Matthew 1:1-9:15

English Standard Version

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

1 ^(A)The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, ^(B)the son of David, ^(C)the son of Abraham.

^2 (D)Abraham was the father of Isaac, and ^(E)Isaac the father of Jacob, and ^(F)Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, ³ and ^(G)Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,^{[a] 4} and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, ⁵ and Salmon the father of Boaz by ^(H)Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, ⁶ and ^(I)Jesse the father of David the king.

And ^(J)David was the father of Solomon by ^(K)the wife of Uriah, ⁷ and ^(L)Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,^{[b] 8} and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, ^(M)and Joram the father of Uzziah, ⁹ and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, ¹⁰ and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos,^[c] and Amos the father of Josiah, ¹¹ and ^(N)Josiah the father of ^(O)Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

¹² And after the deportation to Babylon: ^(P)Jechoniah was the father of ^(Q)Shealtiel,^[d] and ^(R)Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, ¹³ and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, ¹⁴ and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, ¹⁵ and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, ¹⁶ and Jacob the father of ^(S)Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

¹⁷ So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to ^(T)the Christ fourteen generations.

The Birth of Jesus Christ

¹⁸ Now the birth of ^(U)Jesus Christ^[e] took place in this way. ^(V)When his mother Mary had been betrothed^[f] to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child ^(W)from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling ^(X)to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. ²⁰ But as he considered these things, behold, ^(Y)an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will bear a son, and ^(Z)you shall call his name Jesus, ^(AA)for he will save his people from their sins.” ^22 (AB)All this took place ^(AC)to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

(which means, God ^(AF)with us). ²⁴ When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, ²⁵ but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And ^(AG)he called his name Jesus.

The Visit of the Wise Men

2 Now ^(AH)after Jesus was born in ^(AI)Bethlehem of Judea ^(AJ)in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men^[g] from ^(AK)the east came to Jerusalem, ² saying, “Where is he who has been born ^(AL)king of the Jews? For we saw ^(AM)his star when it rose^[h] and have come to ^(AN)worship him.” ³ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴ and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where ^(AO)the Christ was to be born. ⁵ They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

⁷ Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. ⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” ⁹ After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹ And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, ^(AR)they offered him gifts, ^(AS)gold and ^(AT)frankincense and ^(AU)myrrh. ¹² And ^(AV)being warned ^(AW)in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

The Flight to Egypt

¹³ Now when they had departed, behold, ^(AX)an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” ¹⁴ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt ¹⁵ and remained there until the death of Herod. ^(AY)This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, ^(AZ)“Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Herod Kills the Children

¹⁶ Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. ^17 (BA)Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

The Return to Nazareth

¹⁹ But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, ²⁰ saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for ^(BD)those who sought the child's life are dead.” ²¹ And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. ²² But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and ^(BE)being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. ²³ And he went and lived in a city called ^(BF)Nazareth, ^(BG)so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

3 ^(BH)In those days ^(BI)John the Baptist came preaching in ^(BJ)the wilderness of Judea, ^2 (BK)“Repent, for ^(BL)the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”^{[i] 3} For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,

⁴ Now John wore ^(BO)a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was ^(BP)locusts and ^(BQ)wild honey. ⁵ Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, ⁶ and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, ^(BR)confessing their sins.

⁷ But when he saw many of ^(BS)the Pharisees and ^(BT)Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ^(BU)“You brood of ^(BV)vipers! Who warned you to flee from ^(BW)the wrath to come? ⁸ Bear fruit ^(BX)in keeping with repentance. ⁹ And do not presume to say to yourselves, ^(BY)‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from ^(BZ)these stones to raise up children for Abraham. ¹⁰ Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. ^(CA)Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

^11 (CB)“I baptize you with water ^(CC)for repentance, but ^(CD)he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you ^(CE)with the Holy Spirit and ^(CF)fire. ¹² His ^(CG)winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and ^(CH)gather his wheat into the barn, ^(CI)but the chaff he will burn with ^(CJ)unquenchable fire.”

The Baptism of Jesus

^13 (CK)Then Jesus came ^(CL)from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. ^14 (CM)John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” ¹⁵ But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. ¹⁶ And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, ^(CN)the heavens were opened to him,^[k] and he ^(CO)saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; ¹⁷ and behold, ^(CP)a voice from heaven said, ^(CQ)“This is my beloved Son,^[l] with whom I am well pleased.”

The Temptation of Jesus

4 ^(CR)Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness ^(CS)to be tempted by the devil. ² And after fasting ^(CT)forty days and forty nights, he ^(CU)was hungry. ³ And ^(CV)the tempter came and said to him, “If you are ^(CW)the Son of God, command ^(CX)these stones to become loaves of bread.” ⁴ But he answered, ^(CY)“It is written,

^5 (DA)Then the devil took him to ^(DB)the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple ⁶ and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

and

⁷ Jesus said to him, “Again ^(DD)it is written, ^(DE)‘You shall not ^(DF)put the Lord your God to the test.’” ^8 (DG)Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, ^(DH)Satan! For ^(DI)it is written,

¹¹ Then the devil left him, and behold, ^(DL)angels came and were ministering to him.

Jesus Begins His Ministry

¹² Now when he heard that ^(DM)John had been arrested, ^(DN)he withdrew into Galilee. ¹³ And leaving ^(DO)Nazareth he went and lived in ^(DP)Capernaum by ^(DQ)the sea, in the territory of ^(DR)Zebulun and Naphtali, ^14 (DS)so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

^17 (DW)From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ^(DX)“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”^[m]

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

^18 (DY)While walking by ^(DZ)the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you ^(EA)fishers of men.”^{[n] 20} Immediately they left their nets and followed him. ²¹ And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. ²² Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds

^23 (EB)And he went throughout all Galilee, ^(EC)teaching in their synagogues and ^(ED)proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and ^(EE)healing every disease and every affliction among the people. ²⁴ So his fame spread throughout all ^(EF)Syria, and ^(EG)they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and ^(EH)pains, ^(EI)those oppressed by demons, ^(EJ)those having seizures, and ^(EK)paralytics, and he healed them. ^25 (EL)And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the ^(EM)Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

The Sermon on the Mount

5 Seeing the crowds, ^(EN)he went up on the mountain, and when he ^(EO)sat down, his disciples came to him.

The Beatitudes

² And ^(EP)he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

^3 (EQ)“Blessed are ^(ER)the poor in spirit, for ^(ES)theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ “Blessed are ^(ET)those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁵ “Blessed are the ^(EU)meek, for they ^(EV)shall inherit the earth.

⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and ^(EW)thirst ^(EX)for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

⁷ “Blessed are ^(EY)the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

⁸ “Blessed are ^(EZ)the pure in heart, for ^(FA)they shall see God.

⁹ “Blessed are ^(FB)the peacemakers, for ^(FC)they shall be called ^(FD)sons^[o] of God.

^10 (FE)“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for ^(FF)theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

^11 (FG)“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely ^(FH)on my account. ^12 (FI)Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for ^(FJ)so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth, ^(FK)but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

^14 (FL)“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ^15 (FM)Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so ^(FN)that^[p] they may see your good works and ^(FO)give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

^17 (FP)“Do not think that I have come to abolish ^(FQ)the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but ^(FR)to fulfill them. ¹⁸ For truly, I say to you, ^(FS)until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. ^19 (FT)Therefore whoever relaxes ^(FU)one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least ^(FV)in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great ^(FW)in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds ^(FX)that of the scribes and Pharisees, you ^(FY)will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Anger

^21 (FZ)“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ^(GA)‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable ^(GB)to judgment.’ ²² But I say to you that ^(GC)everyone who is angry with his brother^[q] will be liable ^(GD)to judgment; whoever insults^[r] his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to ^(GE)the hell^[s] of fire. ^23 (GF)So if ^(GG)you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. ^25 (GH)Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. ²⁶ Truly, I say to you, ^(GI)you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.^[t]

Lust

^27 (GJ)“You have heard that it was said, ^(GK)‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I say to you that ^(GL)everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ^29 (GM)If your right eye ^(GN)causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into ^(GO)hell. ^30 (GP)And if your right hand ^(GQ)causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into ^(GR)hell.

Divorce

^31 (GS)“It was also said, ^(GT)‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ ^32 (GU)But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and ^(GV)whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Oaths

³³ “Again ^(GW)you have heard that it was said to those of old, ^(GX)‘You shall not swear falsely, but ^(GY)shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ ³⁴ But I say to you, ^(GZ)Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for ^(HA)it is the throne of God, ³⁵ or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is ^(HB)the city of the great King. ³⁶ And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷ Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; ^(HC)anything more than this comes from evil.^[u]

Retaliation

^38 (HD)“You have heard that it was said, ^(HE)‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹ But I say to you, ^(HF)Do not resist the one who is evil. But ^(HG)if anyone ^(HH)slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. ⁴⁰ And ^(HI)if anyone would sue you and take your tunic,^[v] let him have your cloak as well. ⁴¹ And if anyone ^(HJ)forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. ^42 (HK)Give to the one who begs from you, and ^(HL)do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

Love Your Enemies

^43 (HM)“You have heard that it was said, ^(HN)‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, ^(HO)Love your enemies and ^(HP)pray for those who persecute you, ^45 (HQ)so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and ^(HR)sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ^46 (HS)For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers,^[w] what more are you doing than others? Do not even ^(HT)the Gentiles do the same? ^48 (HU)You therefore must be ^(HV)perfect, ^(HW)as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Giving to the Needy

6 “Beware of ^(HX)practicing your righteousness before other people in order ^(HY)to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

^2 (HZ)“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may ^(IA)be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have ^(IB)received their reward. ³ But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. ^(IC)And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

The Lord's Prayer

⁵ “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love ^(ID)to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. ^(IE)Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ⁶ But when you pray, ^(IF)go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. ^(IG)And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

⁷ “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as ^(IH)the Gentiles do, for ^(II)they think that they will be heard ^(IJ)for their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, ^(IK)for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. ^9 (IL)Pray then like this:

^14 (IX)For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, ^15 (IY)but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Fasting

¹⁶ “And ^(IZ)when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. ^(JA)Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ¹⁷ But when you fast, ^(JB)anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. ^(JC)And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven

^19 (JD)“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where ^(JE)moth and rust^[ab] destroy and where thieves ^(JF)break in and steal, ^20 (JG)but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

^22 (JH)“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, ^23 (JI)but if ^(JJ)your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

^24 (JK)“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and ^(JL)money.^[ac]

Do Not Be Anxious

^25 (JM)“Therefore I tell you, ^(JN)do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ^26 (JO)Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. ^(JP)Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his ^(JQ)span of life?^{[ad] 28} And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹ yet I tell you, ^(JR)even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, ^(JS)O you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For ^(JT)the Gentiles seek after all these things, and ^(JU)your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³ But ^(JV)seek first ^(JW)the kingdom of God and his righteousness, ^(JX)and all these things will be added to you.

^34 (JY)“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Judging Others

7 ^(JZ)“Judge not, that you be not judged. ^2 (KA)For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and ^(KB)with the measure you use it will be measured to you. ³ Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but ^(KC)do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

^6 (KD)“Do not give ^(KE)dogs what is holy, and do not throw your ^(KF)pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

Ask, and It Will Be Given

^7 (KG)“Ask, ^(KH)and it will be given to you; ^(KI)seek, and you will find; ^(KJ)knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. ⁹ Or which one of you, if his son asks him for ^(KK)bread, will give him ^(KL)a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? ¹¹ If you then, ^(KM)who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will ^(KN)your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

The Golden Rule

¹² “So ^(KO)whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is ^(KP)the Law and the Prophets.

^13 (KQ)“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy^[ae] that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. ¹⁴ For the gate is narrow and ^(KR)the way is hard that leads to life, and ^(KS)those who find it are few.

A Tree and Its Fruit

^15 (KT)“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ^(KU)ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will recognize them ^(KV)by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ So, ^(KW)every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. ^19 (KX)Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus you will recognize them ^(KY)by their fruits.

I Never Knew You

^21 (KZ)“Not everyone who ^(LA)says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will ^(LB)enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who ^(LC)does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ^22 (LD)On that day ^(LE)many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not ^(LF)prophesy in your name, and cast out demons ^(LG)in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ^23 (LH)And then will I declare to them, ‘I ^(LI)never knew you; ^(LJ)depart from me, ^(LK)you workers of lawlessness.’

Build Your House on the Rock

^24 (LL)“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like ^(LM)a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like ^(LN)a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

The Authority of Jesus

²⁸ And when Jesus finished these sayings, ^(LO)the crowds were astonished at his teaching, ^29 (LP)for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

Jesus Cleanses a Leper

8 When he came down from the mountain, ^(LQ)great crowds followed him. ^2 (LR)And behold, a leper^[af] came to him and ^(LS)knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” ³ And Jesus^[ag] stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. ⁴ And Jesus said to him, ^(LT)“See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, ^(LU)show yourself to the priest and ^(LV)offer the gift that Moses commanded, ^(LW)for a proof to them.”

The Faith of a Centurion

^5 (LX)When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, ⁶ “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” ⁷ And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” ⁸ But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but ^(LY)only say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant,^[ah] ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” ¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, ^(LZ)he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with ^(MA)no one in Israel^[ai] have I found such faith. ¹¹ I tell you, ^(MB)many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, ^12 (MC)while the sons of the kingdom ^(MD)will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place ^(ME)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” ¹³ And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you ^(MF)as you have believed.” ^(MG)And the servant was healed at that very moment.

Jesus Heals Many

^14 (MH)And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw ^(MI)his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. ¹⁵ He ^(MJ)touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. ¹⁶ That evening they brought to him many who were ^(MK)oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits ^(ML)with a word and healed all who were sick. ^17 (MM)This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: ^(MN)“He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

The Cost of Following Jesus

¹⁸ Now ^(MO)when Jesus saw a crowd around him, ^(MP)he gave orders to go over to the other side. ^19 (MQ)And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” ²⁰ And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” ²¹ Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” ²² And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave ^(MR)the dead to bury their own dead.”

Jesus Calms a Storm

^23 (MS)And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. ²⁴ And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but ^(MT)he was asleep. ²⁵ And they went and woke him, saying, ^(MU)“Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” ²⁶ And he said to them, “Why are you ^(MV)afraid, ^(MW)O you of little faith?” Then he rose and ^(MX)rebuked the winds and the sea, and ^(MY)there was a great calm. ²⁷ And the men ^(MZ)marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even ^(NA)winds and sea obey him?”

Jesus Heals Two Men with Demons

^28 (NB)And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes,^[aj] two ^(NC)demon-possessed^[ak] men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. ²⁹ And behold, they ^(ND)cried out, “What have you to do with us, ^(NE)O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us ^(NF)before the time?” ³⁰ Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. ³¹ And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” ³² And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. ³³ The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the ^(NG)demon-possessed men. ³⁴ And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, ^(NH)they begged him to leave their region.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

9 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to ^(NI)his own city. ^2 (NJ)And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus ^(NK)saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ^(NL)“Take heart, my son; ^(NM)your sins are forgiven.” ³ And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, ^(NN)“This man is blaspheming.” ⁴ But Jesus, ^(NO)knowing^[al] their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? ⁵ For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? ⁶ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” ⁷ And he rose and went home. ⁸ When the crowds saw it, ^(NP)they were afraid, and ^(NQ)they glorified God, who had ^(NR)given such authority to men.

Jesus Calls Matthew

^9 (NS)As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called ^(NT)Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

¹⁰ And as Jesus^[am] reclined at table in the house, behold, many ^(NU)tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. ¹¹ And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ^(NV)“Why does your teacher eat with ^(NW)tax collectors and sinners?” ¹² But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³ Go and learn ^(NX)what this means: ^(NY)‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For ^(NZ)I came not to call the righteous, ^(OA)but sinners.”

A Question About Fasting

¹⁴ Then ^(OB)the disciples of John came to him, saying, ^(OC)“Why do we and ^(OD)the Pharisees fast,^[an] but your disciples do not fast?” ¹⁵ And Jesus said to them, ^(OE)“Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? ^(OF)The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and ^(OG)then they will fast.