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 ⁴Jesus 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 had him stand on the highest point 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 answered him, “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 splendor.g

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

Jesus begins to preach

¹²When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee.j ¹³Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— ¹⁴to fulfill what was said 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 has come 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 lake, for they were fishermen.o ¹⁹“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”p ²⁰At 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, preparing 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, proclaiming the good news 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 severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. ²⁵Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.