Bible in 90 Days
Destruction of Lebanon and Bashan
11 Open your doors, Lebanon,
and fire will consume your cedars.[a]
2 Wail, cypress tree,
for the cedar has fallen
while the stately trees are destroyed.
Wail, oak trees of Bashan,
for the old growth forest has been cut down.
3 Hear[b] the wailing of the shepherds,
for the magnificence of the forest[c] is ruined!
Hear[d] the roar of the lions,
for the Jordan’s arrogance is ruined!
The Shepherd
4 This is what the Lord my God says: “Shepherd the flock marked for[e] slaughter. 5 Their buyers slaughter them without being punished, continuing to sell them as they say, ‘Bless the Lord!’ and, ‘I’m rich!’ Meanwhile, their shepherds show them no compassion. 6 Therefore I will no longer show compassion upon those who live in the land,” declares the Lord. “Look! I will deliver every single person into the control[f] of his neighbor and into the control[g] of the king. Even though they assault the land, I will not deliver it from their control.”[h]
7 So I became shepherd of the flock marked for[i] slaughter, paying attention to the oppressed of the flock. I took two staffs—naming one “Pleasant” and the other one “Union”—and then I pastured the flock. 8 In a single month I got rid of three shepherds because I grew tired of them, and they despised me. 9 So I said, “I will no longer be your shepherd. Let those who are about to die perish, and let what is about to be destroyed be destroyed. As for the survivors, let them devour each other.”
10 Then I took the staff that I had named “Pleasant” and broke it, showing I was breaking my covenant that I had made with all of the people. 11 It was broken at that time[j] so the oppressed of the flock who were observing me would know that it had been a message from the Lord.
12 I told them, “If it’s alright with you, pay me what I’ve earned. But if it isn’t, don’t.”
So they paid out what I had earned—30 pieces of silver.[k]
13 Then the Lord told me, “Throw the money[l] into the treasury[m]—that magnificent value they placed on me!”
So I took the 30 shekels of[n] silver and threw them into the treasury[o] of the Temple of the Lord. 14 Then I broke my second staff—the one I had named “Union”—breaking the union between the house of Judah and the house of Israel.
God’s Curse on the Worthless Shepherd
15 The Lord told me, “Pick up the tools of a worthless shepherd again, 16 for I am now raising up a shepherd in the land who will neither search for the lost, nor care for the young, nor fix the broken, nor sustain the healthy. Instead, he will devour the meat of the best of the sheep, tearing off their hoofs.”
17 “Woe to the worthless shepherd,
who deserts the flock!
May the sword strike his arm
and his right eye.
May his arm wither
and his right eye be completely blind.”
The Lord will Deliver Jerusalem
12 A declaration: a message from the Lord to Israel. “The Lord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who frames the spirit of man within himself, declares, 2 ‘Look, I am making Jerusalem an unstable cup[p] toward all of its surrounding armies when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. 3 It will come about at that time[q] that I will make Jerusalem a heavy weight; so everyone who burdens themselves with it will be crushed,[r] even though all of the nations of the earth gather themselves against it. 4 At that time,’[s] declares the Lord, ‘I will strike every horse with panic and every rider with insanity. I will keep my eyes on the house of Judah, but I will blind every horse of the invading[t] armies. 5 The leaders of Judah will say to themselves, “Those who live in Jerusalem are my strength through the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, their God.” 6 ‘At that time,[u] I will make the leaders of Judah like a brazier filled with blazing wood, or like a torch setting fire to harvested grain. They will devour all the invading[v] armies, both on the right hand and on the left. As a result, Jerusalem will again be inhabited in its rightful place—as the real[w] Jerusalem.’”
7 The Lord will deliver the tents of Judah first, so that neither the glory of the house[x] of David nor the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem overshadows Judah. 8 At that time,[y] the Lord will defend those who live in Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them at that time will be like David. The entire house of David will be like God—indeed, like the angel of the Lord in their midst!
9 “‘At that time,[z] I will search out and destroy all of the nations who have come against Jerusalem. 10 I will pour out on the house of David and on the residents of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and of supplications, and they will look to me—the one whom they pierced.’”[aa]
Mourning in Jerusalem
Then they will mourn for him, as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him, as for a firstborn son. 11 At that time,[ab] Jerusalem will mourn deeply, like the mourning about Hadad-rimmon[ac] that took place in the plain of Megiddo. 12 And so the land will mourn, families by families, alone by themselves—the family of the house of David by itself with their wives by themselves, the family of the house of Nathan by itself with their wives by themselves, 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself with their wives by themselves, the family of Shimei by itself with their wives by themselves— 14 all of the surviving families by themselves, along with their wives by themselves. 13 1 At that time,[ad] a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for those who live in Jerusalem so they can be cleansed from[ae] sin and ceremonial impurity.
Cessation of Prophecy
2 “At that time,”[af] declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, “I will eliminate the names of the idols from the land, and they will not be remembered anymore. I will also force both prophet and demon[ag] to leave the land. 3 It will also come about that if any man would dare to[ah] prophesy, then his father and his mother who bore him will respond to him, ‘You will not live, because you are speaking lies in the name of the Lord.’ Then his father and mother who bore him will stab him for prophesying. 4 Furthermore, it will come about at that time[ai] that every prophet will become ashamed of his vision as he prophesies. They will wear no rough garments intended to deceive others.”[aj]
The Injured Servant of Mankind
5 “He[ak] will say, ‘I am no mere[al] prophet. A servant of mankind am I, because a man dedicated to this[am] have I been from my youth.’
6 “Someone will say to him, ‘What are these injuries to your hands?’
“He will reply, ‘…what I received at my friend’s house.’
7 “Arise, sword, against my shepherd,
against the mighty one who is related to me,”
declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
“Strike the shepherd,
the sheep will be scattered,
and I will turn against the insignificant ones.
8 It will come about in all of the land,”
declares the Lord,
“that two thirds of the people living there will die,
but a third will survive who live there.
9 And I will bring that surviving third through,
testing them as if through fire,
purifying them like silver,
assaying them like gold.
They will call on my name,
and I will answer them.
I will say, ‘This is my people,’
and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”
The Lord Comes to the Mount of Olives
14 “Look! A day is coming for the Lord, when your plunder will be divided among you. 2 I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem, to lay siege against it. The city will be captured, the houses will be ransacked, the women raped, and half of the city will go into exile, but the remaining people will not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the Lord will go out to battle against those nations, waging war as in a day of battle. 4 His feet will stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. Then the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming[an] a very large valley, with half of the mountain moving toward the north and half toward the south. 5 You will run away through my mountain valley, because the valley of the mountains will extend as far as Azal. You will flee, as you fled from the earthquake during the reign of King Uzziah of Judah. And so the Lord my God will come, and all his holy ones will be accompanying you.”
A Unique Day
6 “At that time,[ao] the daylight will be neither bright nor overcast. 7 It will be a unique day, known only to the Lord—neither daytime nor nighttime—and it will come about at twilight there will be light! 8 At that time,[ap] flowing waters will run perennially[aq] from Jerusalem, half toward the Dead[ar] Sea and half to the Mediterranean[as] Sea. 9 The Lord will be king over all the earth at that time.[at] There[au] will be one Lord, and his name the only one. 10 The entire land will become like the Arabah plain from Geba[av] to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem. It will be raised up and inhabited where it is, from the Gate of Benjamin to the First Gate, then to the Corner Gate, to the Hananel Tower, and to the king’s winepresses. 11 People[aw] will live there, there will be no more destruction, and Jerusalem will be safely inhabited.”
God’s Judgment on Jerusalem’s Attackers
12 “This will be the plague with which the Lord inflicts all of the people who have attacked Jerusalem: he will cause their flesh to rot away, even while they’re standing on their feet. He will cause their eyes to rot away in their sockets, and their tongues to rot away in their mouths. 13 At that time,[ax] they will be stricken with a terrible panic from the Lord. Everyone will attack each other. 14 Judah, too, will fight at Jerusalem. Then the wealth of the surrounding nations will be gathered up: gold, silver, and clothing in great abundance. 15 A similar plague will also strike horses, mules, camels, donkeys, and all of the animals in those camps.”
Discipline of the Nations
16 “It will come about that all of the survivors of the nations who came against Jerusalem will come there from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, and to observe the Festival of Tents. 17 If anyone from the families of the earth will not come to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, there will be no rain for them. 18 If the people of Egypt do not come to Jerusalem[ay] to take part, they will have no annual Nile overflow.[az] A plague will come from the Lord to strike the nations who do not come to observe the Festival of Tents. 19 This will be the punishment for Egypt and all nations who do not come to observe the Festival of Tents.”
Holiness to the Lord
20 “At that time,[ba] there will be written on the bells of the horses:
Holiness to the Lord
and the pots in the Temple of the Lord will be like the bowls in front of the altar— 21 every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be consecrated to the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. Everyone who offers sacrifices will come, will take them, and will cook in them. Furthermore, at that time,[bb] there will no longer be a Canaanite in the Temple of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.”
God’s First Complaint: Against His People—A Despised Love
1 A declaration: a message from the Lord to Israel by Malachi.[bc]
2 “I’ve loved you,” says the Lord. “But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’
“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord, “yet I loved Jacob, 3 hated Esau, turned his mountains into a wasteland, and gave[bd] his inheritance to desert jackals. 4 Even though Edom may claim, ‘We were crushed, but we will return and rebuild the ruins,’ this is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: “They may rebuild, but I’ll demolish. People[be] will call them, ‘The Wicked Land,’ and, ‘The People With Whom the Lord is Forever Angry.’ 5 Your own eyes will see this, and you will say, ‘Great is the Lord even beyond the borders of Israel!’”
God’s Second Complaint: Against His Priests—A Despised Offering
6 “A son honors his father and a servant his master. So if I’m a father, where is my honor? And if I’m a master, where is my respect?” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies to you priests who are despising my name. “But you ask, ‘How have we despised your name?’ 7 By presenting defiled food on my altar. And you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ By saying, ‘The Table of the Lord is contemptible.’ 8 When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? And when you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals,[bf] is that not wrong? Offer that to your governor—would he be pleased with you or receive you favorably?” asks the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. 9 “And now, go ahead and implore God by saying, ‘Be gracious to us.’ Will he receive you favorably and accept offerings like that from your hand?” asks the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
Useless Offerings and Useless Altar Fires
10 “Oh, that one of you would shut the Temple[bg] doors and not light useless fires on the altar! I’m not pleased with you,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, “and I’ll accept no offerings from you.[bh] 11 Even so, from where the sun rises to where it sets my name will be great among the Gentiles. Incense will be brought to me[bi] everywhere, along with pure offerings, because my name will be great among the Gentiles,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. 12 “But you are profaning my name[bj] by saying that the Table of the Lord is defiled and that its fruit and its food are contemptible.
13 “And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and sniff contemptuously at it,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, “when you present maimed, crippled, and diseased animals,[bk] and when you bring the offering. Should I accept this from your hand?” asks the Lord. 14 “Cursed is the deceiver who has an acceptable[bl] male in his flock, and vows to give it,[bm] but sacrifices a mutilated one to the Lord. Indeed, I am a great king,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, “and my name is feared among the Gentiles.”
God’s Third Complaint: Against His Priests—Failing to Honor Him
2 Now this commandment is for you priests: 2 “If you don’t listen, and if you don’t choose[bn] to give honor to my name,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, “then I’ll curse both you and your blessings.[bo] I’ve even cursed them[bp] already, because none of you are taking it to heart. 3 Look! I’m rebuking your descendants because of you, and I’ll spread waste[bq] on your faces, the waste of your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it.
4 “You will know that I sent this commandment to you in order to continue my covenant with Levi,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. 5 “My covenant with him was for life and peace, and I gave the commandments[br] to him so he would fear me. He did fear me as he stood in my presence.[bs] 6 True teachings were in his mouth, and falsehood was not found on his lips. He walked with me peacefully and righteously, and he turned many from sin. 7 For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he’s the messenger of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
8 “But you priests[bt] turned aside from the way, and by your teaching you caused many to stumble. You have violated the covenant of Levi,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. 9 “So I also made you despised, humiliating you before all of the people, because you aren’t following my ways and are showing partiality when you teach.”
A Plea and a Prayer from Malachi
10 Do we not have one father?[bu] Has not one God created us? Why does each of us act deceitfully, each man against his own brother, to profane the covenant of our ancestors? 11 Judah has become unfaithful, and a detestable thing was committed in Israel and Jerusalem. Indeed, Judah profaned the Holy Place of the Lord, which he loves, and married a daughter of a foreign god. 12 May the Lord exclude from the community[bv] of Jacob any man who does this, whoever he may be,[bw] even though he brings offerings to the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
God’s Fourth Complaint: Against His Priests—Marital Abuses
13 “This is another thing you do: you flood the altar of the Lord with tears, weeping and wailing because he no longer pays attention to your offering nor takes pleasure in it from your hand. 14 Yet you ask, ‘For what reason?’ Because the Lord acts as a witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you were unfaithful to her, your partner, the wife of your covenant. 15 Did he not make them[bx] one? And the vestige of the spirit remains in him. And why did he make them one? He was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and don’t be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.
16 “Indeed, the Lord God of Israel says that he hates divorce, along with the one who conceals his violence by outward appearances,”[by] says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. “So guard yourselves carefully,[bz] and don’t be unfaithful.”
God’s Fifth Complaint: Against His People—Complaining about God.
17 “You have wearied the Lord with your words. You ask, ‘How have we wearied you?’ By your saying, ‘All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord and he’s pleased with them,’ or ‘Where is the God of justice?’”
The Coming of the Messenger
3 “Watch out! I’m sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly, the Lord you are looking for will come to his Temple. He is the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Watch out! He is coming!” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
2 But who will survive the day when he comes? Or who can stand when he appears? Because he’s like a refiner’s fire and a launderer’s soap, 3 he will sit refining and purifying silver, purifying the descendants of Levi, refining them like gold and silver. Then they’ll bring a righteous offering to the Lord. 4 Then the offering to the Lord by Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable as it was in the past, even as in former years.
The Judgment of God
5 “I’ll come near to you for judgment. I’ll be a witness, quick to speak against sorcerers, against adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who defraud the laborer of his wage, against those who defraud[ca] the widow and the orphan, against those who deprive the alien of justice, and against those who don’t fear me,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. 6 “Because I the Lord don’t change; therefore you children of Jacob aren’t destroyed.”
God’s Sixth Complaint: Against His People—Gifts and Offerings
7 “Ever since the time of your ancestors, you have turned away from my decrees and haven’t kept them. Return to me and I’ll return to you,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. “But you ask, ‘How will we return?’ 8 “Will a person rob God? Yet you are robbing me! But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “By the tithe and the offering. 9 You are cursed under the curse—the entire nation—because you are robbing me!
10 “Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. So put me to the test in this right now,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, “and see if I won’t throw open the windows[cb] of heaven for you and pour out on you blessing without measure. 11 And I’ll prevent the devourer from harming you,[cc] so that he does not destroy the crops of your land. Nor will the vines in your fields drop their fruit,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
God’s Seventh Complaint: Against His People—Slandering God
13 “You have spoken arrogant words against me,” says the Lord. “Yet you ask, ‘What did we say against you?’ 14 You said, ‘It is futile to serve God,’ and, ‘What did we get out of it[cd] when we carried out his requirements and went about like mourners in the presence of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies?’ 15 and, ‘Now we call the arrogant one blessed. Those who do evil prosper and those who challenge God escape the consequences.’”[ce]
The Repentance of the Righteous
16 Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other. The Lord listened and took note,[cf] and a scroll of remembrance was written in his presence about those who fear the Lord and honor His name. 17 “They’ll be mine,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, “in the day when I prepare my treasured possession. I’ll spare them, just as a man spares his own son who serves him. 18 When you return, you will see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, and between the one who serves God and the one who does not.”
The Great Day of the Lord
4 [cg]“The coming day[ch] is certainly going to burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and all who practice evil will be stubble—the coming day will set them on fire,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But the Sun of Righteousness will arise with healing in its light[ci] for those who fear my name. You will go out and leap like calves released[cj] from their stalls 3 and trample down the wicked. Indeed, they will become ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I do this,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
The Coming of Elijah the Prophet
4 “Remember the Law of Moses my servant that I gave him at Horeb for all Israel—both the decrees and laws.
5 “Pay attention! I’m sending Elijah the prophet to you before the great and dreadful Day of the Lord comes, 6 and he will turn the hearts of fathers to children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise, I’ll come, strike the land, and utterly destroy it.”
An Introduction to Jesus the Messiah
1 This is[ck] a record of the life[cl] of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
The Ancestry of Jesus(A)
2 Abraham fathered Isaac, Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez fathered Hezron, Hezron fathered Aram, 4 Aram fathered Amminadab, Amminadab fathered Nahshon, and Nahshon fathered Salmon. 5 Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab, Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, Obed fathered Jesse, 6 and Jesse fathered King David.
David fathered Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 Solomon fathered Rehoboam, Rehoboam fathered Abijah, Abijah fathered Asaph,[cm] 8 Asaph[cn] fathered Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat fathered Joram, Joram fathered Uzziah, 9 Uzziah fathered Jotham, Jotham fathered Ahaz, Ahaz fathered Hezekiah, 10 Hezekiah fathered Manasseh, Manasseh fathered Amos,[co] and Amos[cp] fathered Josiah. 11 Josiah fathered Jechoniah[cq] and his brothers at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
12 After the deportation to Babylon, Jechoniah[cr] fathered Salathiel,[cs] Salathiel fathered Zerubbabel, 13 Zerubbabel fathered Abiud, Abiud fathered Eliakim, Eliakim fathered Azor, 14 Azor fathered Zadok, Zadok fathered Achim, Achim fathered Eliud, 15 Eliud fathered Eleazar, Eleazar fathered Matthan, and Matthan fathered Jacob. 16 Jacob fathered Joseph, the husband of Mary, who was the mother of Jesus,[ct] who is called the Messiah.[cu]
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David totaled fourteen[cv] generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon totaled fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah[cw] there were fourteen generations.
The Birth of Jesus(B)
18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah[cx] happened in this way. When his mother Mary was engaged[cy] to Joseph, before they lived together she was discovered to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to disgrace her, decided to divorce her secretly.
20 After he had thought about it, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” he said, “don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus,[cz] because he is the one who will save his people from their sins.”
22 Now all this happened to fulfill what was declared by the Lord through the prophet when he said,
23 “See, a virgin will become pregnant
and give birth to a son,
and they will name him Immanuel,”[da]
which means, “God with us.” 24 When Joseph got up from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary as[db] his wife. 25 He did not have marital relations with[dc] her until she had given birth to a son;[dd] and he named him Jesus.
The Visit of the Wise Men
2 After Jesus had been born in Bethlehem of Judea during the reign[de] of King Herod, wise men[df] arrived in Jerusalem from the east 2 and asked, “Where is the one who was born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east[dg] and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, as was all of Jerusalem. 4 He called together all the high priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah[dh] was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, because that is what was written by the prophet:
6 ‘O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
you are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,
because from you will come a ruler
who will shepherd[di] my people Israel.’”[dj]
7 Then Herod secretly called together the wise men, found out from them the time the star had appeared, 8 and sent them to Bethlehem. He told them,[dk] “As you go, search carefully for the child. When you find him, tell me so that I, too, may go and worship him.”
9 After listening to the king, they set out, and the star they had seen in the east[dl] went ahead of them until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were ecstatic with joy. 11 After they went into the house and saw the child with his mother Mary, they fell down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasure sacks and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they left for their own country by a different road.
The Escape to Egypt
13 After they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt,” he said. “Stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and kill him.” 14 So Joseph[dm] got up, took the child and his mother, and left at night for Egypt. 15 He stayed there until Herod’s death in order to fulfill what was declared by the Lord[dn] through the prophet when he said, “Out of Egypt I called my Son.”[do]
The Massacre of the Infants
16 Herod flew into a rage when he learned that he had been tricked by the wise men, so he ordered the execution of all the male children in Bethlehem and all its neighboring regions, who were two years old and younger, according to the time that he had determined from the wise men. 17 Then what was declared by the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled when he said,
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah:
wailing and great mourning.
Rachel was crying for her children.
She refused to be comforted,
because they no longer existed.”[dp]
The Return to Nazareth
19 But after Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. 20 “Get up,” he said. “Take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill[dq] the child are dead.”
21 So Joseph[dr] got up, took the child and his mother, and went into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, after having been warned in a dream. So he left for the region of Galilee 23 and settled in a town called Nazareth in order to fulfill what was said by the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”[ds]
John the Baptist Prepares the Way(C)
3 About this time,[dt] John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the Judean wilderness, 2 “Repent, because the kingdom from[du] heaven is near!” 3 He was the one the prophet Isaiah was referring to when he said,
“He is a voice calling out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way for the Lord![dv]
Make his paths straight!’”[dw]
4 John had clothing made of camel’s hair and wore[dx] a leather belt around his waist. His diet consisted of grasshoppers[dy] and wild honey.
5 Then the people of[dz] Jerusalem, all Judea, and the entire region along the Jordan began flocking to him, 6 being baptized by him in the Jordan River while they confessed their sins.
7 But when John[ea] saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing,[eb] he told them, “You children of serpents! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit that is consistent with repentance! 9 Don’t think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have father Abraham!’ because I tell you that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones! 10 The ax already lies against the roots of the trees. So every tree that isn’t producing good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I am baptizing you with[ec] water as evidence of repentance,[ed] but the one who is coming after me is stronger than I am, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals. It is he who will baptize you with[ee] the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand. He will clean up his threshing floor and gather his grain into the barn, but he will burn the chaff with inextinguishable fire.”
Jesus is Baptized(D)
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to stop him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and are you coming to me?”
15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be this way for now, because this is the proper way for us to fulfill all righteousness.”[ef]
At this, he permitted him to be baptized.[eg] 16 When Jesus had been baptized, he immediately came up out of the water. Suddenly, the heavens opened up for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him. 17 Then a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with him!”
Jesus is Tempted by Satan(E)
4 After this, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. 2 After fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, he finally became hungry.
3 Then the tempter came. “Since[eh] you are the Son of God,” he said, “tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
4 But he answered, “It is written,
‘One must not live on bread alone,
but on every word coming
out of the mouth of God.’”[ei]
5 Then the Devil took him to the Holy City[ej] and had him stand on the highest point of the Temple. 6 He told Jesus,[ek] “Since[el] you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, because it is written,
‘God[em] will put his angels in charge of you,’
and,
‘With their hands they will hold you up,
so that you will never hit your foot against a rock.’”[en]
7 Jesus responded to him, “It is also written, ‘You must not tempt the Lord[eo] your God.’”[ep]
8 Once more the Devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, along with their splendor. 9 He told Jesus,[eq] “I will give you all these things if you will bow down and worship me!”
10 Then Jesus told him, “Go away,[er] Satan! Because it is written,
‘You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only him.’”[es]
11 So the Devil left him, and angels came and began ministering to him.
Jesus Begins His Ministry in Galilee(F)
12 Now when Jesus[et] heard that John had been arrested, he went back to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and settled in Capernaum by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 in order to fulfill what was declared by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
15 “O Land of Zebulun and Land of Naphtali,
on the road to the sea, across the Jordan,
Galilee of the unbelievers![eu]
16 The people living[ev] in darkness have seen a great light,
and for those living[ew] in the land and shadow of death,
a light has risen.”[ex]
17 From then on, Jesus began to announce, “Repent, because the kingdom from[ey] heaven is near!”
Jesus Calls Four Fishermen(G)
18 While Jesus[ez] was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon (also[fa] called Peter) and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, because they were fishermen. 19 “Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fishers of people!” 20 So at once they left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there he saw two other brothers—James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee repairing their nets. When he called them, 22 they immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.
Jesus Ministers to Many People(H)
23 Then he went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every illness among the people. 24 His fame spread throughout Syria, and people[fb] brought to him everyone who was sick—those afflicted with various diseases and pains, the demon-possessed, the epileptics, and the paralyzed—and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis,[fc] Jerusalem, Judea, and from across the Jordan followed him.
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