Matthew 9
Christian Standard Bible
The Son of Man Forgives and Heals
9 So he got into a boat, crossed over, and came to his own town.(A) 2 Just then(B) some men[a] brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven.”(C)
3 At this, some of the scribes said to themselves, “He’s blaspheming!” (D)
4 Perceiving their thoughts,(E) Jesus said, “Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?[b] 5 For which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then he told the paralytic, “Get up, take your stretcher, and go home.” 7 So he got up and went home. 8 When the crowds saw this, they were awestruck[c][d] and gave glory(F) to God, who had given such authority to men.
The Call of Matthew
9 As Jesus went on from there,(G) he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed him.(H)
10 While he was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and his disciples.(I) 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (J)
12 Now when he heard this, he said, “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick.(K) 13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice.[e](L) For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”[f]
A Question about Fasting
14 Then John’s disciples came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” (M)
15 Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests[g] be sad while the groom is with them? The time[h] will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one patches an old garment with unshrunk cloth, because the patch pulls away from the garment and makes the tear worse. 17 And no one puts[i] new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. No, they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”
A Girl Restored and a Woman Healed
18 As he was telling them these things,(N) suddenly one of the leaders came and knelt down before him, saying, “My daughter just died,[j] but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”(O) 19 So Jesus and his disciples got up and followed(P) him.
20 Just then, a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years approached from behind and touched the end of his robe,(Q) 21 for she said to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I’ll be made well.”[k](R)
22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Have courage, daughter,” he said. “Your faith has saved you.”[l](S) And the woman was made well from that moment.[m]
23 When Jesus came to the leader’s house, he saw the flute players and a crowd lamenting loudly.(T) 24 “Leave,” he said, “because the girl is not dead but asleep.”(U) And they laughed at him. 25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up.(V) 26 Then news of this spread throughout that whole area.(W)
Healing the Blind
27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” (X)
28 When he entered the house, the blind men approached him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe(Y) that I can do this?”
They said to him, “Yes, Lord.”
29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” 30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus warned them sternly, “Be sure that no one finds out.”(Z) 31 But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that whole area.
Driving Out a Demon
32 Just as they were going out, a demon-possessed man who was unable to speak was brought to him.(AA) 33 When the demon had been driven out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed, saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”
34 But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons.”(AB)
The Lord of the Harvest
35 Jesus continued going around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom,(AC) and healing every[n] disease and every sickness.[o][p] 36 When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected,(AD) like sheep without a shepherd.(AE) 37 Then he said to his disciples,(AF) “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.”
Footnotes
- 9:2 Lit then they
- 9:4 Or minds
- 9:8 Other mss read amazed
- 9:8 Lit afraid
- 9:13 Hs 6:6
- 9:13 Other mss add to repentance
- 9:15 Lit the sons of the bridal chamber
- 9:15 Lit days
- 9:17 Lit And they do not put
- 9:18 Lit daughter has now come to the end
- 9:21 Or be saved
- 9:22 Or has made you well
- 9:22 Lit hour
- 9:35 Or every kind of
- 9:35 Other mss add among the people
- 9:35 Or physical ailment
Matthew 9
New Living Translation
Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man
9 Jesus climbed into a boat and went back across the lake to his own town. 2 Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven.”
3 But some of the teachers of religious law said to themselves, “That’s blasphemy! Does he think he’s God?”
4 Jesus knew[a] what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you have such evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? 6 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man[b] has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
7 And the man jumped up and went home! 8 Fear swept through the crowd as they saw this happen. And they praised God for giving humans such authority.
Jesus Calls Matthew
9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.
10 Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. 11 But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?[c]”
12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” 13 Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’[d] For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
A Discussion about Fasting
14 One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, “Why don’t your disciples fast[e] like we do and the Pharisees do?”
15 Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
16 “Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before.
17 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.”
Jesus Heals in Response to Faith
18 As Jesus was saying this, the leader of a synagogue came and knelt before him. “My daughter has just died,” he said, “but you can bring her back to life again if you just come and lay your hand on her.”
19 So Jesus and his disciples got up and went with him. 20 Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe, 21 for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”
22 Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment.
23 When Jesus arrived at the official’s home, he saw the noisy crowd and heard the funeral music. 24 “Get out!” he told them. “The girl isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” But the crowd laughed at him. 25 After the crowd was put outside, however, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up! 26 The report of this miracle swept through the entire countryside.
Jesus Heals the Blind
27 After Jesus left the girl’s home, two blind men followed along behind him, shouting, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”
28 They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them, “Do you believe I can make you see?”
“Yes, Lord,” they told him, “we do.”
29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.” 30 Then their eyes were opened, and they could see! Jesus sternly warned them, “Don’t tell anyone about this.” 31 But instead, they went out and spread his fame all over the region.
32 When they left, a demon-possessed man who couldn’t speak was brought to Jesus. 33 So Jesus cast out the demon, and then the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed. “Nothing like this has ever happened in Israel!” they exclaimed.
34 But the Pharisees said, “He can cast out demons because he is empowered by the prince of demons.”
The Need for Workers
35 Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
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