Jesus Calls the First Disciples

5 On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by ^(A)the lake of Gennesaret, ^2 (B)and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were ^(C)washing their nets. ³ Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And ^(D)he sat down and taught the people from the boat. ⁴ And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ^(E)“Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” ⁵ And Simon answered, “Master, ^(F)we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” ⁶ And when they had done this, ^(G)they enclosed a large number of fish, and ^(H)their nets were breaking. ⁷ They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. ^(I)And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. ⁸ But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, ^(J)“Depart from me, for ^(K)I am a sinful man, O Lord.” ⁹ For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, ¹⁰ and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”^{[a] 11} And when they had brought their boats to land, ^(L)they left everything and followed him.

³³ I have said these things to you, that ^(A)in me you may have peace. ^(B)In the world you will have ^(C)tribulation. But ^(D)take heart; ^(E)I have overcome the world.”

My Help Comes from the Lord

A Song of ^(A)Ascents.

²³ Are they ^(A)servants of Christ? ^(B)I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, ^(C)far more imprisonments, ^(D)with countless beatings, and ^(E)often near death. ²⁴ Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the ^(F)forty lashes less one. ²⁵ Three times I was ^(G)beaten with rods. ^(H)Once I was stoned. Three times I ^(I)was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; ²⁶ on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, ^(J)danger from my own people, ^(K)danger from Gentiles, ^(L)danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; ^27 (M)in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, ^(N)in hunger and thirst, often without food,^[a] in cold and exposure. ²⁸ And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for ^(O)all the churches. ^29 (P)Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

^30 (Q)If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. ^31 (R)The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, ^(S)he who is blessed forever, ^(T)knows that I am not lying. ³² At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas ^(U)was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, ^33 (V)but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.