Matthew 4
The full text of Matthew 4 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Greek. Free to read.
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
3 The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'People do not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.
6 "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"
7 Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.
9 "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."
10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'"
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended to him.
12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee.
13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
15 "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles —
16 the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
19 "Come, follow me," he said, "and I will make you fishers of people."
20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them,
22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
23 Jesus went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
24 News about him spread throughout all Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.
25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and the region beyond the Jordan followed him.
Translation notes (10)
- Matthew 4:1a The Greek word peirasthenai means both 'to be tempted' and 'to be tested,' indicating the trial is real in both senses. The Greek ho diabolos means 'the devil,' literally 'the slanderer' or 'accuser'.
- Matthew 4:3a The Greek word ei with the indicative mood, translated 'if you are,' assumes the premise for the sake of argument, meaning 'since you are' or 'if, as you claim.' It is not an expression of doubt about the fact.
- Matthew 4:4a This verse quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 from the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament. The Greek ho anthropos is generic, meaning 'a person' or 'people,' not gender-specific. The Greek rhema, meaning 'word' or 'utterance,' here refers to everything God speaks.
- Matthew 4:6a The devil quotes Psalm 91:11-12 from the Septuagint, omitting the line 'to guard you in all your ways.' This is a selective citation that suits his purpose.
- Matthew 4:7a This verse quotes Deuteronomy 6:16 from the Septuagint.
- Matthew 4:10a This verse quotes Deuteronomy 6:13 from the Septuagint. The word 'Satan' transliterates the Hebrew word satan, meaning 'adversary,' and is used here as a name. The Greek word latreuo, meaning 'serve,' refers specifically to the worship-service of God.
- Matthew 4:12a The Greek word paredothe literally means 'was handed over'; here it refers to John's arrest and imprisonment.
- Matthew 4:15a This verse quotes Isaiah 9:1 (Hebrew 8:23) in a form that is close to, but not identical with, the Septuagint. The phrase is a list of place-names that introduces the main clause of the next verse; it is rendered here as the prophetic oracle it is.
- Matthew 4:19a The Greek phrase halieis anthropon literally means 'fishers of people,' as anthropon refers to generic humanity. While 'fishers of men' is a traditional rendering, the Greek is inclusive.
- Matthew 4:24a The Greek word seleniazomenous literally means 'moonstruck'; it describes those with seizures, as the symptom of epilepsy was anciently linked to the moon. The translation makes no claim about the cause of these seizures.
About this translation
The Trinity Bible Version (TBV) is Trinity Bible's own modern English translation, worked directly from the original Greek and honest to the earliest manuscripts. It was completed in 2026 — the most modern English Bible translation — and is exclusive to Trinity Bible. Every chapter, including all of Matthew, is free to read here on the web.
Continue: Matthew 5 → · All of Matthew · About the TBV · Read Matthew 4 in the KJV
Get the app: iOS · Android · Trinity Plus