Luke 4:1–30

The Temptation

4Jesus returned from the Jordan full of the Holy Spirit and was led by the Spirit into the desert, ²where he was tempted by the Devil for 40 days. In all that time he ate nothing, so that he was hungry when it was over.

³The Devil said to him, “If you are God’s Son, order this stone to turn into bread.”

^4*But Jesus answered, “The scripture says, ‘Human beings cannot live on bread alone.’ ”

⁵Then the Devil took him up and showed him in a second all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶“I will give you all this power and all this wealth,” the Devil told him. “It has all been handed over to me, and I can give it to anyone I choose. ⁷All this will be yours, then, if you worship me.”

^8*Jesus answered, “The scripture says, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him!’ ”

⁹Then the Devil took him to Jerusalem and set him on the highest point of the Temple, and said to him, “If you are God’s Son, throw yourself down from here. ^10*For the scripture says, ‘God will order his angels to take good care of you.’ ^11*It also says, ‘They will hold you up with their hands so that not even your feet will be hurt on the stones.’ ”

^12*But Jesus answered, “The scripture says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”

¹³When the Devil finished tempting Jesus in every way, he left him for a while.

Jesus Begins His Work in Galilee

¹⁴Then Jesus returned to Galilee, and the power of the Holy Spirit was with him. The news about him spread throughout all that territory. ¹⁵He taught in the synagogues and was praised by everyone.

Jesus Is Rejected at Nazareth

¹⁶Then Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath he went as usual to the synagogue. He stood up to read the Scriptures ¹⁷and was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written:

^18*“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind;

to set free the oppressed

^19*and announce that the time has come

when the Lord will save his people.”

²⁰Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. All the people in the synagogue had their eyes fixed on him, ²¹as he said to them, “This passage of scripture has come true today, as you heard it being read.”

²²They were all well impressed with him and marvelled at the eloquent words that he spoke. They said, “Isn’t he the son of Joseph?”

²³He said to them, “I am sure that you will quote this proverb to me, ‘Doctor, heal yourself.’ You will also tell me to do here in my home town the same things you heard were done in Capernaum. ^24*I tell you this,” Jesus added, “prophets are never welcomed in their home town.

^25*“Listen to me: it is true that there were many widows in Israel during the time of Elijah, when there was no rain for three and a half years and a severe famine spread throughout the whole land. ^26*Yet Elijah was not sent to anyone in Israel, but only to a widow living in Zarephath in the territory of Sidon. ^27*And there were many people suffering from a dreaded skin disease who lived in Israel during the time of the prophet Elisha; yet not one of them was healed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”

²⁸When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were filled with anger. ²⁹They rose up, dragged Jesus out of the town, and took him to the top of the hill on which their town was built. They meant to throw him over the cliff, ³⁰but he walked through the middle of the crowd and went his way.