The Holy Bible

[5:12] Once Jesus was in a town where there was a man who was suffering from a dreaded skin disease. When he saw Jesus, he threw himself down and begged him, “Sir, if you want to, you can make me clean!”

[5:13] Jesus reached out and touched him. “I do want to,” he answered. “Be clean!” At once the disease left the man.

[5:14] Jesus ordered him, “Don't tell anyone, but go straight to the priest and let him examine you; then to prove to everyone that you are cured, offer the sacrifice as Moses ordered.”

[5:15] But the news about Jesus spread all the more widely, and crowds of people came to hear him and be healed from their diseases.

[5:16] But he would go away to lonely places, where he prayed.

[5:17] One day when Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of the Law were sitting there who had come from every town in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was present for Jesus to heal the sick.

[5:18] Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a bed, and they tried to carry him into the house and put him in front of Jesus.

[5:19] Because of the crowd, however, they could find no way to take him in. So they carried him up on the roof, made an opening in the tiles, and let him down on his bed into the middle of the group in front of Jesus.

[5:20] When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the man, “Your sins are forgiven, my friend.”

[5:21] The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who speaks such blasphemy! God is the only one who can forgive sins!”

[5:22] Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Why do you think such things?

[5:23] Is it easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?

[5:24] I will prove to you, then, that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, pick up your bed, and go home!”

[5:25] At once the man got up in front of them all, took the bed he had been lying on, and went home, praising God.

[5:26] They were all completely amazed! Full of fear, they praised God, saying, “What marvelous things we have seen today!”

[5:27] After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting in his office. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”

[5:28] Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.

[5:29] Then Levi had a big feast in his house for Jesus, and among the guests was a large number of tax collectors and other people.

[5:30] Some Pharisees and some teachers of the Law who belonged to their group complained to Jesus' disciples. “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and other outcasts?” they asked.

[5:31] Jesus answered them, “People who are well do not need a doctor, but only those who are sick.

[5:32] I have not come to call respectable people to repent, but outcasts.”

[5:33] Some people said to Jesus, “The disciples of John fast frequently and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but your disciples eat and drink.”

[5:34] Jesus answered, “Do you think you can make the guests at a wedding party go without food as long as the bridegroom is with them? Of course not!

[5:35] But the day will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

[5:36] Jesus also told them this parable: “You don't tear a piece off a new coat to patch up an old coat. If you do, you will have torn the new coat, and the piece of new cloth will not match the old.

[5:37] Nor do you pour new wine into used wineskins, because the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will pour out, and the skins will be ruined.

[5:38] Instead, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins!

[5:39] And you don't want new wine after drinking old wine. ‘The old is better,’ you say.”

[6:1] Jesus was walking through some wheat fields on a Sabbath. His disciples began to pick the heads of wheat, rub them in their hands, and eat the grain.

[6:2] Some Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what our Law says you cannot do on the Sabbath?”

[6:3] Jesus answered them, “Haven't you read what David did when he and his men were hungry?

[6:4] He went into the house of God, took the bread offered to God, ate it, and gave it also to his men. Yet it is against our Law for anyone except the priests to eat that bread.”

[6:5] And Jesus concluded, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

[6:6] On another Sabbath Jesus went into a synagogue and taught. A man was there whose right hand was paralyzed.

[6:7] Some teachers of the Law and some Pharisees wanted a reason to accuse Jesus of doing wrong, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.

[6:8] But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to the man, “Stand up and come here to the front.” The man got up and stood there.

[6:9] Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you: What does our Law allow us to do on the Sabbath? To help or to harm? To save someone's life or destroy it?”

[6:10] He looked around at them all; then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand became well again.

[6:11] They were filled with rage and began to discuss among themselves what they could do to Jesus.

[6:12] At that time Jesus went up a hill to pray and spent the whole night there praying to God.

[6:13] When day came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he named apostles:

[6:14] Simon (whom he named Peter) and his brother Andrew; James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,

[6:15] Matthew and Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon (who was called the Patriot),

[6:16] Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became the traitor.

[6:17] When Jesus had come down from the hill with the apostles, he stood on a level place with a large number of his disciples. A large crowd of people was there from all over Judea and from Jerusalem and from the coast cities of Tyre and Sidon;

[6:18] they had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those who were troubled by evil spirits also came and were healed.

[6:19] All the people tried to touch him, for power was going out from him and healing them all.

[6:20] Jesus looked at his disciples and said, “Happy are you poor; the Kingdom of God is yours!

[6:21] “Happy are you who are hungry now; you will be filled! “Happy are you who weep now; you will laugh!

[6:22] “Happy are you when people hate you, reject you, insult you, and say that you are evil, all because of the Son of Man!

[6:23] Be glad when that happens and dance for joy, because a great reward is kept for you in heaven. For their ancestors did the very same things to the prophets.

[6:24] “But how terrible for you who are rich now; you have had your easy life!

[6:25] “How terrible for you who are full now; you will go hungry! “How terrible for you who laugh now; you will mourn and weep!

[6:26] “How terrible when all people speak well of you; their ancestors said the very same things about the false prophets.

[6:27] “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

[6:28] bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.

[6:29] If anyone hits you on one cheek, let him hit the other one too; if someone takes your coat, let him have your shirt as well.

[6:30] Give to everyone who asks you for something, and when someone takes what is yours, do not ask for it back.

[6:31] Do for others just what you want them to do for you.

[6:32] “If you love only the people who love you, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners love those who love them!

[6:33] And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners do that!

[6:34] And if you lend only to those from whom you hope to get it back, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount!

[6:35] No! Love your enemies and do good to them; lend and expect nothing back. You will then have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God. For he is good to the ungrateful and the wicked.

[6:36] Be merciful just as your Father is merciful.