Luke 4:22–5:16

22 They were all speaking well of himD and were amazed by the gracious words that came from his mouth; yet they said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”v

23 Then he said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverbE to me: ‘Doctor, heal yourself. What we’ve heard that took place in Capernaum,w do here in your hometown also.’ ”

24 He also said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his hometown.x 25 But I say to you, there were certainly many widows in Israel in Elijah’s days,y when the sky was shut up for three years and six months while a great famine came over all the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them except a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.z 27 And in the prophet Elisha’s time, there were many in Israel who had leprosy,* and yet not one of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”aa

28 When they heard this, everyone in the synagogue was enraged. 29 They got up, drove him out of town,ab and brought him to the edge of the hill that their town was built on, intending to hurl him over the cliff. 30 But he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.ac

DRIVING OUT AN UNCLEAN SPIRIT

31 Then he went down to Capernaum,ad a town in Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbath. 32 They were astonished at his teaching because his message had authority.ae 33 In the synagogue there was a man with an unclean demonic spirit who cried out with a loud voice,a 34 “Leave us alone! What do you have to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”b

35 But Jesus rebuked himc and said, “Be silent and come out of him!”d And throwing him down before them, the demon came out of him without hurting him at all.

36 Amazement came over them all, and they were saying to one another, “What is this message? For he commands the unclean spirits with authority and power, and they come out!” 37 And news about him began to go out to every place in the vicinity.

HEALINGS AT CAPERNAUM

38 After he left the synagogue, he entered Simon’s house.e Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked him about her.f 39 So he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediatelyg and began to serve them.

40 When the sun was setting, all those who had anyone sick with various diseases brought them to him. As he laid his hands on each one of them, he healed them.h 41 Also, demons were coming out of many, shouting and saying, “You are the Son of God!”i But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.j

42 When it was day, he went out and made his way to a deserted place.k But the crowds were searching for him. They came to him and tried to keep him from leaving them. 43 But he said to them, “It is necessary for me to proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I was sent for this purpose.” 44 And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.A,l

THE FIRST DISCIPLES

5 As the crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear God’s word,m he was standing by Lake Gennesaret.B 2 He saw two boats at the edge of the lake; the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats,o which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the land. Then he sat down and was teaching the crowds from the boat.

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”p

5 “Master,”q Simon replied, “we’ve worked hard all night long and caught nothing. But if you say so, I’ll let down the nets.”C

6 When they did this, they caught a great number of fish, and their netsC began to tear. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them; they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’s knees and said, “Go away from me, because I’m a sinful man, Lord!”r 9 For he and all those with him were amazeds at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s partners.

“Don’t be afraid,”t Jesus told Simon. “From now on you will be catching people.”u 11 Then they brought the boats to land, left everything, and followed him.v

A MAN CLEANSED

12 While he was in one of the towns, a man was there who had leprosy* all over him.w He saw Jesus, fell facedown, and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

13 Reaching out his hand, Jesus touched him,x saying, “I am willing; be made clean,” and immediately the leprosy left him. 14 Then he ordered him to tell no one:y “But go and show yourself to the priest, and offer what Moses commanded for your cleansing as a testimony to them.”

15 But the newsE about him spread even more, and large crowds would come together to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 Yet he often withdrew to deserted places and prayed.z