Matthew 8
Worldwide English (New Testament)
8 When Jesus came down from the hill, many people followed him.
2 A man who had leprosy [a bad skin disease] came and kneeled in front of Jesus and worshipped him. He said to Jesus, `Sir, I know you can heal me if you want to.'
3 Jesus put out his hand and touched him. He said, `I want to. Be healed.' Right away his leprosy was healed.
4 Jesus said to him, `Do not tell anyone about this. But go and let the priest look at you. Moses gave a law about the sacrifice you must give when you are healed. Give it, to prove to people you are healed.'
5 When Jesus came to the town of Capernaum, a Roman army officer came to ask him for help.
6 He said, `Sir, one of my servants is in bed at my house. He cannot move and has much pain.'
7 Jesus said, `I will come and heal him.'
8 The officer said, `Sir, I am not good enough to have you come into my house. Just say the word and my servant will be healed.
9 I myself am a man who takes orders, and I have soldiers who take orders from me. I say to one, "Go," and he goes. I say to another one, "Come," and he comes. I say to my servant, "Do this," and he does it.'
10 Jesus was surprised when he heard this. He said to the people who followed him, `I tell you the truth. I have not found any Jew who believes as this man does.
11 I tell you, many people will come from the east and from the west. They will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
12 But those who were born in the kingdom will be put into the darkness outside. There they will cry and make noises with their teeth.'
13 Jesus said to the officer, `Go home. What you have believed, will be done.' At that very same time the officer's servant was healed.
14 Jesus went into Peter's house. There he saw the mother of Peter's wife in bed, sick with fever.
15 Jesus took hold of her hand and the fever left her. She got up and began to do things for Jesus.
16 That evening, many people who had bad spirits were brought to Jesus. He spoke to the bad spirits and drove them out. And he healed all the people who were sick.
17 What the prophet Isaiah said came true. He said, `He took away the things that made us weak. He took away the things that made us sick.'
18 Jesus saw many people around him. So he said, `Let us cross over to the other side of the sea.'
19 A scribe came and said to him, `Teacher, I will go anywhere you go.'
20 Jesus said, `Foxes have holes to live in. Birds have nests. But the Son of Man has no place to lie down to rest.'
21 Another man who was a follower of Jesus, said to Jesus, `Lord, let me go first and bury my father.'
22 But Jesus said to him, `Come with me. Let those who are dead bury their own dead people.'
23 Jesus got in the boat and his disciples got in with him.
24 A bad storm came on the sea. The waves were high. Water came into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.
25 The disciples came to Jesus and woke him. `Lord, save us!' they shouted. `We will die!'
26 Jesus said to them, `Why do you fear? You do not believe in God very much!' Then Jesus got up. He said to the winds and the sea, `Stop!' Then all was quiet.
27 The disciples were surprised. They said `What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him.'
28 Jesus came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarene people. There were graves in that place. Two men came from among the graves to meet him. They had bad spirits in them. They were so bad and strong that people feared to pass that way.
29 They shouted, `Jesus, Son of God, what do you want to do to us? Have you come here to punish us before it is our time?'
30 Many pigs were eating in a place far from them.
31 The bad spirits begged Jesus, `If you drive us out of these men, let us go into the pigs.'
32 Jesus said, `Go!' The spirits came out of the men and went into the pigs. All the pigs ran fast down the steep hill into the sea. They died in the water.
33 The men who cared for the pigs ran to the town. They told everything and what had happened to the men who had the bad spirits.
34 All the people in the town came out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to go away out of their country
Matthew 8
Expanded Bible
Jesus Heals a Sick Man(A)
8 When Jesus came down from the ·hill [mountainside], ·great crowds [many people] followed him. 2 Then a ·man with a skin disease [T leper; C the term does not refer to modern leprosy (Hansen’s disease), but to various skin disorders; see Lev. 14] came to Jesus. The man ·bowed down [knelt] before him and said, “Lord, you can ·heal me [L make me clean; C such skin disorders rendered the victim ceremonially unclean] if you ·will [choose; are willing].”
3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man and said, “I ·will [do choose; am willing]. Be ·healed [L cleansed]!” And immediately the man was ·healed [L cleansed] from his disease. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t tell anyone about this. But go and show yourself to the priest and offer the ·gift [offering; sacrifice] Moses commanded for people who are made well [Lev. 14:1–32]. This will ·show the people [be a public testimony to; be evidence for] what I have done.”
Jesus Heals a Soldier’s Servant(B)
5 When Jesus entered the city of Capernaum, an ·army officer [L centurion] came to him, ·begging [pleading] for help. 6 The officer said, “Lord, my servant is at home in bed. He ·can’t move his body [is paralyzed] and ·is in much pain [suffering terribly].”
7 Jesus said to the officer, “·I will go and heal him. [or Shall I go and heal him?]”
8 The officer answered, “Lord [or Sir], I ·am not worthy [do not deserve] for you to come into my house. You only need to ·command it [L say the word], and my servant will be healed. 9 [L For] I, too, am a man ·under the authority of others [L under authority], and I have soldiers under my command. I tell one soldier, ‘Go,’ and he goes. I tell another soldier, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my ·servant [slave], ‘Do this,’ and my ·servant [slave] does it.”
10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. He said to those who were following him, “I tell you the truth, ·this is the greatest faith I have found [L I haven’t found such faith], ·even in Israel [or in all Israel]. 11 Many people will come from the east and from the west and will ·sit and eat [L recline; C the posture for a banquet or dinner party] with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven [C the messianic banquet, a metaphor for God’s restoration of creation; Is. 25:6–8]. 12 But ·those people who should be in [the heirs of; or the subjects of; L the sons of] the kingdom will be thrown ·outside into the darkness [into the outer darkness], where ·people will cry and grind their teeth with pain [L there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth; C metaphors for agony and torment].”
13 Then Jesus said to the ·officer [L centurion], “Go home. ·Your servant will be healed just as you believed he would [L Let it be done for you just as you have believed].” And his servant was healed that ·same hour [exact time].
Jesus Heals Many People(C)
14 When Jesus went to Peter’s house, he saw that Peter’s mother-in-law was ·sick in bed [lying down] with a fever. 15 Jesus touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she stood up and began ·to serve [waiting on] Jesus.
16 That evening people brought to Jesus many who ·had demons [were demon-possessed]. Jesus ·spoke and the demons left them [L drove/cast out the demons with a word/command], and he healed all the sick. 17 He did these things to ·bring about [fulfill] what Isaiah the prophet had said:
“He took our ·suffering [sicknesses; weaknesses]
and ·carried [bore; removed] our diseases [Is. 53:4].”
People Want to Follow Jesus(D)
18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he ·told [instructed; ordered] his ·followers [disciples] to ·go [cross] to the other side of the lake. 19 Then a ·teacher of the law [scribe] came to Jesus and said, “·Teacher [Master], I will follow you any place you go.”
20 Jesus said to him, “The foxes have ·holes [dens] to live in, and the birds [L of the sky] have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to ·rest [lay] his head.”
21 Another man, one of Jesus’ ·followers [disciples], said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the people who are dead [C spiritually] bury their own dead.”
Jesus Calms a Storm(E)
23 Jesus got into a boat, and his ·followers [disciples] ·went with [L followed] him. 24 [Suddenly; L And look/T behold] A ·great [fierce] storm arose on the ·lake [sea] so that waves ·covered [swept over] the boat, but Jesus was sleeping. 25 His ·followers [disciples] went to him and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We ·will drown [L are lost/perishing]!”
26 Jesus answered, “Why are you ·afraid [cowardly]? ·You don’t have enough faith [or How little faith you have!; T You of little faith].” Then Jesus got up and ·gave a command to [reprimanded; rebuked] the wind and the waves, and it became completely calm [C paralleling God’s subduing of the waters representing chaos in the OT; Ps. 65:7; 89:9; 107:29].
27 The men were amazed and said, “What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the ·waves [L sea] obey him!”
Jesus Heals Two Men with Demons(F)
28 When Jesus arrived at the other side of the lake in the ·area [region; territory] of the Gadarene[a] people [C from Gadara, an area southeast of Lake Galilee; the exact location is uncertain], two ·men who had demons in them [demon-possessed men; demoniacs] came out of the ·burial caves [tombs] and met him. These men were so ·dangerous [violent; fierce] that people could not ·use the road by those caves [L pass that way]. 29 They shouted, “·What do you want with us [or Leave us alone; What business do we have with each other?; L What to me and to you?], Son of God? Did you come here to ·torture [torment] us before the ·right time [or appointed time; L time; C the day of judgment]?”
30 ·Near that place there [In the distance] was a large herd of pigs feeding. 31 The demons begged Jesus, “If you ·make us leave these men [L drive/cast us out], please send us into that herd of pigs [C ritually unclean animals].”
32 Jesus said to them, “Go!” So the demons ·left [came out of] the men and went into the pigs. Then [L look; T behold] the whole herd rushed down the ·hill [steep bank; precipice] into the ·lake [sea] and ·were drowned [L died in the waters]. 33 The herdsmen ·ran away [fled] and went into town, where they told about all of this and what had happened to the ·men who had demons [demon-possessed men; demoniacs]. 34 Then [L look; T behold] the whole town went out to ·see [meet] Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their ·area [region; territory].
Footnotes
- Matthew 8:28 Gadarene Some Greek copies read “Gergesene”; others read “Gerasene.”
© 1969, 1971, 1996, 1998 by SOON Educational Publications
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.