Matthew 8
International Children’s Bible
Jesus Heals a Sick Man
8 When Jesus came down from the hill, great crowds followed him. 2 Then a man sick with a harmful skin disease came to Jesus. The man bowed down before him and said, “Lord, you have the power to heal me if you want.”
3 Jesus touched the man and said, “I want to heal you. Be healed!” And immediately the man was healed from his skin disease. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t tell anyone about what happened. But go and show yourself to the priest.[a] And offer the gift that Moses commanded[b] for people who are made well. This will show people that you are healed.”
Jesus Heals a Soldier’s Servant
5 Jesus went to the city of Capernaum. When he entered the city, an army officer came to Jesus and begged for help. 6 The officer said, “Lord, my servant is at home in bed. He can’t move his body and is in much pain.”
7 Jesus said to the officer, “I will go and heal him.”
8 The officer answered, “Lord, I am not good enough for you to come into my house. All you need to do is command that my servant be healed, and he will be healed. 9 I myself am a man under the authority of other men. 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, ‘Do this,’ and my servant obeys me.
10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. He said to those who were with him, “I tell you the truth. This man has more faith than any other person I have found, even in Israel. 11 Many people will come from the east and from the west. They will sit and eat with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 And those people who should have the kingdom will be thrown outside into the darkness. In that place people will cry and grind their teeth with pain.”
13 Then Jesus said to the officer, “Go home. Your servant will be healed just as you believed he would.” And at that same time his servant was healed.
Jesus Heals Many People
14 Jesus went to Peter’s house. There Jesus saw that Peter’s mother-in-law was in bed with a high fever. 15 Jesus touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she stood up and began to serve Jesus.
16 That evening people brought to Jesus many who had demons. Jesus spoke and the demons left them. Jesus healed all the sick. 17 He did these things to make come true what Isaiah the prophet said:
“He took our suffering on him.
And he felt our pain for us.” Isaiah 53:4
People Want to Follow Jesus
18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he told his followers to go to the other side of the lake. 19 Then a teacher of the law came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, I will follow you any place you go.”
20 Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes to live in. The birds have nests to live in. But the Son of Man has no place where he can rest his head.”
21 Another man, one of Jesus’ followers, said to Jesus, “Lord, let me go and bury my father first.”
22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let the people who are dead bury their own dead.”
Jesus Stops a Storm
23 Jesus got into a boat, and his followers went with him. 24 A very bad storm arose on the lake. The waves covered the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The followers went to Jesus and woke him. They said, “Lord, save us! We will drown!”
26 Jesus answered, “Why are you afraid? You don’t have enough faith.” Then Jesus got up and gave a command to the wind and the sea. The wind stopped, and the sea became very calm.
27 The men were amazed. They said, “What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”
Jesus Heals Two Men with Demons
28 Jesus arrived at the other side of the lake in the country of the Gadarene[c] people. There, two men came to Jesus. They had demons in them. These men lived in the burial caves. They were so dangerous that people could not use the road by those caves. 29 The two men came to Jesus and shouted, “What do you want with us, Son of God? Did you come here to punish us before the right time?”
30 Near that place there was a large herd of pigs feeding. 31 The demons begged Jesus, “If you make us leave these men, please send us into that herd of pigs.”
32 Jesus said to them, “Go!” So the demons left the men and went into the pigs. Then the whole herd of pigs ran down the hill into the lake and were drowned. 33 The men who were caring for the pigs ran away and went into town. They told about all of this and what had happened to the men who had demons. 34 Then the whole town went out to see Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their area.
Footnotes
- 8:4 show . . . priest The law of Moses said a priest must say when a Jew who had a harmful skin disease was well.
- 8:4 Moses commanded Read about this in Leviticus 14:1–32.
- 8:28 Gadarene From Gadara, an area southeast of Lake Galilee. The exact location is uncertain and some Greek copies read “Gergesene”; others read “Gerasene.”
Matthew 8
New King James Version
Jesus Cleanses a Leper(A)
8 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. 2 (B)And behold, a leper came and (C)worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy (D)was cleansed.
4 And Jesus said to him, (E)“See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that (F)Moses (G)commanded, as a testimony to them.”
Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant(H)
5 (I)Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a (J)centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”
7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, (K)I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only (L)speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! 11 And I say to you that (M)many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But (N)the sons of the kingdom (O)will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.
Peter’s Mother-in-Law Healed(P)
14 (Q)Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw (R)his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever. 15 So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served [a]them.
Many Healed in the Evening(S)
16 (T)When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
(U)“He Himself took our infirmities
And bore our sicknesses.”
The Cost of Discipleship(V)
18 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. 19 (W)Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”
20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
21 (X)Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, (Y)let me first go and bury my father.”
22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
Wind and Wave Obey Jesus(Z)
23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 (AA)And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. 25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then (AB)He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 So the men marveled, saying, [b]“Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
Two Demon-Possessed Men Healed(AC)
28 (AD)When He had come to the other side, to the country of the [c]Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. 29 And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”
30 Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. 31 So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, [d]permit us to go away into the herd of swine.”
32 And He said to them, “Go.” So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.
33 Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, (AE)they begged Him to depart from their region.
Footnotes
- Matthew 8:15 NU, M Him
- Matthew 8:27 Lit. What sort of man is this
- Matthew 8:28 NU Gadarenes
- Matthew 8:31 NU send us into
Matthew 8
English Standard Version
Jesus Cleanses a Leper
8 When he came down from the mountain, (A)great crowds followed him. 2 (B)And behold, a leper[a] came to him and (C)knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3 And Jesus[b] stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, (D)“See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, (E)show yourself to the priest and (F)offer the gift that Moses commanded, (G)for a proof to them.”
The Faith of a Centurion
5 (H)When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but (I)only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant,[c] ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, (J)he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with (K)no one in Israel[d] have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, (L)many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 (M)while the sons of the kingdom (N)will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place (O)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you (P)as you have believed.” (Q)And the servant was healed at that very moment.
Jesus Heals Many
14 (R)And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw (S)his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 15 He (T)touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. 16 That evening they brought to him many who were (U)oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits (V)with a word and healed all who were sick. 17 (W)This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: (X)“He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”
The Cost of Following Jesus
18 Now (Y)when Jesus saw a crowd around him, (Z)he gave orders to go over to the other side. 19 (AA)And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave (AB)the dead to bury their own dead.”
Jesus Calms a Storm
23 (AC)And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but (AD)he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, (AE)“Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you (AF)afraid, (AG)O you of little faith?” Then he rose and (AH)rebuked the winds and the sea, and (AI)there was a great calm. 27 And the men (AJ)marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even (AK)winds and sea obey him?”
Jesus Heals Two Men with Demons
28 (AL)And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes,[e] two (AM)demon-possessed[f] men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 And behold, they (AN)cried out, “What have you to do with us, (AO)O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us (AP)before the time?” 30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” 32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the (AQ)demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, (AR)they begged him to leave their region.
Footnotes
- Matthew 8:2 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13
- Matthew 8:3 Greek he
- Matthew 8:9 Or bondservant
- Matthew 8:10 Some manuscripts not even in Israel
- Matthew 8:28 Some manuscripts Gergesenes; some Gerasenes
- Matthew 8:28 Greek daimonizomai (demonized); also verse 33; elsewhere rendered oppressed by demons
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
