John the Baptist Prepares the Way

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, ^athe Son of God.¹

2 ^bAs it is written in Isaiah the prophet,²

4 ^fJohn appeared, baptizing in ^gthe wilderness and proclaiming ^ha baptism of ⁱrepentance ^jfor the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, ^kconfessing their sins. 6 Now John was ^lclothed with camel’s hair and ^lwore a leather belt around his waist and ate ^mlocusts and ⁿwild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, ^o“After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 ^pI have baptized you with water, but ^qhe will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

The Baptism of Jesus

9 ^rIn those days Jesus ^scame from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he ^tsaw ^uthe heavens being torn open ^vand the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And ^wa voice came from heaven, ^x“You are my beloved Son;⁴ with you I am well pleased.”

The Temptation of Jesus

12 ^yThe Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 ^yAnd he was in the wilderness forty days, being ^ztempted by ^aSatan. And he was with the wild animals, and ^bthe angels were ministering to him.

Jesus Begins His Ministry

14 ^cNow after John was arrested, Jesus ^dcame into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, ^e“The time is fulfilled, and ^fthe kingdom of God is at hand;^{5 g}repent and believe in the gospel.”

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

16 ^hPassing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become ⁱfishers of men.”⁶ 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

Jesus Heals a Man with an Unclean Spirit

21 ^jAnd they went into Capernaum, and immediately ^kon the Sabbath ^lhe entered the synagogue and was teaching. 22 And ^mthey were astonished at his teaching, ^mfor he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 ⁿ“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? ^oI know who you are—^pthe Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus ^qrebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, ^rconvulsing him and ^scrying out with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 And they were all ^tamazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? ^uA new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.

Jesus Heals Many

29 ^vAnd immediately he^{7 w}left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now ^xSimon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31 And he came and ^ytook her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

32 That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or ^zoppressed by demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 ^aAnd he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And ^bhe would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

Jesus Preaches in Galilee

35 ^cAnd rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and ^dthere he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him, ^e“Everyone is looking for you.” 38 And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for ^fthat is why I came out.” 39 ^gAnd ^hhe went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.

Jesus Cleanses a Leper

40 ⁱAnd a leper⁸ came to him, imploring him, and ^jkneeling said to him, ^k“If you will, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 42 And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43 And ^lJesus⁹ sternly charged him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, ^m“See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, ⁿshow yourself to the priest and ^ooffer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, ^pfor a proof to them.” 45 ^qBut he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter ^ra town, but was out in ^rdesolate places, and ^speople were coming to him from every quarter.

Great Are the Lord’s Works