Matthew 4
New American Standard Bible
The Temptation of Jesus
4 (A)Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness (B)to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after He had (C)fasted for forty days and forty nights, He [a]then became hungry. 3 And (D)the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the (E)Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written: ‘(F)Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil *took Him along into (G)the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and he *said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written:
‘(H)He will give His angels orders concerning You’;
and
‘On their hands they will lift You up,
So that You do not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “[b]On the other hand, it is written: ‘(I)You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
8 (J)Again, the devil *took Him along to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, “(K)All these things I will give You, if You fall down and [c]worship me.” 10 Then Jesus *said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘(L)You shall worship the Lord your God, and [d]serve Him only.’” 11 Then the devil *left Him; and behold, (M)angels came and began to serve Him.
Jesus Begins His Ministry
12 Now when Jesus heard that (N)John had been taken into custody, (O)He withdrew into Galilee; 13 and leaving Nazareth, He came and (P)settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled:
15 “(Q)The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
[e]By the way of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the [f]Gentiles—
16 (R)The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light,
And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death,
Upon them a Light dawned.”
17 (S)From that time Jesus began to [g]preach and say, “(T)Repent, for the kingdom of heaven [h]is at hand.”
The First Disciples
18 (U)Now as Jesus was walking by (V)the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, (W)Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 And He *said to them, “[i]Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 21 Going on from there He saw two other brothers, [j](X)James the son of Zebedee, and his brother [k]John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets; and He called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
Ministry in Galilee
23 Jesus was going (Y)about in all of Galilee, (Z)teaching in their synagogues and (AA)proclaiming the [l]gospel of the kingdom, and (AB)healing every disease and every sickness among the people.
24 And the news about Him spread (AC)throughout Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and severe pain, (AD)demon-possessed, people with (AE)epilepsy, and people who were (AF)paralyzed; and He healed them. 25 Large crowds (AG)followed Him from Galilee and (AH)the Decapolis, and Jerusalem, and Judea, and from (AI)beyond the Jordan.
Footnotes
- Matthew 4:2 Or later became; or afterward became
- Matthew 4:7 Or Again
- Matthew 4:9 Lit prostrate Yourself to
- Matthew 4:10 Or fulfill religious duty to Him
- Matthew 4:15 Or Toward the sea
- Matthew 4:15 Lit nations, usually non-Jewish
- Matthew 4:17 Or proclaim
- Matthew 4:17 Lit has come near
- Matthew 4:19 Or Come after Me
- Matthew 4:21 Or Jacob
- Matthew 4:21 Gr Joannes, for Heb Johanan
- Matthew 4:23 Or good news
Matthew 4
New Living Translation
The Temptation of Jesus
4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.
3 During that time the devil[a] came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
‘People do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,
‘He will order his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’[c]”
7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’[d]”
8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,
‘You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only him.’[e]”
11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.
The Ministry of Jesus Begins
12 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee. 13 He went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah:
15 “In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali,
beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River,
in Galilee where so many Gentiles live,
16 the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light.
And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,
a light has shined.”[f]
17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.[g]”
The First Disciples
18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 20 And they left their nets at once and followed him.
21 A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. 22 They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.
Crowds Follow Jesus
23 Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 24 News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all. 25 Large crowds followed him wherever he went—people from Galilee, the Ten Towns,[h] Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River.
Luke 4-5
New American Standard Bible
The Temptation of Jesus
4 (A)Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, (B)returned from the Jordan and was led around [a]by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for (C)forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He was hungry. 3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written: ‘(D)Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
5 (E)And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of [b](F)the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and [c]its glory, (G)for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I want. 7 Therefore if You [d]worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” 8 Jesus replied to him, “It is written: ‘(H)You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”
9 (I)And he brought Him into Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; 10 for it is written:
‘(J)He will give His angels orders concerning You, to protect You,’
11 and,
‘(K)On their hands they will lift You up,
So that You do not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been stated, ‘(L)You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
13 And so when the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.
Jesus’ Public Ministry
14 And (M)Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and (N)news about Him spread through all the surrounding region. 15 And He began (O)teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all.
16 And He came to (P)Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, (Q)He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and (R)stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. And He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
18 “(S)The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He anointed Me to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim release to captives,
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set free those who are oppressed,
19 (T)To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”
20 And He (U)rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and (V)sat down; and the eyes of all the people in the synagogue were intently directed at Him. 21 Now He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your [e]hearing.” 22 And all the people were [f]speaking well of Him, and admiring the [g]gracious words which were coming from His [h]lips; and yet they were saying, “(W)Is this not Joseph’s son?” 23 And He said to them, “No doubt you will [i]quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! All the miracles that we heard were done (X)in Capernaum, do here in (Y)your hometown as well.’” 24 But He said, “Truly I say to you, (Z)no prophet is welcome in his hometown. 25 But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel (AA)in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a [j]severe famine came over all the land; 26 and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to [k](AB)Zarephath, in the land of (AC)Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And there were many with leprosy in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was [l]cleansed, but only (AD)Naaman the Syrian.” 28 And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; 29 and they got up and (AE)drove Him out of the city, and brought Him to the [m]crest of the hill on which their city had been built, so that they could throw Him down from the cliff. 30 But He (AF)passed through their midst and went on His way.
31 And (AG)He came down to (AH)Capernaum, a city of Galilee; and He was teaching them on the Sabbath; 32 and (AI)they were amazed at His teaching, because (AJ)His [n]message was delivered with authority. 33 In the synagogue there was a man [o]possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 “Leave us alone! [p](AK)What business do You have with us, Jesus [q]of (AL)Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—(AM)the Holy One of God!” 35 But Jesus (AN)rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, it came out of him without doing him any harm. 36 And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking with one another, saying, “What is [r]this message? For (AO)with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” 37 And (AP)the news about Him was spreading into every locality of the surrounding region.
Many Are Healed
38 (AQ)Then He got up and left the synagogue, and entered Simon’s home. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was (AR)suffering from a high fever, and they asked Him [s]to help her. 39 And standing over her, He (AS)rebuked the fever, and it left her; and she immediately got up and served them.
40 (AT)Now while (AU)the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He was (AV)laying His hands on each one of them and (AW)healing them. 41 Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, “You are (AX)the Son of God!” And yet He was (AY)rebuking them and would (AZ)not allow them to speak, because they knew that He was the [t]Christ.
42 (BA)Now when day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him, and they came to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving them. 43 But He said to them, “I must also preach the kingdom of God to the other cities, (BB)because I was sent for this purpose.”
44 So He kept on preaching in the synagogues (BC)of [u]Judea.
The First Disciples
5 (BD)Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by (BE)the lake of Gennesaret; 2 and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. 3 And (BF)He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little distance from the land. And He sat down and continued teaching the crowds from the boat. 4 Now when He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and (BG)let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon responded and said, “(BH)Master, (BI)we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but [v]I will do as You say and let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, (BJ)they caught a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to tear; 7 so they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, to the point that they were sinking. 8 But when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9 For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and likewise also were [w]James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “(BK)Do not fear; from now on you will be (BL)catching people.” 11 When they had brought their boats to land, (BM)they left everything and followed Him.
A Man with Leprosy Healed
12 (BN)While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man [x]covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 13 And He reached out with His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And He ordered him to tell no one, saying, “But go and (BO)show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 15 But (BP)the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus Himself would often slip away [y]to the [z]wilderness and (BQ)pray.
A Man Lowered Through a Roof
17 [aa]One day He was teaching, and (BR)there were some Pharisees and (BS)teachers of the Law sitting there who had (BT)come from every village of Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem; and (BU)the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. 18 (BV)And some men were carrying a man on a stretcher who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. 19 But when they did not find any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on (BW)the roof and let him down (BX)through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. 20 And seeing their faith, He said, “[ab]Friend, (BY)your sins are forgiven you.” 21 The scribes and the Pharisees (BZ)began thinking of the implications, saying, “(CA)Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? (CB)Who can forgive sins, except God alone?” 22 But Jesus, [ac]aware of their thoughts, responded and said to them, “Why are you thinking this way in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say: ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” He said to the (CC)man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher, and go home.” 25 And immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home (CD)glorifying God. 26 And [ad]they were all struck with astonishment and began (CE)glorifying God. They were also filled (CF)with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today!”
Call of Levi (Matthew)
27 (CG)After that He went out and looked at a tax collector named [ae](CH)Levi sitting in the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 And he (CI)left everything behind, and got up and began following Him.
29 And (CJ)Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a large crowd of (CK)tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them. 30 (CL)The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling to His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and [af]sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered and said to them, “(CM)It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners.”
33 And they said to Him, “(CN)The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do [ag]the same, but Yours eat and drink.” 34 And Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the [ah]attendants of the groom fast while the groom is with them, can you? 35 (CO)But the days will come; and when the groom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.” 36 And He was also telling them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the patch from the new garment will not match the old. 37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one, after drinking old wine wants new; for he says, ‘The old is fine.’”
Footnotes
- Luke 4:1 Or under the influence of; lit in
- Luke 4:5 Lit the inhabited earth
- Luke 4:6 Lit their (referring to the kingdoms in v 5)
- Luke 4:7 Or bow down before
- Luke 4:21 Lit ears
- Luke 4:22 Or testifying
- Luke 4:22 Lit words of grace
- Luke 4:22 Lit mouth
- Luke 4:23 Lit tell me this
- Luke 4:25 Lit great
- Luke 4:26 Gr Sarepta
- Luke 4:27 I.e., healed
- Luke 4:29 Lit brow
- Luke 4:32 Lit word
- Luke 4:33 Lit having a spirit
- Luke 4:34 Lit What to us and to you (an ancient idiom)
- Luke 4:34 Lit the Nazarene
- Luke 4:36 Or this word, that with authority...come out?
- Luke 4:38 Lit about her
- Luke 4:41 I.e., Messiah
- Luke 4:44 I.e., the country of the Jews (including Galilee)
- Luke 5:5 Lit upon Your word
- Luke 5:10 Or Jacob
- Luke 5:12 Lit full of
- Luke 5:16 Lit in
- Luke 5:16 Or deserted places
- Luke 5:17 Lit On one of the days
- Luke 5:20 Lit Man
- Luke 5:22 Or perceiving
- Luke 5:26 Lit astonishment took them all
- Luke 5:27 Also called Matthew
- Luke 5:30 I.e., irreligious Jews
- Luke 5:33 Lit likewise
- Luke 5:34 Lit sons of the bridal chamber
Luke 4-5
New Living Translation
The Temptation of Jesus
4 Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness,[a] 2 where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.
3 Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.”
4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’[b]”
5 Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. 7 I will give it all to you if you will worship me.”
8 Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say,
‘You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only him.’[c]”
9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! 10 For the Scriptures say,
‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you.
11 And they will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’[d]”
12 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’[e]”
13 When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. 15 He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
16 When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. 17 The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
19 and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.[f]”
20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. 21 Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”
22 Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”
23 Then he said, “You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself’—meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’ 24 But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.
25 “Certainly there were many needy widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a severe famine devastated the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreigner—a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon. 27 And many in Israel had leprosy in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian.”
28 When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious. 29 Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him over the cliff, 30 but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.
Jesus Casts Out a Demon
31 Then Jesus went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught there in the synagogue every Sabbath day. 32 There, too, the people were amazed at his teaching, for he spoke with authority.
33 Once when he was in the synagogue, a man possessed by a demon—an evil[g] spirit—cried out, shouting, 34 “Go away! Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
35 But Jesus reprimanded him. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered. At that, the demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched; then it came out of him without hurting him further.
36 Amazed, the people exclaimed, “What authority and power this man’s words possess! Even evil spirits obey him, and they flee at his command!” 37 The news about Jesus spread through every village in the entire region.
Jesus Heals Many People
38 After leaving the synagogue that day, Jesus went to Simon’s home, where he found Simon’s mother-in-law very sick with a high fever. “Please heal her,” everyone begged. 39 Standing at her bedside, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she got up at once and prepared a meal for them.
40 As the sun went down that evening, people throughout the village brought sick family members to Jesus. No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed every one. 41 Many were possessed by demons; and the demons came out at his command, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But because they knew he was the Messiah, he rebuked them and refused to let them speak.
Jesus Continues to Preach
42 Early the next morning Jesus went out to an isolated place. The crowds searched everywhere for him, and when they finally found him, they begged him not to leave them. 43 But he replied, “I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent.” 44 So he continued to travel around, preaching in synagogues throughout Judea.[h]
The First Disciples
5 One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee,[i] great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. 2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon,[j] its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”
5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” 6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! 7 A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.
8 When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.” 9 For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. 10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.
Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” 11 And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.
Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy
12 In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”
13 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. 14 Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, “Go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy.[k] This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”
15 But despite Jesus’ instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.
Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man
17 One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that these men showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.) And the Lord’s healing power was strongly with Jesus.
18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, 19 but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”
21 But the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves, “Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”
22 Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? 23 Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? 24 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man[l] 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!”
25 And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!”
Jesus Calls Levi (Matthew)
27 Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. 28 So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.
29 Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them. 30 But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?[m]”
31 Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. 32 I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”
A Discussion about Fasting
33 One day some people said to Jesus, “John the Baptist’s disciples fast and pray regularly, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees. Why are your disciples always eating and drinking?”
34 Jesus responded, “Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. 35 But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
36 Then Jesus gave them this illustration: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old garment. For then the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch wouldn’t even match the old garment.
37 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. 38 New wine must be stored in new wineskins. 39 But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say.”
Footnotes
- 4:1 Some manuscripts read into the wilderness.
- 4:4 Deut 8:3.
- 4:8 Deut 6:13.
- 4:10-11 Ps 91:11-12.
- 4:12 Deut 6:16.
- 4:18-19 Or and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. Isa 61:1-2 (Greek version); 58:6.
- 4:33 Greek unclean; also in 4:36.
- 4:44 Some manuscripts read Galilee.
- 5:1 Greek Lake Gennesaret, another name for the Sea of Galilee.
- 5:3 Simon is called “Peter” in 6:14 and thereafter.
- 5:14 See Lev 14:2-32.
- 5:24 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
- 5:30 Greek with tax collectors and sinners?
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
