Matthew 4

Jesus Is Tempted in the Desert 1The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert. There the devil tempted him. 2After 40 days and 40 nights of going without eating, Jesus was hungry.

3The tempter came to him. He said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

4Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘Man must not live only on bread. He must also live on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” 5Then the devil took Jesus to the holy city. He had him stand on the highest point of the temple.

6“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. It is written, “ ‘The Lord will command his angels to take good care of you. They will lift you up in their hands. Then you won’t trip over a stone.’ ”

7Jesus answered him, “It is also written, ‘Do not test the Lord your God.’ ” 8Finally, the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain. He showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

9“If you bow down and worship me,” he said, “I will give you all this.”

10Jesus said to him, “Get away from me, Satan! It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God. He is the only one you should serve.’ ”

11Then the devil left Jesus. Angels came and took care of him.

Jesus Begins to Preach 12John had been put in prison. When Jesus heard about this, he returned to Galilee. 13Jesus left Nazareth and went to live in the city of Capernaum. It was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali.

14In that way, what the prophet Isaiah had said came true. He had said,

15“Land of Zebulun! Land of Naphtali! Galilee, where Gentiles live! Land along the Mediterranean Sea! Territory east of the Jordan River!

16The people who are now living in darkness have seen a great light. They are now living in a very dark land. But a light has shined on them.”

17From that time on Jesus began to preach. “Turn away from your sins!” he said. “The kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Jesus Chooses His First Disciples 18One day Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee. There he saw two brothers, Simon Peter and his brother Andrew. They were throwing a net into the lake, because they were fishermen. 19“Come and follow me,” Jesus said. “I will send you out to fish for people.”

20At once they left their nets and followed him. 21Going on from there, he saw two other brothers. They were James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee. As they were preparing their nets, Jesus called out to them.

22Right away they left the boat and their father and followed Jesus.

Jesus Heals Sick People 23Jesus went all over Galilee. There he taught in the synagogues. He preached the good news of God’s kingdom. He healed every illness and sickness the people had. 24News about him spread all over Syria. People brought to him all who were ill with different kinds of sicknesses. Some were suffering great pain. Others were controlled by demons. Some were shaking wildly. Others couldn’t move at all. And Jesus healed all of them. 25Large crowds followed him. People came from Galilee, from the area known as the Ten Cities, and from Jerusalem and Judea. Others came from the area across the Jordan River.