Matthew 9
Contemporary English Version
Jesus Heals a Man Who Could Not Walk
(Mark 2.1-12; Luke 5.17-26)
9 Jesus got into a boat and crossed back over to the town where he lived.[a] 2 Some people soon brought to him a man lying on a mat because he could not walk. When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the man, “My friend, don't worry! Your sins are forgiven.”
3 Some teachers of the Law of Moses said to themselves, “Jesus must think he is God!”
4 But Jesus knew what was in their minds, and he said, “Why are you thinking such evil things? 5 Is it easier for me to tell this man his sins are forgiven or to tell him to get up and walk? 6 But I will show you that the Son of Man has the right to forgive sins here on earth.” So Jesus said to the man, “Get up! Pick up your mat and go on home.” 7 The man got up and went home. 8 When the crowds saw this, they were afraid[b] and praised God for giving such authority to people.
Jesus Chooses Matthew
(Mark 2.13-17; Luke 5.27-32)
9 As Jesus was leaving, he saw a tax collector[c] named Matthew sitting at the place for paying taxes. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Matthew got up and went with him.
10 (A) Later, Jesus and his disciples were having dinner at Matthew's house.[d] Many tax collectors and other sinners were also there. 11 Some Pharisees asked Jesus' disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and other sinners?”
12 Jesus heard them and answered, “Healthy people don't need a doctor, but sick people do. 13 (B) Go and learn what the Scriptures mean when they say, ‘Instead of offering sacrifices to me, I want you to be merciful to others.’ I didn't come to invite good people to be my followers. I came to invite sinners.”
People Ask about Going without Eating
(Mark 2.18-22; Luke 5.33-39)
14 Some followers of John the Baptist came and asked Jesus, “Why do we and the Pharisees often go without eating,[e] while your disciples never do?”
15 Jesus answered:
The friends of a bridegroom aren't sad while he is still with them. But the time will come when he will be taken from them. Then they will go without eating.
16 No one uses a new piece of cloth to patch old clothes. The patch would shrink and tear a bigger hole.
17 No one pours new wine into old wineskins. The wine would swell and burst the old skins.[f] Then the wine would be lost, and the skins would be ruined. New wine must be put into new wineskins. Both the skins and the wine will then be safe.
A Dying Girl and a Sick Woman
(Mark 5.21-43; Luke 8.40-56)
18 While Jesus was still speaking, an official came and knelt in front of him. The man said, “My daughter has just now died! Please come and place your hand on her. Then she will live again.”
19 Jesus and his disciples got up and went with the man.
20 A woman who had been bleeding for twelve years came up behind Jesus and barely touched his clothes. 21 She had said to herself, “If I can just touch his clothes, I will be healed.”
22 Jesus turned. He saw the woman and said, “Don't worry! You are now healed because of your faith.” At that moment she was healed.
23 When Jesus went into the home of the official and saw the musicians and the crowd of mourners,[g] 24 he said, “Get out of here! The little girl isn't dead. She is just asleep.” Everyone started laughing at Jesus. 25 But after the crowd had been sent out of the house, Jesus went to the girl's bedside. He took her by the hand and helped her up.
26 News about this spread all over that part of the country.
Jesus Heals Two Blind Men
27 As Jesus was leaving that place, two blind men began following him and shouting, “Son of David,[h] have pity on us!”
28 After Jesus had gone indoors, the two blind men came up to him. He asked them, “Do you believe I can make you well?”
“Yes, Lord,” they answered.
29 Jesus touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, you will be healed.” 30 They were able to see, and Jesus strictly warned them not to tell anyone about him. 31 But they left and talked about him to everyone in that part of the country.
Jesus Heals a Man Who Could Not Talk
32 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, some people brought to him a man who could not talk because a demon was in him. 33 After Jesus had forced the demon out, the man started talking. The crowds were so amazed they began saying, “Nothing like this has ever happened in Israel!”
34 (C) But the Pharisees said, “The leader of the demons gives him the power to force out demons.”
Jesus Has Pity on People
35 (D) Jesus went to every town and village. He taught in their synagogues and preached the good news about God's kingdom. Jesus also healed every kind of disease and sickness. 36 (E) When he saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them. They were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 (F) He said to his disciples, “A large crop is in the fields, but there are only a few workers. 38 Ask the Lord in charge of the harvest to send out workers to bring it in.”
Footnotes
- 9.1 where he lived: Capernaum (see 4.13).
- 9.8 afraid: Some manuscripts have “amazed.”
- 9.9 tax collector: See the note at 5.46.
- 9.10 Matthew's house: Or “Jesus' house.”
- 9.14 without eating: See the note at 4.2.
- 9.17 swell and burst the old skins: While the juice from grapes was becoming wine, it would swell and stretch the skins in which it had been stored. If the skins were old and stiff, they would burst.
- 9.23 the crowd of mourners: The Jewish people often hired mourners for funerals.
- 9.27 Son of David: The Jewish people expected the Messiah to be from the family of King David, and for this reason the Messiah was often called the “Son of David.”
Matthew 9
Living Bible
9 So Jesus climbed into a boat and went across the lake to Capernaum, his hometown.[a]
2 Soon some men brought him a paralyzed man on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the sick man, “Cheer up, son! For I have forgiven your sins!”
3 “Blasphemy! This man is saying he is God!” exclaimed some of the religious leaders to themselves.
4 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked them, “Why are you thinking such evil thoughts? 5-6 I, the Messiah,[b] have the authority on earth to forgive sins. But talk is cheap—anybody could say that. So I’ll prove it to you by healing this man.” Then, turning to the paralyzed man, he commanded, “Pick up your stretcher and go on home, for you are healed.”
7 And the man jumped up and left!
8 A chill of fear swept through the crowd as they saw this happen right before their eyes. How they praised God for giving such authority to a man!
9 As Jesus was going on down the road, he saw a tax collector, Matthew,[c] sitting at a tax collection booth. “Come and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him, and Matthew jumped up and went along with him.
10 Later, as Jesus and his disciples were eating dinner at Matthew’s house,[d] there were many notorious swindlers there as guests!
11 The Pharisees were indignant. “Why does your teacher associate with men like that?”
12 “Because people who are well don’t need a doctor! It’s the sick people who do!” was Jesus’ reply. 13 Then he added, “Now go away and learn the meaning of this verse of Scripture,
‘It isn’t your sacrifices and your gifts I want—I want you to be merciful.’[e]
For I have come to urge sinners, not the self-righteous, back to God.”
14 One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, “Why don’t your disciples fast as we do and as the Pharisees do?”
15 “Should the bridegroom’s friends mourn and go without food while he is with them?” Jesus asked. “But the time is coming when I[f] will be taken from them. Time enough then for them to refuse to eat.
16 “And who would patch an old garment with unshrunk cloth? For the patch would tear away and make the hole worse. 17 And who would use old wineskins[g] to store new wine? For the old skins would burst with the pressure, and the wine would be spilled and skins ruined. Only new wineskins are used to store new wine. That way both are preserved.”
18 As he was saying this, the rabbi of the local synagogue came and worshiped him. “My little daughter has just died,” he said, “but you can bring her back to life again if you will only come and touch her.”
19 As Jesus and the disciples were going to the rabbi’s home, 20 a woman who had been sick for twelve years with internal bleeding came up behind him and touched a tassel of his robe, 21 for she thought, “If I only touch him, I will be healed.”
22 Jesus turned around and spoke to her. “Daughter,” he said, “all is well! Your faith has healed you.” And the woman was well from that moment.
23 When Jesus arrived at the rabbi’s home and saw the noisy crowds and heard the funeral music, 24 he said, “Get them out, for the little girl isn’t dead; she is only sleeping!” Then how they all scoffed and sneered at him!
25 When the crowd was finally outside, Jesus went in where the little girl was lying and took her by the hand, and she jumped up and was all right again! 26 The report of this wonderful miracle swept the entire countryside.
27 As Jesus was leaving her home, two blind men followed along behind, shouting, “O Son of King David, have mercy on us.”
28 They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them, “Do you believe I can make you see?”
“Yes, Lord,” they told him, “we do.”
29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith it will happen.”
30 And suddenly they could see! Jesus sternly warned them not to tell anyone about it, 31 but instead they spread his fame all over the town.[h]
32 Leaving that place, Jesus met a man who couldn’t speak because a demon was inside him. 33 So Jesus cast out the demon, and instantly the man could talk. How the crowds marveled! “Never in all our lives have we seen anything like this,” they exclaimed.
34 But the Pharisees said, “The reason he can cast out demons is that he is demon-possessed himself—possessed by Satan, the demon king!”
35 Jesus traveled around through all the cities and villages of that area, teaching in the Jewish synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And wherever he went he healed people of every sort of illness. 36 And what pity he felt for the crowds that came, because their problems were so great and they didn’t know what to do or where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd.
37 “The harvest is so great, and the workers are so few,” he told his disciples. 38 “So pray to the one in charge of the harvesting, and ask him to recruit more workers for his harvest fields.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 9:1 his hometown, literally, “his own city.”
- Matthew 9:5 the Messiah, literally, “the Son of Man.”
- Matthew 9:9 Matthew, the Matthew who wrote this book.
- Matthew 9:10 at Matthew’s house, implied.
- Matthew 9:13 I want you to be merciful, see Hosea 6:6.
- Matthew 9:15 I, literally, “the Bridegroom.”
- Matthew 9:17 old wineskins. These were leather bags for storing wine.
- Matthew 9:31 all over the town, literally, “in all that land.”
Matthew 9
Complete Jewish Bible
9 So he stepped into a boat, crossed the lake again and came to his own town. 2 Some people brought him a paralyzed man lying on a mattress. When Yeshua saw their trust, he said to the paralyzed man, “Courage, son! Your sins are forgiven.” 3 On seeing this, some of the Torah-teachers said among themselves, “This man is blaspheming!” 4 Yeshua, knowing what they were thinking, said, “Why are you entertaining evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 Tell me, which is easier to say — ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But look! I will prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” He then said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up your mattress, and go home!” 7 And the man got up and went home. 8 When the crowds saw this, they were awestruck and said a b’rakhah to God the Giver of such authority to human beings.
9 As Yeshua passed on from there he spotted a tax-collector named Mattityahu sitting in his collection booth. He said to him, “Follow me!” and he got up and followed him.
10 While Yeshua was in the house eating, many tax-collectors and sinners came and joined him and his talmidim at the meal. 11 When the P’rushim saw this, they said to his talmidim, “Why does your rabbi eat with tax-collectors and sinners?” 12 But Yeshua heard the question and answered, “The ones who need a doctor aren’t the healthy but the sick. 13 As for you, go and learn what this means: ‘I want compassion rather than animal-sacrifices.’[a] For I didn’t come to call the ‘righteous,’ but sinners!”
14 Next, Yochanan’s talmidim came to him and asked, “Why is it that we and the P’rushim fast frequently, but your talmidim don’t fast at all?” 15 Yeshua said to them, “Can wedding guests mourn while the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them; then they will fast. 16 No one patches an old coat with a piece of unshrunk cloth, because the patch tears away from the coat and leaves a worse hole. 17 Nor do people put new wine in old wineskins; if they do, the skins burst, the wine spills and the wineskins are ruined. No, they pour new wine into freshly prepared wineskins, and in this way both are preserved.”
18 While he was talking, an official came in, kneeled down in front of him and said, “My daughter has just died. But if you come and lay your hand on her, she will live.” 19 Yeshua, with his talmidim, got up and followed him.
20 A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years approached him from behind and touched the tzitzit on his robe. 21 For she said to herself, “If I can only touch his robe, I will be healed.” 22 Yeshua turned, saw her and said, “Courage, daughter! Your trust has healed you.” And she was instantly healed.
23 When Yeshua arrived at the official’s house and saw the flute-players, and the crowd in an uproar, 24 he said, “Everybody out! The girl isn’t dead, she’s only sleeping!” And they jeered at him. 25 But after the people had been put outside, he entered and took hold of the girl’s hand, and she got up. 26 News of this spread through all that region.
27 As Yeshua went on from there, two blind men began following him, shouting, “Son of David! Take pity on us!” 28 When he entered the house, the blind men came up, and Yeshua said to them, “Do you believe that I have the power to do this?” They replied, “Yes, sir.” 29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “Let it happen to you according to your trust”; 30 and their sight was restored. Yeshua warned them severely, “See that no one knows about it.” 31 But instead, they went away and talked about him throughout that district.
32 As they were going, a man controlled by a demon and unable to speak was brought to Yeshua. 33 After the demon was expelled the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed. “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Isra’el,” they said. 34 But the P’rushim said, “It is through the ruler of the demons that he expels demons.”
35 Yeshua went about all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and weakness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were harried and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his talmidim, “The harvest is rich, but the workers are few. 38 Pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out workers to gather in his harvest.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 9:13 Hosea 6:6
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