1 ¶ The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, Behold, I send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.

3 The voice of one crying in the desert, Prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths straight.

4 So John came baptizing in the desert, and preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

5 And people from all the countryside of Judaea, and from Jerusalem, went out to him, and they were all baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins.

6 And John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and he ate locusts and wild honey;

7 And he was preaching, and saying, After me there will come one who is mightier than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.

8 I have baptized you with water: but he will baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

9 ¶ And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

10 And when he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:

11 And a voice came from heaven, saying, You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

12 And immediately the Spirit directed him into the desert.

13 And he was in the desert for forty days, being tempted by Satan; and was with the wild animals; and the angels were attending to him.

14 ¶ Now after John had been put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

15 And saying, The time has come, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe the gospel.

16 Now as he walked beside the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishermen.

17 And Jesus said to them, Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

18 And immediately they left their nets, and followed him.

19 And when he had gone a little further, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending their nets.

20 And immediately he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and followed him.

21 And they went into Capernaum; and as soon as the sabbath day arrived he entered the synagogue, and taught.

22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.

23 ¶ And in their synagogue there was a man possessed by an unclean spirit; and he cried out,

24 Saying, Let us alone; what do we have to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.

25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Be quiet, and come out of him.

26 And the unclean spirit shook him, and with a loud shriek, came out of him.

27 And the people were all amazed, so much so that they asked each other, What is this? a new doctrine? for he commands even the unclean spirits with authority, and they obey him.

28 And immediately his fame spread throughout the entire region around Galilee.

29 ¶ And as soon as they left the synagogue, they went to the house of Simon and Andrew, along with James and John.

30 But Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her.

31 And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and the fever immediately left her, and she began to wait on them.

32 That evening, after the sun set, they brought to him all who were diseased, and those who were possessed by devils.

33 And the whole town gathered at the door.

34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many devils; and forbade the devils to speak, because they knew him.

35 And in the morning, getting up long before daybreak, he left the house, and went to a solitary place, and there prayed.

36 And Simon and those who were with him hunted for him.

37 And when they found him, they said to him, Everyone is looking for you.

38 And he said to them, Let us go to the neighboring towns, so I can preach there also: for that is why I have come.

39 And he preached in their synagogues throughout all of Galilee, and cast out devils.

40 ¶ And a leper came to him, pleading with him, and falling on his knees before him, saying, If you are willing, you can make me clean.

41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, reached out his hand, and touched him, and said to him, I am willing; be clean.

42 And as soon as he spoke, the leprosy immediately left him, and he was cleansed.

43 And Jesus sent him away at once, with a stern warning;

44 Saying, See that you do not say anything about this to anyone: but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and as a testimony to them, offer for your cleansing the things that Moses commanded.

45 But he went out, and began to talk about it freely, and spread the news around, to such an extent that Jesus could no longer enter the town openly, but stayed outside in rural areas: and people came to him from everywhere.