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Then was Jesus led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He afterward hungered.

And when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.”

But He answered and said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, and set Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and

said unto Him, “If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge concerning thee; and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.’”

Jesus said unto him, “It is written again: ‘Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.’”

Again, the devil took Him up onto an exceeding high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them,

and said unto Him, “All these things will I give Thee if Thou wilt fall down and worship me.”

10 Then said Jesus unto him, “Get thee hence, Satan! For it is written: ‘Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.’”

11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered unto Him.

12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, He departed into Galilee.

13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the seacoast in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,

14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying,

15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:

16 the people who sat in darkness saw a great Light; and to them that sat in the region and shadow of death, Light has sprung up.”

17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishers.

19 And He said unto them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

20 And they straightway left their nets and followed Him.

21 And going on from thence He saw two other brethren, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. And He called them,

22 and they immediately left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

24 And His fame went throughout all Syria. And they brought unto Him all sick people who were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those who were possessed with devils, and those who were lunatic, and those who had the palsy; and He healed them.

25 And there followed Him great multitudes of people from Galilee and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and from Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness(A)

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a](B) by the devil.(C) After fasting forty days and forty nights,(D) he was hungry. The tempter(E) came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God,(F) tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b](G)

Then the devil took him to the holy city(H) and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,”(I) 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.’[c](J)

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[d](K)

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan!(L) For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[e](M)

11 Then the devil left him,(N) and angels came and attended him.(O)

Jesus Begins to Preach

12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison,(P) he withdrew to Galilee.(Q) 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum,(R) which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill(S) what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
    the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
    Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people living in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
    a light has dawned.”[f](T)

17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven(U) has come near.”

Jesus Calls His First Disciples(V)

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee,(W) he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter(X) and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,”(Y) Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.(Z)

21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John.(AA) They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.(AB)

Jesus Heals the Sick

23 Jesus went throughout Galilee,(AC) teaching in their synagogues,(AD) proclaiming the good news(AE) of the kingdom,(AF) and healing every disease and sickness among the people.(AG) 24 News about him spread all over Syria,(AH) and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed,(AI) those having seizures,(AJ) and the paralyzed;(AK) and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis,[g] Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.(AL)

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 4:1 The Greek for tempted can also mean tested.
  2. Matthew 4:4 Deut. 8:3
  3. Matthew 4:6 Psalm 91:11,12
  4. Matthew 4:7 Deut. 6:16
  5. Matthew 4:10 Deut. 6:13
  6. Matthew 4:16 Isaiah 9:1,2
  7. Matthew 4:25 That is, the Ten Cities

And Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

and for forty days was tempted by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward when they were ended, He hungered.

And the devil said unto Him, “If Thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.”

And Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’”

And the devil, taking Him up onto a high mountain, showed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

And the devil said unto Him, “All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them; for this has been delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will, I give it.

If Thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be Thine.”

And Jesus answered and said unto him, “Get thee behind Me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.’”

And he brought Him to Jerusalem, and set Him on a pinnacle of the temple and said unto Him, “If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down from hence.

10 For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over thee to keep thee,’

11 and, ‘In their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.’”

12 And Jesus answering said unto him, “It is said, ‘Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.’”

13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from Him for a season.

14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and His fame went out through all the region round about.

15 And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

16 And He came to Nazareth where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read.

17 And there was delivered unto Him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

19 to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

20 And He closed the book, and He gave it again to the minister and sat down. And the eyes of all those who were in the synagogue were fastened on Him.

21 And He began to say unto them, “This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.”

22 And all bore Him witness and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”

23 And He said unto them, “Ye will surely say unto Me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal thyself! Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.’”

24 And He said, “Verily I say unto you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.

25 But I tell you in truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land.

26 But unto none of them was Elijah sent, save unto Zarephath, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.

27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed, except Naaman the Syrian.”

28 Then all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,

29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him unto the brow of a hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast Him down headlong.

30 But He, passing through the midst of them, went His way.

31 And He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the Sabbath days.

32 And they were astonished at His doctrine, for His word was with power.

33 And in the synagogue there was a man, who had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,

34 saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with Thee, Thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art Thou come to destroy us? I know Thee and who Thou art — the Holy One of God!”

35 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Hold thy peace, and come out of him!” And when the devil had thrown him in their midst, he came out of him and hurt him not.

36 And they were all amazed, and spoke among themselves, saying, “What a word is this! For with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.”

37 And His fame went out into every place in the country round about.

38 And He arose out of the synagogue and entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever, and they besought Him for her.

39 And He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and ministered unto them.

40 Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them, and healed them.

41 And devils also came out of many, crying out and saying, “Thou art Christ, the Son of God!” And He, rebuking them, suffered them not to speak; for they knew that He was Christ.

42 And when it was day, He departed and went into a desert place. And the people sought Him and came unto Him and would have stayed Him, that He should not depart from them.

43 But He said unto them, “I must preach the Kingdom of God to other cities also, for therefore am I sent.”

44 And He preached in the synagogues of Galilee.

And it came to pass that, as the people pressed upon Him to hear the Word of God, He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret

and saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen were gone out of them and were washing their nets.

And He entered into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the people from the boat.

Now when He was through speaking, He said unto Simon, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draft.”

And Simon answering said unto Him, “Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing. Nevertheless, at Thy word I will let down the net.”

And when they had done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes, and their net began to break.

And they beckoned unto their partners, who were in the other boat, that they should come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.

When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

For he was astonished, and all those who were with him, at the draft of the fishes which they had taken;

10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, “Fear not. From henceforth thou shalt catch men.”

11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

12 And it came to pass when He was in a certain city, behold, a man full of leprosy, seeing Jesus, fell on his face and besought Him, saying, “Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean.”

13 And He put forth His hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be thou clean.” And immediately the leprosy departed from him.

14 And He charged him to tell no man, but, “Go and show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing according as Moses commanded, as a testimony unto them.”

15 But so much the more His fame spread abroad, and great multitudes came together to hear and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.

16 And He withdrew Himself into the wilderness and prayed.

17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, who had come from every town of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.

18 And behold, men brought in on a bed a man who was taken with a palsy, and they sought means to bring him in and to lay him before Him.

19 And when they could not find a way to bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down on his couch through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.

20 And when He saw their faith, He said unto him, “Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.”

21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?”

22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answering said unto them, “What reason ye in your hearts:

23 whether it is easier to say, ‘Thy sins be forgiven thee,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’?

24 But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power upon earth to forgive sins,” He said unto the one sick with the palsy, “I say unto thee, arise and take up thy couch and go into thine house.”

25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.

26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today.”

27 And after these things He went forth and saw a publican named Levi, sitting in the customhouse, and He said unto him, “Follow Me.”

28 And he left all, rose up, and followed Him.

29 And Levi made Him a great feast in his own house, and there was a great company of publicans and of others who sat down with them.

30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against His disciples, saying, “Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?”

31 And Jesus answering said unto them, “They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

33 And they said unto Him, “Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees, but thine eat and drink?”

34 And He said unto them, “Can ye make the attendants of the bridechamber fast while the bridegroom is with them?

35 But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.”

36 And He spoke also a parable unto them: “No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; otherwise, both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old.

37 And no man putteth new wine into old wineskins; else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins shall perish.

38 But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved.

39 No man also, having drunk old wine, straightway desireth new; for he saith, ‘The old is better.’”

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness(A)

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit,(B) left the Jordan(C) and was led by the Spirit(D) into the wilderness, where for forty days(E) he was tempted[a] by the devil.(F) He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God,(G) tell this stone to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’[b](H)

The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.(I) And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me,(J) and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’[c](K)

The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you carefully;
11 they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[d](L)

12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[e](M)

13 When the devil had finished all this tempting,(N) he left him(O) until an opportune time.

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

14 Jesus returned to Galilee(P) in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.(Q) 15 He was teaching in their synagogues,(R) and everyone praised him.

16 He went to Nazareth,(S) where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue,(T) as was his custom. He stood up to read,(U) 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,(V)
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news(W) to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”[f](X)

20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down.(Y) The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled(Z) in your hearing.”

22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.(AA)

23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown(AB) what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”(AC)

24 “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown.(AD) 25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land.(AE) 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon.(AF) 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy[g] in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”(AG)

28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town,(AH) and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.(AI)

Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit(AJ)

31 Then he went down to Capernaum,(AK) a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he taught the people. 32 They were amazed at his teaching,(AL) because his words had authority.(AM)

33 In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 34 “Go away! What do you want with us,(AN) Jesus of Nazareth?(AO) Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are(AP)—the Holy One of God!”(AQ)

35 “Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly.(AR) “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.

36 All the people were amazed(AS) and said to each other, “What words these are! With authority(AT) and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!” 37 And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.(AU)

Jesus Heals Many(AV)(AW)

38 Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. 39 So he bent over her and rebuked(AX) the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.

40 At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one,(AY) he healed them.(AZ) 41 Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!”(BA) But he rebuked(BB) them and would not allow them to speak,(BC) because they knew he was the Messiah.

42 At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43 But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God(BD) to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” 44 And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.(BE)

Jesus Calls His First Disciples(BF)

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,[h] the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God.(BG) He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.(BH)

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”(BI)

Simon answered, “Master,(BJ) we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.(BK) But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.(BL) So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”(BM) For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid;(BN) from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.(BO)

Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy(BP)

12 While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy.[i](BQ) When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

13 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.

14 Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone,(BR) but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded(BS) for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”

15 Yet the news about him spread all the more,(BT) so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.(BU)

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man(BV)

17 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law(BW) were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.(BX) 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”(BY)

21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”(BZ)

22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man(CA) has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God.(CB) They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Jesus Calls Levi and Eats With Sinners(CC)

27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,”(CD) Jesus said to him, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.(CE)

29 Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors(CF) and others were eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect(CG) complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”(CH)

31 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”(CI)

Jesus Questioned About Fasting(CJ)

33 They said to him, “John’s disciples(CK) often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.”

34 Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom(CL) fast while he is with them? 35 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them;(CM) in those days they will fast.”

36 He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’”

Footnotes

  1. Luke 4:2 The Greek for tempted can also mean tested.
  2. Luke 4:4 Deut. 8:3
  3. Luke 4:8 Deut. 6:13
  4. Luke 4:11 Psalm 91:11,12
  5. Luke 4:12 Deut. 6:16
  6. Luke 4:19 Isaiah 61:1,2 (see Septuagint); Isaiah 58:6
  7. Luke 4:27 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
  8. Luke 5:1 That is, the Sea of Galilee
  9. Luke 5:12 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.

15 John bore witness of Him and cried, saying, “This was He of whom I spoke, ‘He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’”

16 And of His fullness have we all received, and grace for grace.

17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.

19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who art thou?”

20 And he confessed and denied not, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

21 And they asked him, “What then? Art thou Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Art thou that Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”

22 Then said they unto him, “Who art thou, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What sayest thou of thyself?”

23 He said, “I am ‘the voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord,”’ as said the prophet Isaiah.”

24 And those who were sent were of the Pharisees.

25 And they asked him, and said unto him, “Why dost thou baptize then if thou art not that Christ, nor Elijah, neither that Prophet?”

26 John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there standeth One among you whom ye know not.

27 He it is who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose shoe’s strap I am not worthy to unloose.”

28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming unto him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world!

30 This is He of whom I said, ‘After me cometh a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’

31 And I knew Him not; but that He should be made manifest to Israel, therefore have I come baptizing with water.”

32 And John bore record, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from Heaven like a dove, and It abode upon Him.

33 And I knew Him not. But He that sent me to baptize with water, the Same said unto me, ‘Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, the Same is He that baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.’

34 And I saw and bore record that this is the Son of God.”

35 Again the next day John stood with two of his disciples,

36 and looking upon Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”

37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

38 Then Jesus turned and saw them following, and said unto them, “What seek ye?” They said unto Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, being interpreted, “Master”), “where dwellest Thou?”

39 He said unto them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He dwelt and stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.

40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

41 He first found his own brother Simon and said unto him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is, being interpreted, “the Christ”).

42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, He said, “Thou art Simon, the son of Jonah. Thou shalt be called Cephas” (which is by interpretation, “a stone”).

43 The day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and found Philip and said unto him, “Follow Me.”

44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

45 Philip found Nathanael and said unto him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets wrote: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

46 And Nathanael said unto him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said unto him, “Come and see.”

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”

48 Nathanael said unto Him, “How knowest Thou me?” Jesus answered and said unto him, “Before Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.”

49 Nathanael answered and said unto Him, “Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God; Thou art the King of Israel.”

50 Jesus answered and said unto him, “Because I said unto thee, ‘I saw thee under the fig tree,’ believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things than these.”

51 And He said unto him, “Verily, verily I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

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15 (John testified(A) concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”)(B) 16 Out of his fullness(C) we have all received grace(D) in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses;(E) grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.(F) 18 No one has ever seen God,(G) but the one and only Son, who is himself God and[a](H) is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

John the Baptist Denies Being the Messiah

19 Now this was John’s(I) testimony when the Jewish leaders[b](J) in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”(K)

21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”(L)

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”(M)

He answered, “No.”

22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness,(N) ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”[c](O)

24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

26 “I baptize with[d] water,”(P) John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me,(Q) the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”(R)

28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan,(S) where John was baptizing.

John Testifies About Jesus

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God,(T) who takes away the sin of the world!(U) 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’(V) 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.(W) 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water(X) told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’(Y) 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”[e](Z)

John’s Disciples Follow Jesus(AA)

35 The next day John(AB) was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”(AC)

37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi”(AD) (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”

So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.

40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).(AE) 42 And he brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called(AF) Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter[f]).(AG)

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip,(AH) he said to him, “Follow me.”(AI)

44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.(AJ) 45 Philip found Nathanael(AK) and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law,(AL) and about whom the prophets also wrote(AM)—Jesus of Nazareth,(AN) the son of Joseph.”(AO)

46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?”(AP) Nathanael asked.

“Come and see,” said Philip.

47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite(AQ) in whom there is no deceit.”(AR)

48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi,(AS) you are the Son of God;(AT) you are the king of Israel.”(AU)

50 Jesus said, “You believe[g] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you,[h] you[i] will see ‘heaven open,(AV) and the angels of God ascending and descending(AW) on’[j] the Son of Man.”(AX)

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Footnotes

  1. John 1:18 Some manuscripts but the only Son, who
  2. John 1:19 The Greek term traditionally translated the Jews (hoi Ioudaioi) refers here and elsewhere in John’s Gospel to those Jewish leaders who opposed Jesus; also in 5:10, 15, 16; 7:1, 11, 13; 9:22; 18:14, 28, 36; 19:7, 12, 31, 38; 20:19.
  3. John 1:23 Isaiah 40:3
  4. John 1:26 Or in; also in verses 31 and 33 (twice)
  5. John 1:34 See Isaiah 42:1; many manuscripts is the Son of God.
  6. John 1:42 Cephas (Aramaic) and Peter (Greek) both mean rock.
  7. John 1:50 Or Do you believe … ?
  8. John 1:51 The Greek is plural.
  9. John 1:51 The Greek is plural.
  10. John 1:51 Gen. 28:12