Matthew 4

The Temptation of Jesus

4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness¹ to be tempted by the devil. 4:2 After he fasted forty days and forty nights he was famished.² 4:3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.”³ 4:4 But he answered,⁴ “It is written, ‘Man⁵ does not live⁶ by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”⁷ 4:5 Then the devil took him to the holy city,⁸ had him stand⁹ on the highest point¹⁰ of the temple, 4:6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you’¹¹ and ‘with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”¹² 4:7 Jesus said to him, “Once again it is written: ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’”¹³ 4:8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their grandeur.¹⁴ 4:9 And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you throw yourself to the ground and worship¹⁵ me.” 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go away,¹⁶ Satan! For it is written: ‘You are to worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”¹⁷ 4:11 Then the devil left him, and angels¹⁸ came and began ministering to his needs.

Preaching in Galilee

4:12 Now when Jesus¹⁹ heard that John had been imprisoned,²⁰ he went into Galilee. 4:13 While in Galilee, he moved from Nazareth²¹ to make his home in Capernaum²² by the sea,²³ in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, 4:14 so that what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled:²⁴

4:15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

the way by the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles –

4:16 the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,

and on those who sit in the region and shadow of death a light has dawned.”²⁵

4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach this message:²⁶ “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

The Call of the Disciples

4:18 As²⁷ he was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen).²⁸ 4:19 He said to them, “Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people.”²⁹ 4:20 They³⁰ left their nets immediately and followed him.³¹ 4:21 Going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in a boat³² with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. Then³³ he called them. 4:22 They³⁴ immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.

Jesus’ Healing Ministry

4:23 Jesus³⁵ went throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,³⁶ preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of disease and sickness among the people. 4:24 So a report about him spread throughout Syria. People³⁷ brought to him all who suffered with various illnesses and afflictions, those who had seizures,³⁸ paralytics, and those possessed by demons,³⁹ and he healed them. 4:25 And large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis,⁴⁰ Jerusalem,⁴¹ Judea, and beyond the Jordan River.⁴²

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