A Question about Fasting

18 Now(A) John’s(B) disciples(C) and the Pharisees[a](D) were fasting.(E) People came and asked him, “Why do John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

19 Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot fast while the groom(F) is with them, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot fast. 20 But the time[b] will come(G) when the groom will be taken away from them,(H) and then they will fast(I) on that day. 21 No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new patch pulls away from the old cloth,(J) and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine(K) into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst(L) the skins, and the wine is lost as well as the skins. No, new wine is put into fresh wineskins.”

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Footnotes

  1. 2:18 Other mss read The disciples of John and of the Pharisees
  2. 2:20 Or the days

The Question about Fasting

18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, and people[a] 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.(A)

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.”[b]

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Footnotes

  1. 2.18 Gk they
  2. 2.22 Other ancient authorities lack but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins