25 Do not go out into the field,
Nor walk by the way.
Because of the sword of the enemy,
Fear is on every side.
26 O daughter of my people,
(A)Dress in sackcloth
(B)And roll about in ashes!
(C)Make mourning as for an only son, most bitter lamentation;
For the plunderer will suddenly come upon us.

27 “I have set you as an assayer and (D)a fortress among My people,
That you may know and test their way.
28 (E)They are all stubborn rebels, (F)walking as slanderers.
They are (G)bronze and iron,
They are all corrupters;
29 The bellows blow fiercely,
The lead is consumed by the fire;
The smelter refines in vain,
For the wicked are not drawn off.

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25 Do not go out to the fields
    or walk on the roads,
for the enemy has a sword,
    and there is terror on every side.(A)
26 Put on sackcloth,(B) my people,
    and roll in ashes;(C)
mourn with bitter wailing(D)
    as for an only son,(E)
for suddenly the destroyer(F)
    will come upon us.

27 “I have made you a tester(G) of metals
    and my people the ore,
that you may observe
    and test their ways.
28 They are all hardened rebels,(H)
    going about to slander.(I)
They are bronze and iron;(J)
    they all act corruptly.
29 The bellows blow fiercely
    to burn away the lead with fire,
but the refining(K) goes on in vain;
    the wicked are not purged out.

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The Coming Messenger

“Behold, (A)I send My messenger,
And he will (B)prepare the way before Me.
And the Lord, whom you seek,
Will suddenly come to His temple,
(C)Even the Messenger of the covenant,
In whom you delight.
Behold, (D)He is coming,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

“But who can endure (E)the day of His coming?
And (F)who can stand when He appears?
For (G)He is like a refiner’s fire
And like launderers’ soap.
(H)He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver;
He will purify the sons of Levi,
And [a]purge them as gold and silver,
That they may (I)offer to the Lord
An offering in righteousness.

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Footnotes

  1. Malachi 3:3 Or refine

“I will send my messenger,(A) who will prepare the way before me.(B) Then suddenly the Lord(C) you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant,(D) whom you desire,(E) will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

But who can endure(F) the day of his coming?(G) Who can stand(H) when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire(I) or a launderer’s soap.(J) He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver;(K) he will purify(L) the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.(M) Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,(N)

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(A)In this you greatly rejoice, though now (B)for a little while, if need be, (C)you have been [a]grieved by various trials, that (D)the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though (E)it is tested by fire, (F)may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Peter 1:6 distressed

In all this you greatly rejoice,(A) though now for a little while(B) you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.(C) These have come so that the proven genuineness(D) of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire(E)—may result in praise, glory and honor(F) when Jesus Christ is revealed.(G)

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Suffering for God’s Glory

12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice (A)to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that (B)when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 14 If you are [a]reproached for the name of Christ, (C)blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. [b]On their part He is blasphemed, (D)but on your part He is glorified.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Peter 4:14 insulted or reviled
  2. 1 Peter 4:14 NU omits the rest of v. 14.

Suffering for Being a Christian

12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you(A) to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice(B) inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ,(C) so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.(D) 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ,(E) you are blessed,(F) for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

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Satan Tempts Jesus(A)

Then (B)Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and (C)was led by the Spirit [a]into the wilderness, being [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.

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

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

[d]Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And 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. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”

And 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.’

(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. 10 For it is written:

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

11 and,

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

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

13 Now 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.

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 4:1 NU in
  2. Luke 4:2 tested
  3. Luke 4:4 NU omits but by every word of God
  4. Luke 4:5 NU And taking Him up, he showed Him
  5. Luke 4:8 NU omits Get behind Me, Satan
  6. Luke 4:8 NU, M omit For
  7. Luke 4:12 test
  8. Luke 4:13 testing

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)

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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