LukeChapter 4

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¹Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit. He came back from the Jordan River. Then the Spirit led him into the wilderness. ²There the devil tempted him for forty days. Jesus ate nothing during those days. When they were over, he was hungry. ³The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." ⁴But Jesus answered, "It is written: 'People do not live on bread alone.'" ⁵Then the devil led him up to a high place. In a single moment he showed him all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶He said to Jesus, "I will give you power over all these kingdoms and all their glory. It has been handed over to me. I can give it to anyone I want. ⁷So if you worship me, it will all be yours." ⁸But Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God. Serve only him.'" ⁹Then the devil led him to Jerusalem. He set him on the highest point of the temple. He said, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here. ¹⁰For it is written: 'He will command his angels about you. They will guard you with care. ¹¹They will lift you up in their hands. Then you won't hit your foot against a stone.'" ¹²But Jesus answered, "It also says, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" ¹³When the devil had finished all his tempting, he left Jesus until a better time came. ¹⁴Jesus went back to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. News about him spread all through the land around it. ¹⁵He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. ¹⁶Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up. On the Sabbath he went into the synagogue, as he always did. He stood up to read. ¹⁷Someone handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled it and found the place where it was written: ¹⁸"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 announce freedom for prisoners
and to give sight back to the blind.
He has sent me to set free those who are crushed, ¹⁹and to announce the year when the Lord shows his favor." ²⁰Then he rolled up the scroll. He gave it back to the helper and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue was staring at him. ²¹He began by saying to them, "Today this Scripture has come true as you listened." ²²Everyone spoke well of him. They were amazed at the kind and gracious words he spoke. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked. ²³Jesus said to them, "I'm sure you will quote this saying to me: 'Doctor, heal yourself!' You will say, 'We heard what you did in Capernaum. Do the same things here in your hometown.'" ²⁴Then he added, "I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown. ²⁵I tell you truly, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah. The sky was shut for three and a half years. There was a terrible famine all over the land. ²⁶But Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent to a widow in Zarephath, in the land of Sidon. ²⁷And there were many people with leprosy in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet. But not one of them was made clean, except Naaman the Syrian." ²⁸When they heard this, all the people in the synagogue became very angry. ²⁹They got up and forced him out of the town. The town was built on a hill. They took him to the edge of the hill. They wanted to throw him off the cliff. ³⁰But Jesus walked right through the crowd and went on his way. ³¹Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee. On the Sabbath he began to teach the people. ³²They were amazed at his teaching, because his words had authority. ³³In the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon in him. He cried out in a loud voice, ³⁴"Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are. You are the Holy One of God!" ³⁵But Jesus spoke sharply to the demon. "Be quiet!" he said. "Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down in front of everyone. It came out of him without hurting him. ³⁶All the people were amazed. They said to one another, "What kind of words are these? He gives orders to unclean spirits with authority and power. And they come out!" ³⁷And the news about Jesus spread all through the land around there. ³⁸Jesus left the synagogue and went to Simon's home. Simon's mother-in-law was sick with a high fever. So they asked Jesus to help her. ³⁹He stood over her and ordered the fever to leave, and it left her. She got up right away and began to serve them. ⁴⁰When the sun was setting, people brought to Jesus all who were sick with many kinds of diseases. He placed his hands on each one, and he healed them. ⁴¹Demons also came out of many people. They shouted, "You are the Son of God!" But he spoke sharply to the demons. He would not let them speak, because they knew he was the Messiah. ⁴²At dawn, Jesus went out to a quiet place by himself. The crowds were looking for him. They came to him and tried to keep him from leaving them. ⁴³But Jesus said to them, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns too. That is why I was sent." ⁴⁴And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.