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Matthew 9
The Message
Matthew 9
The Message
Who Needs a Doctor?
9 1-3 Back in the boat, Jesus and the disciples recrossed the sea to Jesus’ hometown. They were hardly out of the boat when some men carried a paraplegic on a stretcher and set him down in front of them. Jesus, impressed by their bold belief, said to the paraplegic, “Cheer up, son. I forgive your sins.” Some religion scholars whispered, “Why, that’s blasphemy!”
4-8 Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, “Why this gossipy whispering? Which do you think is simpler: to say, ‘I forgive your sins,’ or, ‘Get up and walk’? Well, just so it’s clear that I’m the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both. . . .” At this he turned to the paraplegic and said, “Get up. Take your bed and go home.” And the man did it. The crowd was awestruck, amazed and pleased that God had authorized Jesus to work among them this way.
9 Passing along, Jesus saw a man at his work collecting taxes. His name was Matthew. Jesus said, “Come along with me.” Matthew stood up and followed him.
10-11 Later when Jesus was eating supper at Matthew’s house with his close followers, a lot of disreputable characters came and joined them. When the Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus’ followers. “What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and misfits?”
12-13 Jesus, overhearing, shot back, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what this Scripture means: ‘I’m after mercy, not religion.’ I’m here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders.”
Kingdom Come
14 A little later John’s followers approached, asking, “Why is it that we and the Pharisees rigorously discipline body and spirit by fasting, but your followers don’t?”
15 Jesus told them, “When you’re celebrating a wedding, you don’t skimp on the cake and wine. You feast. Later you may need to exercise moderation, but not now. No one throws cold water on a friendly bonfire. This is Kingdom Come!”
16-17 He went on, “No one cuts up a fine silk scarf to patch old work clothes; you want fabrics that match. And you don’t put your wine in cracked bottles.”
Just a Touch
18-19 As he finished saying this, a local official appeared, bowed politely, and said, “My daughter has just now died. If you come and touch her, she will live.” Jesus got up and went with him, his disciples following along.
20-22 Just then a woman who had hemorrhaged for twelve years slipped in from behind and lightly touched his robe. She was thinking to herself, “If I can just put a finger on his robe, I’ll get well.” Jesus turned—caught her at it. Then he reassured her: “Courage, daughter. You took a risk of faith, and now you’re well.” The woman was well from then on.
23-26 By now they had arrived at the house of the town official, and pushed their way through the gossips looking for a story and the neighbors bringing in casseroles. Jesus was abrupt: “Clear out! This girl isn’t dead. She’s sleeping.” They told him he didn’t know what he was talking about. But when Jesus had gotten rid of the crowd, he went in, took the girl’s hand, and pulled her to her feet—alive. The news was soon out, and traveled throughout the region.
Become What You Believe
27-28 As Jesus left the house, he was followed by two blind men crying out, “Mercy, Son of David! Mercy on us!” When Jesus got home, the blind men went in with him. Jesus said to them, “Do you really believe I can do this?” They said, “Why, yes, Master!”
29-31 He touched their eyes and said, “Become what you believe.” It happened. They saw. Then Jesus became very stern. “Don’t let a soul know how this happened.” But they were hardly out the door before they started blabbing it to everyone they met.
32-33 Right after that, as the blind men were leaving, a man who had been struck speechless by an evil spirit was brought to Jesus. As soon as Jesus threw the evil tormenting spirit out, the man talked away just as if he’d been talking all his life. The people were up on their feet applauding: “There’s never been anything like this in Israel!”
34 The Pharisees were left sputtering, “Smoke and mirrors. It’s nothing but smoke and mirrors. He’s probably made a pact with the Devil.”
35-38 Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. “What a huge harvest!” he said to his disciples. “How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!”
Matthew 9
New King James Version
Matthew 9
New King James Version
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralytic(A)
9 So He got into a boat, crossed over, (B)and came to His own city. 2 (C)Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. (D)When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”
3 And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!”
4 But Jesus, (E)knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 7 And he arose and departed to his house.
8 Now when the multitudes saw it, they (F)marveled[a] and glorified God, who had given such power to men.
Matthew the Tax Collector(G)
9 (H)As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.
10 (I)Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with (J)tax collectors and (K)sinners?”
12 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: (L)‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, (M)but sinners, [b]to repentance.”
Jesus Is Questioned About Fasting(N)
14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, (O)“Why do we and the Pharisees fast [c]often, but Your disciples do not fast?”
15 And Jesus said to them, “Can (P)the [d]friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and (Q)then they will fast. 16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for [e]the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. 17 Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins [f]break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed(R)
18 (S)While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.” 19 So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His (T)disciples.
20 (U)And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and (V)touched the hem of His garment. 21 For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” 22 But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; (W)your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.
23 (X)When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw (Y)the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, 24 He said to them, (Z)“Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. 25 But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and (AA)took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the (AB)report of this went out into all that land.
Two Blind Men Healed
27 When Jesus departed from there, (AC)two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, (AD)“Son of David, have mercy on us!”
28 And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”
29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, (AE)“See that no one knows it.” 31 (AF)But when they had departed, they [g]spread the news about Him in all that [h]country.
A Mute Man Speaks
32 (AG)As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed. 33 And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, “It was never seen like this in Israel!”
34 But the Pharisees said, (AH)“He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.”
The Compassion of Jesus(AI)
35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, (AJ)teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease [i]among the people. 36 (AK)But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were [j]weary and scattered, (AL)like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, (AM)“The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 (AN)Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 9:8 NU were afraid
- Matthew 9:13 NU omits to repentance
- Matthew 9:14 NU brackets often as disputed.
- Matthew 9:15 Lit. sons of the bridechamber
- Matthew 9:16 Lit. that which is put on
- Matthew 9:17 burst
- Matthew 9:31 Lit. made Him known
- Matthew 9:31 Lit. land
- Matthew 9:35 NU omits among the people
- Matthew 9:36 NU, M harassed
Matthew 9
Legacy Standard Bible
Matthew 9
Legacy Standard Bible
Jesus Heals a Paralytic
9 And getting into a boat, Jesus crossed over the sea and came to (A)His own city.
2 (B)And behold, they brought to Him a (C)paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, “(D)Take courage, [a]son; (E)your sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said [b]to themselves, “This man (F)blasphemes.” 4 And Jesus (G)knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘(H)Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But so that you may know that (I)the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He *said to the (J)paralytic, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he got up and [c]went home. 8 But when the crowds saw this, they were afraid, and (K)glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
Matthew and Sinners Called
9 (L)And as Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called (M)Matthew, sitting in the tax office; and He *said to him, “(N)Follow Me!” And he stood up and followed Him.
10 [d]Then it happened that as [e]Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and [f]sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “(O)Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not (P)those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn [g](Q)what this means: ‘(R)I desire [h]compassion, [i]and not sacrifice,’ for (S)I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
A Question About Fasting
14 Then the disciples of John *came to Him, [j]asking, “Why do we and (T)the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the [k]attendants of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 But no one puts [l]a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for [m]the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. 17 Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Miracles of Healing
18 (U)While He was saying these things to them, behold, [n]a synagogue [o]official came and [p](V)was bowing down before Him, and said, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 And Jesus got up and began to follow him, and so did His disciples.
20 And behold, a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched (W)the [q]fringe of His [r]garment; 21 for she was saying [s]to herself, “If I only (X)touch His garment, I will [t]be saved from this.” 22 But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Daughter, (Y)take courage; (Z)your faith has [u]saved you.” [v]At once the woman was [w]saved from her hemorrhage.
23 And when Jesus came into the [x]official’s house, and saw (AA)the flute-players and the crowd in noisy disorder, 24 He was saying, “Leave; for the girl (AB)has not died, but is asleep.” And they began laughing at Him. 25 But (AC)when the crowd had been sent out, coming in, He (AD)took her by the hand, and the girl [y]got up. 26 (AE)And this news spread throughout all that land.
27 And as Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, [z]crying out, “Have mercy on us, (AF)Son of David!” 28 And when He entered the house, the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus *said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They *said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, “[aa]It shall be done to you (AG)according to your faith.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus (AH)sternly warned them, saying, “See that no one knows about this!” 31 But they went out and (AI)spread the news about Him throughout all that land.
32 Now as they were going out, behold, (AJ)a mute, (AK)demon-possessed man [ab]was brought to Him. 33 And after the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds marveled, saying, “(AL)Nothing like this has [ac]ever been seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees were saying, “He (AM)casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”
35 And Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, (AN)teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.
36 (AO)And seeing the crowds, He felt compassion for them, (AP)because they were [ad]distressed and [ae]downcast like sheep [af]without a shepherd. 37 Then He *said to His disciples, “(AQ)The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 9:2 Lit child
- Matthew 9:3 Lit among
- Matthew 9:7 Or departed
- Matthew 9:10 Lit And
- Matthew 9:10 Lit He
- Matthew 9:10 Irreligious Jews
- Matthew 9:13 Lit what is
- Matthew 9:13 Or mercy
- Matthew 9:13 More than
- Matthew 9:14 Lit saying
- Matthew 9:15 Lit sons of the bridal chamber
- Matthew 9:16 Lit that which is put on
- Matthew 9:16 Lit that which fills up
- Matthew 9:18 Or one
- Matthew 9:18 Lit ruler
- Matthew 9:18 Or worshiped
- Matthew 9:20 Tassel fringe
- Matthew 9:20 Or outer garment
- Matthew 9:21 Lit in herself
- Matthew 9:21 Or get well
- Matthew 9:22 Or made you well
- Matthew 9:22 Lit From that hour
- Matthew 9:22 Or made well
- Matthew 9:23 Lit ruler’s
- Matthew 9:25 Or was raised up
- Matthew 9:27 Lit crying out and saying
- Matthew 9:29 Or Let it be done; Gr imperative
- Matthew 9:32 Lit they brought
- Matthew 9:33 Lit ever appeared
- Matthew 9:36 Or harassed
- Matthew 9:36 Lit thrown down
- Matthew 9:36 Lit not having
Matthew 9
New International Version
Matthew 9
New International Version
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man(A)
9 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town.(B) 2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man,(C) lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith,(D) he said to the man, “Take heart,(E) son; your sins are forgiven.”(F)
3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”(G)
4 Knowing their thoughts,(H) Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But I want you to know that the Son of Man(I) has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” 7 Then the man got up and went home. 8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God,(J) who had given such authority to man.
The Calling of Matthew(K)
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,”(L) he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”(M)
12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’[a](N) For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”(O)
Jesus Questioned About Fasting(P)
14 Then John’s(Q) disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often,(R) but your disciples do not fast?”
15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them?(S) The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.(T)
16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17 Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman(U)
18 While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him(V) and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her,(W) and she will live.” 19 Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.
20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak.(X) 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”
22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart,(Y) daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.”(Z) And the woman was healed at that moment.(AA)
23 When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes,(AB) 24 he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead(AC) but asleep.”(AD) But they laughed at him. 25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.(AE) 26 News of this spread through all that region.(AF)
Jesus Heals the Blind and the Mute
27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”(AG)
28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they replied.(AH)
29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”;(AI) 30 and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.”(AJ) 31 But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.(AK)
32 While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed(AL) and could not talk(AM) was brought to Jesus. 33 And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”(AN)
34 But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.”(AO)
The Workers Are Few
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.(AP) 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them,(AQ) because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.(AR) 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest(AS) is plentiful but the workers are few.(AT) 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 9:13 Hosea 6:6
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.