Luke 5
1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood 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 saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
Jesus noticed two boats lying on the shore, left there by fishermen who were washing their nets.
3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people 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 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
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 unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless 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 when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
Having done this, a large shoal of fish filled the nets full to breaking point.
7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.
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 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O 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 he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the 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 so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch 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 when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.
So they dragged the boats onto the shore, left everything, and followed Jesus.
12 And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
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 he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. 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 charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto 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 so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of 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 into the wilderness, and prayed.
But Jesus often used to retreat to quiet places and pray.
17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judæa, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present 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, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay 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 when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his 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 when he saw their faith, he said unto him, 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, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can 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 when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts?
Jesus knew what they were arguing about, so he asked them, “Why are you thinking to question this?
23 Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be 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 hath authority upon earth to forgive sins, ( he said unto the sick of the palsy, ) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into 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 he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own 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 they were all amazed, 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 publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto 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 he left all, rose up, and followed him.
Levi stood up, left everything, and followed Jesus.
29 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down 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 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
“Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
“Healthy people don't need a doctor—but sick people do,” Jesus replied.
32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
“I didn't come to call those who are living right to repentance—I came to call sinners.”
33 And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples 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 unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?
“Should the groomsmen fast while the bridegroom is with them?” Jesus asked.
35 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and 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 spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not 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 man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish.
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 must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.
You put new wine in new wineskins.
39 No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.
And nobody after drinking old wine wants new wine, for they say, ‘the old tastes good.’”
