1And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house.

22:2 NU omits ImmediatelyImmediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them.

3Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.

4And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.

5When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

6And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,

7“Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

8But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?

9Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’?

10But that you may know that the Son of Man has 2:10 authoritypower on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic,

11“I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”

12Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

13Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.

14As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.

15Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.

16And when the scribes 2:16 NU of theand Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”

17When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, 2:17 NU omits to repentanceto repentance.”

18The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”

19And Jesus said to them, “Can the 2:19 Lit. sons of the bridechamberfriends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.

20But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.

21No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse.

23Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.

24And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”

25But He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:

27And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.