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 having gone to the boat, he passed over, and came to 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 to him a paralytic, laid upon a couch, and Jesus having seen their faith, said to the paralytic, 'Be of good courage, child, thy sins have been forgiven thee.'
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 one doth speak evil.'
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, having known their thoughts, said, 'Why think ye evil in 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, The sins have been forgiven to thee; or to say, Rise, and walk?
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 power upon the earth to forgive sins — (then saith he to the paralytic) — having risen, take up thy couch, and go to thy house.'
7 And [immediately] the man got up, [picked up his sleeping pad], and went home!
And he, having risen, went to 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].
and the multitudes having seen, wondered, and glorified God, who did give such power to 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 by thence, saw a man sitting at the tax-office, named Matthew, and saith to him, 'Be following me,' and he, having risen, did follow 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, he reclining (at meat) in the house, that lo, many tax-gatherers and sinners having come, were lying (at meat) 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 having seen, said to his disciples, 'Wherefore with the tax-gatherers 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 Jesus having heard, said to them, 'They who are whole have no need of a physician, but they who are ill;
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 having gone, learn ye what is, Kindness I will, and not sacrifice, for I did not come to call righteous men, but sinners, to reformation.'
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 to him do the disciples of John, saying, 'Wherefore do we and the Pharisees fast much, and 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 to them, 'Can the sons of the bride-chamber mourn, so long as the bridegroom is with them? but days shall come when the bridegroom may be taken from them, and then they shall 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.
'And no one doth put a patch of undressed cloth on an old garment, for its filling up doth take 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.”
'Nor do they put new wine into old skins, and if not — the skins burst, and the wine doth run out, and the skins are destroyed, but they put new wine into new skins, and both are preserved together.'
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 he is speaking these things to them, lo, a ruler having come, was bowing to him, saying that 'My daughter just now died, but, having come, 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 having risen, did follow 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 an issue of blood twelve years, having come to him behind, did touch the fringe of his garments,
for she said within herself, 'If only I may touch his garment, I shall be saved.'
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 having turned about, and having seen her, said, 'Be of good courage, daughter, thy faith hath saved thee,' and the woman was saved 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 having come to the house of the ruler, and having seen the minstrels and the multitude making tumult,
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].
he saith to them, 'Withdraw, for the damsel did not die, but doth sleep,' and they were deriding 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 was put forth, having gone in, he took hold of her hand, and the damsel arose,
26 And the [people of that] whole region heard [PRS] about it.
and the fame of this went forth to all the 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 Jesus passing on thence, two blind men followed him, calling and saying, 'Deal kindly with us, 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 he having come to the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus saith to them, 'Believe ye that I am able to do this?' They say to him, 'Yes, sir.'
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 let it be to 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 strictly charged them, saying, 'See, let no one know;'
31 But they went out and reported it throughout that whole region.
but they, having gone forth, did spread his fame in all 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 are coming forth, lo, they brought to him a man dumb, a demoniac,
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 having been cast out, the dumb spake, and the multitude did wonder, saying that 'It was never so seen 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 said, 'By the ruler of the demons he doth cast 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 up and down all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the reign, and healing every sickness and every malady among the people.
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].
And having seen the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, that they were faint and cast aside, as sheep not having a 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 to his disciples, 'The harvest indeed [is] abundant, but the workmen 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.”
beseech ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he may put forth workmen to His harvest.'
