1 On one occasion, Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on himto listen to the word of God.
2 He saw two boats moored beside the lake, but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets.
3 He got into one of the boats, the one that was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and began teaching the crowds from the boat.
4 When he finished speaking, he said to Simon,
5 Simon answeredhim, “Master, we have worked hard throughout the entire night and have caught nothing, but at yoʋr word I will let down thenet.”
6 When he and the men with him did so, they enclosed such a large number of fish that theirnet began to break.
7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and assist them, and they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus' knees and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
9 For he and all who were with him were gripped with astonishment at the catch of fish they had taken,
10 including James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were Simon's business partners. Then Jesus said to Simon,
11 So they brought their boats to shore, left everything, and followed Jesus.
12 While Jesus was in one of the towns, behold, there was a man full of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if yoʋ are willing, yoʋ can make me clean.”
13 So Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying,Immediately the leprosy left him.
14 Then Jesus ordered him to tell no one, but said,
15 But the news about Jesus spread even more, and large crowds would gather together to hear him and to be healedby him of their infirmities.
16 But he would often withdraw to desolate places and pray.
17 On one of those days, as he was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was presentto heal the people.
18 And behold, some men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed. They were trying to bring him in and place him before Jesus.
19 But when they could not find a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down through the tiles, together with his mat, into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus.
20 When Jesus saw their faith, he saidto the man,
21 But the scribes and the Pharisees began to question what Jesus said: “Who is this that speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
22 Aware of their thoughts, Jesus answered them,
24 —he said to the paralyzed man—
25 Immediately the man rose up before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went to his house, glorifying God.
26 Amazement seized them all, and they too began glorifying God. Filled with awe, they said, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”
27 After this Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth. Jesus said to him,
28 and leaving everything behind, Levi rose and followed him.
29 Then Levi gave a great banquet for Jesus in his house, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others reclining at the table with them.
30 But thescribes of the people and the Pharisees were grumbling at his disciples, saying, “Why are you eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?”
31 Jesus answered them,
33 Then they said to him, “Why is it that the disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees, but yoʋrs eat and drink?”
34 Jesus said to them,
36 He also told them a parable: