Chapter 4
Jesus Is Tempted by the Devil.1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted for forty days and forty nights, after which he was famished.
3 Then the tempter approached him and said, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to be transformed into loaves of bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “As it is written:
‘Man does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.’ ”
5 Next the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the summit of the temple. 6 Then he said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written:
‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and with their hands they will raise you up
lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
7 Jesus said to him, “It is also written:
‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”
8 Finally, the devil took him to an exceedingly high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their splendor. 9 Then he said to him, “All these will I give you if you kneel down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him in reply, “Depart from me, Satan! It is written:
‘You shall worship the Lord your God,
and him alone shall you serve.’ ”
11 Then the devil departed from him, and suddenly angels came and ministered to him.
12 Jesus Begins His Ministry in Galilee.When Jesus learned that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 Departing from Nazareth, he settled in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 in order that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the passageway to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:
16 The people who lived in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those who dwell in a land darkened by the shadow of death
light has dawned.”
17 From that day forward Jesus began to proclaim the message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.”
18 Jesus Calls the First Disciples. As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the water, for they were fishermen. 19 He said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately, they abandoned their nets and followed him.
21 As he proceeded farther, he saw two more brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately, they left their boat and their father and followed him.
23 Jesus Proclaims the Message and Heals the Sick. Jesus traveled all throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every type of disease and illness among the people. 24 His reputation spread throughout Syria, and they brought to him all those who were sick, afflicted with various diseases, racked with pain, or possessed by demons, as well as those who were stricken with epilepsy or paralyzed, and he healed them. 25 Great throngs from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan, followed him.
Footnotes
- Matthew 4:1
- Matthew 4:3
- Matthew 4:4
- Matthew 4:5
- Matthew 4:6
- Matthew 4:10
- Matthew 4:12
- Matthew 4:12
- Matthew 4:13
- Matthew 4:18
- Matthew 4:23
- Matthew 4:24
- Matthew 4:25
