Matthew 9:14-17 - On Fasting

¹⁴ Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but thy disciples do not fast?

¹⁵ And Jesus said unto them, Can the sons of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then they shall fast. ¹⁶ No one mends an old garment with a piece of new cloth, for that patch takes from the garment, and the rent is made worse. ¹⁷ Neither do they put new wine into old wineskins, otherwise the wineskins break, and the wine runs out, and the wineskins perish; but they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved together.

¹⁸ And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees did fast and therefore came and said unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?

¹⁹ And Jesus said unto them, Can those who are in a wedding fast while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. ²⁰ But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then they shall fast in those days. ²¹ No one mends an old garment with a new piece of cloth, or else the new piece that filled it up tears away from the old, and the rent is made worse. ²² And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, and the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are lost; but new wine must be poured into new wineskins.

³³ Then they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees, but thine eat and drink?

³⁴ And he said unto them, Can ye make the sons of the bridechamber fast while the bridegroom is with them? ³⁵ But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.

³⁶ And he also spoke a parable unto them: No one takes a piece of a new garment to mend an old one; if otherwise, then the new one is rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new does not agree with the old. ³⁷ And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled and the wineskins shall perish. ³⁸ But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. ³⁹ No one also having drunk of the old straightway desires the new, for he says, The old is better.