Matthew 3:13-4:17

English Standard Version

The Baptism of Jesus

¹³^(A)Then Jesus came ^(B)from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. ¹⁴^(C)John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” ¹⁵But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. ¹⁶And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, ^(D)the heavens were opened to him,^[a] and he ^(E)saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; ¹⁷and behold, ^(F)a voice from heaven said, ^(G)“This is my beloved Son,^[b] with whom I am well pleased.”

The Temptation of Jesus

4 ^(H)Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness ^(I)to be tempted by the devil. ²And after fasting ^(J)forty days and forty nights, he ^(K)was hungry. ³And ^(L)the tempter came and said to him, “If you are ^(M)the Son of God, command ^(N)these stones to become loaves of bread.” ⁴But he answered, ^(O)“It is written,

^(P)“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

⁵^(Q)Then the devil took him to ^(R)the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple ⁶and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

^(S)“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’

and

“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

⁷Jesus said to him, “Again ^(T)it is written, ^(U)‘You shall not ^(V)put the Lord your God to the test.’” ⁸^(W)Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, ^(X)Satan! For ^(Y)it is written,

^(Z)“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and ^(AA)him only shall you serve.’”

¹¹Then the devil left him, and behold, ^(AB)angels came and were ministering to him.

Jesus Begins His Ministry

¹²Now when he heard that ^(AC)John had been arrested, ^(AD)he withdrew into Galilee. ¹³And leaving ^(AE)Nazareth he went and lived in ^(AF)Capernaum by ^(AG)the sea, in the territory of ^(AH)Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴^(AI)so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

¹⁵^(AJ)“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
    the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
¹⁶^(AK)the people dwelling in darkness
    have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and ^(AL)shadow of death,
    on them a light has dawned.”