Mark 2:13–22

THE CALL OF LEVI

13 Jesusbs went out again beside the sea. The whole crowd was coming to him, and he was teachingbt them. 14 Then, passing by, he saw Levibu the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office,bv and he said to him, “Follow me,”bw and he got up and followedbx him.

15 While he was reclining at the table in Levi’s house, many tax collectorsby and sinnersbz were eatingB with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who were following him. 16 When the scribesca who were PhariseesC,cb saw that he was eatinga with sinnersb and tax collectors,c they asked his disciples, “Why does he eatD with tax collectors and sinners?”

17 When Jesus heard this, he told them, “It is not those who are well who needd a doctor,e but those who are sick.f I didn’t come to call the righteous,g but sinners.”h

A QUESTION ABOUT FASTING

18 Nowi John’sj disciplesk and the PhariseesE,l were fasting.m People came and asked him, “Why do John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

19 Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot fast while the groomn is with them, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot fast. 20 But the timeC will comeo when the groom will be taken away from them,p and then they will fastq on that day. 21 No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new patch pulls away from the old cloth,r and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wines into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burstt the skins, and the wine is lost as well as the skins. No, new wine is put into fresh wineskins.”