The Temptation of Jesus

41 Then Jesus was sent by the Spirit into the waste land to be tested by the Evil One. 2 And after going without food for forty days and forty nights, he was in need of it. 3 And the Evil One came and said to him, If you are the Son of God, give the word for these stones to become bread. 4 But he made answer and said, It is in the Writings, Bread is not man's only need, but every word which comes out of the mouth of God. 5 Then the Evil One took him to the holy town; and he put him on the highest point of the Temple and said to him, 6 If you are the Son of God, let yourself go down; for it is in the Writings, He will give his angels care over you; and, In their hands they will keep you up, so that your foot may not be crushed against a stone. 7 Jesus said to him, Again it is in the Writings, You may not put the Lord your God to the test. 8 Again, the Evil One took him up to a very high mountain, and let him see all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; 9 And he said to him, All these things will I give you, if you will go down on your face and give me worship. 10 Then said Jesus to him, Away, Satan: for it is in the Writings, Give worship to the Lord your God and be his servant only. 11 Then the Evil One went away from him, and angels came and took care of him.

Jesus Begins His Ministry

12 Now when it came to his ears that John had been put in prison, he went away to Galilee; 13 And going away from Nazareth, he came and made his living-place in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the country of Zebulun and Naphtali: 14 So that the word of the prophet Isaiah might come true, 15 The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, 16 The people who were in the dark saw a great light, and to those in the land of the shade of death did the dawn come up. 17 From that time Jesus went about preaching and saying, Let your hearts be turned from sin, for the kingdom of heaven is near.

Jesus Calls Four Fishermen

18 And when he was walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, whose other name was Peter, and Andrew, his brother, who were putting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20 And straight away they let go the nets and went after him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, in the boat with their father, stitching up their nets; and he said, Come. 22 And they went straight from the boat and their father and came after him.

Jesus Ministers to a Great Multitude

23 And Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their Synagogues and preaching the good news of the kingdom, and making well those who were ill with any disease among the people. 24 And news of him went out through all Syria; and they took to him all who were ill with different diseases and pains, those having evil spirits and those who were off their heads, and those who had no power of moving. And he made them well. 25 And there went after him great numbers from Galilee and Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judaea and from the other side of Jordan.

The Preaching of John the Baptist

31 And in those days John the Baptist came preaching in the waste land of Judaea, 2 Saying, Let your hearts be turned from sin; for the kingdom of heaven is near. 3 For this is he of whom Isaiah the prophet said, The voice of one crying in the waste land, Make ready the way of the Lord, make his roads straight. 4 Now John was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather band about him; and his food was locusts and honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judaea went out to him, and all the people from near Jordan; 6 And they were given baptism by him in the river Jordan, saying openly that they had done wrong.

7 But when he saw a number of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, Offspring of snakes, at whose word are you going in flight from the wrath to come? 8 Let your change of heart be seen in your works: 9 And say not to yourselves, We have Abraham for our father; because I say to you that God is able from these stones to make children for Abraham. 10 And even now the axe is put to the root of the trees; every tree then which does not give good fruit is cut down, and put into the fire. 11 Truly, I give baptism with water to those of you whose hearts are changed; but he who comes after me is greater than I, whose shoes I am not good enough to take up: he will give you baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire: 12 In whose hand is the instrument with which he will make clean his grain; he will put the good grain in his store, but the waste will be burned up in the fire which will never be put out.

The Baptism of Jesus

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be given baptism by him. 14 But John would have kept him back, saying, It is I who have need of baptism from you, and do you come to me? 15 But Jesus made answer, saying to him, Let it be so now: because so it is right for us to make righteousness complete. Then he gave him baptism. 16 And Jesus, having been given baptism, straight away went up from the water; and, the heavens opening, he saw the Spirit of God coming down on him as a dove; 17 And a voice came out of heaven, saying, This is my dearly loved Son, with whom I am well pleased.