Matthew 9:14-17 - On Fasting

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

¹⁵ And Jesus said unto them, Can the friends of the bridegroom 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 No man puts a piece of new cloth onto an old garment, for that which is put on to fill it up takes from the garment, and the tear is made worse. ¹⁷ Neither do men put new wine into old wineskins: else the wineskins break, and the wine runs out, and the wineskins perish: but they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.

¹⁸ And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they came and said unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples fast not?

¹⁹ And Jesus said unto them, Can the friends of the bridegroom 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 shall they fast in those days. ²¹ No man also sews a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up tears away from the old, and the tear is made worse. ²² And no man puts new wine into old wineskins: else the new wine does burst the wineskins, and the wine is spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined: but new wine must be put into new wineskins.

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

³⁴ And he said unto them, Can you make the friends of the bridegroom 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 spoke also a parable unto them; No man puts a piece torn from a new garment upon an old; otherwise, then both the new makes a tear, and the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. ³⁷ And no man puts new wine into old wineskins; else the new wine will burst the wineskins, and be spilled, and the wineskins shall be destroyed. ³⁸ But new wine must be put into new wineskins; and both are preserved. ³⁹ No man also having drunk old wine immediately desires new: for he says, The old is better.