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The Devil tries to cause Jesus to do wrong things

4 Then the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. While he was there, the Devil came to him. He tried to cause Jesus to do wrong things. [ a ] 2 Jesus did not eat anything for 40 days and 40 nights. At the end of this time, he was very hungry.

3 Then the Devil came to Jesus and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, speak to these stones. Tell them to become bread.’ 4 But Jesus replied, ‘No! The Bible says that food alone cannot cause people to live. They need to hear every word that God speaks. That is what gives them true life.’ [ b ]

5 Then the Devil led Jesus to Jerusalem. He made him stand on the highest part of the temple. 6 He said to Jesus, ‘If you are the Son of God, jump down from here to the ground. You know that the Bible says:

“God will tell his angels to keep you safe.
They will hold you safely in their hands.
They will not let you hurt your foot on a stone”.’ [ c ]

7 Jesus replied, ‘No! The Bible also says, “Do not test the Lord God, to see if he will save you”.’ [ d ]

8 Then the Devil led Jesus up a very high mountain. He showed Jesus all the countries in the whole world. They were very great and beautiful. 9 The Devil said, ‘I will give you power over all these countries. Just go down on your knees in front of me. Worship me and I will give it all to you.’

10 Jesus then said to him, ‘Satan, go away from me! The Bible says, “Only worship your Lord God. He is the only one that you should obey”.’

11 Then the Devil left Jesus alone. Immediately angels came to Jesus and they took care of him.

Jesus starts his work in Galilee

12 Then Jesus heard that Herod had put John the Baptist in prison. So Jesus returned to Galilee.

13 But he did not stay in Nazareth. He went to live in Capernaum, which is a town on the shore of Lake Galilee. It was in the part of Israel called Zebulun and Naphtali. [ e ]

14 This caused God's message to become true. Long ago God had said through his prophet Isaiah: [ f ]

15 ‘I am speaking to you people who live in Zebulun and Naphtali. [ g ]
Your part of this country is on the way to Lake Galilee.
It is across the Jordan River in the part of the country called Galilee.
Some people who are not Jews live there.
16 They are like people who are living in the dark.
They live in the shadow which death brings.
God will send a light to shine on them.’

17 Then Jesus began to speak God's message to people. He said, ‘You have done many wrong things. You must turn away from them and change how you live. Do this now, because the kingdom of heaven has come very near.’

Jesus asks some men to become his disciples

18 One day, Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee. He saw two men who were brothers. One man was called Simon, and he was also called Peter. His brother's name was Andrew. [ h ] Their job was to catch fish. They were throwing their nets into the lake to catch fish. 19 Jesus said to them, ‘Come with me and be my disciples. Then I will teach you how to catch people, instead of fish.’ [ i ]

20 Simon and Andrew immediately put their nets down and they went with Jesus.

21 They continued to walk along the shore. Soon Jesus saw two more men who were brothers. They were called James and John. They were in their boat with their father, Zebedee. They were mending their nets. Jesus said to James and John, ‘Come with me.’ 22 The brothers immediately left the boat and their father behind. They went with Jesus to be his disciples.

Jesus teaches about God and he makes sick people well again

23 Jesus travelled everywhere in Galilee. He taught the people in the Jewish meeting places. He told them the good news about God's kingdom. He also caused sick people to become well again from all their different pains and illnesses. 24 More and more people in all parts of Syria heard about Jesus. So they brought all the sick people to see him. These people had many different illnesses, and some of them had strong pains. Bad spirits were living inside some of them. Some people could not control their bodies, and some people could not walk. Jesus caused all these people to become well again. 25 Because of this, large crowds of people followed him. They came from Galilee and from the region called ‘The ten cities’. Some of them came from Jerusalem, and other parts of Judea. And some came from the other side of the Jordan River. [ j ]

Footnotes

  1. 4:1 The Devil is a bad angel. He was once a good angel but he refused to obey God. Now he is the leader of all the bad spirits. He is also called Satan. He tries to cause people to do wrong things. Jesus was alone when the Devil came to him. He told his friends about it later.
  2. 4:4 Jesus was very hungry. The Devil knew that Jesus could make stones become bread. He also knew that Jesus was God's Son. God had not told Jesus to make bread, so he did not obey the Devil. Jesus used God's word from Deuteronomy 8:3 to answer the Devil.
  3. 4:6 The Devil was using the words from Psalms 91:12 . But the Devil was using the words in a wrong way.
  4. 4:7 Jesus was remembering God's words in Deuteronomy. Jesus was standing on the highest part of the temple. This place was 600 metres above the ground. God had not told Jesus to jump down. We must not do dangerous things if we do not need to. We must obey God. Then he will take care of us.
  5. 4:13 Zebulun and Naphtali were the names of parts of Galilee. They were also the names of two of Jacob's sons. They lived in this land many years before.
  6. 4:14 See Isaiah 9:1-2
  7. 4:15 These people did not know God or his book very well. Isaiah said that they were like people who are walking in the dark. God promised to send his Son Jesus to them. He would be like a light to show them what God was like.
  8. 4:18 Simon and his brother lived in a town called Capernaum. This town is on the shore of Lake Galilee. Jesus had taught there. He had caused many people to become well again from their illnesses. So they knew that Jesus was a very powerful person.
  9. 4:19 Jesus did not mean that Simon and Andrew would really catch people. He would teach Simon and Andrew how to tell other people the good news about himself. They had brought fish out of the water. But now they would bring people to Jesus, so that they could believe in him. These people would then be his disciples.
  10. 4:25 Syria was a part of Israel that was on the east side of Galilee. ‘The Decapolis’ means 10 towns. The Decapolis was another part of Israel.

The Temptation of Jesus ( A )

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

4 Jesus answered him, “The Scriptures say,

‘It is not just bread that keeps people alive.
Their lives depend on what God says.’” ( B )

5 Then the devil led Jesus to the holy city of Jerusalem and put him on a high place at the edge of the Temple area. 6 He 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.’” ( C )

7 Jesus answered, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” [ b ]

8 Then 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. 9 The devil said, “If you will bow down and worship me, I will give you all these things.”

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

‘You must worship the Lord your God.
Serve only him!’” ( D )

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

Jesus Begins His Work in Galilee ( E )

12 Jesus heard that John was put in prison, so he went back to Galilee. 13 But he did not stay in Nazareth. He went to live in Capernaum, a town near Lake Galilee in the area near Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 He 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.
16 The 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.” ( F )

17 From that time Jesus began to tell people his message: “Change your hearts and lives, because God’s kingdom is now very near. [ c ]

Jesus Chooses Some Followers ( G )

18 As 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. 19 Jesus said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you a different kind of fishermen. You will bring in people, not fish.” 20 Simon and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed him.

21 Jesus 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. 22 So they immediately left the boat and their father, and they followed Jesus.

Jesus Teaches and Heals the People ( H )

23 Jesus 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. 24 The 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. 25 Large crowds followed him—people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, Judea, and the area across the Jordan River.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 4:3 The devil Literally, “The tempter.”
  2. Matthew 4:7 Quote from Deuteronomy 6:16 .
  3. Matthew 4:17 is now very near Or “is coming soon” or “has come.”

4 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;

13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:

14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,

15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;

16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.

22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.

23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

25 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.

The Temptation of Jesus

4 ( A ) Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness ( B ) to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after He had ( C ) fasted for forty days and forty nights, He [ a ] then became hungry. 3 And ( D ) the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the ( E ) Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written: ‘ ( F ) Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God .’”

5 Then the devil *took Him along into ( G ) the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and he *said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written:

( H ) He will give His angels orders concerning You ’;

and

On their hands they will lift You up ,
So that You do not strike Your foot against a stone .’”

7 Jesus said to him, [ b ] On the other hand, it is written: ‘ ( I ) You shall not put the Lord your God to the test .’”

8 ( J ) Again, the devil *took Him along to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, “ ( K ) All these things I will give You, if You fall down and [ c ] worship me.” 10 Then Jesus *said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘ ( L ) You shall worship the Lord your God, and [ d ] serve Him only .’” 11 Then the devil *left Him; and behold, ( M ) angels came and began to serve Him.

Jesus Begins His Ministry

12 Now when Jesus heard that ( N ) John had been taken into custody, ( O ) He withdrew into Galilee; 13 and leaving Nazareth, He came and ( P ) settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled:

15 ( Q ) The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali ,
[ e ] By the way of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the [ f ] Gentiles
16 ( R ) The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light ,
And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death ,
Upon them a Light dawned .”

17 ( S ) From that time Jesus began to [ g ] preach and say, ( T ) Repent, for the kingdom of heaven [ h ] is at hand.”

The First Disciples

18 ( U ) Now as Jesus was walking by ( V ) the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, ( W ) Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 And He *said to them, [ i ] Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 21 Going on from there He saw two other brothers, [ j ] ( X ) James the son of Zebedee, and his brother [ k ] John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets; and He called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

Ministry in Galilee

23 Jesus was going ( Y ) about in all of Galilee, ( Z ) teaching in their synagogues and ( AA ) proclaiming the [ l ] gospel of the kingdom, and ( AB ) healing every disease and every sickness among the people.

24 And the news about Him spread ( AC ) throughout Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and severe pain, ( AD ) demon-possessed, people with ( AE ) epilepsy, and people who were ( AF ) paralyzed; and He healed them. 25 Large crowds ( AG ) followed Him from Galilee and ( AH ) the Decapolis, and Jerusalem, and Judea, and from ( AI ) beyond the Jordan.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 4:2 Or later became ; or afterward became
  2. Matthew 4:7 Or Again
  3. Matthew 4:9 Lit prostrate Yourself to
  4. Matthew 4:10 Or fulfill religious duty to Him
  5. Matthew 4:15 Or Toward the sea
  6. Matthew 4:15 Lit nations , usually non-Jewish
  7. Matthew 4:17 Or proclaim
  8. Matthew 4:17 Lit has come near
  9. Matthew 4:19 Or Come after Me
  10. Matthew 4:21 Or Jacob
  11. Matthew 4:21 Gr Joannes , for Heb Johanan
  12. Matthew 4:23 Or good news

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness ( A )

4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted [ a ] ( B ) by the devil. ( C ) 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, ( D ) he was hungry. 3 The tempter ( E ) came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, ( F ) tell these stones to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ [ b ] ( G )

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city ( H ) and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” ( I ) he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ [ c ] ( J )

7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ [ d ] ( K )

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! ( L ) For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ [ e ] ( M )

11 Then the devil left him, ( N ) and angels came and attended him. ( O )

Jesus Begins to Preach

12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, ( P ) he withdrew to Galilee. ( Q ) 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, ( R ) which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill ( S ) what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.” [ f ] ( T )

17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven ( U ) has come near.”

Jesus Calls His First Disciples ( V )

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, ( W ) he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter ( X ) and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” ( Y ) Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. ( Z )

21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. ( AA ) They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. ( AB )

Jesus Heals the Sick

23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, ( AC ) teaching in their synagogues, ( AD ) proclaiming the good news ( AE ) of the kingdom, ( AF ) and healing every disease and sickness among the people. ( AG ) 24 News about him spread all over Syria, ( AH ) and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, ( AI ) those having seizures, ( AJ ) and the paralyzed; ( AK ) and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, [ g ] Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. ( AL )

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 4:1 The Greek for tempted can also mean tested .
  2. Matthew 4:4 Deut. 8:3
  3. Matthew 4:6 Psalm 91:11,12
  4. Matthew 4:7 Deut. 6:16
  5. Matthew 4:10 Deut. 6:13
  6. Matthew 4:16 Isaiah 9:1,2
  7. Matthew 4:25 That is, the Ten Cities