Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
16 If I announce the gospel, you see, that’s no reason for me to be proud. I’m under compulsion! Woe betide me if I don’t announce the gospel! 17 If I do it willingly, I have a reward; if I do it unwillingly—well, this is the commission that’s been entrusted to me! 18 So what is my reward? Just this: that when I announce the gospel I should give it away free of charge; that I shouldn’t make use of my rights in the gospel.
The apostle’s freedom—to be enslaved to everyone
19 The reason for all this is as follows. I am indeed free from everyone; but I have enslaved myself to everyone, so that I can win all the more. 20 I became like a Jew to the Jews, to win Jews. I became like someone under the law to the people who are under the law, even though I’m not myself under the law, so that I could win those under the law. 21 To the lawless I became like someone lawless (even though I’m not lawless before God, but under the Messiah’s law), so that I could win the lawless. 22 I became weak to the weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that in all ways I might save some. 23 I do it all because of the gospel, so that I can be a partner in its benefits.
29 They came out of the synagogue, and went at once (with James and John) into Simon and Andrew’s house. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her right away. 31 He went in, took her by the hand, and raised her up. The fever left her, and she waited on them.
32 When the sun went down and evening came, they brought to Jesus everyone who was ill, including the demon-possessed. 33 The whole town was gathered around the door. 34 Jesus healed many people suffering from all kinds of diseases, and cast out many demons. He didn’t allow the demons to speak, because they knew him.
The healing of a man with a skin disease
35 Very early—in the middle of the night, actually—Jesus got up and went out, off to a lonely place, and prayed. 36 Simon, and those with him, followed. 37 When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you!”
38 “Let’s go off to the other towns around here,” Jesus replied, “so that I can tell the news to people there too. That’s why I came out.”
39 So he went into their synagogues, throughout the whole of Galilee, telling the news and casting out demons.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.