Matthew 8
1 When he came down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.
When Jesus went down from the hillside, large crowds followed him.
2 Behold, a leper came to him and worshiped him, saying, “Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean.”
[After he left the crowds], a man who had [the skin disease called] leprosy unexpectedly came and knelt before him. He said [to Jesus], “Lord/Sir, [please heal me, because I know] you are able to heal me if you are willing to.”
3 Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I want to. Be made clean.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Then Jesus, [disregarding the religious law that forbade people to come close to lepers], stretched out his hand and touched the man. He said [to him], “I am willing to [heal you], and I heal you [now]!” Immediately the man was healed from his leprosy {he was no longer a leper}.
4 Jesus said to him, “See that you tell nobody; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and show yourself to a [nearby] priest [so that he can examine you and verify that you no longer have leprosy]. [Then], after he tells [the local people], they will know [that you no longer have leprosy], [and you will be able to associate with them again]. Make sure that [now] you do not report [about my healing you] to anyone [other than the priest]. Then go [to the Temple in Jerusalem and give the priest] the offering that Moses commanded [that people who have been healed from leprosy should offer] as a sacrifice to God.”
5 When he came into Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking him for help,
When Jesus went to Capernaum [city], a [Roman] officer who commanded 100 soldiers came to him. He begged Jesus [to help him].
6 saying, “Lord, my servant lies in the house paralyzed, grievously tormented.”
He said [to him], “Sir, my servant is lying [in bed] at home and is paralyzed, and he has severe pain.”
7 Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
Jesus said [to him], “I will go [to your house] and heal him.”
8 The centurion answered, “Lord, I’m not worthy for you to come under my roof. Just say the word, and my servant will be healed.
But the officer said [to him], “Lord/Sir, [do not bother to go. I am a non-Jew], so I am not worthy for you, [a Jew], to come into my house [MTY] [and associate with me]. Instead, [just] command [that] my servant [be healed], and he will be healed.
9 For I am also a man under authority, having under myself soldiers. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and tell another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and tell my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
I [believe this] because, as for me, I am a man under the authority of others, and I also have soldiers under my authority. When I say to one of them ‘Go!’ he goes. When I say to another ‘Come!’ he comes. When I say to my slave, ‘Do this!’ he does it. [And I believe that you speak with a similar kind of authority].”
10 When Jesus heard it, he marveled and said to those who followed, “Most certainly I tell you, I haven’t found so great a faith, not even in Israel.
When Jesus heard this, he marveled. He said to the crowd that was walking with him, “Listen to this: I have never before found anyone who has as firm a faith [in me as this non-Jewish man has]. Not even in Israel, [where I would expect people to believe in me], have I found anyone who has the kind of faith in me that he has!
11 I tell you that many will come from the east and the west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven,
I tell you truly that many [other non-Jewish people] who [will believe in me like this Roman officer] will come from [distant countries, including] those [far] to the east and far to the west [SYN], and they will sit down to eat with [MTY] Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in heaven, where God rules.
12 but the children of the Kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
But [the Jews] [IDM] [who should have allowed] God to rule over them will be sent to [hell, where there is] total darkness. And as a result, they will weep [because of their suffering] and will grind their teeth [because they will have severe pain] [MTY].” (questioned)
13 Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way. Let it be done for you as you have believed.” His servant was healed in that hour.
Then Jesus said to the officer, “Go [home]. What you believed [would happen], [that I would heal your servant from a distance], will happen.” [Then the officer went home and found out that] his servant became well at the exact time [that Jesus told him that he would heal him].
14 When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever.
When Jesus [and some of his disciples] went to the home of Peter, Jesus saw Peter’s mother-in-law. She was lying on a bed because she had a fever.
15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her. So she got up and served him.
He touched her hand, and as a result, [immediately] she no longer had a fever [PRS]. Then she got up and served them [some food].
16 When evening came, they brought to him many possessed with demons. He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick,
That evening [when] ([the Sabbath/the Jewish rest day]) [ended and restrictions about traveling ended], many people who were controlled by demons {whom demons controlled} [and people who were sick] [MTY] [were] brought to Jesus. He caused the demons to leave just by speaking to them, and he healed all the people who were sick.
17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, “He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.”
By doing this he fulfilled the words that had been said by the prophet Isaiah {that the prophet Isaiah had said} [about the Messiah]: “He healed people who had sicknesses and he cured them of their diseases.” [DOU]
18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes around him, he gave the order to depart to the other side.
Jesus saw the crowd around him, but [he needed to rest]. So he told [his disciples to take him by boat] to the other side [of the lake].
19 A scribe came and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
[As they were walking toward the boat], a man who taught the [Jewish] laws came to him and said, “Teacher, I will go with you wherever you go.”
20 Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
[In order that the man might know what he could expect if he went with him], Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes [in the ground in which to live], and birds have nests, but [even though I] am the one who came from heaven, I do not have a home where I can sleep [MTY].”
21 Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father.”
Another man who was one of Jesus’ disciples said to him, “Sir/Lord, permit me first to go [home. After] my father [dies I will] bury him, [and then I will come with you].”
22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
But Jesus said to him, “Come with me [now]. [God considers that people who do not have eternal life are] dead [MET]. Let those people [do the work of] burying people who die.”
23 When he got into a boat, his disciples followed him.
Then Jesus got into the boat. The disciples also got [in, and] they [started sailing close to the shoreline around Lake Galilee].
24 Behold, a violent storm came up on the sea, so much that the boat was covered with the waves; but he was asleep.
Suddenly strong winds blew on the lake, and very high waves were splashing into the boat and filling it. But Jesus was sleeping.
25 The disciples came to him and woke him up, saying, “Save us, Lord! We are dying!”
They went and woke him up, and said [to him], “Sir/Lord, rescue [us!] We are about to drown!”
26 He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then he got up, rebuked the wind and the sea, and there was a great calm.
He said [to them], “(You should not be terrified!/Why are you terrified?) [RHQ] I [am disappointed that in spite of all you have seen me do], (you do not believe very much [that I can rescue you./] you not believe [that I can rescue you]?) [RHQ]” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and told the waves to calm down. And [the wind stopped blowing and the lake] became calm.
27 The men marveled, saying, “What kind of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
[As a result], they were amazed, and they said [to one another], “This man is certainly an [extraordinary] person [RHQ]! [All things are under his control!] Even the winds and the waves obey him [PRS]!”
28 When he came to the other side, into the country of the Gergesenes, two people possessed by demons met him there, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that nobody could pass that way.
When they came to the [east] side [of the lake], they arrived in the region where the Gadarenes [lived]. [Jesus got out of the boat and began walking on the road. Then] two men who were controlled by demons {whom demons controlled} came out of the burial caves [where they were living]. Because they were extremely violent [and attacked people], no one dared to travel on the road [near where they were living].
29 Behold, they cried out, saying, “What do we have to do with you, Jesus, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
Suddenly they shouted [to Jesus], “You are the Son of God! [Because] you have nothing in common with us [IDM, RHQ], [leave us alone] Have you come here [RHQ] to torture us before the time [MTY] [God has appointed to punish us]?”
30 Now there was a herd of many pigs feeding far away from them.
There was a large herd of pigs not far away, digging for food with their noses.
31 The demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of pigs.”
So the demons begged Jesus, saying, “You are going to cast us out of the men, so send us into the herd of pigs!”
32 He said to them, “Go!” They came out and went into the herd of pigs; and behold, the whole herd of pigs rushed down the cliff into the sea and died in the water.
Jesus said [to them], “[If that is what you want], go!” So the demons left [the men] and entered the pigs. Suddenly the whole herd [of pigs] rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.
33 Those who fed them fled and went away into the city and told everything, including what happened to those who were possessed with demons.
The men who were tending the pigs [became afraid and] ran into the town and reported everything [that had happened], including what had happened to the two men who had been controlled by demons {whom demons had controlled}.
34 Behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged that he would depart from their borders.
Then [it seemed as if] all [the people] [HYP] [who lived in] that town [MTY] went to meet Jesus. When they saw him [and the two men who had been controlled by the demons], they begged Jesus to leave their region [because they thought that he would destroy more things than just the pigs] (OR, [because they realized he must be very powerful]).
