consider this #3:
Tradition says that names of Mary's parents were Anna and
Joachim.  This is not found in "approved" scripture but in the 
Apocryphal "Gospel" of James. A possibility exists that the name 
Heli and Joachim are the same name.  It is very possible that the 
name Joachim is only a variation of Heli or Eliachim, substituting 
one Divine name (Yahweh) for the other (Eli, Elohim). 

Consider this #4:
Original sin is passed through the father.  That means Joseph
could not conceive Jesus as humans do, hence, the reason for 
the Holy Spirit conceiving Jesus.  Second, there is a curse on the
throne of David as told in the Jeremiah 22:30.  Joseph is directly 
related to Solomon (who was the son of King David) by the lineage 
found in Matthew and thus Joseph inherits the curse.  

When God says something, it happens.  Through the conception
of Jesus in Mary via the Holy Spirit, both original sin and 
the curse of David's throne is bypassed.  Notice that Jesus is still 
a descendant of David through Mary's line by way of David's other 
son, Nathan.  On top of that, Joseph, the father of Jesus, is a 
direct descendant to the throne of King David via Solomon as written
in Matthew, and legally "adopts" Jesus and makes both the marriage 
to Mary and the birth of Jesus official and a family.  
This legally brings Jesus into the lineage of King David 
without inheriting the original sin of mankind and the curse on 
David's throne.  This last point is the main evidence on why we 
believe with a very good amount of certainty that Luke's lineage 
is of Mary, the mother of Jesus.


75. Heli

74. Matthat

73. Levi

72. Melki

71. Jannai

70. Joseph

69. Mattathias

68. Amos

67. Nahum

66. Esli

65. Naggai

64. Maath

63. Mattathias

62. Semein

61. Josech

60. Joda

59. Joanan

58. Rhesa

57. Zerubbabel

56. Shealtiel

55. Neri

54. Melki

53. Addi

52. Cosam

51. Elmadam

50. Er

49. Joshua

48. Eliezer

47. Jorim

46. Matthat

45. Levi

44. Simeon

43. Judah

42. Joseph

41. Jonam

40. Eliakim

39. Melea

38. Menna

37. Mattatha

36. Nathan (MATTHEW SPLITS LINE OF BROTHER SOLOMON HERE)

35. KING DAVID

34. Jesse

33. Obed

32. Boaz

31. Salmon

30. Nahshon

29. Amminadab

28. Ram

27. Hezron

26. Perez

25. Judah

24. Jacob

23. Isaac

22. Abraham

21. Terah

20. Nahor

19. Serug

18. Reu

17. Peleg

16. Eber

15. Shelah

14. Cainan (ADDED INTO HOUSE OF SHEM DUE TO NOAH'S CURSE)

13. Arphaxad

12. Shem

11. Noah

10. Lamech

9. Methuselah

8. Enoch

7. Jared

6. Mahalalel

5. Kenan

4. Enosh

3. Seth

2. Adam

1. Son of God, The Creator.

Now we will join all the Old Testament and New Testament verses 
together and show the split with King David which leads to Mary
and Joseph and comes together with the birth of Jesus.

                1. The Son of God, The Creator

                           2. Adam

                           3. Seth

                           4. Enosh

                           5. Kenan

                           6. Mahalalel

                           7. Jared

                           8. Enoch

                           9. Methuselah

                          10. Lamech

                          11. Noah

                          12. Shem 
        (who is also called Melchizedek AFTER the Flood)

                          13. Arphaxad

                          14. (Cainan)

                          15. Shelah

                          16. Eber

                          17. Peleg

                          18. Reu

                          19. Serug

                          20. Nahor

                          21. Terah

                          22. Abram

                          23. Isaac

                          24. Jacob

                          25. Judah

                          26. Perez

                          27. Hezron

                          28. Ram

                          29. Amminadab

                          30. Nahshon

                          31. Salmon

                          32. Boaz

                          33. Obed

                          34. Jesse

                      35. KING  DAVID
                          (THE SPLIT)
   Matthew's lineage of Joseph       Luke's lineage of Mary
         36. Solomon                      36. Nathan

         37. Rehoboam                     37. Mattatha 

         38. Abijah                       38. Menna
 
         39. Asa                          39. Melea

         40. Jehoshaphat                  40. Eliakim

         41. Jehoram                      41. Jonam

         42. Uzziah                       42. Joseph

         43. Jotham                       43. Judah

         44. Ahaz                         44. Simeon

         45. Hezekiah                     45. Levi

         46. Manasseh                     46. Matthat 

         47. Amon                         47. Jorim

         48. Josiah                       48. Eliezar

         49. Jeconiah                     49. Joshua

         50. Shealtiel                    50. Er 

         51. Zerubbabel                   51. Elmadam 

         52. Abiud                        52. Cosam

         53. Eliakim                      53. Addi

         54. Azor                         54. Melki

         55. Zadok                        55. Neri 

         56. Akim                         56. Shealtiel

         57. Eliud                        57. Zerubbabel 

         58. Eleazar                      58. Rhesa

         59. Matthan                      59. Joanan

         60. Jacob                        60. Joda

         61. Joseph                       61. Josech

         62. Jesus the Christ             62. Semein
 
                                          63. Mattathias
  
                                          64. Maath

                                          65. Naggai

                                          66. Esli

                                          67. Nahum

                                          68. Amos

                                          69. Mattathias

                                          70. Joseph

                                          71. Jannai

                                          72. Melki

                                          73. Levi

                                          74. Matthat

                                          75. Heli (Father-in-Law of 
                                              Joseph, father of Mary)

                                          76. Joseph (This is Mary
                                              because Luke is only 
                                              mentioning FATHERS)

                                          77. Jesus the Christ



Conclusion:
Matthew's list goes through Solomon, Luke's goes through 
Nathan, the older son of David, avoiding the curse of Jeconiah.
Alleged discrepancies between and in the genealogical lists of 
Matthew and Luke are shown to be more apparent than real. 
Reasonable solutions to the problems exist and even throw further 
light on the text when they are studied in depth.
The Lord was prophesied and He came and fulfilled these prophecies.
Jesus is the Messiah...the Creator...and He came to grant salvation
through His Sacrifice.  Praise the Lord!

              
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