The Temptation of Jesus

Then Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil, and after he[a] had fasted forty days and forty nights, then he was hungry. And the tempter approached and[b] said to him, “If you are the Son of God, order that these stones become bread.” But he answered and[c] said, “It is written, ‘Man will not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.”[d]

Then the devil took him to the holy city[e] and placed him on the highest point of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down! For it is written,

‘He will command his angels concerning you,’[f]

and

‘On their hands they will lift you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”[g]

Jesus said to him, “On the other hand it is written, ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’”[h]

Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and he said to him, “I will give to you all these things, if you will fall down and[i] worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan, for it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”[j] 11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and began ministering to him.

Public Ministry in Galilee

12 Now when he[k] heard that John had been arrested,[l] he withdrew into Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth, he went and[m] lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 in order that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah would be fulfilled, who said,

15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
toward the sea,[n] on the other side of the Jordan,
    Galilee of the Gentiles[o]
16 the people who sit in darkness
    have seen a great light,
and the ones who sit in the land and shadow of death,
    a light has dawned on them.”[p]

17 From that time on, Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Jesus Calls His First Disciples

18 Now as he[q] was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew, throwing a casting net into the sea (for they were fishermen). 19 And he said to them, “Follow me[r] and I will make you fishers of people.” 20 And immediately they left their nets and[s] followed him. 21 And going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 And immediately they left the boat and their father and[t] followed him.

Teaching, Preaching, and Healing throughout Galilee

23 And he went around through all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and every sickness among the people. 24 And a report about him went out throughout[u] Syria, and they brought to him all those who were sick[v] with various diseases and afflicted by torments, demon-possessed[w] and epileptics and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And large crowds followed him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from the other side of the Jordan.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 4:2 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had fasted”) which is understood as temporal
  2. Matthew 4:3 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“approached”) has been translated as a finite verb
  3. Matthew 4:4 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb
  4. Matthew 4:4 A quotation from Deut 8:3
  5. Matthew 4:5 That is, Jerusalem
  6. Matthew 4:6 A quotation from Ps 91:11
  7. Matthew 4:6 A quotation from Ps 91:12
  8. Matthew 4:7 A quotation from Deut 6:16
  9. Matthew 4:9 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“will fall down”) has been translated as a finite verb
  10. Matthew 4:10 A quotation from Deut 6:13
  11. Matthew 4:12 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
  12. Matthew 4:12 Literally “had been handed over”
  13. Matthew 4:13 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“went”) has been translated as a finite verb
  14. Matthew 4:15 Literally “the way of the sea”
  15. Matthew 4:15 Or “nations”; the same Greek word can be translated “nations” or “Gentiles” depending on the context
  16. Matthew 4:16 A quotation from Isa 9:1
  17. Matthew 4:18 Here “as” is supplied as a component of the participle (“was walking”) which is understood as temporal
  18. Matthew 4:19 Literally “come behind me”
  19. Matthew 4:20 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“left”) has been translated as a finite verb
  20. Matthew 4:22 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“left”) has been translated as a finite verb
  21. Matthew 4:24 Literally “in the whole of”
  22. Matthew 4:24 Literally “having badly”
  23. Matthew 4:24 Some manuscripts have “and demon-possessed”

The Temptation of Jesus

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.

During that time the devil[a] came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”

But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,

‘People do not live by bread alone,
    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]

Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,

‘He will order his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you up with their hands
    so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’[c]

Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’[d]

Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”

10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,

‘You must worship the Lord your God
    and serve only him.’[e]

11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.

The Ministry of Jesus Begins

12 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee. 13 He went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah:

15 “In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali,
    beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River,
    in Galilee where so many Gentiles live,
16 the people who sat in darkness
    have seen a great light.
And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,
    a light has shined.”[f]

17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.[g]

The First Disciples

18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 20 And they left their nets at once and followed him.

21 A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. 22 They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.

Crowds Follow Jesus

23 Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 24 News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all. 25 Large crowds followed him wherever he went—people from Galilee, the Ten Towns,[h] Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River.

Footnotes

  1. 4:3 Greek the tempter.
  2. 4:4 Deut 8:3.
  3. 4:6 Ps 91:11-12.
  4. 4:7 Deut 6:16.
  5. 4:10 Deut 6:13.
  6. 4:15-16 Isa 9:1-2 (Greek version).
  7. 4:17 Or has come, or is coming soon.
  8. 4:25 Greek Decapolis.