Matthew Chapter 4

The Temptation of Jesus

            ¹ Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil. ² After fasting 40 days, he was hungry, ³ and the tempter came, “If you’re God’s Son, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”

            ⁴ But he answered,

                        “People aren’t to live by bread only,

                                    but by everything God says” [Deut 8:3].

            ⁵ The devil took^p him to the Holy City and stood him on the pinnacle of the Temple, ⁶ “If you’re God’s Son, throw yourself down. Scripture says,

‘He’ll tell his angels to catch you

                                    so you’ll never trip over a rock’” [Ps 91:11-12].

            ⁷ Jesus said, “Again scripture says,

                        ‘Don’t tempt the LORD your God’” [Deut 6:16].

            ⁸ The devil took^p him to a tall mountain and showed^p him the kingdoms of the world and their splendor, ⁹ “If you kneel down and worship me, I’ll give you all this.”

            ¹⁰ Jesus said^p, “Go away, Satan. Scripture says,

‘Worship the LORD your God,

                                    and only serve him’” [Deut 6:13].

            ¹¹ The devil left^p, and angels came to give him support.                                         

Mt 4:1-11

Introductory Statements About the Galilean Ministry

            ¹² When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee, ¹³ and moved from Nazareth to Capernaum by the lake in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. ¹⁴ That fulfills what Isaiah the prophet said,

                        ¹⁵ “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,

                                    by the road along the lake,

by the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles—

                        ¹⁶ people that lived in darkness

                                    have seen a bright light.

It has dawned on those who lived

in a region of deep darkness” [Is 9:1-2].             

               ¹⁷ From then on, Jesus preached, “Repent; the kingdom of heaven’s coming.”   Mt 4:12-17

Calling Four Fishermen

¹⁸As he was walking along Lake Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew. They were casting nets into the lake; they were fishermen. ¹⁹ He told^p them, “Come with me, and I’ll have you ‘fishing’ for people.” ²⁰ Right away, they left their nets and went with him.

²¹ He went on from there and saw two more brothers, James and John, sons of Zebedee, in a boat with their father, mending nets; and he called them. ²² At once, they left the boat and their father and went with him.               

Mt 4:18-22

The First General Tour of Galilee

²³ He started going all over Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, delivering the good news about the kingdom, and healing all kinds of disease and illness among the people. ²⁴ The news about him spread all over Syria, and they brought him people that were ill, people distressed with various sicknesses and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and he healed them. ²⁵ Big crowds followed him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judaea, and beyond the Jordan.

Mt 4:23-25