The Temptation of Jesus

Then Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil, and after he[a] had fasted forty days and forty nights, then he was hungry. And the tempter approached and[b] said to him, “If you are the Son of God, order that these stones become bread.” But he answered and[c] said, “It is written, ‘Man will not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.”[d]

Then the devil took him to the holy city[e] and placed him on the highest point of the temple 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,’[f]

and

‘On their hands they will lift you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”[g]

Jesus said to him, “On the other hand it is written, ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’”[h]

Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and he said to him, “I will give to you all these things, if you will fall down and[i] worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan, for it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”[j] 11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and began ministering to him.

Public Ministry in Galilee

12 Now when he[k] heard that John had been arrested,[l] he withdrew into Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth, he went and[m] lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 in order that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah would be fulfilled, who said,

15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
toward the sea,[n] on the other side of the Jordan,
    Galilee of the Gentiles[o]
16 the people who sit in darkness
    have seen a great light,
and the ones who sit in the land and shadow of death,
    a light has dawned on them.”[p]

17 From that time on, Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Jesus Calls His First Disciples

18 Now as he[q] was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew, throwing a casting net into the sea (for they were fishermen). 19 And he said to them, “Follow me[r] and I will make you fishers of people.” 20 And immediately they left their nets and[s] followed him. 21 And going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 And immediately they left the boat and their father and[t] followed him.

Teaching, Preaching, and Healing throughout Galilee

23 And he went around through all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and every sickness among the people. 24 And a report about him went out throughout[u] Syria, and they brought to him all those who were sick[v] with various diseases and afflicted by torments, demon-possessed[w] and epileptics and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And large crowds followed him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from the other side of the Jordan.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 4:2 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had fasted”) which is understood as temporal
  2. Matthew 4:3 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“approached”) has been translated as a finite verb
  3. Matthew 4:4 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb
  4. Matthew 4:4 A quotation from Deut 8:3
  5. Matthew 4:5 That is, Jerusalem
  6. Matthew 4:6 A quotation from Ps 91:11
  7. Matthew 4:6 A quotation from Ps 91:12
  8. Matthew 4:7 A quotation from Deut 6:16
  9. Matthew 4:9 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“will fall down”) has been translated as a finite verb
  10. Matthew 4:10 A quotation from Deut 6:13
  11. Matthew 4:12 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
  12. Matthew 4:12 Literally “had been handed over”
  13. Matthew 4:13 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“went”) has been translated as a finite verb
  14. Matthew 4:15 Literally “the way of the sea”
  15. Matthew 4:15 Or “nations”; the same Greek word can be translated “nations” or “Gentiles” depending on the context
  16. Matthew 4:16 A quotation from Isa 9:1
  17. Matthew 4:18 Here “as” is supplied as a component of the participle (“was walking”) which is understood as temporal
  18. Matthew 4:19 Literally “come behind me”
  19. Matthew 4:20 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“left”) has been translated as a finite verb
  20. Matthew 4:22 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“left”) has been translated as a finite verb
  21. Matthew 4:24 Literally “in the whole of”
  22. Matthew 4:24 Literally “having badly”
  23. Matthew 4:24 Some manuscripts have “and demon-possessed”

Jesus and the Devil

(Mark 1.12,13; Luke 4.1-13)

(A) The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert, so that the devil could test him. After Jesus had gone without eating[a] for 40 days and nights, he was very hungry. Then the devil came to him and said, “If you are God's Son, tell these stones to turn into bread.”

(B) Jesus answered, “The Scriptures say:

‘No one can live only on food.
People need every word
    that God has spoken.’ ”

Next, the devil took Jesus into the holy city to the highest part of the temple. (C) The devil said, “If you are God's Son, jump off. The Scriptures say:

‘God will give his angels
    orders about you.
They will catch you
    in their arms,
and you won't hurt
    your feet on the stones.’ ”

(D) Jesus answered, “The Scriptures also say, ‘Don't try to test the Lord your God!’ ”

Finally, the devil took Jesus up on a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms on earth and their power. The devil said to him, “I will give all this to you, if you will bow down and worship me.”

10 (E) Jesus answered, “Go away Satan! The Scriptures say:

‘Worship the Lord your God
    and serve only him.’ ”

11 Then the devil left Jesus, and angels came to help him.

Jesus Begins His Work

(Mark 1.14,15; Luke 4.14,15)

12 (F) When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he went to Galilee. 13 (G) But instead of staying in Nazareth, Jesus moved to Capernaum. This town was beside Lake Galilee in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali.[b] 14 So God's promise came true, just as the prophet Isaiah had said,

15 (H) “Listen, lands of Zebulun
    and Naphtali,
lands along the road
to the sea
    and across the Jordan.
Listen Galilee,
    land of the Gentiles!
16 Although your people
    live in darkness,
they will see
    a bright light.
Although they live
    in the shadow of death,
a light will shine
    on them.”

17 (I) Then Jesus started preaching, “Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven will soon be here.”[c]

Jesus Chooses Four Fishermen

(Mark 1.16-20; Luke 5.1-11)

18 While Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw two brothers. One was Simon, also known as Peter, and the other was Andrew. They were fishermen, and they were casting their net into the lake. 19 Jesus said to them, “Follow me! I will teach you how to bring in people instead of fish.” 20 Right then the two brothers dropped their nets and went with him.

21 Jesus walked on until he saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat with their father, mending their nets. Jesus asked them to come with him. 22 At once they left the boat and their father and went with Jesus.

Jesus Teaches, Preaches, and Heals

(Luke 6.17-19)

23 (J) Jesus went all over Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news about God's kingdom. He also healed every kind of disease and sickness. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people with every kind of sickness or disease were brought to him. Some of them had a lot of demons in them, others were thought to be crazy,[d] and still others could not walk. But Jesus healed them all.

25 Large crowds followed Jesus from Galilee and the region around the ten cities known as Decapolis.[e] They also came from Jerusalem, Judea, and from across the Jordan River.

Footnotes

  1. 4.2 without eating: The Jewish people sometimes went without eating (also called “fasting”) to show their love for God or to show sorrow for their sins.
  2. 4.13 Zebulun and Naphtali: In Old Testament times these tribes were in northern Palestine, and in New Testament times many Gentiles lived where these tribes had once been.
  3. 4.17 The kingdom of heaven will soon be here: See the two notes at 3.2.
  4. 4.24 thought to be crazy: In ancient times people with epilepsy were thought to be crazy.
  5. 4.25 the ten cities known as Decapolis: A group of ten cities east of Samaria and Galilee, where the people followed the Greek way of life.

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