1 Now as the crowd were pressing on him to listen to the word of God, he saw, as he stood beside the lake of Gennesaret,
2 two boats on the shore of the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
3 So he entered one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to push out a little from the land. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
4 When he stopped speaking, he said to Simon, "Push out to the deep water and lower your nets for a take."
5 Simon replied, "Master, we worked all night and got nothing! However, I will lower the nets at your command."
6 And when they did so, they enclosed a huge shoal of fish, so that their nets began to break.
7 Then they made signals to their mates in the other boat to come and assist them. They came and filled both the boats, till they began to sink.
8 But when Simon Peter saw it he fell at the knees of Jesus, crying, "Lord, leave me; I am a sinful man."
9 For amazement had seized him and all his companions at the take of fish they had caught;
10 as was the case with James and John, the sons of Zebedaeus, who were partners of Simon. Then said Jesus to Simon, "Have no fear; from now your catch will be men."
11 Then they brought the boats to land, and leaving all they followed him.
12 When he was in one of their towns, there was a man full of leprosy who, on seeing Jesus, fell on his face and besought him, "If you only choose, sir, you can cleanse me."
13 So he stretched his hand out and touched him, with the words, "I do choose, be cleansed." And the leprosy at once left him.
14 Jesus ordered him not to say a word to anybody, but to "Go off and show yourself to the priest, and offer whatever Moses prescribed for your cleansing, to notify men."
15 But the news of him spread abroad more and more; large crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their complaints,
16 while he kept in lonely places and prayed.
17 One day he was teaching, and near him sat Pharisees and doctors of the Law who had come from every village of Galilee and Judaea as well as from Jerusalem. Now the power of the Lord was present for the work of healing.
18 Some men came up carrying a man who was paralysed; they tried to carry him inside and lay him in front of Jesus,
19 but when they could not find any means of getting him in, on account of the crowd, they climbed to the top of the house and let him down through the tiles, mattress and all among the people in front of Jesus.
21 Then the scribes and Pharisees began to argue, "Who is this blasphemer? Who can forgive sins, who but God alone?"
22 Conscious that they were arguing to themselves, Jesus addressed them, saying, "Why argue in your hearts?
23 Which is the easier thing, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'?
24 But to let you see the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins" ??he said to the paralysed man, "Rise, I tell you, lift your mattress and go home."
25 Instantly he got up before them, lifted what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God.
26 And all were seized with astonishment; they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, "We have seen incredible things to-day."
27 On going outside after this he noticed a taxgatherer called Levi sitting at the tax-office and said to him, "Follow me";
28 he rose, left everything and followed him.
29 Levi held a great banquet for him in his house; there was a large company present of taxgatherers and others who were guests along with them.
30 But the Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with taxgatherers and sinners?"
31 Jesus replied to them, "Healthy people have no need of a doctor, but those who are ill:
32 I have not come to call just men but sinners to repentance."
33 They said to him, "The disciples of John fast frequently and offer prayers, as do the disciples of the Pharisees; but your adherents eat and drink."
34 Jesus said to them, "Can you make friends at a wedding fast while the bride groom is beside them?
35 A time will come when the bridegroom is taken from them, and then they will fast at that time."
36 He also told them a parable: "No one tears a piece from a new cloak and sews it on an old cloak; otherwise he will tear the new cloak, and the new piece will not match with the old.
37 No one pours fresh wine into old wineskins; otherwise the fresh wine will burst the wineskins, the wine will be spilt and the wineskins ruined.
38 No, fresh wine must be poured into new wineskins.
39 Besides, no one wants new wine [immediately] after drinking old; 'The old,' he says, 'is better.'"