1And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.2And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.3And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.4And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?5For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?6But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.7And he arose, and departed to his house.8But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.9And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.10And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.11And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?12But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.13But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.14Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?15And Jesus said unto them, Can the children 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 shall they fast.16No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.17Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.18While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.19And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.20And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:21For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.22But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.23And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,24He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.25But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.26And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.27And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.28And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.29Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.30And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.31But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.32As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.33And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.34But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.35And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.36But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.37Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;38Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
Matthew 9
New International Reader’s Version
Jesus forgives and heals a man who could not walk
1Jesus stepped into a boat. He went over to the other side of the lake and came to his own town.2Some men brought to him a man who could not walk. He was lying on a mat. Jesus saw that they had faith. So he said to the man, ‘Don’t lose hope, son. Your sins are forgiven.’3Then some teachers of the law said to themselves, ‘This fellow is saying a very evil thing!’4Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he said, ‘Why do you have evil thoughts in your hearts?5Is it easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven”? Or to say, “Get up and walk”?6But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.’ So he spoke to the man who could not walk. ‘Get up’, he said. ‘Take your mat and go home.’7The man got up and went home.8When the crowd saw this, they were filled with wonder. They praised God for giving that kind of authority to a human being.
Jesus chooses Matthew and eats with sinners
9As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew. He was sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me’, Jesus told him. Matthew got up and followed him.10Later Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house. Many tax collectors and sinners came. They ate with Jesus and his disciples.11The Pharisees saw this. So they asked the disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’12Jesus heard this. So he said, ‘Those who are healthy don’t need a doctor. Ill people do.13Go and learn what this means, “I want mercy and not sacrifice.” I have not come to get those who think they are right with God to follow me. I have come to get sinners to follow me.’ (Ho 6:6)
Jesus is asked about fasting
14One day John’s disciples came. They said to Jesus, ‘We and the Pharisees often go without eating. Why don’t your disciples go without eating?’15Jesus answered, ‘How can the guests of the groom be sad while he is with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast.16‘People don’t sew a patch of new cloth on old clothes. The new piece will pull away from the old. That will make the tear worse.17People don’t pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst. The wine will run out, and the wineskins will be destroyed. No, people pour new wine into new wineskins. Then both are saved.’
Jesus heals a dead girl and a suffering woman
18While Jesus was saying this, a synagogue leader came. He got down on his knees in front of Jesus. He said, ‘My daughter has just died. But come and place your hand on her. Then she will live again.’19Jesus got up and went with him. So did his disciples.20Just then a woman came up behind Jesus. She had an illness that made her bleed. It had lasted for 12 years. She touched the edge of his clothes.21She thought, ‘I only need to touch his clothes. Then I will be healed.’22Jesus turned and saw her. ‘Dear woman, don’t give up hope,’ he said. ‘Your faith has healed you.’ The woman was healed at that moment.23When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house, he saw the noisy crowd and people playing flutes.24He said, ‘Go away. The girl is not dead. She is sleeping.’ But they laughed at him.25After the crowd had been sent outside, Jesus went in. He took the girl by the hand, and she got up.26News about what Jesus had done spread all over that area.
Jesus heals two blind men
27As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him. They called out, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David!’28When Jesus went indoors, the blind men came to him. He asked them, ‘Do you believe that I can do this?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ they replied.29Then he touched their eyes. He said, ‘It will happen to you just as you believed.’30They could now see again. Jesus strongly warned them, ‘Be sure that no one knows about this.’31But they went out and spread the news. They talked about him all over that area.32While they were going out, another man was brought to Jesus. A demon controlled him, and he could not speak.33When the demon was driven out, the man spoke. The crowd was amazed. They said, ‘Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.’34But the Pharisees said, ‘He drives out demons by the power of the prince of demons.’
There are only a few workers
35Jesus went through all the towns and villages. He taught in their synagogues. He preached the good news of the kingdom. And he healed every illness and disease.36When he saw the crowds, he felt deep concern for them. They were treated badly and were helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.37Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is huge. But there are only a few workers.38So ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers out into his harvest field.’