1 In those days
came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying,
The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way
of the Lord, make his paths straight.
4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern
girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the
region round about Jordan,
6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to
his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who
hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to
our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones
to raise up children unto Abraham.
10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees:
therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is
hewn down, and cast into the fire.
11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that
cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy
to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with
fire:
12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his
floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn
up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be
baptized of him.
14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of
thee, and comest thou to me?
15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now:
for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he
suffered him.
16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out
of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and
he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting
upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased.
Chapter 4
1 Then was Jesus
led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the
devil.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was
afterward an hungred.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the
Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live
by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the
mouth of God.
5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth
him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself
down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning
thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any
time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt
the Lord thy God.
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain,
and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory
of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if
thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it
is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only
shalt thou serve.
11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and
ministered unto him.
12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison,
he departed into Galilee;
13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which
is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the
prophet, saying,
15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way
of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to
them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung
up.
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent:
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren,
Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into
the sea: for they were fishers.
19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers
of men.
20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James
the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee
their father, mending their nets; and he called them.
22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and
followed him.
23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,
and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner
of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought
unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases
and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and
those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and
he healed them.
25 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee,
and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and
from beyond Jordan. |