Ecclesiastes 3-4

New King James Version

Everything Has Its Time

3 To everything there is a season,
A ^(A)time for every purpose under heaven:

²A time ^[a]to be born,
And ^(B)a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
³A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
⁴A time to ^(C)weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
⁵A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
^(D)A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
⁶A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
⁷A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
^(E)A time to keep silence,
And a time to ^(F)speak;
⁸A time to love,
And a time to ^(G)hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace.

The God-Given Task

⁹^(H)What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? ¹⁰^(I)I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. ¹¹He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that ^(J)no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

¹²I know that nothing is ^(K)better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, ¹³and also that ^(L)every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.

¹⁴I know that whatever God does,
It shall be forever.
^(M)Nothing can be added to it,
And nothing taken from it.
God does it, that men should fear before Him.
¹⁵^(N)That which is has already been,
And what is to be has already been;
And God ^[b]requires an account of ^[c]what is past.

Injustice Seems to Prevail

¹⁶Moreover ^(O)I saw under the sun:

In the place of ^[d]judgment,
Wickedness was there;
And in the place of righteousness,
^[e]Iniquity was there.

¹⁷I said in my heart,

^(P)“God shall judge the righteous and the wicked,
For there is a time there for every ^[f]purpose and for every work.”

¹⁸I said in my heart, “Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals.” ¹⁹^(Q)For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. ²⁰All go to one place: ^(R)all are from the dust, and all return to dust. ²¹^(S)Who^[g] knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth? ²²^(T)So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for ^(U)that is his ^[h]heritage. ^(V)For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?

The Uselessness of Selfish Toil

4 Then I returned and considered all the ^(W)oppression that is done under the sun:

And look! The tears of the oppressed,
But they have no comforter—
^[i]On the side of their oppressors there is power,
But they have no comforter.
²^(X)Therefore I praised the dead who were already dead,
More than the living who are still alive.
³^(Y)Yet, better than both is he who has never existed,
Who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.

The Vanity of Selfish Toil

⁴Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

⁵^(Z)The fool folds his hands
And consumes his own flesh.
⁶^(AA)Better a handful with quietness
Than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.

⁷Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun:

⁸There is one alone, without ^[j]companion:
He has neither son nor brother.
Yet there is no end to all his labors,
Nor is his ^(AB)eye satisfied with riches.
But ^(AC)he never asks,
“For whom do I toil and deprive myself of ^(AD)good?”
This also is vanity and a ^[k]grave misfortune.

The Value of a Friend

⁹Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
¹⁰For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
¹¹Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
¹²Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Popularity Passes Away

¹³Better a poor and wise youth
Than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more.
¹⁴For he comes out of prison to be king,
Although ^[l]he was born poor in his kingdom.
¹⁵I saw all the living who walk under the sun;
They were with the second youth who stands in his place.
¹⁶There was no end of all the people ^[m]over whom he was made king;
Yet those who come afterward will not rejoice in him.
Surely this also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

Footnotes

Ecclesiastes 3:2 Lit. to bear
Ecclesiastes 3:15 Lit. seeks
Ecclesiastes 3:15 what is pursued
Ecclesiastes 3:16 justice
Ecclesiastes 3:16 Wickedness
Ecclesiastes 3:17 desire
Ecclesiastes 3:21 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. Who knows whether the spirit . . . goes upward, and whether . . . goes downward to the earth?
Ecclesiastes 3:22 portion or lot
Ecclesiastes 4:1 Lit. At the hand
Ecclesiastes 4:8 Lit. a second
Ecclesiastes 4:8 Lit. evil task
Ecclesiastes 4:14 The youth
Ecclesiastes 4:16 Lit. to all before whom he was to be

Matthew 4

New King James Version

Satan Tempts Jesus^(A)

4 Then ^(B)Jesus was led up by ^(C)the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ²And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. ³Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

⁴But He answered and said, “It is written, ^(D)‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

⁵Then the devil took Him up ^(E)into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

^(F)‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’

and,

^(G)‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

⁷Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ^(H)‘You shall not ^[a]tempt the Lord your God.’ ”

⁸Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and ^(I)showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

¹⁰Then Jesus said to him, ^[b]“Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ^(J)‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

¹¹Then the devil ^(K)left Him, and behold, ^(L)angels came and ministered to Him.

Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry^(M)

¹²^(N)Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. ¹³And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

¹⁵“The^(O) land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles:
¹⁶^(P)The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death
Light has dawned.”

¹⁷^(Q)From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ^(R)“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven ^[c]is at hand.”

Four Fishermen Called as Disciples^(S)

¹⁸^(T)And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon ^(U)called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. ¹⁹Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and ^(V)I will make you fishers of men.” ²⁰^(W)They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

²¹^(X)Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, ²²and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

Jesus Heals a Great Multitude^(Y)

²³And Jesus went about all Galilee, ^(Z)teaching in their synagogues, preaching ^(AA)the gospel of the kingdom, ^(AB)and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. ²⁴Then ^[d]His fame went throughout all Syria; and they ^(AC)brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. ²⁵^(AD)Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from ^[e]Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

Footnotes

Matthew 4:7 test
Matthew 4:10 M Get behind Me
Matthew 4:17 has drawn near
Matthew 4:24 Lit. the report of Him
Matthew 4:25 Lit. Ten Cities

Luke 4

New King James Version

Satan Tempts Jesus^(A)

4 Then ^(B)Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and ^(C)was led by the Spirit ^[a]into the wilderness, ²being ^[b]tempted for forty days by the devil. And ^(D)in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.

³And the devil said to Him, “If You are ^(E)the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

⁴But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ^(F)‘Man shall not live by bread alone, ^[c]but by every word of God.’ ”

⁵^[d]Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. ⁶And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for ^(G)this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. ⁷Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”

⁸And Jesus answered and said to him, ^[e]“Get behind Me, Satan! ^[f]For it is written, ^(H)‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

⁹^(I)Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. ¹⁰For it is written:

^(J)‘He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you,’

¹¹and,

^(K)‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

¹²And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ^(L)‘You shall not ^[g]tempt the Lord your God.’ ”

¹³Now when the devil had ended every ^[h]temptation, he departed from Him ^(M)until an opportune time.

Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry^(N)

¹⁴^(O)Then Jesus returned ^(P)in the power of the Spirit to ^(Q)Galilee, and ^(R)news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. ¹⁵And He ^(S)taught in their synagogues, ^(T)being glorified by all.

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth^(U)

¹⁶So He came to ^(V)Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, ^(W)He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. ¹⁷And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

¹⁸“The^(X) Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me ^[i]to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To ^(Y)set at liberty those who are ^[j]oppressed;
¹⁹To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

²⁰Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. ²¹And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is ^(Z)fulfilled in your hearing.” ²²So all bore witness to Him, and ^(AA)marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, ^(AB)“Is this not Joseph’s son?”

²³He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in ^(AC)Capernaum,^[k] do also here in ^(AD)Your country.’ ” ²⁴Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no ^(AE)prophet is accepted in his own country. ²⁵But I tell you truly, ^(AF)many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; ²⁶but to none of them was Elijah sent except to ^[l]Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. ²⁷^(AG)And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”

²⁸So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were ^(AH)filled with ^[m]wrath, ²⁹^(AI)and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. ³⁰Then ^(AJ)passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

Jesus Casts Out an Unclean Spirit^(AK)

³¹Then ^(AL)He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. ³²And they were ^(AM)astonished at His teaching, ^(AN)for His word was with authority. ³³^(AO)Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, ³⁴saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? ^(AP)I know who You are—^(AQ)the Holy One of God!”

³⁵But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ^[n]“Be quiet, and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him. ³⁶Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, “What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” ³⁷And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

Peter’s Mother-in-Law Healed^(AR)

³⁸^(AS)Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. But Simon’s wife’s mother was ^[o]sick with a high fever, and they ^(AT)made request of Him concerning her. ³⁹So He stood over her and ^(AU)rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them.

Many Healed After Sabbath Sunset^(AV)

⁴⁰^(AW)When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. ⁴¹^(AX)And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, ^(AY)“You are ^[p]the Christ, the Son of God!”

And He, ^(AZ)rebuking them, did not allow them to ^[q]speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.

Jesus Preaches in Galilee^(BA)

⁴²^(BB)Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; ⁴³but He said to them, “I must ^(BC)preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.” ⁴⁴^(BD)And He was preaching in the synagogues of ^[r]Galilee.