Luke 4:16-44

New Catholic Bible

¹⁶ Jesus at Nazareth.^[a]When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, ¹⁷ and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll, he found the passage where it is written:

²⁰ Then he rolled up the scroll, returned it to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed intently on him.

²¹ Then he began by saying to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” ²² All present spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that flowed from his lips. They also asked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?”

²³ He said to them, “Undoubtedly you will quote to me the proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself,’ and say: ‘Do here in your hometown^[b] the deeds we have heard that you performed in Capernaum.’ ²⁴ Amen, I say to you,” he went on, “no prophet is accepted in his own country.

^25 [c]“I tell you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the skies remained closed for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. ²⁶ Yet it was to none of them that Elijah was sent, but to a widow at Zarephath in the land of Sidon. ²⁷ There were also many people with leprosy in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, but not one of these was cleansed except for Naaman the Syrian.”

²⁸ When they heard these words, all the people in the synagogue were roused to fury.^{[d] 29} They leapt up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the top of the hill upon which their town was built, intending to hurl him off the cliff. ³⁰ However, he passed through the midst of the crowd and went on his way.

³¹ Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon.^[e]Jesus then went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and began to teach the people on the Sabbath. ³² They were astounded at his teaching because his message had authority.

³³ In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he shrieked loudly, ³⁴ “Leave us alone! 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.”^{[f] 35} But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!”

Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and emerged from him without doing him any harm. ³⁶ The people were all amazed, and they said to one another: “What is this teaching? For with authority and power he gives commands to unclean spirits, and they come forth.” ³⁷ And reports about him began to spread throughout the entire region.

³⁸ Jesus Heals Peter’s Mother-in-Law. On leaving the synagogue, he entered Simon’s house. Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they begged him to help her. ³⁹ Jesus stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately and began to serve them.

⁴⁰ Jesus Ministers throughout Galilee. At sunset they brought to him all those who were sick with various diseases. He laid his hands on each of them and healed them. ⁴¹ Demons also emerged from many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Christ.

⁴² Jesus Is the Envoy of God for All Israel.^[g] At daybreak he departed and made his way to a secluded place. But the crowds went forth in search of him, and when they located him, they tried to prevent him from leaving there. ⁴³ However, he said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other towns as well, because this was the purpose for which I was sent.” ⁴⁴ Thus, he continued to preach in the synagogues of Judea.