Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man^(A)

9 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town.^{(B) 2} Some men brought to him a paralyzed man,^(C) lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith,^(D) he said to the man, “Take heart,^(E) son; your sins are forgiven.”^(F)

³ At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”^(G)

⁴ Knowing their thoughts,^(H) Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? ⁵ Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ⁶ But I want you to know that the Son of Man^(I) has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” ⁷ Then the man got up and went home. ⁸ When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God,^(J) who had given such authority to man.

The Calling of Matthew^(K)

⁹ As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,”^(L) he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

¹⁰ While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. ¹¹ When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”^(M)

¹² On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’^[a](N) For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”^(O)

The Death of Sarah

23 Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. ² She died at Kiriath Arba^(A) (that is, Hebron)^(B) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.^(C)

³ Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites.^[a](D) He said, ⁴ “I am a foreigner and stranger^(E) among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.^(F)”

⁵ The Hittites replied to Abraham, ⁶ “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince^(G) among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”

⁷ Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. ⁸ He said to them, “If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar^(H) on my behalf ⁹ so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah,^(I) which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.”

¹⁰ Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites^(J) who had come to the gate^(K) of his city. ¹¹ “No, my lord,” he said. “Listen to me; I give^[b](L) you the field, and I give^[c] you the cave that is in it. I give^[d] it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”

¹² Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land ¹³ and he said to Ephron in their hearing, “Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.”

¹⁴ Ephron answered Abraham, ¹⁵ “Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels^[e] of silver,^(M) but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”

¹⁶ Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver,^(N) according to the weight current among the merchants.^(O)

¹⁷ So Ephron’s field in Machpelah^(P) near Mamre^(Q)—both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field—was deeded ¹⁸ to Abraham as his property^(R) in the presence of all the Hittites^(S) who had come to the gate^(T) of the city. ¹⁹ Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah^(U) near Mamre (which is at Hebron^(V)) in the land of Canaan.^{(W) 20} So the field and the cave in it were deeded^(X) to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.^(Y)