Previous Prev Day Next DayNext

Bible in 90 Days

An intensive Bible reading plan that walks through the entire Bible in 90 days.
Duration: 88 days
New International Version (NIV)
Version
Zechariah 11 - Matthew 4

11 Open your doors, Lebanon,(A)
    so that fire(B) may devour your cedars!
Wail, you juniper, for the cedar has fallen;
    the stately trees are ruined!
Wail, oaks(C) of Bashan;
    the dense forest(D) has been cut down!(E)
Listen to the wail of the shepherds;
    their rich pastures are destroyed!
Listen to the roar of the lions;(F)
    the lush thicket of the Jordan is ruined!(G)

Two Shepherds

This is what the Lord my God says: “Shepherd the flock marked for slaughter.(H) Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, ‘Praise the Lord, I am rich!’ Their own shepherds do not spare them.(I) For I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,” declares the Lord. “I will give everyone into the hands of their neighbors(J) and their king. They will devastate the land, and I will not rescue anyone from their hands.”(K)

So I shepherded the flock marked for slaughter,(L) particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then I took two staffs and called one Favor and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock. In one month I got rid of the three shepherds.

The flock detested(M) me, and I grew weary of them and said, “I will not be your shepherd. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish.(N) Let those who are left eat(O) one another’s flesh.”

10 Then I took my staff called Favor(P) and broke it, revoking(Q) the covenant I had made with all the nations. 11 It was revoked on that day, and so the oppressed of the flock who were watching me knew it was the word of the Lord.

12 I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.(R)

13 And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver(S) and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.(T)

14 Then I broke my second staff called Union, breaking the family bond between Judah and Israel.

15 Then the Lord said to me, “Take again the equipment of a foolish shepherd. 16 For I am going to raise up a shepherd over the land who will not care for the lost, or seek the young, or heal the injured, or feed the healthy, but will eat the meat of the choice sheep, tearing off their hooves.

17 “Woe to the worthless shepherd,(U)
    who deserts the flock!
May the sword strike his arm(V) and his right eye!
    May his arm be completely withered,
    his right eye totally blinded!”(W)

Jerusalem’s Enemies to Be Destroyed

12 A prophecy:(X) The word of the Lord concerning Israel.

The Lord, who stretches out the heavens,(Y) who lays the foundation of the earth,(Z) and who forms the human spirit within a person,(AA) declares: “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup(AB) that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling.(AC) Judah(AD) will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations(AE) of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock(AF) for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure(AG) themselves. On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,” declares the Lord. “I will keep a watchful eye over Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations.(AH) Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong,(AI) because the Lord Almighty is their God.’

“On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot(AJ) in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume(AK) all the surrounding peoples right and left, but Jerusalem will remain intact(AL) in her place.

“The Lord will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem’s inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah.(AM) On that day the Lord will shield(AN) those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest(AO) among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God,(AP) like the angel of the Lord going before(AQ) them. On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations(AR) that attack Jerusalem.(AS)

Mourning for the One They Pierced

10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit[a](AT) of grace and supplication.(AU) They will look on[b] me, the one they have pierced,(AV) and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child,(AW) and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.(AX) 11 On that day the weeping(AY) in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.(AZ) 12 The land will mourn,(BA) each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives, 13 the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, 14 and all the rest of the clans and their wives.(BB)

Cleansing From Sin

13 “On that day a fountain(BC) will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse(BD) them from sin and impurity.

“On that day, I will banish the names of the idols(BE) from the land, and they will be remembered no more,”(BF) declares the Lord Almighty. “I will remove both the prophets(BG) and the spirit of impurity from the land. And if anyone still prophesies, their father and mother, to whom they were born, will say to them, ‘You must die, because you have told lies(BH) in the Lord’s name.’ Then their own parents will stab the one who prophesies.(BI)

“On that day every prophet will be ashamed(BJ) of their prophetic vision. They will not put on a prophet’s garment(BK) of hair(BL) in order to deceive.(BM) Each will say, ‘I am not a prophet. I am a farmer; the land has been my livelihood since my youth.[c](BN) If someone asks, ‘What are these wounds on your body[d]?’ they will answer, ‘The wounds I was given at the house of my friends.’

The Shepherd Struck, the Sheep Scattered

“Awake, sword,(BO) against my shepherd,(BP)
    against the man who is close to me!”
    declares the Lord Almighty.
“Strike the shepherd,
    and the sheep will be scattered,(BQ)
    and I will turn my hand against the little ones.
In the whole land,” declares the Lord,
    “two-thirds will be struck down and perish;
    yet one-third will be left in it.(BR)
This third I will put into the fire;(BS)
    I will refine them like silver(BT)
    and test them like gold.(BU)
They will call(BV) on my name(BW)
    and I will answer(BX) them;
I will say, ‘They are my people,’(BY)
    and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.(BZ)’”

The Lord Comes and Reigns

14 A day of the Lord(CA) is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions(CB) will be plundered and divided up within your very walls.

I will gather all the nations(CC) to Jerusalem to fight against it;(CD) the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped.(CE) Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.(CF) Then the Lord will go out and fight(CG) against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle.(CH) On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,(CI) east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split(CJ) in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake[e](CK) in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come,(CL) and all the holy ones with him.(CM)

On that day there will be neither sunlight(CN) nor cold, frosty darkness. It will be a unique(CO) day—a day known only to the Lord—with no distinction between day and night.(CP) When evening comes, there will be light.(CQ)

On that day living water(CR) will flow(CS) out from Jerusalem, half of it east(CT) to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter.(CU)

The Lord will be king(CV) over the whole earth.(CW) On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.(CX)

10 The whole land, from Geba(CY) to Rimmon,(CZ) south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah. But Jerusalem will be raised up(DA) high from the Benjamin Gate(DB) to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate,(DC) and from the Tower of Hananel(DD) to the royal winepresses, and will remain in its place.(DE) 11 It will be inhabited;(DF) never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure.(DG)

12 This is the plague with which the Lord will strike(DH) all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.(DI) 13 On that day people will be stricken by the Lord with great panic.(DJ) They will seize each other by the hand and attack one another.(DK) 14 Judah(DL) too will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected(DM)—great quantities of gold and silver and clothing. 15 A similar plague(DN) will strike the horses and mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps.

16 Then the survivors(DO) from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship(DP) the King,(DQ) the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.(DR) 17 If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship(DS) the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain.(DT) 18 If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The Lord[f] will bring on them the plague(DU) he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.(DV) 19 This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.(DW)

20 On that day holy to the Lord(DX) will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots(DY) in the Lord’s house will be like the sacred bowls(DZ) in front of the altar. 21 Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy(EA) to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day(EB) there will no longer be a Canaanite[g](EC) in the house(ED) of the Lord Almighty.(EE)

A prophecy:(EF) The word(EG) of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.[h]

Israel Doubts God’s Love

“I have loved(EH) you,” says the Lord.

“But you ask,(EI) ‘How have you loved us?’

“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob,(EJ) but Esau I have hated,(EK) and I have turned his hill country into a wasteland(EL) and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.(EM)

Edom(EN) may say, “Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild(EO) the ruins.”

But this is what the Lord Almighty says: “They may build, but I will demolish.(EP) They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the Lord.(EQ) You will see it with your own eyes and say, ‘Great(ER) is the Lord—even beyond the borders of Israel!’(ES)

Breaking Covenant Through Blemished Sacrifices

“A son honors his father,(ET) and a slave his master.(EU) If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect(EV) due me?” says the Lord Almighty.(EW)

“It is you priests who show contempt for my name.

“But you ask,(EX) ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’

“By offering defiled food(EY) on my altar.

“But you ask,(EZ) ‘How have we defiled you?’

“By saying that the Lord’s table(FA) is contemptible. When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals,(FB) is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased(FC) with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty.(FD)

“Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such offerings(FE) from your hands, will he accept(FF) you?”—says the Lord Almighty.

10 “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors,(FG) so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased(FH) with you,” says the Lord Almighty, “and I will accept(FI) no offering(FJ) from your hands. 11 My name will be great(FK) among the nations,(FL) from where the sun rises to where it sets.(FM) In every place incense(FN) and pure offerings(FO) will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty.

12 “But you profane it by saying, ‘The Lord’s table(FP) is defiled,’ and, ‘Its food(FQ) is contemptible.’ 13 And you say, ‘What a burden!’(FR) and you sniff at it contemptuously,(FS)” says the Lord Almighty.

“When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices,(FT) should I accept them from your hands?”(FU) says the Lord. 14 “Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal(FV) to the Lord. For I am a great king,(FW)” says the Lord Almighty,(FX) “and my name is to be feared(FY) among the nations.(FZ)

Additional Warning to the Priests

“And now, you priests, this warning is for you.(GA) If you do not listen,(GB) and if you do not resolve to honor(GC) my name,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will send a curse(GD) on you, and I will curse your blessings.(GE) Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me.

“Because of you I will rebuke your descendants[i]; I will smear on your faces the dung(GF) from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it.(GG) And you will know that I have sent you this warning so that my covenant with Levi(GH) may continue,” says the Lord Almighty. “My covenant was with him, a covenant(GI) of life and peace,(GJ) and I gave them to him; this called for reverence(GK) and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. True instruction(GL) was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked(GM) with me in peace(GN) and uprightness,(GO) and turned many from sin.(GP)

“For the lips of a priest(GQ) ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger(GR) of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth.(GS) But you have turned from the way(GT) and by your teaching have caused many to stumble;(GU) you have violated the covenant(GV) with Levi,”(GW) says the Lord Almighty. “So I have caused you to be despised(GX) and humiliated(GY) before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality(GZ) in matters of the law.”(HA)

Breaking Covenant Through Divorce

10 Do we not all have one Father[j]?(HB) Did not one God create us?(HC) Why do we profane the covenant(HD) of our ancestors by being unfaithful(HE) to one another?

11 Judah has been unfaithful. A detestable(HF) thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves(HG) by marrying(HH) women who worship a foreign god.(HI) 12 As for the man who does this, whoever he may be, may the Lord remove(HJ) him from the tents of Jacob[k](HK)—even though he brings an offering(HL) to the Lord Almighty.

13 Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears.(HM) You weep and wail(HN) because he no longer looks with favor(HO) on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands.(HP) 14 You ask,(HQ) “Why?” It is because the Lord is the witness(HR) between you and the wife of your youth.(HS) You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.(HT)

15 Has not the one God made you?(HU) You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring.[l](HV) So be on your guard,(HW) and do not be unfaithful(HX) to the wife of your youth.

16 “The man who hates and divorces his wife,(HY)” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “does violence to the one he should protect,”[m](HZ) says the Lord Almighty.

So be on your guard,(IA) and do not be unfaithful.

Breaking Covenant Through Injustice

17 You have wearied(IB) the Lord with your words.

“How have we wearied him?” you ask.(IC)

By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased(ID) with them” or “Where is the God of justice?(IE)

“I will send my messenger,(IF) who will prepare the way before me.(IG) Then suddenly the Lord(IH) you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant,(II) whom you desire,(IJ) will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

But who can endure(IK) the day of his coming?(IL) Who can stand(IM) when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire(IN) or a launderer’s soap.(IO) He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver;(IP) he will purify(IQ) the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.(IR) Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,(IS) and the offerings(IT) of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.(IU)

“So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers,(IV) adulterers(IW) and perjurers,(IX) against those who defraud laborers of their wages,(IY) who oppress the widows(IZ) and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners(JA) among you of justice, but do not fear(JB) me,” says the Lord Almighty.

Breaking Covenant by Withholding Tithes

“I the Lord do not change.(JC) So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.(JD) Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away(JE) from my decrees and have not kept them. Return(JF) to me, and I will return to you,”(JG) says the Lord Almighty.

“But you ask,(JH) ‘How are we to return?’

“Will a mere mortal rob(JI) God? Yet you rob me.

“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’

“In tithes(JJ) and offerings. You are under a curse(JK)—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe(JL) into the storehouse,(JM) that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates(JN) of heaven and pour out(JO) so much blessing(JP) that there will not be room enough to store it.(JQ) 11 I will prevent pests from devouring(JR) your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,(JS)” says the Lord Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed,(JT) for yours will be a delightful land,”(JU) says the Lord Almighty.(JV)

Israel Speaks Arrogantly Against God

13 “You have spoken arrogantly(JW) against me,” says the Lord.

“Yet you ask,(JX) ‘What have we said against you?’

14 “You have said, ‘It is futile(JY) to serve(JZ) God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements(KA) and going about like mourners(KB) before the Lord Almighty? 15 But now we call the arrogant(KC) blessed. Certainly evildoers(KD) prosper,(KE) and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it.’”

The Faithful Remnant

16 Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard.(KF) A scroll(KG) of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared(KH) the Lord and honored his name.

17 “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my(KI) treasured possession.(KJ) I will spare(KK) them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son(KL) who serves him. 18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous(KM) and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.(KN)

Judgment and Covenant Renewal

[n]“Surely the day is coming;(KO) it will burn like a furnace.(KP) All the arrogant(KQ) and every evildoer will be stubble,(KR) and the day that is coming will set them on fire,(KS)” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch(KT) will be left to them. But for you who revere my name,(KU) the sun of righteousness(KV) will rise with healing(KW) in its rays. And you will go out and frolic(KX) like well-fed calves. Then you will trample(KY) on the wicked; they will be ashes(KZ) under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty.

“Remember the law(LA) of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb(LB) for all Israel.(LC)

“See, I will send the prophet Elijah(LD) to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.(LE) He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children,(LF) and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike(LG) the land with total destruction.”(LH)

The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah(LI)(LJ)(LK)

This is the genealogy[o] of Jesus the Messiah[p] the son of David,(LL) the son of Abraham:(LM)

Abraham was the father of Isaac,(LN)

Isaac the father of Jacob,(LO)

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,(LP)

Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,(LQ)

Perez the father of Hezron,

Hezron the father of Ram,

Ram the father of Amminadab,

Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

Nahshon the father of Salmon,

Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,(LR)

Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

Obed the father of Jesse,

and Jesse the father of King David.(LS)

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,(LT)

Solomon the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

Abijah the father of Asa,

Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,

Jehoram the father of Uzziah,

Uzziah the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,(LU)

Manasseh the father of Amon,

Amon the father of Josiah,

11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah[q] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.(LV)

12 After the exile to Babylon:

Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,(LW)

Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,(LX)

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,(LY) and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.(LZ)

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[r]: 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.(MA) 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[s] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce(MB) her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel(MC) of the Lord appeared to him in a dream(MD) 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,[t](ME) because he will save his people from their sins.”(MF)

22 All this took place to fulfill(MG) 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”[u](MH) (which means “God with us”).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel(MI) 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.(MJ)

The Magi Visit the Messiah

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea,(MK) during the time of King Herod,(ML) Magi[v] from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?(MM) We saw his star(MN) when it rose and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 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. “In Bethlehem(MO) in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

“‘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.’[w](MP)

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 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.”

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.(MQ) Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts(MR) of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned(MS) in a dream(MT) 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(MU) of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.(MV) “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.”(MW)

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(MX) what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”[x](MY)

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:(MZ)

18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,
    weeping and great mourning,
Rachel(NA) weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.”[y](NB)

The Return to Nazareth

19 After Herod died, an angel(NC) of the Lord appeared in a dream(ND) 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.”(NE)

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,(NF) he withdrew to the district of Galilee,(NG) 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth.(NH) So was fulfilled(NI) what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.(NJ)

John the Baptist Prepares the Way(NK)

In those days John the Baptist(NL) came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven(NM) has come near.” 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.’”[z](NN)

John’s(NO) clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist.(NP) His food was locusts(NQ) and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized(NR) by him in the Jordan River.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers!(NS) Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?(NT) Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.(NU) And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’(NV) 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.(NW)

11 “I baptize you with[aa] water for repentance.(NX) But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with[ab] the Holy Spirit(NY) and fire.(NZ) 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.”(OA)

The Baptism of Jesus(OB)

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.(OC) 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,(OD) and he saw the Spirit of God(OE) descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven(OF) said, “This is my Son,(OG) whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”(OH)

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness(OI)

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[ac](OJ) by the devil.(OK) After fasting forty days and forty nights,(OL) he was hungry. The tempter(OM) came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God,(ON) tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[ad](OO)

Then the devil took him to the holy city(OP) and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,”(OQ) 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.’[ae](OR)

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[af](OS)

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “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!(OT) For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[ag](OU)

11 Then the devil left him,(OV) and angels came and attended him.(OW)

Jesus Begins to Preach

12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison,(OX) he withdrew to Galilee.(OY) 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum,(OZ) which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill(PA) 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.”[ah](PB)

17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven(PC) has come near.”

Jesus Calls His First Disciples(PD)

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee,(PE) he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter(PF) and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,”(PG) Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.(PH)

21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John.(PI) 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.(PJ)

Jesus Heals the Sick

23 Jesus went throughout Galilee,(PK) teaching in their synagogues,(PL) proclaiming the good news(PM) of the kingdom,(PN) and healing every disease and sickness among the people.(PO) 24 News about him spread all over Syria,(PP) and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed,(PQ) those having seizures,(PR) and the paralyzed;(PS) and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis,[ai] Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.(PT)

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.