The Son of Man Forgives and Heals

So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own town.(A) Just then(B) some men[a] brought to Him a paralytic lying on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven.”(C)

At this, some of the scribes said among themselves, “He’s blaspheming!”(D)

But perceiving their thoughts,(E) Jesus said, “Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?[b] For which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He told the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.” And he got up and went home. 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

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!” So he got up and followed Him.(H)

10 While He was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came as guests to eat[e] 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 But when He heard this, He said, “Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do.(K) 13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice.(L)[f] For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”[g]

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[h] be sad while the groom is with them? The time[i] 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[j] new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. But 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[k] came and knelt down before Him, saying, “My daughter is near death,[l] 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 12 years approached from behind and touched the tassel on His robe,(Q) 21 for she said to herself, “If I can just touch His robe, I’ll be made well!”[m](R)

22 But Jesus turned and saw her. “Have courage, daughter,” He said. “Your faith has made you well.”[n](S) And the woman was made well from that moment.[o]

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 isn’t dead, but sleeping.”(U) And they started laughing at Him. 25 But when the crowd had been put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up.(V) 26 And this news spread throughout that whole area.(W)

Healing the Blind

27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, shouting, “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?”

“Yes, Lord,” they answered Him.

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!”[p](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[q] 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 Then Jesus went to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom,(AC) and healing every[r] disease and every sickness.[s] 36 When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were weary and worn out,(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

  1. Matthew 9:2 Lit then they
  2. Matthew 9:4 Or minds
  3. Matthew 9:8 Other mss read amazed
  4. Matthew 9:8 Lit afraid
  5. Matthew 9:10 Lit came, they were reclining (at the table); at important meals the custom was to recline on a mat at a low table and lean on the left elbow.
  6. Matthew 9:13 Hs 6:6
  7. Matthew 9:13 Other mss add to repentance
  8. Matthew 9:15 Lit the sons of the bridal chamber
  9. Matthew 9:15 Lit days
  10. Matthew 9:17 Lit And they do not put
  11. Matthew 9:18 A leader of a synagogue; Mk 5:22
  12. Matthew 9:18 Lit daughter has now come to the end
  13. Matthew 9:21 Or be delivered
  14. Matthew 9:22 Or has saved you
  15. Matthew 9:22 Lit hour
  16. Matthew 9:30 Lit no one knows
  17. Matthew 9:33 Lit the man who was unable to speak
  18. Matthew 9:35 Or every kind of
  19. Matthew 9:35 Other mss add among the people

Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man(A)

After getting into a boat, Jesus[a] crossed to the other side and came to his own city. All at once some people[b] brought him a paralyzed man lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he told the paralyzed man, “Be courageous, son! Your sins are forgiven.”

Then some of the scribes told themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”

But Jesus, knowing[c] what they were thinking, replied, “Why do you have such evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But so you will know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…” he told the paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up your stretcher, and go home!”

So the man[d] got up and went home. When the crowds saw this, they became frightened[e] and glorified God for giving such authority to humans.

Jesus Calls Matthew(B)

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s desk and told him, “Follow me.” So he got up and followed him.

10 While he was having dinner at Matthew’s[f] home, many tax collectors and sinners arrived and began eating with Jesus and his disciples. 11 The Pharisees saw this and asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12 When Jesus[g] heard that, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a physician, but sick people do. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice,’[h] because I did not come to call righteous people, but sinners.”

A Question about Fasting(C)

14 Then John’s disciples came to Jesus[i] and asked, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often,[j] but your disciples don’t fast?”

15 Jesus asked them, “The wedding guests[k] can’t mourn as long as the groom is with them, can they? But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

The Unshrunk Cloth(D)

16 “No one patches an old garment with a piece of unshrunk cloth, because the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. 17 Nor do people[l] pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will spill out, and the skins will be ruined. Instead, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Jesus Heals a Woman and Resurrects a Girl(E)

18 While Jesus[m] was telling them these things, an official came up and fell down before him. “My daughter has just died,” he said. “But come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 So Jesus got up and followed him, along with his disciples.

20 Just then a woman who had been suffering from chronic bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel of his garment, 21 because she had been saying to herself, “If I just touch his robe, I will get well.”

22 When Jesus turned and saw her, he said, “Be courageous, daughter! Your faith has made you well.” And from that very hour the woman was well.

23 When Jesus came to the official’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, 24 he said, “Go away! The young lady hasn’t died, but is sleeping.” But they ridiculed him with laughter. 25 When the crowd had been driven outside, he went in, took her by the hand, and the young lady got up. 26 The news of this spread throughout that land.

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men

27 As Jesus was traveling on from there, two blind men followed him, shouting, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” 28 When he had gone into the house, the blind men came to him.

Jesus asked them, “Do you believe I can do this?”

They told him, “Yes, Lord!”[n]

29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith, let it be done for you!” 30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly told them, “See to it that nobody knows about this.” 31 But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that region.

Jesus Heals a Man who Couldn’t Talk

32 As the men[o] were going out, a man who couldn’t talk because he was demon-possessed was brought to him. 33 As soon as the demon had been driven out, the man[p] began to speak. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”

34 But the Pharisees kept saying, “He drives out demons by the ruler of demons.”[q]

The Compassion of Jesus

35 Then Jesus began traveling throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every illness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he was deeply moved with compassion for them, because they were troubled and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

37 Then he told his disciples, “The harvest is vast, but the workers are few. 38 So ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.”

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 9:1 Lit. he
  2. Matthew 9:2 Lit. they
  3. Matthew 9:4 Lit. saw
  4. Matthew 9:7 Lit. he
  5. Matthew 9:8 Other mss. read they were amazed
  6. Matthew 9:10 Lit. the
  7. Matthew 9:12 Lit. he
  8. Matthew 9:13 Cf. Hos 6:6
  9. Matthew 9:14 Lit. him
  10. Matthew 9:14 Other mss. lack often
  11. Matthew 9:15 Lit. The children of the wedding hall; or The children of the groom
  12. Matthew 9:17 Lit. they
  13. Matthew 9:18 Lit. he
  14. Matthew 9:28 Or Sir
  15. Matthew 9:32 Lit. As they
  16. Matthew 9:33 Lit. the man who couldn’t talk
  17. Matthew 9:34 Other mss. lack this verse