Chapter 4

Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led about by the Spirit in the Desert for forty days,

tempted all the while by the Devil. During those days He ate nothing, and at the close of them He suffered from hunger.

Then the Devil said to Him, 'If you are God's Son, tell this stone to become bread.'

'It is written,' replied Jesus, ''It is not on bread alone that a man shall live.''

The Devil next led Him up and caused Him to see at a glance all the kingdoms of the world.

And the Devil said to Him, 'To you will I give all this authority and this splendour; for it has been handed over to me, and on whomsoever I will I bestow it.

If therefore you do homage to me, it shall all be yours.'

Jesus answered him, 'It is written, 'To the Lord thy God thou shalt do homage, and to Him alone shalt thou render worship.''

Then he brought Him to Jerusalem and caused Him to stand on the roof of the Temple, and said to Him, 'If you are God's Son, throw yourself down from here; for it is written,

'He will give orders to His angels concerning thee, to guard thee safely;'

and 'On their hands they shall bear thee up, Lest at any moment thou shouldst strike thy foot against a stone.''

The reply of Jesus was, 'It is said, 'Thou shalt not put the Lord they God to the proof.''

So the Devil, having fully tried every kind of temptation on Him, left Him for a time.

Then Jesus returned in the Spirit's power to Galilee; and His fame spread through all the adjacent districts.

And He proceeded to teach in their synagogues, winning praise from all.

He came to Nazareth also, where He had been brought up; and, as was His custom, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.

And there was handed to Him the book of the Prophet Isaiah, and, opening the book, He found the place where it was written,

'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim Good News to the poor; He has sent me to announce release to the prisoners of war and recovery of sight to the blind: to send away free those whom tyranny has crushed,

to proclaim the year of acceptance with the Lord.'

And rolling up the book, He returned it to the attendant, and sat down--to speak. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him.

Then He proceeded to say to them, 'To-day is this Scripture fulfilled in your hearing.'

And they all spoke well of Him, wondering at the sweet words of kindness which fell from His lips, while they asked one another, 'Is not this Joseph's son?'

'Doubtless,' said He, 'you will quote to me the proverb, 'Physician, cure yourself: all that we hear that you have done at Capernaum, do here also in your native place.''

'I tell you in solemn truth,' He added, 'that no Prophet is welcomed among his own people.

But I tell you in truth that there was many a widow in Israel in the time of Elijah, when there was no rain for three years and six months and there came a severe famine over all the land;

and yet to not one of them was Elijah sent: he was only sent to a widow at Zarephath in the Sidonian country.

And there was also many a leper in Israel in the time of the Prophet Elisha, and yet not one of them was cleansed, but Naaman the Syrian was.'

Then all in the synagogue, while listening to these words, were filled with fury.

They rose, hurried Him outside the town, and brought Him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, to throw Him down the cliff;

but He passed through the midst of them and went His way.

So He came down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, where He frequently taught the people on the Sabbath days.

And they were greatly impressed by His teaching, because He spoke with the language of authority.

But in the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of a foul demon. In a loud voice he cried out,

'Ha! Jesus the Nazarene, what have you to do with us? I know who you are--God's Holy One!'

But Jesus rebuked the demon. 'Silence!' He exclaimed; 'come out of him.' Upon this, the demon hurled the man into the midst of them, and came out of him without doing him any harm.

All were astonished and awe-struck; and they asked one another, 'What sort of language is this? For with authority and real power He gives orders to the foul spirits and they come out.'

And the talk about Him spread into every part of the neighbouring country.

Now when He rose and left the synagogue He went to Simon's house. Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from an acute attack of fever; and they consulted Him about her.

Then standing over her He rebuked the fever, and it left her; and she at once rose and waited on them.

At sunset all who had friends suffering from any illness brought them to Him, and He laid His hands on them all, one by one, and cured them.

Demons also came out of many, loudly calling out, 'You are the Son of God.' But He rebuked them and forbad them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ.

Next morning, at daybreak, He left the town and went away to a solitary place; but the people flocked out to find Him, and, coming to the place where He was, they endeavoured to detain Him that He might not leave them.

But He said to them, 'I have to tell the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, because for this purpose I was sent.'

And for some time He preached in the synagogues in Galilee.