Rejection at Nazareth

16 He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up.(A) As usual, he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day(B) and stood up to read.(C) 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him, and unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written:

18 The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me[a]
to proclaim release[b] to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.[c](D)

20 He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down.(E) And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.”(F)

22 They were all speaking well of him[d] and were amazed by the gracious words that came from his mouth; yet they said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” (G)

23 Then he said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb[e] to me: ‘Doctor, heal yourself. What we’ve heard that took place in Capernaum,(H) do here in your hometown also.’”

24 He also said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his hometown.(I) 25 But I say to you, there were certainly many widows in Israel in Elijah’s days,(J) when the sky was shut up for three years and six months while a great famine came over all the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them except a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.(K) 27 And in the prophet Elisha’s time, there were many in Israel who had leprosy,[f] and yet not one of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”(L)

28 When they heard this, everyone in the synagogue was enraged. 29 They got up, drove him out of town,(M) and brought him to the edge of the hill that their town was built on, intending to hurl him over the cliff. 30 But he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.(N)

Read full chapter

Notas al pie

  1. 4:18 Other mss add to heal the brokenhearted,
  2. 4:18 Or freedom, or forgiveness
  3. 4:18–19 Is 61:1–2
  4. 4:22 Or They were testifying against him
  5. 4:23 Or parable
  6. 4:27 Gk lepros; a term for various skin diseases; see Lv 13–14

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.[a]

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.

Read full chapter

Notas al pie

  1. 4:18-19 Or and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. Isa 61:1-2 (Greek version); 58:6.