The Scriptures (ISR 1998) 1And it came to be, while the crowd was pressing upon Him to hear the word of Elohim, that He stood by the Lake of Gennĕsar, 2and He saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3And entering into one of the boats, which belonged to Shim‛on, He asked him to pull away a little from the land. And He sat down and was teaching the crowds from the boat. 4And when He ceased speaking, He said to Shim‛on, “Pull out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5And Shim‛on answering, said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught none, but at Your word I shall let down the net.” 6And when they did so, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking, 7and they motioned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they were sinking. 8And when Shim‛on Kĕpha saw it, he fell down at the knees of יהושע, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a man, a sinner, O Master!” 9For astonishment had seized him and all those with him, at the catch of fish which they took, 10so too were Ya‛aqoḇ and Yoḥanan, the sons of Zaḇdai, who were partners with Shim‛on. Then יהושע said to Shim‛on, “Do not fear, from now on you shall catch men.” 11And having brought the boats to land, they left all and followed Him. 12And it came to be when He was in a certain city, that see, a man covered with leprosy saw יהושע. And he fell on his face and begged Him, saying, “Master, if You desire, You are able to cleanse me.” 13And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I desire it. Be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14And He ordered him to say it to no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a witness to them, as Mosheh commanded.” 15And the news about Him was spreading even more. And large crowds were coming together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their sicknesses. 16But He was often withdrawing Himself to lonely places and praying. 17And on a certain day it came to be, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the Torah sitting by, who had come out of every village of Galil, Yehuḏah, and Yerushalayim. And the power of יהוה was there to heal them. 18And see, men brought on a bed a man who was paralysed. And they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Him. 19But having found no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the house-top and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before יהושע. 20And having seen their belief, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” 21And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who is able to forgive sins except Elohim alone?” 22And יהושע, knowing their thoughts, answering, said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? 23“Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? 24“But in order for you to know that the Son of Aḏam possesses authority on earth to forgive sins...” He said to the man who was paralysed, “I say to you, rise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 25And at once, having risen up before them, he took up what he had been lying on, and went away to his house, praising Elohim. 26And astonishment seized them all, and they praised Elohim and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen extra-ordinary feats today!” 27And after this He went out and saw a tax collector named Lĕwi, sitting at the tax office, and said to him, “Follow Me.” 28And he, having left all, rose up and followed Him. 29And Lĕwi made a great feast for Him in his house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. 30And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled against His taught ones, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31And יהושע answering, said to them, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but those who are sick. 32“I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” 33And they said to Him, “Why do the taught ones of Yoḥanan fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?” 34And He said to them, “Are you able to make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35“But days shall come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they shall fast in those days.” 36And He also spoke a parable to them, “No one puts a piece from a fresh garment on an old one, otherwise the fresh one makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the fresh one does not match the old. 37“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins, otherwise the new wine shall burst the wineskins and run out, and the wineskins shall be ruined. 38“But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved. 39“And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new wine, for he says, ‘The old is better.’ ” |