Luke 5
Common English Bible
Jesus calls disciples
5 One day Jesus was standing beside Lake Gennesaret when the crowd pressed in around him to hear God’s word. 2 Jesus saw two boats sitting by the lake. The fishermen had gone ashore and were washing their nets. 3 Jesus boarded one of the boats, the one that belonged to Simon, then asked him to row out a little distance from the shore. Jesus sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 4 When he finished speaking to the crowds, he said to Simon, “Row out farther, into the deep water, and drop your nets for a catch.”
5 Simon replied, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and caught nothing. But because you say so, I’ll drop the nets.”
6 So they dropped the nets and their catch was so huge that their nets were splitting. 7 They signaled for their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They filled both boats so full that they were about to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw the catch, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Leave me, Lord, for I’m a sinner!” 9 Peter and those with him were overcome with amazement because of the number of fish they caught. 10 James and John, Zebedee’s sons, were Simon’s partners and they were amazed too.
Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid. From now on, you will be fishing for people.” 11 As soon as they brought the boats to the shore, they left everything and followed Jesus.
A man with a skin disease
12 Jesus was in one of the towns where there was also a man covered with a skin disease. When he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged, “Lord, if you want, you can make me clean.”
13 Jesus reached out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do want to. Be clean.” Instantly, the skin disease left him. 14 Jesus ordered him not to tell anyone. “Instead,” Jesus said, “go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses instructed. This will be a testimony to them.” 15 News of him spread even more and huge crowds gathered to listen and to be healed from their illnesses. 16 But Jesus would withdraw to deserted places for prayer.
Jesus heals a paralyzed man
17 One day when Jesus was teaching, Pharisees and legal experts were sitting nearby. They had come from every village in Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem. Now the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal. 18 Some men were bringing a man who was paralyzed, lying on a cot. They wanted to carry him in and place him before Jesus, 19 but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they took him up on the roof and lowered him—cot and all—through the roof tiles into the crowded room in front of Jesus. 20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
21 The legal experts and Pharisees began to mutter among themselves, “Who is this who insults God? Only God can forgive sins!”
22 Jesus recognized what they were discussing and responded, “Why do you fill your minds with these questions? 23 Which is easier—to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But so that you will know that the Human One[a] has authority on the earth to forgive sins” —Jesus now spoke to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, get up, take your cot, and go home.” 25 Right away, the man stood before them, picked up his cot, and went home, praising God.
26 All the people were beside themselves with wonder. Filled with awe, they glorified God, saying, “We’ve seen unimaginable things today.”
Jesus calls a tax collector
27 Afterward, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at a kiosk for collecting taxes. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”
28 Levi got up, left everything behind, and followed him. 29 Then Levi threw a great banquet for Jesus in his home. A large number of tax collectors and others sat down to eat with them. 30 The Pharisees and their legal experts grumbled against his disciples. They said, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
31 Jesus answered, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. 32 I didn’t come to call righteous people but sinners to change their hearts and lives.”
The old and the new
33 Some people said to Jesus, “The disciples of John fast often and pray frequently. The disciples of the Pharisees do the same, but your disciples are always eating and drinking.”
34 Jesus replied, “You can’t make the wedding guests fast while the groom is with them, can you? 35 The days will come when the groom will be taken from them, and then they will fast.”
36 Then he told them a parable. “No one tears a patch from a new garment to patch an old garment. Otherwise, the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch wouldn’t match the old garment. 37 Nobody pours new wine into old wineskins. If they did, the new wine would burst the wineskins, the wine would spill, and the wineskins would be ruined. 38 Instead, new wine must be put into new wineskins. 39 No one who drinks a well-aged wine wants new wine, but says, ‘The well-aged wine is better.’”
Footnotes
- Luke 5:24 Or Son of Man
Luke 5
English Standard Version
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.
Jesus Cleanses a Leper
12 While he was in one of the cities, (M)there came a man full of leprosy.[b] And when he saw Jesus, he (N)fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, (O)if you will, you can make me clean.” 13 And Jesus[c] stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And he charged him (P)to tell no one, but “go and show (Q)yourself to the priest, and (R)make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, (S)for a proof to them.” 15 (T)But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. 16 But (U)he would withdraw to desolate places and (V)pray.
Jesus Heals a Paralytic
17 On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and (W)teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And (X)the power of the Lord was with him to heal.[d] 18 (Y)And behold, some men were bringing (Z)on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, 19 but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on (AA)the roof and let him down with his bed (AB)through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. 20 And (AC)when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, (AD)your sins are forgiven you.” 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks (AE)blasphemies? (AF)Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 When Jesus (AG)perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 24 But that you may know that (AH)the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 25 And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, (AI)glorifying God. 26 And amazement seized them all, and they (AJ)glorified God and were filled (AK)with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”
Jesus Calls Levi
27 (AL)After this he went out and saw (AM)a tax collector named (AN)Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And (AO)leaving everything, he rose and followed him.
29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company (AP)of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. 30 And the Pharisees and (AQ)their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, (AR)“Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 (AS)I have not come to call the righteous (AT)but sinners (AU)to repentance.”
A Question About Fasting
33 And they said to him, (AV)“The disciples of John (AW)fast often and (AX)offer prayers, (AY)and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” 34 And Jesus said to them, (AZ)“Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 (BA)The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and (BB)then they will fast in those days.” 36 He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old (BC)wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”[e]
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
