Font Size
Matthew 1-4
Evangelical Heritage Version
Matthew 1-4
Evangelical Heritage Version
The Genealogy of Jesus Christ
1 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father of Ram. 4 Ram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon. 5 Salmon was the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed was the father of Jesse. 6 Jesse was the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah. 7 Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam was the father of Abijah. Abijah was the father of Asa. 8 Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was the father of Joram. Joram was the father[a] of Uzziah. 9 Uzziah was the father of Jotham. Jotham was the father of Ahaz. Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh. Manasseh was the father of Amon. Amon was the father of Josiah. 11 Josiah was the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the Babylonian exile.
12 After the Babylonian exile, Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel. 13 Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud. Abiud was the father of Eliakim. Eliakim was the father of Azor. 14 Azor was the father of Zadok. Zadok was the father of Achim. Achim was the father of Eliud. 15 Eliud was the father of Eleazar. Eleazar was the father of Matthan. Matthan was the father of Jacob. 16 Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, from whom Jesus was born (who is called Christ).
17 So altogether there were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen generations from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen generations from the Babylonian exile to Christ.
The Birth of Jesus Christ
18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. His mother, Mary, was pledged in marriage[b] to Joseph. Before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her husband, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her. So he decided to divorce her privately. 20 But as he was considering these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because the child 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,[c] because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this happened to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Look, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son. And they will name him Immanuel,”[d] which means, “God with us.”
24 When Joseph woke up from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him. He took Mary home as his wife, 25 but he was not intimate with her until she gave birth to her firstborn son.[e] And he named him Jesus.
The Visit of the Wise Men
2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, when Herod was king, Wise Men from the east came to Jerusalem. They asked, 2 “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose[f] and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 He gathered together all the people’s chief priests and experts in the law. He asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, because this was written through the prophet:
6 You, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are certainly not least among the rulers of Judah: because out of you will come a ruler, who will shepherd my people, Israel.”[g]
7 Then Herod secretly summoned the Wise Men and found out from them exactly when the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report to me, so that I may also go and worship him.”
9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. Then the star they had seen when it rose[h] went ahead of them, until it stood still over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with overwhelming joy. 11 After they went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Since they had been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another route.
Flight to Egypt
13 After the Wise Men were gone, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to Joseph in a dream. He said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, because Herod will search for the child in order to kill him.”
14 Joseph got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and left for Egypt. 15 He stayed there until the death of Herod. This happened to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”[i]
Herod Kills the Boys
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Wise Men, he was furious. He issued orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and in all the surrounding countryside, from two years old and under. This was in keeping with the exact time he had learned from the Wise Men. 17 Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
18 A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
and she refused to be comforted,
because they are no more.[j]
Return to Nazareth
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. The angel said, 20 “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to kill the child are dead.”
21 Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus, Herod’s son, had succeeded his father as ruler in Judea, he was afraid to go there. Since he had been warned in a dream, he went to the region of Galilee. 23 When he arrived there, he settled in a city called Nazareth. So what was spoken through the prophets was fulfilled: “He will be called a Nazarene.”[k]
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
3 In those days, John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, 2 “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven is near!” 3 Yes, this is he of whom this was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
A voice of one crying out in the wilderness,
“Prepare the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight.”[l]
4 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem, all of Judea, and all the region around the Jordan were going out to him. 6 They were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore produce fruit in keeping with repentance! 9 Do not think of saying to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. 10 Already the ax is ready to strike[m] the root of the trees. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I baptize you with water for repentance. But the one who comes after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will thoroughly clean out his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
John Baptizes Jesus
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to be baptized by John at the Jordan. 14 But John tried to stop him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?”
15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, because it is proper for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John let him. 16 After Jesus was baptized, he immediately went up out of the water. Suddenly, the heavens were opened for him! He saw the Spirit of God, descending like a dove and landing on him, 17 and a voice out of the heavens said, “This is my Son, whom I love. I am well pleased with him.”
The Devil Tempts Jesus
4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. 2 After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The Tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.”
4 But Jesus answered, “It is written:
Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.”[n]
5 Then the Devil took him into the holy city. He placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and he said to him, “If you are the Son of God, 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.”[o]
7 Jesus said to him, “Again, it is written:
You shall not test the Lord your God.”[p]
8 Again the Devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 He said to him, “I will give you all of these things, if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written:
Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”[q]
11 Then the Devil left him, and just then angels came and served him.
Jesus Begins to Preach
12 When Jesus heard that John was put in prison, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 He did this to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
15 Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
along the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
16 the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light,
and on those dwelling in the region and the shadow of death a light has dawned.[r]
17 From that time, Jesus began to preach: “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven is near.”
“Come, Follow Me”
18 As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen. 19 He said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
20 They immediately left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Jesus Preaches in Galilee
23 Jesus traveled throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread throughout all Syria. People brought to him all who were ill with various diseases and suffering severe pains, the demon-possessed, those who experienced seizures, and the paralyzed. Then he healed them. 25 Large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
Footnotes
- Matthew 1:8 The Greek word for father of does not always mean immediate ancestor, but can also mean grandfather or male ancestor. In this genealogy, some generations are deliberately skipped to arrive at three groups of fourteen generations (verse 17). Three names are omitted after Joram: Ahaziah (2 Kings 8:25; 2 Chronicles 22:1), Joash (2 Kings 11:21; 12:1 [Hebrew text]; 2 Chronicles 24:1), and Amaziah (2 Kings 14:1; 2 Chronicles 25:1).
- Matthew 1:18 Or betrothed
- Matthew 1:21 Jesus means the Lord saves.
- Matthew 1:23 Isaiah 7:14
- Matthew 1:25 Some witnesses to the text omit her firstborn and simply read she gave birth to a son. (“Witnesses to the text” mentioned in footnotes may include Greek manuscripts, lectionaries, translations, and quotations in the church fathers.)
- Matthew 2:2 Or in the east
- Matthew 2:6 Micah 5:2
- Matthew 2:9 Or in the east
- Matthew 2:15 Hosea 11:1
- Matthew 2:18 Jeremiah 31:15
- Matthew 2:23 The text does not indicate that this is a direct quotation of the Old Testament, and it does not seem to be an exact quotation of any passage in the Old Testament Scriptures.
- Matthew 3:3 Isaiah 40:3
- Matthew 3:10 Literally is placed against
- Matthew 4:4 Deuteronomy 8:3
- Matthew 4:6 Psalm 91:11-12
- Matthew 4:7 Deuteronomy 6:16
- Matthew 4:10 Deuteronomy 6:13
- Matthew 4:16 Isaiah 9:1-2
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
Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV)
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.