Matthew 4

The Temptation of Jesus

(Mk. 1:12–13; Lk. 4:1–13)

1Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert. He was taken there to be tempted by the devil. 2Jesus ate nothing for 40 days and nights. After this, he was very hungry. 3The devil#4:3 The devil Literally, “The tempter.” came to tempt him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these rocks to become bread.”

4Jesus answered him, “The Scriptures say,

‘It is not just bread that keeps people alive.

Their lives depend on what God says.’” Deuteronomy 8:3

5Then the devil led Jesus to the holy city of Jerusalem and put him on a high place at the edge of the Temple area. 6He said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, jump off, because the Scriptures say,

‘God will command his angels to help you,

and their hands will catch you,

so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.’” Psalm 91:11-12

7Jesus answered, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”#Quote from Deuteronomy 6:16.

8Then the devil led Jesus to the top of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and all the wonderful things in them. 9The devil said, “If you will bow down and worship me, I will give you all these things.”

10Jesus said to him, “Get away from me, Satan! The Scriptures say,

‘You must worship the Lord your God.

Serve only him!’” Deuteronomy 6:13

11So the devil left him. Then some angels came to Jesus and helped him.

Jesus Begins His Work in Galilee

(Mk. 1:14–15; Lk. 4:14–15)

12Jesus heard that John was put in prison, so he went back to Galilee. 13But he did not stay in Nazareth. He went to live in Capernaum, a town near Lake Galilee in the area near Zebulun and Naphtali. 14He did this to give full meaning to what the prophet Isaiah said:

15“Listen, land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

lands by the road that goes to the sea, the area past the Jordan River—

Galilee, where those from other nations live.

16The people who live in spiritual darkness

have seen a great light.

The light has shined for those

who live in the land that is as dark as a grave.” Isaiah 9:1-2

17From that time Jesus began to tell people his message: “Change your hearts and lives, because God’s kingdom is now very near.#4:17 is now very near Or “is coming soon” or “has come.””

Jesus Chooses Some Followers

(Mk. 1:16–20; Lk. 5:1–11)

18As Jesus was walking by Lake Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Simon’s brother Andrew. These brothers were fishermen, and they were fishing in the lake with a net. 19Jesus said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you a different kind of fishermen. You will bring in people, not fish.” 20Simon and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed him.

21Jesus continued walking by Lake Galilee. He saw two other brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee. They were preparing their nets to catch fish. Jesus told the brothers to come with him. 22So they immediately left the boat and their father, and they followed Jesus.

Jesus Teaches and Heals the People

(Lk. 6:17–19)

23Jesus went everywhere in the country of Galilee. He taught in the synagogues and told the Good News about God’s kingdom. And he healed all the people’s diseases and sicknesses. 24The news about Jesus spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all those who were sick. They were suffering from different kinds of diseases and pain. Some had demons inside them, some suffered from seizures, and some were paralyzed. Jesus healed them all. 25Large crowds followed him—people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, Judea, and the area across the Jordan River.

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Matthew 4: ERV

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