The Temptation of Jesus (Matthew 4:1–11; Mark 1:12–13)
1 UDB Then Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan River, and the Holy Spirit led him into the wilderness. BSB BSB: Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
2 UDB The Holy Spirit led him around in the wilderness for forty days. While he was there, the devil kept tempting him. During the entire time Jesus was in the wilderness he did not eat anything, so when the forty days were over he was very hungry. BSB BSB: where for forty days He was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He was hungry.
3 UDB Then the devil said to Jesus, "If you really are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread for you to eat!" BSB BSB: The devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
4 UDB Jesus replied, "No, I will not do that, because it is written in the scriptures, 'People need more than just food in order to live.'" BSB BSB: But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
5 UDB Then the devil took Jesus up to the top of a high mountain and showed him in an instant all the nations in the world. BSB BSB: Then the devil led Him up to a high place and showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
6 UDB Then he said to Jesus, "I will give you the right to rule all these nations and you will possess all their splendor and wealth. God has permitted me to control them all, and so I can do whatever I want to do with them. BSB BSB: “I will give You authority over all these kingdoms and all their glory,” he said. “For it has been relinquished to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish.
7 UDB So if you worship me, I will let you rule them all!" BSB BSB: So if You worship me, it will all be Yours.”
8 UDB But Jesus replied, "No, I will not worship you, because it is written in the scriptures, 'You must only worship the Lord, your God. He is the only one you may serve!'" BSB BSB: But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”
9 UDB Then the devil took Jesus to Jerusalem. He set him on the highest part of the temple and said to him, "If you really are the Son of God, jump down from here. BSB BSB: Then the devil led Him to Jerusalem and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple. “If You are the Son of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down from here.
10 UDB You will not be hurt, because it is written in the scriptures, 'God will command his angels to protect you.' BSB BSB: For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard You carefully,
11 UDB And it also says, 'They will lift you up in their hands when you are falling, so that you will not get hurt. You will not even strike your foot on a stone.'" BSB BSB: and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
12 UDB But Jesus replied, "No, I will not do that, because it is written in the scriptures: 'Do not try to test the Lord your God.'" BSB BSB: But Jesus answered, “It also says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
13 UDB Then, after the devil had finished trying to tempt Jesus in many ways, he left him until a later time. BSB BSB: When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.
Jesus Begins His Ministry (Isaiah 9:1–7; Matthew 4:12–17; Mark 1:14–15)
14 UDB After this, Jesus left the wilderness and returned to the district of Galilee. The Holy Spirit was empowering him. Throughout that region, people heard about Jesus and told others about him. BSB BSB: Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and the news about Him spread throughout the surrounding region.
15 UDB He taught people in their synagogues and they all spoke highly of him because of his teaching. BSB BSB: He taught in their synagogues and was glorified by everyone.
The Rejection at Nazareth (Isaiah 61:1–11; Matthew 13:53–58; Mark 6:1–6)
17 UDB A synagogue attendant handed him a scroll containing the words that the prophet Isaiah had written long ago. Jesus unrolled the scroll and found the place where these words were written: BSB BSB: the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it was written:
18 UDB "The Spirit of the Lord is in me. He has appointed me to declare God's good news to people who are poor. He has sent me here to proclaim that the captives will go free, and I will tell those who are blind that they will see again. I will free people who have been oppressed. BSB BSB: “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed,
19 UDB He sent me here to declare that now is the time when the Lord will act favorably toward people." BSB BSB: to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 UDB Then he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue was looking intently at him. BSB BSB: Then He rolled up the scroll, returned it to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him,
21 UDB He said to them, "Today this scripture passage was fulfilled as you heard it." BSB BSB: and He began by saying, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
22 UDB Everyone there heard what he said and marveled at him, and they were amazed at how well he spoke. But some of them said, "This man is only Joseph's son, right?" BSB BSB: All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips. “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” they asked.
23 UDB He said to them, "Surely some of you will quote to me the proverb that says, 'Doctor, heal yourself!' You will say, 'Do here in your hometown the same kind of miracles that you did in Capernaum!'" BSB BSB: Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do here in Your hometown what we have heard that You did in Capernaum.’”
24 UDB Then he said, "It is certainly true that the people in a prophet's own hometown do not accept his message. BSB BSB: Then He added, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his hometown.
25 UDB But think about this: There were many widows in Israel during the time when the prophet Elijah lived, when there was a great famine throughout the country because there had been no rain for three and half years. BSB BSB: But I tell you truthfully that there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and great famine swept over all the land.
26 UDB But God did not send Elijah to help any of the widows in Israel. God sent him to a woman who was a widow who lived in the town of Zarephath, near the city Sidon. BSB BSB: Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to the widow of Zarephath in Sidon.
27 UDB There were also many lepers in Israel during the time when the prophet Elisha lived. But Elisha did not heal any of them. He healed only Naaman, a man from Syria." BSB BSB: And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet. Yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”
28 UDB When all the people in the synagogue heard him say that, they were very angry. BSB BSB: On hearing this, all the people in the synagogue were enraged.
29 UDB So they all got up and shoved him out of the city. They took him to the top of the hill outside their city in order to throw him off the cliff and kill him. BSB BSB: They got up, drove Him out of the town, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw Him over the cliff.
30 UDB But he simply walked through their midst and went away. BSB BSB: But Jesus passed through the crowd and went on His way.
Jesus Expels an Unclean Spirit (Mark 1:21–28)
31 UDB One day he went down to Capernaum, a city in the district of Galilee. On the next Sabbath, he taught the people in the synagogue. BSB BSB: Then He went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath He began to teach the people.
32 UDB They were continually amazed at what he was teaching because he spoke with confidence. BSB BSB: They were astonished at His teaching, because His message had authority.
33 UDB That day, there was a man in the synagogue who was controlled by an evil spirit. The man shouted very loudly, BSB BSB: In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon. He cried out in a loud voice,
34 UDB "Ha! Jesus, from Nazareth! Evil spirits have nothing to do with you! Have you come to destroy us all? I know who you are. You are the Holy One from God!" BSB BSB: “Ha! What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”
35 UDB Jesus rebuked the evil spirit, saying, "Be quiet and come out of him!" The demon threw the man down on the ground in the midst of the people and came out of him without harming him. BSB BSB: But Jesus rebuked the demon. “Be silent!” He said. “Come out of him!” At this, the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without harming him.
36 UDB All the people in the synagogue were very amazed. They said to each other, "He speaks with confidence, and his words have so much power! Even evil spirits obey him and come out of people when he commands them to!" BSB BSB: All the people were overcome with amazement and asked one another, “What is this message? With authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!”
37 UDB And in every place throughout the surrounding regions, people kept talking about what Jesus had done. BSB BSB: And the news about Jesus spread throughout the surrounding region.
Jesus Heals at Peter’s House (Matthew 8:14–17; Mark 1:29–34)
38 UDB Then Jesus left the synagogue and went to Simon's house. Simon's mother-in-law was sick and had a high fever. Some people who were there asked Jesus to heal her. BSB BSB: After Jesus had left the synagogue, He went to the home of Simon, whose mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever. So they appealed to Jesus on her behalf,
39 UDB So he bent over her and commanded the fever to leave her. Immediately she became well! She got up and served them some food. BSB BSB: and He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she got up at once and began to serve them.
40 UDB When the sun was setting that day, many people brought to Jesus their friends or relatives who were sick with various diseases. He put his hands on them and healed all of them. BSB BSB: At sunset, all who were ill with various diseases were brought to Jesus, and laying His hands on each one, He healed them.
41 UDB He also was forcing evil spirits to come out of many people. As the evil spirits left those people, they shouted to Jesus, "You are the Son of God!" But he commanded those evil spirits not to tell people about him because they knew that he was the Christ. BSB BSB: Demons also came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But He rebuked the demons and would not allow them to speak, because they knew He was the Christ.
Jesus Preaches in Judea (Mark 1:35–39)
42 UDB The next morning Jesus went out to an uninhabited place. Crowds of people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. BSB BSB: At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place, and the crowds were looking for Him. They came to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving.
43 UDB But he said to them, "I must tell people in other cities also the message about how God is going to rule everyone, because that is what I was sent to do." BSB BSB: But Jesus told them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well, because that is why I was sent.”
44 UDB So he kept preaching in the synagogues in various towns in the province of Judea. BSB BSB: And He continued to preach in the synagogues of Judea.