Matthew 4:1-11

Easy-to-Read Version

The Temptation of Jesus^(A)

4 Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert. He was taken there to be tempted by the devil. ²Jesus ate nothing for 40 days and nights. After this, he was very hungry. ³The devil^[a] came to tempt him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these rocks to become bread.”

⁴Jesus answered him, “The Scriptures say,

‘It is not just bread that keeps people alive.
Their lives depend on what God says.’” ^(B)

⁵Then the devil led Jesus to the holy city of Jerusalem and put him on a high place at the edge of the Temple area. ⁶He said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, jump off, because the Scriptures say,

‘God will command his angels to help you,
and their hands will catch you,
so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.’” ^(C)

⁷Jesus answered, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”^[b]

⁸Then the devil led Jesus to the top of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and all the wonderful things in them. ⁹The devil said, “If you will bow down and worship me, I will give you all these things.”

¹⁰Jesus said to him, “Get away from me, Satan! The Scriptures say,

‘You must worship the Lord your God.
Serve only him!’” ^(D)

¹¹So the devil left him. Then some angels came to Jesus and helped him.

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Footnotes

Matthew 4:3 The devil Literally, “The tempter.”
Matthew 4:7 Quote from Deuteronomy 6:16.

Luke 4:1-13

Easy-to-Read Version

Jesus Is Tempted by the Devil^(A)

4 Now filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan River. And then the Spirit led him into the desert. ²There the devil tempted Jesus for 40 days. Jesus ate nothing during this time, and when it was finished, he was very hungry.

³The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this rock to become bread.”

⁴Jesus answered, “The Scriptures say,

‘It is not just bread that keeps people alive.’” ^(B)

⁵Then the devil took Jesus and in a moment of time showed him all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶The devil said to him, “I will make you king over all these places. You will have power over them, and you will get all the glory. It has all been given to me. I can give it to anyone I want. ⁷I will give it all to you, if you will only worship me.”

⁸Jesus answered, “The Scriptures say,

‘You must worship the Lord your God.
Serve only him.’” ^(C)

⁹Then the devil led Jesus to Jerusalem and put him on a high place at the edge of the Temple area. He said to him, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! ¹⁰The Scriptures say,

‘God will command his angels
to take care of you.’ ^(D)

¹¹It is also written,

‘Their hands will catch you
so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.’” ^(E)

¹²Jesus answered, “But the Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”^[a]

¹³The devil finished tempting Jesus in every way and went away to wait until a better time.

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