| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 1When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. | 1A few days later Jesus went back to Capernaum. And when the people heard that He was home, |
| 2Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, | 2they gathered in such large numbers that there was no more room, not even outside the door, as Jesus spoke the word to them. |
| 3four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. | 3Then a paralytic was brought to Him, carried by four men. |
| 4They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. | 4Since they were unable to get to Jesus through the crowd, they uncovered the roof above Him, made an opening, and lowered the paralytic on his mat. |
| 5Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.” | 5When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” |
| 6But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, | 6But some of the scribes were sitting there and thinking in their hearts, |
| 7“What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!” | 7“Why does this man speak like this? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” |
| 8Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? | 8At once Jesus knew in His spirit that they were thinking this way within themselves. “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?” He asked. |
| 9 Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? | 9“Which is easier: to say to a paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your mat, and walk’? |
| 10 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, | 10But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...” He said to the paralytic, |
| 11 “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” | 11“I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home.” |
| 12And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!” Jesus Calls Levi (Matthew) | 12And immediately the man got up, picked up his mat, and walked out in front of them all. As a result, they were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!” |
| 13Then Jesus went out to the lakeshore again and taught the crowds that were coming to him. | 13Once again Jesus went out beside the sea. All the people came to Him, and He taught them there. |
| 14As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Levi got up and followed him. | 14As He was walking along, He saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him, and Levi got up and followed Him. |
| 15Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.) | 15While Jesus was dining at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Him and His disciples—for there were many who followed Him. |
| 16But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum? ” | 16When the scribes who were Pharisees saw Jesus eating with these people, they asked His disciples, “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?” |
| 17When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” A Discussion about Fasting | 17On hearing this, Jesus told them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” |
| 18Once when John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, some people came to Jesus and asked, “Why don’t your disciples fast like John’s disciples and the Pharisees do?” | 18Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were often fasting. So people came to Jesus and asked, “Why don’t Your disciples fast like John’s disciples and those of the Pharisees?” |
| 19Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. They can’t fast while the groom is with them. | 19Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them? As long as He is with them, they cannot fast. |
| 20 But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. | 20But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. |
| 21 “Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before. | 21No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, and a worse tear will result. |
| 22 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins.” A Discussion about the Sabbath | 22And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, new wine is poured into new wineskins.” |
| 23One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples began breaking off heads of grain to eat. | 23One Sabbath Jesus was passing through the grainfields, and His disciples began to pick the heads of grain as they walked along. |
| 24But the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look, why are they breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?” | 24So the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” |
| 25Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? | 25Jesus replied, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? |
| 26 He went into the house of God (during the days when Abiathar was high priest) and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. He also gave some to his companions.” | 26During the high priesthood of Abiathar, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which was lawful only for the priests. And he gave some to his companions as well.” |
| 27Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. | 27Then Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. |
| 28 So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!” | 28Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” |
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