1 AMatt 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11; John 1:40-42Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by BNum 34:11; Deut 3:17; Josh 12:3; 13:27; Matt 4:18the lake of Gennesaret; 2 and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. 3 And AMatt 13:2; Mark 3:9, 10; 4:1He 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 1Lit crowdspeople from the boat. 4 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and AJohn 21:6let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered and said, “ALuke 8:24; 9:33, 49; 17:13Master, BJohn 21:3we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but 1Lit upon Your wordI will do as You say and let down the nets.” 6 When they had done this, AJohn 21:6they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; 7 so 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. 8 But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ 1Lit kneesfeet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9 For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were 1Or JacobJames and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “AMatt 14:27Do not fear, from now on you will be B2 Tim 2:26catching men.” 11 When they had brought their boats to land, AMatt 4:20, 22; 19:29; Mark 1:18, 20; Luke 5:28they left everything and followed Him.

12 ALuke 5:12-14: Matt 8:2-4; Mark 1:40-44While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man 1Lit full ofcovered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 13 And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And He ordered him to tell no one, “But go and ALev 13:49; 14:2ffshow yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 15 But AMatt 9:26the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus Himself would often slip away 1Lit into the 2Or deserted placeswilderness and AMatt 14:23; Mark 1:35; Luke 6:12pray.

17 1Lit On one of the daysOne day He was teaching; and AMatt 15:1there were some Pharisees and BLuke 2:46teachers of the law sitting there, who had CMark 1:45come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and DMark 5:30; Luke 6:19; 8:46the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. 18 ALuke 5:18-26: Matt 9:2-8; Mark 2:3-12And some men were carrying on a 1Or stretcherbed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. 19 But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on AMatt 24:17the roof and let him down BMark 2:4through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, He said, “1Lit ManFriend, AMatt 9:2your sins are forgiven you.” 21 The scribes and the Pharisees ALuke 3:8began to reason, saying, “BLuke 7:49Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? CIs 43:25Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” 22 But Jesus, 1Or perceivingaware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? 23  “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24  “But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”—He said to the AMatt 4:24paralytic—“I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.” 25 Immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home AMatt 9:8glorifying God. 26 1Lit Astonishment took them allThey were all struck with astonishment and began AMatt 9:8glorifying God; and they were filled BLuke 1:65; 7:16with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

27 ALuke 5:27-39: Matt 9:9-17; Mark 2:14-22After that He went out and noticed a tax collector named 1Also called MatthewBMatt 9:9Levi sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 And he ALuke 5:11left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him.

29 And AMatt 9:9Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of BLuke 15:1tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them. 30 AMark 2:16; Luke 15:2; Acts 23:9The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and 1I.e. irreligious Jewssinners?” 31 And Jesus answered and said to them, “AMatt 9:12, 13; Mark 2:17It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. 32  “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

33 And they said to Him, “AMatt 9:14; Mark 2:18The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do 1Or likewisethe same, but Yours eat and drink.” 34 And Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the 1Lit sons of the bridal-chamberattendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? 35  “AMatt 9:15; Mark 2:20; Luke 17:22But the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.” 36 And 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. 37  “And 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. 38  “But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39  “And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough.’ ”