Jesus Begins His Ministry

¹² Now when he heard that ^(A)John had been arrested, ^(B)he withdrew into Galilee. ¹³ And leaving ^(C)Nazareth he went and lived in ^(D)Capernaum by ^(E)the sea, in the territory of ^(F)Zebulun and Naphtali, ^14 (G)so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

^17 (K)From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ^(L)“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”^[a]

Salt and Light

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth, ^(A)but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

^15 (A)Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so ^(B)that^[a] they may see your good works and ^(C)give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

²⁰ For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds ^(A)that of the scribes and Pharisees, you ^(B)will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

I Am the Light of the World

^12 (A)Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ^(B)“I am the light of the world. Whoever ^(C)follows me will not ^(D)walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”