Matthew Chapter 4
Showing all 25 verses for Matthew Chapter 4.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. "
"Right after this, God's Spirit led Jesus out into the desert, where he would be tested by the devil."
I let myself be led into the hard place before I began my public work - if you're facing a testing season right now, know that even I didn't skip it, and it doesn't mean something has gone wrong.
"And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. "
"After going without food for forty days and nights, he became very hungry."
I let myself get genuinely weak before facing the test, because feeling depleted isn't a reason to give in to whatever's easiest - it's simply the moment that most needs your attention.
"And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. "
"The tempter approached him and said, "If you really are God's Son, tell these stones to turn into bread.""
The test wasn't about bread - it was about whether I'd use my gifts for my own comfort and to prove myself rather than trusting the process. Watch for the moments life tempts you to take the shortcut that serves only you.
"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. "
"Jesus replied, "Scripture says: people don't live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from God's mouth.""
I answered hunger with truth, not a quick fix, because what actually sustains you isn't only what fills your stomach - it's what you build your life around. Don't let a craving convince you it's the most important thing in the room.
"Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, "
"Then the devil took him to Jerusalem and stood him on the highest point of the Temple."
The devil took me somewhere new for round two - temptation doesn't give up after one refusal, it just changes shape. Expect pressure to come back dressed differently, and don't let your guard down.
"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. "
"He said to him, "If you really are God's Son, jump off - because scripture says God will command his angels to catch you, so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone.""
Notice that even the devil can quote scripture - sounding convincing doesn't make something wise. Test the spirit behind an idea, not just its surface logic, before you act on it.
"Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. "
"Jesus told him, "Scripture also says: do not test the Lord your God.""
I wouldn't force a test just to get proof - real trust doesn't need a guarantee before it moves. Don't manufacture crises in your life just to see if things will work out; that's recklessness dressed up as faith.
"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; "
"Once more, the devil took him up a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour."
The final offer was everything - all the power and glory the world has. The biggest temptations aren't small; they're the ones that promise you everything you think you want, right now.
"And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. "
"And he said to him, "I will give you all of this, if you will kneel down and worship me.""
He named his price honestly at least - worship. Watch for what's really being asked of you when something promises you the world; the cost is usually your integrity, even when no one says so out loud.
"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. "
"Then Jesus said to him, "Get away from me, Satan! For scripture says: worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.""
I didn't debate the offer - I ended it. Some things in life aren't worth negotiating over; know what you'll never trade away, and say so plainly when the moment comes.
"Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. "
"Then the devil left him, and angels came and took care of him."
After the test, help came. Trust that seasons of trial in your life aren't the whole story - endurance is followed by care, and you won't be left to recover alone.
"Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; "
"When Jesus heard that John [the Baptist] had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee."
When John was taken, I didn't hide - I moved forward into the work. When someone who paved the way for you faces hardship, let it be a call to carry things onward, not a reason to shrink back.
"And leaving Nazareth, he came and in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum, a town by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali."
I made my home on the edge, not in the centre of religious power. Don't assume the meaningful work of your life has to happen in the most prestigious place - it often starts on the margins, among ordinary people.
"That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, "
"This happened to fulfil what the prophet Isaiah had said."
Even where I chose to live connects to a promise made long before I was born - your life fits into something bigger than the choices you can see in the moment, even when you can't trace the connection yet.
"The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; "
"Isaiah's words: "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, along the road by the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.""
The old promise pointed to an unglamorous place, and that's exactly where I began. Don't wait for the prestigious setting to start doing something meaningful - the overlooked places often matter most.
"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. "
"Isaiah's words continue: "The people living in darkness have seen a great light; light has dawned on those living in the land of the shadow of death.""
Light doesn't ease in gradually where I go - it breaks through. If you feel like you're sitting in darkness right now, know that real hope arriving doesn't require you to fix everything first; it can simply dawn.
"From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. "
"From that point on, Jesus began preaching this message: "Change your ways - because the kingdom of heaven is near.""
My very first message was an invitation to change direction, not a condemnation. If something in how you're living isn't working, you don't need to punish yourself for it - you just need to turn and try a better way, starting today.
"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. "
"Walking along the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and his brother Andrew, throwing a net into the water - they were fishermen."
I found my first followers doing their ordinary jobs, not sitting in a classroom waiting to be chosen. Don't think you need special credentials before your life can take on real purpose - I tend to show up in the middle of the everyday.
"And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. "
"He said to them, "Come with me, and I will make you fishers of people.""
I didn't ask them to throw away their skills - I asked them to redirect them. Whatever you're already good at can very likely be turned towards something that helps people, not left behind to 'start over'.
"And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. "
"They immediately left their nets and went with him."
They didn't ask for time to think it over - they just went. When you finally recognise what actually matters, don't let overthinking talk you out of acting on it straight away.
"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. "
"Moving on from there, he saw two more brothers, James and John, sons of Zebedee, in a boat with their father, repairing their nets - and he called them too."
I called them while they were doing ordinary maintenance work with their father, not in some special moment. Pay attention during your everyday tasks - that's often exactly when a bigger calling arrives.
"And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. "
"They immediately left the boat and their father, and went with him."
They left their father behind, not just their job - that cost was real, and I didn't pretend otherwise. Following through on what truly matters sometimes means accepting a real cost, not just a convenient adjustment.
"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. "
"Jesus travelled throughout Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, announcing the good news of the kingdom, and healing every kind of sickness and disease among the people."
My teaching always went hand in hand with actually easing people's suffering. Don't separate good ideas from good action - if what you believe matters, let it show up in how you actually help the people around you.
"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. "
"News about him spread through the whole region of Syria, and people brought him everyone who was sick - those suffering from various diseases and pains, those tormented by evil spirits, those with seizures, and the paralysed - and he healed them."
My reputation grew because of what actually happened to people, not because I announced myself. Let your life speak through what you actually do for others - that's the only kind of reputation worth having.
"And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan. "
"Large crowds began following him from Galilee, the Decapolis (a group of ten Greek cities), Jerusalem, Judea, and the region beyond the Jordan."
People came from every direction and background to hear this - what I have to say isn't for one type of person or one community. Wherever you come from, this teaching that follows was meant to reach you too.