001:001 The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ the Son of God.
001:002 As it is written in Isaiah the Prophet, "See, I am sending My
messenger before Thee, Who will prepare Thy way";
001:003 "The voice of one crying aloud: 'In the Desert prepare a road
for the Lord: Make His highways straight.'"
001:004 So John the Baptizer came, and was in the Desert proclaiming
a baptism of the penitent for forgiveness of sins.
001:005 There went out to him people of all classes from Judaea, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem of all ranks, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, making open confession of their sins.
001:006 As for John, his garment was of camel's hair, and he wore a loincloth of leather; and his food was locusts and wild honey.
001:007 His announcement was, "There is One coming after me mightier than I—One whose sandal-strap I am unworthy to stoop down and unfasten.
001:008 I have baptized you with water, but He will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit."
001:009 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized
by John in the Jordan;
001:010 and immediately on His coming up out of the water He saw an opening in the sky, and the Spirit like a dove coming down to Him;
001:011 and a voice came from the sky, saying, "Thou art My Son dearly loved: in Thee is My delight."
001:012 At once the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the Desert,
001:013 where He remained for forty days, tempted by Satan; and He
was among the wild beasts, but the angels waited upon Him.
001:014 Then, after John had been thrown into prison, Jesus came
into Galilee proclaiming God's Good News.
001:015 "The time has fully come," He said, "and the Kingdom of God
is close at hand: repent, and believe this Good News.
001:016 One day, passing along the shore of the Lake of Galilee, He saw
Simon and Andrew, Simon's brother, throwing their nets in the Lake;
for they were fisherman.
001:017 "Come and follow me," said Jesus, "and I will make you fishers for men."
001:018 At once they left their nets and followed Him.
001:019 Going on a little further He saw James the son of Zabdi and his brother John: they also were in the boat mending the nets, and He immediately called them.
001:020 They therefore left their father Zabdi in the boat with
the hired men, and went and followed Him.
001:021 So they came to Capernaum, and on the next Sabbath He went
to the synagogue and began to teach.
001:022 The people listened with amazement to His teaching—for there was authority about it: it was very different from that of the Scribes—
001:023 when all at once, there in their synagogue, a man under the power
of a foul spirit screamed out:
001:024 "What have you to do with us, Jesus the Nazarene? Have you
come to destroy us? I know who you are—God's Holy One."
001:025 But Jesus reprimanded him, saying, "Silence! come out of him."
001:026 So the foul spirit, after throwing the man into convulsions, came out of him with a loud cry.
001:027 And all were amazed and awe-struck, so they began to ask one another, "What does this mean? Here is a new sort of teaching—and a tone of authority! And even to foul spirits he issues orders and they obey him!"
001:028 And His fame spread at once everywhere in all that part of Galilee.
001:029 Then on leaving the synagogue they came at once, with James
and John, to the house of Simon and Andrew.
001:030 Now Simon's mother-in-law was ill in bed with a fever,
and without delay they informed Him about her.
001:031 So He went to her, and taking her hand He raised her to her feet:
the fever left her, and she began to wait upon them.
001:032 When it was evening, after sunset people came bringing Him
all who were sick and the demoniacs;
001:033 and the whole town was assembled at the door.
001:034 Then He cured numbers of people who were ill with various diseases,
and He drove out many demons; not allowing the demons to speak,
because they knew who He was.
001:035 In the morning He rose early, while it was still quite dark,
and leaving the house He went away to a solitary place
and there prayed.
001:036 And Simon and the others searched everywhere for Him.
001:037 When they found Him they said, "Every one is looking for you."
001:038 "Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns," He replied, "that I may proclaim my Message there also; because for that purpose I came from God."
001:039 And He went through all Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and expelling the demons.
001:040 One day there came a leper to Jesus entreating Him, and pleading on his knees. "If you are willing," he said, "you are able to cleanse me."
001:041 Moved with pity Jesus reached out His hand and touched him. "I am willing," He said; "be cleansed."
001:042 The leprosy at once left him, and he was cleansed.
001:043 Jesus at once sent him away, strictly charging him,
001:044 and saying, "Be careful not to tell any one, but go and show yourself to the Priest, and for your purification present the offerings that Moses appointed as evidence for them."
001:045 But the man, when he went out, began to tell every one and to publish the matter abroad, so that it was no longer possible for Jesus to go openly into any town; but He had to remain outside in unfrequented places, where people came to Him from all parts.
002:001 After some days He entered Capernaum again, and it soon became known that He was at home;
002:002 and such numbers of people came together that there was no longer room for them even round the door. He was speaking His Message to them,
002:003 when there came a party of people bringing a paralytic—four men carrying him.
002:004 Finding themselves unable, however, to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they untiled the roof just over His head, and after clearing an opening they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying.
002:005 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, "My son,
your sins are pardoned."
002:006 Now there were some of the Scribes sitting there, and reasoning
in their hearts.
002:007 "Why does this man use such words?" they said; "he is blaspheming.
Who can pardon sins but One—that is, God?"
002:008 At once perceiving by His spirit that they were reasoning within themselves, Jesus asked them, "Why do you thus argue in your minds?
002:009 Which is easier?—to say to this paralytic, 'Your sins are pardoned,'
or to say, 'Rise, take up your mat, and walk?'
002:010 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth
to pardon sins"—He turned to the paralytic, and said,
002:011 "To you I say, 'Rise, take up your mat and go home.'"
002:012 The man rose, and immediately under the eyes of all took up his mat and went out, so that they were all filled with astonishment, gave the glory to God, and said, "We never saw anything like this."
002:013 Again He went out to the shore of the Lake, and the whole multitude kept coming to Him, and He taught them.
002:014 And as He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the Toll Office, and said to him, "Follow me." So he rose and followed Him.
002:015 When He was sitting at table in Levi's house, a large number of tax-gatherers and notorious sinners were at table with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many such who habitually followed Him.
002:016 But when the Scribes of the Pharisee sect saw Him eating with
the sinners and the tax-gatherers, they said to His disciples,
"He is eating and drinking with the tax-gatherers and sinners!"
002:017 Jesus heard the words, and He said, "It is not the healthy
who require a doctor, but the sick: I did not come to appeal
to the righteous, but to sinners."
002:018 (Now John's disciples and those of the Pharisees were keeping a fast.) And they came and asked Him, "How is it that John's disciples and those of the Pharisees are fasting, and yours are not?"
002:019 "Can a wedding party fast while the bridegroom is among them?" replied Jesus. "So long as they have the bridegroom with them, fasting is impossible.
002:020 But a time will come when the Bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast.
002:021 No one mends an old garment with a piece of unshrunk cloth.
Otherwise, the patch put on would tear away from it—
the new from the old—and a worse hole would be made.
002:022 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the wine