< Matthew 9 >
1 So getting into the boat He crossed over and came into His own city.
2 And then, they came to Him carrying a paralytic lying on a pallet. And seeing their faith Jesus said to the paralytic, “Courage, son; your sins are forgiven you!”
3 But then, some of the scribes said within themselves, “This man blasphemes!”
4 So Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said: “Why do you think evil in your hearts?
5 So which is easier, to say ‘Your sins are forgiven’, or to say ‘Get up and walk’?
6 But so that you may know that the Son of the Man has authority on the earth to forgive sins”—then He says to the paralytic, “On your feet, pick up your pallet and go to your house!”
7 So he got up and went off to his house.
8 And seeing it the crowds marveled and glorified God, the one giving such authority to the people.
9 And going on from there Jesus saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and He says to him, “Follow me.” So getting up he followed Him.
10 Now it happened, as He was reclining at the table in the house, that many tax collectors and sinners had also come and were reclining at the table with Jesus and His disciples!
11 Upon seeing this the Pharisees said to His disciples, “Why does your teacher eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?”
12 But Jesus heard it, so He said to them: “Those who are strong do not need a physician, but those who are sick.
13 But go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
14 Then the disciples of John come to Him saying, “Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast about many things, but your disciples do not fast?”
15 So Jesus said to them: “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
16 “And no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment and the tear becomes worse.
17 Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst and the wine spills out, and the wineskins will be ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
18 While He was saying these things to them, there he was; a certain ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live.”
19 So Jesus got up and followed him, with His disciples.
20 And then—a woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.
21 For she kept saying to herself, “If only I may touch His garment I will be healed.”
22 But Jesus, turning around and seeing her, said, “Take courage, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed from that very hour.
23 When Jesus came into the ruler's house and saw the flutists and the crowd making a commotion,
24 He says to them, “Go away, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” So they began to ridicule Him.
25 But when the crowd had been put outside, He went in and grasped her hand, and the girl got up.
26 And the report of this went out into all that land.
27 As Jesus went on from there two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
28 And arriving in the house, the blind men approached Him; so He says to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They say to Him, “Yes, Lord.”
29 Then He touched their eyes saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.”
30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them saying, “See to it that no one knows!”
31 But going out they spread the news about Him in all that country.
32 As they were going out, well, they brought to Him a mute man, demonized.
33 And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the crowds marveled saying, “Never was it seen like this in Israel!”
34 But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.”
35 Then Jesus went around to all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every illness among the people.
36 Seeing the crowds He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and prostrated, like sheep without a shepherd.
37 Then He says to His disciples: “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the workers are few.
38 Therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest that He may send out workers into His harvest.”
