< Matthew 9 >
1 So he went on board, crossed the sea, and came to his own city.
2 And here they brought to him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, "Courage, son, your sins are forgiven."
3 And behold! certain scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming."
4 And because Jesus knew well their thought, he said.
5 "Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say’Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
6 "But that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins"- he then says to the paralytic, "Rise, take up your bed, and go to your home."
7 And he rose and went to his home.
8 But all the crowd were awestruck, and glorified God, who had given such power to men.
9 As Jesus was passing thence, he saw a man called Mathew sitting at the tax-office, and said to him, "Follow me."
10 And he rose and followed him. And while he was at table in Matthew’s house, there came many tax-gatherers and sinners, and they dined with Jesus and his disciples.
11 When the Pharisees saw it, they kept saying to his disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with the tax-gatherers and sinners?"
12 "It is not those who are well," said Jesus, when he heard this, "but the sick, who need a doctor.
13 "But go and learn what this means, "It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice; for I am come not to call just men, but sinners."
14 At that time the disciples of Johncame and asked him, "Why are we and the Pharisees always fasting, while your disciples are not?"
15 "Can the friends fast at a wedding-feast," said Jesus, "so long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom has been taken from them, and then they will fast.
16 "No one ever sews a piece of undressed cloth on an old cloak. If they did, the patch put on to fill it up would tear away from the cloak, and the rent be made worse.
17 "Nor do they put new wine into old wine-skins; if they did, the wine- skins would split, the wine would run out, and the skins be ruined. Instead, they put new wine into fresh wine-skins and both are preserved."
18 As he was saying these words to them, a ruler came up and knelt before him, saying. "My daughter has just died; but come, put your hand upon her, and she will live."
19 And Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples.
20 But a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him, and touched the tassel of his cloak.
21 For she said to herself, "If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured."
22 But Jesus turned and saw her and said, "Be of good courage, daughter, your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that hour.
23 Now when Jesus had come into the house of the ruler, and had seen the flute-players and the wailing crowd, he said,
24 "Leave the room, for the little girl is not dead, she is sleeping." And they began laughing at him.
25 When, however, the crowd had been driven out, he went in and took her hand, and the little girl woke up.
26 And the report of this spread throughout that whole region.
27 And as he went on from thence two blind men followed Jesus, crying, "Have pity on us, Son of David!"
28 And when he had gone indoors, they came to him. "Do you believe that I can do this?" asked Jesus. "Yes, Lord," they answered.
29 Then he touched their eyes, saying "According to your faith be it unto you," and their eyes were opened.
30 Jesus charged them sternly, saying, "See to it that you let no one know."
31 But they went and published his fame in that whole region.
32 And as they were departing a dumb demoniac was brought to him,
33 and when he had driven out the demon, the dumb spoke. The crowds were amazed, saying, "Never was such a thing seen in Israel!"
34 But the Pharisees kept saying, "It is in the power of the Prince of the demons that he is casting out demons."
35 And Jesus continued to go throughout all the cities and towns, teaching in the synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and infirmity.
36 And when he saw the crowds he had compassion on them because they were distressed and fainting, like sheep without a shepherd.
37 And he said to his disciples. "The harvest is great, but the laborers are few;
38 "therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to thrust forth laborers into his harvest field."
