The Divisions of Priests

24 These were the divisions^(A) of the descendants of Aaron:^(B)

The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.^{(C) 2} But Nadab and Abihu died before their father did,^(D) and they had no sons; so Eleazar and Ithamar served as the priests. ³ With the help of Zadok^(E) a descendant of Eleazar and Ahimelek a descendant of Ithamar, David separated them into divisions for their appointed order of ministering. ⁴ A larger number of leaders were found among Eleazar’s descendants than among Ithamar’s, and they were divided accordingly: sixteen heads of families from Eleazar’s descendants and eight heads of families from Ithamar’s descendants. ⁵ They divided them impartially by casting lots,^(F) for there were officials of the sanctuary and officials of God among the descendants of both Eleazar and Ithamar.

⁶ The scribe Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded their names in the presence of the king and of the officials: Zadok the priest, Ahimelek^(G) son of Abiathar and the heads of families of the priests and of the Levites—one family being taken from Eleazar and then one from Ithamar.

¹⁹ This was their appointed order of ministering when they entered the temple of the Lord, according to the regulations prescribed for them by their ancestor Aaron, as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded him.

The Rest of the Levites

²⁰ As for the rest of the descendants of Levi:^(M)

These were the Levites, according to their families. ³¹ They also cast lots,^(Q) just as their relatives the descendants of Aaron did, in the presence of King David and of Zadok, Ahimelek, and the heads of families of the priests and of the Levites. The families of the oldest brother were treated the same as those of the youngest.

Doom for the Mountains of Israel

6 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, set your face^(A) against the mountains^(B) of Israel; prophesy against them^{(C) 3} and say: ‘You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys:^(D) I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places.^{(E) 4} Your altars will be demolished and your incense altars^(F) will be smashed; and I will slay your people in front of your idols.^{(G) 5} I will lay the dead bodies of the Israelites in front of their idols, and I will scatter your bones^(H) around your altars.^{(I) 6} Wherever you live,^(J) the towns will be laid waste and the high places^(K) demolished, so that your altars will be laid waste and devastated, your idols^(L) smashed and ruined, your incense altars^(M) broken down, and what you have made wiped out.^{(N) 7} Your people will fall slain^(O) among you, and you will know that I am the Lord.^(P)

⁸ “‘But I will spare some, for some of you will escape^(Q) the sword when you are scattered among the lands and nations.^{(R) 9} Then in the nations where they have been carried captive, those who escape will remember^(S) me—how I have been grieved^(T) by their adulterous hearts, which have turned away from me, and by their eyes, which have lusted after their idols.^(U) They will loathe themselves for the evil^(V) they have done and for all their detestable practices.^{(W) 10} And they will know that I am the Lord;^(X) I did not threaten in vain to bring this calamity on them.^(Y)

¹¹ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Strike your hands together and stamp your feet and cry out “Alas!” because of all the wicked and detestable practices of the people of Israel, for they will fall by the sword, famine and plague.^{(Z) 12} One who is far away will die of the plague, and one who is near will fall by the sword, and anyone who survives and is spared will die of famine. So will I pour out my wrath^(AA) on them.^{(AB) 13} And they will know that I am the Lord, when their people lie slain among their idols^(AC) around their altars, on every high hill and on all the mountaintops, under every spreading tree and every leafy oak^(AD)—places where they offered fragrant incense to all their idols.^{(AE) 14} And I will stretch out my hand^(AF) against them and make the land a desolate waste from the desert to Diblah^[a]—wherever they live. Then they will know that I am the Lord.^(AG)’”

The End Has Come

7 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says to the land of Israel:

“‘Then you will know that I am the Lord.’^(AM)

⁵ “This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘Then you will know that it is I the Lord who strikes you.^(AV)

“‘Then they will know that I am the Lord.^(CJ)’”

Jesus Calls His First Disciples^(A)

5 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,^[a] the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God.^{(B) 2} He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. ³ He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.^(C)

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

⁵ Simon answered, “Master,^(E) we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.^(F) But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

⁶ When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.^{(G) 7} So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

⁸ When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”^{(H) 9} For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, ¹⁰ and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid;^(I) from now on you will fish for people.” ¹¹ So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.^(J)

Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy^(K)

¹² While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy.^[b](L) When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

¹³ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.

¹⁴ Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone,^(M) but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded^(N) for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”

¹⁵ Yet the news about him spread all the more,^(O) so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. ¹⁶ But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.^(P)

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man^(Q)

¹⁷ One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law^(R) were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.^{(S) 18} Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. ¹⁹ When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

²⁰ When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”^(T)

²¹ The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”^(U)

²² Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? ²³ Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ²⁴ But I want you to know that the Son of Man^(V) has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” ²⁵ Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. ²⁶ Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God.^(W) They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Jesus Calls Levi and Eats With Sinners^(X)

²⁷ After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,”^(Y) Jesus said to him, ²⁸ and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.^(Z)

²⁹ Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors^(AA) and others were eating with them. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect^(AB) complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”^(AC)

³¹ Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ³² I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”^(AD)

Jesus Questioned About Fasting^(AE)

³³ They said to him, “John’s disciples^(AF) often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.”

³⁴ Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom^(AG) fast while he is with them? ³⁵ But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them;^(AH) in those days they will fast.”

³⁶ He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. ³⁷ And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. ³⁸ No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. ³⁹ And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’”