Matthew 8
1 When Jesus went down from the hillside, large crowds followed him.
When Jesus had come down from the hill, large crowds 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.”
Behold, a leper came to him and bowed before him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can 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}.
Jesus reached out his hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing. Be clean.” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.
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.”
Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to any man. Go on your way, and show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.”
5 When Jesus went to Capernaum [city], a [Roman] officer who commanded 100 soldiers came to him. He begged Jesus [to help him].
When Jesus had entered into Capernaum, a centurion came to him and asked him,
6 He said [to him], “Sir, my servant is lying [in bed] at home and is paralyzed, and he has severe pain.”
saying, “Lord, my servant lies in the house paralyzed and in terrible pain.”
7 Jesus said [to him], “I will go [to your house] and heal him.”
Jesus said to 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.
The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, only say the word and my servant will 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 who is placed under authority, and I have soldiers under me. I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another one, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does 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!
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those who were following him, “Truly I say to you, I have not found anyone with such faith 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.
I tell you, many will come from the east and the west, and they will recline at the table with Abraham, 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].” (questioned)
But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and grinding 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].
Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! As you have believed, so may it be done for you.” And the servant was healed at that very 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.
When Jesus had come into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying sick with 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].
Jesus touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and started serving 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.
When evening had come, the people brought to Jesus many who were possessed by demons. He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all who 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]
In this way was fulfilled that which had been spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, “He himself took our sickness and bore 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 the crowd around him, he gave instructions to leave for the other side of the Sea of Galilee.
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.”
Then a scribe came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
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].”
Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere 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].”
Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, allow 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 said to 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].
When Jesus had entered a boat, his disciples followed him into it.
24 Suddenly strong winds blew on the lake, and very high waves were splashing into the boat and filling it. But Jesus was sleeping.
Behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But Jesus was asleep.
25 They went and woke him up, and said [to him], “Sir/Lord, rescue [us!] We are about to drown!”
The disciples came to him and woke him up, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are about to die!”
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.
Jesus said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea. Then 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]!”
The men marveled and said, “What sort 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].
When Jesus had come to the other side and to the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were possessed by demons met him. They were coming out of the tombs and were very violent, so that no traveler could pass 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]?”
Behold, they cried out and said, “What do we have to do with you, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the set time?”
30 There was a large herd of pigs not far away, digging for food with their noses.
Now a herd of many pigs was there feeding, not too far away from them.
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!”
The demons kept imploring Jesus and saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into that herd of pigs.”
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.
Jesus said to them, “Go!” The demons came out and went into the pigs; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep hill into the sea and they died in the water.
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}.
Those who had been tending the pigs ran away and they went into the city and reported everything, especially what had happened to the men who had been possessed by demons.
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]).
Behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.
