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The Temptation of Jesus
1 Then Jesus was led by the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. [Luke 4:1-13]
2 After He had gone without food for forty days and forty nights, He became hungry. [Ex 34:28; 1 Kin 19:8]
3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4 But Jesus replied, “It is written and forever remains written, ‘Mᴀɴ sʜᴀʟʟ ɴoᴛ ʟɪvᴇ ʙʏ ʙʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴀʟoɴᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ʙʏ ᴇvᴇʀʏ woʀᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ coᴍᴇs oᴜᴛ oꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍoᴜᴛʜ oꜰ Goᴅ.’ ” [Deut 8:3]
5 Then the devil took Him into the holy city [Jerusalem] and placed Him on the pinnacle (highest point) of the temple. [Neh 11:1; Dan 9:24]
6 And he said [mockingly] to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written,
‘Hᴇ wɪʟʟ coᴍᴍᴀɴᴅ Hɪs ᴀɴɢᴇʟs coɴcᴇʀɴɪɴɢ Yoᴜ [to serve, care for, protect and watch over You]’;
and
‘Tʜᴇʏ wɪʟʟ ʟɪꜰᴛ ʏoᴜ ᴜᴘ oɴ their ʜᴀɴᴅs,
So ᴛʜᴀᴛ Yoᴜ wɪʟʟ ɴoᴛ sᴛʀɪᴋᴇ Yoᴜʀ ꜰooᴛ ᴀɢᴀɪɴsᴛ ᴀ sᴛoɴᴇ.’ ” [Ps 91:11, 12]
7 Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written and forever remains written, ‘Yoᴜ sʜᴀʟʟ ɴoᴛ ᴛᴇsᴛ ᴛʜᴇ Loʀᴅ ʏoᴜʀ Goᴅ.’ ” [Deut 6:16]
8 Again, the devil took Him up on a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory [splendor, magnificence, and excellence] of them;
9 and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written and forever remains written, ‘Yoᴜ sʜᴀʟʟ woʀsʜɪᴘ ᴛʜᴇ Loʀᴅ ʏoᴜʀ Goᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ sᴇʀvᴇ Hɪᴍ oɴʟʏ.’ ” [Deut 6:13]
11 Then the devil left Him; and angels came and ministered to Him [bringing Him food and serving Him].
Jesus Begins His Ministry
12 Now when Jesus heard that John [the Baptist] had been arrested and put in prison, He left for Galilee.
13 And leaving Nazareth, He went and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the country of Zebulun and Naphtali. [Mark 2:1]
14 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
15 “Tʜᴇ ʟᴀɴᴅ oꜰ Zᴇʙᴜʟᴜɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀɴᴅ oꜰ Nᴀᴘʜᴛᴀʟɪ,
Bʏ ᴛʜᴇ wᴀʏ oꜰ ᴛʜᴇ sᴇᴀ, ʙᴇʏoɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ Joʀᴅᴀɴ, Gᴀʟɪʟᴇᴇ [in the district] oꜰ ᴛʜᴇ Gᴇɴᴛɪʟᴇs—
16 “Tʜᴇ ᴘᴇoᴘʟᴇ wʜo wᴇʀᴇ sɪᴛᴛɪɴɢ (living) ɪɴ [spiritual] ᴅᴀʀᴋɴᴇss ʜᴀvᴇ sᴇᴇɴ ᴀ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ Lɪɢʜᴛ,
Aɴᴅ ꜰoʀ ᴛʜosᴇ wʜo wᴇʀᴇ sɪᴛᴛɪɴɢ (living) ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀɴᴅ ᴀɴᴅ sʜᴀᴅow oꜰ [spiritual and moral] ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ,
Uᴘoɴ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴀ Lɪɢʜᴛ ʜᴀs ᴅᴀwɴᴇᴅ.” [Is 9:1, 2]
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life], for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
The First Disciples
18 As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He noticed two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
19 And He said to them, “Follow Me [as My disciples, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk], and I will make you fishers of men.”
20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him [becoming His disciples, believing and trusting in Him and following His example].
21 And going on [further] from there He noticed two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets; and He called them [to follow Him as His disciples].
22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him [becoming His disciples, believing and trusting in Him and following His example].
Ministry in Galilee
23 And He went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news (gospel) of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people [demonstrating and revealing that He was indeed the promised Messiah].
24 So the news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were sick, those suffering with various diseases and pains, those under the power of demons, and epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them.
25 Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and the other side of the Jordan.