Luke 4
International Standard Version
Jesus is Tempted by Satan(A)
4 Then Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan. He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 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.
3 The Devil told him, “Since[a] you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.”
4 Jesus answered him, “It is written,
‘One must not live on bread alone,
but on every word of God.’”[b]
5 The Devil[c] also took him to a high place[d] and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in an instant. 6 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. 7 So if you will worship me, all this will be yours.”
8 But Jesus answered him, “It is written,
9 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
- Luke 4:3 Or “If, as is the case,
- Luke 4:4 Cf. Deut 8:3; Other mss. lack but on every word of God
- Luke 4:5 Lit. He
- Luke 4:5 Lit. took him up
- Luke 4:6 Lit. him
- Luke 4:8 ; MT source citation reads Lord
- Luke 4:8 Cf. Deut 6:13
- Luke 4:9 Lit. He
- Luke 4:9 Lit. him
- Luke 4:9 Or “If, as is the case,
- Luke 4:10 Lit. He
- Luke 4:11 Cf. Ps 91:11-12
- Luke 4:12 MT source citation reads Lord
- Luke 4:12 Cf. Deut 6:16
- Luke 4:16 Lit. he
- Luke 4:18 The MT source citation reads Lord
- Luke 4:19 The MT source citation reads Lord
- Luke 4:19 Cf. Isa 61:1-2; 58:6
- Luke 4:21 Lit. fulfilled in your ears
- Luke 4:24 The Gk. pronoun you is pl.
- Luke 4:25 Lit. when the heavens were closed
- Luke 4:29 Lit. him
- Luke 4:31 Lit. he
- Luke 4:31 Lit. them
- Luke 4:31 Lit. Sabbaths
- Luke 4:32 The Gk. lacks spoken
- Luke 4:33 Lit. a spirit of a demon of uncleanness
- Luke 4:35 Lit. him
- Luke 4:35 The Gk. lacks of the synagogue
- Luke 4:38 Lit. he
- Luke 4:38 Lit. him
- Luke 4:40 Lit. people
- Luke 4:41 Lit. he
- Luke 4:41 Or Christ
- Luke 4:44 Other mss. read of Judea
Luke 4
GOD’S WORD Translation
The Devil Tempts Jesus(A)
4 Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit as he left the Jordan River. The Spirit led him while he was in the desert, 2 where he was tempted by the devil for 40 days. During those days Jesus ate nothing, so when they were over, he was hungry.
3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.”
4 Jesus answered him, “Scripture says, ‘A person cannot live on bread alone.’ ” [a]
5 The devil took him to a high place and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in an instant. 6 The devil said to him, “I will give you all the power and glory of these kingdoms. All of it has been given to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 So if you will worship me, all this will be yours.”
8 Jesus answered him, “Scripture says, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ ”
9 Then the devil took him into Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest part of the temple. He said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, jump from here! 10 Scripture says, ‘He will put his angels in charge of you to watch over you carefully. 11 They will carry you in their hands so that you never hit your foot against a rock.’ ”
12 Jesus answered him, “It has been said, ‘Never tempt the Lord your God.’ ” [b]
13 After the devil had finished tempting Jesus in every possible way, the devil left him until another time.
Nazareth Rejects Jesus(B)
14 Jesus returned to Galilee. The power of the Spirit was with him, and the news about him spread throughout the surrounding country. 15 He taught in the synagogues, and everyone praised him.
16 Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. As usual he went into the synagogue on the day of rest—a holy day. He stood up to read the lesson. 17 The attendant gave him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened it and found the place where it read:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is with me.
He has anointed me
to tell the Good News to the poor.
He has sent me [c]
to announce forgiveness to the prisoners of sin
and the restoring of sight to the blind,
to forgive those who have been shattered by sin,
19 to announce the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 Jesus closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue watched him closely. 21 Then he said to them, “This passage came true today when you heard me read it.”
22 All the people spoke well of him. They were amazed to hear the gracious words flowing from his lips. They said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”
23 So he said to them, “You’ll probably quote this proverb to me, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ and then say to me, ‘Do all the things in your hometown that we’ve heard you’ve done in Capernaum.’ ” 24 Then Jesus added, “I can guarantee this truth: A prophet isn’t accepted in his hometown.
25 “I can guarantee this truth: There were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time. It had not rained for three-and-a-half years, and the famine was severe everywhere in the country. 26 But God didn’t send Elijah to anyone except a widow at Zarephath in the territory of Sidon. 27 There were also many people with skin diseases in Israel in the prophet Elisha’s time. But God cured no one except Naaman from Syria.”
28 Everyone in the synagogue became furious when they heard this. 29 Their city was built on a hill with a cliff. So they got up, forced Jesus out of the city, and led him to the cliff. They intended to throw him off of it. 30 But Jesus walked right by them and went away.
Jesus Forces an Evil Spirit out of a Man(C)
31 Jesus went to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and taught them on a day of rest—a holy day. 32 The people were amazed at his teachings because he spoke with authority.
33 In the synagogue was a man possessed by a spirit, an evil demon. He shouted very loudly, 34 “Oh, no! What do you want with us, Jesus from Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
35 Jesus ordered the spirit, “Keep quiet, and come out of him!” The demon threw the man down in the middle of the synagogue and came out without hurting him.
36 Everyone was stunned. They said to one another, “What kind of command is this? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits, and they come out.”
37 So news about him spread to every place throughout the surrounding region.
Jesus Cures Simon’s Mother-in-Law and Many Others(D)
38 Jesus left the synagogue and went to Simon’s house. Simon’s mother-in-law was sick with a high fever. They asked Jesus to help her. 39 He bent over her, ordered the fever to leave, and it went away. She got up immediately and prepared a meal for them.
40 When the sun was setting, everyone who had friends suffering from various diseases brought them to him. He placed his hands on each of them and cured them. 41 Demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But Jesus ordered them not to speak. After all, they knew he was the Messiah.
Spreading the Good News(E)
42 In the morning he went to a place where he could be alone. The crowds searched for him. When they came to him, they tried to keep him from leaving. 43 But he said to them, “I have to tell the Good News about God’s kingdom in other cities also. That’s what I was sent to do.”
44 So he spread his message in the synagogues of Judea.[d]
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