1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 As it is written in the prophets, "Look, I am sending my messenger before your face, who will make ready your way ahead of you."
3 "A voice of one calling out in the wilderness: 'Make ready the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.'"
4 There came John, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance leading to the forgiveness of sins.
5 The whole Judean countryside and the people of Jerusalem kept going out to him, and they were all baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.
6 John was clothed in camel's hair, with a belt of leather around his waist, and he would eat locusts and wild honey.
7 And he proclaimed, "The one stronger than I am is coming after me; I am not fit to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals.
8 I for my part baptized you in water, but he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit."
9 In those days it happened that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
10 As soon as he came up from the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Spirit coming down on him as a dove.
11 And a voice came out of the heavens: "You are my beloved Son, in whom I have delighted."
12 At once the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness.
13 He was there in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan; he was with the wild beasts, and the angels were attending to him.
14 After John had been handed over, Jesus went into Galilee preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God
15 and saying, "The time has been fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has drawn near. Repent, and believe in the gospel."
16 As he walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
17 And Jesus said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you become fishers of men."
18 And leaving their nets at once, they followed him.
19 Going on a little farther from there, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were also in the boat, repairing the nets.
20 At once he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and went off after him.
21 They went into Capernaum; and straightaway on the Sabbath he went into the synagogue and began to teach.
22 They were amazed at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who has authority, and not in the way the scribes did.
23 In their synagogue there was a man with an unclean spirit, and he shouted out,
24 saying, "Ha! What business do we have with you, Jesus the Nazarene? Did you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God!"
25 Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be muzzled, and come out of him!"
26 The unclean spirit threw him into convulsions, cried out with a loud voice, and came out of him.
27 Everyone was so amazed that they kept asking one another, "What is this? What is this new teaching? For with authority he gives orders even to the unclean spirits, and they obey him!"
28 And the news about him spread at once into all the surrounding region of Galilee.
29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John into the house of Simon and Andrew.
30 Simon's mother-in-law was lying in bed with a fever, and they told him about her right away.
31 He went to her, took her by the hand, and raised her up; at once the fever went away from her, and she waited on them.
32 That evening, when the sun had gone down, they kept bringing to him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed.
33 The whole town had gathered at the door.
34 He healed many who were ill with various diseases and drove out many demons, and he would not let the demons speak, because they knew him.
35 Very early, while it was still night, he got up, went out, and went off to a deserted place, and he was praying there.
36 Simon and his companions hunted for him,
37 and when they found him, they told him, "Everybody is searching for you."
38 He answered them, "Let us go into the nearby towns, so that I may preach there too; that is why I have come out."
39 So he went preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee and driving out demons.
40 A leper came to him, pleading with him and falling on his knees, and saying to him, "If you are willing, you are able to cleanse me."
41 Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand, touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."
42 As soon as he had spoken, the leprosy went away from him at once, and he was cleansed.
43 Then he gave him a stern warning and sent him away at once,
44 saying to him, "Make sure you say nothing to anyone; instead go, show yourself to the priest, and bring for your cleansing what Moses prescribed, as a testimony to them."
45 But he went out and began to proclaim it widely and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly but stayed outside in deserted places; and people kept coming to him from everywhere.