Chapter Two
And he entered again into Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that he is in the house. And at once many were gathered together, so that there was no longer any room, not even at the door, and he declared the word to them.
And they come to him bringing a paralytic carried by four. And not being able to come near him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was, and having dug through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.
And Jesus seeing their faith says to the paralytic,
“Child, your sins have been forgiven you!”
But there were some of the scribes sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,
‘Why does this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins except one: God?’
And at once Jesus, knowing in his Spirit that thus they are reasoning in themselves, said to them,
“Why are you debating these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘the sins have been forgiven you’ or to say ‘Get up and take up your bed and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of man does have authority to forgive sins on the earth...” he says to the paralytic,
“I’m telling you, get up, and take up your bed and go to your house!”
And he got up immediately and, having taken up the bed, went out in front of them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God saying,
“We never saw the like!”
And he went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd came to him and he taught them. And passing on he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax office and says to him,
“Follow me!”
And having got up, he followed him. And it happened as he was reclining in his house that many tax-collectors and sinners were eating with Jesus and his disciples; for they were many, and they followed him. And the scribes and the Pharisees having seen him eating with the tax-collectors and sinners said to his disciples,
“Why does he eat and drink with tax-collectors and sinners?”
And, having heard, Jesus says to them,
“They who are strong don’t need a doctor - but they who are ill! I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
And John’s disciples and those of the Pharisees were fasting. And they come and say to him,
“Why do John’s disciples and those of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don’t fast?”
And Jesus said to them,
“Can the sons of the bridechamber fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they can’t fast. But the days are coming when the bridegroom will have been taken away from them, and then they’ll fast in those days. And no one sews a piece of unfulled cloth on an old garment, or else the new takes its fulling away from the old, and a worse tear occurs. And no one puts new wine into old skin bottles, or else the new wine bursts the skins, and the wine is spilt, and the skins will be spoilt, but new wine is to be put into new skins.”
And it happened that he passed through the corn fields on the Sabbath and his disciples began to make their way plucking the ears of corn.
And the Pharisees said to him,
“Look what they’re doing on the Sabbath: that which isn’t lawful!”
And he said to them,
“Didn’t you ever read what David did when he had need and was hungry, he and those with him? How he entered into the house of God in Abiathar the high priest’s days and ate the loaves of presentation which, except for the priests, it isn’t lawful to eat, and gave also to those who were with him?” And he said to them,
“The Sabbath was made for man’s sake, not man for the sake of the Sabbath, so that the Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath too!”
