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Matthew 1-4
Contemporary English Version
Matthew 1-4
Contemporary English Version
The Ancestors of Jesus
(Luke 3.23-38)
1 Jesus Christ came from the family of King David and also from the family of Abraham. And this is a list of his ancestors.
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and his brothers (Judah's sons were Perez and Zerah, and their mother was Tamar), Hezron;
Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz (his mother was Rahab), Obed (his mother was Ruth), Jesse, and King David.
David, Solomon (his mother had been Uriah's wife), Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram;
Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, and Jehoiachin and his brothers.
12-16 From the exile to the birth of Jesus, his ancestors were:
Jehoiachin, Shealtiel, Zerubbabel, Abiud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Achim;
Eliud, Eleazar, Matthan, Jacob, and Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who is called the Messiah.
17 There were 14 generations from Abraham to David. There were also 14 from David to the exile in Babylonia and 14 more to the birth of the Messiah.
The Birth of Jesus
(Luke 2.1-7)
18 (B) This is how Jesus Christ was born. A young woman named Mary was engaged to Joseph from King David's family. But before they were married, she learned that she was going to have a baby by God's Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph was a good man[a] and did not want to embarrass Mary in front of everyone. So he decided to quietly call off the wedding.
20 While Joseph was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord appeared to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, the baby that Mary will have is from the Holy Spirit. Go ahead and marry her. 21 (C) Then after her baby is born, name him Jesus,[b] because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet had said, 23 (D) “A virgin will have a baby boy, and he will be called Immanuel,” which means “God is with us.”
24 After Joseph woke up, he and Mary were soon married, just as the Lord's angel had told him to do. 25 (E) But they did not sleep together before her baby was born. Then Joseph named him Jesus.
The Wise Men
2 When Jesus was born in the village of Bethlehem in Judea, Herod was king. During this time some wise men[c] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and said, “Where is the child born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east[d] and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard about this, he was worried, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem. 4 Herod brought together the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses and asked them, “Where will the Messiah be born?”
5 They told him, “He will be born in Bethlehem, just as the prophet wrote,
6 (F) ‘Bethlehem in the land
of Judea,
you are very important
among the towns of Judea.
From your town
will come a leader,
who will be like a shepherd
for my people Israel.’ ”
7 Herod secretly called in the wise men and asked them when they had first seen the star. 8 He told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, let me know. I also want to go and worship him.”
9 The wise men listened to what the king said and then left. And the star they had seen in the east went on ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 They were thrilled and excited to see the star.
11 When the men went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they knelt down and worshiped him. They took out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh[e] and gave them to him. 12 Later they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and they went back home by another road.
The Escape to Egypt
13 After the wise men had gone, an angel from the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Hurry and take the child and his mother to Egypt! Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is looking for the child and wants to kill him.”
14 That night, Joseph got up and took his wife and the child to Egypt, 15 (G) where they stayed until Herod died. So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet had said, “I called my son out of Egypt.”
The Killing of the Children
16 When Herod found out that the wise men from the east had tricked him, he was very angry. He gave orders for his men to kill all the boys who lived in or near Bethlehem and were two years old and younger. This was based on what he had learned from the wise men.
17 So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet Jeremiah had said,
18 (H) “In Ramah a voice was heard
crying and weeping loudly.
Rachel was mourning
for her children,
and she refused
to be comforted,
because they were dead.”
The Return from Egypt
19 After King Herod died, an angel from the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph while he was still in Egypt. 20 The angel said, “Get up and take the child and his mother back to Israel. The people who wanted to kill him are now dead.”
21 Joseph got up and left with them for Israel. 22 But when he heard that Herod's son Archelaus was now ruler of Judea, he was afraid to go there. Then in a dream he was told to go to Galilee, 23 (I) and they went to live there in the town of Nazareth. So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet had said, “He will be called a Nazarene.”[f]
The Preaching of John the Baptist
(Mark 1.1-8; Luke 3.1-18; John 1.19-28)
3 Years later, John the Baptist started preaching in the desert of Judea. 2 (J) He said, “Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven[g] will soon be here.”[h]
3 (K) John was the one the prophet Isaiah was talking about, when he said,
“In the desert someone
is shouting,
‘Get the road ready
for the Lord!
Make a straight path
for him.’ ”
4 (L) John wore clothes made of camel's hair. He had a leather strap around his waist and ate grasshoppers and wild honey.
5 From Jerusalem and all Judea and from the Jordan River Valley crowds of people went to John. 6 They told how sorry they were for their sins, and he baptized them in the river.
7 (M) Many Pharisees and Sadducees also came to be baptized. But John said to them:
You bunch of snakes! Who warned you to run from the coming judgment? 8 Do something to show you have really given up your sins. 9 (N) And don't start telling yourselves that you belong to Abraham's family. I tell you that God can turn these stones into children for Abraham. 10 (O) An ax is ready to cut the trees down at their roots. Any tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into a fire.
11 I baptize you with water so you will give up your sins.[i] But someone more powerful is going to come, and I am not good enough even to carry his sandals.[j] He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12 (P) His threshing fork is in his hand, and he is ready to separate the wheat from the husks.[k] He will store the wheat in a barn and burn the husks in a fire that never goes out.
The Baptism of Jesus
(Mark 1.9-11; Luke 3.21,22)
13 Jesus left Galilee and went to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. 14 But John kept objecting and said, “I ought to be baptized by you. Why have you come to me?”
15 Jesus answered, “For now this is how it should be, because we must do all God wants us to do.” Then John agreed.
16 So Jesus was baptized. And as soon as he came out of the water, the sky opened, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down on him like a dove. 17 (Q) Then a voice from heaven said, “This is my own dear Son, and I am pleased with him.”
Jesus and the Devil
(Mark 1.12,13; Luke 4.1-13)
4 (R) The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert, so that the devil could test him. 2 After Jesus had gone without eating[l] for 40 days and nights, he was very hungry. 3 Then the devil came to him and said, “If you are God's Son, tell these stones to turn into bread.”
4 (S) Jesus answered, “The Scriptures say:
‘No one can live only on food.
People need every word
that God has spoken.’ ”
5 Next, the devil took Jesus into the holy city to the highest part of the temple. 6 (T) The devil said, “If you are God's Son, jump off. The Scriptures say:
‘God will give his angels
orders about you.
They will catch you
in their arms,
and you won't hurt
your feet on the stones.’ ”
7 (U) Jesus answered, “The Scriptures also say, ‘Don't try to test the Lord your God!’ ”
8 Finally, the devil took Jesus up on a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms on earth and their power. 9 The devil said to him, “I will give all this to you, if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 (V) Jesus answered, “Go away Satan! The Scriptures say:
‘Worship the Lord your God
and serve only him.’ ”
11 Then the devil left Jesus, and angels came to help him.
Jesus Begins His Work
(Mark 1.14,15; Luke 4.14,15)
12 (W) When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he went to Galilee. 13 (X) But instead of staying in Nazareth, Jesus moved to Capernaum. This town was beside Lake Galilee in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali.[m] 14 So God's promise came true, just as the prophet Isaiah had said,
15 (Y) “Listen, lands of Zebulun
and Naphtali,
lands along the road
to the sea
and across the Jordan.
Listen Galilee,
land of the Gentiles!
16 Although your people
live in darkness,
they will see
a bright light.
Although they live
in the shadow of death,
a light will shine
on them.”
17 (Z) Then Jesus started preaching, “Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven will soon be here.”[n]
Jesus Chooses Four Fishermen
(Mark 1.16-20; Luke 5.1-11)
18 While Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw two brothers. One was Simon, also known as Peter, and the other was Andrew. They were fishermen, and they were casting their net into the lake. 19 Jesus said to them, “Follow me! I will teach you how to bring in people instead of fish.” 20 Right then the two brothers dropped their nets and went with him.
21 Jesus walked on until he saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat with their father, mending their nets. Jesus asked them to come with him. 22 At once they left the boat and their father and went with Jesus.
Jesus Teaches, Preaches, and Heals
(Luke 6.17-19)
23 (AA) Jesus went all over Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news about God's kingdom. He also healed every kind of disease and sickness. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people with every kind of sickness or disease were brought to him. Some of them had a lot of demons in them, others were thought to be crazy,[o] and still others could not walk. But Jesus healed them all.
25 Large crowds followed Jesus from Galilee and the region around the ten cities known as Decapolis.[p] They also came from Jerusalem, Judea, and from across the Jordan River.
Footnotes
- 1.19 good man: Or “kind man,” or “man who always did the right thing.”
- 1.21 name him Jesus: In Hebrew the name “Jesus” means “the Lord saves.”
- 2.1 wise men: People famous for studying the stars.
- 2.2 his star in the east: Or “his star rise.”
- 2.11 frankincense, and myrrh: Frankincense was a valuable powder that was burned to make a sweet smell. Myrrh was a valuable sweet-smelling powder often used in perfume.
- 2.23 He will be called a Nazarene: The prophet who said this is not known.
- 3.2 kingdom of heaven: In the Gospel of Matthew “kingdom of heaven” is used with the same meaning as “God's kingdom” in Mark and Luke.
- 3.2 will soon be here: Or “is already here.”
- 3.11 so you will give up your sins: Or “because you have given up your sins.”
- 3.11 carry his sandals: This was one of the duties of a slave.
- 3.12 His threshing fork is in his hand, and he is ready to separate the wheat from the husks: After Jewish farmers had trampled out the grain, they used a large fork to pitch the grain and the husks into the air. Wind would blow away the light husks, and the grain would fall back to the ground, where it could be gathered up.
- 4.2 without eating: The Jewish people sometimes went without eating (also called “fasting”) to show their love for God or to show sorrow for their sins.
- 4.13 Zebulun and Naphtali: In Old Testament times these tribes were in northern Palestine, and in New Testament times many Gentiles lived where these tribes had once been.
- 4.17 The kingdom of heaven will soon be here: See the two notes at 3.2.
- 4.24 thought to be crazy: In ancient times people with epilepsy were thought to be crazy.
- 4.25 the ten cities known as Decapolis: A group of ten cities east of Samaria and Galilee, where the people followed the Greek way of life.
Matthew 1-4
New International Version
Matthew 1-4
New International Version
The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah(A)(B)(C)
1 This is the genealogy[a] of Jesus the Messiah[b] the son of David,(D) the son of Abraham:(E)
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac,(F)
Isaac the father of Jacob,(G)
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,(H)
3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,(I)
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
4 Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,(J)
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
6 and Jesse the father of King David.(K)
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,(L)
7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asa,
8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,
Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
9 Uzziah the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,(M)
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah[c] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.(N)
12 After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,(O)
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,(P)
13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,
Abihud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
14 Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Akim,
Akim the father of Elihud,
15 Elihud the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary,(Q) and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.(R)
17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.
Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[d]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.(S) 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[e] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce(T) her quietly.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel(U) of the Lord appeared to him in a dream(V) and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[f](W) because he will save his people from their sins.”(X)
22 All this took place to fulfill(Y) what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[g](Z) (which means “God with us”).
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel(AA) of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.(AB)
The Magi Visit the Messiah
2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea,(AC) during the time of King Herod,(AD) Magi[h] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?(AE) We saw his star(AF) when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem(AG) in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’[i]”(AH)
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.(AI) Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts(AJ) of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned(AK) in a dream(AL) not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
The Escape to Egypt
13 When they had gone, an angel(AM) of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.(AN) “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”(AO)
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled(AP) what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”[j](AQ)
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:(AR)
18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel(AS) weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”[k](AT)
The Return to Nazareth
19 After Herod died, an angel(AU) of the Lord appeared in a dream(AV) to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”(AW)
21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream,(AX) he withdrew to the district of Galilee,(AY) 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth.(AZ) So was fulfilled(BA) what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.(BB)
John the Baptist Prepares the Way(BC)
3 In those days John the Baptist(BD) came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven(BE) has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”[l](BF)
4 John’s(BG) clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist.(BH) His food was locusts(BI) and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized(BJ) by him in the Jordan River.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers!(BK) Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?(BL) 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.(BM) 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’(BN) I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.(BO)
11 “I baptize you with[m] water for repentance.(BP) But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with[n] the Holy Spirit(BQ) and fire.(BR) 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”(BS)
The Baptism of Jesus(BT)
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.(BU) 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened,(BV) and he saw the Spirit of God(BW) descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven(BX) said, “This is my Son,(BY) whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”(BZ)
Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness(CA)
4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[o](CB) by the devil.(CC) 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights,(CD) he was hungry. 3 The tempter(CE) came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God,(CF) tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[p]”(CG)
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city(CH) and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,”(CI) he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[q]”(CJ)
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[r]”(CK)
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan!(CL) For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[s]”(CM)
11 Then the devil left him,(CN) and angels came and attended him.(CO)
Jesus Begins to Preach
12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison,(CP) he withdrew to Galilee.(CQ) 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum,(CR) which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill(CS) what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.”[t](CT)
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven(CU) has come near.”
Jesus Calls His First Disciples(CV)
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee,(CW) he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter(CX) and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,”(CY) Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.(CZ)
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John.(DA) They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.(DB)
Jesus Heals the Sick
23 Jesus went throughout Galilee,(DC) teaching in their synagogues,(DD) proclaiming the good news(DE) of the kingdom,(DF) and healing every disease and sickness among the people.(DG) 24 News about him spread all over Syria,(DH) and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed,(DI) those having seizures,(DJ) and the paralyzed;(DK) and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis,[u] Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.(DL)
Footnotes
- Matthew 1:1 Or is an account of the origin
- Matthew 1:1 Or Jesus Christ. Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) both mean Anointed One; also in verse 18.
- Matthew 1:11 That is, Jehoiachin; also in verse 12
- Matthew 1:18 Or The origin of Jesus the Messiah was like this
- Matthew 1:19 Or was a righteous man and
- Matthew 1:21 Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the Lord saves.
- Matthew 1:23 Isaiah 7:14
- Matthew 2:1 Traditionally wise men
- Matthew 2:6 Micah 5:2,4
- Matthew 2:15 Hosea 11:1
- Matthew 2:18 Jer. 31:15
- Matthew 3:3 Isaiah 40:3
- Matthew 3:11 Or in
- Matthew 3:11 Or in
- Matthew 4:1 The Greek for tempted can also mean tested.
- Matthew 4:4 Deut. 8:3
- Matthew 4:6 Psalm 91:11,12
- Matthew 4:7 Deut. 6:16
- Matthew 4:10 Deut. 6:13
- Matthew 4:16 Isaiah 9:1,2
- Matthew 4:25 That is, the Ten Cities
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