John the Baptist Prepares the Way^(A)(B)

3 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate^(C) was governor of Judea, Herod^(D) tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— ² during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,^(E) the word of God came to John^(F) son of Zechariah^(G) in the wilderness. ³ He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.^(H)

¹⁵ The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John^(A) might possibly be the Messiah.^{(B) 16} John answered them all, “I baptize you with^[a] water.^(C) But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with^[b] the Holy Spirit and fire.^{(D) 17} His winnowing fork^(E) is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”^(F)

The Baptism and Genealogy of Jesus^(A)(B)

²¹ When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying,^(C) heaven was opened ²² and the Holy Spirit descended on him^(D) in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son,^(E) whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”^(F)

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness^(A)

4 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit,^(B) left the Jordan^(C) and was led by the Spirit^(D) into the wilderness, ² 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.

³ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God,^(G) tell this stone to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’^[b]”^(H)

⁵ The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.^{(I) 6} 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. ⁷ If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

⁸ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’^[c]”^(K)

⁹ 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:

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) 15} He was teaching in their synagogues,^(R) and everyone praised him.

²¹ At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.^(A) Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

²² “All things have been committed to me by my Father.^(B) No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”^(C)

²³ Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.