Luke 5

1It happened that while the crowd was pressing in on him and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret,

2And he saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen, having gotten out of them, were washing the nets.

3Then he got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the land. Then he sat down and was teaching the crowds from the boat.

4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water, and let down your nets for a catch.”

5And Simon answered, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing; but at your word I will let down the nets.”

6And when they had done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fish, and their nets were tearing.

7So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink.

8But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell at Jesus’s knees, saying, “Go away from me, because I am a sinful man, Lord.”

9For astonishment had seized him and all those with him because of the catch of fish that they had taken,

10and likewise also James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people alive.”

11And after bringing the boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

12And it happened that while he was in one of the towns, behold, there was a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can cleanse me.”

13And stretching out his hand, he touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him.

14And he ordered him to tell no one, but go and show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing as Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.

15But the report about him spread even more, and large crowds were gathering to hear and to be healed of their sicknesses.

16But he would withdraw in the wilderness and pray.

17And it happened on one of those days that he was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was there for him to heal.

18And behold, men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and set him before him.

19And not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him with his mat through the tiles into the middle, in front of Jesus.

20And seeing their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven.”

21And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason among themselves, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins except God alone?”

22But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?”

23Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?”

24But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins—he said to the paralyzed man, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go to your house.”

25And immediately he stood up before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went away to his house, glorifying God.

26And amazement seized them all, and they were glorifying God, and they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”

27And after these things he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.”

28And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.

29And Levi made a great banquet for him in his house, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining at table with them.

30And the Pharisees and their scribes were grumbling to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

31And Jesus answered them, “Those who are healthy have no need of a physician, but those who are sick do.”

32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to a change of mind.

33And they said to him, “John’s disciples fast often and make prayers; likewise also those of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.”

34And he said to them, “You cannot make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you?”

35But days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.

36He was also telling them a parable: “No one tears a patch from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. Otherwise, he will tear the new one, and the patch from the new will not match the old.”

37And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the wineskins, and it will be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.

38But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.

39And no one, after drinking old wine, wants new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’