The Call of the Disciples

1Now it came to pass, while the crowd pressed upon Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret,

2and He saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen, after getting out of them, were washing their nets.

3Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and He asked him to put out a little from the land. And sitting down, He began to teach the crowds from the boat.

4Now when He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and lower your nets for a catch.”

5But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have labored all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will lower the net.”

6And when they had done this, they caught a great multitude of fish, and their net was tearing.

7So they beckoned to their partners who were in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they were sinking.

8When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

9For astonishment gripped him and all who were with him at the haul of fish which they had taken.

10And likewise also it gripped James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear; from now on you shall be catching men.”

11And having brought the boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.

Jesus Cleanses a Leper

12And it came to pass while He was in a certain city, that behold, there was a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, falling on his face he begged Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can cleanse me.”

13And reaching out His hand, He touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy departed from him.

14And He ordered him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and bring an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses prescribed.”

15But the report about Him spread all the more; and great crowds came together to hear, and to be healed by Him from their sicknesses.

16But He Himself would withdraw into the wilderness and would pray.

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralytic

17Now it happened on a certain day that He was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come out of every village of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.

18And behold, men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and to lay him before Him.

19And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, going up on the roof, they lowered him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst in front of Jesus.

20And seeing their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins have been forgiven you.”

21And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this Man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins except God alone?”

22But when Jesus perceived their reasonings, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?

23Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’?

24But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”

25Immediately he rose up before them, taking up the bed which he had been lying on, he went off to his own house, glorifying God.

26And amazement gripped them all, and they were glorifying God, and they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today!”

The Calling of Levi (Matthew)

27After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.”

28And leaving everything, he arose and followed Him.

29Then Levi made a great banquet for Him in his own house. And there was a great number of tax collectors and others who were reclining with them to eat.

30And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

31Jesus answered and said to 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.”

The Superiority of the New

33Then they said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise also the disciples of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?”

34And He said to them, “Can you make the groomsmen fast while the bridegroom is with them?

35But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.”

36Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one puts a patch of a new garment on an old one; otherwise both the new garment tears, and also the patch that was taken out of the new garment does not match with the old garment.

37And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the wineskins and it will be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.

38But one must put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved together.

39And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’ ”