¹When he entered again into Capernaum after some days , it was heard that he was at home .

²Immediately many were gathered together , so that there was no more room , not even around the door ; and he spoke the word to them .

³Four people came , carrying a paralytic to him .

⁴When they could not come near to him for the crowd , they removed the roof where he was . When they had broken it up , they let down the mat that the paralytic was lying on .

⁵Jesus , seeing their faith , said to the paralytic , “ Son , your sins are forgiven you .”

⁶But there were some of the scribes sitting there and reasoning in their hearts ,

⁷“Why does this man speak blasphemies like that ? Who can forgive sins but God alone ?”

⁸Immediately Jesus , perceiving in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves , said to them , “ Why do you reason these things in your hearts ?

⁹Which is easier , to tell the paralytic , ‘ Your sins are forgiven;’ or to say , ‘ Arise , and take up your bed , and walk ’?

¹⁰But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” —he said to the paralytic —

¹¹“ I tell you , arise , take up your mat , and go to your house .”

¹²He arose , and immediately took up the mat and went out in front of them all , so that they were all amazed and glorified God , saying , “We never saw anything like this !”

¹³He went out again by the seaside. All the multitude came to him , and he taught them .

¹⁴As he passed by , he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. He said to him , “Follow me .” And he arose and followed him .

¹⁵He was reclining at the table in his house , and many tax collectors and sinners sat down with Jesus and his disciples , for there were many , and they followed him .

¹⁶The scribes and the Pharisees , when they saw that he was eating with the sinners and tax collectors , said to his disciples , “Why is it that he eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹⁷When Jesus heard it , he said to them , “ Those who are healthy have no need for a physician , but those who are sick . I came not to call the righteous , but sinners to repentance.”

¹⁸John ’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting , and they came and asked him , “Why do John ’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast , but your disciples don’t fast ?”

¹⁹Jesus said to them , “ Can the groomsmen fast while the bridegroom is with them ? As long as they have the bridegroom with them , they can ’ t fast .

²⁰But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them , and then they will fast in that day .

²¹No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment , or else the patch shrinks and the new tears away from the old , and a worse hole is made .

²²No one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the skins, and the wine pours out , and the skins will be destroyed; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins.”

²³He was going on the Sabbath day through the grain fields ; and his disciples began , as they went , to pluck the ears of grain .

²⁴The Pharisees said to him , “Behold , why do they do that which is not lawful on the Sabbath day ?”

²⁵He said to them , “ Did you never read what David did when he had need and was hungry — he , and those who were with him ?

²⁶How he entered into God ’s house at the time of Abiathar the high priest , and ate the show bread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests , and gave also to those who were with him ?”

²⁷He said to them , “ The Sabbath was made for man , not man for the Sabbath .

²⁸Therefore the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath .”