Christ’s fast of forty days: He is tempted. He begins to preach, to call disciples to him, and to work miracles.

¹ Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert, in order to be tempted by the devil.

² And when he had fasted for forty days and forty nights, afterwards he was hungry.

³ And approaching, the tempter said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

⁴ And in response he said, “It has been written: ‘Not by bread alone shall man live, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

⁵ Then the devil took him up, into the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple,

⁶ and said to him: “If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down. For it has been written: ‘For he has given charge of you to his angels, and they shall take you into their hands, lest perhaps you may hurt your foot against a stone.’ ”

⁷ Jesus said to him, “Again, it has been written: ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”

⁸ Again, the devil took him up, onto a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory,¹

1. 4:8Showed him, etc: That is, pointed out to him where each kingdom lay; and set forth in words what was most glorious and admirable in each of them. Or also set before his eyes, as it were in a large map, a lively representation of all those kingdoms.(Challoner)

⁹ and said to him, “All these things I will give to you, if you will fall down and adore me.”

¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him: “Go away, Satan. For it has been written: ‘You shall adore the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ ”

¹¹ Then the devil left him. And behold, Angels approached and ministered to him.

¹² And when Jesus had heard that John had been handed over, he withdrew into Galilee.

¹³ And leaving behind the city of Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, near the sea, at the borders of Zebulun and of Naphtali,

¹⁴ in order to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

¹⁵ “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way of the sea across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:

¹⁶ A people who were sitting in darkness have seen a great light. And unto those sitting in the region of the shadow of death, a light has risen.”

¹⁷ From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say: “Repent. For the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.”

¹⁸ And Jesus, walking near the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen).

¹⁹ And he said to them: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

²⁰ And at once, leaving behind their nets, they followed him.

²¹ And continuing on from there, he saw another two brothers, James of Zebedee, and his brother John, in a ship with their father Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them.

²² And immediately, leaving their nets and their father behind, they followed him.

²³ And Jesus traveled throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every infirmity among the people.

²⁴ And reports of him went out to all of Syria, and they brought to him all those who had maladies, those who were in the grasp of various sicknesses and torments, and those who were in the hold of demons, and the mentally ill, and paralytics. And he cured them.¹

1. 4:24The word ‘lunaticos’ refers to the mentally ill, who were thought to be affected by the phases of the moon. In some contexts, it may also refer to epileptics. Although we today distinguish between mental illness and epilepsy, they are both illnesses affecting the brain or mind.(Conte)

²⁵ And a great crowd followed him from Galilee, and from the Ten Cities, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from across the Jordan.