Chapter 9

¹So he got into the boat and crossed the sea, and returned to his own city.

²Some people came bringing to him on a bed a man who was paralyzed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man,

“Courage, my son! Your sins are forgiven.”

³Some of the scribes said to themselves,

“This man is talking blasphemy!”

⁴Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he said,

“Why do you have such wicked thoughts in your hearts? ⁵For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ⁶But I would have you know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth.” Then he said to the paralytic,

“Get up, pick up your bed and go home!”

⁷And he got up and went home. ⁸And when the crowd saw it, they were filled with awe, and praised God for giving such power to men.

⁹Afterward, as Jesus was passing along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tollhouse, and he said to him,

“Follow me!”

And he got up and followed him.

¹⁰While Jesus was at home at table, a number of tax-collectors and irreligious people came in and joined Jesus and his disciples at table. ¹¹And the Pharisees observed it, and they said to his disciples,

“Why does your master eat with tax-collectors and irreligious people?”

¹²But he heard it, and said,

“It is not well people but the sick who have to have the doctor! ¹³You must go and learn what the saying means, ‘It is mercy, not sacrifice, that I care for.’ I did not come to invite the pious but the irreligious.”

¹⁴Then the disciples of John came up to him and said,

“Why is it that we and the Pharisees are keeping the fast, while your disciples are not keeping it?”

¹⁵Jesus said to them,

“Can wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But a time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and they will fast then. ¹⁶But no one sews a patch of unshrunken cloth on an old coat, for the patch will tear away from the coat, and make the hole worse than ever. ¹⁷And people do not put new wine into old wine-skins, or if they do, the skins burst, and the wine runs out and the skins are spoiled. But people put new wine into fresh wine-skins, and so both are saved.”

¹⁸Just as he said this to them, an official came up and bowing low before him said to him,

“My daughter has just died. But come! Lay your hand on her and she will come to life!”

¹⁹And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples. ²⁰And a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel of his cloak. ²¹For she said to herself, “If I can just touch his cloak, I will get well.” ²²And Jesus turned and saw her, and he said,

“Courage, my daughter! Your faith has cured you!” And from that time the woman was well.

²³When Jesus reached the official’s house, and saw the flute-players and the disturbance the crowd was making, ²⁴he said,

“You must go away, for the girl is not dead; she is asleep.” And they laughed at him. ²⁵But when he had driven the people out, he went in and grasped her hand, and the girl got up. ²⁶And the news of this spread all over that part of the country.

²⁷As Jesus was passing along from there, two blind men followed him, calling out,

“Take pity on us, you Son of David!”

²⁸When he had gone indoors, the blind men came up to him, and he said to them,

“Do you believe that I can do this?” They said to him,

“Yes, sir.”

²⁹Then he touched their eyes and said,

“You shall have what your faith expects.”

³⁰And their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly not to let anyone hear of it. ³¹But they went out and spread the news about him all over that part of the country.

³²But just as they were going out, some people brought to him a dumb man who was possessed by a demon, ³³and as soon as the demon was driven out, the dumb man was able to speak. And the crowds were amazed, and said,

“Nothing like this was ever seen in Israel!”

³⁴But the Pharisees said,

“It is by the aid of the prince of the demons that he drives them out.”

³⁵Jesus went round among all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing any disease or illness.

³⁶But the sight of the crowds of people filled him with pity for them, because they were bewildered and dejected, like sheep that have no shepherd. ³⁷Then he said to his disciples,

“The harvest is abundant enough, but the reapers are few. ³⁸So pray to the owner of the harvest to send reapers to gather it.”