Chapter 5

The First Disciples

1 aNow it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by bthe lake of Gennesaret;

2 and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets.

3 And aHe got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the 1people from the boat.

4 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and alet down your nets for a catch.”

5 Simon answered and said, “aMaster, bwe worked hard all night and caught nothing, but 1I will do as You say and let down the nets.”

6 When they had done this, athey enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break;

7 so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink.

8 But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ 1feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”

9 For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken;

10 and so also were 1James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “aDo not fear, from now on you will be bcatching men.”

11 When they had brought their boats to land, athey left everything and followed Him.

The Leper and the Paralytic

12 aWhile He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man 1covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

13 And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him.

14 And He ordered him to tell no one, “But go and ashow yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

15 But athe news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.

16 But Jesus Himself would often slip away 1to the 2wilderness and apray.

17 1One day He was teaching; and athere were some Pharisees and bteachers of the law sitting there, who had ccome from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and dthe power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing.

18 aAnd some men were carrying on a 1bed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him.

19 But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on athe roof and let him down bthrough the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus.

20 Seeing their faith, He said, “1Friend, ayour sins are forgiven you.”

21 The scribes and the Pharisees abegan to reason, saying, “bWho is this man who speaks blasphemies? cWho can forgive sins, but God alone?”

22 But Jesus, 1aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?

23 “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?

24 “But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”—He said to the aparalytic—“I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.”

25 Immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home aglorifying God.

26 1They were all struck with astonishment and began aglorifying God; and they were filled bwith fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Call of Levi (Matthew)

27 aAfter that He went out and noticed a tax collector named 1bLevi sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.”

28 And he aleft everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him.

29 And aLevi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of btax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them.

30 aThe Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and 1sinners?”

31 And Jesus answered and said to them, “aIt is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.

32 “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

33 And they said to Him, “aThe disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do 1the same, but Yours eat and drink.”

34 And Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the 1attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you?

35 “aBut the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.”

36 And He was also telling them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old.

37 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined.

38 “But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.

39 “And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough.’ ”