Matthew 1-9

Easy-to-Read Version

The Family History of Jesus the Messiah^(A)

1 This is the family history of Jesus the Messiah. He came from the family of David, who was from the family of Abraham.

¹⁷ So there were fourteen generations from Abraham to David. There were also fourteen generations from David until the people were taken away to Babylon. And there were fourteen more from the time the people were taken to Babylon until the Messiah was born.

The Birth of Jesus the Messiah^(B)

¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah happened. His mother Mary was engaged to marry Joseph. But before they married, he learned that she was expecting a baby. (She was pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit.) ¹⁹ Mary’s husband, Joseph, was a good man. He did not want to cause her public disgrace, so he planned to divorce her secretly.

²⁰ But after Joseph thought about this, an angel from the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to accept Mary to be your wife. The baby inside her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son. You will name him Jesus.^[b] Give him that name because he will save his people from their sins.”

²² All this happened to make clear the full meaning of what the Lord said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will be pregnant and will give birth to a son. They will name him Immanuel.”^[c] (Immanuel means “God with us.”)

²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did what the Lord’s angel told him to do. He married Mary. ²⁵ But Joseph did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And he named him Jesus.

Wise Men Come to Visit Jesus

2 Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea during the time when Herod was king. After Jesus was born, some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem. ² They asked people, “Where is the child who has been born to be the king of the Jews? We saw the star that shows he was born. We saw it rise in the sky in the east and have come to worship him.”

³ When King Herod heard about this, it upset him as well as everyone else in Jerusalem. ⁴ Herod called a meeting of all the leading Jewish priests and teachers of the law. He asked them where the Messiah would be born. ⁵ They answered, “In the town of Bethlehem in Judea, just as the prophet wrote:

⁷ Then Herod had a private meeting with the wise men from the east. He learned from them the exact time they first saw the star. ⁸ Then he sent them to Bethlehem. He said, “Go and look carefully for the child. When you find him, come tell me. Then I can go worship him too.”

⁹ After the wise men heard the king, they left. They saw the same star they had seen in the east, and they followed it. The star went before them until it stopped above the place where the child was. ¹⁰ They were very happy and excited to see the star.

¹¹ The wise men came to the house where the child was with his mother Mary. They bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened the boxes of gifts they had brought for him. They gave him treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹² But God warned the wise men in a dream not to go back to Herod. So they went home to their own country a different way.

Jesus’ Parents Take Him to Egypt

¹³ After the wise men left, an angel from the Lord came to Joseph in a dream. The angel said, “Get up! Take the child with his mother and escape to Egypt. Herod wants to kill the child and will soon start looking for him. Stay in Egypt until I tell you to come back.”

¹⁴ So Joseph got ready and left for Egypt with the child and the mother. They left during the night. ¹⁵ Joseph stayed in Egypt until Herod died. This gave full meaning to what the Lord said through the prophet: “I called my son to come out of Egypt.”^[d]

Herod Kills the Baby Boys in Bethlehem

¹⁶ Herod saw that the wise men had fooled him, and he was very angry. So he gave an order to kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem and the whole area around Bethlehem. Herod had learned from the wise men the time the baby was born. It was now two years from that time. So he said to kill all the boys who were two years old and younger. ¹⁷ This gave full meaning to what God said through the prophet Jeremiah:

Joseph and Mary Return From Egypt

¹⁹ While Joseph was in Egypt, Herod died. An angel from the Lord came to Joseph in a dream ²⁰ and said, “Get up! Take the child with his mother and go to Israel. Those who were trying to kill the child are now dead.”

²¹ So Joseph took the child and the mother and went to Israel. ²² But he heard that Archelaus was now king in Judea. Archelaus became king when his father Herod died. So Joseph was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned in a dream, he went away to the area of Galilee. ²³ He went to a town called Nazareth and lived there. This gave full meaning to what God said through the prophets. God said the Messiah^[e] would be called a Nazarene.^[f]

John Prepares the Way for Jesus^(E)

3 When it was the right time, John the Baptizer began telling people a message from God. This was out in the desert area of Judea. ² John said, “Change your hearts and lives, because God’s kingdom is now very near.^[g]” ³ John is the one Isaiah the prophet was talking about when he said,

⁴ John’s clothes were made from camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. For food, he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁵ People came to John from Jerusalem and the rest of Judea and from all the areas along the Jordan River. ⁶ They confessed the bad things they had done, and John baptized them in the Jordan.

⁷ Many Pharisees and Sadducees came to where John was baptizing people. When John saw them, he said, “You are all snakes! Who warned you to run from God’s judgment that is coming? ⁸ Change your hearts! And show by the way you live that you have changed. ⁹ I know what you are thinking. You want to say, ‘but Abraham is our father!’ That means nothing. I tell you, God could make children for Abraham from these rocks. ¹⁰ The ax is now ready to cut down the trees.^[h] Every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

¹¹ “I baptize you with water to show that you have changed your hearts and lives. But there is someone coming later who is able to do more than I can. I am not good enough to be the slave who takes off his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹² He will come ready to clean the grain.^[i] He will separate the good grain from the straw, and he will put the good part into his barn. Then he will burn the useless part with a fire that cannot be stopped.”

Jesus Is Baptized by John^(G)

¹³ Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River. He came to John, wanting John to baptize him. ¹⁴ But John tried to stop him. John said, “Why do you come to me to be baptized? I should be baptized by you!”

¹⁵ Jesus answered, “Let it be this way for now. We should do whatever God says is right.” Then John agreed.

¹⁶ So Jesus was baptized. As soon as he came up out of the water, the sky opened, and he saw God’s Spirit coming down on him like a dove. ¹⁷ A voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the one I love. I am very pleased with him.”

The Temptation of Jesus^(H)

4 Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert. He was taken there to be tempted by the devil. ² Jesus ate nothing for 40 days and nights. After this, he was very hungry. ³ The devil^[j] came to tempt him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these rocks to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered him, “The Scriptures say,

⁵ Then the devil led Jesus to the holy city of Jerusalem and put him on a high place at the edge of the Temple area. ⁶ He said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, jump off, because the Scriptures say,

⁷ Jesus answered, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”^[k]

⁸ Then the devil led Jesus to the top of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and all the wonderful things in them. ⁹ The devil said, “If you will bow down and worship me, I will give you all these things.”

¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Get away from me, Satan! The Scriptures say,

¹¹ So the devil left him. Then some angels came to Jesus and helped him.

Jesus Begins His Work in Galilee^(L)

¹² Jesus heard that John was put in prison, so he went back to Galilee. ¹³ But he did not stay in Nazareth. He went to live in Capernaum, a town near Lake Galilee in the area near Zebulun and Naphtali. ¹⁴ He did this to give full meaning to what the prophet Isaiah said:

¹⁷ From that time Jesus began to tell people his message: “Change your hearts and lives, because God’s kingdom is now very near.^[l]”

Jesus Chooses Some Followers^(N)

¹⁸ As Jesus was walking by Lake Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Simon’s brother Andrew. These brothers were fishermen, and they were fishing in the lake with a net. ¹⁹ Jesus said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you a different kind of fishermen. You will bring in people, not fish.” ²⁰ Simon and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed him.

²¹ Jesus continued walking by Lake Galilee. He saw two other brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee. They were preparing their nets to catch fish. Jesus told the brothers to come with him. ²² So they immediately left the boat and their father, and they followed Jesus.

Jesus Teaches and Heals the People^(O)

²³ Jesus went everywhere in the country of Galilee. He taught in the synagogues and told the Good News about God’s kingdom. And he healed all the people’s diseases and sicknesses. ²⁴ The news about Jesus spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all those who were sick. They were suffering from different kinds of diseases and pain. Some had demons inside them, some suffered from seizures, and some were paralyzed. Jesus healed them all. ²⁵ Large crowds followed him—people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, Judea, and the area across the Jordan River.

Jesus Teaches the People^(P)

5 When Jesus saw the crowds of people there, he went up on a hill and sat down. His followers came and sat next to him. ² Then Jesus began teaching the people. He said,

¹¹ “People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do that, know that great blessings belong to you. ¹² Be happy about it. Be very glad because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. People did these same bad things to the prophets who lived before you.

You Are Like Salt and Light^(Q)

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its taste, it cannot be made salty again. Salt is useless if it loses its salty taste. It will be thrown out where people will just walk on it.

¹⁴ “You are the light that shines for the world to see. You are like a city built on a hill that cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ People don’t hide a lamp under a bowl. They put it on a lampstand. Then the light shines for everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.

Jesus and the Old Testament Writings

¹⁷ “Don’t think that I have come to destroy the Law of Moses or the teaching of the prophets. I have come not to destroy their teachings but to give full meaning to them. ¹⁸ I assure you that nothing will disappear from the law until heaven and earth are gone. The law will not lose even the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter until it has all been done.

¹⁹ “A person should obey every command in the law, even one that does not seem important. Whoever refuses to obey any command and teaches others not to obey it will be the least important in God’s kingdom. But whoever obeys the law and teaches others to obey it will be great in God’s kingdom. ²⁰ I tell you that you must do better than the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. If you are not more pleasing to God than they are, you will never enter God’s kingdom.

Jesus Teaches About Anger

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to our people long ago, ‘You must not murder anyone.^[p] Any person who commits murder will be judged.’ ²² But I tell you, don’t be angry with anyone. If you are angry with others, you will be judged. And if you insult someone, you will be judged by the high court. And if you call someone a fool, you will be in danger of the fire of hell.

²³ “So, what if you are offering your gift at the altar and remember that someone has something against you? ²⁴ Leave your gift there and go make peace with that person. Then come and offer your gift.

²⁵ “If anyone wants to take you to court, make friends with them quickly. Try to do that before you get to the court. If you don’t, they might hand you over to the judge. And the judge will hand you over to a guard, who will throw you into jail. ²⁶ I assure you that you will not leave there until you have paid everything you owe.

Jesus Teaches About Sexual Sin

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You must not commit adultery.’^{[q] 28} But I tell you that if a man looks at a woman and wants to sin sexually with her, he has already committed that sin with her in his mind. ²⁹ If your right eye makes you sin, take it out and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell. ³⁰ If your right hand makes you sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Jesus Teaches About Divorce^(R)

³¹ “It was also said, ‘Any man who divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.’^{[r] 32} But I tell you that any man who divorces his wife, except for the problem of sexual sin, is causing his wife to be guilty of adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman is guilty of adultery.

Jesus Teaches About Making Promises

³³ “You have heard that it was said to our people long ago, ‘When you make a vow, you must not break your promise. Keep the vows that you make to the Lord.’^{[s] 34} But I tell you, when you make a promise, don’t try to make it stronger with a vow. Don’t make a vow using the name of heaven, because heaven is God’s throne. ³⁵ Don’t make a vow using the name of the earth, because the earth belongs to him.^[t] Don’t make a vow using the name of Jerusalem, because it also belongs to him, the great King. ³⁶ And don’t even say that your own head is proof that you will keep your promise. You cannot make one hair on your head white or black. ³⁷ Say only ‘yes’ if you mean ‘yes,’ and say only ‘no’ if you mean ‘no.’ If you say more than that, it is from the Evil One.

Jesus Teaches About Fighting Back^(S)

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’^{[u] 39} But I tell you, don’t fight back against someone who wants to do harm to you. If they hit you on the right cheek, let them hit the other cheek too. ⁴⁰ If anyone wants to sue you in court and take your shirt, let them have your coat too. ⁴¹ If a soldier forces you to walk with him one mile,^[v] go with him two. ⁴² Give to anyone who asks you for something. Don’t refuse to give to anyone who wants to borrow from you.

Love Your Enemies^(T)

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor^[w] and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies. Pray for those who treat you badly. ⁴⁵ If you do this, you will be children who are truly like your Father in heaven. He lets the sun rise for all people, whether they are good or bad. He sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong. ⁴⁶ If you love only those who love you, why should you get a reward for that? Even the tax collectors do that. ⁴⁷ And if you are nice only to your friends, you are no better than anyone else. Even the people who don’t know God are nice to their friends. ⁴⁸ What I am saying is that you must be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Jesus Teaches About Giving

6 “Be careful! When you do something good, don’t do it in front of others so that they will see you. If you do that, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

² “When you give to those who are poor, don’t announce that you are giving. Don’t be like the hypocrites. When they are in the synagogues and on the streets, they blow trumpets before they give so that people will see them. They want everyone to praise them. The truth is, that’s all the reward they will get. ³ So when you give to the poor, don’t let anyone know what you are doing.^{[x] 4} Your giving should be done in private. Your Father can see what is done in private, and he will reward you.

Jesus Teaches About Prayer^(U)

⁵ “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites. They love to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners and pray loudly. They want people to see them. The truth is, that’s all the reward they will get. ⁶ But when you pray, you should go into your room and close the door. Then pray to your Father. He is there in that private place. He can see what is done in private, and he will reward you.

⁷ “And when you pray, don’t be like the people who don’t know God. They say the same things again and again. They think that if they say it enough, their god will hear them. ⁸ Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. ⁹ So this is how you should pray:

¹⁴ Yes, if you forgive others for the wrongs they do to you, then your Father in heaven will also forgive your wrongs. ¹⁵ But if you don’t forgive others, then your Father in heaven will not forgive the wrongs you do.

Jesus Teaches About Fasting

¹⁶ “When you fast, don’t make yourselves look sad like the hypocrites. They put a look of suffering on their faces so that people will see they are fasting. The truth is, that’s all the reward they will get. ¹⁷ So when you fast, wash your face and make yourself look nice. ¹⁸ Then no one will know you are fasting, except your Father, who is with you even in private. He can see what is done in private, and he will reward you.

You Cannot Serve Two Masters^(V)

¹⁹ “Don’t save treasures for yourselves here on earth. Moths and rust will destroy them. And thieves can break into your house and steal them. ²⁰ Instead, save your treasures in heaven, where they cannot be destroyed by moths or rust and where thieves cannot break in and steal them. ²¹ Your heart will be where your treasure is.

²² “The only source of light for the body is the eye. If you look at people and want to help them, you will be full of light. ²³ But if you look at people in a selfish way, you will be full of darkness. And if the only light you have is really darkness, you have the worst kind of darkness.^[z]

²⁴ “You cannot serve two masters at the same time. You will hate one and love the other, or you will be loyal to one and not care about the other. You cannot serve God and Money^[aa] at the same time.

Put God’s Kingdom First^(W)

²⁵ “So I tell you, don’t worry about the things you need to live—what you will eat, drink, or wear. Life is more important than food, and the body is more important than what you put on it. ²⁶ Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or save food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. Don’t you know you are worth much more than they are? ²⁷ You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it.

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? Look at the wildflowers in the field. See how they grow. They don’t work or make clothes for themselves. ²⁹ But I tell you that even Solomon, the great and rich king, was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers. ³⁰ If God makes what grows in the field so beautiful, what do you think he will do for you? It’s just grass—one day it’s alive, and the next day someone throws it into a fire. But God cares enough to make it beautiful. Surely he will do much more for you. Your faith is so small!

³¹ “Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ ³² That’s what those people who don’t know God are always thinking about. Don’t worry, because your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. ³³ What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all these other things you need. ³⁴ So don’t worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Tomorrow will have its own worries.

Be Careful About Criticizing Others^(X)

7 “Don’t judge others, and God will not judge you. ² If you judge others, you will be judged the same way you judge them. God will treat you the same way you treat others.

³ “Why do you notice the small piece of dust that is in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the big piece of wood that is in your own? ⁴ Why do you say to your friend, ‘Let me take that piece of dust out of your eye’? Look at yourself first! You still have that big piece of wood in your own eye. ⁵ You are a hypocrite! First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to get the dust out of your friend’s eye.

⁶ “Don’t give something that is holy to dogs. They will only turn and hurt you. And don’t throw your pearls to pigs. They will only step on them.

Ask God for What You Need^(Y)

⁷ “Continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you. ⁸ Yes, whoever continues to ask will receive. Whoever continues to look will find. And whoever continues to knock will have the door opened for them.

⁹ “Do any of you have a son? If he asked for bread, would you give him a rock? ¹⁰ Or if he asked for a fish, would you give him a snake? Of course not! ¹¹ You people are so bad, but you still know how to give good things to your children. So surely your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask him.

A Very Important Rule

¹² “Do for others what you would want them to do for you. This is the meaning of the Law of Moses and the teaching of the prophets.

The Way to Heaven and the Way to Hell^(Z)

¹³ “You can enter true life only through the narrow gate. The gate to hell is very wide, and there is plenty of room on the road that leads there. Many people go that way. ¹⁴ But the gate that opens the way to true life is narrow. And the road that leads there is hard to follow. Only a few people find it.

What People Do Shows What They Are^(AA)

¹⁵ “Be careful of false prophets. They come to you and look gentle like sheep. But they are really dangerous like wolves. ¹⁶ You will know these people because of what they do. Good things don’t come from people who are bad, just as grapes don’t come from thornbushes, and figs don’t come from thorny weeds. ¹⁷ In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, and bad trees produce bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ You will know these false people by what they do.^[ab]

²¹ “Not everyone who calls me Lord will enter God’s kingdom. The only people who will enter are those who do what my Father in heaven wants. ²² On that last Day many will call me Lord. They will say, ‘Lord, Lord, by the power of your name we spoke for God. And by your name we forced out demons and did many miracles.’ ²³ Then I will tell those people clearly, ‘Get away from me, you people who do wrong. I never knew you.’

Two Kinds of People^(AB)

²⁴ “Whoever hears these teachings of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. ²⁵ It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house. But it did not fall because it was built on rock.

²⁶ “Whoever hears these teachings of mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house. And it fell with a loud crash.”

²⁸ When Jesus finished speaking, the people were amazed at his teaching. ²⁹ He did not teach like their teachers of the law. He taught like someone who has authority.

Jesus Heals a Sick Man^(AC)

8 Jesus came down from the hill, and a large crowd followed him. ² Then a man sick with leprosy came to him. The man bowed down before Jesus and said, “Lord, you have the power to heal me if you want.”

³ Jesus touched the man. He said, “I want to heal you. Be healed!” Immediately the man was healed from his leprosy. ⁴ Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t tell anyone about what happened. But go and let the priest look at you.^[ac] And offer the gift that Moses commanded for people who are made well. This will show everyone that you are healed.”

Jesus Heals an Officer’s Servant^(AD)

⁵ Jesus went to the city of Capernaum. When he entered the city, an army officer came to him and begged for help. ⁶ The officer said, “Lord, my servant is very sick at home in bed. He can’t move his body and has much pain.”

⁷ Jesus said to the officer, “I will go and heal him.”

⁸ The officer answered, “Lord, I am not good enough for you to come into my house. You need only to give the order, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ I know this, because I understand authority. There are people who have authority over me, and I have soldiers under my authority. I tell one soldier, ‘Go,’ and he goes. I tell another soldier, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and my servant obeys me.”

¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. He said to those who were with him, “The truth is, this man has more faith than anyone I have found, even in Israel. ¹¹ Many people will come from the east and from the west. These people will sit and eat with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in God’s kingdom. ¹² And those who should have the kingdom will be thrown out. They will be thrown outside into the darkness, where people will cry and grind their teeth with pain.”

¹³ Then Jesus said to the officer, “Go home. Your servant will be healed the way you believed he would.” Right then his servant was healed.

Jesus Heals Many People^(AE)

¹⁴ Jesus went to Peter’s house. He saw that Peter’s mother-in-law was in bed with a high fever. ¹⁵ He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she stood up and began to serve him.

¹⁶ That evening people brought to Jesus many people who had demons inside them. He spoke and the demons left the people. He healed all those who were sick. ¹⁷ So Jesus made clear the full meaning of what Isaiah the prophet said:

Following Jesus^(AG)

¹⁸ When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he told his followers to go to the other side of the lake. ¹⁹ Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you any place you go.”

²⁰ Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes to live in. The birds have nests. But the Son of Man has no place to rest.”

²¹ Another of Jesus’ followers said to him, “Lord, I will follow you too, but let me go and bury my father first.”

²² But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let those who are dead bury their own dead.”

Jesus’ Followers See His Power^(AH)

²³ Jesus got into a boat, and his followers went with him. ²⁴ After the boat left the shore, a very bad storm began on the lake. The waves covered the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵ The followers went to him and woke him. They said, “Lord, save us! We will drown!”

²⁶ Jesus answered, “Why are you afraid? You don’t have enough faith.” Then he stood up and gave a command to the wind and the water. The wind stopped, and the lake became very calm.

²⁷ The men were amazed. They said, “What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the water obey him!”

Jesus Sends Demons Out of Two Men^(AI)

²⁸ Jesus arrived at the other side of the lake in the country of the Gadarene^[ad] people. There, two men who had demons inside them came to him. They lived in the burial caves and were so dangerous that no one could use the road by those caves. ²⁹ They came to Jesus and shouted, “What do you want with us, Son of God? Did you come here to punish us before the right time?”

³⁰ Near that place there was a large herd of pigs feeding. ³¹ The demons begged Jesus, “If you make us leave these men, please send us into that herd of pigs.”

³² Jesus said to them, “Go!” So the demons left the men and went into the pigs. Then the whole herd of pigs ran down the hill into the lake, and all were drowned. ³³ The men who had the work of caring for the pigs ran away. They went into town and told the people everything that happened, especially about the men who had the demons. ³⁴ Then the whole town went out to see Jesus. When the people saw him, they begged him to leave their area.

Jesus Heals a Crippled Man^(AJ)

9 Jesus got into a boat and went back across the lake to his own town. ² Some people brought to him a man who was paralyzed and was lying on a mat. Jesus saw that these people had much faith. So he said to the paralyzed man, “Young man, you will be glad to hear this. Your sins are forgiven.”

³ Some of the teachers of the law heard what Jesus said. They said to themselves, “What an insult to God for this man to say that!”

⁴ Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he said, “Why are you thinking such evil thoughts? ^5-6 The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. But how can I prove this to you? Maybe you are thinking it was easy for me to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ There’s no proof that it really happened. But what if I say to the man, ‘Stand up and walk’? Then you will be able to see that I really have this power.” So Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Stand up. Take your mat and go home.”

⁷ The man stood up and went home. ⁸ The people saw this and they were amazed. They praised God for letting someone have such power.

Matthew (Levi) Follows Jesus^(AK)

⁹ When Jesus was leaving, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the place for collecting taxes. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” So he got up and followed Jesus.

¹⁰ Jesus ate dinner at Matthew’s house. Many tax collectors and others with bad reputations came and ate with him and his followers. ¹¹ The Pharisees saw that Jesus was eating with these people. They asked his followers, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and other sinners?”

¹² Jesus heard them say this. So he said to them, “It is the sick people who need a doctor, not those who are healthy. ¹³ You need to go and learn what this Scripture means: ‘I don’t want animal sacrifices; I want you to show kindness to people.’^[ae] I did not come to invite good people. I came to invite sinners.”

Jesus Is Not Like Other Religious Leaders^(AL)

¹⁴ Then the followers of John came to Jesus and said, “We and the Pharisees fast often, but your followers don’t ever fast. Why?”

¹⁵ Jesus answered, “At a wedding the friends of the bridegroom are not sad while he is with them. They cannot fast then. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them. Then they will fast.

¹⁶ “When someone sews a patch over a hole in an old coat, they never use a piece of cloth that has not already been shrunk. If they do, the patch will shrink and pull away from the coat. Then the hole will be worse. ¹⁷ Also, people never pour new wine into old wineskins. They would break, the wine would spill out, and the wineskins would be ruined. People always put new wine into new wineskins, which won’t break, and the wine stays good.”

Jesus Gives Life to a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman^(AM)

¹⁸ While Jesus was still talking, a leader of the synagogue came to him. The leader bowed down before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But if you will come and touch her with your hand, she will live again.”

¹⁹ So Jesus and his followers went with the man.

²⁰ On the way, there was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. She came close behind Jesus and touched the bottom of his coat. ²¹ She was thinking, “If I can touch his coat, I will be healed.”

²² Jesus turned and saw the woman. He said, “Be happy, dear woman. You are made well because you believed.” Then the woman was healed.

²³ Jesus continued going with the Jewish leader and went into the leader’s house. He saw people there who make music for funerals. And he saw a crowd of people crying loudly. ²⁴ Jesus said, “Go away. The girl is not dead. She is only sleeping.” But the people laughed at him. ²⁵ After the people were put out of the house, Jesus went into the girl’s room. He held the girl’s hand, and the girl stood up. ²⁶ The news about this spread all around the area.

Jesus Heals More People

²⁷ As Jesus was going away from there, two blind men followed him. They said loudly, “Show kindness to us, Son of David.”

²⁸ Jesus went inside, and the blind men went with him. He asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to make you see again?” They answered, “Yes, Lord, we believe.”

²⁹ Then Jesus touched their eyes and said, “You believe that I can make you see again, so it will happen.” ³⁰ Then the men were able to see. Jesus gave them a strong warning. He said, “Don’t tell anyone about this.” ³¹ But they left and spread the news about Jesus all around that area.

³² As these two men were leaving, some people brought another man to Jesus. This man could not talk because he had a demon inside him. ³³ Jesus forced the demon out, and the man was able to talk. The people were amazed and said, “We have never seen anything like this in Israel.”

³⁴ But the Pharisees said, “The ruler of demons is the one that gives him power to force demons out.”

Jesus Feels Sorry for the People

³⁵ Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages. He taught in their synagogues and told people the Good News about God’s kingdom. He healed all kinds of diseases and sicknesses. ³⁶ Jesus saw the many people and felt sorry for them because they were worried and helpless—like sheep without a shepherd to lead them. ³⁷ Jesus said to his followers, “There is such a big harvest of people to bring in. But there are only a few workers to help harvest them. ³⁸ God owns the harvest. Ask him to send more workers to help gather his harvest.”