1 N ow it occurred that while the people pressed upon Jesus to hear the message of God, He was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret (Sea of Galilee).

And it came to pass, in the multitude pressing on him to hear the word of God, that he was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret,

2 A nd He saw two boats drawn up by the lake, but the fishermen had gone down from them and were washing their nets.

and he saw two boats standing beside the lake, and the fishers, having gone away from them, were washing the nets,

3 A nd getting into one of the boats, that belonged to Simon (Peter), He requested him to draw away a little from the shore. Then He sat down and continued to teach the crowd from the boat.

and having entered into one of the boats, that was Simon's, he asked him to put back a little from the land, and having sat down, was teaching the multitudes out of the boat.

4 W hen He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon (Peter), Put out into the deep, and lower your nets for a haul.

And when he left off speaking, he said unto Simon, `Put back to the deep, and let down your nets for a draught;'

5 A nd Simon (Peter) answered, Master, we toiled all night '> exhaustingly] and caught nothing. But on the ground of Your word, I will lower the nets.

and Simon answering said to him, `Master, through the whole night, having laboured, we have taken nothing, but at thy saying I will let down the net.'

6 A nd when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish; and as their nets were '> at the point of] breaking,

And having done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes, and their net was breaking,

7 T hey signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and take hold with them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.

and they beckoned to the partners, who in the other boat, having come, to help them; and they came, and filled both the boats, so that they were sinking.

8 B ut when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

And Simon Peter having seen, fell down at the knees of Jesus, saying, `Depart from me, because I am a sinful man, O lord;'

9 F or he was gripped with bewildering amazement, and all who were with him, at the haul of fish which they had made;

for astonishment seized him, and all those with him, at the draught of the fishes that they took,

10 A nd so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon (Peter). And Jesus said to Simon, Have no fear; from now on you will be catching men!

and in like manner also James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon; and Jesus said unto Simon, `Fear not, henceforth thou shalt be catching men;'

11 A nd after they had run their boats on shore, they left everything and joined Him as His disciples and sided with His party and accompanied Him.

and they, having brought the boats upon the land, having left all, did follow him.

12 W hile He was in one of the towns, there came a man full of (covered with) leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, Lord, if You are willing, You are able to cure me and make me clean.

And it came to pass, in his being in one of the cities, that lo, a man full of leprosy, and having seen Jesus, having fallen on face, he besought him, saying, `Sir, if thou mayest will, thou art able to cleanse me;'

13 A nd reached out His hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed! And immediately the leprosy left him.

and having stretched forth hand, he touched him, having said, `I will; be thou cleansed;' and immediately the leprosy went away from him.

14 A nd charged him to tell no one '> that he might chance to meet], until you go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your purification, as Moses commanded, for a testimony and proof to the people, that they may have evidence.

And he charged him to tell no one, `But, having gone away, shew thyself to the priest, and bring near for thy cleansing according as Moses directed, for a testimony to them;'

15 B ut so much the more the news spread abroad concerning Him, and great crowds kept coming together to hear and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.

but the more was the report going abroad concerning him, and great multitudes were coming together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities,

16 B ut He Himself withdrew to the wilderness (desert) and prayed.

and he was withdrawing himself in the desert places and was praying.

17 O ne of those days, as He was teaching, there were Pharisees and teachers of the Law sitting by, who had come from every village and town of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Him to heal them.

And it came to pass, on one of the days, that he was teaching, and there were sitting by Pharisees and teachers of the Law, who were come out of every village of Galilee, and Judea, and Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was -- to heal them.

18 A nd behold, some men were bringing on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed, and they tried to carry him in and lay him before.

And lo, men bearing upon a couch a man, who hath been struck with palsy, and they were seeking to bring him in, and to place before him,

19 B ut finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him with his stretcher through the tiles into the midst, in front of Jesus.

and not having found by what way they may bring him in because of the multitude, having gone up on the house-top, through the tiles they let him down, with the little couch, into the midst before Jesus,

20 A nd when He saw their faith, He said, Man, your sins are forgiven you!

and he having seen their faith, said to him, `Man, thy sins have been forgiven thee.'

21 A nd the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason and question and argue, saying, Who is this Who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?

And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, `Who is this that doth speak evil words? who is able to forgive sins, except God only?'

22 B ut Jesus, knowing their thoughts and questionings, answered them, Why do you question in your hearts?

And Jesus having known their reasonings, answering, said unto them, `What reason ye in your hearts?

23 W hich is easier: to say, Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Arise and walk ?

which is easier -- to say, Thy sins have been forgiven thee? or to say, Arise, and walk?

24 B ut that you may know that the Son of Man has the '> power of] authority and right on earth to forgive sins, He said to the paralyzed man, I say to you, arise, pick up your litter (stretcher), and go to your own house!

`And that ye may know that the Son of Man hath authority upon the earth to forgive sins -- (he said to the one struck with palsy) -- I say to thee, Arise, and having taken up thy little couch, be going on to thy house.'

25 A nd instantly stood up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went away to his house, recognizing and praising and thanking God.

And presently having risen before them, having taken up on which he was lying, he went away to his house, glorifying God,

26 A nd overwhelming astonishment and ecstasy seized them all, and they recognized and praised and thanked God; and they were filled with and controlled by reverential fear and kept saying, We have seen wonderful and strange and incredible and unthinkable things today!

and astonishment took all, and they were glorifying God, and were filled with fear, saying -- `We saw strange things to-day.'

27 A nd after this, Jesus went out and looked at a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office; and He said to him, Join Me as a disciple and side with My party and accompany Me.

And after these things he went forth, and beheld a tax-gatherer, by name Levi, sitting at the tax-office, and said to him, `Be following me;'

28 A nd he forsook everything and got up and followed Him.

and he, having left all, having arisen, did follow him.

29 A nd Levi (Matthew) made a great banquet for Him in his own house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others who were reclining with them.

And Levi made a great entertainment to him in his house, and there was a great multitude of tax-gatherers and others who were with them reclining (at meat),

30 N ow the Pharisees and their scribes were grumbling against Jesus’ disciples, saying, Why are you eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinful people?

and the scribes and the Pharisees among them were murmuring at his disciples, saying, `Wherefore with tax-gatherers and sinners do ye eat and drink?'

31 A nd Jesus replied to them, It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.

And Jesus answering said unto them, `They who are well have no need of a physician, but they that are ill:

32 I have not come to arouse and invite and call the righteous, but the erring ones ( those not free from sin) to repentance '> to change their minds for the better and heartily to amend their ways, with abhorrence of their past sins].

I came not to call righteous men, but sinners, to reformation.'

33 T hen they said to Him, The disciples of John practice fasting often and offer up prayers of petition, and so do of the Pharisees also, but Yours eat and drink.

And they said unto him, `Wherefore do the disciples of John fast often, and make supplications -- in like manner also those of the Pharisees -- but thine do eat and drink?'

34 A nd Jesus said to them, Can you make the wedding guests fast as long as the bridegroom is with them?

And he said unto them, `Are ye able to make the sons of the bride-chamber -- in the bridegroom being with them -- to fast?

35 B ut the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; and then they will fast in those days.

but days will come, and, when the bridegroom may be taken away from them, then they shall fast in those days.'

36 H e told them a proverb also: No one puts a patch from a new garment on an old garment; if he does, he will both tear the new one, and the patch from the new will not match the old.

And he spake also a simile unto them -- `No one a patch of new clothing doth put on old clothing, and if otherwise, the new also doth make a rent, and with the old the patch doth not agree, that from the new.

37 A nd no one pours new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the fresh wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled and the skins will be ruined (destroyed).

`And no one doth put new wine into old skins, and if otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and itself will be poured out, and the skins will be destroyed;

38 B ut new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.

but new wine into new skins is to be put, and both are preserved together;

39 A nd no one after drinking old wine immediately desires new wine, for he says, The old is good or better.

and no one having drunk old, doth immediately wish new, for he saith, The old is better.'