< Matthew 9 >
1 Jesus and his disciples got into the boat. They skirted around [the lake] and went to [Capernaum, the city where he was living].
And, entering into a boat, he crossed over, and came into his own city.
2 [Some men] brought to him a man who was paralyzed and who was lying on a sleeping pad. When Jesus perceived that they believed [that he could heal the paralyzed man], he said to him, “Young man, be encouraged! I forgive your sins.”
And lo! they were bringing unto him a paralytic, on a couch, laid prostrate; and Jesus, seeing, their faith, said to the paralytic, —Take courage! child, forgiven are thy sins.
3 Some of the men who taught the [Jewish] laws said among themselves, “[He claims that he can forgive sins! That means that he claims to be equal with God] He is insulting God!”
And lo! certain of the scribes, said within themselves, —This man, speaketh profanely!
4 Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he said, “(You should not think evil [thoughts], [accusing me because I claim that I am God]!/Why do you think evil [thoughts], [saying that it is wrong for me to claim that I am God]?) [RHQ]
And Jesus, knowing, their inward thoughts, said, —To what end are ye cherishing evil thoughts within your hearts?
5 It would [not] be risky [for someone] to say [to this man], ‘[I] forgive your sins’, [because no one could see whether or not it really happened]. But [no one, without having the power to heal], would say [to him], ‘[Get] up and walk!’, [because people could easily see whether it happened or not!] [RHQ]
For which is easier—To say, Forgiven are thy sins, —or to say, Rise and be walking!
6 [So I am going to do something] in order that you may know that [God] has authorized [me], the one who came from heaven, to forgive the sins [of people while I am] on the earth, [as well as to heal people].” Then he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up your sleeping pad, and go home!”
But, that ye may know, that the Son of Man hath, authority, upon the earth, to be forgiving sins, then, saith he to the paralytic, —Rise! take up thy couch, and withdraw unto thy house.
7 And [immediately] the man got up, [picked up his sleeping pad], and went home!
And, rising, he departed unto his house.
8 When the crowds saw this, they were awestruck. They praised God for giving authority to a human being [to do] such [things].
Now the multitudes, seeing, were struck with fear, and glorified the God who had given authority, such as this, unto men.
9 As Jesus was going away from there, he saw me, a man named Matthew. I was sitting at a table where I collected taxes [for the Roman government]. He said to me, “Come with me [and become my disciple]!” So I got up and went with him.
And Jesus, passing aside from thence, saw a man presiding over the tax-office, called, Matthew, and saith unto him, —Be following me. And, arising, he followed him.
10 [Then I invited] Jesus and his disciples to my home for a meal. While [they] were sitting and eating in my home, many tax collectors and [other people who were] {whom [the Pharisees]} [considered to be habitual] sinners came unexpectedly to eat with us.
And it came to pass, as he was reclining in the house, that lo! many tax-collectors and sinners, came, and were reclining together with Jesus and his disciples.
11 When the Pharisees saw [that, they came] to us disciples and said, “([It is disgusting that] your teacher, [who claims to be righteous], eats [and associates] with tax collectors and [other] sinners!/Why is it that your teacher, [who claims to be righteous], eats [and associates] with tax collectors and [other] sinners?)” [RHQ]
And, the Pharisees, observing it, began to say unto his disciples, —Wherefore, with tax-collectors and sinners, doth your Teacher eat?
12 Jesus heard what [they said], so he told them [this parable]: “[It is] people who are sick who need a [doctor] [MET], not people who are well.” [What he meant by that was that it was people who knew that they were sinners who were coming to him in order to be helped spiritually].
And, he, hearing it, said, —No need have the strong, of a physician, but they who are sick.
13 He continued by saying, “You need to learn what these words that [God said] mean: ‘I want you to [act] mercifully to people and not [just to offer] sacrifices.’ Keep in mind that I came [from heaven, not] to invite [people who think] [IRO] [that they are] righteous [to turn away from their sinful lives and come to me, but to invite people who know they are] sinners [to turn from their sins and come to me].”
But go ye, and learn what this meaneth, —Mercy, I desire, and not, sacrifice; For I came, not to call the righteous, but sinners.
14 Later, the disciples of John [the Baptizer] came to Jesus and asked him, “We [(exc)] and the Pharisees [often] abstain from food [to show that we want to please God], but your disciples do not do that. Why [do they not]?”
Then come near unto him the disciples of John, saying, —Wherefore do, we, and the Pharisees, fast, whereas, thy disciples, fast not?
15 [Jesus wanted to show them and the Pharisees that it was not appropriate for his disciples to abstain from food and mourn while he was still with them]. So he [gave them this illustration]: “When a bridegroom is with [his friends at the time of the wedding], (his friends certainly do not mourn, do they?/do his friends mourn?) [RHQ] [No, they do not mourn, because they are not sad at that time. But when] the bridegroom is taken {[someone] takes the [/his enemies] take the bridegroom} from them, they will abstain from food, [because then they will be sad].”
And Jesus said unto them, —Can, the sons of the bridechamber, mourn, so long as, the bridegroom, is, with them? But days will come, when the bridegroom, shall be taken from them, and, then, will they fast.
16 [Jesus wanted to show them that people who desire to live in accordance with his new message should not try to continue to obey the old religious traditions like] ([abstaining from food/fasting]) [MET]. [So he said to them], “People do not sew a patch of unshrunken cloth on an old garment [to mend a hole]. If they did that, [when they washed the garment], the patch would [shrink] and tear the garment, and the hole would become bigger.
Howbeit, no one, layeth on a patch of unshrunk cloth, upon an old garment, —for the shrinking of it teareth away from the garment, and, a worse rent, is made.
17 Neither does anyone pour freshly-[squeezed] grape juice into old skin bags [to store it]. If anyone did that, those skin bags would tear [because they would not stretch when the grape juice ferments and expands. They] would be ruined, and the wine would be spilled {spill} [on the ground]. Instead, [people] put new wine into new skin bags, [and the bags will stretch when the wine ferments]. As a result, both [the wine and the bags] are preserved.”
Neither pour they new wine into old skins: otherwise at least, the skins are burst, and, the wine, runneth out, and, the skins, are spoiled, —but they pour new wine into unused skins, and, both, are together preserved.
18 While Jesus was saying that, a leader of the Jewish meeting place came and bowed down before him [to show respect]. Then he said, “My daughter just died! But if you come and lay your hand on her, she will live [again]!”
While, these things, he was speaking unto them, lo! a [certain] ruler, came, and began bowing down to him, saying, —My daughter, just now died! But come, and lay thy hand upon, her, and she shall live.
19 So Jesus got up, and he and [we] disciples went with the man.
And Jesus, arising, was following him, also his disciples.
20 Then a woman who [had been suffering constant vaginal] bleeding for twelve years came near Jesus. She was saying to herself, “[I want Jesus to heal me without anyone finding out that I have this problem of bleeding]. So if I [touch him] or even if I just touch his garment, I will be healed [without anyone finding out about it].” So she came behind him and touched the tassel of his garment.
And lo! a woman, having a flow of blood twelve years, coming near behind, touched the fringe of his mantle.
For she kept saying within herself, —If only I touch his mantle, I shall be made well!
22 Then Jesus turned around [to see who had touched him]. And when he saw the woman, he said to her, “Be encouraged, dear woman. Because you believed [PRS] [that I could heal you, I] have healed you.” The woman was healed at that very moment.
And, Jesus, turning and seeing her, said, —Take courage! daughter, Thy faith, hath made thee well. And the woman was made well, from that hour.
23 Then Jesus [and some of us disciples] came to the Jewish leader’s house. Jesus heard the flute players [playing funeral music] and the crowd [that had gathered] wailing loudly [because the girl had died].
And, Jesus, coming, into the house of the ruler, and seeing the flute-players and the multitude in confusion, was saying:
24 [Knowing that he would cause her to live again], he said [to them], “Go away [and stop the funeral music and wailing], because the girl is not dead! She is [just] sleeping!” [The people laughed at him, because they knew that she was dead].
Give place! for the maiden died not, but is sleeping. And they began to deride him.
25 But Jesus told them to get out of the house. Then he went into [the room where the girl was lying]. He took hold of her hand and she [became alive again and] got up.
But, when the multitude had been put forth, he went in, and grasped her hand, —and the maiden arose.
26 And the [people of that] whole region heard [PRS] about it.
And forth went this report, into the whole of that land.
27 As Jesus went away from there, two blind men followed him and shouted, “Have mercy on us [and heal our eyes, you who are the Messiah], the Descendant of [King] David!”
And, as Jesus, was passing aside from thence, there followed him, two blind men, crying aloud and saying, —Have mercy on us, O Son of David!
28 Jesus went into the house, where he [was staying], and then the blind men went in, too. Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able [to heal your eyes]?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord!”
And, when he entered the house, the blind men came unto him, —and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye, that I can, do this? They say unto him, Yea, Lord!
29 Then he touched their eyes and he said [to them], “Because you believe [that I can heal your eyes], I am healing them [right now]!”
Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith, be it done unto you.
30 And they were able to see [IDM]! Then Jesus told them sternly, “Be sure [IDM] that you do not tell anybody [what I did for you]!”
And their eyes were opened. And Jesus, sternly charged them, saying, Mind! let no one know!
31 But they went out and reported it throughout that whole region.
They, however, going forth, made him known throughout the whole of that land.
32 When [Jesus and we disciples] left [the house], some people brought to Jesus a man who was unable to speak because he was controlled by a demon {a demon controlled him}.
And, as, they, were going forth, lo! there was brought to him, a dumb man, demonized.
33 After Jesus had expelled the demon, the man who had been unable to speak began to speak! The crowd [who saw this] marveled. They said, “Never before have [we seen] anything as [marvelous] as this happen in Israel!”
And, the demon being cast out, the dumb man spoke; and the multitudes marvelled, saying, —Never, was it seen thus, in Israel.
34 But the Pharisees said, “It is [Satan], who rules the demons, who [enables this man to] expel demons [from people].”
[But, the Pharisees, beg to say, In the ruler of the demons, is he casting out the demons.]
35 Then [we] went [with] Jesus through many of [HYP] the cities and towns [in Galilee district. He was teaching (in the synagogues/in the Jewish meeting places)], and preaching the good message about how God rules [over people’s lives]. He also was healing the [people who had] various diseases and illnesses.
And Jesus was going round all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the glad-message of the kingdom, —and curing every disease, and every infirmity.
36 When he saw the crowd of people, he pitied them because they were harassed and dejected. [They were] like sheep that do not have a shepherd [SIM].
But, seeing the multitudes, he was moved with compassion concerning them, because they were torn and thrown down, like sheep hating no shepherd.
37 Then he gave [this illustration] to us disciples: “[The people who are ready to receive my message are like a] field that is ready to be harvested {for people to harvest}. But there are only a few [of you who are teaching people my message].
Then, saith he unto his disciples, The harvest, indeed, is great, but, the labourers, few;
38 So pray and ask the Lord [God] to send [more] workers [who will gather people together and teach them my message, just like a landowner sends workers] into his [field to gather] the [MET] harvest.”
Beg ye, therefore, of the Lord of the harvest, —That he would thrust forth labourers, into his harvest.