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1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 1:2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way; 1:3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.'" 1:4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 1:5 And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. 1:6 And John was clothed with camel's hair and [wore] a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey. 1:7 And he was preaching, and saying, "After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals. 1:8 "I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." 1:9 And it came about in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 1:10 And immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; 1:11 and a voice came out of the heavens: "Thou art My beloved Son, in Thee I am well-pleased." 1:12 And immediately the Spirit impelled Him [to] [go] out into the wilderness. 1:13 And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him. 1:14 And after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 1:15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." 1:16 And as He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. 1:17 And Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men." 1:18 And they immediately left the nets and followed Him. 1:19 And going on a little farther, He saw James the [son] of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. 1:20 And immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him. 1:21 And they went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and [began] to teach. 1:22 And they were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as [one] having authority, and not as the scribes. 1:23 And just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 1:24 saying, "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!" 1:25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" 1:26 And throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice, and came out of him. 1:27 And they were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, "What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him." 1:28 And immediately the news about Him went out everywhere into all the surrounding district of Galilee. 1:29 And immediately after they had come out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 1:30 Now Simon's mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and immediately they spoke to Him about her. 1:31 And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she waited on them. 1:32 And when evening had come, after the sun had set, they [began] bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. 1:33 And the whole city had gathered at the door. 1:34 And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was. 1:35 And in the early morning, while it was still dark, He arose and went out and departed to a lonely place, and was praying there. 1:36 And Simon and his companions hunted for Him; 1:37 and they found Him, and said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You." 1:38 And He said to them, "Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, in order that I may preach there also; for that is what I came out for." 1:39 And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons. 1:40 And a leper came to Him, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean." 1:41 And moved with compassion, He stretched out His hand, and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed." 1:42 And immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. 1:43 And He sternly warned him and immediately sent him away, 1:44 and He said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a testimony to them." 1:45 But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news about, to such an extent that Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas; and they were coming to Him from everywhere.