¹⁷ And it came to pass, on one of the days, that he was teaching, and there were sitting by Pharisees and teachers of the Law, who were come out of every village of Galilee, and Judea, and Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was -- to heal them.

¹⁸ And lo, men bearing upon a couch a man, who hath been struck with palsy, and they were seeking to bring him in, and to place before him,

¹⁹ and not having found by what way they may bring him in because of the multitude, having gone up on the house-top, through the tiles they let him down, with the little couch, into the midst before Jesus,

²⁰ and he having seen their faith, said to him, `Man, thy sins have been forgiven thee.'

²¹ And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, `Who is this that doth speak evil words? who is able to forgive sins, except God only?'

²² And Jesus having known their reasonings, answering, said unto them, `What reason ye in your hearts?

²³ which is easier -- to say, Thy sins have been forgiven thee? or to say, Arise, and walk?

²⁴ `And that ye may know that the Son of Man hath authority upon the earth to forgive sins -- (he said to the one struck with palsy) -- I say to thee, Arise, and having taken up thy little couch, be going on to thy house.'

²⁵ And presently having risen before them, having taken up [that] on which he was lying, he went away to his house, glorifying God,

²⁶ and astonishment took all, and they were glorifying God, and were filled with fear, saying -- `We saw strange things to-day.'

²⁷ And after these things he went forth, and beheld a tax-gatherer, by name Levi, sitting at the tax-office, and said to him, `Be following me;'

²⁸ and he, having left all, having arisen, did follow him.

²⁹ And Levi made a great entertainment to him in his house, and there was a great multitude of tax-gatherers and others who were with them reclining (at meat),

³⁰ and the scribes and the Pharisees among them were murmuring at his disciples, saying, `Wherefore with tax-gatherers and sinners do ye eat and drink?'

³¹ And Jesus answering said unto them, `They who are well have no need of a physician, but they that are ill:

³² I came not to call righteous men, but sinners, to reformation.'

³³ And they said unto him, `Wherefore do the disciples of John fast often, and make supplications -- in like manner also those of the Pharisees -- but thine do eat and drink?'

³⁴ And he said unto them, `Are ye able to make the sons of the bride-chamber -- in the bridegroom being with them -- to fast?

³⁵ but days will come, and, when the bridegroom may be taken away from them, then they shall fast in those days.'

³⁶ And he spake also a simile unto them -- `No one a patch of new clothing doth put on old clothing, and if otherwise, the new also doth make a rent, and with the old the patch doth not agree, that [is] from the new.

³⁷ `And no one doth put new wine into old skins, and if otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and itself will be poured out, and the skins will be destroyed;

³⁸ but new wine into new skins is to be put, and both are preserved together;

³⁹ and no one having drunk old [wine], doth immediately wish new, for he saith, The old is better.'