Matthew 9
International Children’s Bible
Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man
9 Jesus got into a boat and went back across the lake to his own town. 2 Some people brought to Jesus a man who was paralyzed. The man was lying on his mat. Jesus saw that these people had great faith, so he said to the paralyzed man, “Be happy, young man. Your sins are forgiven.”
3 Some of the teachers of the law heard this. They said to themselves, “This man speaks as if he were God—that is blasphemy!”[a]
4 Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he said, “Why are you thinking evil thoughts? 5 Which is easier: to tell this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to tell him, ‘Stand up and walk’? 6 But I will prove to you that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Stand up. Take your mat and go home.” 7 And the man stood up and went home. 8 The people saw this and were amazed. They praised God for giving power like this to men.
Jesus Chooses Matthew
9 When Jesus was leaving, he saw a man named Matthew. Matthew was sitting in the tax office. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” And Matthew stood up and followed Jesus.
10 Jesus had dinner at Matthew’s house. Many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with Jesus and his followers. 11 The Pharisees saw this and asked Jesus’ followers, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”
12 Jesus heard the Pharisees ask this. So he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor. Only the sick need a doctor. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I want faithful love more than I want animal sacrifices.’[b] I did not come to invite good people. I came to invite sinners.”
Jesus Is Not Like Other Jews
14 Then the followers of John[c] came to Jesus. They said to Jesus, “We and the Pharisees often give up eating.[d] But your followers don’t. Why?”
15 Jesus answered, “The friends of the bridegroom are not sad while he is with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will leave them. Then his friends are sad, and they will give up eating.
16 “When someone sews a patch over a hole in an old coat, he never uses a piece of cloth that is not yet shrunk. If he does, the patch will shrink and pull away from the coat. Then the hole will be worse. 17 Also, people never pour new wine into old leather bags for holding wine. If they do, the old bags will break. The wine will spill, and the wine bags will be ruined. But people always pour new wine into new wine bags. Then the wine and the wine bags will continue to be good.”
Jesus Gives Life to a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman
18 While Jesus was saying these things, a ruler of the synagogue came to him. The ruler bowed down before Jesus and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and touch her with your hand, and she will live again.”
19 So Jesus stood up and went with the ruler. Jesus’ followers went too.
20 Then a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years came behind Jesus and touched the edge of his coat. 21 She was thinking, “If I can touch his coat, then I will be healed.”
22 Jesus turned and saw the woman. He said, “Be happy, dear woman. You are made well because you believed.” And the woman was healed at once.
23 Jesus continued along with the ruler and went into the ruler’s house. Jesus saw people there who play music for funerals. And he saw many people there crying. 24 Jesus said, “Go away. The girl is not dead. She is only asleep.” But the people laughed at Jesus. 25 After the crowd had been put outside, Jesus went into the girl’s room. He took her hand, and she stood up. 26 The news about this spread all around the area.
Jesus Heals More People
27 When Jesus was leaving there, two blind men followed him. They cried out, “Show kindness to us, Son of David!”
28 Jesus went inside, and the blind men went with him. He asked the men, “Do you believe that I can make you see again?”
They answered, “Yes, Lord.”
29 Then Jesus touched their eyes and said, “You believe that I can make you see again. So this will happen.” 30 Then the men were able to see. But Jesus warned them very strongly, saying, “Don’t tell anyone about this.” 31 But the blind men left and spread the news about Jesus all around that area.
32 When the two men were leaving, some people brought another man to Jesus. This man could not talk because he had a demon in him. 33 Jesus forced the demon to leave the man. Then the man who couldn’t talk was able to speak. The crowd was amazed and said, “We have never seen anything like this in Israel.”
34 But the Pharisees said, “The leader of demons is the one that gives him power to force demons out.”
35 Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages. He taught in their synagogues and told people the Good News about the kingdom. And he healed all kinds of diseases and sicknesses. 36 He saw the crowds of people and felt sorry for them because they were worried and helpless. They were like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Jesus said to his followers, “There are many people to harvest, but there are only a few workers to help harvest them. 38 God owns the harvest. Pray to him that he will send more workers to help gather his harvest.”[e]
Footnotes
- 9:3 blasphemy Saying things against God.
- 9:13 ‘I want . . . sacrifices.’ Quotation from Hosea 6:6.
- 9:14 John John the Baptist, who preached to people about Christ’s coming (Matthew 3; Luke 3).
- 9:14 give up eating This is called “fasting.” The people would give up eating for a special time of prayer and worship to God. It was also done to show sadness.
- 9:37-38 “There are . . . harvest.” As a farmer sends workers to harvest the grain, Jesus sends his followers to bring people to God.
Matthew 9
1599 Geneva Bible
9 1 One sick of the palsy, is healed. 5 Remission of sins. 9 Matthew called. 10 Sinners. 17 New wine. 18 The ruler’s daughter raised. 20 A woman healed of a bloody issue. 28 Two blind men by faith receive sight. 32 A dumb man possessed is healed. 37 The harvest and workmen.
1 Then he [a]entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his [b]own city.
2 And (A)lo, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy laid on a bed. And Jesus [c]seeing their faith, said to the sick of the palsy, Son be of good comfort: thy sins are forgiven thee.
3 And behold, certain of the Scribes said with themselves, This man [d]blasphemeth.
4 But when Jesus saw their thoughts, he said, Wherefore think ye evil things in your hearts?
5 For whether is it easier to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee, or to say, Arise, and walk?
6 And that ye may know that the Son of man hath authority in earth to forgive sins (then said he unto the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go to thine house.
7 And he arose, and departed to his own house.
8 So when the multitude saw it, they marveled, and glorified God, which had given such authority to men.
9 ¶ (B)[e]And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man sitting at the [f]custom, named Matthew, and said to him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.
10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, behold, many Publicans and [g]sinners that came thither, sat down at the table with Jesus and his disciples.
11 And when the Pharisees saw that, they said to his disciples, Why eateth your Master with Publicans and sinners?
12 Now when Jesus heard it, he said unto them, The whole need not the Physician, but they that are sick.
13 But go ye and learn what this is, (C)I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but the (D)sinners to repentance.
14 ¶ (E)[h]Then came the disciples of John to him, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, and thy disciples fast not?
15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the [i]children of the marriage chamber mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
16 Moreover, no man pieceth an old garment with a piece of [j]new cloth: for that that should fill it up, taketh away from the garment, and the breach is worse.
17 Neither do they put new wine into old vessels: for then the vessels would break, and the wine would be spilt, and the vessels would perish: but they put new wine into new vessels, and so are both preserved.
18 ¶ (F)[k]While he thus spake unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is now deceased: but come and lay thine hand on her, and she shall live.
19 And Jesus arose and followed him with his disciples.
20 (And behold, a woman which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment.
21 For she said in herself, If I may touch but his garment only, I shall be whole.
22 Then Jesus turned him about, and seeing her, did say, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole at that same moment.)
23 [l] Now when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the [m]minstrels and the multitude making noise,
24 He said unto them, Get you hence: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.
25 And when the multitude were put forth, he went in and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.
26 And this bruit went throughout all that land.
27 [n]And as Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, O son of David, have mercy upon us.
28 And when he was come into the house, the blind came to him, and Jesus said unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? And they said unto him, Yea, Lord.
29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
30 And their eyes were opened, and Jesus gave them great charge, saying, See that no man know it.
31 But when they were departed, they spread abroad his fame throughout all that land.
32 ¶ (G)[o]And as they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.
33 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: then the multitude marveled, saying, The like was never seen in Israel.
34 But the Pharisees said, (H)He casteth out devils, through the prince of devils.
35 ¶ And (I)Jesus went about all cities and towns, teaching in their Synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
36 [p]But (J)when he saw the multitude, he had compassion upon them, because they were dispersed, and scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
37 Then said he to his disciples, (K)Surely the harvest is great, but the laborers are few.
38 Wherefore pray the Lord of the harvest, that he would [q]send forth laborers into his harvest.
Footnotes
- Matthew 9:1 Sins are the causes of our afflictions, and Christ only forgiveth them if we believe.
- Matthew 9:1 Into Capernaum, for as Theophylact saith, Bethlehem brought him forth, Nazareth brought him up, and Capernaum was his dwelling place.
- Matthew 9:2 Knowing by a manifest sign.
- Matthew 9:3 To blaspheme, signifieth amongst the divines to speak wickedly: and amongst the more eloquent Grecians, to slander.
- Matthew 9:9 Christ calleth the humble sinners unto him, but he condemneth the proud hypocrites.
- Matthew 9:9 At the customer’s table, where it was received.
- Matthew 9:10 The customers fellows which were placed by the Romans, after that Judea was brought into the form of a province, to gather the customs, and therefore of the rest of the Jews, they were called sinners, that is to say very vile men.
- Matthew 9:14 Against naughty emulation in matters indifferent.
- Matthew 9:15 An Hebrew kind of speech, for they that are admitted into a marriage chamber are as the nearest about the bridegroom.
- Matthew 9:16 Raw, which was never put to the fuller.
- Matthew 9:18 There is no evil so old and incurable, which Christ cannot heal by and by, if he be touched with true faith, but lightly as it were with the hand.
- Matthew 9:23 Even death itself giveth place to the power of Christ.
- Matthew 9:23 It appeareth that they used minstrels at their mournings.
- Matthew 9:27 By healing these two blind, Christ showeth that he is the light of the world.
- Matthew 9:32 An example of that power that Christ hath over the devil.
- Matthew 9:36 Although the ordinary pastors cease, yet Christ hath not cast off the care of his Church.
- Matthew 9:38 Word for word, cast them out: for men are very slow in so holy a work.
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Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
