The preparation of God’s Servant
1
📚✭The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God✭; 2 📚as it is written in the Prophets, See, I send my messenger before
your face,
who will prepare your way before you.
3 📚The voice of one crying out
in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make
his paths straight.’
4 📚John came baptizing in the wilderness, and preaching the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 📚And the whole land of Judea and the people of Jerusalem went out to him, and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. 6 📚And John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. And he ate locusts and wild honey.
7 📚And he preached, saying, “After me one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to stoop down and loosen the strap of his sandals. 8 📚I indeed have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit”.
9 📚And it took place in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 📚And coming up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him. 11 📚And a voice came from heaven, saying, “You are my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”.
12 ✭And immediately the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness. 13 📚And he was there in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts. And the angels ministered to him.
He calls others to God’s service
14 📚Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 📚and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel”.
16 📚Now as he walked by the lake of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 📚And Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men”.
18 📚And immediately they left their nets, and followed him.
19 📚And when he had gone on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; and they were in the boat mending their nets. 20 📚And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired workers, and went after him.
He performs various miracles in Capernaum
21 📚And they went to Capernaum✭. And immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 📚And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them like one having authority, and not like the scribes. 23 📚And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit✭, and he cried out, 24 📚✭saying, “Let us alone! What do we have to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know you. You are the Holy One of God”.
25 📚✭And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him”.
26 📚And when the unclean spirit had thrown him into convulsions and cried out in a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 📚✭And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? What new teaching is this? For with authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him”.
28 📚And immediately his fame spread all around through the region of Galilee. 29 📚And as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, with James and John they entered the house of Simon and Andrew. 30 📚But Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31 📚And he came and took her by the hand and raised her up, and immediately the fever left her, and she served them.
32 📚And in the evening, when the sun had set, they brought to him all who were sick, and those who were possessed by demons. 33 📚And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 📚✭And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and drove out many demons. And he did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew him.
He preaches and heals in surrounding villages
35 📚✭And in the morning, a great while before daylight, he got up, went outside and left for a solitary place. And there he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him followed him. 37 📚And when they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is looking for you”.
38 📚✭And he said to them, “Let us go to the next towns, so that I may preach there also; because I have come for this”.
39 📚And he preached in their synagogues throughout Galilee, and drove out demons.
40 📚And a leper came to him and begged him, kneeling before him and saying to him, “If you are willing, you can make me clean”.
41 📚And Jesus, moved with compassion, put out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing. Be clean”.
42 📚And as soon as he spoke, immediately, the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43 📚And he gave him a strict warning and immediately sent him away, 44 📚saying to him, “See that you tell no one, but go show yourself to the priest, and as a testimony to them, offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded”.
45 📚✭But he went out and began to talk about it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a city openly, but was outside in deserted places. And they came to him from every quarter.