Matthew 4 - Easy To Read Version

¹ Then the Spirit {\cf2\super [47]} led Jesus into the desert. Jesus was taken there to be tempted by the devil.

² Jesus ate nothing for 40 days and nights. After this, he was very hungry.

³ The devil came to Jesus to tempt him. The devil said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these rocks to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered him, “It is written \{in the Scriptures {\cf2\super [48]} \},

⁵ Then the devil led Jesus to the holy city (Jerusalem). The devil put Jesus on a very high place on the temple. {\cf2\super [49]}

⁶ The devil said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off. Why? Because it is written \{in the Scriptures {\cf2\super [50]} \},

⁷ Jesus answered him, “It also says \{in the Scriptures {\cf2\super [51]} \},

⁸ Then the devil led Jesus to the top of a very high mountain. The devil showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, and all the great things that are in those kingdoms.

⁹ The devil said, “If you will bow down and worship me, I will give you all these things.”

¹⁰ Jesus said to the devil, “Go away from me, Satan! It is written \{in the Scriptures {\cf2\super [52]} \},

¹¹ So the devil left Jesus. And then some angels came to Jesus and helped him.

¹² Jesus heard that John was put in prison. So Jesus went back to Galilee.

¹³ Jesus did not stay in Nazareth. He went and lived in Capernaum, a town near the lake (Lake Galilee). Capernaum is in the area near Zebulun and Naphtali.

¹⁴ Jesus did this to make happen what the prophet {\cf2\super [53]} Isaiah said:

¹⁵ “\{Look at\} the land of Zebulun\par and the land of Naphtali,\par the lands by the road that goes to the sea,\par the area past the Jordan River—\par Galilee, the land where non-Jewish people live.\par

¹⁶ Those people live in darkness (sin),\par but they have seen a great light;\par the light has come for those people\par that live in the land that is dark\par like a grave.”\par \i (Isaiah 9:1-2)\i0 \par

¹⁷ From that time Jesus began to tell people \{what God wanted\}. This is what he said: “Change your hearts and lives, because the kingdom of heaven is coming soon.”

¹⁸ Jesus was walking by Lake Galilee. He saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Simon’s brother Andrew. The two brothers were fishermen and they were fishing in the lake with a net.

¹⁹ Jesus said, “Come follow me. I will make you \{a different kind of\} fishermen. You will work to gather people, \{not fish\}.”

²⁰ Simon and Andrew left their nets and followed Jesus.

²¹ Jesus continued walking by Lake Galilee. He saw two other brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee. They were preparing their nets to catch fish. Jesus told the brothers to come with him.

²² So the brothers left the boat and their father, and they followed Jesus.

²³ Jesus went everywhere in the country of Galilee. Jesus taught in the synagogues {\cf2\super [54]} and told the Good News about the kingdom of heaven. And Jesus healed all the people’s diseases and sicknesses.

²⁴ The news about Jesus spread all over Syria. And people brought all the sick people to Jesus. These sick people were suffering from different kinds of diseases and pain. Some people were suffering with very bad pain, some people had demons {\cf2\super [55]} inside them, some people were epileptics, {\cf2\super [56]} and some people were paralyzed (crippled). Jesus healed all these people.

²⁵ Many, many people followed Jesus. These people were from Galilee, the Ten Towns, {\cf2\super [57]} Jerusalem, Judea, and the area across the Jordan River.