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Matthew chapter 4

English Standard Version

1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." 4But he answered, "It is written, "‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’"
5Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, "‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and "‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’"
7Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’" 8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9And he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." 10Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, "‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’"
11Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
12Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
15 "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles — 16 the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned." 17From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
18While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." 20Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21And 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, and he called them. 22Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
23And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
New International Version

1Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
4Jesus answered, "It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ "
5Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.
6"If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: " ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ "
7Jesus answered him, "It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ "
8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9"All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."
10Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ "
11Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
12When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. 13Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
15"Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."
17From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."
18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people." 20At once they left their nets and followed him.
21Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
23Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. 25Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.
New American Standard Bible

1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2And after He had fasted for forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. 3And the tempter came and said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.' 4But He answered and said, 'It is written: ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT COMES OUT OF THE MOUTH OF God.’?'
5Then the devil *took Him along into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple,
6and he *said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written: ‘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.’?' 7Jesus said to him, 'On the other hand, it is written: ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE Lord YOUR God TO THE TEST.’?'
8Again, the devil *took Him along to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9and he said to Him, 'All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.' 10Then Jesus *said to him, 'Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE Lord YOUR God, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’?' 11Then the devil *left Him; and behold, angels came and began to serve Him.
12Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; 13and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled:
15'THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES— 16THE 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.'
17From that time Jesus began to preach and say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
18Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19And He *said to them, 'Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of people.' 20Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 21Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets; and He called them. 22Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
23Jesus was going about in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.
24And the news about Him spread throughout Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and severe pain, demon-possessed, people with epilepsy, and people who were paralyzed; and He healed them. 25Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
Christian Standard Bible

1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3Then the tempter approached him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
4He answered, "It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."
5Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple,
6and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will give his angels orders concerning you, and they will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."
7Jesus told him, "It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God."
8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9And he said to him, "I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me."
10Then Jesus told him, "Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him."
11Then the devil left him, and angels came and began to serve him.
12When he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
15 Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, along the road by the sea, 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 land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.
17From then on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near."
18As he was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter), and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 19"Follow me," he told them, "and I will make you fish for people." 20Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
21Going 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, preparing their nets, and he called them. 22Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
23Now Jesus began to go all over Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24Then the news about him spread throughout Syria. 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. And he healed them. 25Large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
New Living Translation

1Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. 2For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.
3During that time the devil came and said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.'
4But Jesus told him, 'No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ '
5Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple,
6and said, 'If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’ '
7Jesus responded, 'The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’ '
8Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9I will give it all to you,' he said, 'if you will kneel down and worship me.'
10Get out of here, Satan,' Jesus told him. 'For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ '
11Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.
12When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee. 13He went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14This fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah:
15'In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali, beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River, in Galilee where so many Gentiles live, 16the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined.'
17From then on Jesus began to preach, 'Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. '
18One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers — Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew — throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 19Jesus called out to them, 'Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!' 20And they left their nets at once and followed him.
21A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. 22They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.
23Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 24News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed — he healed them all. 25Large crowds followed him wherever he went — people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River.
King James Version

1Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
5Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
12Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; 13And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: 14That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 15The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; 16The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
17From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
18And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. 21And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. 22And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.
23And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. 24And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. 25And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.
New King James Version

1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
5Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,
6and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
7Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”
8Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
10Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
11Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
12Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. 13And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
15“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: 16 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.”
17From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
18And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
21Going 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, 22and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
23And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. 24Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they 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. 25Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

What does Matthew chapter 4 mean?

Matthew 3 ended with the Holy Spirit coming to rest on Jesus as He came out of the water following His baptism by John the Baptist, along with the voice of God the Father declaring that Jesus was His beloved Son (Matthew 3:16–17).

The Holy Spirit immediately leads Jesus from that moment of confirmation and validation into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. It's important to note this time of testing was part of God's plan for Jesus. It would show that, though Jesus was fully human, and fully God, He remained fully sinless in the face of temptation (Matthew 4:1).

Jesus fasts for 40 days and nights. "Fasting" does not always involve taking in no food of water, ever, at all, for the entire time period. Jesus almost certainly drank water during this time. It's possible, though, that He might not have eaten at all before Satan arrives to tempt Him. Satan tempts Jesus first to turn stones to bread to feed Himself. The temptation here is to do something "right," but at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons. Jesus properly responds by showing His willingness to depend on God's provision, not His own power (Matthew 4:2–4).

Satan's next temptation is for Jesus to jump from the highest part of the temple in Jerusalem and have the angels save Him from the fall. Part of this temptation involves a twisting of Scripture. Satan quotes the Old Testament, and dares Jesus to prove its truth by "forcing" God's hand. Jesus deflects the temptation to demand something of God on His own terms. Jesus again quotes Deuteronomy (Matthew 4:5–7).

The final offer made by Satan involves taking Jesus to a dramatic location and showing Him what are probably visions of all the nations of the earth. The Devil promises Jesus worldly power and prosperity if He will worship Satan. This temptation involves turning away from God in exchange for earthly benefits. It also tempts Jesus to impatience: God has already promised Jesus all those things, in His own good time. Jesus again resists temptation, with a quotation from Scripture. It's especially important to note that this is the only place in the Bible where an individual is offered prosperity in exchange for worship—and that offer is entirely Satanic (Matthew 4:8–10).

Having survived these trials, Jesus sends the devil away, and the angels come to minister to Him (Matthew 4:11).

Sometime after this, Jesus learns that John the Baptist has been arrested. Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth in Galilee and then moves to Capernaum, a fishing town on the Sea of Galilee. Matthew connects Jesus life and ministry in this region to a fulfilment of the prophecy found in Isaiah 9:1–2. This region, once thought to be dark and in the shadow of death because of its closeness to the Gentile nations and distance from Jerusalem, receives the dawning of a great light. That light is the Messiah, Jesus (Matthew 4:12–17).

Matthew describes Jesus calling four men to follow Him as His disciples. These two sets of brothers were fisherman working on the Sea of Galilee at Capernaum. Walking there, Jesus first calls Peter and Andrew, who leave their nets and immediately begin to follow Him. Jesus promises to make them fishers of men. Next, Jesus calls brothers James and John, mending nets in a boat with their father Zebedee. They, too, immediately leave behind their careers, family business, and family itself to follow the Christ (Matthew 4:18–22).

Focusing His ministry on the northern region of Galilee, Jesus travels with His disciples from town to town. He teaches in Jewish synagogues and proclaims the good news that the kingdom of heaven is near. He demonstrates the power and glory of the kingdom by healing every kind of disease and affliction. These conditions include everything from basic illness to demon possession to full paralysis. Jesus heals all sorts of people and conditions (Matthew 4:23–24).

Not surprisingly, Jesus quickly becomes famous not just in Galilee, but in every region around it, from Syria in the north to the Decapolis, or "ten cities," in the southeast and on both sides of the Jordan River. Huge crowds from all over begin to follow Jesus from place to place to witness His miracles and to hear His teaching (Matthew 4:25).

Those who have stayed near Jesus have the opportunity to hear the Sermon on the Mount, which Matthew begins to record in chapter 5.
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