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The Temptation of Jesus

Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness,[a] where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.

Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.”

But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’[b]

Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. I will give it all to you if you will worship me.”

Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say,

‘You must worship the Lord your God
    and serve only him.’[c]

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! 10 For the Scriptures say,

‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you.
11 And they will hold you up with their hands
    so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’[d]

12 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’[e]

13 When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. 15 He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

16 When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. 17 The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
    that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
19     and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.[f]

20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. 21 Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”

22 Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

23 Then he said, “You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself’—meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’ 24 But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.

25 “Certainly there were many needy widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a severe famine devastated the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreigner—a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon. 27 And many in Israel had leprosy in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian.”

28 When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious. 29 Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him over the cliff, 30 but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.

Jesus Casts Out a Demon

31 Then Jesus went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught there in the synagogue every Sabbath day. 32 There, too, the people were amazed at his teaching, for he spoke with authority.

33 Once when he was in the synagogue, a man possessed by a demon—an evil[g] spirit—cried out, shouting, 34 “Go away! Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

35 But Jesus reprimanded him. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered. At that, the demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched; then it came out of him without hurting him further.

36 Amazed, the people exclaimed, “What authority and power this man’s words possess! Even evil spirits obey him, and they flee at his command!” 37 The news about Jesus spread through every village in the entire region.

Jesus Heals Many People

38 After leaving the synagogue that day, Jesus went to Simon’s home, where he found Simon’s mother-in-law very sick with a high fever. “Please heal her,” everyone begged. 39 Standing at her bedside, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she got up at once and prepared a meal for them.

40 As the sun went down that evening, people throughout the village brought sick family members to Jesus. No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed every one. 41 Many were possessed by demons; and the demons came out at his command, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But because they knew he was the Messiah, he rebuked them and refused to let them speak.

Jesus Continues to Preach

42 Early the next morning Jesus went out to an isolated place. The crowds searched everywhere for him, and when they finally found him, they begged him not to leave them. 43 But he replied, “I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent.” 44 So he continued to travel around, preaching in synagogues throughout Judea.[h]

Footnotes

  1. 4:1 Some manuscripts read into the wilderness.
  2. 4:4 Deut 8:3.
  3. 4:8 Deut 6:13.
  4. 4:10-11 Ps 91:11-12.
  5. 4:12 Deut 6:16.
  6. 4:18-19 Or and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. Isa 61:1-2 (Greek version); 58:6.
  7. 4:33 Greek unclean; also in 4:36.
  8. 4:44 Some manuscripts read Galilee.

Jesus is Tempted by Satan(A)

Then Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan. He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where he was being tempted by the Devil for 40 days. During that time he ate nothing at all, and when they were over he became hungry.

The Devil told him, “Since[a] you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.”

Jesus answered him, “It is written,

‘One must not live on bread alone,
    but on every word of God.’”[b]

The Devil[c] also took him to a high place[d] and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in an instant. He told Jesus,[e] “I will give you all this authority, along with their glory, because it has been given to me, and I give it to anyone I please. So if you will worship me, all this will be yours.”

But Jesus answered him, “It is written,

‘You must worship the Lord[f] your God and serve only him.’”[g]

The Devil[h] also took him into Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the Temple. He told Jesus,[i] “Since[j] you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 because it is written,

‘God[k] will put his angels in charge of you
    to watch over you carefully.
11 With their hands they will hold you up,
    so that you will never hit your foot against a rock.’”[l]

12 Jesus answered him, “It has been said, ‘You must not tempt the Lord[m] your God.’”[n]

13 After the Devil had finished tempting Jesus in every possible way, he left him until another time.

Jesus Begins His Ministry in Galilee(B)

14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee by the power of the Spirit. Meanwhile, the news about him spread throughout the surrounding country. 15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was continuously receiving praise from everyone.

Jesus is Rejected at Nazareth(C)

16 Then Jesus[o] came to Nazareth, where he had been raised. As was his custom, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. When he stood up to read, 17 the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written,

18 “The Spirit of the Lord[p] is upon me;
    he has anointed me to tell
        the good news to the poor.
He has sent me to announce release to the prisoners
    and recovery of sight to the blind,
        to set oppressed people free,
19 and to announce the year of the Lord’s[q] favor.”[r]

20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. While the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him, 21 he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled, as you’ve heard it read aloud.”[s]

22 All the people began to speak well of him and to wonder at the gracious words that flowed from his mouth. They said, “This is Joseph’s son, isn’t it?”

23 So he told them, “You will probably quote this proverb to me, ‘Doctor, heal yourself! Do everything here in your hometown that we hear you did in Capernaum.’”

24 He added, “I tell all of you[t] with certainty, a prophet is not accepted in his hometown. 25 I’m telling you the truth—there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when it didn’t rain[u] for three years and six months and there was a severe famine everywhere in the land. 26 Yet Elijah wasn’t sent to a single one of those widows except to one at Zarephath in Sidon. 27 There were also many lepers in Israel in the prophet Elisha’s time, yet not one of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”

28 All the people in the synagogue became furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, forced Jesus[v] out of the city, and led him to the edge of the hill on which their city was built, intending to throw him off. 30 But he walked right through the middle of them and went away.

Jesus Heals a Man with an Unclean Spirit(D)

31 Then Jesus[w] went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and began teaching the people[x] on Sabbath days.[y] 32 They were utterly amazed at what he taught, because his message was spoken[z] with authority.

33 In the synagogue was a man who had a demon.[aa] He screamed with a loud voice, 34 “Oh, no! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

35 But Jesus rebuked him. “Be quiet,” he said, “and come out of him!” At this, the demon threw the man[ab] down in the middle of the synagogue[ac] and came out of him without hurting him.

36 Overwhelmed with amazement, they all kept saying to one another, “What kind of statement is this?—because with authority and power he gives orders to unclean spirits, and they come out!” 37 So news about him spread to every place in the surrounding region.

Jesus Heals Many People(E)

38 Then Jesus[ad] got up to leave the synagogue and went into Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was sick with a high fever, so they asked Jesus[ae] about her. 39 He bent over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began serving them. 40 When the sun was setting, everyone who had any friends[af] suffering from various diseases brought them to him. He placed his hands on each of them and began healing them. 41 Even demons came out of many people, screaming, “You are the Son of God!” But Jesus[ag] rebuked them and ordered them not to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.[ah]

Jesus Goes on a Preaching Tour(F)

42 At daybreak he left and went to a deserted place, while the crowds kept looking for him. When they came to him, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43 But he told them, “I have to proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God in other cities, because I was sent to do that also.” 44 So he continued to preach in the synagogues of Galilee.[ai]

Footnotes

  1. Luke 4:3 Or “If, as is the case,
  2. Luke 4:4 Cf. Deut 8:3; Other mss. lack but on every word of God
  3. Luke 4:5 Lit. He
  4. Luke 4:5 Lit. took him up
  5. Luke 4:6 Lit. him
  6. Luke 4:8 ; MT source citation reads Lord
  7. Luke 4:8 Cf. Deut 6:13
  8. Luke 4:9 Lit. He
  9. Luke 4:9 Lit. him
  10. Luke 4:9 Or “If, as is the case,
  11. Luke 4:10 Lit. He
  12. Luke 4:11 Cf. Ps 91:11-12
  13. Luke 4:12 MT source citation reads Lord
  14. Luke 4:12 Cf. Deut 6:16
  15. Luke 4:16 Lit. he
  16. Luke 4:18 The MT source citation reads Lord
  17. Luke 4:19 The MT source citation reads Lord
  18. Luke 4:19 Cf. Isa 61:1-2; 58:6
  19. Luke 4:21 Lit. fulfilled in your ears
  20. Luke 4:24 The Gk. pronoun you is pl.
  21. Luke 4:25 Lit. when the heavens were closed
  22. Luke 4:29 Lit. him
  23. Luke 4:31 Lit. he
  24. Luke 4:31 Lit. them
  25. Luke 4:31 Lit. Sabbaths
  26. Luke 4:32 The Gk. lacks spoken
  27. Luke 4:33 Lit. a spirit of a demon of uncleanness
  28. Luke 4:35 Lit. him
  29. Luke 4:35 The Gk. lacks of the synagogue
  30. Luke 4:38 Lit. he
  31. Luke 4:38 Lit. him
  32. Luke 4:40 Lit. people
  33. Luke 4:41 Lit. he
  34. Luke 4:41 Or Christ
  35. Luke 4:44 Other mss. read of Judea