The First Disciples

1Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing at the edge of the lake of Gennesaret; 2and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake, and the fishermen, having gotten out of them, were washing their nets. 3And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the crowds from the boat. 4And when He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5Simon answered and said, “Master, we labored all night and caught nothing, but at Your word, I will let down the nets.” 6And when they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish. And their nets began to break; 7so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. 8But when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken, 10and [†]James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon, were also likewise amazed. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” 11And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.

Jesus Heals a Leper

12And it happened that while He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man [†]covered with 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 He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14And He directed him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 15But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16But He Himself would often slip away [†]to the desolate regions and pray.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

17And it happened that [†]one day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law 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 perform healing. 18And behold, some men were carrying on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down before Him. 19But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. 20And seeing their faith, He said, “[†]Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” 21The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” 22But Jesus, [†]knowing their reasonings, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? 23Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”—He said to the paralytic—“I say to you, get up, and, picking up your stretcher, go home.” 25And immediately he rose up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. 26And astonishment seized them all and they began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Levi and Sinners Called

27And after that He went out and noticed a tax collector named [†]Levi sitting in the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28And he left everything behind, and rose up and began to follow Him.

29And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them. 30And the Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and [†]sinners?” 31And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need 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 often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do likewise, but Yours eat and drink.” 34And Jesus said to them, “Can you make the [†]attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35But the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.” 36And He was also telling them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new and the piece from the new will not match the old. 37And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. 38But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough.’”