| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1On one occasion, while Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret with the crowd pressing in on Him to hear the word of God, | 1One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. |
| 2He saw two boats at the edge of the lake. The fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. | 2He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. |
| 3Jesus got into the boat belonging to Simon and asked him to put out a little from shore. And sitting down, He taught the people from the boat. | 3Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. |
| 4When Jesus had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” | 4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” |
| 5“Master,” Simon replied, “we have worked hard all night without catching anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.” | 5“Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” |
| 6When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to tear. | 6And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! |
| 7So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. | 7A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. |
| 8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees. “Go away from me, Lord,” he said, “for I am a sinful man.” | 8When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.” |
| 9For he and his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, | 9For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. |
| 10and so were his partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee. “Do not be afraid,” Jesus said to Simon. “From now on you will catch men.” | 10His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” |
| 11And when they had brought their boats ashore, they left everything and followed Him. | 11And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus. Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy |
| 12While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell facedown and begged Him, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” | 12In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” |
| 13Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him. | 13Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. |
| 14“Do not tell anyone,” Jesus instructed him. “But go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering Moses prescribed for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” | 14Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, “Go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.” |
| 15But the news about Jesus spread all the more, and great crowds came to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. | 15But despite Jesus’ instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. |
| 16Yet He frequently withdrew to the wilderness to pray. | 16But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer. Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man |
| 17One day Jesus was teaching, and the Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. People had come from Jerusalem and from every village of Galilee and Judea, and the power of the Lord was present for Him to heal the sick. | 17One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that these men showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.) And the Lord’s healing power was strongly with Jesus. |
| 18Just then some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They tried to bring him inside to set him before Jesus, | 18Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, |
| 19but they could not find a way through the crowd. So they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. | 19but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. |
| 20When Jesus saw their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” | 20Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.” |
| 21But the scribes and Pharisees began thinking to themselves, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” | 21But the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves, “Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!” |
| 22Knowing what they were thinking, Jesus replied, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? | 22Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? |
| 23Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’ | 23 Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? |
| 24But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on the earth to forgive sins...” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home.” | 24 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” |
| 25And immediately the man stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. | 25And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God. |
| 26Everyone was taken with amazement and glorified God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.” | 26Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!” Jesus Calls Levi (Matthew) |
| 27After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him, | 27Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. |
| 28and Levi got up, left everything, and followed Him. | 28So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him. |
| 29Then Levi hosted a great banquet for Jesus at his house. A large crowd of tax collectors was there, along with others who were eating with them. | 29Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them. |
| 30But the Pharisees and their scribes complained to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” | 30But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum? ” |
| 31Jesus answered, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. | 31Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. |
| 32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” | 32 I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” A Discussion about Fasting |
| 33Then they said to Him, “John’s disciples and those of the Pharisees frequently fast and pray, but Yours keep on eating and drinking.” | 33One day some people said to Jesus, “John the Baptist’s disciples fast and pray regularly, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees. Why are your disciples always eating and drinking?” |
| 34Jesus replied, “Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them? | 34Jesus responded, “Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. |
| 35But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.” | 35 But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.” |
| 36He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will tear the new garment as well, and the patch from the new will not match the old. | 36Then Jesus gave them this illustration: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old garment. For then the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch wouldn’t even match the old garment. |
| 37And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will spill, and the wineskins will be ruined. | 37 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. |
| 38Instead, new wine is poured into new wineskins. | 38 New wine must be stored in new wineskins. |
| 39And no one after drinking old wine wants new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’ ” | 39 But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say.” |
|
