1 Then Joshua was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Adversary. 2 When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he became hungry. 3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.”
4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of God’s mouth.’ ” [Deuteronomy 8 :3]
5 Then the accuser took him into the “holy” city. He set him upon the pinnacle of Herod’s Temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his messengers concerning you,’ and, ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you don’t dash your foot against a stone.’ ” [Psalm 91:11-12]
7 Joshua said to him, “Again, it is written, ‘You shall not test the Lord, your God.’ ” [Deuteronomy 6:16]
8 Again, the devil took him to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the universe and their appeal. 9 He said to him, “I will give you all of these things, if you will fall down and appeal to me.”
10 Then Joshua said to him, “GTFO, Accuser! For it is written, ‘You shall appeal to the Lord your God, and you shall celebrate him only.’ ” [Deuteronomy 6:13]
11 Then the diabolical one was taken away from him, and behold, messengers came and served him.
12 Now when Joshua heard that John was delivered up, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he came and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and ‣, 14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah, saying,
15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
toward the sea, beyond The Jordan,
Galilee of All People,
16 the people who sat in darkness saw a great light;
to those who sat in the region and shadow of death,
to them light has dawned.” [Isaiah 9 :1-2]
17 From that time, Joshua began to preach [John’s baptism], saying, “Repent! For the Republic of Heaven is at hand.”
18 Walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers: Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishers. 19 He said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 😉
20 They immediately left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called the brothers and 22 They immediately left the boat and their father, and followed him.
23 Joshua went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Republic, and healing every disease and every sickness among The People. 24 The report about him went out into all Syria. They brought to him all who were sick, afflicted with various diseases and torments, possessed with demons, epileptics, and paralytics; and he healed them. 25 Great multitudes from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan followed him.