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¹ THE beginning of the gospel of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.² As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way.³ The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make smooth his paths.⁴ John baptized in the wilderness, and proclaimed the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.⁵ And there went out to him all the region of Judaea, and all the people of Jerusalem; and he baptized them in the river Jordan, while they confessed their sins.⁶ And this John was clad in raiment of camels' hair; and was girded with a cincture of skin about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey.⁷ And he proclaimed, and said: Behold, after me cometh one more powerful than I, of whom I am not worthy to stoop and untie the fastenings of his shoes.⁸ I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

⁹ And it occurred, in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and was baptized in Jordan by John.¹⁰ And immediately on his coming from the water, he saw the heavens cleft, and the Spirit descending like a dove upon him.¹¹ And there was a voice from the heavens: Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I delight.¹² And directly the Spirit carried him into the wilderness:¹³ and he was there in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild beasts; and angels ministered to him.

¹⁴ After John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee, and proclaimed the tidings, of the kingdom of God,¹⁵ and said: The time is completed, and the kingdom of God is near. Repent ye, and believe the tidings.¹⁶ And as he walked near 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 after me, and I will make you fishers of men.¹⁸ And immediately they left their nets, and went after him.¹⁹ And as he passed on a little, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in a ship, and mending their nets.²⁰ And he called them: and immediately they left Zebedee their father in the ship, with the hired servants, and went after him.²¹ And when they entered Capernaum, he immediately taught on the sabbath in their synagogues.²² And they were astonished at his doctrine; for he taught them, as having authority, and not as their Scribes.

²³ And in their synagogue was a man, in whom was an unclean spirit; and he cried out,²⁴ and said: What have we to do with thee? Jesus thou Nazarean. Hast thou come to destroy us? I know thee, who thou art, the Holy One of God.²⁵ And Jesus rebuked him, and said: Shut thy mouth, and come out of him.²⁶ And the unclean spirit threw him down, and cried with a loud voice, and came out of him.²⁷ And they were all amazed, and inquired one of another, and said: What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they obey him.²⁸ And immediately his fame spread into all the land of Galilee.

²⁹ And he retired from the synagogue, and entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.³⁰ And Simon's mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever: and they told him about her.³¹ And he came, and took her hand, and raised her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered to them.³² And in the evening at the setting of the sun, they brought to him all them that were diseased, and demoniacs.³³ And all the city was collected at the door.³⁴ And he healed many who labored under divers diseases, and cast out many demons; and he suffered not the demons to speak, because they knew him.³⁵ And in the morning, he rose much before others, and retired to a solitary place, and there prayed.³⁶ And Simon and his associates sought for him.³⁷ And when they found him, they said to him: Every body is seeking for thee.³⁸ And he said to them: Go into the adjacent villages and towns; for there also I will preach, because therefore have I come.³⁹ And he preached in all their synagogues, in all Galilee, and cast out demons.

⁴⁰ And a leper came to him, and fell at his feet, and entreated him, and said to him: If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.⁴¹ And Jesus had compassion on him, and stretched out his hand, and touched him, and said: I will; be thou clean.⁴² And in that hour, his leprosy departed from him, and he became clean.⁴³ And he charged him, and sent him away,⁴⁴ and he said to him: See that thou tell no person; but go, show thyself to the priests, and offer an oblation on account of thy purification, as Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.⁴⁵ 45 And he, as he went out, began to proclaim [fn] much, and to divulge the matter; so that Jesus could not openly go into the city, but was without, in desert places; and they came to him from every quarter.