Luke 5
1 And it came to pass, as the crowd pressed on him to hear the word of God, that he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret:
One day, as Jesus was standing beside the Sea of Galilee, people crowded around him to hear the word of God.
2 and he saw two ships standing by the lake, but the fishermen, having come down from them, were washing their nets.
Jesus noticed two boats lying on the shore, left there by fishermen who were washing their nets.
3 And getting into one of the ships, which was Simon's, he asked him to draw out a little from the land; and he sat down and taught the crowds out of the ship.
Jesus got into a boat, the one that belonged to Simon, and asked him to push it out into the water, just offshore. Then Jesus sat down in the boat and taught the people from there.
4 But when he ceased speaking, he said to Simon, Draw out into the deep [water] and let down your nets for a haul.
After he'd finished speaking, he told Simon, “Go out into deeper water, and let down your nets for a catch.”
5 And Simon answering said to him, Master, having laboured through the whole night we have taken nothing, but at thy word I will let down the net.
“Lord, we worked hard all night, and didn't catch anything. But if you say so, I'll let down the nets,” Simon replied.
6 And having done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes. And their net broke.
Having done this, a large shoal of fish filled the nets full to breaking point.
7 And they beckoned to their partners who were in the other ship to come and help them, and they came, and filled both the ships, so that they were sinking.
They waved to their partners in the other boat, asking them to come over and help. The others came over and together they filled both of the boats with fish. The boats were so full that they began to sink.
8 But Simon Peter, seeing it, fell at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord.
When Simon Peter saw what had happened, he dropped to his knees before Jesus. “Lord, please stay away from me, for I am a sinful man!” he exclaimed.
9 For astonishment had laid hold on him, and on all those who were with him, at the haul of fishes which they had taken;
For he and everybody with him were completely amazed by the catch of fish that they had landed.
10 and in like manner also on James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, Fear not; henceforth thou shalt be catching men.
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners, felt the same way. “Don't be afraid,” Jesus told Simon. “From now on you'll be fishing for people!”
11 And having run the ships on shore, leaving all they followed him.
So they dragged the boats onto the shore, left everything, and followed Jesus.
12 And it came to pass as he was in one of the cities, that behold, there was a man full of leprosy, and seeing Jesus, falling upon his face, he besought him saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou art able to cleanse me.
Once when Jesus was visiting one of the towns, he met a man there who had a very bad case of leprosy. The man fell with his face to the ground and begged Jesus, “Please Lord, if you're willing, you can make me clean.”
13 And stretching forth his hand he touched him, saying, I will; be thou cleansed: and immediately the leprosy departed from him.
Jesus reached out and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy disappeared.
14 And he enjoined him to tell no one; but go, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing as Moses ordained, for a testimony to them.
“Say nothing to anyone,” Jesus instructed him. “Go and show yourself to the priest and make the ceremonial offerings as required by the law of Moses as proof that you've been healed.”
15 But the report concerning him was spread abroad still more, and great crowds came together to hear, and to be healed from their infirmities.
Yet the news about Jesus spread more and more. Large crowds came to hear Jesus and to be healed from their diseases.
16 And he withdrew himself, and was about in the desert [places] and praying.
But Jesus often used to retreat to quiet places and pray.
17 And it came to pass on one of the days, that he was teaching, and there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, who were come out of every village of Galilee and Judaea and [out of] Jerusalem; and [the] Lord's power was [there] to heal them.
One day when Jesus was teaching, the Pharisees and religious teachers who had come from all over Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem were sitting there. The power of the Lord to heal was with him so he could heal.
18 And lo, men bringing upon a couch a man who was paralysed; and they sought to bring him in, and put [him] before him.
Some men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They tried to take him in and lay him in front of Jesus.
19 And not finding what way to bring him in, on account of the crowd, going up on the housetop they let him down through the tiles, with his little couch, into the midst before Jesus.
But they couldn't find any way through the crowd, so they went up on the roof and made a hole in the roof tiles. Then they lowered the man down on the mat, right into the crowd in front of Jesus.
20 And seeing their faith, he said, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.
When Jesus saw the trust they had in him, he said to the man, “Your sins are forgiven.”
21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason [in their minds], saying, Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who is able to forgive sins but God alone?
The religious teachers and the Pharisees began to argue with that. “Who is this who's speaking blasphemies?” they asked. “Who can forgive sins? Only God can do that!”
22 But Jesus, knowing their reasonings, answering said to them, Why reason ye in your hearts?
Jesus knew what they were arguing about, so he asked them, “Why are you thinking to question this?
23 which is easier, to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?
What is easier? To say your sins are forgiven, or to say get up and walk?
24 But that ye may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins, he said to the paralysed man, I say to thee, Arise, and take up thy little couch and go to thine house.
However, I will prove to you that the Son of man has the authority here on earth to forgive sins.” Then he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you: Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”
25 And immediately standing up before them, having taken up that whereon he was laid, he departed to his house, glorifying God.
Immediately the man stood up in front of them. He picked up the mat he'd been lying on, and went home, praising God as he went.
26 And astonishment seized all, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to-day.
Everyone was completely astonished at what had happened, and in great awe they praised God, saying, “What we saw today was amazing!”
27 And after these things he went forth and saw a tax-gatherer, Levi by name, sitting at the receipt of taxes, and said to him, Follow me.
Later, as Jesus was leaving the town, he saw a tax collector called Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him.
28 And having left all, rising up, he followed him.
Levi stood up, left everything, and followed Jesus.
29 And Levi made a great entertainment for him in his house, and there was a great crowd of tax-gatherers and others who were at table with them.
Levi organized a large banquet at his home in Jesus' honor. Many tax collectors and others were in the crowd that sat down to eat with them. But the Pharisees and the religious teachers complained to Jesus' disciples, asking,
30 And their scribes and the Pharisees murmured at his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with tax-gatherers and sinners?
“Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
31 And Jesus answering said to them, They that are in sound health have not need of a physician, but those that are ill.
“Healthy people don't need a doctor—but sick people do,” Jesus replied.
32 I am not come to call righteous [persons], but sinful [ones] to repentance.
“I didn't come to call those who are living right to repentance—I came to call sinners.”
33 And they said to him, Why do the disciples of John fast often and make supplications, in like manner those also of the Pharisees, but thine eat and drink?
“Well, John's disciples often fast and pray, and the Pharisees' disciples do so as well. But your disciples don't—they go on eating and drinking,” they told him.
34 And he said to them, Can ye make the sons of the bridechamber fast when the bridegroom is with them?
“Should the groomsmen fast while the bridegroom is with them?” Jesus asked.
35 But days will come when also the bridegroom will have been taken away from them; then shall they fast in those days.
“No—but the time is coming when the bridegroom will be taken away from them. Then they can fast.”
36 And he spoke also a parable to them: No one puts a piece of a new garment upon an old garment, otherwise he will both rend the new, and the piece which is from the new will not suit with the old.
Then he gave them an illustration: “You don't tear out a patch from new clothes to mend old clothes. Otherwise you'd ruin new clothes, and the patch from the new wouldn't match the old.
37 And no one puts new wine into old skins, otherwise the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be poured out, and the skins will be destroyed;
You don't put new wine into old wineskins, because if you did the new wine would burst the wineskins. Then both wine and wineskins would be wasted.
38 but new wine is to be put into new skins, and both are preserved.
You put new wine in new wineskins.
39 And no one having drunk old wine [straightway] wishes for new, for he says, The old is better.
And nobody after drinking old wine wants new wine, for they say, ‘the old tastes good.’”
