Advent · Nov 29 – Dec 24, 2026 · 26 days
Jesse Tree 2026: a verse for every day of Advent
A Jesse Tree verse for each of the 26 days of Advent 2026, from Sunday, November 29 to Thursday, December 24: the prophecy of the root of Jesse (Isaias 11:1–10), then the family line of Jesus from Abraham to Joseph (Matthew 1:1–16). Read the day's verse, hang an ornament, and arrive at Christmas Eve with “Jesus, who is called Christ.”
The 26 days
| Day | Verse | Douay-Rheims | From the verse |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Nov 29 Day 1 | Isaias 11:1 | And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root. | rod, root of Jesse, flower |
| Mon Nov 30 Day 2 | Isaias 11:2 | And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom, and of understanding, the spirit of counsel, and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge, and of godliness. | spirit of the Lord |
| Tue Dec 1 Day 3 | Isaias 11:3 | And he shall be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord, He shall not judge according to the sight of the eyes, nor reprove according to the hearing of the ears. | fear of the Lord |
| Wed Dec 2 Day 4 | Isaias 11:4 | But he shall judge the poor with justice, and shall reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. | rod of his mouth |
| Thu Dec 3 Day 5 | Isaias 11:5 | And justice shall be the girdle of his loins: and faith the girdle of his reins. | girdle |
| Fri Dec 4 Day 6 | Isaias 11:6 | The wolf shall dwell with the lamb: and the leopard shall lie down with the kid: the calf and the lion, and the sheep shall abide together, and a little child shall lead them. | wolf, lamb, leopard, little child |
| Sat Dec 5 Day 7 | Isaias 11:7 | The calf and the bear shall feed: their young ones shall rest together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. | bear, lion, ox |
| Sun Dec 6 Day 8 | Isaias 11:8 | And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp: and the weaned child shall thrust his hand into the den of the basilisk. | asp, basilisk |
| Mon Dec 7 Day 9 | Isaias 11:9 | They shall not hurt, nor shall they kill in all my holy mountain, for the earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the covering waters of the sea. | holy mountain, waters of the sea |
| Tue Dec 8 Day 10 | Isaias 11:10 | In that day the root of Jesse, who standeth for an ensign of the people, him the Gentiles shall beseech, and his sepulchre shall be glorious. | root of Jesse, ensign |
| Wed Dec 9 Day 11 | Matthew 1:1 | The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham: | Jesus, Christ, David, Abraham |
| Thu Dec 10 Day 12 | Matthew 1:2 | Abraham begot Isaac. And Isaac begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Judas and his brethren. | Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judas |
| Fri Dec 11 Day 13 | Matthew 1:3 | And Judas begot Phares and Zara of Thamar. And Phares begot Esron. And Esron begot Aram. | Judas, Phares, Zara, Thamar, Esron, Aram |
| Sat Dec 12 Day 14 | Matthew 1:4 | And Aram begot Aminadab. And Aminadab begot Naasson. And Naasson begot Salmon. | Aram, Aminadab, Naasson, Salmon |
| Sun Dec 13 Day 15 | Matthew 1:5 | And Salmon begot Booz of Rahab. And Booz begot Obed of Ruth. And Obed begot Jesse. | Salmon, Booz, Rahab, Obed, Ruth, Jesse |
| Mon Dec 14 Day 16 | Matthew 1:6 | And Jesse begot David the king. And David the king begot Solomon, of her that had been the wife of Urias. | Jesse, David, Solomon, Urias |
| Tue Dec 15 Day 17 | Matthew 1:7 | And Solomon begot Roboam. And Roboam begot Abia. And Abia begot Asa. | Solomon, Roboam, Abia, Asa |
| Wed Dec 16 Day 18 | Matthew 1:8 | And Asa begot Josaphat. And Josaphat begot Joram. And Joram begot Ozias. | Asa, Josaphat, Joram, Ozias |
| Thu Dec 17 Day 19 | Matthew 1:9 | And Ozias begot Joatham. And Joatham begot Achaz. And Achaz begot Ezechias. | Ozias, Joatham, Achaz, Ezechias |
| Fri Dec 18 Day 20 | Matthew 1:10 | And Ezechias begot Manasses. And Manasses begot Amon. And Amon begot Josias. | Ezechias, Manasses, Amon, Josias |
| Sat Dec 19 Day 21 | Matthew 1:11 | And Josias begot Jechonias and his brethren in the transmigration of Babylon. | Josias, Jechonias, Babylon |
| Sun Dec 20 Day 22 | Matthew 1:12 | And after the transmigration of Babylon, Jechonias begot Salathiel. And Salathiel begot Zorobabel. | Babylon, Jechonias, Salathiel, Zorobabel |
| Mon Dec 21 Day 23 | Matthew 1:13 | And Zorobabel begot Abiud. And Abiud begot Eliacim. And Eliacim begot Azor. | Zorobabel, Abiud, Eliacim, Azor |
| Tue Dec 22 Day 24 | Matthew 1:14 | And Azor begot Sadoc. And Sadoc begot Achim. And Achim begot Eliud. | Azor, Sadoc, Achim, Eliud |
| Wed Dec 23 Day 25 | Matthew 1:15 | And Eliud begot Eleazar. And Eleazar begot Mathan. And Mathan begot Jacob. | Eliud, Eleazar, Mathan, Jacob |
| Thu Dec 24 Day 26 | Matthew 1:16 | And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. | Jacob, Joseph, Mary, Jesus, Christ |
The Holy Bible, Douay-Rheims version, revised by Bishop Richard Challoner (1749-1752). Public domain. Text: Project Gutenberg eBook #1581 (www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1581).
Jesse Tree questions
What is a Jesse Tree?
An Advent custom: a small tree, branch or poster on which a family hangs one ornament a day, tracing the family line of Jesus through the Old Testament to Christmas. Its name comes from Isaias 11:1, the first verse on this page: “there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse.”
Who was Jesse?
The father of King David. Saint Matthew's genealogy names him in the verse for December 14: “And Jesse begot David the king.”
Which list of Jesse Tree ornaments is the right one?
There is no single official list. Published Jesse Tree schedules differ in their stories, symbols and number of days, and families choose their own ornaments. This page follows Scripture itself: the prophecy of the root of Jesse in Isaias 11, then the genealogy of Christ in Matthew 1, one verse a day.
Which Bible translation is this?
The Douay-Rheims Bible as revised by Bishop Richard Challoner (1749–1752), the traditional Catholic English translation from the Latin Vulgate. It is in the public domain, so you may print it.
When should we start the Jesse Tree in 2026?
On the First Sunday of Advent, Sunday, November 29, 2026. The 26 verses here end on Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24, with “Jesus, who is called Christ.”
Advent in the app
Keep the whole of Advent on your phone. The free Liturgical Living app has the Advent Watch (one prayer a day, any prayer, counted with you until Christmas), the St Andrew Christmas Novena from November 30 to Christmas Eve with a gentle reminder, and every day of Advent in the calendar with its color, feast and readings.
