The Temptation of Jesus

4 ^lAnd Jesus, ^mfull of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the ⁿwilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ^oate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ^p‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” 5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been ^qdelivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will ^rworship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written,

9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,

11 and

12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ^v‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Jesus Begins His Ministry

14 ^wAnd Jesus returned in the ^xpower of the Spirit to Galilee, and a ^yreport about him went out through all the surrounding country. 15 And he ^ztaught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

16 ^aAnd he came to ^bNazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, ^h“Is not this ⁱJoseph’s son?” 23 And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘“Physician, heal yourself.” ^jWhat we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’” 24 And he said, “Truly, I say to you, ^kno prophet is acceptable in his hometown. 25 But in truth, I tell you, ^lthere were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, 26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And ^mthere were many lepers¹ in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29 And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. 30 But passing through their midst, he went away.

Jesus Heals a Man with an Unclean Demon

31 ⁿAnd he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, 32 and they were ^oastonished at his teaching, for his word possessed ^pauthority. 33 And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 “Ha!² What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I ^qknow who you are—the ^rHoly One of God.” 35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be ^ssilent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. 36 And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” 37 And ^treports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

Jesus Heals Many

38 ^uAnd he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. 39 And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them.

40 Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would ^vnot allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the ^wChrist.

Jesus Preaches in Synagogues

42 ^xAnd when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, 43 but he said to them, “I must ^ypreach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” 44 And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.³

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

5 ^zOn one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the ^alake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ^b“Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a ^clarge number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ^d“Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be ^ecatching men.”¹ 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they ^fleft everything and followed him.

Jesus Cleanses a Leper

12 ^gWhile he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of ^hleprosy.² And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 13 And Jesus³ stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” ⁱAnd immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And he charged him to ^jtell no one, but “go and ^kshow yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, ^las Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 15 ^mBut now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. 16 But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

17 ⁿOn one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was ^owith him ^pto heal.⁴ 18 And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, 19 but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. 20 And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, ^qyour sins are forgiven you.” 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks ^rblasphemies? ^sWho can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 24 But that you may know that the ^tSon of Man has ^uauthority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 25 And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. 26 And amazement seized them all, and they ^vglorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”

Jesus Calls Levi

27 ^wAfter this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, ^x“Follow me.” 28 And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.

29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was ^ya large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you ^zeat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 ^aI have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

A Question About Fasting

33 ^bAnd they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” 34 And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the ^cbridegroom is with them? 35 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” 36 He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”⁵

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

6 ^dOn a Sabbath,¹ while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples ^eplucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. 2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing ^fwhat is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” 3 And Jesus answered them, “Have you not read ^gwhat David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and took and ate ^hthe bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?” 5 And he said to them, “The ⁱSon of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

A Man with a Withered Hand

6 ^jOn another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 And the scribes and the Pharisees ^kwatched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. 8 But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. 9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, ^lis it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. 11 But they were filled with ^mfury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

The Twelve Apostles

12 ⁿIn these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them ^otwelve, whom he named apostles: 14 ^pSimon, whom he ^qnamed Peter, and ^rAndrew his brother, and ^sJames and John, and ^tPhilip, and ^uBartholomew, 15 and ^vMatthew, and ^wThomas, and ^xJames the son of Alphaeus, and ^ySimon who was called the Zealot, 16 and ^zJudas the son of James, and ^aJudas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Jesus Ministers to a Great Multitude

17 ^bAnd he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, 18 who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and ^chealed them all.

The Beatitudes

20 ^dAnd he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:

“Blessed are you who are ^epoor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be ^fsatisfied.

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

22 “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! 23 Rejoice in that day, and ^gleap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the ^hprophets.

Jesus Pronounces Woes

24 “But ⁱwoe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

25 “Woe to you who are full now, for ^jyou shall be hungry.

“Woe to you who ^klaugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

26 “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for ^lso their fathers did to the false prophets.

Love Your Enemies

27 ^m“But I say to you who hear, ⁿLove your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 ^obless those who curse you, ^ppray for those who abuse you. 29 ^qTo one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic² either. 30 ^rGive to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And ^sas you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, ^texpecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is ^umerciful.

Judging Others

37 ^v“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; ^wforgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For ^xwith the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

39 He also told them a parable: “Can a ^yblind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 ^zA disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. 41 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

A Tree and Its Fruit

43 ^a“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. ^bFor figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for ^cout of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Build Your House on the Rock

46 ^d“Why do you call me ^e‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? 47 ^fEveryone who comes to me and ^ghears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.³ 49 But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant

7 ^hAfter he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 Now a centurion had a servant¹ who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. 3 When the centurion² heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” 6 And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. 8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9 When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, ⁱnot even in Israel have I found such faith.” 10 And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.

Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son

11 ^jSoon afterward³ he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, ^k“Do not weep.” 14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, ^land Jesus⁴ gave him to his mother. 16 ^mFear seized them all, and they ⁿglorified God, saying, “A great ^oprophet has arisen among us!” and ^p“God has visited his people!” 17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.