4 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan,^(A) the Lord said to Joshua, ² “Choose twelve men^(B) from among the people, one from each tribe, ³ and tell them to take up twelve stones^(C) from the middle of the Jordan,^(D) from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.^(E)”

⁴ So Joshua called together the twelve men^(F) he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, ⁵ and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan.^(G) Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, ⁶ to serve as a sign^(H) among you. In the future, when your children^(I) ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’^{(J) 7} tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off^(K) before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial^(L) to the people of Israel forever.”

⁸ So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones^(M) from the middle of the Jordan,^(N) according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua;^(O) and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. ⁹ Joshua set up the twelve stones^(P) that had been^[a] in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.^(Q)

¹⁰ Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over, ¹¹ and as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the Lord and the priests came to the other side while the people watched. ¹² The men of Reuben,^(R) Gad^(S) and the half-tribe of Manasseh^(T) crossed over, ready for battle, in front of the Israelites,^(U) as Moses had directed them.^{(V) 13} About forty thousand armed for battle^(W) crossed over^(X) before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for war.

¹⁴ That day the Lord exalted^(Y) Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses.

¹⁵ Then the Lord said to Joshua, ¹⁶ “Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant law^(Z) to come up out of the Jordan.”

¹⁷ So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.”

¹⁸ And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place^(AA) and ran at flood stage^(AB) as before.

¹⁹ On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal^(AC) on the eastern border of Jericho. ²⁰ And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones^(AD) they had taken out of the Jordan. ²¹ He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’^{(AE) 22} tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’^{(AF) 23} For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea^[b] when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over.^{(AG) 24} He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know^(AH) that the hand of the Lord is powerful^(AI) and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.^(AJ)”

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man^(A)

9 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town.^{(B) 2} Some men brought to him a paralyzed man,^(C) lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith,^(D) he said to the man, “Take heart,^(E) son; your sins are forgiven.”^(F)

³ At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”^(G)

⁴ Knowing their thoughts,^(H) Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? ⁵ Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ⁶ But I want you to know that the Son of Man^(I) has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” ⁷ Then the man got up and went home. ⁸ When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God,^(J) who had given such authority to man.

The Calling of Matthew^(K)

⁹ As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,”^(L) he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

¹⁰ While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. ¹¹ When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”^(M)

¹² On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’^[a](N) For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”^(O)

Jesus Questioned About Fasting^(P)

¹⁴ Then John’s^(Q) disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often,^(R) but your disciples do not fast?”

¹⁵ Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them?^(S) The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.^(T)

¹⁶ “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. ¹⁷ Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman^(U)

¹⁸ While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him^(V) and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her,^(W) and she will live.” ¹⁹ Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.

²⁰ Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak.^{(X) 21} She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

²² Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart,^(Y) daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.”^(Z) And the woman was healed at that moment.^(AA)

²³ When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes,^{(AB) 24} he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead^(AC) but asleep.”^(AD) But they laughed at him. ²⁵ After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.^{(AE) 26} News of this spread through all that region.^(AF)

Jesus Heals the Blind and the Mute

²⁷ As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”^(AG)

²⁸ When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

“Yes, Lord,” they replied.^(AH)

²⁹ Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”;^{(AI) 30} and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.”^{(AJ) 31} But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.^(AK)

³² While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed^(AL) and could not talk^(AM) was brought to Jesus. ³³ And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”^(AN)

³⁴ But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.”^(AO)

The Workers Are Few

³⁵ Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.^{(AP) 36} When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them,^(AQ) because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.^{(AR) 37} Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest^(AS) is plentiful but the workers are few.^{(AT) 38} Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Psalm 52^[a]

For the director of music. A maskil^[b] of David. When Doeg the Edomite^(A) had gone to Saul and told him: “David has gone to the house of Ahimelek.”