Matthew 4
Amplified Bible
The Temptation of Jesus
4 Then Jesus was led by the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.(A) 2 After He had gone without food for forty days and forty nights, He became hungry.(B) 3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But Jesus replied, “It is written and forever remains written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’”(C)
5 Then the devil took Him into the holy city [Jerusalem] and placed Him on the pinnacle (highest point) of the temple.(D) 6 And he said [mockingly] to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written,
‘He will command His angels concerning You [to serve, care for, protect and watch over You]’;
and
‘They will lift you up on their hands,
So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”(E)
7 Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written and forever remains written, ‘You shall not test the Lord your God.’”(F)
8 Again, the devil took Him up on a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory [splendor, magnificence, and excellence] of them; 9 and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written and forever remains written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”(G) 11 Then the devil left Him; and angels came and ministered to Him [bringing Him food and serving Him].
Jesus Begins His Ministry
12 Now when Jesus heard that John [the Baptist] had been arrested and put in prison, He left for Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth, He went and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the country of Zebulun and Naphtali.(H) 14 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
15
“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee [in the district] of the Gentiles—
16
“The people who were sitting (living) in [spiritual] darkness have seen a great Light,
And for those who were sitting (living) in the land and shadow of [spiritual and moral] death,
Upon them a Light has dawned.”(I)
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “[a]Repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life], for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
The First Disciples
18 As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He noticed two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 And He said to them, “[b]Follow Me [as My disciples, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk], and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him [becoming His disciples, believing and trusting in Him and following His example]. 21 And going on [further] from there He noticed two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, in the boat with their father [c]Zebedee, mending their nets; and He called them [to follow Him as His disciples]. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him [becoming His disciples, believing and trusting in Him and following His example].
Ministry in Galilee
23 And He went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news (gospel) of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people [demonstrating and revealing that He was indeed the promised Messiah].
24 So the news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were sick, those suffering with various diseases and pains, those under the power of demons, and epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. 25 Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the [d]Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and the other side of the Jordan.
Footnotes
- Matthew 4:17 Jesus’ public ministry began at this time and He was preaching the same message John the Baptist had proclaimed.
- Matthew 4:19 The concept of “follow” can represent three separate possibilities: in the early stages of His ministry, (1) walking with Him physically (literally), that is, merely being in His presence regardless of personal belief or commitment, (2) accepting and identifying with the salvation He offered; and later on, (3) being identified with Him by being subject to the scorn and rejection of unbelievers because of personal belief and commitment to Him.
- Matthew 4:21 Zebedee’s wife, Salome, is believed to be the sister of Jesus’ mother Mary.
- Matthew 4:25 The district of the ten Hellenistic (Greco-Roman) cities east of the Sea of Galilee.
Matthew 4
New King James Version
Satan Tempts Jesus(A)
4 Then (B)Jesus was led up by (C)the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, (D)‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
5 Then the devil took Him up (E)into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:
(F)‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’
and,
(G)‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, (H)‘You shall not [a]tempt the Lord your God.’ ”
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and (I)showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, [b]“Away with you, Satan! For it is written, (J)‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
11 Then the devil (K)left Him, and behold, (L)angels came and ministered to Him.
Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry(M)
12 (N)Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
15 “The(O) land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles:
16 (P)The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death
Light has dawned.”
17 (Q)From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, (R)“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven [c]is at hand.”
Four Fishermen Called as Disciples(S)
18 (T)And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon (U)called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and (V)I will make you fishers of men.” 20 (W)They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
21 (X)Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
Jesus Heals a Great Multitude(Y)
23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, (Z)teaching in their synagogues, preaching (AA)the gospel of the kingdom, (AB)and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. 24 Then [d]His fame went throughout all Syria; and they (AC)brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. 25 (AD)Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from [e]Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
Footnotes
- Matthew 4:7 test
- Matthew 4:10 M Get behind Me
- Matthew 4:17 has drawn near
- Matthew 4:24 Lit. the report of Him
- Matthew 4:25 Lit. Ten Cities
Matthew 4
New American Standard Bible
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
- Matthew 4:2 Or later became; or afterward became
- Matthew 4:7 Or Again
- Matthew 4:9 Lit prostrate Yourself to
- Matthew 4:10 Or fulfill religious duty to Him
- Matthew 4:15 Or Toward the sea
- Matthew 4:15 Lit nations, usually non-Jewish
- Matthew 4:17 Or proclaim
- Matthew 4:17 Lit has come near
- Matthew 4:19 Or Come after Me
- Matthew 4:21 Or Jacob
- Matthew 4:21 Gr Joannes, for Heb Johanan
- Matthew 4:23 Or good news
Matthew 4
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Temptation of Jesus
4 Then(A) Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil.(B) 2 After He had fasted 40 days and 40 nights,(C) He was hungry. 3 Then the tempter approached Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”(D)
4 But He answered, “It is written:
5 Then the Devil took Him to the holy city,[b] had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple,(F) 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:
He will give His angels(G) orders concerning you,
and they will support you with their hands
so that you will not strike
your foot against a stone.”(H)[c]
7 Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.”(I)[d]
8 Again, the Devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 And he said to Him, “I will give You all these things if You will fall down and worship me.”[e]
10 Then Jesus told him, “Go away,[f] Satan! For it is written:
11 Then the Devil left Him, and immediately angels came and began to serve Him.(K)
Ministry in Galilee
12 When He heard that John had been arrested,(L) He withdrew into Galilee.(M) 13 He left Nazareth behind and went to live in Capernaum(N) by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
15 Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
along the sea road, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles!
16 The people who live in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those living in the shadowland of death,
light has dawned.[h](O)[i]
17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven(P) has come near!”
The First Disciples
18 As(Q) He was walking along the Sea of Galilee,(R) He saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen. 19 “Follow Me,” He told them, “and I will make you fish for[j] people!” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.
21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and He called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.
Teaching, Preaching, and Healing
23 Jesus was going all over Galilee,(S) teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every[k] disease and sickness among the people.(T) 24 Then the news about Him spread throughout Syria.(U) So they brought to Him all those who were afflicted, those suffering from various diseases and intense pains, the demon-possessed, the epileptics, and the paralytics.(V) And He healed them. 25 Large crowds followed Him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.(W)
Footnotes
- Matthew 4:4 Dt 8:3
- Matthew 4:5 = Jerusalem
- Matthew 4:6 Ps 91:11-12
- Matthew 4:7 Dt 6:16
- Matthew 4:9 Or and pay me homage
- Matthew 4:10 Other mss read Get behind Me
- Matthew 4:10 Dt 6:13
- Matthew 4:16 Lit dawned on them
- Matthew 4:16 Is 9:1-2
- Matthew 4:19 Lit you fishers of
- Matthew 4:23 Or every kind of
Matthew 4
The Message
The Test
4 1-3 Next Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it. Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights. That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger, which the Devil took advantage of in the first test: “Since you are God’s Son, speak the word that will turn these stones into loaves of bread.”
4 Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: “It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.”
5-6 For the second test the Devil took him to the Holy City. He sat him on top of the Temple and said, “Since you are God’s Son, jump.” The Devil goaded him by quoting Psalm 91: “He has placed you in the care of angels. They will catch you so that you won’t so much as stub your toe on a stone.”
7 Jesus countered with another citation from Deuteronomy: “Don’t you dare test the Lord your God.”
8-9 For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth’s kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, “They’re yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they’re yours.”
10 Jesus’ refusal was curt: “Beat it, Satan!” He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: “Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.”
11 The Test was over. The Devil left. And in his place, angels! Angels came and took care of Jesus’ needs.
Teaching and Healing
12-17 When Jesus got word that John had been arrested, he returned to Galilee. He moved from his hometown, Nazareth, to the lakeside village Capernaum, nestled at the base of the Zebulun and Naphtali hills. This move completed Isaiah’s revelation:
Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
road to the sea, over Jordan,
Galilee, crossroads for the nations.
People sitting out their lives in the dark
saw a huge light;
Sitting in that dark, dark country of death,
they watched the sun come up.
This Isaiah-prophesied revelation came to life in Galilee the moment Jesus started preaching. He picked up where John left off: “Change your life. God’s kingdom is here.”
18-20 Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers: Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew. They were fishing, throwing their nets into the lake. It was their regular work. Jesus said to them, “Come with me. I’ll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I’ll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass.” They didn’t ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed.
21-22 A short distance down the beach they came upon another pair of brothers, James and John, Zebedee’s sons. These two were sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, mending their fishnets. Jesus made the same offer to them, and they were just as quick to follow, abandoning boat and father.
23-25 From there he went all over Galilee. He used synagogues for meeting places and taught people the truth of God. God’s kingdom was his theme—that beginning right now they were under God’s government, a good government! He also healed people of their diseases and of the bad effects of their bad lives. Word got around the entire Roman province of Syria. People brought anybody with a sickness, whether mental, emotional, or physical. Jesus healed them, one and all. More and more people came, the momentum gathering. Besides those from Galilee, crowds came from the “Ten Towns” across the lake, others up from Jerusalem and Judea, still others from across the Jordan.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson