Add parallel Print Page Options

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door, and he was speaking the word to them.(A) Then some people[a] came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them.(B) And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there questioning in their hearts, “Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”(C) At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves, and he said to them, “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’? 10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, stand up, take your mat, and go to your home.” 12 And he stood up and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”(D)

Jesus Calls Levi

13 Jesus[b] went out again beside the sea; the whole crowd gathered around him, and he taught them.(E) 14 As he was walking along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax-collection station, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.(F)

15 And as he sat at dinner[c] in Levi’s[d] house, many tax collectors and sinners were also sitting[e] with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 When the scribes of[f] the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, “Why does he eat[g] with tax collectors and sinners?”(G) 17 When Jesus heard this, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick; I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.”(H)

The Question about Fasting

18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, and people[h] came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 Jesus said to them, “The wedding attendants cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day.(I)

21 “No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22 Similarly, no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins, but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.”[i]

Pronouncement about the Sabbath

23 One Sabbath he was going through the grain fields, and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain.(J) 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food, 26 how he entered the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions?”(K) 27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for humankind and not humankind for the Sabbath,(L) 28 so the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

Footnotes

  1. 2.3 Gk they
  2. 2.13 Gk He
  3. 2.15 Gk reclined
  4. 2.15 Gk his
  5. 2.15 Gk reclining
  6. 2.16 Other ancient authorities read and
  7. 2.16 Other ancient authorities add and drink
  8. 2.18 Gk they
  9. 2.22 Other ancient authorities lack but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins

A Paralytic Healed

And when he[a] entered again into Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home. And many had gathered, so that there was no longer room, not even at the door, and he was speaking the word to them. And they came bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. And when[b] they were not able to bring him[c] to him because of the crowd, they removed the roof where he was. And after[d] digging through, they lowered the stretcher on which the paralytic was lying. And when[e] Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.”

Now some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like this? He is blaspheming! Who is able to forgive sins except God alone?” And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they were reasoning like this within themselves, said to them, “Why are you considering these things in your hearts? Which is easier to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say ‘Get up and pick up your stretcher and walk’? 10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, get up, pick up your stretcher, and go to your home.” 12 And he got up and immediately picked up his[f] stretcher and[g] went out in front of them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything[h] like this!”

Levi Called to Follow Jesus

13 And he went out again beside the sea,[i] and all the crowd was coming to him, and he began to teach[j] them. 14 And as he[k] was passing by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me!” And he stood up and[l] followed him.

15 And it happened that he was dining[m] in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners were dining with[n] Jesus and his disciples, for there were many and they were following him. 16 And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they[o] saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, began to say[p] to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And when[q] Jesus heard it[r], he said to them, “Those who are healthy do not have need of a physician, but those who are sick.[s] I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

On Fasting

18 And John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, and they came and said to him, “Why[t] do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 And Jesus said to them, “The bridegroom’s attendants[u] are not able to fast while the bridegroom is with them, are they?[v] As long a time as they have the bridegroom with them, they are not able to fast. 20 But days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. 21 No one sews a patch of unshrunken cloth on an old garment. Otherwise[w] the patch pulls away from it—the new from the old—and the tear becomes worse. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise[x] the wine will burst the wineskins and the wine is destroyed and the wineskins too. But new wine is put into new wineskins.”

Plucking Grain on the Sabbath

23 And it happened that he was going through the grain fields on the Sabbath, and his disciples began to make their way while[y] plucking off the heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees began to say[z] to him, “Behold, why are they doing what is not permitted on the Sabbath?” 25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he had need and he and those who were with him were hungry— 26 how he entered into the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest and ate the bread of the presentation, which it is not permitted to eat (except the priests) and also gave it[aa] to those who were with him?” 27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was established for people, and not people for the Sabbath. 28 So then, the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

Footnotes

  1. Mark 2:1 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“entered”) which is understood as temporal
  2. Mark 2:4 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“able”) which is understood as temporal
  3. Mark 2:4 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  4. Mark 2:4 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“digging through”) which is understood as temporal
  5. Mark 2:5 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
  6. Mark 2:12 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  7. Mark 2:12 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“picked up”) has been translated as a finite verb
  8. Mark 2:12 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  9. Mark 2:13 That is, the Sea of Galilee
  10. Mark 2:13 The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to teach”)
  11. Mark 2:14 Here “as” is supplied as a component of the participle (“was passing by”) which is understood as temporal
  12. Mark 2:14 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“stood up”) has been translated as a finite verb
  13. Mark 2:15 Literally “was reclining for a meal”
  14. Mark 2:15 Literally “were reclining at table with”
  15. Mark 2:16 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
  16. Mark 2:16 The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to say”)
  17. Mark 2:17 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
  18. Mark 2:17 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  19. Mark 2:17 Literally “having badly”
  20. Mark 2:18 Literally “for what” reason
  21. Mark 2:19 Literally “the sons of the bridal chamber”
  22. Mark 2:19 The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “are they
  23. Mark 2:21 Literally “but if not”
  24. Mark 2:22 Literally “but if not”
  25. Mark 2:23 Here “while” is supplied as a component of the participle (“picking”) which is understood as temporal
  26. Mark 2:24 The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to say”)
  27. Mark 2:26 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation