2 ^eAnd behold, a leper¹ came to him and ^fknelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3 And Jesus² stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, ^g“See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, ^hshow yourself to the priest and ⁱoffer the gift that Moses commanded, ^jfor a proof to them.”

Jesus Cleanses a Leper

40 ⁱAnd a leper¹ came to him, imploring him, and ^jkneeling said to him, ^k“If you will, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 42 And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43 And ^lJesus² sternly charged him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, ^m“See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, ⁿshow yourself to the priest and ^ooffer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, ^pfor a proof to them.” 45 ^qBut he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter ^ra town, but was out in ^rdesolate places, and ^speople were coming to him from every quarter.

Jesus Cleanses a Leper

12 While he was in one of the cities, ^fthere came a man full of leprosy.¹ And when he saw Jesus, he ^gfell on his face and begged him, “Lord, ^hif you will, you can make me clean.” 13 And Jesus² stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And he charged him ⁱto tell no one, but “go and show ^jyourself to the priest, and ^kmake an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, ^lfor a proof to them.” 15 ^mBut now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. 16 But ⁿhe would withdraw to desolate places and ⁿpray.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

1 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to ^vhis own city. 2 ^wAnd behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus ^xsaw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ^y“Take heart, my son; ^zyour sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, ^a“This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, ^bknowing¹ their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, ^cthey were afraid, and ^cthey glorified God, who had ^dgiven such authority to men.

Jesus Calls Matthew

9 ^eAs Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called ^fMatthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

10 And as Jesus² reclined at table in the house, behold, many ^gtax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ^h“Why does your teacher eat with ^gtax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn ⁱwhat this means: ^j‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For ^kI came not to call the righteous, ^lbut sinners.”

A Question About Fasting

14 Then ^mthe disciples of John came to him, saying, ⁿ“Why do we and ^othe Pharisees fast,³ but your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, ^p“Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? ^qThe days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and ^rthen they will fast. 16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. 17 Neither is new wine put into old ^swineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

1 And when he returned to ^tCapernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. 3 ^uAnd they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, ^vthey removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. 5 And when Jesus ^wsaw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, ^xyour sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? ^yHe is blaspheming! ^zWho can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, ^aperceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that ^bthe Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and ^cglorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Jesus Calls Levi

13 He went out again beside the sea, and ^dall the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14 ^eAnd as he passed by, he saw ^fLevi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

15 And as he reclined at table in his house, many ^gtax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 And ^hthe scribes of¹ the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, ^g“Why does he eat² with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ⁱI came not to call the righteous, ^jbut sinners.”

A Question About Fasting

18 Now ^kJohn’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, ^l“Why do John’s disciples and ^mthe disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 And Jesus said to them, ⁿ“Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 ^oThe days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and ^pthen they will fast in that day. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old ^qwineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”³

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

17 On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and ^oteachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And ^pthe power of the Lord was with him to heal.¹ 18 ^qAnd behold, some men were bringing ^ron a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, 19 but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on ^sthe roof and let him down with his bed ^tthrough the tiles into the midst before Jesus. 20 And ^uwhen he saw their faith, he said, “Man, ^vyour sins are forgiven you.” 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks ^wblasphemies? ^xWho can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 When Jesus ^yperceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 24 But that you may know that ^zthe Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 25 And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, ^aglorifying God. 26 And amazement seized them all, and they ^aglorified God and were filled ^awith awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”

Jesus Calls Levi

27 ^bAfter this he went out and saw ^ca tax collector named ^dLevi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And ^eleaving everything, he rose and followed him.

29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company ^fof tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. 30 And the Pharisees and ^gtheir scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, ^h“Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 ⁱI have not come to call the righteous ^jbut sinners ^kto repentance.”

A Question About Fasting

33 And they said to him, ^l“The disciples of John ^mfast often and ^moffer prayers, ⁿand so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” 34 And Jesus said to them, ^o“Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 ^pThe days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and ^qthen they will fast in those days.” 36 He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old ^rwineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”²

The Healing at the Pool on the Sabbath

1 After this there was a ^ofeast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

2 Now there is in Jerusalem by ^pthe Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic¹ called Bethesda,² which has five roofed colonnades. 3 In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and ^qparalyzed.³ 5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, ^r“Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 ^rAnd at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.

^sNow that day was the Sabbath. 10 So the Jews⁴ said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and ^tit is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” 11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for ^uJesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! ^vSin no more, ^wthat nothing worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. 16 And this was why the Jews ^xwere persecuting Jesus, ^ybecause he was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

Jesus Is Equal with God

18 This was why the Jews ^zwere seeking all the more to kill him, ^abecause not only was he ^bbreaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God ^chis own Father, ^dmaking himself equal with God.

The Authority of the Son

19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^ethe Son ^fcan do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father⁵ does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For ^gthe Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And ^hgreater works than these will he show him, so that ⁱyou may marvel. 21 For as the Father ^jraises the dead and ^kgives them life, so ^lalso the Son gives life ^mto whom he will. 22 ⁿFor the Father judges no one, but ^ohas given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they ^phonor the Father. ^qWhoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, ^rwhoever hears my word and ^sbelieves him who sent me has eternal life. He ^tdoes not come into judgment, but ^uhas passed from death to life.

25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^van hour is coming, and is now here, when ^wthe dead will hear ^xthe voice of the Son of God, and those who hear ^wwill live. 26 ^yFor as the Father has life in himself, ^zso he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he ^ahas given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for ^van hour is coming when ^ball who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, ^cthose who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Witnesses to Jesus

30 ^d“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and ^emy judgment is just, because ^fI seek not my own will ^gbut the will of him who sent me. 31 ^hIf I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is ⁱanother who bears witness about me, and ^jI know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. 33 ^kYou sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 Not that ^lthe testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 He was a burning and ^mshining lamp, and ⁿyou were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. 36 But ^lthe testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For ^othe works that the Father has given me ^pto accomplish, the very works that I am doing, ^qbear witness about me that ^rthe Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me ^shas himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, ^this form you have never seen, 38 and ^uyou do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. 39 ^vYou search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and ^wit is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet ^xyou refuse to come to me that you may have life. 41 ^yI do not receive glory from people. 42 But ^zI know that you do not have ^athe love of God within you. 43 I have come ^bin my Father’s name, and ^cyou do not receive me. ^dIf another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and ^edo not seek the glory that comes from ^fthe only God? 45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, ^gon whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for ^hhe wrote of me. 47 But ⁱif you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”