< Matthew 8 >
1 When Jesus went down from the hillside, large crowds followed him.
And when he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.
2 [After he left the crowds], a man who had [the skin disease called] leprosy unexpectedly came and knelt before him. He said [to Jesus], “Lord/Sir, [please heal me, because I know] you are able to heal me if you are willing to.”
And behold, there came to him a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
3 Then Jesus, [disregarding the religious law that forbade people to come close to lepers], stretched out his hand and touched the man. He said [to him], “I am willing to [heal you], and I heal you [now]!” Immediately the man was healed from his leprosy {he was no longer a leper}.
And he stretched forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou made clean. And straightway his leprosy was cleansed.
4 Then Jesus said to him, “Go and show yourself to a [nearby] priest [so that he can examine you and verify that you no longer have leprosy]. [Then], after he tells [the local people], they will know [that you no longer have leprosy], [and you will be able to associate with them again]. Make sure that [now] you do not report [about my healing you] to anyone [other than the priest]. Then go [to the Temple in Jerusalem and give the priest] the offering that Moses commanded [that people who have been healed from leprosy should offer] as a sacrifice to God.”
And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
5 When Jesus went to Capernaum [city], a [Roman] officer who commanded 100 soldiers came to him. He begged Jesus [to help him].
And when he was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
6 He said [to him], “Sir, my servant is lying [in bed] at home and is paralyzed, and he has severe pain.”
and saying, Lord, my servant lieth in the house sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
7 Jesus said [to him], “I will go [to your house] and heal him.”
And he saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
8 But the officer said [to him], “Lord/Sir, [do not bother to go. I am a non-Jew], so I am not worthy for you, [a Jew], to come into my house [MTY] [and associate with me]. Instead, [just] command [that] my servant [be healed], and he will be healed.
And the centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed.
9 I [believe this] because, as for me, I am a man under the authority of others, and I also have soldiers under my authority. When I say to one of them ‘Go!’ he goes. When I say to another ‘Come!’ he comes. When I say to my slave, ‘Do this!’ he does it. [And I believe that you speak with a similar kind of authority].”
For I also am a man under authority, having under myself soldiers: and I say to this one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled. He said to the crowd that was walking with him, “Listen to this: I have never before found anyone who has as firm a faith [in me as this non-Jewish man has]. Not even in Israel, [where I would expect people to believe in me], have I found anyone who has the kind of faith in me that he has!
And when Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
11 I tell you truly that many [other non-Jewish people] who [will believe in me like this Roman officer] will come from [distant countries, including] those [far] to the east and far to the west [SYN], and they will sit down to eat with [MTY] Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in heaven, where God rules.
And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven:
12 But [the Jews] [IDM] [who should have allowed] God to rule over them will be sent to [hell, where there is] total darkness. And as a result, they will weep [because of their suffering] and will grind their teeth [because they will have severe pain] [MTY].” ()
but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast forth into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and gnashing of teeth.
13 Then Jesus said to the officer, “Go [home]. What you believed [would happen], [that I would heal your servant from a distance], will happen.” [Then the officer went home and found out that] his servant became well at the exact time [that Jesus told him that he would heal him].
And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; as thou hast believed, [so] be it done unto thee. And the servant was healed in that hour.
14 When Jesus [and some of his disciples] went to the home of Peter, Jesus saw Peter’s mother-in-law. She was lying on a bed because she had a fever.
And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother lying sick of a fever.
15 He touched her hand, and as a result, [immediately] she no longer had a fever [PRS]. Then she got up and served them [some food].
And he touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she arose, and ministered unto him.
16 That evening [when] ([the Sabbath/the Jewish rest day]) [ended and restrictions about traveling ended], many people who were controlled by demons {whom demons controlled} [and people who were sick] [MTY] [were] brought to Jesus. He caused the demons to leave just by speaking to them, and he healed all the people who were sick.
And when even was come, they brought unto him many possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all that were sick:
17 By doing this he fulfilled the words that had been said by the prophet Isaiah {that the prophet Isaiah had said} [about the Messiah]: “He healed people who had sicknesses and he cured them of their diseases.” [DOU]
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our diseases.
18 Jesus saw the crowd around him, but [he needed to rest]. So he told [his disciples to take him by boat] to the other side [of the lake].
Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.
19 [As they were walking toward the boat], a man who taught the [Jewish] laws came to him and said, “Teacher, I will go with you wherever you go.”
And there came a scribe, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
20 [In order that the man might know what he could expect if he went with him], Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes [in the ground in which to live], and birds have nests, but [even though I] am the one who came from heaven, I do not have a home where I can sleep [MTY].”
And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven [have] nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
21 Another man who was one of Jesus’ disciples said to him, “Sir/Lord, permit me first to go [home. After] my father [dies I will] bury him, [and then I will come with you].”
And another of the disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
22 But Jesus said to him, “Come with me [now]. [God considers that people who do not have eternal life are] dead [MET]. Let those people [do the work of] burying people who die.”
But Jesus saith unto him, Follow me; and leave the dead to bury their own dead.
23 Then Jesus got into the boat. The disciples also got [in, and] they [started sailing close to the shoreline around Lake Galilee].
And when he was entered into a boat, his disciples followed him.
24 Suddenly strong winds blew on the lake, and very high waves were splashing into the boat and filling it. But Jesus was sleeping.
And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the boat was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
25 They went and woke him up, and said [to him], “Sir/Lord, rescue [us!] We are about to drown!”
And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Save, Lord; we perish.
26 He said [to them], “(You should not be terrified!/Why are you terrified?) [RHQ] I [am disappointed that in spite of all you have seen me do], (you do not believe very much [that I can rescue you./] you not believe [that I can rescue you]?) [RHQ]” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and told the waves to calm down. And [the wind stopped blowing and the lake] became calm.
And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
27 [As a result], they were amazed, and they said [to one another], “This man is certainly an [extraordinary] person [RHQ]! [All things are under his control!] Even the winds and the waves obey him [PRS]!”
And the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?
28 When they came to the [east] side [of the lake], they arrived in the region where the Gadarenes [lived]. [Jesus got out of the boat and began walking on the road. Then] two men who were controlled by demons {whom demons controlled} came out of the burial caves [where they were living]. Because they were extremely violent [and attacked people], no one dared to travel on the road [near where they were living].
And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming forth out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man could pass by that way.
29 Suddenly they shouted [to Jesus], “You are the Son of God! [Because] you have nothing in common with us [IDM, RHQ], [leave us alone] Have you come here [RHQ] to torture us before the time [MTY] [God has appointed to punish us]?”
And behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
30 There was a large herd of pigs not far away, digging for food with their noses.
Now there was afar off from them a herd of many swine feeding.
31 So the demons begged Jesus, saying, “You are going to cast us out of the men, so send us into the herd of pigs!”
And the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine.
32 Jesus said [to them], “[If that is what you want], go!” So the demons left [the men] and entered the pigs. Suddenly the whole herd [of pigs] rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.
And he said unto them, Go. And they came out, and went into the swine: and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep into the sea, and perished in the waters.
33 The men who were tending the pigs [became afraid and] ran into the town and reported everything [that had happened], including what had happened to the two men who had been controlled by demons {whom demons had controlled}.
And they that fed them fled, and went away into the city, and told everything, and what was befallen to them that were possessed with devils.
34 Then [it seemed as if] all [the people] [HYP] [who lived in] that town [MTY] went to meet Jesus. When they saw him [and the two men who had been controlled by the demons], they begged Jesus to leave their region [because they thought that he would destroy more things than just the pigs] (OR, [because they realized he must be very powerful]).
And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought [him] that he would depart from their borders.