Luke 5
1 Once, when the people were pressing round Jesus as they listened to God’s Message, he happened to be standing by the shore of the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats close to the shore.
Now it came about that while the people came pushing to be near him, and to have knowledge of the word of God, he was by a wide stretch of water named Gennesaret;
2 The fishermen had gone away from them and were washing the nets.
And he saw two boats by the edge of the water, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.
3 So, getting into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, Jesus asked him to push off a little way from the shore, and then sat down and taught the people from the boat.
And he got into one of the boats, the property of Simon, and made a request to him to go a little way out from the land. And being seated he gave the people teaching from the boat.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon: “Push off into deep water, and throw out your nets for a haul.”
And when his talk was ended, he said to Simon, Go out into deep water, and let down your nets for fish.
5 “We have been hard at work all night, Sir,” answered Simon, “and have not caught anything, but, at your bidding, I will throw out the nets.”
And Simon, answering, said, Master, we were working all night and we took nothing: but at your word I will let down the nets.
6 They did so, and enclosed such a great shoal of fish that their nets began to break.
And when they had done this, they got such a great number of fish that it seemed as if their nets would be broken;
7 So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them; and they came and filled both the boats so full of fish that they were almost sinking.
And they made signs to their friends in the other boat to come to their help. And they came, and the two boats were so full that they were going down.
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he threw himself down at Jesus’ knees, exclaiming: “Master, leave me, for I am a sinful man!”
But Simon, when he saw it, went down at the knees of Jesus and said, Go away from me, O Lord, for I am a sinner.
9 For he and all who were with him were lost in amazement at the haul of fish which they had made;
For he was full of wonder and so were all those who were with him, at the number of fish which they had taken;
10 and so, too, were James and John, Zebediah’s sons, who were Simon’s partners. “Do not be afraid,” Jesus said to Simon; “from to-day you shall catch men.”
And so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were working with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, Have no fear; from this time forward you will be a fisher of men.
11 And, when they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything, and followed him.
And when they had got their boats to the land, they gave up everything and went after him.
12 On one occasion Jesus was staying in a town, when he saw a man who was covered with leprosy. When the leper saw Jesus, he threw himself on his face and implored his help: “Master, if only you are willing, you are able to make me clean.”
And it came about that while he was in one of the towns, there was a leper there: and when he saw Jesus he went down on his face in prayer to him, saying, Lord, if it is your pleasure, you have power to make me clean.
13 Stretching out his hand, Jesus touched him, saying as he did so: “I am willing; become clean.” Instantly the leprosy left the man;
And he put out his hand to him and said, It is my pleasure; be clean. And straight away his disease went from him.
14 and then Jesus impressed upon him that he was not to say a word to any one, “but,” he added, “set out and show yourself to the priest, and make the offerings for your cleansing, in the manner directed by Moses, as evidence of your cure.”
And he gave him orders: Say nothing to any man, but let the priest see you and give an offering so that you may be made clean, as the law of Moses says, and for a witness to them.
15 However, the story about Jesus spread all the more, and great crowds came together to listen to him, and to be cured of their illnesses;
But news of him went out all the more, in every direction, and great numbers of people came together to give hearing to his words and to be made well from their diseases.
16 but Jesus used to withdraw to lonely places and pray.
But he went away by himself to a waste place for prayer.
17 On one of those days, when Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and Doctors of the Law were sitting near by. (They had come from all the villages in Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was upon Jesus, so that he could work cures.)
And it came about that on one of these days he was teaching; and some Pharisees and teachers of the law were seated there, who had come from every town of Galilee and Judaea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was with him, to make those who were ill free from their diseases.
18 And there some men brought on a bed a man who was paralysed. They tried to get him in and lay him before Jesus;
And some men had with them, on a bed, a man who was ill, without power of moving; and they made attempts to get him in and put him before Jesus.
19 but, finding no way of getting him in owing to the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him through the tiles, with his pallet, into the middle of the people and in front of Jesus.
And because of the mass of people, there was no way to get him in; so they went up on the top of the house and let him down through the roof, on his bed, into the middle in front of Jesus.
20 When he saw their faith, Jesus said: “Friend, your sins have been forgiven you.”
And seeing their faith he said, Man, you have forgiveness for your sins.
21 The Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees began debating about this. “Who is this man who speaks so blasphemously?” they asked. “Who can forgive sins except God?”
And the scribes and Pharisees were having an argument, saying, Who is this, who has no respect for God? who is able to give forgiveness for sins, but God only?
22 When Jesus became aware of the way in which they were debating, he turned to them and exclaimed: “What are you debating with yourselves?
But Jesus, who had knowledge of their thoughts, said to them, Why are you reasoning in your hearts?
23 Which is the easier? — to say ‘Your sins have been forgiven you’? or to say ‘Get up, and walk about’?
Which is the simpler: to say, You have forgiveness for your sins; or to say, Get up and go?
24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” — he spoke to the paralysed man — “To you I say, Get up, and take up your pallet, and go to your home.”
But so that you may see that on earth the Son of man has authority for the forgiveness of sins, (he said to the man who was ill, ) I say to you, Get up, and take up your bed, and go into your house.
25 Instantly the man stood up before their eyes, took up what he had been lying on, and went to his home, praising God.
And straight away he got up before them, and took up his bed and went away to his house giving praise to God.
26 The people, one and all, were lost in amazement, and praised God; and in great awe they said: “We have seen marvellous things to-day!”
And wonder overcame them all, and they gave glory to God; and they were full of fear, saying, We have seen strange things today.
27 After this, Jesus went out; and he noticed a tax-gatherer, named Levi, sitting in the tax-office, and said to him: “Follow me.”
And after these things he went out, and saw Levi, a tax-farmer, seated at the place where taxes were taken, and said to him, Come after me.
28 Levi left everything and got up and followed him.
And giving up his business, he got up and went after him.
29 And Levi gave a great entertainment at his house, in honour of Jesus; and a large number of tax-gatherers and others were at table with them.
And Levi made a great feast for him in his house: and a great number of tax-farmers and others were seated at table with them.
30 The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law belonging to their party complained of this to the disciples of Jesus.”
And the Pharisees and their scribes made protests against his disciples, saying, Why do you take food and drink with tax-farmers and sinners?
31 In answer Jesus said: “It is not those who are well that need a doctor, but those who are ill.
And Jesus, answering, said to them, Those who are well have no need of a medical man, but those who are ill.
32 I have not come to call the religious, but the outcast, to repent.”
I have come, not to get the upright, but sinners, so that they may be turned from their sins.
33 “John’s disciples,” they said to Jesus, “Often fast and say prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, while yours are eating and drinking!”
And they said to him, The disciples of John frequently go without food, and make prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees; but your disciples take food and drink.
34 But Jesus answered them: “Can you make the bridegroom’s friends fast while the bridegroom is with them?
And Jesus said, Are you able to make the friends of the newly-married man go without food when he is with them?
35 But the days will come — a time when the bridegroom will be parted from them; and they will fast then, when those days come.”
But the days will come when he will be taken away from them, and then they will go without food.
36 Then, as an illustration, Jesus said to them: “No man ever tears a piece from a new garment and puts it upon an old one; for, if he does, he will not only tear the new garment, but the piece from the new one will not match the old.
And he said to them, in a story, No man takes a bit of cloth from a new coat and puts it on to an old coat, for so the new coat would be damaged and the bit from the new would not go well with the old.
37 And no man puts new wine into old wine-skins; for, if he does, the new wine will burst the skins, and the wine itself will run out, and the skins be lost.
And no man puts new wine into old wine-skins, for fear that the skins will be burst by the new wine, and the wine be let out, and the skins come to destruction.
38 But new wine must be put into fresh skins.
But new wine has to be put into new wine-skins.
39 No man after drinking old wine wishes for new. ‘No,’ he says, ‘the old is excellent.’”
And no man, having had old wine, has any desire for new, for he says, The old is better.
