John the Baptist Prepares the Way^(A)

1 The ^(B)beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, ^(C)the Son of God. ² As it is written in ^[a]the Prophets:

^4 (F)John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance ^[b]for the remission of sins. ^5 (G)Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

⁶ Now John was ^(H)clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷ And he preached, saying, ^(I)“There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. ^8 (J)I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you ^(K)with the Holy Spirit.”

John Baptizes Jesus^(L)

^9 (M)It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ^10 (N)And immediately, coming up ^[c]from the water, He saw the heavens ^[d]parting and the Spirit ^(O)descending upon Him like a dove. ¹¹ Then a voice came from heaven, ^(P)“You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Satan Tempts Jesus^(Q)

^12 (R)Immediately the Spirit ^[e]drove Him into the wilderness. ¹³ And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; ^(S)and the angels ministered to Him.

Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry^(T)

^14 (U)Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, ^(V)preaching the gospel ^[f]of the kingdom of God, ¹⁵ and saying, ^(W)“The time is fulfilled, and ^(X)the kingdom of God ^[g]is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Four Fishermen Called as Disciples^(Y)

^16 (Z)And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. ¹⁷ Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become ^(AA)fishers of men.” ^18 (AB)They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

¹⁹ When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. ²⁰ And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.

Jesus Casts Out an Unclean Spirit^(AC)

^21 (AD)Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the ^(AE)synagogue and taught. ^22 (AF)And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

²³ Now there was a man in their synagogue with an ^(AG)unclean spirit. And he cried out, ²⁴ saying, “Let us alone! ^(AH)What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I ^(AI)know who You are—the ^(AJ)Holy One of God!”

²⁵ But Jesus ^(AK)rebuked him, saying, ^[h]“Be quiet, and come out of him!” ²⁶ And when the unclean spirit ^(AL)had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. ²⁷ Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, ^[i]“What is this? What new ^[j]doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” ²⁸ And immediately His ^(AM)fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

Peter’s Mother-in-Law Healed^(AN)

^29 (AO)Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. ³⁰ But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. ³¹ So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.

Many Healed After Sabbath Sunset^(AP)

^32 (AQ)At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. ³³ And the whole city was gathered together at the door. ³⁴ Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and ^(AR)cast out many demons; and He ^(AS)did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

Preaching in Galilee^(AT)

³⁵ Now ^(AU)in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a ^[k]solitary place; and there He ^(AV)prayed. ³⁶ And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. ³⁷ When they found Him, they said to Him, ^(AW)“Everyone ^(AX)is looking for You.”

³⁸ But He said to them, ^(AY)“Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because ^(AZ)for this purpose I have come forth.”

^39 (BA)And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and ^(BB)casting out demons.

Jesus Cleanses a Leper^(BC)

^40 (BD)Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”

⁴¹ Then Jesus, moved with ^(BE)compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” ⁴² As soon as He had spoken, ^(BF)immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. ⁴³ And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, ⁴⁴ and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things ^(BG)which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

^45 (BH)However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; ^(BI)and they came to Him from every direction.