Luke 5:1–9:50
Jesus Calls His First Disciples
5 Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around him and hearing the word of God, he was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret,a 2 and he saw two boats there beside the lake, but the fishermen had gotten out of them and* were washing their nets. 3 And he got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and* asked him to put out from the land a little. And he sat down and* began to teach* the crowds from the boat. 4 And when he stopped speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered and* said, “Master, although we* worked hard through the whole night, we caught nothing. But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they* did this, they caught a very large number of fish, and their nets began to tear.* 7 And they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and* help them, and they came and filled both the boats so that they began to sink. 8 And when he* saw it,* Simon Peter fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, Lord, because I am ⌊a sinful man⌋!”b 9 For amazement had seized him and all those who were with him at the catch of fish that they had caught, 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were business partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid! From now on you will be catching people!” 11 And after they* brought theirc boats to the land, they left everything and* followed him.
12 And it happened that while he was in one of the towns, ⌊there was⌋d a man ⌊covered with leprosy⌋.e And when he* saw Jesus, he fell down on his face and* begged him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you are able to make me clean.” 13 And extending hisf hand he touched him, saying, “I am willing; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy went away from him. 14 And he ordered him, “Tell no one, but go and* show yourself to the priest and bring the offering* for your cleansing just as Moses commanded, for a testimony to them. 15 But the report about him spread even more, and large crowds were gathering to hear him* and to be healed of their illnesses. 16 But he himself was withdrawing in the wilderness and praying.
17 And it happened that on one of the days as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there who ⌊had come⌋g from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was there in order for him to heal. 18 And behold, men came carrying on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and place himhi before him. 19 And when they* did not find a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and* let him down through the roof tiles with the stretcher into the midst of them, in front of Jesus. 20 And when he* saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who is able to forgive sins except God alone?” 22 But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, answered and* said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? 23 Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’ 24 But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” he said to the one who was paralyzed, “I say to you, ‘Get up and pick up your stretcher and* go to your home.’ ” 25 And immediately he stood up before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and* went away to his home, glorifying God. 26 And amazement seized them all, and they began to glorify* God. And they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen wonderful things today!”
27 And after these things, he went out and saw a tax collector ⌊named⌋j Levi sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me!” 28 And leaving everything behind, he got up and* began to follow* him.
29 And Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining for the meal with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes began to complain* to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered and* said to them, “Those who are healthy do not have need of a physician, but those ⌊who are sick⌋.k 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
33 And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and make prayers—likewise also the disciples* of the Pharisees—but yours are eating and drinking!” 34 So he* saidl to them, “You are not able to make the ⌊bridegroom’s attendants⌋m fast as long as the bridegroom is with them, are you?* 35 But days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.” 36 And he also told a parable to them: “No one tears a patch from a new garment and* puts it* on an old garment. Otherwise, he will have torn the new also, and the old will not match the patch that is from the new. 37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the wineskins, and it will be spilled and the wineskins will be destroyed. 38 But new wine must be put into new wineskins. 39 And no one after* drinking old wine* wants new, because he says, ‘The old is just fine!’ ”
6 Now it happened that on a Sabbath he went through the grain fields, and his disciples were picking and eating the heads of grain, rubbing them* in their* hands. 2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not permitted on the Sabbath? 3 And Jesus answered and* said to them, “Have you not read this, what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry—4 how he entered into the house of God and took the bread of the presentation, which it is not permitted to eat (except the priests alone), and* ate it* and gave it* to those with him?” 5 And he said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
A Man with a Withered Hand Healed
6 Now it happened that on another Sabbath he entered into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there, and his right hand was withered. 7 So the scribes and the Pharisees were watching closelya to see if he would heal on the Sabbath, in order that they could find a reason* to accuse him. 8 But he knew their thoughts and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Get up and stand in the middle,” and he got up and* stood there. 9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you whether it is permitted on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it?”* 10 And after* looking around at them all, he said to him, “Stretch out your hand,” and he did, and his hand was restored. 11 But they were filled with fury, and began discussing* with one another what they might do to Jesus.
The Selection of the Twelve Apostles
12 Now it happened that in these days he went away to the mountain to pray, and was spending the whole night in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, he summoned his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he also named apostles: 14 Simon (whom he also named Peter) and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, 15 and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
The Sermon on the Plain: The Beatitudes
17 And he came down with them and* stood on a level place, and a large crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all of Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast district of Tyre and Sidon, 18 who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases, and those who were troubled by unclean spirits were cured. 19 And the whole crowd was seeking to touch him, because power was going out from him and healing them all.
20 And he lifted up his eyes to his disciples and* said,
“Blessed are the poor,
because yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are those who are hungry now,
because you will be satisfied.
Blessed are those who weep now,
Because you will laugh.
22 Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For their fathers used to do the same things to the prophets.
24 “But woe to you who are rich,
because you have received your comfort.
25 Woe to you who are satisfied now,
because you will be hungry.
Woe, you who laugh now,
because you will mourn and weep.
26 Woe whenever all people speak well of you,
for their fathers used to do the same things to the false prophets.
The Sermon on the Plain: Love for Enemies
27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 To the one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from the one who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic also. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and from the one who takes away your things, do not ask for them back.* 31 And just as you want people ⌊to do⌋b to you, do ⌊the same⌋c to them.
32 “And if you love those who love you, what kind of credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them! 33 And ifd you do good to those who do good to you, what kind of credit is that to you? Even the sinners do the same! 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive back, what kind of credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, so that they may get back an equal amount! 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend expecting back nothing, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful!e
The Sermon on the Plain: On Judging Others
37 “And do not