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Mark 2
Part 1 of 2
1 After some days He entered Capernaum again, and it soon became known that He was at home; 2 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, 3 when there came a party of people bringing a paralytic--four men carrying him. 4 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. 5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are pardoned." 6 Now there were some of the Scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts. 7 "Why does this man use such words?" they said; "he is blaspheming. Who can pardon sins but One--that is, God?" 8 At once perceiving by His spirit that they were reasoning within themselves, Jesus asked them, "Why do you thus argue in your minds? 9 Which is easier?--to say to this paralytic, 'Your sins are pardoned,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your mat, and walk?' 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to pardon sins" --He turned to the paralytic, and said, 11 "To you I say, 'Rise, take up your mat and go home.'" 12 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." 13 Again He went out to the shore of the Lake, and the whole multitude kept coming to Him, and He taught them. 14 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. 15 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. 16 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!" 17 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." 18 (Now John's disciples and those of the Pharisees were keeping a fast.) 19 "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. 20 But a time will come when the Bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast. 21 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. 22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the wine would burst the skins, and both wine and skins would be lost. New wine needs fresh skins!" 23 One Sabbath He was walking through the wheatfields when His disciples began to pluck the ears of wheat as they went. 24 So the Pharisees said to Him, "Look! why are they doing what on the Sabbath is unlawful?" 25 "Have you never read," Jesus replied, "what David did when the necessity arose and he and his men were hungry: 26 how he entered the house of God in the High-priesthood of Abiathar, and ate the Presented Loaves--which none but the priests are allowed to eat--and gave some to his men also?" 27 And Jesus said to them: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath; 28 so that the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."
Mark 3
Part 2 of 2
1 At another time, when He went to the synagogue, there was a man there with one arm shrivelled up. 2 They closely watched Him to see whether He would cure him on the Sabbath--so as to have a charge to bring against Him. 3 "Come forward," said He to the man with the shrivelled arm. 4 Then He asked them, "Are we allowed to do good on the Sabbath, or to do evil? to save a life, or to destroy one?" They remained silent. 5 Grieved and indignant at the hardening of their hearts, He looked round on them with anger, and said to the man, "Stretch out your arm." He stretched it out, and the arm was completely restored. 6 But no sooner had the Pharisees left the synagogue than they held a consultation with the Herodians against Jesus, to devise some means of destroying Him. 7 Accordingly Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the Lake, and a vast crowd of people from Galilee followed Him; 8 and from Judaea and Jerusalem and Idumaea and from beyond the Jordan and from the district of Tyre and Sidon there came to Him a vast crowd, hearing of all that He was doing. 9 So He gave directions to His disciples to keep a small boat in constant attendance on Him because of the throng--to prevent their crushing Him. 10 For He had cured many of the people, so that all who had any ailments pressed upon Him, to touch Him. 11 And the foul spirits, whenever they saw Him, threw themselves down at His feet, screaming out: "You are the Son of God." 12 But He many a time checked them, forbidding them to say who He was. 13 Then He went up the hill; and those whom He Himself chose He called, and they came to Him. 14 He appointed twelve of them, that they might be with Him, and that He might also send them to proclaim His Message, 15 with authority to expel the demons. 16 These twelve were Simon (to whom He gave the surname of Peter) 17 James the son of Zabdi and John the brother of James (these two He surnamed Boanerges, that is 'Sons of Thunder') 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananaean, 19 and Judas Iscariot, the man who also betrayed Him. 20 And He went into a house. But again the crowd assembled, so that there was no opportunity for them even to snatch a meal. 21 Hearing of this, His relatives came to seize Him by force, for they said, "He is out of his mind." 22 The Scribes, too, who had come down from Jerusalem said, "He has Baal-zebul in him; and it is by the power of the Prince of the demons that he expels the demons." 23 So He called them to Him, and using figurative language He appealed to them, saying, "How is it possible for Satan to expel Satan? 24 For if civil war breaks out in a kingdom, nothing can make that kingdom last; 25 and if a family splits into parties, that family cannot continue. 26 So if Satan has risen in arms and has made war upon himself, stand he cannot, but meets his end. 27 Nay, no one can go into a strong man's house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house. 28 In solemn truth I tell you that all their sins may be pardoned to the sons of men, and all their blasphemies, however they may have blasphemed; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, he remains for ever unabsolved: he is guilty of a sin of the Ages." 30 This was because they said, "He is possessed by a foul spirit." 31 By this time His mother and His brothers arrive, and standing outside they send a message to Him to call Him. 32 Now a crowd was sitting round Him; so they tell Him, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, inquiring for you." 33 "Who are my mother and my brothers?" He replied. 34 And, fixing His eyes on the people who were sitting round Him in a circle, He said, 35 "Here are my mother and my brothers. For wherever there is one who has been obedient to God, there is my brother--my sister--and my mother." Mark 2:1-3:35, Weymouth New Testament. Public domain.
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