Mark 2:12-20

English Standard Version

¹² And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and ^(A)glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Jesus Calls Levi

¹³ He went out again beside the sea, and ^(B)all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. ^14 (C)And as he passed by, he saw ^(D)Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

¹⁵ And as he reclined at table in his house, many ^(E)tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. ¹⁶ And ^(F)the scribes of^[a] the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, ^(G)“Why does he eat^[b] with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹⁷ And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ^(H)I came not to call the righteous, ^(I)but sinners.”

A Question About Fasting

¹⁸ Now ^(J)John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, ^(K)“Why do John's disciples and ^(L)the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” ¹⁹ And Jesus said to them, ^(M)“Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. ^20 (N)The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and ^(O)then they will fast in that day.