The Calling of the First Disciples
1. And it happened, as the crowd was pressing upon him and listening to the word of God, that he was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret.
2. And he saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing the nets.
3. And getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land, and he sat down and was teaching the crowds from the boat.
4. And when he ceased speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep, and let down your nets for a catch.”
5. And Simon answered and said, “Master, having toiled through the whole night, we caught nothing, but at your word I will let down the nets.”
6. And having done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fish, and their nets were being torn.
7. And they signalled 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. But Simon Peter, seeing this, fell at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord.”
9. For amazement seized him and all those with him at the catch of the fish which they had taken.
10. And likewise also James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear; from now on you will be catching men.”
11. And having brought the boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
Jesus Cleanses a Man with Leprosy
12. And it happened, while he was in one of the towns, behold, a man full of leprosy, and seeing Jesus he fell on his face and begged him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can cleanse me.”
13. And stretching out his hand, he touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed,” and immediately the leprosy departed from him.
14. And he commanded him to tell no one, but, “Go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing just as Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.”
15. But the report about him spread still more, and great crowds came together to hear and to be healed by him of their sicknesses.
16. But he withdrew into the deserted places and prayed.
Jesus Heals a Paralysed Man
17. And it happened on one of the days that he was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was with him to heal.
18. And behold, men carrying a man who was paralysed on a bed sought to bring him in and to lay him before him.
19. And not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him with the bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.
20. And seeing their faith he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”
21. And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins except God alone?”
22. But Jesus, knowing their reasonings, 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, ‘Rise and walk’?”
24. “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on the earth to forgive sins”, he said to the paralysed man, “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go to your house.”
25. And immediately he rose up before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and departed to his house, glorifying God.
26. And amazement seized all, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
The Calling of Levi and the Question of Fasting
27. And after these things he went out and saw a tax-collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth, and said to him, “Follow me.”
28. And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.
29. And Levi made a great banquet for him in his house, and there was a large crowd of tax-collectors and others who were reclining at table with them.
30. And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax-collectors and sinners?”
31. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are healthy have no need of a physician, but those who are ill.”
32. “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
33. And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast frequently and offer prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but yours are eating and drinking.”
34. And Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the sons of the bridechamber fast while the bridegroom is with them.”
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, having torn a patch from a new garment, puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will tear the new, and the patch 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, and the skins will be destroyed.”
38. “But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.”
39. “And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’”
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