¹ THE beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

² as it is written in the prophets¹; “Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, he shall prepare thy way before thee.

1. Mal. iii. 1. Isa. xl. 3.

³ The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths strait.”

⁴ John was baptising in the wilderness, and preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

⁵ And all the country of Judea went out to him, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptised by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

⁶ Now John was clothed with a camel’s hair garment, and a girdle of leather about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.

⁷ And he preached, saying, One mightier than I is coming after me, the string of whose shoes I am not worthy, stooping down, to unloose.

⁸ I indeed baptise you with water; but he shall baptise you with the Holy Ghost.

⁹ And it came to pass in those days, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and was baptised of John in Jordan.

¹⁰ And immediately on going up from the water, he saw the heavens divided by a chasm, and the Spirit as a dove descending upon him:

¹¹ and a voice came from heaven, Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased.

¹² And immediately the Spirit impelled him to go into the wilderness.

¹³ And he was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministred unto him.

¹⁴ But after John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God:

¹⁵ and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God draweth nigh: repent, and believe the gospel.

¹⁶ And as he walked near the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.

¹⁷ And Jesus said to them, Come after me, and I will appoint you to be fishers of men:

¹⁸ and immediately leaving their nets, they followed him.

¹⁹ And going from thence a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, and others in the vessel mending the nets.

²⁰ And immediately he called them: and leaving their father Zebedee in the vessel with the hirelings, they went after him.

²¹ And they entered into Capernaum; and immediately on the sabbath going into the synagogue, he taught.

²² And they were struck with astonishment at his doctrine; for he taught them as one having authority, and not as 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 have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.

²⁵ And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Be silent, and come out of him.

²⁶ And the unclean spirit threw him into convulsions, and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.

²⁷ And they were all in astonishment, so that they questioned one another, saying, What is this? what is this new doctrine? that with authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him?

²⁸ And there went out a report of him immediately into all the region of Galilee round about.

²⁹ Then straitway going out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.

³⁰ But Simon’s wife’s mother lay in a fever, and immediately they informed him of her.

³¹ And he came and raised her up, and the fever left her immediately, and she waited upon them.

³² But when the evening was come, after the sun was set, they brought unto him all that had illnesses, and the demoniacs.

³³ And the whole city was gathered together about the door;

³⁴ and he healed many who were grievously afflicted with a variety of diseases; and he cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak for they knew him.

³⁵ And very early (the night being far advanced towards morning) rising up, he went forth, and retired into a desert place, and there prayed.

³⁶ And Simon, and those who were with him, eagerly pursued him;

³⁷ and when they had found him, they say unto him, All men are inquiring after thee.

³⁸ And he said unto them, Let us go into the neighbouring towns, that I may preach there also; for unto this purpose came I forth.

³⁹ And he was preaching in their synagogues, through all Galilee, and casting out devils.

⁴⁰ And there came to him a leper, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

⁴¹ Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretching out his hand, touched him, and said to him, I will; be thou cleansed.

⁴² And as he spake, the leprosy instantly departed from him, and he was cleansed.

⁴³ And giving him a strict charge, he immediately sent him away;

⁴⁴ and said to him, Take care, that thou speak not a word to any man: but go, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy purification, what Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

⁴⁵ But he going out, began to proclaim it much, and to publish abroad an account of it, so that he could no more openly come into the city; but was without in desert places; and they came to him from all parts of the country.