1Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,
2and he saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.
3Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and was teaching the crowds from the boat.
4And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
5And Simon answered, “Master, we have toiled all night and have taken nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”
6And when they had done this, they enclosed a great number of fish, and their nets were beginning to break.
7So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they were sinking.
8But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
9For amazement had seized him and all who were with him at the catch of fish that they had taken,
10and likewise James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”
11And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
12And it happened that while he was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
13And stretching out his hand, he touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him.
14And he ordered him to tell no one, “But go, show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.”
15But the report about him spread all the more, and great crowds were gathering to hear him and to be healed of their illnesses.
16But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.
17On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal.
18And behold, some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were trying to bring him in and set him before Jesus.
19But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his stretcher through the tiles into the midst, in front of Jesus.
20And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”
21And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
22But when Jesus perceived their reasonings, he answered them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?
23Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
24But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the one who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, take up your stretcher, and go to your home.”
25And immediately he rose up before them, and taking up what he had been lying on, he went to his home, glorifying God.
26And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”
27After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.”
28And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.
29And Levi made a great banquet for him in his house, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining at the table with them.
30And the Pharisees and their scribes were grumbling to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
31And Jesus answered them, ‘Those who are healthy have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.’
32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
33And they said to him, ‘The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, as do those of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.’
34And Jesus said to them, ‘Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?’
35But days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.
36He also told them a parable: ‘No one tears a patch from a new garment and puts it 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.’
37And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined.
38But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.
39And no one, after drinking old wine, wants new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’
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