Jesus Calls His First Disciples^(A)

5 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,^[a] the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God.^{(B) 2} He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. ³ He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.^(C)

⁴ When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”^(D)

⁵ Simon answered, “Master,^(E) we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.^(F) But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

⁶ When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.^{(G) 7} So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

⁸ When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”^{(H) 9} For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, ¹⁰ and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid;^(I) from now on you will fish for people.” ¹¹ So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.^(J)

Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy^(K)

¹² While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy.^[b](L) When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

¹³ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.

¹⁴ Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone,^(M) but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded^(N) for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”

¹⁵ Yet the news about him spread all the more,^(O) so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. ¹⁶ But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.^(P)

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man^(Q)

¹⁷ One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law^(R) were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.^{(S) 18} Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. ¹⁹ When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

²⁰ When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”^(T)

²¹ The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”^(U)

²² Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? ²³ Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ²⁴ But I want you to know that the Son of Man^(V) has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” ²⁵ Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. ²⁶ Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God.^(W) They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Jesus Calls Levi and Eats With Sinners^(X)

²⁷ After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,”^(Y) Jesus said to him, ²⁸ and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.^(Z)

²⁹ Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors^(AA) and others were eating with them. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect^(AB) complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”^(AC)

³¹ Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ³² I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”^(AD)

Jesus Questioned About Fasting^(AE)

³³ They said to him, “John’s disciples^(AF) often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.”

³⁴ Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom^(AG) fast while he is with them? ³⁵ But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them;^(AH) in those days they will fast.”

³⁶ He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. ³⁷ And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. ³⁸ No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. ³⁹ And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’”

Paul’s Defense of His Ministry

10 By the humility and gentleness^(A) of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul,^(B) who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! ² I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold^(C) as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world.^{(D) 3} For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.^{(E) 4} The weapons we fight with^(F) are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power^(G) to demolish strongholds.^{(H) 5} We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,^(I) and we take captive every thought to make it obedient^(J) to Christ. ⁶ And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.^(K)

⁷ You are judging by appearances.^[a](L) If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ,^(M) they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do.^{(N) 8} So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us^(O) for building you up rather than tearing you down,^(P) I will not be ashamed of it. ⁹ I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. ¹⁰ For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive^(Q) and his speaking amounts to nothing.”^{(R) 11} Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.

¹² We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves.^(S) When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. ¹³ We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us,^(T) a sphere that also includes you. ¹⁴ We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you^(U) with the gospel of Christ.^{(V) 15} Neither do we go beyond our limits^(W) by boasting of work done by others.^(X) Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow,^(Y) our sphere of activity among you will greatly expand, ¹⁶ so that we can preach the gospel^(Z) in the regions beyond you.^(AA) For we do not want to boast about work already done in someone else’s territory. ¹⁷ But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”^{[b](AB) 18} For it is not the one who commends himself^(AC) who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.^(AD)

Paul and the False Apostles

11 I hope you will put up with^(AE) me in a little foolishness.^(AF) Yes, please put up with me! ² I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband,^(AG) to Christ, so that I might present you^(AH) as a pure virgin to him. ³ But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning,^(AI) your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. ⁴ For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached,^(AJ) or if you receive a different spirit^(AK) from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel^(AL) from the one you accepted, you put up with it^(AM) easily enough.

⁵ I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.”^{[c](AN) 6} I may indeed be untrained as a speaker,^(AO) but I do have knowledge.^(AP) We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way. ⁷ Was it a sin^(AQ) for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God^(AR) to you free of charge?^{(AS) 8} I robbed other churches by receiving support from them^(AT) so as to serve you. ⁹ And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed.^(AU) I have kept myself from being a burden to you^(AV) in any way, and will continue to do so. ¹⁰ As surely as the truth of Christ is in me,^(AW) nobody in the regions of Achaia^(AX) will stop this boasting^(AY) of mine. ¹¹ Why? Because I do not love you? God knows^(AZ) I do!^(BA)

¹² And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. ¹³ For such people are false apostles,^(BB) deceitful^(BC) workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.^{(BD) 14} And no wonder, for Satan^(BE) himself masquerades as an angel of light. ¹⁵ It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.^(BF)

Paul Boasts About His Sufferings

¹⁶ I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool.^(BG) But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. ¹⁷ In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would,^(BH) but as a fool.^{(BI) 18} Since many are boasting in the way the world does,^(BJ) I too will boast.^{(BK) 19} You gladly put up with^(BL) fools since you are so wise!^{(BM) 20} In fact, you even put up with^(BN) anyone who enslaves you^(BO) or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. ²¹ To my shame I admit that we were too weak^(BP) for that!

Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about.^{(BQ) 22} Are they Hebrews? So am I.^(BR) Are they Israelites? So am I.^(BS) Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I.^{(BT) 23} Are they servants of Christ?^(BU) (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder,^(BV) been in prison more frequently,^(BW) been flogged more severely,^(BX) and been exposed to death again and again.^{(BY) 24} Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes^(BZ) minus one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods,^(CA) once I was pelted with stones,^(CB) three times I was shipwrecked,^(CC) I spent a night and a day in the open sea, ²⁶ I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews,^(CD) in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city,^(CE) in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.^{(CF) 27} I have labored and toiled^(CG) and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food;^(CH) I have been cold and naked. ²⁸ Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.^{(CI) 29} Who is weak, and I do not feel weak?^(CJ) Who is led into sin,^(CK) and I do not inwardly burn?

³⁰ If I must boast, I will boast^(CL) of the things that show my weakness.^{(CM) 31} The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever,^(CN) knows^(CO) that I am not lying. ³² In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me.^{(CP) 33} But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.^(CQ)