²⁴ Then the news about Him spread throughout Syria.^(A) So they brought to Him all those who were afflicted, those suffering from various diseases and intense pains, the demon-possessed, the epileptics, and the paralytics.^(B) And He healed them.

⁶ “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible agony!”

² Just then^(A) some men^[a] brought to Him a paralytic lying on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven.”^(B)

⁶ But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He told the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”

³ Then they came to Him bringing a paralytic,^(A) carried by four men. ⁴ Since they were not able to bring him to^[a] Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above where He was. And when they had broken through, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying.

⁵ Seeing their faith,^(B) Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins^(C) are forgiven.”^(D)

⁶ But some of the scribes^(E) were sitting there, thinking^(F) to themselves:^{[b] 7} “Why does He speak like this? He’s blaspheming!^(G) Who can forgive^(H) sins^(I) but God alone?”^(J)

⁸ Right away^(K) Jesus understood in His spirit^(L) that they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?^{[c] 9} Which is easier:^(M) to say to the paralytic,^(N) ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your mat, and walk’?^{(O) 10} But so you may know that the Son of Man^(P) has authority^(Q) on earth to forgive sins,”^(R) He told the paralytic,