Chronological
4 Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert. The devil tried to make Jesus do wrong.
2 Jesus did not eat anything for forty days and forty nights. Then he was very hungry.
3 The one who tries to make people do wrong came and said to him, `If you are God's Son, tell these stones to be changed into bread.'
4 But Jesus answered him, `The holy writings say, "Man cannot live on bread only. He needs to live by every word that God says." '
5 Then the devil took Jesus to the holy city. He put him on a high part of the temple.
6 The devil said to him, `If you are God's Son, jump down. The holy writings say, "God will tell his angels to take care of you. They will hold you up in their hands so that you will not knock your foot on a stone." '
7 Jesus answered him, `The holy writings say, "You must not test the Lord your God." '
8 The devil took Jesus to a very high hill. He showed him all the countries of the world and how great they were.
9 He said to Jesus, `I will give you all these if you kneel down and worship me.'
10 But Jesus answered him, `Get away, Satan. The holy writings say, "You must worship the Lord your God. and he is the only one you are to worship." '
11 Then the devil left Jesus. Angels came and took care of him.
12 Jesus heard that John was put in prison, so he went to Galilee.
13 He left the town of Nazareth and went to live in the town of Capernaum. It is by the sea (of Galilee) in the district of Zebulun and Naphtali.
14 So what the prophet Isaiah said came true.
15 He talked about, `The country of Zebulun and the country of Naphtali, the road by the sea, the land on the other side of the Jordan River, Galilee where the people are not Jews.'
16 And he said, `The people who lived in darkness have seen a great Light. Light has come to those who lived in a land covered by the dark shadow of death.'
17 From then on, Jesus began to tell God's word to the people. He said, `Stop your wrong ways and turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven is here!'
18 Jesus was walking by the sea of Galilee. There he saw two brothers, Simon who later was named Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were throwing a fishing net into the water. Their work was to catch fish.
19 Jesus said to them, `Come with me. The work I will give you will be to catch people.'
20 Right away they left their nets and went with him.
21 Jesus went on from there and saw two other brothers, James and John. Their father's name was Zebedee. They were in the boat with their father mending their nets.
22 Jesus called them. Right away they left the boat and their father and went with him.
23 Jesus went all around through Galilee. He taught people in their meeting houses and told them the good news about the kingdom of heaven. He healed all the sick and weak people.
24 The people in all the country of Syria heard about him. They brought all who were sick in any way, or had bad spirits in them, and those who could not walk or use their hands. Jesus healed them.
25 Many people went with him. They came from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, Judea, and from the other side of the Jordan river.
4 Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit. He left the Jordan River, and the Spirit led him into the desert for forty days.
2 The devil tried to make him do wrong. Jesus did not eat in those forty days. Then he was very hungry.
3 The devil said to him, `If you are God's Son, tell this stone to be changed into bread.'
4 Jesus answered him, `The holy writings say, "Man cannot live on bread only." '
5 The devil took Jesus to a high place where he could see all the countries of the world at one time.
6 He said to Jesus, `I will give you the right to rule over all these countries. They will make you great. All this has been given to me. I can give it to anyone I want.
7 So, if you worship and give honour to me, all will be yours.'
8 Jesus answered him, `The holy writings say, "You must worship the Lord your God and he is the only one you are to worship." '
9 The devil took Jesus to Jerusalem. He put him on a high part of the temple. He said to him, `If you are God's Son, jump down.
10 The holy writings say, "God will tell his angels to take care of you."
11 And "They will hold you up in their hands so that you will not knock your foot on a stone." '
12 Jesus answered him, `The holy writings say, "You must not test the Lord your God." '
13 When the devil finished all his testing, he left him for a while.
14 Jesus had the power of the Spirit when he went back to Galilee. People talked about him in all that part of the country.
15 He taught them in their meeting houses. All the people praised him.
16 He went to Nazareth where he had grown up. He went to the meeting house as he always did on the Sabbath day. He stood up to read.
17 A man gave him the book that Isaiah the prophet of God wrote long ago. He opened the book and found the place where it says,
18 `The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he chose me to tell the good news to poor people. He has sent me to tell the prisoners they can go free, and to tell the blind people they can see. He has sent me to set free those who have been wrongly held down,
19 and to tell people that the year when the Lord will help them has come.'
20 Then Jesus closed the book and gave it back to the man. He sat down. Everyone in the meeting house was watching him.
21 He began to talk to them. He said, `You have heard what the holy writings say. They have come true today.'
22 They all began to talk about him. They were surprised to hear him say such good words. They asked, `Is not this Joseph's son?'
23 Then Jesus said, `I know that you will say this to me "Doctor, heal yourself. We have heard what you did in Capernaum. Do the same things here in your own country." '
24 And he went on to say, `I tell you the truth. No prophet of God is accepted by the people in his own country.
25 `I tell you the truth. At the time of Elijah, there were many women in Israel whose husbands were dead. There was no rain for three years and six months. All over the country there was great trouble because there was no food.
26 But Elijah was not sent to any of these widowed women in Israel. He was sent to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.
27 `Also while Elisha was the prophet of God, many people in Israel had leprosy [a bad skin disease]. None of them was healed. The only one who was healed was Naaman from the country of Syria.'
28 When they heard this, all the people in the meeting house were very angry.
29 They jumped to their feet and put Jesus out of the town. Their town was built on a hill. They took Jesus out to the top and wanted to throw him down the hill.
30 But Jesus walked out between them and went away.
31 Jesus went to the town of Capernaum in Galilee. He taught the people there on the Sabbath day.
32 They were surprised at his teaching because he taught them as if he had the right to teach them.
33 A man who had a bad spirit in him was in the meeting house. He called in a loud voice.
34 He said, `Jesus from Nazareth! What do you want to do to us? Have you come to kill us? I know who you are. You are God's Holy Man.'
35 Jesus said to him, `Be quiet! Come out of him!' The bad spirit threw the man down in front of them. He came out of the man and did not hurt him.
36 All the people were very much surprised. They said to each other, `What kind of talk is this? He can make bad spirits obey him. He tells them to come out and they come out.'
37 The people in all the places around Capernaum heard about him.
38 Jesus left the meeting house and went to Simon's house. The mother of Simon's wife was sick with a bad fever. They asked Jesus to help her.
39 He went and stood beside her. He told the fever to leave her. It left. She got up right away and began to do things for them.
40 When the sun went down, the people brought to Jesus all who were sick in any way. He put his hands on every one of them and healed them.
41 The bad spirits also came out of many people. They called out, `You are the Son of God!' But he stopped them. He would not let them talk because they knew that he was the Christ.
42 The next morning Jesus went away to a place by himself. The people went to look for him. When they found him, they did not want him to leave them.
43 But he said to them, `I must tell the good news to the people in other towns also. It is the news of God's kingdom. I was sent to tell this.'
44 So he told God's word in the meeting houses in the Galilee area.
5 The people came close around Jesus to hear God's word. He was standing by Lake Gennesaret [the Sea of Galilee].
2 He saw two boats by the water. The fishermen were not in their boats. They were washing their nets.
3 Jesus got into one of the boats. It was Simon's boat. Jesus asked him to put the boat out into the water a little way from the land. Then he sat down in the boat and taught the people.
4 When he stopped talking, he said to Simon, `Put the boat out into deep water and let down your nets to catch some fish.'
5 Simon answered, `Master, we worked hard all night and did not catch anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.'
6 When they did this, they caught many fish. Their nets were so full they were breaking.
7 They called their friends in the other boat to come and help them. They came. They filled both boats with so much fish, they began to go down.
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he kneeled down in front of Jesus. He said, `Lord, leave me because I am a bad man!'
9 He was very much surprised to see how many fish they had caught. All those who were with him were surprised too.
10 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were helping Simon. They were surprised also. Jesus said to Simon, `Do not fear. From now on your work will be to catch men.'
11 They brought their boats to the land. Then they left everything and went with Jesus.
12 Jesus was in one of the cities and a man was there who had leprosy, a bad skin disease. When he saw Jesus, he bowed his face to the ground. He begged Jesus saying, `Sir, I know you can heal me if you want to.'
13 Jesus put out his hand and touched the man. He said, `I want you to be healed.' Right away the man was free from leprosy.
14 Jesus said to him, `Do not tell anyone about this. But go and let the priest look at you. Moses gave a law about the sacrifice you must give when you are healed. Give it to prove to the people that you are healed.'
15 But more people heard about Jesus than before. And many people gathered to hear him, and so be healed.
16 Many times Jesus went away to the desert and talked with God.
17 One day Jesus was teaching people. Pharisees and other Jewish teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every town in Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem. Jesus had the power of the Lord to heal the sick.
18 Some men brought a sick man on his bed. The man could not move his arms or legs. They tried to bring him in and put him in front of Jesus.
19 But they could not get in the house where Jesus was, because there were so many people. So they went up on the roof. Then through a hole in the roof they let down the bed with the sick man on it, until he was in front of Jesus.
20 Jesus saw that they believed he would be healed. So he said to him, `Man, the wrong things you have done are forgiven.'
21 The scribes and Pharisees began to talk about this. They said, `Who is this man that is not giving respect to God? No one but God can forgive anyone for the wrong things they have done.'
22 Jesus knew what they were thinking. He said, `Why do you think these wrong things in your hearts?
23 Which is easier, to say, "The wrong things you have done are forgiven," or to say, "Get up and walk"?
24 I want you to know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive wrong things people have done.' So he said to the sick man, `I tell you, get up. Take up your bed and go home.'
25 Right away the man stood up in front of them. He took up his bed and went home praising God.
26 The people were all surprised and they praised God. They did not know what to think. They said, `We have seen things today that are hard to believe.'
27 After this, Jesus went out. He saw a tax collector named Levi. Levi was sitting at the place where people came to pay taxes. Jesus said to him `Come with me.'
28 Levi left everything. He stood up and went with Jesus.
29 Levi made a big dinner at his house for Jesus. Many tax collectors and other people were sitting at the table with them.
30 The Pharisees and their scribes did not like what Jesus' disciples did. They said, `Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and bad people?"
31 Jesus answered them, `People who are well do not need a doctor. But sick people need him.
32 I did not come to call good people. I came to call bad people to stop doing wrong things.'
33 They said to him, `The disciples or followers of John are often fasting [not eating for a time], and they talk with God. The disciples of the Pharisees do the same. But your disciples eat and drink.'
34 Then Jesus said to them, `The people at a wedding cannot be sad while the man who is married is with them.
35 But the time will come when he will be taken away from them. Then they will be fasting at that time.'
36 Jesus told them a short story. He said, `No one takes a piece from a new coat and sews it on an old coat. If he does, the new coat will have a hole. And the new piece will not be like the old coat.
37 No one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will break the skins. The wine will be lost and the skins will be spoiled.
38 New wine must be put into new skins.
39 No one wants to drink new wine after he has had old wine. He says, "The old is better." '
15 John talked about him. He called out saying, `Here is the man I told you about. I said that the one who is coming after me is greater than I am, because he lived before I lived.'
16 He was full of loving kindness, and we have all received so much kindness from him.
17 Moses gave the law, but Jesus Christ gave this loving kindness and truth.
18 No one has ever seen God. But his only Son is very near to his Father's heart. He has told us plainly about God.
19 The leaders of the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem. They asked John, `Who are you?' John told them.
20 He did not hide the truth, but he told people plainly. He said, `I am not the Christ.'
21 So they asked him, `Well then, are you Elijah?' He answered, `No, I am not.' They asked, `Are you the Prophet?' He answered, `No.'
22 Then those priests said, `Who are you? We want to give an answer to the people who sent us. What do you say about yourself?'
23 John said, `I am a voice calling in the desert, "Make the road straight for the Lord." This is what was said by Isaiah, the prophet of God long ago.'
24 It was the Pharisees who had sent these people to John.
25 So they asked him, `If you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet, why then are you baptizing?'
26 John answered, `I baptize people in water. But there is a man standing among you whom you do not know.
27 He is the one coming after me who is greater than I am. I am not even good enough to untie his shoe strings.'
28 The place where John was baptizing was Bethany on the other side of the Jordan River.
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming to him. `Look,' said John. `See God's special Lamb! He takes away the wrong ways of the world.
30 Here is the man I told you about. I said that the one who is coming after me is greater than I am, because he lived before I lived.
31 I myself did not know who he was. But I came and baptized people in water so that the people of Israel would know who he was.'
32 John also said, `I saw the Spirit coming from the sky. He came down on him like a dove. It stayed on him.
33 I myself did not know who he was. But he who sent me to baptize people in water told me. He said, "You will see the Spirit coming from the sky on a man. That man will baptize people in the Holy Spirit."
34 I saw the Spirit coming on him, and I have told you. This man is the Son of God.'
35 The next day, John was standing with two of his followers.
36 Jesus walked by. When John saw him, he said, `Look, see God's Lamb!'
37 The two followers heard what John said, so they went after Jesus.
38 Jesus turned. He saw them coming after him. He said to them, `What are you looking for?' They said, `Teacher, where do you live?'
39 Jesus said, `Come and see.' They went and saw the place where Jesus was staying. The time was about four o'clock in the afternoon. They stayed with Jesus the rest of the day.
40 Andrew was one of those two followers of John who heard John speak and went after Jesus. He was Simon Peter's brother.
41 The first thing Andrew did then was to find his brother Simon. He said, `We have found the Messiah!' (Messiah means the Christ, the messenger of God.)
42 Andrew brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, `You are Simon, the son of John. Your name will be Cephas.' (Cephas means Peter, a rock or stone.)
43 The next day Jesus said, `I will go to Galilee.' He found Philip and said to him, `Come with me.'
44 Philip was from the town of Bethsaida. Andrew and Peter were also from that town.
45 Philip went to find Nathanael. He said `We have found the man about whom Moses wrote in the books of the law. The prophets also wrote about him. He is Jesus, from Nazareth. He is the son of Joseph.'
46 Nathanael said, `From Nazareth? Can any good thing come from there?' Philip said, `Come and see for yourself.'
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him. He said, `Here is a man who is truly of Israel. He does not fool people.'
48 Nathanael asked, `How do you know me?' Jesus answered, `I saw you when you were under the fig tree. That was before Philip called you.'
49 Nathanael said, `Teacher, you are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel.'
50 Jesus answered, `I told you that I saw you under the fig tree. Is that why you believe in me now? You will see more wonderful things than that!
51 I tell you the truth,' said Jesus. `You will see heaven open. You will see God's angels going up and down to the Son of Man.'
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