Matthew 4

The temptation in the wilderness

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.a ²After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.b ³The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”c ⁴But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”d ⁵Then the devil took Him to the holy city and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple.

⁶“If You are the Son of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning You, and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”e ⁷Jesus replied, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”f ⁸Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.g

⁹“All this I will give You,” he said, “if You will fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰“Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus declared. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”h ¹¹Then the devil left Him, and angels came and ministered to Him.i

Jesus begins to preach

¹²When Jesus heard that John had been imprisoned, He withdrew to Galilee.j ¹³Leaving Nazareth, He went and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:k ¹⁵“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—l ¹⁶the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.”m ¹⁷From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”n

Jesus calls the first disciples

¹⁸As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.o ¹⁹“Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”p ²⁰And at once they left their nets and followed Him.

²¹Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them, ²²and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.

Jesus heals the crowds

²³Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.q ²⁴News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed—and He healed them. ²⁵The large crowds that followed Him came from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.