¹ Then Jesus was led up into the Wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the Devil.

² And, after he had fasted for forty days and forty nights, he became hungry.

³ And the Tempter came to him, and said: “If you are God’s Son, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”

⁴ But Jesus answered: “Scripture says — ‘It is not on bread alone that man is to live, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

⁵ Then the Devil took him to the Holy City, and, placing him on the parapet of the temple, said to him:

⁶ “If you are God’s Son, throw yourself down, for Scripture says — ‘He will give his angels commands about thee, and on their hands they will upbear thee, lest ever thou shouldst strike thy foot against a stone.’”

⁷ “Scripture also says,” answered Jesus, “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.’”

⁸ The third time, the Devil took Jesus to a very high mountain, and, showing him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour, said to him:

⁹ “All these I will give you, if you will fall at my feet and do homage to me.”

¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him: “Begone, Satan! for Scripture says — ‘Thou shalt do homage to the Lord thy God, and worship him only.’”

¹¹ Then the Devil left him alone, and angels came and ministered to him.

The Work in Galilee

¹² When Jesus heard that John had been committed to prison, he retired to Galilee.

¹³ Afterwards, leaving Nazareth, he went and settled at Capernaum, which is by the side of the Sea, within the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali;

¹⁴ in fulfilment of these words in the Prophet Isaiah —

¹⁵ ‘The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the land of the Road by the Sea, and beyond the Jordan, with Galilee of the Gentiles —

¹⁶ The people who were dwelling in darkness have seen a great Light, and, for those who were dwelling in the shadow-land of Death, a Light has risen!’

¹⁷ At that time Jesus began to proclaim — “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

¹⁸ As Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers — Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew — casting a net into the Sea; for they were fishermen.

¹⁹ “Come and follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will set you to fish for men.”

²⁰ The two men left their nets at once and followed him.

²¹ Going further on, he saw two other men who were also brothers, James, Zebediah’s son, and his brother John, in their boat with their father, mending their nets. Jesus called them,

²² and they at once left their boat and their father, and followed him.

²³ And Jesus went all through Galilee, teaching in their Synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom, and curing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people;

²⁴ and his fame spread all through Syria. They brought to him all who were ill with any form of disease, or who were suffering pain — any who were either possessed by demons, or were lunatic, or paralysed; and he cured them.

²⁵ And he was followed by large crowds from Galilee, the district of the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.