Matthew 9
1 Jesus and his disciples got into the boat. They skirted around [the lake] and went to [Capernaum, the city where he was living].
He entered into a boat and crossed over, and came into his own city.
2 [Some men] brought to him a man who was paralyzed and who was lying on a sleeping pad. When Jesus perceived that they believed [that he could heal the paralyzed man], he said to him, “Young man, be encouraged! I forgive your sins.”
Behold, they brought to him a man who was paralysed, lying on a bed. Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Son, cheer up! Your sins are forgiven you.”
3 Some of the men who taught the [Jewish] laws said among themselves, “[He claims that he can forgive sins! That means that he claims to be equal with God] He is insulting God!”
Behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man blasphemes.”
4 Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he said, “(You should not think evil [thoughts], [accusing me because I claim that I am God]!/Why do you think evil [thoughts], [saying that it is wrong for me to claim that I am God]?) [RHQ]
Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?
5 It would [not] be risky [for someone] to say [to this man], ‘[I] forgive your sins’, [because no one could see whether or not it really happened]. But [no one, without having the power to heal], would say [to him], ‘[Get] up and walk!’, [because people could easily see whether it happened or not!] [RHQ]
For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven;’ or to say, ‘Get up, and walk’?
6 [So I am going to do something] in order that you may know that [God] has authorized [me], the one who came from heaven, to forgive the sins [of people while I am] on the earth, [as well as to heal people].” Then he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up your sleeping pad, and go home!”
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins—” (then he said to the paralytic), “Get up, and take up your mat, and go to your house.”
7 And [immediately] the man got up, [picked up his sleeping pad], and went home!
He arose and departed to his house.
8 When the crowds saw this, they were awestruck. They praised God for giving authority to a human being [to do] such [things].
But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
9 As Jesus was going away from there, he saw me, a man named Matthew. I was sitting at a table where I collected taxes [for the Roman government]. He said to me, “Come with me [and become my disciple]!” So I got up and went with him.
As Jesus passed by from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax collection office. He said to him, “Follow me.” He got up and followed him.
10 [Then I invited] Jesus and his disciples to my home for a meal. While [they] were sitting and eating in my home, many tax collectors and [other people who were] {whom [the Pharisees]} [considered to be habitual] sinners came unexpectedly to eat with us.
As he sat in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples.
11 When the Pharisees saw [that, they came] to us disciples and said, “([It is disgusting that] your teacher, [who claims to be righteous], eats [and associates] with tax collectors and [other] sinners!/Why is it that your teacher, [who claims to be righteous], eats [and associates] with tax collectors and [other] sinners?)” [RHQ]
When the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 Jesus heard what [they said], so he told them [this parable]: “[It is] people who are sick who need a [doctor] [MET], not people who are well.” [What he meant by that was that it was people who knew that they were sinners who were coming to him in order to be helped spiritually].
When Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do.
13 He continued by saying, “You need to learn what these words that [God said] mean: ‘I want you to [act] mercifully to people and not [just to offer] sacrifices.’ Keep in mind that I came [from heaven, not] to invite [people who think] [IRO] [that they are] righteous [to turn away from their sinful lives and come to me, but to invite people who know they are] sinners [to turn from their sins and come to me].”
But you go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
14 Later, the disciples of John [the Baptizer] came to Jesus and asked him, “We [(exc)] and the Pharisees [often] abstain from food [to show that we want to please God], but your disciples do not do that. Why [do they not]?”
Then John’s disciples came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don’t fast?”
15 [Jesus wanted to show them and the Pharisees that it was not appropriate for his disciples to abstain from food and mourn while he was still with them]. So he [gave them this illustration]: “When a bridegroom is with [his friends at the time of the wedding], (his friends certainly do not mourn, do they?/do his friends mourn?) [RHQ] [No, they do not mourn, because they are not sad at that time. But when] the bridegroom is taken {[someone] takes the [/his enemies] take the bridegroom} from them, they will abstain from food, [because then they will be sad].”
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 [Jesus wanted to show them that people who desire to live in accordance with his new message should not try to continue to obey the old religious traditions like] ([abstaining from food/fasting]) [MET]. [So he said to them], “People do not sew a patch of unshrunken cloth on an old garment [to mend a hole]. If they did that, [when they washed the garment], the patch would [shrink] and tear the garment, and the hole would become bigger.
No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch would tear away from the garment, and a worse hole is made.
17 Neither does anyone pour freshly-[squeezed] grape juice into old skin bags [to store it]. If anyone did that, those skin bags would tear [because they would not stretch when the grape juice ferments and expands. They] would be ruined, and the wine would be spilled {spill} [on the ground]. Instead, [people] put new wine into new skin bags, [and the bags will stretch when the wine ferments]. As a result, both [the wine and the bags] are preserved.”
Neither do people put new wine into old wine skins, or else the skins would burst, and the wine be spilled, and the skins ruined. No, they put new wine into fresh wine skins, and both are preserved.”
18 While Jesus was saying that, a leader of the Jewish meeting place came and bowed down before him [to show respect]. Then he said, “My daughter just died! But if you come and lay your hand on her, she will live [again]!”
While he told these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshipped 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 he and [we] disciples went with the man.
Jesus got up and followed him, as did his disciples.
20 Then a woman who [had been suffering constant vaginal] bleeding for twelve years came near Jesus. She was saying to herself, “[I want Jesus to heal me without anyone finding out that I have this problem of bleeding]. So if I [touch him] or even if I just touch his garment, I will be healed [without anyone finding out about it].” So she came behind him and touched the tassel of his garment.
Behold, a woman who had a discharge of blood for twelve years came behind him, and touched the fringe of his garment;
for she said within herself, “If I just touch his garment, I will be made well.”
22 Then Jesus turned around [to see who had touched him]. And when he saw the woman, he said to her, “Be encouraged, dear woman. Because you believed [PRS] [that I could heal you, I] have healed you.” The woman was healed at that very moment.
But Jesus, turning around and seeing her, said, “Daughter, cheer up! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.
23 Then Jesus [and some of us disciples] came to the Jewish leader’s house. Jesus heard the flute players [playing funeral music] and the crowd [that had gathered] wailing loudly [because the girl had died].
When Jesus came into the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd in noisy disorder,
24 [Knowing that he would cause her to live again], he said [to them], “Go away [and stop the funeral music and wailing], because the girl is not dead! She is [just] sleeping!” [The people laughed at him, because they knew that she was dead].
he said to them, “Make room, because the girl isn’t dead, but sleeping.” They were ridiculing him.
25 But Jesus told them to get out of the house. Then he went into [the room where the girl was lying]. He took hold of her hand and she [became alive again and] got up.
But when the crowd was sent out, he entered in, took her by the hand, and the girl arose.
26 And the [people of that] whole region heard [PRS] about it.
The report of this went out into all that land.
27 As Jesus went away from there, two blind men followed him and shouted, “Have mercy on us [and heal our eyes, you who are the Messiah], the Descendant of [King] David!”
As Jesus passed by from there, two blind men followed him, calling out and saying, “Have mercy on us, son of David!”
28 Jesus went into the house, where he [was staying], and then the blind men went in, too. Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able [to heal your eyes]?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord!”
When he had come into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They told him, “Yes, Lord.”
29 Then he touched their eyes and he said [to them], “Because you believe [that I can heal your eyes], I am healing them [right now]!”
Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.”
30 And they were able to see [IDM]! Then Jesus told them sternly, “Be sure [IDM] that you do not tell anybody [what I did for you]!”
Then their eyes were opened. Jesus strictly commanded them, saying, “See that no one knows about this.”
31 But they went out and reported it throughout that whole region.
But they went out and spread abroad his fame in all that land.
32 When [Jesus and we disciples] left [the house], some people brought to Jesus a man who was unable to speak because he was controlled by a demon {a demon controlled him}.
As they went out, behold, a mute man who was demon possessed was brought to him.
33 After Jesus had expelled the demon, the man who had been unable to speak began to speak! The crowd [who saw this] marveled. They said, “Never before have [we seen] anything as [marvelous] as this happen in Israel!”
When the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke. The multitudes marvelled, saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”
34 But the Pharisees said, “It is [Satan], who rules the demons, who [enables this man to] expel demons [from people].”
But the Pharisees said, “By the prince of the demons, he casts out demons.”
35 Then [we] went [with] Jesus through many of [HYP] the cities and towns [in Galilee district. He was teaching (in the synagogues/in the Jewish meeting places)], and preaching the good message about how God rules [over people’s lives]. He also was healing the [people who had] various diseases and illnesses.
Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness amongst the people.
36 When he saw the crowd of people, he pitied them because they were harassed and dejected. [They were] like sheep that do not have a shepherd [SIM].
But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them because they were harassed and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd.
37 Then he gave [this illustration] to us disciples: “[The people who are ready to receive my message are like a] field that is ready to be harvested {for people to harvest}. But there are only a few [of you who are teaching people my message].
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the labourers are few.
38 So pray and ask the Lord [God] to send [more] workers [who will gather people together and teach them my message, just like a landowner sends workers] into his [field to gather] the [MET] harvest.”
Pray therefore that the Lord of the harvest will send out labourers into his harvest.”
