Chronological
John’s Witness to Israel’s Leaders
3 In those days, John the Immerser came proclaiming in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Turn away from your sins, for the kingdom of heaven is near!” [a] 3 For he is the one Isaiah the prophet spoke about, saying,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way of Adonai, and make His paths straight.’”[b]
4 Now John wore clothing from camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts[c] and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were being immersed by him in the Jordan River.
7 But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his immersion, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance; 9 and do not think that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’! For I tell you that from these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 Already the axe is laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire!
11 “As for me, I immerse you in water for repentance. But the One coming after me is mightier than I am; I am not worthy to carry His sandals. He will immerse you in the Ruach ha-Kodesh and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He shall clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn; but the chaff He shall burn up with inextinguishable fire.”[d]
The Heavens Open at Yeshua’s Mikveh
13 Then Yeshua came from the Galilee to John, to be immersed by him in the Jordan. 14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be immersed by You, and You are coming to me?”
15 But Yeshua responded, “Let it happen now, for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” So John yielded to Him.
16 After being immersed, Yeshua rose up out of the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Ruach Elohim[e] descending like a dove and coming upon Him. 17 And behold, a voice from the heavens said, “This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased!”[f]
The Kingdom Is Coming Now
1 The beginning of the Good News of Yeshua ha-Mashiach, Ben-Elohim. 2 As Isaiah the prophet has written,
“Behold, I send My messenger before You,
who will prepare Your way.[a]
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way of Adonai,
and make His paths straight.’”[b]
4 John appeared, immersing in the wilderness, proclaiming an immersion involving repentance for the removal of sins. 5 All the Judean countryside was going out to him, and all the Jerusalemites. As they confessed their sins, they were being immersed by him in the Jordan River.
6 John wore clothes made from camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 “After me comes One who is mightier than I am,” he proclaimed. “I’m not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of His sandals! 8 I immersed you with water, but He will immerse you in the Ruach ha-Kodesh.”[c]
The Spirit Rests on Yeshua
9 In those days, Yeshua came from Natzeret in the Galilee and was immersed by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as He was coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens ripping open and the Ruach as a dove coming down upon Him. 11 And there came a voice from the heavens: “You are My Son, whom I love; with You I am well pleased!”[d]
12 That instant, the Ruach drives Him into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by satan. And He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were taking care of Him.
Fishermen Follow Him
14 Now after John was put in jail, Yeshua came into the Galilee, proclaiming the Good News of God. 15 “Now is the fullness of time,” He said, “and the kingdom of God is near! Turn away from your sins, and believe in the Good News!”
16 Passing along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Simon’s brother Andrew casting a net in the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 And Yeshua said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.
19 Going a little farther, He saw Jacob the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired hands and followed Him.
Demons Flee at His Command
21 And they went into Capernaum. Right away, on Shabbat, He entered the synagogue and began to teach. 22 And they were astounded at His teaching, for He was teaching them as one having authority[e] and not as the Torah scholars.
23 Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 “What have we to do with You, Yeshua of Natzeret? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are! You’re the Holy One of God!”
25 Yeshua rebuked him, saying, “Quiet! Come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, after throwing the man into convulsions and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him.
27 They were all so amazed that they asked among themselves, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him!” 28 And immediately news about Him spread throughout the region surrounding Galilee.
The Hurting Become Whole
29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with Jacob and John to the house of Simon and Andrew. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever. Right away, they told Yeshua about her. 31 He came and raised her up by taking her hand. The fever left her, and she began to take care of them.
32 When evening came, at sunset, the people brought to Him all the sick and those who were afflicted by demons. 33 The whole town gathered together at the door. 34 He healed many who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons. And He would not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.
35 Very early, while it was still night, Yeshua got up, left, and went away to a place in the wilderness; and there He was praying. 36 Then Simon and those with him hunted for Yeshua. 37 And when they found Him, they said to Him, “Everybody’s looking for You.”
38 He said to them, “Let’s go somewhere else, to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also—this is what I came for.” 39 And He went throughout all the Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and driving out demons.
40 A man with tzara’at comes to Him, begging Him and falling on his knees, saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”
41 Moved with compassion, Yeshua stretched out His hand and touched him. He said, “I am willing. Be cleansed.” 42 Immediately, the tzara’at left him, and he was cleansed.
43 Yeshua sent him away at once, sternly warning him. 44 He said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go show yourself to the kohen.[f] Then, for your cleansing, offer what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 45 But he went out and began to proclaim and spread the word, so much that Yeshua could no longer enter a town openly but had to stay out in wilderness areas. Still, they kept on coming to Him from everywhere.
John the Immerser at the Jordan
3 It was now the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of the Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene. 2 During the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came upon John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. 3 And he came into all the surrounding region of the Jordan, proclaiming an immersion of repentance for the removal of sins. 4 As it is written in the scroll of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way of Adonai,
and make His paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled up
and every mountain and hill brought low.
The crooked shall be made straight
and the rough ways made smooth,
6 and all humanity shall see the salvation of God.’”[a]
7 Therefore John was saying to the crowds that came out to be immersed by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance; and don’t even begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’! For I tell you that from these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 Even now the axe is laid at the root of the trees, so every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire!”
10 The crowds were asking him, “What should we do?”
11 He answered them, saying, “Whoever has two coats, let him give to the one who has none; and whoever has food, let him do the same.”[b]
12 Tax collectors also came to him to be immersed. “Teacher,” they said to him, “what should we do?”
13 He said to them, “Do not take more than you are supposed to.”
14 Also soldiers asked him, saying, “And what should we do?”
He said to them, “Do not take things from anyone by force, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be content with your wages.”[c]
15 Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were wondering in their hearts about John, whether he might be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, saying, “As for me, I immerse you with water. But One is coming who is mightier than I am; I am not worthy to untie the strap of His sandals! He will immerse you in the Ruach ha-Kodesh and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and gather the wheat into His barn, but the chaff He will burn up with inextinguishable fire.” [d] 18 So with many other exhortations, John proclaimed Good News to the people. 19 But Herod the tetrarch—after being rebuked by John because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil things Herod had done— 20 added even this on top of them all: he shut up John in prison.
21 Now when all the people were immersed, Yeshua also was immersed. And while He was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Ruach ha-Kodesh came down upon Him in bodily form like a dove. And from out of heaven came a voice, “You are My Son, whom I love—with You I am well pleased!”[e]
The Lineage of Yeshua Ben-David Ben-Elohim
23 Yeshua was about thirty years old when He began his ministry. He was the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melki, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melki, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, [f] 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Yitzhak, the son of Abraham,[g] the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Kenan, 38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam,[h] the son of God.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.