Mark 2:1–28

¹And he entered again into Capernaum after several days, and it was reported that he was at the house; ²and straightway many were gathered together, so that there was no longer any room, not even at the door; and he spoke the word to them. ³And there come to him men bringing a paralytic, borne by four; ⁴and, not being able to get near to him on account of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was, and having dug it up they let down the couch on which the paralytic lay. ⁵But Jesus, seeing their faith, says to the paralytic, Child, thy sins are forgiven thee. ⁶But certain of the scribes were there sitting, and reasoning in their hearts, ⁷Why does this man thus speak? he blasphemes. Who is able to forgive sins except God alone? ⁸And straightway Jesus, knowing in his spirit that they are reasoning thus within themselves, said to them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? ⁹Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, Thy sins are forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy couch and walk? ¹⁰But that ye may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins, he says to the paralytic, ¹¹ To thee I say, Arise, take up thy couch and go to thine house. ¹²And he rose up straightway, and, having taken up his couch, went out before them all, so that all were amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it thus.

¹³And he went out again by the sea, and all the crowd came to him, and he taught them. ¹⁴And passing by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax-office, and says to him, Follow me. And he rose up and followed him. ¹⁵And it came to pass as he lay at table in his house, that many tax-gatherers and sinners lay at table with Jesus and his disciples; for they were many, and they followed him. ¹⁶And the scribes and the Pharisees, seeing him eating with sinners and tax-gatherers, said to his disciples, Why is it that he eats and drinks with tax-gatherers and sinners? ¹⁷And Jesus having heard it says to them, They that are strong have not need of a physician, but those who are ill. I have not come to call righteous men, but sinners.

¹⁸And the disciples of John and the Pharisees were fasting; and they come and say to him, Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? ¹⁹And Jesus said to them, Can the sons of the bride-chamber fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. ²⁰But days will come when the bridegroom shall have been taken away from them, and then shall they fast in that day. ²¹No one sews a patch of new cloth on an old garment: otherwise its new filling-up takes from the old stuff, and there is a worse rent. ²²And no one puts new wine into old skins; otherwise the wine bursts the skins, and the wine is poured out, and the skins will be destroyed; but new wine is to be put into new skins. ²³And it came to pass that he went on the sabbath through the cornfields; and his disciples began to walk on, plucking the ears. ²⁴And the Pharisees said to him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath what is not lawful? ²⁵And he said to them, Have ye never read what David did when he had need and hungered, he and those with him, ²⁶how he entered into the house of God, in the section of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the shew-bread, which it is not lawful unless for the priests to eat, and gave even to those that were with him? ²⁷And he said to them, The sabbath was made on account of man, not man on account of the sabbath; ²⁸so that the Son of man is lord of the sabbath also.