1 And He got into a boat and crossed to the other side, and went into His home town.
2 And all at once some men were bringing to Him a paralyzed man, lying on a couch. And because He saw their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "Cheer up, my child, your sins are forgiven."
4 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said, "Why do you have such wicked thoughts in your hearts?
5 For which is easier, to say 'Your sins are forgiven,' or, to say 'Get up and go to walking'?
6 But to show you that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth" -- turning to the paralyzed man, He said to Him -- "Get up, pick up your bed, and go home."
7 And he got up and went home.
8 And the crowds saw it, and were stricken with awe, and gave praise to God for giving such power to men.
9 And as He was passing along from there, He saw a man named Matthew in his seat at the tax-collector's desk, and He said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed Him.
10 While He was at table in the house many tax-collectors and notorious sinners came in and took their seats at table with Jesus and His disciples.
11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax-collectors and notorious sinners?"
12 And when He heard it, He said, "It is not well, but sick people that have to send for a doctor.
13 Go, learn what this means, 'It is mercy and not sacrifice that I want.' It is not upright but sinful people that I have come to invite."
14 Then John's disciples went up to Him, and said, "Why do we and the Pharisees practice fasting, but your disciples do not?"
15 Jesus said to them, "The wedding guests cannot mourn, can they, as long as they have the bridegroom with them? But a time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
16 Nobody sews a patch of brand-new goods on an old coat, for such a patch would tear away from the coat, and the hole would be bigger than ever.
17 Nobody pours new wine into old wine-bottles; or, if they do, the bottles burst, the wine runs out, and the bottles are ruined. But people pour new wine into new wine-bottles, and so both are preserved."
18 And just as He was saying these things to them, an official came up and fell on his knees before Him, and said, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand upon her and she will come to life."
19 And Jesus got up and followed him; and His disciples, too.
20 And a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years came up and touched the tassel on His coat.
21 For she kept saying to herself, "If I can only touch His coat, I will get well."
22 And Jesus, on turning and seeing her, said, "Cheer up, my daughter! Your faith has cured you." And from that moment the woman was well.
23 And Jesus, on coming to the house of the official, and on seeing the flute-players and the wailing crowd,
24 said, "Go away, for the girl is not dead, but is sleeping." And they began to laugh in His face.
25 But when the crowd had been driven out, He went in and took hold of her hand, and the girl got up.
26 And the news about her spread all over that country.
27 As Jesus was passing along from there, two blind men followed Him, shouting, "Do pity us, O Son of David!"
28 After He had gone into the house, and the blind men had gone up to Him, Jesus said to them, "Do you really believe that I can do this?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."
29 Then He touched their eyes, and said, "In accordance with your faith it must be done for you."
30 And their eyes received strength to see. Then Jesus sternly charged them, "See that nobody knows it."
31 But they went out and spread the news about Him all over that country.
32 But at the very time they were going out, some people brought to Him a dumb man, who was under the power of a demon,
33 and after the demon had been driven out, the dumb man could talk. So the crowds were dumbfounded, saying, "Never before among the Jews was anything like this?
34 But the Pharisees kept on saying, "It is by the help of the prince of the demons that He drives them out."
35 Jesus kept visiting all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and curing every sort of sickness and ailment.
36 When He saw the crowds, His heart was moved with pity for them, because they were tired and scattered like sheep without a shepherd.
37 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the reapers are scarce.
38 So pray the Lord of the harvest to send out reapers to His harvest field."